Fresh off the printer, here's the complete Yankees instructional league roster. Players reported today, and the first game will be played on Sept. 26, against the hated Instructional League Phillies. Camp is slated to break on Oct. 7.

Here's how the acquisition breaks down:

2011 Draft class: 15
2010 Draft class: 13
2009 Draft class: 4
2007 Draft class: 1
International Free Agents: 20

PITCHERS
Zach Arneson
Manny Barreda
Dan Burawa
Daniel Camarena
Mariel Checo
Jordan Cote
William Davis
Evan DeLuca
Gabe Encinas
Francisco Gil
Shane Greene
Chaz Hebert
Tommy Kahnle
Joseph Maher
Bryan Mitchell
Taylor Morton
Zach Nuding
Branden Pinder
Reynaldo Polanco
Jose Ramirez
Francisco Rondon
Evan Rutckyj
Hayden Sharp
Adam Smith
Matt Tracy

CATCHERS
Greg Bird
Eduardo DeOleo
Gary Sanchez
Isaias Tejeda
Jackson Valera

INFIELDERS
Miguel Andujar
Tyler Austin
Dante Bichette
Cito Culver
Claudio Custodio
Matt Duran
Anderson Feliz
Angelo Gumbs
Austin Jones
Ronnier Mustelier
Reymond Nunez
Kyle Roller
Jose Rosario
Rob Segedin

OUTFIELDERS
Yeicok Calderon
Jake Cave
Kelvin DeLeon
Ramon Flores
Ben Gamel
Daniel Lopez
Eladio Moronta
Wilmer Romero
Mason Williams

MANNY BANUELOS

JN: You've watched Dellin all year. How much do you think he's improved since April?

MB: Now he looks very comfortable compared with time before. His last start was very impressive. He threw very hard, he threw a lot of strikes ... it was pretty impressive.

JN: Was that his best start of the year?

MB: Yeah. He had a couple of good starts before, but I watched him all game and he looked very comfortable and aggressive the whole time.

JN: Had he not had that aggressiveness all year?

MB: He tried to, but he's still working on mechanics and some other things. I saw him aggressive all year, but this time ... wow ... all his stuff.

JN: In the beginning of the year, do you think that blister was hurting him more than maybe he was letting on?

MB: I saw his finger .. it was really bad. Every day we saw his finger, and it was getting better. I think he came back very quick (considering how bad it looked).

JN: With all the expectations on him this year, do you think there's more pressure on him than in past years?

MB: No, no. I saw him all the time relaxed. He knows what he's doing.

JN: Do you remember the first outing you saw him, way back when you both were in the Gulf Coast League together?

MB: Really tall! For the hitters, I saw him pitching and throwing really hard. I said, 'Man, he's really tall and he throws really hard. It's impossible to hit!'

JN: Did you know about him before that game, about how much money he got and what kind of pedigree he had?

MB: I never had seen him before. I'd said hi to him, but we'd never talked. Before that game, never. I just saw him pitch and said 'Who is this guy? Where is he playing? Is he in Low-A? Is he here for a rehab?' I said, 'Man, this guy's nasty."

JN: You two guys have been linked together for a while now. Have you become friends because of it? Are you guys closer because it's Dellin and Manny or it's Manny and Dellin?

MB: I like to talk to him. I like him like a player and like a friend. We talk a lot about baseball and about families and also about friends. He's not my friend just for the baseball, cause I like him like a person. He's nice. He's a really nice person.

JN: What does he do off the field for fun?

MB: I like to see him when he starts to dance. When we're at the hotel we play music and we laugh and he starts to dance really funny. He's really good.



JN: Can he breakdance?

MB: Yeah. He can dance everything. It's funny because he's really tall. You see a big guy dancing and it's really funny. His moves and everything, we laugh and we make fun.

JN: Are you as good a dancer as he is?

MB: No. Not like that.

JN: If I asked him what you do off the field to relax, what would he tell me?

MB: I have no idea, man. I have no idea. You have to ask him.

JN: You don't do anything off the field?

MB: We talk a lot, but nothing special.

JN: What does it mean to be an All-Star for the first time?

MB: I've been an Arizona Fall League Rising Star and I went to the Futures Game in 2009. ... I am pretty happy for making the All-Star. It's hard, but I'm surprised because I haven't done very well in the season and I made the team.

JN: What do you to improve in the second half?

MB: I just want to come in pitching like I want. I haven't had any starts where I've come in being aggressive or with my command. I just want to throw all my stuff like last year.

It's the final day of Derek Jeter's two-game stint with the Thunder, and everything but the weather has been optimal. The tarp is on the field now, and it's been raining on and off all day long, with thunder and lightning in the mix as well.

