THE STATE OF THE YANKEES PITCHING

First, let me give you alittle Yankee pitching news. 3 names have moved on according to LoHud, read it HERE.

Aaron Laffey was apparently claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals. Scott Proctor elected free agency as did Raul Valdes.

Now, for other important stuff coming out of Yankeeland. The next logical target for the Yankees as far as starting pitching is concerned is the Rangers lefthander CJ Wilson in my opinion. Yes, the 2011 rotation did much better than anyone anticipated, but there is definitely a need for improvement, so why not “Pretty Boy” Wilson, as Casey calls him? CJ Wilson has improved on his 2010 breakout year, proving more than capable as the ace of the Rangers staff. He finished the season with a 2.94 ERA, 206 strikeouts (8.3 K/9), and a career high 223.1 innings pitched.

Adding Wilson behind CC, assuming CC Sabathia returns, would certainly give the Yankees the most dominant pair of lefties in the game, which could prove to be a valuable commodity when facing the lefty laden lineups of Boston (who despite collapsing, is still an excellent offensive team) and the Rangers. That said, I don’t see the Rangers letting CJ get away. Don’t forget, the Rangers lost out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes too and have plenty of money sitting around to make sure he stays. Losing their ace in back to back off-seasons would be a PR nightmare, especially given the current free agent market. Sure, the Rangers could abandon CJ and make a run at Yu Darvish, but should they fail in that pursuit, they’re left with a staff led by… Derek Holland and Colby Lewis. And, could Neftali Feliz truly succeed in a starting role with only two pitches? As much as I’d like to have CJ Wilson, I don’t see him going anywhere. He seems to love playing in Texas and the fans love him back. Additionally, I don’t see how a 31 year old with all of 2 years experience starting in a division with the Athletics, Mariners, and Angels is a sure thing to perform in the AL East. If Yu Darvish doesn’t work out (Read WHY I’LL CONVINCE YOU ON YU), I’d go for CJ.

Clearly, Manny Banuelos is another lefty that could prove reliable and dominant for the Yankees, very possibly in 2012. And speaking of Banuelos, what do we do with those other B’s? If their performance in AAA is any indication of how they’ll look at the beginning of next year, Betances and Banuelos should be given a chance to make the rotation out of Spring Training and boot Phil Hughes to the bullpen, but more than likely they need to be sent back to Scranton Wilkes-Barre (or I guess Rochester seeing as they’ll playing most of their “home” games there next season) and given their chance to dominate.

As for Andrew Brackman, I say he should be in the bullpen on Opening Day 2012, ready to work late innings. He proved last season that he has huge flaws as a starter, but towards the end of the season, he was an utterly dominant setup man for the Yanks’ AAA affiliate. His fastball + power-curve combo works fantastically out of the bullpen, and adding him into a bullpen with Joba Chamberlain, Rafael Soriano, David Robertson, and Mariano Rivera would pretty much a guarantee that the Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball for the second year in a row.
If all went according to my plan, we’d have a rotation resembling Sabathia, Darvish, Ivan Nova, Phi Hughes, AJ Burnett for Opening Day, and as the season progresses, I believe Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances could both try their hardest to beat out the latter three. That’s a damn nice 1-2-3, and if Hughes maintains the form he displayed in the end of the season, he’ll be one of the better 4th starters in the game.

Finally, an important part to all of this is an extra lefty in the Yankees bullpen. Casey has been ranting about the need for an extra one in the pen, and he’s right. Boone Logan is a fine relief pitcher, but a lefty specialist he is not. We were all set for Pedro Feliciano to be our hero, but his entire career may be in jeopardy, so forget about depending on him in 2012. Damaso Marte was never any good, except of course the 2009 postseason, but let’s face it, that was 2009. I’m not sure who’s out there, but it has to be done.

Look, at the end of the day, I have a plan, it may not be perfect or realistic to some, but in my opinion, I think it could work. Do you agree, maybe disagree? You can comment… let me know what you would do.

