Yankees' bullpen keeping the team afloat through the first half of the season

With just three games left before the All Star Game, the New York Yankees haven't had many bright spots. Despite sitting just four games out of first place in the inept American League East, the Yankees have won just one more game than they have lost (46-45).

The Yankees have suffered injury after injury to their pitching staff, and after the news of Masahiro Tanaka heading to the disabled list, Joe Girardi has now lost 80 percent of his starting rotation since Opening Day. One of the only reasons the Yankees even have slim playoff chances is the back end of the bullpen.

With the loss of future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera to retirement it was expected that the New York bullpen would take a step back from dominance in previous years that saw a 1-2 punch of Rivera and Robertson in the eighth and ninth innings. To borrow the phrase from ESPN's Lee Corso, not so fast my friend.

Robertson has taken the mantle from Rivera and has pitched as well as expected with 22 saves in 24 opportunities with a 2.84 ERA to go with 57 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 31 2-3 innings. In Robertson's two blown saves, he's allowed seven earned runs in just one inning. Roberston has 16.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

As good as Robertson has been in the first half of the season, rookie Dellin Betances has been much better. The 6'8 fireballer has struck out 81 batters in just 53 1-3 innings with just 16 walks. Betances has a 0.731 WHIP and a 1.52 ERA.

Betances, a 2014 All Star, has a legitimate case as the most dominant reliever in all of baseball. His mix of pitches, which starts with a high 90s fastball and a devastating curve ball has left nearly every batter he's faced on the defensive almost immediately.

There has been talk that Betances should move to the ninth inning and put Robertson in the set-up role where he excelled in the past, but that is premature. Robertson is one of the best closers in baseball and at this point there is no reason Girardi should consider a change. You could say that is a nice problem to have in a season that is surely giving Girardi more gray hairs.

The third man in the back end of the Yankee bullpen is Adam Warren. Warren isn't as flashy or as dominant as Betances or Robertson, but he has struck out 45 and walked 15 in 48 innings with a 2.63 ERA. He's been stable and given Girardi a reliable arm out of the bullpen to provide depth for the other two.

Together Warren, Betances and Robertson have formed a deadly three-headed monster that has the ability to shorten every game to six innings. It could have been even more deadly if not for the rash of injuries that has fallen on the Yankee starting rotation, instead Girardi has to give away some games to retain the health of Betances and Warren, but that hasn't stopped those three from giving the Yankees one of the best bullpen tandems in the game.

With the news that Tanaka might not pitch for the rest of the season, the Yankees will continue to try and squeeze wins out of a lack of starting pitching depth, but if they're going to reach the postseason in Derek Jeter's final season, the bullpen will be key.

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Could the Yankees get Tommy Kahnle back from the Rockies?

By: Josh Sabo | Minor League Writer

Prior to the 2012 Rule 5 draft, many pundits felt that the Yankees would protect a couple relief prospects. Chase Whitley, Fred Lewis, Danny Burawa and Tommy Kahnle were all hyped up as potential Rule 5 picks. The Yankees took a gamble and didn't protect any of the previously mentioned pitchers. This was somewhat of a surprise as those players have some talent, but the Yankees really didn't  have a lot of room on their roster.

The team must have felt that the risk of not protecting these players was smaller than the risk of designating another prospect for assignment. This makes sense because once a player gets claimed on waivers he essentially gone for good, but if a player is taken in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft he can be returned to his original team. Most Rule 5 selections actually end up back on their orginal team, as it is hard for most prospects to stick on the 25-man roster all season.

This fact may benefit the Yankees as the one reliever they lost in the draft has a bit of upside. Tommy Kahnle, was the lucky Yankee prospect who got an opportunity to play in the big leagues; he was taken in the draft by the Colorado Rockies. There are two main factors in determining whether or not the Yankees will lose him for good: the first factor is his own performance, and the second factor is whether or not the team has room for him.

So far his performance has been pretty good. He has pitched 3.1 innings without allowing a hit and only walking two batters. This is of course a tiny sample size but it certainly improves his chances of  making the team. Despite his good results he hasn't gotten the type of press one would expect. There is very little being written about his chances of making the Rockies. This could be a very good sign for the Yankees.