Jeter is scheduled to play all nine innings tentatively, as well continue leading off and playing shortstop. That, however, could be affected by the rain, obviously. He won't speak until after the game, as per rehab tradition. Only Lance Berkman, that I can remember, went against that rule.

Manny Banuelos is on the bump for the Thunder, giving this final game of their last homestand before the All-Star break just a little more juice -- as if it needed it.

The lineup for the Thunder looks like this:

Derek Jeter - SS
Ray Kruml - RF
Corban Joseph - DH
Brad Suttle - 3B
Melky Mesa - CF
Rob Lyerly - 1B
Jose Pirela - 2B
Damon Sublett - LF
Jose Gil - C
Manny Banuelos - LHP

Here are some videos of Jeter taking batting practice, and most of Tony Franklin's pregame press conference:









Here's Captain America's first at-bat -- er, plate appearance

I drove down to Aberdeen last night to watch the Staten Island Yankees and starter Bryan Mitchell. He didn't disappoint, fanning eight IronBirds in four innings. He threw a really nice low-to-mid 90s fastball and, toward the later innings, a hard-biting curve. Here are four of his strikeouts.

By JOSH NORRIS
jnorris@trentonian.com

TRENTON — On April 27, 2003, Kevin Millwood pitched a no-hitter as a member of the Phillies. For a while in the Thunder’s 8-0 win over the Senators in Game 1 of yesterday’s doubleheader, it appeared he might do it again, albeit under much less dramatic circumstances.

Primarily using a cutting fastball that topped out at 87 miles per hour, Millwood held the Senators hitless for 5 2/3 innings before Tyler Moore’s sharp single through the middle broke up the bid.

Millwood went the distance, allowing just the single to Moore, with three strikeouts and four walks mixed in. Of his other outs, 10 were on the ground and five came through the air.

Even though he admitted his curveball wasn’t as sharp as he’d like it to be, Millwood was satisfied with yesterday’s results.

“I feel like I’m getting closer to where I need to be,” he said. “Aside from the walks, I felt like I threw the ball well.”

Manager Tony Franklin was pretty impressed with Millwood’s outing as well, especially the way it showcased how an aging pitcher adapts to his declining stuff.

“I was pretty impressed with the way he went in and out and when he got ahead and exploited the hitters’ weaknesses,” Franklin said. “I think he’d be the first to tell you he’s no longer a flamethrower.”

Along with Mark Prior, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon, and most recently Carlos Silva, Millwood was one of many darts Yankees general manager Brian Cashman threw at the wall this offseason after Cliff Lee, the winter’s biggest prize, shocked everyone by signing with the Phillies.

So far, Garcia and Colon have helped seal an at-times leaky pitching staff, Prior was moved up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s bullpen, and Silva is in extended spring training down in Tampa, Fla.

As for Millwood, he’s got an out clause in his contract that allows him to opt out and become a free agent again. That’s nearly two weeks away, though, plenty of time to get him another minor league start or two.

His number would come up again on Friday, when the Thunder play the Senators again, this time at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg. If the Yankees don’t want to send aging righty on the road, they could promote him to Scranton, who play at home that day against Syracuse.

In the nighttcap, after spot starter Craig Heyer tossed five innings of three-run (one earned) baseball, Pat Venditte and Fernando Hernandez allowed five runs over the next two innings.

On the other side, Brad Peacock stifled the Thunder, holding them to two runs (one earned) on just two hits. He struck out nine.

Per the New York Post's Brian Costello, Phil Hughes is being placed on the disabled list and Lance Pendleton, last year's Thunder ace in the second half, is being called to New York to take his place.

Pendleton was a Rule 5 pick of the Houston Astros this offseason, and was returned to the Yankees during the last week of spring training. The 27-year-old right-hander from Rice University is 1-1 with a 1.59 ERA in two appearances out the Scranton bullpen this season.

With the Thunder last year, Pendleton was 10-4 with a 3.43 ERA over 23 appearances (22 starts.)

This comes after Hughes had been shellacked for three straight starts, including last night's effort against the Orioles in which he allowed five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. Overall this season, Hughes has given up four home runs in just 10 1/3 frames.

Well, so much for that all-prospect rotation in Scranton -- at least for now.

With Luis Ayala on the shelf, the Yankees have decided to call up Hector Noesi from Scranton to take his place. A major factor, aside from his talent, Noesi had working for him was his spot on the 40-man roster.

Unlike the other members of the 40-man roster who were available, Noesi had not pitched recently (like Garrison and Betances and Brackman had) and was not on the disabled list (like Jose Ortegano and Ryan Pope are), so, unless the Yankees wanted to make a 40-man move and bring up lefty Andy Sisco, Noesi makes sense.

Noesi was outstanding -- outside of a small skid -- with the Thunder last season. Overall, the right-hander was 8-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) and struck out 86 against 18 walks before being promoted to Scranton toward season's end.