--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer



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IVAN NOVA: REVIEWING OUR PROJECTIONS

IVAN NOVA

• Projected: 13 wins, 4.10 ERA, 181 innings, 113 K's

• 2011: 16 wins, 3.70 ERA, 165.1 innings, 98 K's
  

My goodness, we expected a solid season out of the rookie Ivan Nova, but not this! He clearly exceeded expectations for sure, as he is on track to start Game 2 of the ALDS on Saturday against the Detroit Tigers. Since he came back from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on July 30th he's gone 8-0 with a 3.47 ERA. In fact, GM Brian Cashman had so much faith in him he decided not to include him along with Jeus Montero, Manny Banuelos, or Dellin Betances in a potential deal with the Colorado Rockies to acquire starter Ubaldo Jimenez at the Trade Deadline. You can read that blurb from July 30th HERE.

Anyway, here are some other pieces we put together on Ivan Nova.

WHY IT'S BUSINESS ARE USUAL FOR IVAN NOVA

WHY NOVA'S STOCK HAS RISEN

WHY NOVA HAS A SHOT AT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

WHY HE'S SUPER NOVA




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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GETTING THE YANKEE EXPERIENCE FIRST HAND

A lot of different names being thrown around in this piece, but it all goes back to 1 thing; the youngsters and the Yankee experience.First off is Jesus Montero who's been hitting and in a rhythm. Girardi moved him up the 5th spot in last night's game against Anaheim. He's usually in the 6 to 9 hole. That's expected because he's a rookie, but because of his consistent hitting, and injury to Swisher and Alex Rodriguez, Joe moved him up. I mean, I know it's early, but Montero is batting .348. Gotta love it.

The Yankees have now called up a total of 36 players this September and it was revealed by Joel Sherman that Dellin Betances is in Anaheim to hang with the Yankees. This move is done for 1 reason and 1 reason only, bonding and experience. Although I have a hunch Dellin Betances will be pitching at some point. According to Bryan Hoch, Joe Girardi said “If we need him, we’re going to use him.” I like that thinking... all hands on deck, and if that means the kids get to play, do it. It's the best way to get experience. It can't hurt. It's not like Betances is going to be thrown into a situation where they make him throw 123 pitches, no. They will monitor him and track everything he does. I say that's the way to go.

And speaking of Yankee experience. Lance Pendleton was been claimed by the Astros and is no longer with the Yankees. I was always a fan of Pendleton since his debut where he struck out the first 2 batters he faced. To me, that showed guts. In 11 games for the Yankees, Pendleton had a 3.21 ERA, struck out 8, walked 10 and gave up 5 earned runs in 14 innings. He'll improve over time with his new team in Houston, I wish him well.

Josh Norris tweeted the Yankees will bring up Manny Banuelos, David Phelps and Adam Warren and they'll be most likely called up closer to or during the Red Sox series. Norris says this is a move to workout with the team and get "Bigs" experience which, let's face it, it doesn't get better than the Yankees/Red Sox... am I right? These are the games you want to be at and witness first hand, and if Betances was say to, get into a game, his peers will be there to root him on.

While it’s exciting for these kids, I’d really love to see Manny Banuelos come into a game. No, it probably won’t happen, but I can dream can’t I?

Finally, a quick note about rookies and the Yankee experience. Not sure if you realized it last night but due to the fact that Swisher was out with elbow tendinitis and is day to day, Eduardo Nunez got the start in right field last night. Read about it HERE. Clearly, Girardi wanted Nunez's bat in the lineup. Nunez said, "That's the only time I've played right field in my life."

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HERE COMES HECTOR NOESI AND FRIENDS

Hector Noesi was called up when the Yankees expanded the rosters along with 3 others…Greg Golson, Ramiro Pena and George Kontos. Earlier this week I posted THE YANKEES GANG OF 6. That group was the first grouping of call ups this September. I think it’s safe to say so far it’s worked out nicely for Jesus Montero and the Yankees with that call up, huh?

Now, a lot of people forget what Noesi has done for the Yankees this season, but they shouldn’t. This is a kid that has done what’s been asked of him and no doubt, some of the roles he’s played this year have been pretty crappy, but he’s done his best for us and that can’t be overlooked. This season, Noesi is 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA and allowed 47 hits on 47.1 innings pitched. He's stuck out 36 and walk 15, all in 24 games.

