Yankees Daily

I did prospect profiles on both guys before the season started. They are in depth.

Mark Melancon – Prospect Profile – New York Yankees - Yankees Daily

Jimmy Paredes – Prospect Profile – New York Yankees - Yankees Daily

Pat Venditte – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella Yankees Daily

Full Name: Patrick M. Venditte
Born: 06/30/1985
Birthplace: Omaha, NE
College: Creighton
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 180
Bats: R
Throws: R

Background:

Pat Venditte was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2007 but opted to return to Creighton University in Omaha Nebraska for his senior year. He was again drafted by the Yankees in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, in the 20th round with the 620th overall pick, and decided to sign.

Pat is the only ambidextrous pitcher(This means he pitches with both arms) in professional baseball and uses a six-finger glove with two thumb holes. He is a natural right-hander, but has thrown with both arms since the age of three. More on that..

Pat’s father, Pat Sr., noticed his son’s ambidexterity when Pat Jr. was three years old and encouraged vigorous ambidextrous athletic training throughout Pat Jr.’s childhood. Pat Venditte Jr’s backyard had astroturf, a batting cage, a radar gun, and a pitching machine.

In addition to training both arms from a young age, practicing 100 tosses with the right arm and 120 with the left, Pat Jr. practiced punting footballs with both legs in order to establish the leg motion needed when pitching with each arm. He was home schooled so he could practice pitching as many as four times a day with his father. He would be six years old working until 12 o’clock at night working on baseball.

Venditte’s dad also had him throw footballs with both arms and write as a left-hander to develop muscle memory. These days, Venditte’s a natural right-hander, “unless I’m stuck behind a tree in golf and have to swing lefty,” he said.

Little League:

Venditte used both arms when playing in little league which sometimes caused him to be confused for twins.

High School:

Venditte played for Omaha Central High School in Omaha Nebraska. He had a 5-4 record his senior year and achieved All-Nebraska second team honors.

College:

Venditte joined the Creighton Bluejays in 2005 as a walk-on. Ed Servais, who was the head coach, didn’t allow Venditte to pitch with both arms during his freshman year fearing it would create a circus like atmosphere.

In 2006, he started using both arms in his sophomore year in college. He played summer ball for the Central Illinois Collegiate League’s Quincy Gems.

In 2007, Venditte had an outstanding junior year in which he appeared in 36 of Creighton’s 58 games before going into the 2007 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. His opponents batting average of .185 was the fourth best in the nation and at one point during the season, Venditte had a streak of 43 2/3 scoreless innings.

This performance earned him first-team all-conference honors for the Missouri Valley Conference and led Creighton to its first ever conference championship in which he was named the tournament MVP. He was named the national player of the week by Collegiate Baseball and was named to the All-American third team for the 2007 season. He was also voted Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year by online pitching magazine InsidePitching.com.

He played 2007 summer ball for the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the Northwoods League. As the Woodchucks’ closer, he had a 4-1 record, nine saves, a 1.76 ERA, and a .154 opponents’ batting average.

His decision not to turn pro:

Venditte said that he was not quite ready to turn professional and wanted to build velocity with his left arm and add another pitch with his right arm. He didn’t sign with the Yankees after being drafted the first time around and returned to Creighton for his senior season.

He had a higher ERA during his senior season but had a higher K/9 in 2008.

Minor Leagues:

Venditte, 24, forced the Professional Baseball Umpire Corp. to create a rule for ambidextrous pitchers when he squared off with a switch-hitter in a bizarre cat-and-mouse sequence on June 19, 2008, that became a YouTube sensation that I posted below.

Venditte, pitching for short-season Class A Staten Island, kept switching glove hands. (A custom-made glove allows him to wear it on his left or right hand.) Brooklyn’s Ralph Henriquez kept switching sides of the plate to create the more favorable match-up. Henriquez finally decided to hit right-handed and Venditte struck out a very frustrated Henriquez (who slammed his bat against the dirt in anger) to end the game.

Here’s the Venditte rule. Pat has to declare first which side he’s pitching on when he faces a switch hitter. Then the hitter decides. Then they are allowed one switch a piece after that.

Venditte completed his first season in pro ball with 23 saves in 30 appearances and a 0.83 ERA. His performance earned him a spot on the New York-Penn League All-Star team. He received the Minor League Baseball Yearly Award for Best Short-Season Reliever.

Even though he pitched in only 28 games for Charleston in 2009, he was fifth in the league in saves with 20. The top reliever pitched in 60 games and had 27 saves. He was a SAL Mid-Season All-Star.

He was promoted to the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League on the 26th June 2009. He finished the regular season with a 2.21 ERA and two saves in 21 appearances.

Pitched in Winter Ball and only appeared in seven games posting a 4.82 ERA in 9.1 innings giving up five earned runs, 11 hits (two homers), seven strikeouts and three walks with a Whip of 1.50, and a .314 BAA.

Pat Venditte Scouting Report:

His pitching coach, Jeff Ware, treats Venditte like he is two different pitchers because his mechanics with both arms are totally different.

Strengths:
As a right-handed pitcher:

He throws a 93 mph fastball and a hard, biting curve ball using an over the top delivery. His fastball is a major league fastball when throwing right-handed and he has great command of this pitch. His curve ball reaches 72-75 mph with 11-5 action and has good enough command of it to keep hitters off balance. It has a good break.

As a left-handed pitcher:

He comes at you side arm and throws an 81-86 mph fastball with a Randy Johnson type, funky, frisbee type of side arm delivery. He also uses a murderous slider and a change up. His pitches to left-handed batters are hard to pick up and he gives the appearance that he’s throwing behind them like a Randy Johnson use to do.