The lack of attention may be because the Rockies have a lot of other relief options, and those options wouldn't come with the same restrictions that Kahnle does. By looking at the Rockies roster we can see that they have several intriguing options for their pen. Players like: Rex Brothers, Boone Logan, Latroy Hawkins, Matt Belisle, are virtual locks to make the team. Chances are the Rockies only want to carry 12 pitchers so he will have to win one of the three final slots.

Assuming the team wants a long reliever or a second lefty, we would have to give one of those spots to Franklin Morales. The fact that the Rockies traded for him may suggest that they like him and I think he will get a spot on the team.

That leaves just two spots. One of those spots may go to Wilton Lopez, who has had a  pretty good career up until last season. The former Yankee farmhand seemed to lose his strikeout ability last season (his SO/9 fell by about 2 batters), but he has a lot of potential. So far he has shown the ability to strike batters during spring training. Someone with Lopez's track record should probably be able to win a roster spot.

Now there is only one real spot for Kahnle to win and that spot can go to a few different players. Adam Ottavino, is one such player  and he did well last season. He had an ERA of 2.64 and had 78 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. His WHIP was rather high but players with that kind of strikeout ability tend to get a lot of chances.

Lastly players like: Tyler Matzek, Chad Bettis, Rob Scahill, and several other prospects might make have a case for that final spot in the pen.

All these players affect Kahnle chances of making the opening day roster, but it's important to remember that even if he makes that roster he still has to stick on the team for the entire season. Because of all these factors I think the Yankees have a legit chance of getting him back.

For those unfamiliar with Kahnle the Yankees would be getting a intriguing later inning reliever, who has a similar ceiling to Burawa. Like Burawa, Kahnle throws a fastball in the upper 90s and has two secondary pitches: a slider and a changeup. Kahnle's changeup is thought to better than Burawa and that might be the reason the Rockies took him over Burawa. Kahnle, and Burawa for that matter, needs better command, but his overall package would make him a major league reliever.

Hopefully the Yankees will get him back because the team needs all the relief depth they can get. As of now David Robertson is the only sure thing in their pen and they can't just wait for Andrew Bailey to come back. 

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Dellin Betances off to an impressive start this spring

I'm sure you've all heard by now that the Yankees are going to need a few more arms in their bullpen, and free-agent signings are very unlikely at this point. Any of the remaining bullpen jobs are almost certainly going to be filled by relievers already in camp.

And though it's really hard to tell much from the first week of spring training games because most relievers have appeared a two or three games, man, Dellin Betances has really been impressive so far.

In three appearances this spring, Betances has been lights out, as he's only given up one hit and hasn't allowed a single run in 5.1 innings.

Compared to where he was a year ago, Betances has done a great job of improving on his command, specifically his offspeed pitches, which Tampa Bay Rays announces noted during his last appearance in Wednesday.

The command was a major issue for Betances, which is most of the reason why the Yankees moved him from being a starter into the bullpen, where they felt he would be much more successful.

Entering Friday, David Robertson, Shawn Kelley and Matt Thornton are the pitchers with guaranteed spots in the bullpen this season. Joe Girardi mentioned during the offseason that Preston Claiborne was also a lock, but I'm not sure I can count him after he finished last year with an ERA of 6.53 in the second half of the season.

Obviously Robertson is going to be the closer, Thornton will be the lefty specialist, and Kelley will most likely get the promotion to set-up man.

Betances is one of the pitchers in contention to earn a spot this spring, could end up being a very important piece for Girardi out of the bullpen year as a late-inning reliever.

"I feel like there's a lot of opportunities this year. It's going to be a fun competition," Betances told MLB.com back in February. "I know a lot of guys are eager to get across the street [for Spring Training]. I'm excited for this year. I know I feel good about myself after last year, and I'll be ready to compete for one of those spots."

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog

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Yankees keeping an eye on Joel Hanrahan

The Yankees have been trying to make an effort lately -- not much, but still and effort -- to improve their bullpen with key relievers like Mariano Rivera and Boone Logan gone from last season.

On Saturday, they cam to terms on a minor league deal with Andrew Bailey, who won't even be able to pitch until late in the season, possibly August or September, according to GM Brian Cashman, and they could be setting their sites on another possible late-inning reliever.

Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports that the Yankees are keeping an eye on another former Red Sox reliever, Joel Hanrahan, who is also working his way back from surgery.