Hector Noesi is usually the guy who comes in in the later innings to either mop up or rest the pen. Sometimes he needs to go 3 innings. Sometimes he needs to just come in to end the game. Every single time he’s pitched his heart out. I have to say, many times Hector’s locked it down. My point is, he’s the forgotten man, the guy who needs to hold it together when we can’t afford to do anything else or we’re up 8 runs by the 7th. Noesi deserves huge props no doubt and that’s why the kid’s back. To me, Noesi could be an important pitcher down the stretch. He knows his role, he wants the ball and will be ready when called upon.

Greg Golson has great speed and a cannon. I will never forget last season, it was September and Goldson fired a gun from right field to peg the speedy Carl Crawford trying to slide into third base.

It was probably the only time Carl Crawford was pegged like that and it stuck out in my mind as one of the greatest throws coming out of right field. Look for Golson to be used in the late innings for late inning scoring.

Ramiro Pena. The kid's back after having an appendectomy. He’s the defense and speed if we need it. Pena’s been bouncing around for a few years now back and forth and he’s a bench player, he knows it and he knows he probably won’t get much playing time on the Yankees. Would he on another team? Not sure, but on a Yankee team of stars, forget it. Pena’s definitely an asset though, good choice on a September call-up.

George Kontos has earned his right to play in the pros because he did awesome this year in Scranton Wilkes-Barre. Kontos is a reliever and in 40 appearances, he has a 2.62 ERA. Hey, you know about how I feel about extra help out of the pen, Kontos is it. I doubt he’ll pitch much, but maybe.

Andrew Brackman was also called but, although I don't see this kid having much playing time. Brackman has an ERA over 6.00 and has struggled all season in Scranton. I would imagine, it is more for the major league experience.

As other possible call ups happen, like for instance the talk of Dellin Betances or Manny Banuelos possibly being called up, I'll keep you in the loop here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.

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THE EXTRA LEFTY THE YANKEES NEVER HAD

Boone Logan is the Yankees lefty specialist. He’s the lone lefty in the Yankees pen who has good days and bad days, mostly bad, but lately decent. That being said, one things for sure in my opinion, Logan can’t do it alone. There are some times where the Yankees could really use another lefty out of the bullpen, yet, things don’t seem to be working out and I’m not sure why.

The lefties the Yankees hoped to be there with the team have amounted to nothing. Let me rephrase that. Damaso Marte, who is expected to pitch in the Gulf Coast League today had an amazing playoff run in 2009. That’s right... 2009! He's been hurt more than he's played. Pedro Feliciano was signed to give us some extra lefty support, but he’s been out with injury too and hopefully this Thursday he’ll also join Marte, that's the word from ESPN at least. Read HERE. Who knows if we’ll see them this season, I doubt it.

It’s not like there weren’t lefties available at the deadline, it’s not like we don’t have lefties in the farm system, they’re around. In fact, for some strange reason, the Yankees never even gave JC Romero a shot when they signed him to a minor league deal. He was later released and signed immediately with the Rockies. The Yankees picked up Aaron Laffey. He came in, pitched in 1 game and was designated for assignment. Hmm. What’s going on here?

Then comes this report suggesting the Brian Cashman doesn’t want to bring up Manny Banuelos this season...read HERE, another lefty who I believe is worth giving a shot. Yes, I understand Cashman’s mentality here, but let’s just see what the kid has, right?

There was talk of Sean Burnett from the Nationals, but that ship has sailed as well. John Grabow from the Cubs? No... nothing.

Now, if fairness, the Yankees bullpen is clearly the best in baseball and they are shutting down the competition. Is that Cashman’s thinking? Is Cashman thinking that because we’re so good out of the pen right now, the need for an extra lefty in the pen to help Boone Logan is not needed? What do you think? Do you think that Boone Logan should be the only lefty out of the bullpen for New York? Should we bring up Manny Banuelos to help? Should have held onto JC Romero? Aaron Laffey? Vote in our poll, I’d love to get your thoughts on this, because, as you can see… I’m confused.