He has a huge sweeping breaking ball that comes in at batters at 68-71 mph and spots it on the outside part of the plate. It has huge lateral action to it and a nice tilt. If you watch the videos, you’ll see how lost left-handed batter are against him.

Pat does a nice job changing speeds and pitching down in the zone with both arms.

Weaknesses:

Some scouts believe that he won’t get any better than what he is now and that he isn’t over powering enough. He doesn’t have much deception pitching right-handed as he does left-handed and his curve ball grades as average pitching right-handed. He won’t get a lot of strike-outs pitching right-handed.

The future and my take:

Here’s my prediciton on Pat with an “if.” If he makes it to the Yankees’ pro team and becomes successful, he will be more popular than Derek Jeter. People are amazed at his ability to pitch with both arms and it intrigues people myself included.

Venditte would not only offer the Yankees the option to match up righty/lefty depending upon the hitter, but by splitting his pitches between arms, he would be able to pitch longer and more often before becoming fatigued.

Louis Sojo said that Pat really does his homework and is a hard worker who wants to get better. All I Know is that every time he jumps up a league, he pitches well so why not think about Pat pitching in the big show? I really don’t know of any time table for Pat because I don’t think the Yankees do either. If he keeps pitching well, they’ll keep moving him up and see where it goes.

I want to see Pat succeed. I want to see him succeed because I want to see a pitcher that pitches with both arms be successful. Because of all of my disabilities, it gives me hope that if he can do it, so can I.

Pat Venditte Scouting Report:

The cat-and-mouse video with the Brooklyn’s Ralph Henriquez

Mini Biography video on Pat’s life on ESPN.

Pat Venditte pic Pat Venditte picture

Jesus Montero – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Jesus Montero
Position: Catcher
Born: 11/28/1989
Birthplace: Guacara, Venezuela
Height: 6′ 4″
Weight: 225
Bats: R
Throws: R

Background and bio:

Jesus Montero was signed by the New York Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on Oct. 17, 2006 for $1.6 million. Montero was reported to be the best player and to have the best power of any 2006 international signee.

His fourth of July jersey in 2009 was auctioned off for over $600.

He was born in Guacara, Venezuela and he enjoys fixing engines and it is a hobby of his. His father works in body shops in Venezuela and that’s where his influence came from.

He hit the ball out of the ballpark back in Venezuela.

Minor League Career:
2007:

Made his professional debut with the GCL Yankees, batting .280 with three home runs and 19 RBI in 33 games. He was rated the Yankees’ top catching prospect (sixth overall) and the organization’s “Best Power Hitter” by Baseball America. On 8/31 he went 2-for-5 against the GCL Dodgers in the GCL championship with a game-tying home run to lead the Yankees to a decisive game three win.

2008 Charleston River Dogs:

Montero owned the eighth-most hits (171) among all Minor League players and most among all catchers in 2008. He led the Yankees organization in batting average, runs, hits and RBI while ranking fourth in home runs.

Because of his great year he was named the seventh-best prospect in the South Atlantic League by Baseball America. Jesus led the SAL and ranked third among all Class A batters in hits and led all SAL catchers with a .993 fielding percentage with only four errors and a 588 TC. He was then selected to the midseason All-Star team and the South Atlantic League’s postseason All-Star team as the league’s top catcher.

He went 1-for-2 and caught the final four innings in the All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium, playing for the World Team. The Futures Game features baseball’s best minor league prospects. Montero then participated in the SAL All-Star Home Run Derby, totaling 11 homers for a second-place finish.

He had a great year as he recorded a career-high 15-game hitting streak from July 29-Aug. 13, batting .414 (24-for-58) with five doubles, four HR and 11 RBI.

Attended Spring Training with the Yankees as a non-roster invitee, hitting a solo-homer in his only at-bat. Was named by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the Yankees system following the season, as well as the organization’s Best Power Hitter.

Accolades for the 2008 season:

10/02/2008 Baseball America High Class A All-Star
08/26/2008 SAL Post-Season All-Star
07/13/2008 Futures Game Selection
06/17/2008 SAL Mid-Season All-Star

2009 Tampa and Trenton:

He began 2009 with the Tampa Yankees, the Class A-Advanced Florida State League affiliate of the New York Yankees. On June 3, 2009, Montero was promoted to the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Despite having played only a portion of the 2009 season in Trenton, Montero was added to the Eastern League All-Star roster.

He was named the Yankees’ second best prospect for 2009 and the third best prospect in baseball by Baseball America. He was named to the All-Star Futures Game for the second year in a row. Montero’s season ended prematurely when he sustained a broken finger while catching.

He was named the Yankees’ best prospect for 2010 by Baseball America and the fifth best in all of baseball.

Accolades for the 2009 season:

07/15/2009 EAS Mid-Season All-Star
07/12/2009 Futures Game Selection
06/20/2009 FSL Mid-Season All-Star

Strengths:

Jesus Montero’s biggest strength is his bat. Some scouts say that he is the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues. He has god-like ability to put the barrel head on the ball and has raw power with excellent height with room to fill out and add muscle. Some scouts have said that he looked like a Travis Hafner at the age of 16. His power rating is top of the scale as he projects as an 80 on a scouting scale of 20-80.

He keeps his hands low in his stance with his bat head straight up and down. He has excellent bat speed that explodes through the ball and he’s compact through the strike zone while keeping a line drive swing. Montero is excellent at keeping his hands inside the ball to left-center and center field. He has repeatable swing mechanics and has a low K rate that will allow him to compete for batting titles in the future.

He has great hand-eye coordination, keen pitch recognition and good control of the strike zone as he struck out just 12.6% of the time in double-A. He had a reasonable walk rate at 7.7% but he should improve as he matures as a hitter.

He has a plus arm and threw out 32 percent of base runners in Double-A because of his improved transfer and his 1.9-second pop times.