His signature game with the team came against the Binghamton Mets and rehabbing major leaguer John Maine. Noesi twirled a complete game that afternoon, the Thunder's first since Alfredo Aceves did it two seasons prior.

Good morning.

Today is Opening Day for the Yankees, who will play the Tigers should the weather hold in New York. The scheduled matchup is CC Sabathia vs. Justin Verlander, which should make for a low-scoring affair.

Speaking of weather, what I've got here in Tampa is absolutely dreadful. We got three inches of rain on Tuesday evening, and I'd dare say we matched that again last night. And it's still drizzling.

The forecast for the rest of the day is no better. The phrases "penny-sized hail" and "tornado warning" both came up this morning on the Weather Channel. Good times.

I'll head down to the complex here in a little while, but I strongly doubt I'll see anyone there at all. The Thunder are scheduled to face the Double-A Pirates at home today, but that's almost certainly cancelled already. The most I'm expecting is a little stretching and light cagework.

Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the baseball today.

TAMPA, Fla. – On Sunday, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada took a few hacks at the minor league complex. The next day, second baseman Robinson Cano and Jesus Montero (who had yet to be cut from the big club) did the same.

For more exclusive Thunder content, including blog posts, stories, videos and pictures, go HERE

This afternoon, however, the star power ante was upped much, much higher. For starters, outfielders Curtis Granderson and Chris Dickerson, as well as closer nonpareil Mariano Rivera each saw action in a pair of simulated games against various Yankees farmhands.

Those three had been announced yesterday, though, and were expected. The cavalcade of major league arms that followed, however, was a bit of a surprise.

Fans who’d been shut out of the major league game across the street were treated to pitchers Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, David Robertson and Boone Logan, all getting some last-minute work before the team departed from New York.

Yankees player development guru Mark Newman, among scattered other members of the team’s brass, watched anxiously as Granderson and Dickerson took their licks against Hughes, as well as minor leaguers Hector Noesi and Shaeffer Hall.

At one point, Newman asked Granderson how he felt after a couple of swings and misses early in the proceedings. Granderson said he felt fine. Regardless, the outfielder is scheduled to play with the minor leaguers when they travel to Bradenton to face the Pirates’ youngsters.

…

It was announced yesterday that left-hander Manny Banuelos, the likely frontman in the Thunder’s rotation, was the winner of the team’s James P. Dawson Award, given annually to the top rookie in spring training.

Previous winners of the award include Brett Gardner, Nick Johnson, Alfonso Soriano, Hideki Matsui and Don Mattingly.

This spring, Banuelos, the youngest player in Yankees camp, went 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA in six games, which included two starts.

He received the award in a ceremony held before yesterday’s major league game with the Tigers.

…

Because of the nearly three inches of rain that dumped on the Tampa area yesterday, the scheduled minor league games with the Phillies farmhands were cancelled. Players not involved in the simulated game had a light workout and then were sent home for the rest of the day.

TAMPA, Fla. – Hours before the Yankees played their final spring training tune-up, relievers Steve Garrison and Luis Ayala stood at Garrison’s locker and exchanged pleasantries. Ayala , with four tropical-looking bracelets on his left wrist, showed off his glove to Garrison.

For more exclusive Thunder content, including blog posts, pictures, video and stories, go HERE

Garrison tried on the glove, then asked if Ayala wanted to go play catch in the outfield to warm up their arms. Ayala politely declined, smiled, then made his way back across the room to his locker, which is just to the left of the clubhouse door as one enters.

It may not have looked it from the outside, but these two pitchers were competing for a shot at the final spot in the Yankees’ bullpen, a second left-hander to complement Boone Logan. The chance was made available because Pedro Feliciano, a southpaw whom New York acquired in the offseason, has a triceps injury that will put him on the disabled list for Thursday’s Opening Day.

For Garrison, a native of Ewing and a graduate of the Hun School in Princeton, pitching in the major leagues in the northeast would be extra special.

"To make any big league team would be an honor,” Garrison said yesterday. “It's kind of what my main goal is and everything like that. Just to be close to home is a blessing. I've always wanted to play up in the northeast where my home is and my family and friends are. It would be a really great opportunity."

Despite not being on the list of scheduled pitchers for yesterday’s game, Garrison got in an inning against the Tigers, relieving, ironically enough, Ayala. Garrison worked around two hits – both to left-handers – to keep Detroit off the board in what wound up a 2-1 Yankees win.

On the surface, the fifth inning appeared to be one final audition for manager Joe Girardi, but he’d already made it clear before the game that neither pitcher would be going north with the team initially.

“None of them are going. Ayala and Garrison are staying here. If one of them joins us, he’ll join us Wednesday evening,” the manager explained.