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THE GUMPTION OF MANNY BANUELOS

On Wednesday in Scranton Wilkes Barre, the spotlight was on Alex Rodriguez as he was continuing his rehab en route to his return to the Bronx. He went 1-2 with a two out RBI single, two walks, and a strikeout. But that's not who we were focusing on. Our eyes were all on top pitching prospect Manny Banuelos in his start against the Durham Bulls, AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.(In Photo: Matt Moore)

Manny faced off against Ray's top pitching prospect Matt Moore. You can read a scouting report about Moore HERE and his stats HERE. Like Manny, Moore has the goods and will probably be a star in the future for the Rays. Anyway, it's good for Banuelos to be pitching against a guy like Moore. It adds some pressure which is good for young minor leaguers who are trying to accelerate their ascension to the major leagues.



Manny's line looked like this: Four innings, five hits, two earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts on 91 pitches, 56 of them for strikes. Now, that doesn't sound terribly impressive; he had to use 91 pitches in just four innings, but you gotta look beyond the numbers, especially with young minor leaguers.



Banuelos had to throw 41 of his 91 pitches in the first inning. The first two batters of the game reached on singles, then a weak ground ball slid under second baseman Luis Nunez's glove and into center field to drive in a run. Could have easily been a double play, instead the first run scored. Later in the inning there was a ball hit right at A-Rod at third, which was a no doubt about it tailor made, inning ending double play which would have gotten Manny out of the jam with only one run allowed. Instead, the ball went right through Alex's legs--Bill Buckner style--which allowed the second run to score.Of course you can't assume a double play would have been turned, so the run was charged to Manny regardless of the error. It took Manny 21(!) extra pitches to get out of the inning because of the error, which all but killed his outing as soon as it had begun. Manny then proceeded to throw 3 shutout innings, setting down the final seven batters he faced in order without a whimper.



All in all the end result was by no means a terrible outing, but it certainly wasn't a great one either. As I previously said, if Nunez would have played the ball correctly and fielded it cleanly, Manny could have been out of the first inning in less than 20 pitches and he could've gone on to throw 6 or 7 shutout innings. As much as I like to see outings like that from our young studs, I like to see outings like this just as much, if not more. Why? Simple: They prove character.



As the great Yogi Berra said "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." He may have been a catcher, but it's just as true for pitchers, or at least what he was trying to say is true. Look at AJ Burnett, he never developed a strong, resilient mind, and look where he is now. Sure he has the ability to be pretty good and despite recent failures he's put together an altogether average season, but mediocrity is unacceptable for a guy with talent like that. Casey preaches confidence on Bleeding Yankee Blue and you need to have that mentality coming into a ballgame as a pitcher.In his first four starts at the AAA level, Manny has already been screwed over by umps and let down by his defense numerous times, and he's handled it like a pro consistently. Every single time he's faced with adversity derived from elements beyond his control, he's shown an ability to bounce right back and get the job done. That's what separates a back end starter from a front end starter: gumption. Manny has displayed an ace like ability to work out of jams and move on from bad calls and defensive miscues.



It is for that very reason that I couldn't be much happier with Manny's last outing, despite the mediocre end result... Okay maybe I would've preferred a perfect game, but games that help Manny build character are every bit as important as the rest.



In four AAA starts Banuelos' stats look like this: 0-2, 3.48 ERA, 20.2 innings, 25 hits allowed with 21 strikeouts and 9 walks (WHIP 1.65). The hits allowed are a bit much. But remember, this kid is just 20 years old, the youngest player in his league right now. With that in mind he's given more than one could really hope for since his promotion. It will certainly be fun to watch this kid blossom into a future ace for the Yankees, and here at BYB we'll keep you covered along the way.Speaking of future aces, Dellin Betances is expected to take the mound as a SWB Yankee for the first time tomorrow. Look for a rundown on his first start from Grant Cederquist or myself tomorrow evening or Friday morning... Stay tuned.









--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer









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THE STATE OF THE YANKEES

The evil Red Sox are the team the world picked to run through the season, the playoffs and become World Series champs in 2011. The National League team was the supposed to be the Phillies. So, I find it to be absolutely outstanding that our team, the team no one really expected to be in the running, is a half game up, ahead of the mighty Red Sox for first place in the AL.