Weaknesses:

His overall demeanor may throw off old school baseball purists who might mistake his youth and confidence for arrogance. Between innings, he’ll some times dance in his catching squat and joke with umpires. Because of this some may question his intensity.

When it comes to his hitting, he’ll get taller during his load and create top spin, not back spin on hard hit balls. His defensive ability is not as good as Romine’s. While throwing to second base he’ll drop his elbow, stand straight up and not fire out. He’ll strong arm the ball when he does keep his elbow up and his wind up is long and he won’t always throw from his ear. The Yankees have worked with him on this and he has improved.

His current catching ability is way behind his offensive game. His thick build doesn’t provide much agility and he doesn’t have good foot work. He’ll most likely grow more which would most likely mean a move to first base, third base or a corner outfield spot.
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The future and my take:

Jesus Montero will start 2010 as one of the youngest players in Triple-A. Mark Teixeira is signed through 2016. The Yankees will give him every chance to become a starting catcher. He could move to either first base or third base at some point but his value receives an enormous boost should he remain at catcher. If he moves to third base, it is unknown if he has the footwork to play there. If he moves to first base, his value would be closer to average. The difference between an elite catcher and an elite first baseman is usually between 100 and 130 points in OPS. Offensively, an elite offensive catcher is like the equivalent to an average first base man.

If he’s not a good defensive catcher I don’t see why the Yankees are keeping him there but there’s no room for him at first base or third base. It’s possible he could be in a block buster trade for a starting pitcher in the future.

He’ll start for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in 2010 and he’s currently with the Yankees in extended spring training.

Jesus Montero batting practice video:

Video from Mike Ashmore’s Thunder’s Thoughts youtube page.

Fan Graphs did a good article on his potential..
WAR’s Favorite Position – Fan graphs.

Austin Romine – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Austin Romine
Position: Catcher
Born: 11/22/1988
Birthplace: Lake Forest, CA
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 210
Bats: R
Throws: R

Austin Romine stats

Background and bio:

Austin was selected by the New York Yankees in the second round (94th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft with a signing bonus of $500,000. He is the son of former Major League outfielder Kevin Romine(Boston, 1985-1991) and younger brother of short-stop Andrew Romine, the Angels’ fifth-round pick in the 2007 Draft. His brother Andrew was being tabbed as the Angels’ sleeper prospect when he was made a fifth-round pick in the same year that Austin was selected. Their father Kevin Romine was drafted higher than both of his sons as he was the 29th overall pick when selected by Boston in 1982.

After his high school career he was committed to Arizona State College but the Yankees selected him in the second round and gave him $131,000 over slot for that number of pick. The Yankees signed him on the last day he was able to sign.

High School:

Austin went to El Toro High School in El Toro California. The name of their team was the El Toro Chargers. He was his high school’s closer as well as their everyday catcher. As you might expect, he has one of the best cannons to second of any catcher in the minors today.

Sophomore year:

Hit .418-.535-.861 with five doubles and 10 home runs in 26 games.

Junior year:

Hit 407-.458-.648 with eight doubles, one triple and four home runs in 19 games.

Senior year:

He played with a hand injury but hit 493-.575-.522 with 10 doubles, one triple and three home runs in 22 games.

Minor League Career:
2007 Gulf Coast League Yankees:

Austin made his professional debut, appearing in one game which was the season finale with the GCL Yankees. He went 1-for-2 with one RBI as the DH. He doubled in his first at-bat. He then reported to the Dominican Republic to take part in an instructional league.

2008:

He ranked second on the team and third among Yankees Minor Leaguers in batting average and recorded 35 multi-hit games. Had 12 games with at least three hits and four contests with four hits. He batted .517 (15-for-29) with six multi-hit contests from April 12-20th.

From April 23th to May 22nd, he was placed on the D.L. with a right groin strain.

Hawaii Winter Baseball:

Hit .208 (11-for-53) with eight runs, four doubles and four RBIs in 17 games. He was named by Baseball America as the fourth-best prospect in the Yankees organization following the season.

2009 Tampa Yankees:

Austin Romine didn’t have to share catching duties with Jesus Montero like he did in 2008 and this made his all around game develop. He developed a better rapport with his pitchers and overall got a better feel for the position. He blocked every ball even when the Tampa Yankees were blowing a team out because he wanted to help his pitcher. He hit only .269 during the second half of the season most likely because it was his first full season catching.

On 06/08/2009 he was the FSL Player of the Week.
06/20/2009 he was a FSL Mid-Season All-Star.
08/31/2009 he was a FSL Post-Season All-Star.
08/31/2009 he was named the FSL Most Valuable Player.
11/05/2009 he was named the Topps FSL Player of the Year

Strengths:

Austin Romine is one of the better catching prospects in the Yankees’ system. Some have him right behind Jesus Montero as a catching prospect. He has a a strong build and thick shoulders with room to fill out his frame and he’s athletic for a catcher.

He has plus bat speed and a short, compact stroke with good quiet load while keeping his bat connected to his body as he carries his weight forward. He’s relaxed and confident in the box. He’s an adept hitter with a knack for hard contact and his free and easy swing gives him a lot of doubles power. He has above average power which projects to 20-30 home runs a year and he employs a center-to-opposite field strategy. His raw power is in the plus category for catchers. On a 20-80 scouting scale, his raw power rates between 55 and 60.

Even though he doesn’t walk much, he’s a patient hitter with good strike zone judgment and he’s aggressive in the box and attacks his pitch. He’s a good hitter that doesn’t strike out much.

On defense his arm strength is a plus tool with a good transfer and release and because of his good foot work and agility, he’s great at blocking balls in the dirt. His pop times to second base have ranged from 1.78 to 1.85 seconds, putting him near an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Pitchers like working with him and he’s a smart baseball player always looking to learn more.