In the meantime, the Yankees most likely will monitor the waiver wires as other teams make their cuts before setting their final rosters tomorrow evening. If a better option pops up, they’ll pursue him and leave Garrison and Ayala to build innings in the minor leagues.

Even without a spot certain, however, one could clearly see how delighted Garrison was with spending the entire spring in big league camp. It was a far cry from last season at this time, when he was a member of the Padres organization and had his leg in a brace while recovering from knee surgery.

“It’s definitely an honor. I love being in this organization. Everybody’s been so great to me. I’m blessed to be here, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been really nice to be healthy and to be a part of all this,” he said.

Assuming the weather holds up Wednesday, Garrison and Ayala will take the long bus ride over to Bradenton to play the Pirates in a minor league game. Although neither is likely to pitch, it should be an eventful, anxious day for both hurlers.

If the Yankees don’t find anything to their liking on the scrap heap, one will hop a plane to New York to join the team before its season-opening matinee against Detroit on Thursday. For Ayala, who’s pitched in 377 games in the show, getting the call would be a welcome respite from another stint in Triple-A.

As for Garrison, who has appeared in just five games above Double-A in his career, a call late tomorrow would be a far greater thrill.

“It’s what you always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s what you’re there for. Again, I’m honored that they think highly enough of me to put me at that level.”

During a Twitter conversation about fantasy baseball with one of my followers, I came up with an idea. This may either be my greatest idea ever, or it will drive me completely insane. Or both.

I want to run a fantasy league for my followers, with one catch: The only players available in this league are Yankees minor leaguers.

This would do two things, I think:

1. It would be a lot of fun between friends with a common interest

2. It would a great way for people to learn more about their favorite team's prospects, beyond the upper crust.

Here's how it would work:

Because the player pool (at least until the middle of June) is limited to about 100 players, there would be a smaller number of teams, and a smaller number of players per team.

Initially, I'm thinking a rotisserie league consisting of six teams of 12 players, which leaves about 28 players to use as replacements in the case of players who land on the DL/are suspended/are traded.

I wouldn't play (privy to too much info), but instead would keep track of the stats and standings. I already check the box scores every morning for my Around The System posts, so it would only be a little bit more work.

Again, I don't want to go insane, so the stat categories wouldn't be too outlandish. To start, I'm thinking: Batting average, doubles, runs, home runs, RBIs; Wins, earned runs, home runs, strikeouts and walks.

The league would last through June 21, the South Atlantic League All-Star Game. If the response is good, and people enjoy the league, we'll do it again for the second half of the season.

That's all the info for now, but there will be more details on the transaction process, draft day, prizes, etc., as I get them.

Entry info: I've already got three people who want to play, so there's just three spots left. If you want to reserve a spot, shoot me an e-mail at jnorris@trentonian.com. The league will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

UPDATE: Well, that was quick. I have the three other participants, as well as two alternates. Again, if everything goes well with this league, I will do another one -- or, depending on demand, two -- for the second half of the season. Because the Staten Island and Gulf Coast League
Yankees will have started by then, those league(s) have the potential to be crazy.

Here's the press release from the team, but it announces the signings of: Ronnie Belliard, Eric Chavez, Luis Ayala, Warner Madrigal, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia.

It also announces the Non-Roster Invitees, which are: Manny Banuelos, Dan Brewer, Jose Gil, Kyle Higashioka, Austin Krum, D.J. Mitchell, Jesus Montero, Jordan Parraz, David Phelps, Austin Romine, Bradley Suttle, Jorge Vazquez, Adam Warren and Eric Wordekemper.

Spring Training Invites-Additional

LAKEWOOD — Sure, he’s got mid-90s heat, a tight slider that made great strides in his first professional season and an injury history only an insurance provider could love, but that’s not the most interesting thing about Graham Stoneburner.

It’s that name — Stoneburner, and where the hurler says it comes from.

“My ancestors used to heat up rocks and put them under people’s beds, and that’s how we got our name,” he explains.

Those days are long gone, but during his first full year as a Yankees prospect, the young right-hander did all he could to live up to his fiery family name.

Along with the hard fastball – which Yankees head of player development Mark Newman has compared to that of major league veteran Jake Westbrook — Stoneburner sports a maturing a slider and a nascent change-up.

The fastball and slider combo helped him sail through his first full season as a starter, though there’s internal debate as to whether he’ll eventually have more success out of the bullpen.

Whatever the future may hold, Stoneburner looked very much like a long-term starter last May, when the RiverDogs entered the Garden State for a set with the Lakewood BlueClaws, the Phillies’ Sally League squad.

From the jump that afternoon, Stoneburner took quick advantage of a free-swinging line-up. He fanned two of the first three hitters he faced, including top Phillies prospect Jiwan James.

Then, in the second inning, he got to show off his considerable mettle.