The Red Sox have had 1 problem, the superstar they signed, Carl Crawford, is just now starting to hit. I’m sorry, but if you’re making that kind of money and you’re signed the be the lead off man, you have to deliver. Crawford puts a bad taste in my mouth for all the lip service he gave the Yankees for not signing him this past winter. As you can see, signing him would have been a disaster, the Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter combo at the top of the lineup has proved that.

The Yankees on the other hand have had plenty of problems. From an inconsistent AJ Burnett, to an unstable rotation to lack of hitting by some of our stars. We’ve seen come and go Brian Gordon (remember him?), Nick Swisher and his lack of power mostly from the first half and a constant debate over whether or not aging stars Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada have enough in the tank any more. We’ve seen injuries from our top star Alex Rodriguez and watched gold glover Eric Chavez and 8th inning guy, now 7th inning guy, Rafael Soriano take forever to come back from injury.

One thing is for sure though, through all the frustration and aggravation, the New York Yankees have managed to grind out wins and take a series from their opponents almost all season. Winning every series, be it 2—0 or 2-1 will get you to the playoffs. I hate using the expression of "playing one game at a time", but it’s true. You can’t think about Boston if your playing the Twins, you just need to go 1 game at the time and it’s clear the Yankees mentality are in the right mindset.

(Photo: Getty)

With all that going on, the New York Yankees are breathing down the Red Sox neck. And to me, it means one thing, we never say die.

• Curtis Granderson has been a huge surprise this season, it may be the best season of his career...34 home runs... are you kidding me?
  
  

• CC Monster is rolling through the season to prove he’s the top ace in the major leagues.

• Robinson Cano has demonstrated leadership more so than in the past.

• Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia have provided their veteran talents to scrape together wins… the top story of the Yankees season as far as I’m concerned.

• David Robertson has emerged as a true 8th inning guy and All-Star to boot

• Derek Jeter, our Captain is batting .290 today and hot as hell this second half. He may be old, but he still can lead. Where's the New York Media now... the same media telling us Jeter was over...hiding, that's where.

And just when you thought it was good, it just gets better. Us fans have been chomping at the bit for months about the coming of Jesus Montero and some of the Killer B's and here they come... Manny Banuelos may be up in September and Dellin Betances told us all on Twitter he was advancing to AAA. Things are happening, careers are advancing and wins keep us hungry for more Ladies and Gentlemen.

So, what’s the point of this post… well, I think it’s clear, the Yankees are coming and no team like the Red Sox is going to try and take us down. Yes, they have the upper hand in our head to head meetings, but it’s what counts now that really matters and everything in the past is past. The bottom line is the Yankees are winning, through all the turbulent rotation stuff, we’re winning with great offense and an incredible bullpen. When it counts the most, the Yankees do not roll over and if you don’t believe me, think about what these guys have accomplished this season…. CC Sabathia, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Ivan Nova, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano.

(Photo: Getty)

Bottom line… we have the AL East by the balls, we just need to get to the finish line, so let’s do this thing. It’s our time… again.

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WHY THE YANKEES NEW KIDS ARE MOVING ON UP

Reports out of Yankeeland say the kids are movin' on up and some may join the big club by September, according to Jon Heyman of SI.Jesus Montero: That's right. Jon Heyman reports Jesus is coming and the date looks to be September 1st. I was convinced after the trade deadline that Jesus Montero would be up much sooner than that so he could adapt to the Bigs before the playoffs. I wrote about it in, WHY JESUS IS COMING TO YANKEELAND NOW. But hey, things happen for a reason and it's clear they're waiting to bring Jesus up until they seem comfortable. The good news is though... Jesus will be up this year. Currently, Montero is batting .283 with 13 home runs and 55 homeruns in 96 games. Start marking your calendar.(Michael Mancuso/The Times of Trenton)

Dellin Betances: Dellin is moving up to Scranton Wilkes Barre, according the Dellin himself. I love Twitter, that's where he announced it. Read about it HERE. Betances has been doing pretty decent in AA, going 4-6 with a 3.42 ERA... 1.34 WHIP. the big thing is he's been striking out alot of batters, 112 of them in over 105 innings but walks quite more than many would like... 55. The best part is that's why he's down there, to work out the kinks and now he'll get to pitch against bigger batters in AAA, and work on walking less. Betances is exciting because he's 23 years old and there is alot of buzz about the kid. I've personally been more excited about Manny Banuelos, but it is clear, Dellin can develop into something special.