Weaknesses:

He keeps his bat head in the hitting zone for a long period of time but he’s also too loosey goosey with his hands during his swing, often getting extension before contact and not letting the ball travel deep into his hitting zone. Most quality power hitters let the ball travel deep before unloading. In his case, the result is a high contact rate and plenty of line drives, but a limited amount of power.

In 2009, he was the same player he was in 2008. He chases breaking balls especially sliders low and away and he expands his strike zone when behind in the count. He remains an aggressive free swinger that lacks significant on-base skills.

His positive, which is his strong arm is also a negative. He led all Florida State League catchers with 10 errors.

The future and my take:

His all-around skills will most likely move Jesus Montero off of the plate and Romine has a far better chance of sticking at catcher than Montero. Montero has mad power but his receiving skills aren’t as good as Romine’s. Romine isn’t exactly lighting up the minor leagues with his hitting and I don’t see him becoming a dominant force in the Yankees’ line up in the future. He’ll probably become an average hitting catcher with very good receiving skills. I don’t see him replacing Posada however because Franciso Cervelli has great receiving and game calling skills as well. It’s possible that the Yankees will trade Romine.

He’ll start in Trenton in 2010.

Austine Romine Scouting video
Austin Romine Scouting Video

Manny Banuelos – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Manuel Banuelos
Position: Pitcher
Born: 03/13/1991
Birthplace: Monterrey, Mexico
Height: 5′ 10″
Weight: 155
Bats: L
Throws: L

Manny Banuelos stats

Background and bio:

Manny Banuelos was signed by the New York Yankees out of El Vergelito, Mexico as a non-drafted free agent on March 30, 2008.

Minor League Career:

Extended Spring Training debut April/May 2008:

As a 16-year old, Manny retired all three Phillie batters he faced including striking out the last two batters.

As a just turned 17 year old, he faced the Tampa Rays and retired the first nine batters he faced while striking out four and sat down the side in order in just four pitches in the third inning. In his fourth inning of work he gave up two hits and one unearned run because of errors by the defense.

Dominican Instructs BOCA CHICA, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC November 2008:

Struck out all six batters he faced, including former top International prospect Edward Salcedo.

GCL Yankees 2008:

He made his professional debut, going 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 appearances (three starts) with the GCL Yankees and nearly had a three to one strikeout-to-walk ratio. This great performance allowed him to miss the Dominican Summer League. Scouts thought he was 19 or 20 years old because of his maturity, composure and the way he acted like a seasoned veteran on the mound. He showed incredible presence.

Charleston RiverDogs 2009:

Manny Banuelos was one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League and had nearly a four to one strikeout to walk ratio (106-28 K/BB). He was under an innings limit of 100 innings and allowed three earned runs or more in just two of his starts. He ended with the fifth best ERA (2.67) in the league among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched. He finished with a 2.58 FIP, 8.06 K/9 and 1.83 BB/9. He held opponents to just a .217 AVG against and he held the opponent to two runs or less in 13 of his 19 starts. He also allowed just three home runs despite a modest ground-ball rate of 43.4%.

He was moved to the bull pen to control his innings limit and allowed just three of the final 37 batters he faced to reach base while striking out 20 of them. On 07/12/2009 he was a Futures Game Selection.

Strengths:

Manny Banuelos flashes three quality pitches, a fastball, change up and curve ball.

His fastball sits at 88-92 mph as a starter and reaches 94-96 mph as a reliever. He throws it inside well and throws strikes to all parts of the plate while having the ability to add and subtract from the pitch and add movement to it. He has great command and control of his fastball and fills up the strike zone. Even though he’s only 18 years old he does a great job of repeating his delivery. He has a free and easy arm action which leads some scouts to believe his velocity will become more consistent and improve a tick or two on the radar gun. His fastball will tail into right-handed batters and his slow wind up and quick delivery to the plate allows his fastball to explode and sneak up on hitters.

He has an advanced change up especially for a kid his age and throws it 79 mph. Since he does a great job of repeating his delivery, his fastball and change up go hand and hand in being effective. He has great fading action on his change up and it gets good running action. This makes his change up and fastball effectively dangerous strike out weapons.

His curve ball has plus potential and he throws it at 76-79 mph with a big break. He’ll throw it consistently low and out to right-handed batters and gets swings and misses with it. When he went to Charleston, he lost control of his curve ball but gained it back after he worked on it and now it has a harder break. It’s possible that he’ll be able to throw his curve ball at two or three different speeds to keep hitters off balance if he keeps practicing. He has extreme confidence in his curve ball.

Weaknesses:

His diminutive stature isn’t optimal and he’s only a fair athlete. At 5’10, he’s not a dominating figure on the mound and he’s not muscular.

His fastball can be inconsistent at times because in one start he’ll throw it below 90 mph and other starts he won’t reach below 90. At times his fastball will straighten out when attempting to throw inside to right-handed batters. His curve ball also has a tendency to flatten out. Batters will take advantage of his fastball early in the count because he’ll locate it over the plate. Another knock against Manny is that he doesn’t reach mid-90′s with his fastball

He’ll also need to keep throwing his change 8-10 mph slower than his fastball because there are times when his change up will only reach 75 mph.

Pitching repertoire:

He throws a fastball, change up and curve ball.

The future and my take:

Over all, Manny Banuelos is a solid prospect and some one to get excited about. He is mature beyond his years and has a remarkable combination of feel and poise that is uncanny for a kid his age. He shows the poise and composure of a pitcher from New York like that of an Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera and not a kid pitching for Charleston. Because of his small stature, I’m not sure how much better he can become but he will be in a big league rotation some day with the possibility of being a number two guy on the Yankees.

He’ll start for the Tampa Yankees in 2010 and we will all watch his progress.