A three-base error by Jimmy Paredes put the speedy Anthony Hewitt on third with nobody out against Lakewood’s 5-6-7 hitters, a tall task for any pitcher, let alone one making just his sixth professional start.

Stoneburner stood tall, turning the next three hitters into his third, fourth and fifth strikeouts of the day. He rang up the last man, the 17-year-old Domingo Santana, on two sliders — one in the zone, one in the dirt — and a final fastball on the inner half.

He finished the afternoon with 11 punchouts, including a stretch of seven in a row, and earned his first his first win in the minors after two early losses during which he allowed a combined four earned runs.

He left after seven shutout innings and 95 pitches, the last of which was a fastball at 95 miles per hour. The ability to carry that kind of velocity deep into games should aid him over the next couple of seasons as he vies for a spot in the Yankees’ rotation.

It’s also something he’s had to work since high school to maintain.

“When I was younger, I used to throw harder in the fourth inning than in the first, for some reason,” Stoneburner said. “They have us in pretty good shape, and that allows us to maintain our velocity throughout the game. I knew right there that that guy was a good fastball hitter, so I had to put a little extra on it."

Promoted before midseason, Stoneburner finished the year with a 9-8 record, a 2.41 ERA, 137 strikeouts in 142 innings and a sub-1.00 WHIP. He’s almost certain to spend the season in what should be another prospect-stocked Thunder rotation.

No matter his role down the line, Greg Colbrunn, his manager last year with the Charleston RiverDogs, the Yankees’ Low-A affiliate, has no problem seeing the big-time in Stoneburner’s future a few years down the line.

“He’s got a chance to move through the ranks pretty quickly. It’s hard to project where he’s going to be four years from now, but he’s spotting his fastball. If he can continue to progress like he has, we’ll see how he does.”

Now that Andy Pettitte has decided to call it a career, the 2011 season just got a whole lot more — let’s say interesting — for the Yankees.

With Pettitte gone, the Yanks’ will likely open with a rotation of some combination of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes, Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova.

That quintet doesn’t exactly scream postseason-bound, does it?

There are others in the mix for those back two spots, including former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon, the once-promising Mark Prior and journeyman Freddy Garcia.

Still, even with those three in tow, the absence of solid arms in two fifths of the rotation could make for a very intriguing spring training for a few Yankees farmhands.

With a good showing at camp, kids like Andrew Brackman, David Phelps, Adam Warren, D.J. Mitchell, Hector Noesi, Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos could position themselves for a midseason call-up.

A scout I spoke with yesterday said that he doesn’t believe any of those farmhands is ready now, however, so the veterans, retreads and Nova will have to hold the fort for the time being.

One idea the scout suggested was a sort of tag-team fifth spot throughout the course of the season.

The idea would work something like this:

From Opening Day through the end of May, Mitre, Colon, Garcia or Prior would take the ball every fifth day.

Then, from June until the start of August, a prospect would get his feet wet in the big leagues.

After his two months were up, that youngster would relinquish the ball to another farmhand for the duration of the season.

To me, that sounds like a pretty viable solution on a couple of fronts.

First, it helps avoid a Joba-like shuffle to and from the bullpen for someone the Yankees have spent years developing as a starter, something fans certainly don’t want to see happen again.

Additionally, it doesn’t overexpose either prospect long enough for the league to get a good book on him.

The glaring weakness in the plan, however, is that it pins a rookie with 20 percent of the team’s starts down the stretch, which would be especially troubling if the team were to find itself in playoff contention.

If that’s the case, though, you can the Yankees will swing a deal to avoid that kind of scenario.

The bottom line is: Because of Pettitte’s retirement, this season represents the first time in a very long while that an untested prospect has a chance to win a spot in the rotation out of camp.

If that happens, this summer will be remembered more as a fond beginning than a bittersweet ending.

With the start of spring training mere weeks away, teams’ rosters are just about set for the coming campaign. Sure, there could be a few tweak here and there but for the most part, it’s done. The same isn’t true for the minor league levels.

The players are all there, but figuring out which players should be at which levels can be a tricky proposition.

With that in mind, The Trentonian spoke to Yankees head of player development Mark Newman to see if he could clear up a few of those issues, as well as a few other questions about the team’s system as a whole.

JN: I think the most pressing issue, as far as Trenton is concerned, is how the situation at second base is going to shake out. How are Corban Joseph, David Adams and Jose Pirela all going to fit into that mix?

MN: Pirela (will be) at shortstop, and we’re still working on the other two and how that’s going to play out there. There’s Triple-A possibilities. They both played together at Charleston a couple of years ago, and we moved them around.

JN: Is there a possibility that either of them could play at third base?

MN: Yes. We’ve got Suttle there, too, so there’s a bit of a logjam. We’re still working on how that’s going to play out.

JN: With the rotation, it seems pretty fair to say that Betances and Banuelos are going to be there, correct?