One thing I found interesting is the subject of innings limit and Dellin Betances. It seems the Yankees really do baby their guys down on the farm and I first heard about it when I read this article about Bill Masse complaining about the way the Yankees handled Phil Hughes. Read it HERE. That prompted me to write WAS BILL MASSE RIGHT ABOUT HUGHES? Dellin apparently was pissed about the way he was handled in AA and expressed it to John Nalbone. Betances said this:



“I mean, I would love to go seven innings. I haven’t gone seven innings since Charleston (in 2008) just because they haven’t given me the chance." The only thing I thought of when I read this was, is Dellin Betances the new Phil Hughes? Are alot of these guys down in the Yankee farm system not being stretched and strengthen properly or is this routine of innings limits the right thing to do? Remember, Bill Masse and what he said of Hughes:



"He never learns how to pitch when he is a little bit fatigued. I think you run into those problems because he is always fresh. Also, he is never in trouble. He needs to learn how to pitch out of his second or third jam in the seventh inning with two outs and he’s throwing 90 mph instead of 94.”



I'm not expert, but this whole thing is something interesting.



One things for sure, I'm happy to see Jesus Montero and Dellin Betances making advancements in their careers in pinstripes and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully we will see Manny Banuelos too, then all of Yankeeland can rejoice.



The new Yankees kids are coming, new blood... new life.



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BANUELOS: FERNANDO VALENZUELA PART 2?

When I was a kid, I remember a Mexican pitcher coming out of Los Angeles that pitched for the Dodgers. He had the craziest delivery where he’d look at the sky before he chucked the ball into home plate. Usually, he’d always come out on the winning end of the duel between pitcher and hitter. Fernando Valenzuela was the pitcher that everyone latched onto from the moment he pitched in his rookie season and through the 1980’s. He was chubby, had this odd delivery, a lefty and lights out.

I still remember his rookie card. It was the 1981 Topps card that I remember best partly because Valenzuela just had this look on his face like he wasn't ready for his picture to be taken and partly because Mike Scioscia was also on the card.

Anyway, not to get off track, but recently, one of my buddy’s tweeted me about Manny Banuelos…. "Fernando Valenzuela Part II" he wrote. It got me thinking, “Maybe Carlos is right.” I mean, not since Fernando was I this excited about a Mexican pitcher like I am about Manny Banuelos. So much so that I would have given away Dellin Betances, Andrew Brackman, and Jesus Montero but still would have held onto Manny at the trade deadline.

Now look, Manny hasn’t exactly been lights out this year, but he is a lefty and he has some really good stuff as a young arm in the minor leagues. In 2 games right now with Scranton Wilkes Barres, he has a 2.45 ERA, 0-1 with 16.2 innings pitched. He's given up 20 hits, 6 earned runs, struck out 16 and walked 7. It's still early for this kid, and again, those number don't seem great, but I have faith. I see him making an appearance in the big show before the end of the season, but coming out of the pen...and it's exciting.

Then I got curious, what were Fernando Valenzuela's minor league numbers. Well, for San Antonio AA ball, he had a season of 13-9, with a 3.10 ERA, 27 games, 174 innings pitched. He gave up 60 earned runs on 156 hits, but he also struck out 162.

Compare that to Manny's AA numbers, Manny had the following: a 4-6 record, a 3.58 ERA in 23 games. In 110.2 Innings pitched he game up only 44 earned runs and 109 hits. he also struck out 111.

So, is there just too much hype when it comes to Manny? I'm not sure, but I still like what I see and if there is any way he can come up so we can get a glance and he can work against big league hitters, something may click. I can’t help but wonder when Manny comes up to the big show, will he take the world by storm the way Fernando Valenzuela did?