Manny Banuelos scouting report

Zachary Slade Heathcott – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Zachary Slade Heathcott
Position: Center-field
Born: 09/28/1990
Birthplace: Texarkana, TX
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 190
Bats: L
Throws: L

Background and bio:

Zachary Slade Heathcott was selected by the New York Yankees in the first round (29th overall) of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. He was given a signing Bonus of $2,200,000. Heathcott was taken with the compensatory pick the Yankees received after failing to sign their 2008 top selection, Gerrit Cole. He was ranked as the 72nd-best prospect (18th-best high school position player) in the draft by Baseball America and rated by the publication as the 10th-best prospect in the state of Texas.

Slade is like a young Babe Ruth. He hits and he pitches. He was a two-way prospect during the draft.

He also played football for his high school team as a wide receiver.

Here’s a scouting report on his pitching:

He has a great pitchers build and pitches in the low 90′s from the left side. He locates his pitches well and has an outstanding curve ball with late sharp break that’s clocked at 78 mph. He also mixes in a 78 mph change up. He will change speeds well and kept hitters guessing. Not only does he change speeds on hitters but he changes their eye level too. His breaking ball is his out pitch.

He was clocked at 94 mph on his throws from the outfield. He also runs a 6.7 60 yard dash.

Back to his bio:

In August of 2008 during the Area Code Games in which he participated in, some say they saw cockiness in Slade because he was doing cartwheels and back flips before the Aflac Classic in honor of Ozzie Smith, who was the honorary chairman.

He had ACL reconstruction surgery in November of 2008 and played with a knee brace but showed no ill effects. He also sprained a shoulder diving for a ball in the outfield, but sustained no structural damage. Grew up as a Red Sox fan.

At the time of the draft, this is what Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Amateur Scouting said, “We’ve been scouting Slade for two years, and we’re excited about selecting him,” “We really liked his combination of tools, athletic ability, performance and grit on the field. He’s a versatile hitter and has good speed in addition to possessing an above-average arm.”

High School:

He played for the the Texas High Tigers in Texarkana, Texas. Slade had an impressive senior season for Texas High. In 26 games played he hit .472 with nine home runs, 46 RBI, 30 runs, 12 doubles and three triples. He walked nine times and struck out 13 times and had a .523 OBP and a 1.097 SLG. On defense he had 19 put outs and a .952 fielding percentage. All of that came after surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee in November of 2008.

Minor League Career:

After signing, Heathcott played for the Gulf Coast League Yankees. If you look at the stats above, he only played in three games going 1-for-10 with a walk and two strikeouts. He played center-field in two games and played as the DH in the other game. Slade also took part in the fall Instructional League in October.

Strengths:

Heathcott is muscular with broad shoulders and a v-cut torso. He has plus hitting ability from the left side of the plate and plus power to all fields. His swing is quick, simple and repeatable and will need little work if any. His bat speed enables him to catch up to any fastball. He has good knowledge of the strike zone and a good eye at the plate. He’s very comfortable in the box and makes hard game contact.

Even with a knee brace, he showed above-average speed. Has great instincts on the bases and will be a base-stealer in the future.

Also clocking in at 95 mph in the past off the mound, his arm from the outfield is a big plus and he is a plus defender who can play all three outfield positions well. His speed and his instincts allow him to cover a lot of ground. His speed and arm both rate as a 70 on a scouting scale of 20-80 and maybe even a little higher.

He’s an intense competitor with instincts beyond his years. He’s been called an old school throw back because of the way he breaks up double plays and with how hard he plays the game. Even in high school he was a hard worker because he never played just on natural talent and consistently gave every thing he had.

He has a lot of confidence in himself.

Weaknesses:

He does not take the best outfield routes and needs some work in that area. He also needs to work on his base running to better take advantage of his speed and his pitch recognition needs a little more work. He needs to learn how to read a pitchers’ moves better and learn when to steal.

Some times he is too aggressive at the plate and that has potential to limit his walks in the future. He’ll need to develop more patience. He also has a history of behavior issues that date back to high school which results from coming from a troubled background. This scared teams on draft day and was a reason he fell to the Yankees.

The future and my take:

The good thing about Heathcott is that he’s a center-fielder with power. You don’t have many center-fielders with power. I know because I used to play a lot of fantasy baseball. Not only does he have power, he has speed as well. It’s quite a combination. If he could put his troubling issues aside, he could be one of the most exciting players in the organization.

He will be the starting center-fielder for the Charleston River Dogs in 2010.

Zachary Slade Heathcott Scouting video

Mark Melancon – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Mark D Melancon
Position: Pitcher
Born: 03/28/1985
Birthplace: Wheat Ridge, CO
College: Arizona
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 215
Bats: R
Throws: R
Mark Melancon Stats

Background and bio:

Melancon was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 30th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. Melancon didn’t sign, instead followed through on his commitment to the University of Arizona. After his college career, he was selected in the ninth round (284th overall) of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft by the New York Yankees. He slipped down to the Yankees in the 9th round due to injury concerns. His signing bonus was $600,000.

On April 25th, 2009, his contract was purchased by the Yankees for one year and $400,000.

His last name is pronounced “Muh-LAN-son.”

High School:

Melancon attended Golden High School in Golden Colorado. He played for the Golden High School Demons where he lettered all four years in baseball and basketball and three times in football. He helped his baseball team capture the Colorado 4A State Championship. He was named to the All-State Team twice in his career (as well as twice in football and once in basketball), and graduated as a member of the National Honors Society.

College:

He played for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team and set a single-season freshman record by making 29 appearances, and followed that by going 2-0 with two saves in five postseason appearances. He pitched for the USA National Team over the summer and made 10 appearances and led the club with five saves.