Martino writes:

The Yankees also continue to monitor another former All-Star, Joel Hanrahan, who underwent Tommy John last year (the Mets have also watched him throw a bullpen session). If Robertson is successful, a player like Hanrahan would probably serve as a setup man.
All of this might end up being due diligence, but it underscores that even internally, the Yankees understand their bullpen is thin, a potential weakness that could undermine some of their improvements in other areas, like the rotation and lineup.

Hanrahan underwent Tommy John on May 16th of last year, and it's very possible that he could be ready to pitch in the majors as some point in the first half of the season, and that could be a big deal.

David Robertson is the leading, and only, candidate to assume the closer role from the now retired Rivera, and Shawn Kelley appears the be the front-runner to replace Robertson as the setup man. Ideally, the Yankees would like Bailey to be healthy at the end of the season to help give a boost to the back-end of the bullpen, and Hanrahan can do the same thing, but much earlier in the season.

Hanrahan, 32, has a career 3.85 ERA, and can be very lethal on the mound when healthy. He only pitched 7 1/3 innings for Boston in 2013 before bring shutdown.

I'm not saying that they need to do everything they can to sign this guy, but bringing him in on a minor league deal can be another low-risk, high reward signing that the Yankees really like to bank on.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter @GavinEwbank.

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Warming up: What can Andrew Bailey bring to the Yanks' bullpen?

When he's healthy, he can bring a lot, actually. You may have saw what was reported Saturday night, that the Yankees are signing reliever Andrew Bailey to a minor-league deal.

Bailey, when healthy, is one of the more underrated relievers in the league. He was great a couple of years ago with the Oakland Athletics before being traded to Boston.

Bailey saw limited time with the Red Sox in his two years on the team because of injuries. The labrum tear knocked him out in 2013 after just 28.2 innings. In two totals years in Boston, his ERA is 4.91 in just over 45 innings.

The first three years of his major league career, all with the Athletics, were much better. His ERA was 2.07 in the three years combined, and he struck out 174 batters in 174 innings, while walking 69. His strikeouts per nine was 9.4 and his walks per nine was 2.8. He was even named AL Rookie of the Year in 2009 after posting a 1.84 ERA in 68 appearances.

David Robertson is expected to be the closer this season, and Shawn Kelley is the early favorite heading ins spring training to be the 8th inning guy in front of Robertson. If Bailey is able to come back healthy mid-season, he could slide into the 8th inning role, and also serve as insurance for Robertson.

I really like this signing. It has a chance to be a very low-risk, high-reward signing for the Yankees if he comes back to be as good as he can be. This is not a guy that was good for a season or two, he has been good throughout his entire career.

I also think that this deal could mean a lot more in 2015 than it does in this season. Because he is going to be missing quite some time with the injury, he could use this year to build his case to be here next year, and make a real run at becoming the closer -- he has 89 career saves -- if Robertson candle handle the 9th inning this season.

Yankees links worth sharing:

* Francisco Cervelli says everything that happened between him, Biogenesis and Major League Baseball was a mistake.

* The Yankees and Red Sox have been getting into a little war of words in the past couple of days, but former Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury is just ignoring everything.

* David Phelps could begin the season in one of several roles for the Yankees, and he'll be ready for whatever that role is.

* There are still five big issues that are confronting the Yankees has they head into the second week of spring training.

* The Yankees are currently the favorites to sign Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz, who could announce his signing Monday.

Today's warm-up song: "Empire State of Mind" by Jay Z and Alicia Keys. This song goes along with the news that I will announce on Twitter this morning.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter @GavinEwbank.

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Yankees close to minor league deal with Andrew Bailey

The Yankees' bullpen has been left with quite a few holes  since Mariano Rivera retired during the offseason. After spending nearly $500 million on free-agents over the winter, the Yankees did very little address those bullpen holes.

With David Robertson likely to be the closer, Shawn Kelley the early favorite to be the setup man, and Matt Thornton likely to take over as the lefty in the bullpen after Boone Logan signed with the Colorado Rockies, the rest of the spots are up for grabs.

But that could soon be changing quite a bit with the Yankees reportedly on the verge of signing right-hander Andrew Bailey to a minor-league deal with a ton of incentives included.

The major-league side of Bailey's deal with the Yankees is worth $2.5 million, and includes an option for 2-15, plus a buyout.

Bailey, 29, had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder in July, and the hope is that he'll be ready to take the mound for the Yankees in mid-May.