MN: It’s premature to say that they’re going to be there and not in Triple-A. There’s probably the best chance that they would be in Double-A to start with, but it’s not a done deal.

JN: I’d assume Graham Stoneburner’s going to be right there, too?

MN: Yeah.

JN: What about Adam Warren? It seems he’s ready for Triple-A, but I could also see him being pushed back to Double-A because of numbers.

MN: All that stuff (with the rotation) is still TBA. We have more quality pitching at the Double-A and Triple-A levels than we’ve had in some time, so throughout spring training there’s going to be a lot of consultation among staff before we finally determine who’s going to go where.

JN: Who stood out for you guys at instructs?

MN: Well, a lot of the young guys. It was really a young group. It was (Cito) Culver, Mason Williams, Gary Sanchez, that bunch.

JN: Did you guys like the early returns from Culver, despite the numbers maybe not being the prettiest?

MN: The stats were fine in a rookie league for a first-year player. If you go back and look at Derek Jeter and Robbie Cano the first year, the stat line is not good. At the lower levels early on in their career, it has very little meaning. You look for other things: How they handle the game, how they take pitches, how they use the field. You look at a lot of technical stuff.

JN: With a kid like Culver, who obviously didn’t have the greatest upbringing in the world, do you worry about how he’s going to adjust to basically being on his own for a while?

MN: He’s a quality kid. He has outstanding make-up. We have no concerns about him.

JN: How is Laird looking as a left fielder?

MN: Laird played in the fall league out there and did fine. It’s just to provide a defensive flexibility for the major league club. Third, first, left, right.

JN: So he’ll see time at all those positions in Scranton this year, I assume?

MN: He’ll see time at those spots.

JN: If I remember, Betances went down there to work solely on his fielding. How did that turn out?

MN: We focused on very few things, and he made progress on all those.

JN: Did you figure out what was causing those yips?

MN: It was just that he hadn’t had enough work. He’d been down with the injury for an extended period.

JN: One theory proposed up here was that he just hadn’t had many runners to deal with during his stint with Tampa. Could that have been a contributing factor as well?

MN: Well, he didn’t have many. There are a lot of outstanding young pitchers that go through that for the same reason. They didn’t have many runners on in high school, they didn’t have many on in the low minor leagues. Throw in the fact that he was out for a year with an injury.

JN: Another guy I heard a lot about all season down there was Brett Marshall. What do you see for him in 2011?

MN: Florida State League. Really good arm, really competitive. Very good athlete, great feel for the change-up. He’s got ceiling, he’s got big ceiling. He’ll keep working day by day to improve delivery and improve his secondary pitches, but yeah he’s got good stuff.

JN: I heard a story about him telling you that he was going to throw 100 miles per hour one day. How do you get a kid like that to learn how to dial it back?

MN: The coaches continually counsel him about that, and then you learn from the game. He figures out, with maturity, that the key is to get hitters out and the only stat that matters is how often you get hitters out, not the readings on the radar gun. He’s figured that out.

JN: I mentioned position switches not long ago. Is J.R. Murphy also making a switch from behind the plate to more of third base or outfield?

MN: No, he’s just learning multiple positions. He’s such an outstanding young hitter, we want to maintain some flexibility. When he’s ready to go to the big leagues, we want to have more options than just catch, and so the third base, right field work is going to provide him and us with that kind of option.

JN: With Gary Sanchez, the numbers were obviously there in spades. What kind of other things, aside from the numbers, were you able to take from his first full year?

MN: Adjustment to playing every day, which he handled. Running a pitching staff, managing a game, all that stuff is still a work in progress. He’s a very bright kid, and we think he’ll make those adjustments. He’s really talented.

JN: How much input do you guys get from the pitching staff he handles about how he is able to work back there?

MN: So far he’s caught so many young pitchers. You really don’t go to another 18-year-old and ask him to critique a catcher. They’re so worried about their own performance. If you were pitching to veteran players, it might be more helpful. At this point, all he’s done is that.

JN: I see that Vic Valencia, who was with the Thunder last year, is in Charleston. Being an outstanding defensive catcher during his playing days, is he there to work with Sanchez this season?

MN: He’s done a nice job with the catchers he’s worked with so far. We move staff around to try and match them up with players so we get the biggest bang for our buck from our staff.

After the success of yesterday's interview with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, I figured I might as well type up the last three questions I asked. They pertain to the team's recent delving into Mexico's talent pool, as well as what the organization looks for in a scout.
Enjoy.

JN: In recent years, you’ve seen four Mexicans, Ramiro Pena, Jorge Vazquez, Alfredo Aceves and Manny Banuelos, each contribute at either the big league level or at the upper levels of the minors. Is Mexico a new frontier for the organization, scouting-wise?