As a sophomore, Melancon was given Arizonas’ closer’s job and appeared in 34 of the team’s 60 games and set a new single-season record with 11 saves.

In 2006, in the second game of his junior season, he set the school’s career saves record. He was 3-3 with four saves and 2.97 ERA in the competitive Pac-10 Conference until he felt pain in his elbow. It was ultimately diagnosed as a strained elbow ligament. Even though he didn’t require surgery, he was shut down in early April and didn’t pitch the rest of the season. He finished his college career with 18 saves.

Minor League Career:

Melancon didn’t sign with the Yankees until August 9th, two months after being selected. The Yankees and Melancon had some tough negotiations about where he would rehab. When he made his professional debut with the Staten Island Yankees on August 24th, there were only two weeks left in the NY-Penn League season.

Staten Island 2006:

Melancon made his professional debut with Class A Short-Season Staten Island and made seven relief appearances while going 0-1 with a 3.52 ERA and two saves. He helped lead the Yankees to their second consecutive NY-Penn League championship.

Hawaii Winter League:

Since he didn’t pitch much in the NY-Penn League, the Yankees sent him to the Hawaii Winter league to get more experience. He struggled in his only four appearances for the West Oahu CaneFires and then went to see Dr. Andrews. Dr. Andrews told Mark that he needed Tommy John surgery.

2007:

Missed the entire season after having Tommy John surgery on 10/31/06. He entered the 2007 season ranked as the ninth-best prospect in the Yankees’ organization by Baseball America.

In the fall he attended the Instructional League in Tampa and the Dominican.

2008 three different stops:

He played for the Class A Advanced Tampa Yankees, the Double-A Trenton Thunder and the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees to go 8-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 41 relief appearances. He held opponents to a .202 batting average. Left-handers batted only .163 off of him. He threw more than one inning in 40 of his 44 outings.

After opening the year at Tampa, he allowed six earned runs in his first three outings which was 4.2 innings pitched which resulted in a 11.57 ERA. After that however, he surrendered just two earned runs over his next 20.2 IP (0.90 ERA) before being promoted to Trenton on May 13.

He tossed at least two innings in all 19 appearances with the Trenton Thunder and converted both his save opportunities.

He was promoted to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on July 29, where he struck out 22 batters in 20 innings pitched. He appeared in two postseason games with the International League champions, going 1-0 with three scoreless innings.

After 2008 was over, he was selected as the organization’s ninth-best prospect by Baseball America.

2009 Scranton and the Yankees:

At the start of the year, he dominated in Scranton. In six appearances he pitched 11 scoreless innings while he striking out 17 batters and walking three.

Brian Bruney went down with an injury and Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez were pitching poorly so the Yankees called up Melancon. He got dominated by the Boston Red Sox and you will read about it in the weakness section down below.

He was sent back to Scranton after having a disappointing start to his major league career. At Scranton he pitched well. In 29.3 innings, his ERA was 3.38 and had 25 strike outs to five walks.

The Yankees called him up again and he did well but in safer situations. Still, he threw strikes, had a good ground ball rate and walked only one batter in eight innings with an ERA of 2.25 during this span. He was then sent down because the Yankees had no more room for him.

He did ok back in Scranton but did have a few rough outings.

He was called up again in September when rosters expanded but didn’t do well. He gave up three runs in five innings while walking four and striking out three. It must of been an emotional year for Mark Melancon.

Strengths:

Melancon’s main weapon is his fastball which sits at 92-94 mph and can touch 96. He also throws a power sinking two-seam fastball in the 90-93 MPH range that has good life on it. It also has plenty of sink and movement and he works both sides of the plate. He reaches a compact and athletic position at the pinnacle of his leg lift. This helps him make his delivery more repeatable and easier to center around his core. Some will say he has a funky delivery.

He has a 12-to-6 hammer-like curve ball with above average velocity which he averages at 82.3 mph. He can drop the curve ball in and out of the strike zone at will. His power curve which has a hard, tight break is a plus pitch that will generate a lot of swings and misses especially when he buries it in the dirt. He’ll also sweep it over the plate for a called strike. Some scouts will say his curve is more of a sharp break but he has great command of his curve ball and gets a lot of ground ball outs with it as well.

He throws a change up that acts like a splitter with a late downward break. It has a lot of life to it and Mark has great command of this pitch. This is also a strike out pitch for him.

It’s also hard to get a good read on Mark’s pitches because his high 3/4 arm slot has each pitch coming in on similar planes. This over the top way of pitching can be very deceiving on opposing batters as they have no idea what pitch is coming.

His best tool is his work ethic and make-up. He has a big game attitude and short memory that closers need to succeed at any level. He has a true back-of-the-bullpen swagger on the mound and has the mental toughness and aggressiveness to pound hitters without fear. His intensely competitive demeanor on the mound tends to intimidate batters.

Weaknesses:

Melancon puts a lot of stress and effort into his delivery and this has the Yankees concerned. They continue to tinker with his delivery in order to diminish his risk of injury for the future. In the minors, his command was too good at times because he would get a little too much of the plate which would result in a lot of line drive hits and the occasional home run.

When Mark came up to the big leagues however, he lost his command. He had a tendency to over throw which cost him location and movement. In early August of 2009 in a game against the Red Sox with Dustin Pedroia up, Melancon threw a fastball way over Pedroia’s head on an 0-2 count. The next pitch, Melancon hit Pedroia right in his shoulder. Did Pedroia deserve it? Of course he did, he’s a Red Sox but that’s besides the point.

I remember this game and I was like, what the heck is this kid doing? The Yankees were up nine runs so it wasn’t like it was done because Melancon was being a sore winner. He’s trying to impress the Yankees and stick around so you can bet he didn’t do it on purpose. The point is he lost control and command.

Pitches: Throws a fastball, curve ball and change up.

