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The Best of the Best: New York Yankees young pitching

he New York Yankees for years traded away hot prospect players to bring in current major league talent. This method burned them more times than not. See Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson. In almost every case, the players acquired were in the late stages of their respective careers, and were unable to help the Yankees. In recent years, this has changed dramatically. With Brian Cashman revamping how they go about rebuilding the Yankees, the New York Yankees have established some of the best pitching in minor league baseball. I want to breakdown some of the New York Yankee talent. Some of the pitchers I will discuss you have probably seen pitch, as they have skyrocketed through the minor leagues to make a huge impact on the Yankees this season. I will talk about Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy. These are all names you have heard, but have u heard about Dellin Betances? Or Humberto Sanchez? The future looks bright for the Yankees pitching staff if these raw talents can be molded into the stars of the future.

Joba Chamberlain:
I have no doubt that most of you have heard of the new Yankee phenom, Joba Chamberlain. Born Justin Chamberlain in Nebraska, He has taken Major League Baseball by storm. Only 22, Chamberlain has 17 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He has an era of 0.71! He has only allowed 1 earned run over a full month into his major league season. With exceptional control of a 98 mph fastball, he also has a knee buckling slider that at times has made major league baseball players look horrendous. Just recently, he has let MLB players in on another little secret; A completely dominating curveball. In an appearance against the hated Boston Red Sox on September 16, Joba struck out 3 hitters, 2 of which with his newly shown curveball. With these 3 dominating pitches, and control of all of them, he could very well be the next cy young award winner. While he has only pitched in relief this season, he is expected to move into a starting position next season for the Yankees pitching staff.

Phil Hughes:
Phil Hughes was a 1st round draft pick by the New York Yankees in 2004. Ranked as the best minor league pitcher by Baseball America in 2006, Phil Hughes allowed hitters a .179 batting average, and 10.1 strikeouts per 9 innings of work. What makes Phil Hughes so dominating isn't his 92-94 mph fastball. It's his control. He can be compared with Mike Mussina in this respect. He has exceptional control of both his fastball and his dominating curveball. Phil Hughes made his first start for the Yankees in 2007. While he wasn't a dominating pitcher right away, he showed some signs of greatness. On May 1st, Phil Hughes took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before injuring his hamstring. His hamstring and an ankle sprain that happened during rehab, kept him down until early September. Since coming back he has made improvements though being somewhat outshined by the dominance of Joba Chamberlain. Phil Hughes could very well start a game in the playoffs this year, with Roger Clemens' health uncertain, Hughes may be asked to prove himself very early on in his career. The fact that Joe Torre and the Yankees coaches would en trust Phil Hughes with a postseason start speaks volumes about how confident they are in his ability.
Ian Kennedy:
Ian Kennedy started his rise at USC. As a starting pitcher at USC he had a record of 24-12 with 380 strikeouts, leading to the Yankees drafting him in the first round of the 2006 draft. Starting out in single-a Tampa, Ian didn't take long to establish himself. Dominating at the A, AA, and AAA levels, Ian Kennedy was promoted to the Yankees on September 1st, when he made his first start for an injured Mike Mussina. Since coming to the majors, Ian has proved that he is both capable of dominating major league teams and able to get himself out of trouble. While he has just a 1-0 record for the Yankees, he has allowed just 4 earned runs in 19 innings and has a 1.89 era. After a dominating performance against the Toronto Blue jays, in which he allowed just 1 hit in 7 innings, he missed his next start with a back strain. He was shut down for the rest of the 2007 season, but he has proved he is capable of starting and winning in the Majors.

Humberto Sanchez:
Sanchez signed with the Detroit Tigers in 2002. Over his minor league career he has struck out more than a hitter per inning, although his control is suspect at times. He averages about 5 walks per 9 innings. In 2006 the New York Yankees received Humberto Sanchez in a trade that involved 3 players from Detroit being traded to the Yankees for OF Gary Sheffield. Early in 2007 Sanchez underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season. Prior to his surgery, He had a 92-95 mph sinking fastball, similar to that of Chien Ming Wang, the current Yankees ace pitcher. He also has a solid slider and 12-6 curveball.

Dellin Betances:
Dellin Betances was drafted in the 8th round of the 2006 MLB draft. Only 19 years of age, He is already being compared to Randy Johnson. At 6'8 and 230 pounds, his stuff is electric. He is capable of throwing a 98 mile per hour fastball and a knuckle-curve. Though so early on in his career, he has had trouble with control, he is a determined player and has improved 10 fold since signing with the Yankees. We are very early on in Dellin Betances career, and it's an unfair expectation that he will be ready to help the Yankees for at least a few seasons. It is indeed exciting to know how electric his stuff is and what we can expect of him in the future if he is able to stay healthy and improve every season.

Unfortunately I have had to leave out several of the Yankees young prospects. I have mentioned a few that are helping the Yankees now and a couple that could help in the near future. There are more, many more. Thanks to Brian Cashman, our minor league system is stocked full of young talented pitchers. Hopefully in the near future, we can expect a pitching staff with dominating pitching each and every night.


Tim Morley writes a daily article about the New York Yankees. You can view his other articles at NYY PRIDE