This has a chance to be a very low-risk, high-reward type signing for the Yankees. Back in his early years with the Oakland Athletics, Bailey was one of the best relievers in the league, and getting back to full-health could turn into a big add-on to the bullpen in the middle of the season.

He spent the last couple of years with the Boston Red Sox, and in 2013, he had a 3.77 ERA in 28.1 innings.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter @GavinEwbank.

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Jose Ramirez could be a sleeper candidate for the Yankees' bullpen

Currently, we know that the Yankees' bullpen will consist of Matt Thornton, Shawn Kelley, and David Robertson. Possibly David Phelps and Adam Warren, too.

Either way, the team still has a couple open slots and many options to fill them.

The Yankees have brought 15 relievers to spring training to vie for a spot in 2014. However, the Yankees best relief option may be in camp as a starter. According to Joel Sherman, Yankees executives believe that Triple-A starter Jose Ramirez has a future of most likely ending up in the bullpen.

Ramirez is the type of pitcher the Yankees look for in a closer or setup man; he has two plus pitches and has the ability to strikeout a lot of players, says Sherman.

And Sherman is right to bring up this possibility, as Ramirez doesn't seem to have the durability or consistency to be a starter. He spent a good portion of the 2013 season battling injuries; he's had shoulder, oblique and elbow injuries in his career.

These injuries are essentially the only reason people question his ability to start. As a starter his, three-pitch arsenal is good enough to be successful. His changeup and fastball are both plus offerings, and his slider is decent as well. With that said, his repertoire is better suited for the pen, because his slider is inconsistent. 

Ramirez's injuries may be related to his mechanics. Back in May, JD Sussman, of Fangraphs, scouted Ramirez and noted that "Ramirez’s delivery has noticeable effort and recoil. While he’s well-proportioned at 6-foot-3 and likely is more than the 190 pounds he’s listed at, Ramirez’s mechanics, along with his other issues, could ultimately push him to the pen."

While Sussman insisted that Ramirez still had a good chance to stick in the rotation, the possibility remains that they move him to the pen. This may scare Yankee fans as they witnessed the Bombers place Joba Chamberlain in the pen when he was clearly a starter. But the two situations couldn't be more different.

For one thing Ramirez doesn't have Joba's talent, but more importantly the Yankees don't really need Ramirez to be a starter. When the Yankees were wrestling with whether or not to start Joba they had little depth. Now the Yankees have four starters in Masarhiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, and Manny Banuelos, that are all 27 or younger.

Plus they have CC Sabathia signed for several more seasons, and could always use David Phelps as a starter. Meaning that the Yankees already have 6 controllable starters for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, due to all the injuries Ramirez has sustained, players like Byran Mitchell, and Shane Greene aren't too far below Ramirez's level.

In other words, there are plenty of similar options to Ramirez if the Yankees move him to the pen, and the they may have an immediate need for him in that position.

As of now David Robertson is the only high leverage reliever the Yankees can trust. Kelley was good last year but doesn't really have a track record yet. If Ramirez is moved to the pen, the Yankees would be getting a second high leverage reliever.

While the Yankees can move him to the pen, they shouldn't do so until they are sure they need to. If Betances can play to his ability they may be able to keep Ramirez as a starter in Triple-A. Betances would give the team their second high leverage reliever, and make changing Ramirez's role less urgent.

Additionally the Yankees could still sign players like Ryan Madson, Andrew Bailey or Joel Hanrahan, for added depth.

I do not believe the Yankees or any other team should make a starter into a reliever, unless that starter completely fails in that role. Ramirez has yet to fail so it makes sense to keep him there unless they really need him.

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Josh Sabo is a Minor League writer for Yanks Beat Blog.

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Spring Training position battles: The bullpen

This is when life after Mariano Rivera really ends. The closer role is expected to be filled by David Robertson, but everything is up for grabs in the Yankees' bullpen as spring training begins.

There will be more than enough relievers in camp for the Yankees this spring, but being able to find the right guys will be no easy challenge. As of right now, only Robertson, Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton, and likely Preston Claiborne have secured jobs in the bullpen for this season.

Like I said before, Robertson is almost certainly going to be the closer. At least that's what comments from Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi have suggested.

Kelley is the front-running, for the time being, to be Robertson's 8th inning setup man. He proved to be a valuable arm for the Yankees last season after finally working his way back from two Tommy John surgeries. If he can handle the 8th like he handled the 6th and 7th innings last season, then he won't have any problem being the setup man.

Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances have a chance to play important roles in the Bronx this summer.

If Betances is able to control his pitches, and be the pitcher that he was projected to be, the Yankees can finally get everything out of him that they have been hoping for. And who know's, he might be abel to work himself into the setup man role by the end of the season.

As for Banuelos, though he projects to be a middle-of-the-rotation start in the majors some day, there is actually a chance that he can make the Yankees' Opening Day roster as the second lefty out of the bullpen. If the Yankees really like what they see from him, and his arm returns to normal after the Tommy John, they could say "what the hell, let's him him to Houston with us."

I'm not really a fan of this plan, in particaular. I would prefer that they start him in Triple-A and let him work his way back as the starter he could be one day. If he doesn't work out as a starter again, then you can make the decision to move him to the bullpen, just as they did with Betances.

Jose Campos and Cesar Cabral are two more young guys that can play important roles in the big league bullpen this year.

I would think that the runner-up for the fifth rotation spot will be moved into the bullpen as the long-reliever. Or the Yankees could just pencil in Adam Warren for this job because he pitched pretty well in long-relief last season. Maybe even Vidal Nuno, too, if the Yankees liked him as much as I did when be debuted last year.

Matt Daley, Chris Leroux and Mark Montgomery are three non-roster players that could have a chance to make the 25-man roster. Montgomery came close to winning a bullpen job last spring, but an injury killed that chance.

Because there are s many spot open for the taking, the bullpen competition will be one of the more interesting to watch this spring.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (HERE).

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Best free-agents still available: Relief Pitchers

PALM COAST, Fla. -- Bullpens win championships. It's as simple as that. We saw how far the Boston Red Sox's bullpen got them in the playoffs, becoming a big part of their World Series run, and we even saw how the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen helped them get to the Fall Classic.

And while the Yankees have done a lot to rebuild their roster, they seem to have left fixing the bullpen off the of list.

The great Mariano Rivera is gone, and there is no doubt that replacing him won't be easy, even if David Robertson is waiting in the wings to fill his shoes.

The Yankees will come into spring training next Friday with a slew of young pitchers that will battle it out for some of the wide-open bullpen jobs. At the moment, it looks like Robertson, Shawn Kelley and Matt Thornton are the only relievers with guaranteed spots.

Both Fernando Rodney, who reportedly signed with the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, and Grant Balfour, who agreed to a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, have come off of the market in the past couple of weeks, but there are still a handful of good relievers out there that the Yankees could consider looking at.

Francisco Rodriguez, RP: age 31, 46.2 IP, 3-2 W-L, 10 saves, 2.70 ERA, 54 K.

K-Rod use to be one of the game's top closers, but has fallen far from that since his record-setting season with the Los Angeles Angels awhile back. I think that Rodriguez can still be a good reliever in the league, but just not with the Yankees.

Not once this winter have I heard of any interest in Rodriguez on the Yankees' part. I'm sure they have sent a call or two to his agent, just to see what the asking price is, but probably nothing more.

Luis Ayala, RP: age 36, 33.0 IP, 2-1 W-L, 0 save, 3.27 ERA, 22 K.

Ayala could be an interesting signing for the Yankees. He is a ground-ball pitcher, and obviously that would fare well for him in Yankee Stadium, but at the same tie, there are a lot of concerns with the Yankees' infield, the quality of defense being the main factor.

I kind of like the idea of signing him. Could be a middle-innings reliever out of the bullpen, maybe a 7th inning pitcher, too, if things play out that way.

Andrew Bailey, RP: age 29, 28.2 IP, 3-1 W-L, 8 saves, 3.77 ERA, 39 K.

Yes, get this deal done, Cashman. I like Bailey, I think he is a good pitcher, and he can be a very good piece of the Yankees' bullpen.

He broke into the league with the Oakland Athletics, and was very good in his few years there before being traded to the Red Sox a couple years ago. 2013 wasn't his year, but in a new setting, he might be able to get back in track, and return as one of the top relievers in the game.

Bailey would be perfect late-inning reliever for the Yankees, especially right now when Shawn Kelley has the best chance, in my opinion, to be the setup man for Robertson as the closer. Bailey could come in, assert him self in the 8th inning, and give the Yankees a good one-two punch with Bailey and Robertson in the 8th and 9th.