BC: (Mexico’s become a priority) in the last six years or so. … We hired Lee Sigman (the Yankees scout in Mexico), and since we hired Lee we’ve had a lot of success. Again, it’s all because of hard work and having quality scouts.

JN: When you guys look at a scout, what qualities do you look for? How do you go about hiring a scout?

BC: Obviously, guys have a reputation and guys have a history. We have a process for evaluating scouts like that, and we teach how we scout here. If we hire a scout from another club, we’re not hiring them to give us opinions willy nilly, we’re hiring them to take their abilities and put them in the context we want it put.

That’s a long answer to give about what makes a quality scout, but basically, like anything else, it’s a people business. You get a chance to get to know people, you get a chance to talk baseball, and the longer you talk and the more you talk, you can tell who’s full of shit and you can tell who knows what they’re talking about.

JN: So is it fair to say there’s a Yankees way of scouting, and then there’s a Blue Jays and Red Sox way of scouting?

BC: I think that the scouting has to reflect the philosophies from the front office. The players we gravitate to as a baseball operation are definitely different than certain organizations but very similar to others.

Last season, at the upper levels of Scranton and Trenton, the mid-levels at Tampa and Charleston, and the lower levels at Staten Island and the Gulf Coast and Dominican Summer Leagues, the Yankees’ farm system flourished in a fashion nearly unmatched in team history.

Position players and pitchers alike moved rapidly, giving the team a wealth of young, talented prospects to use to replenish the big club, be it via promotion or trade.

The advance represented the culmination of a four-season wholesale overhaul of the farm and the way it was constructed.

At the forefront of that metamorphosis was general manager Brian Cashman, who spoke exclusively with The Trentonian on Friday about what went into that process, how it is continuing, as well as other subjects pertaining to player development.

From Diamondbacks’ general manager Kevin Towers’ role with the team last year, to which farmhands he thinks fans should watch for this season, to why Jesus Montero is going to be the Yankees’ next stalwart behind the plate, this interview is a guide to how the organization approaches player development, and what effect it will have in shaping the team for 2011 and beyond.

JN: Last year was obviously a pretty good year for the Yankees on the farm. Since you’ve been GM, was 2010 the best year as far as player development is concerned?

BC: It’s hard to say. I wouldn’t be able to say that. Prior to the 2006 season, we have certainly recommitted ourselves to amateur scouting and player development. Since that time you’ve seen us slowly but surely emerge from one of the weakest to one of the strongest farm systems in the game.

JN: How do you begin the process of re-tooling the farm system, in order to make that transition?

BC: Make sure you have quality scouts. When a quality scout comes available, increase your scouting budget with new hires. We’ve hired more quality amateur scouts and we’ve hired more quality pro scouts.

We have been very aggressive in the draft and re-dedicated ourselves to tools, not necessarily to performance coming out of the amateur ranks. We had been very disciplined, in most cases, in holding onto our draft pick, our number one pick, and not losing it as free agent compensation.

JN: You mentioned giving up that draft pick, which is something you had to do this year when you signed Soriano. With the value of major-league talent on the rise, has the value of the first-round choice risen commensurately?

BC: I’m not going to answer that directly. The pick in the first round does have a great deal of value to you. As long as you’ve got a quality scouting director in the department, which we have, you’re going to get a quality player that’s going to impact your club. The signing bonus of that player, and the cost of developing him into something will certainly offset having to go to the free-agent market three years later to get that type of player somewhere else outside the market.

For instance, David Robertson has been a very terrific reliever for us. He cost us $200,000 to sign, to get him away after his junior year at Alabama. So, you see what it takes to sign free agents off the market after six years of work, and Robertson cost us a $200,000 signing bonus and the money – the minimum he’s made – and the development cost behind getting him here. There’s obviously value there, clearly.

JN: Because the Yankees have money, it obviously gives them flexibility in the draft, but does it also buy them more patience with guys who may take longer to develop, because of injuries or otherwise?

BC: No, I don’t think so. The bottom line is: Take the best player on the board. Brackman, in his case, the only reason he got to us is because of the knowledge that he had a ligament issue and was going to need Tommy John surgery. Nowadays, I think it’s an 88 to 92 percent success rate, so when you compare it to losing a year waiting for him, versus the other players, we chose Brackman. I don’t necessarily think patience has anything to do with it, other than you need patience to wait on these guys.

JN: Talking about Brackman, he was one of three guys, along with Jesus Montero and Dellin Betances, who the organization brought up toward the end of the year for a bit of a taste of the show. What did you hope those guys would gain during that brief stay?

BC: That’s another thing. When I got full authority, we implemented another added step in the development program. That was picking a few guys, maybe a handful of guys, on a yearly basis that you’d bring to New York on a homestand.