The future and my take:

Mark can get right-handed and left-handed batters out and can pitch multiple innings. He pitches well from out of the wind up and in the stretch which would make him a good middle reliever. Talent-wise, this is as good as Mark is going to get so it will be up to him to bring it mentally. He’ll be 25 before the season starts so this is his time.

I think he’ll turn out to be a star because of his immense talent and his his bull dog mentality. It’s hard not for that to not happen.

Mark Melancon scouting report

Corban Joseph – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Corban R. Joseph
Position: Second Base
Born: 10/28/1988
Birthplace: Franklin, TN
Height: 6′ 0″
Weight: 168
Bats: L
Throws: R

Background:

Corban Joseph was a shortstop out of Franklin High School in Franklin Tennessee and played for the Franklin Rebels. He was named the state’s high school player of the year. He was committed to the University of Kentucky but the Yankees drafted him in the fourth Round (140th overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft and gave him a $207,000 signing bonus. Baseball talent must run in the family because his older brother Caleb was drafted by the Orioles in 2008.

Senior Year High School:

He had a tremendous senior year for Franklin High School with a batting average of .510 and 15 home runs. Franklin High School went to the state tournament three out of the four seasons with Corban on the team. One of the secrets to Corban Joseph’s hitting success was that he started using video to review his swing at a young age. If he felt something was wrong with his swing, he’d review the video himself and fix it.

Minor Leagues:

Gulf Coast League 2008:

He led the team in doubles and runs and this tied him for the third-most in the GCL. He reached base safely in a team-high 18 straight games from July 11 through the end of the season. He walked 20 times which was 10.9 percent of his plate appearances while striking out only 24 times. His defense improved a little but he mostly worked on his offense and this is why he defense lagged behind his offense.

Charleston RiverDogs 2009:

He opened the season in extended spring training and worked on his defense a lot. He was called up to Charleston because Garrison Lassiter became injured. The Yankees tried him at second and third base to increase his versatility and to see if he could play third base.

At the end of June he was only hitting .226 but turned it around after that and hit .351/.431/.471.

On 07/27/2009 he was SAL Player of the Week and was a SAL Post-Season All-Star on 08/31/2009.

Strengths:

Joseph has advanced plate discipline, has the ability to draw a high number of walks and plus contact skills while looking to hit line drives to right-field. He has a short compact swing with great bat speed and is very good at hitting off speed pitches while being a good fast ball hitter.

He hits for a high average because he’s able to make adjustments after every pitch. He has an athletic stance, his load is relatively quiet and his swing is loose and fluid through the strike zone. He watches a lot of video to help examine his swing so he can make quicker adjustments. He is a true student of the game and this helps since he has natural hitting ability. He is often compared with Chase Utley but with less power.

His walk rate was solid at 11.4% and he kept his strikeout rate below 20% at 16.1%.

Weaknesses:

Joseph possesses questionable defensive skills and scouts aren’t sure if he has a high power ceiling. He has a lean frame with physical definition but does not have much size. While he has fluid baseball movements, he will have to add significant size and strength which may be difficult considering his frame. He has little wrist snap and power behind his swing and he does not look to pull the ball. He’d rather guide the pitches back through the box.

On defense he shows stiffness in his lower body which would question his ability to play second base. However, after he was drafted, defense was stressed at Instructs. The Yankees want him to play at second base even though he profiles much better as a third baseman.

The future and my thoughts:

Corban’s prospect value is tied to whether he will be able to stay at second base. If he moves from second base his value as a prospect would go down. He has everything going for him hitting-wise but now his focus is on the defensive side of the ball. If he could become a good defensive second baseman and develop some power, he could be a big time player in the major leagues. Until that time, he could at least make a very good back up.

He will play in Tampa in 2010.

Corban Joseph Scouting Report

Jamie Hoffmann – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Jamie Jerome Hoffmann
Position: Outfield
Born: 08/20/1984
Birthplace: New Ulm, Minnesota
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 235
Bats: R
Throws: R

Background:

Hoffmann signed as a non-drafted free agent on Aug. 20, 2003 out of New Ulm High School in New Ulm, Minnesota. Signed 1-year, $400,000 contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 6, 2009.

He also played hockey and was an eighth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2003 National Hockey League draft. During the 2002-03 season, he played for Des Moines in the United States Hockey League and planned on continuing his hockey career at Colorado College.

However, a day before heading to Colorado College on a hockey scholarship a L.A. Dodger baseball scout named Jeff Schugel dropped by and introduced himself. Schugel grew up in New Ulm too, and he was back in town for a reunion of his American Legion team. He saw Hoffmann play in a Legion tournament and didn’t leave town until he had Hoffman signed.

High School:

Named Minnesota’s Class AAA Hockey Player of the Year after leading New Ulm High School to a state title.

Minor League Baseball:

Gulf Coast League 2004:

He performed really well in his first season as a third baseman and led the league in hits, triples, RBI and runs. He ranked fourth in batting average and stolen bases. He led the league’s third basemen in putouts, 59 and assists, 111. He was also among the leaders in stolen bases in which he had 14 out of 19 tries. His seven triples surprised the Dodgers because they couldn’t believe someone that’s 6-3 and 205 lbs. could move so quickly. He also won the 40-yard dash that year in spring training.

He was a SOU Mid-Season All-Star and was ranked by Baseball America as the 13th-best prospect in the GCL.

Columbus and Vero Beach 2005:

The Dodgers already had two prospects at third base so they moved Jamie to the outfield. He was moved into the lead-off spot and was the the biggest lead-off player in the league. He was a pretty big center-fielder but he had speed. He finished 10th in batting in the South Atlantic League and led the Columbus Catfish in steals and triples.

Vero Beach 2006:

He was ranked by Baseball America as the best defensive outfielder in the Dodger organization but his average took a dive.