It’s tough to put this much pressure on these kids. Clearly they all want to pitch in the pros, but in a world of pitch counts and training, when is the right time for a call up? Brian Cashman made it clear early on that he didn’t want to rush these kids. Bleeding Yankee Blue is rooting for a promotion though and hopefully a call out of the pen as a lefty specialist this fall is truly in the works. But like we’ve seen with Stephen Strasburg, rushing these guys could do more damage than good. Strasburg should bounce back, but to be that young and to be hurt as quickly as he was, you need to worry. Read about Strasburg HERE.

Could Manny be the next Fernando Valenzuela? Who knows, Valenzuela had some great years and Manny early on in the farm system has proven he could handle batters, and hopefully he'll improve. One thing is for sure, I can't help but think about all the chatter about him in Spring Training. Time will tell, but there’s no question, it’s getting exciting in Yankeeland.

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THE YANKEES PITCHING DILEMMA

Some Yankee pitching moves have been made and some question have popped up as well. Some ideas have also popped up in my mind and I'd love to see if you all have a few ideas of your own. So this is more or less an open forum. Comment in this post, and make sure you vote in our poll on the homepage of Bleeding Yankee Blue. Thanks.

(In Photo: JC Romero)

First up, the Yankees have released JC Romero, the lefty the Yankees signed to a minor league deal. Romero was pitching pretty good considering coming off injury and being released recently by the Nationals. The story is HERE. Apparently he had a 2.92 ERA after 2 outings and he asked the Yankees to either call him up or release him. They released him which means 2 words... Manny Banuelos.

Yeah, I feel it. Manny Banuelos is definitely going to get a big time shot this season by the Yanks coming out of the bullpen as an extra lefty specialist. This can be a tremendous asset for New York or it could blow up in their faces, but to tell you the truth, I’d take that chance. My feeling is, you bring up Manny, you let him work out of the bullpen and see how he is in games and it’s the perfect ending for the season for Manny because it’s exactly how the Yankees started the spring, watching this kid mow them down. The difference is however, these games count.

And on the Hughes front, The Yankees announced that Phil will get the start this upcoming Saturday. The last time we saw Phil Hughes, he showed up in the 10th inning of that 3^rd game between Yankees and Red Sox and it was not a good outing. Yes, Mariano Rivera blew the save, but ultimately it falls on Hughes. It was a big test, and it didn’t work out too good, did it?

This upcoming start will be a big deal. It's against a division rival, the Rays and if he doesn't pitch well, what happens next? Look, I believe that Phil Hughes will help our Yankees, but the question is where? It is clear to me that Ivan Nova will take the starting role if Hughes isn't dominant this weekend and even with all the question marks suddenly surfacing around AJ Burnett, I highly doubt they'd ever move AJ out of the starting rotation for an unstable Hughes. Plus both Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia earned their spots so it is truly unfair to move them out as well.

So, the question is, if Hughes doesn't deliver Saturday, is Scranton the next stop for Hughes? I don't think so, that only leaves the bullpen. It's not my favorite choice either but look, if he can't hack it Saturday, that's really all we have.

If Hughes is great on Saturday, then we have bigger questions. Do we stick with a 6 man rotation? Can we skip AJ Burnett 1 turn in the rotation to get AJ right and utilize Hughes in that spot? Ultimately, a 6 man rotation is great because there are options, but stability is also key for these pitchers and you don't want to mess with their routines either.

What about making Phil Hughes the bullpen 5th inning guy, if for example, a starter can't make it through the 5th inning. Sounds ridiculous right? Hear me out. You can almost utilize him as a long man, but you build up his confidence and strength. You also wouldn't need to use him every day, but over time, you put in him in the game at key moments where he needs to deliver, unlike this past weekend in Boston where he clearly wasn't ready. Plus, if you do that, after him you'd have Luis Ayala, Cory Wade, Boone Logan, RaSo, DRob and Mariano Rivera.

So, what do you think? Should Phil Hughes stay in the rotation? Should Hughes be in the bullpen? Vote in our poll, we want to hear from you. Also, make sure you comment here and keep it clean.

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