They wouldn’t be, obviously, activated on our roster, but they could participate in pregame, they could sit in on the advance scouting meetings, they can get a chance to meet the traveling secretary, know our facility, meet the trainers, sit in the stands and chart the pitches, get the atmosphere down. It’s just closing the gap on the unknown in their steps toward (being) future major leaguers.

JN: Was Brackman technically active during that time because he was on the 40-man?

BC: Brackman was active.

JN: Then I assume the reason he didn’t see any time was because the division versus wild-card scenario came right down to the wire.

BC: That, and there was also some down time between us bringing him up, so he wasn’t throwing and we didn’t think it was best to throw him when he was so rusty.

JN: You had Kevin Towers in your system last year, and now he’s obviously the general manager of the Diamondbacks. What was the value of having him in the system for the year?

BC: Kevin and I are dear friends, but I only (got) Kevin involved because I knew he was going to be a GM someday somewhere else, but I wanted to get an outside perspective of our system. He’s a tremendous evaluator of talent, so Damon Oppenheimer used him for the draft.

He went out there and saw the amateurs that were out there. He went through our farm system, and he was a guy I could lean on and ask for advice on a lot of different things. It was nice to have him for the short time we had him.

JN: So he could, for example, take a look at a guy you see as a starter and say that maybe he would profile better as a reliever?

BC: Not necessarily like that as much as him going through our system and ranking who he likes and comparing him to how we see it. It’s just an outside, objective – even though he was (working) for us last year – he wasn’t a part of the drafting or developing of these players (currently in the system). When you see players for the first time, as opposed to guys you’ve been seeing for a number of years in their development, you get a chance to get emotionally attached to guys. Kevin was just an objective viewpoint, kind of outside the organization, looking at our system and letting us know what he was seeing.

JN: With Russell Martin coming on board, is that an indicator that Montero will probably start the year back at Scranton?

BC: It’s an indicator of who’s going to be the starting catcher. It’s going to be Russell Martin, period. Then after that, the back-up situation’s going to be open for discussion between Cervelli, Montero, Romine, we’ll see. Or all of them. … They all could split time and get a little education in the process.

JN: With Montero, obviously the questions are with his defense. I know the Yankees believe he can catch right now. How far does the organization believe he has to go before its certain he can catch long-term.

BC: We believe he can catch, and we believe he can catch long-term.

JN: What are you and the organization seeing, then, that perhaps other organizations are missing when it comes to Montero’s defensive abilities?

BC: He’s come a long way. The defensive side is something he’s had to work on a long time. I’d liken it separately to a guy like Wade Boggs, who came through the farm system of the Red Sox, always hit, but people said he can’t play defense. He ultimately turned himself into a perennial Gold Glove-winning third baseman.

Hard work can close the gap on deficiencies. Derek Jeter made 56 errors in the South Atlantic League. … The minor leagues is (where you) work out your problems, and he’s certainly closing the gap. He’s not there yet, but he’s pretty damn close. We believe he’s better than some starting catchers, defensively, in the big leagues right now.

JN: Besides Montero and some of the other big names in the system, who do you and the organization expect to take that final step forward in 2011?

BC: I think those two kids in Trenton, Betances and Banuelos, that are going to be anchoring the rotation in Trenton. I think those two are going to be interesting to watch, people I’d be excited to go see if I was a fan.

Today marks the middle of a pretty light week, blog-wise. Sure, there was the Rafael Soriano press conference, but that was mostly it, and I really don't do the major leagues. Don't worry, though, I have a few surprises left in my bag of tricks, but you probably won't see those until next week.

For now, here are a few standouts from the Yankees class of Winter Leaguers:

1. Justin Christian: A lightning rod at the top of the Thunder lineup, Christian simply dominated with Los Caneros de los Mochis. He hit .356/.452/1.013 with 10 HRs, 32 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 25 attempts. I guess that shoulder is fully healed now.

2. Jorge Vazquez: With his success, and the fact that Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez have placed a pretty solid block in front of him, maybe he should just return to the Mexican League and mash. He hit .346/.401/1.048 with 10 doubles, 10 longballs and 30 RBIs. Someone, however, decided it was wise for him to try to steal a base. They didn't make that mistake twice.

3. Wilkins Arias: That's right, when he wasn't causing massive labor stoppages, Wilkins Arias was dominating for Estrellas de Oriente, of the Dominican Winter League. The lefty, who takes great pride in luring reporters over to his card table for no apparent reason, put together quite an offseason for himself. In 17 appearances, Arias went 3-0 with a 3.21 ERA and 19 strikeouts against two walks over 14 innings.

4. Josh Schmidt: When he's with the Thunder, he's an oft-forgotten long man. When he's in Venezuela, however, he morphs into a pretty darn effective starter. With Aguilas de Zulia, Schmidt made 13 starts (14 appearances overall), allowed 52 hits and fanned 69 over 71 innings.