Inland Empire 2007::

Was 10-for-24 (.417) in the three game playoff against Lake Elsinore

Jacksonville 2008:

He set personal career highs in hits, home runs and stolen bases, swiping 29 in 37 attempts. He was a SOU Mid-Season All-Star.

Chattanooga, Albuquerque and Dodgers 2009:

He began 2009 in Double-A with the Chattanooga Lookouts and was then promoted to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. On May 22nd, he was called up to the Los Angeles Dodgers when reserve outfielder Xavier Paul was placed on the disabled list. He made his MLB debut and flied out as a pinch hitter.

On May 24th with Manny Ramirez suspended, Xavier Paul ill and Jason Repko injured, Hoffmann was the last outfielder left standing on the 40-man roster. When Andre Ethier could not start that Sunday because of a toe injury, Hoffmann got the call to start.

In his first at-bat, he hit a three-run home run in the 2nd inning against Matt Palmer of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

He played in 14 games with the Dodgers and hit .182-.167-.409. He was then was optioned back to the minors. He was designated for assignment on September 1st and then released by the Dodgers after clearing waivers. He was shortly resigned and sent back to Albuquerque and hit .288-.363-.455 the rest of the way.

After the year was over, Hoffmann was selected as the first overall pick in the 2009 Rule 5 Draft by the Washington Nationals on December 10th but was immediately traded to the New York Yankees as the final part of the Brian Bruney deal as the player to be named later.

Jamie Hoffmann Scouting Report:
Strengths:

Jamie is a big, physical outfielder with big league experience and a hockey mentality. He is a player that does a little bit of everything well but doesn’t have that one stand-out tool. He can play all three outfield positions and has a gun for an arm. He’ll hit for a respectable average but won’t be a .300 hitter and will be a good complementary player. In a full season, he can probably hit 10-15 home runs and steal 15-20 bases. He has a nice upper cut line drive swing and really connects well with the ball, gap to gap.

When it comes to running, scouts rate him a 55 on a 20-80 scale.

Weaknesses:

Albuquerque is a notorious hitter’s park. When you sort it all out, Hoffmann’s MLE line was of .223/.299/.329. That’ s not a good prognostication. That’s a basic equivalent of what he did in the major leagues but he did it in the minor leagues. That’s not the best. Also, you would think that some one of Hoffman’s size would have more power but it isn’t the case. He sometimes struggles against quality breaking ball pitches.

The future and my take:

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that Hoffmann will compete for the final roster spot on the New York Yankees. Gardner has minor-league options so the Yankees can send him down, but as a Rule 5 pick, Hoffmann must be offered back to the Dodgers if the Yankees take him off their 25-man roster at any point in 2010.

It was a pretty good pick for the Yankees when they drafted him. They didn’t draft some one who has an extremely high ceiling, but someone who is likely to stick around and help the team.

Jamie Hoffman Scouting Report

Jamie Hoffmann video

Gary Sanchez – Prospect Profile
by Sean Serritella YankeesDaily

Full Name: Gary Sanchez
Position: Catcher
Born: 12/02/92
Birthplace: Austin, TX
Height: 6′ 2
Weight: 190
Bats: R
Throws: R

Stats:

Signed late and didn’t play. Played in the Instructs and struggled some.

Background:

Gary Sanchez is from the Dominican Republic. He signed with the New York Yankees for $3 million which is the largest bonus the club has ever given to an amateur and the largest signing bonus the Yankees have ever given to a position player.

He does not get nervous and doesn’t feel pressure. He attended baseball camps when he was a kid and just loved to play baseball. He played left-field and third base in the Dominican Republic but asked to play catcher because he was on the bench and they already had a good third baseman. His brother Miguel Sanchez signed a contract with the Seattle Mariners.

Gary Sanchez Scouting Report:
Strengths:

Sanchez is thickly built and has raw power to all fields. Early indicators suggest that he’ll make consistent contact especially since he recognizes breaking balls. He has a very project-able body and plus tools including a plus arm and plus power with the athletic ability to remain a catcher.

Sanchez swings from an open stance which is shown in the video below. He gets good extension with his swing which leads to impressive batting practice displays. He has a short compact swing with great bat speed and has a good idea of the strike zone. His power rates a 60 on a scouting scale of 20-80.

His agility behind the plate and his receiving skills are both solid, giving him a better chance to stay at catcher than most Latin American catching prospects. He has a quick release and scouts have recorded his pop times at 1.8 seconds.

Most every where you read will have comparisons with him, Jesus Montero and Austine Romine. His hitting isn’t as good as Montero’s when Montero was at his age but he’s a better catcher defensively. His swing mechanics are more advanced than Montero’s at this point however. His defense is comparable to Romine’s defense because he has the same athleticism and arm strength.

Weaknesses:

Even though he shows a lot of power in batting practice, it doesn’t always transfer to the games when his swing gets a little long. He was over-matched at the plate in the instructional league by older pitchers but he’s only 17 so that should be expected. He has below average speed which is also expected. He’ll need to clean up his receiving skills and get used to catching velocity.

There was also a little controversy with Sanchez before he signed with the Yankees. He was reluctant to hit live pitching for scouts or throw down to second in full gear. This was most likely something his agent told him to do so there’s no need to worry about his attitude.

His biggest weakness is experience because he has none.

The future and my take:

I feel it’s a little early to project how good or great Sanchez will be especially since he hasn’t played pro ball yet. He could be a total bust for all we know. From what scouts know however, is that he has potential to be a super star. He will start in the Gulf Coast League in 2010.

Gary Sanchez hitting video:

Gary Sanchez (Hitting) from Kiley McDaniel on Vimeo.

Gary Sanchez (Throwing) from Kiley McDaniel on Vimeo.