Kevin Gregg, RP: age 36, 62.0 IP, 2-6 W-L, 33 saves, 3.48 ERA, 56 K.

I think this guy has gone under looked by many this offseason. His first half with the Chicago Cubs in 2013 was very good, but he slipped a little bit in the second half, probably dropping his value coming into the offseason.

This is the kind of guy that can get good is things go right for him, and he puts it all together. Again, he could be a good late-inning reliever, maybe someone that could pitch in the 7th or 8th inning. He spent most of his time with the Cubs last season as the closer, so that experience could help him as well.

Joel Hanrahan, RP: age 32, 7.1 IP, 0-1 W-L, 4 saves, 9.82 ERA, 5 K.

This guy can be a pretty good idea. We all remember how good Hanrahan was with the Pittsburgh Pirates before he was traded to the Red Sox last offseason. Tommy John Surgery definitely set him back, but these days it's just considered a bump in the road because of how often pitchers undergo the operation.

The Yankees could sign Hanrahan on a minor league deal, let him work his way back, and maybe he can come back some time mid-may, and really be an asset to the Yankees' bullpen.

If he ends up being one of the many pitchers that have Tommy John and come back to be just as successful, then the Yanks can really be adding a good piece with Hanrahan.

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There will be a lot of good pitchers to keep an eye on during spring training as the bullpen battle goes on through March. Dellin Betances can make a big difference this season is he's able to keep the walks down. Rumor has it that Manny Banuelos can make the major league club as a reliever out of spring training, but I think it would be better if they start him in Triple-A and work his way back as a starter down there.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Organizational Depth: Relief Pitchers, Part 2

In the first part of the series we looked at players who were on the verge of making the majors. Those players played most of the 2013 season in AA. But there are obviously much more prospects in the system and now we will look at best prospects below AA and the systems best sleepers.

Depth Below AA:

Nick Goody is easily the best pitcher in this category. Like most good Yankee prospects Goody is coming off of an injury. Goody had Tommy John Surgery at the beginning of the season.

Goody should remind Yankee fans of David Robertson, because they both have deceptive deliveries. Goody is mostly a two pitch pitcher (fastball and slider), but he is also working on a changeup. Goody has good command and control of his pitches. In his only full season he had a 52-9 k-BB ratio.

Once he proves that he is healthy he should continue to move through the system at an accelerated pace. He should start the year at High A, and may even be a long shot to contribute to the 2014 Yankees.

In many ways Nick Rumbelow is the next Nick Goody. For one thing it was Rumbelow that replaced Goody as the LSU closer in 2013. But more importantly, Rumbelow should be able to move through the Yankees system rather quickly, with good command and control of his fastball.

Rumbelow's fastball is a bit harder than Goody's and sits in the 93-95 range. Rumbelow also throws a good but inconsistent curveball and a change up. Rumbelow should begin the 2013 season in A+ with Goody and may be able to show that he he deserves the same recognition as his former teammate.

Branden Pinder has as much upside as either of the above pitchers, but there is a bit more risk involved. Pinder began the year at AA, but for whatever reason really struggled at the level. In 24 innings he had ERA of 6.29 and was walking almost 6 guys per 9 innings. This performance resulted in a quick demotion to A+.

He quickly got himself together in A+, and even got back to AA to end the 2013 season. The biggest cause of concern for Pinder is that he doesn't really have a consistent secondary pitch. Pinder mainly throws a great fastball, but not much else.

While Pinder hasn't perfected a secondary pitch just yet, he does have the ability to throw a slider, a curveball, and a changeup.Before 2013 his slider was thought to have plus potential.

Pinder should begin the season in AA and he has a good chance of redeeming himself. His fastball has become such a good pitch that if he just figures out one more pitch he should be able to reach his potential as a closer.

Sleepers :

The biggest sleeper in the system may be left handed reliever James Pazos. Pazos a 13th round pick in the 2012 draft, really emerged as an interesting prospect late last season.

Pazos began the season on the disabled list, after undergoing a minor surgery. After recovering it took him some time to really get into a groove, but once he did he really well. Well enough that the Yankees allowed him to pitch in the hitters friendly Arizona Fall League, despite not advancing past A ball.

It was there that Pazos started impressing outside evaluators. Pazos shocked many by putting up an ERA of 1.74 in the league. Many pundits were also surprised that he was capable of throwing in the upper 90's, and some noted his improved slider. In addition to these pitches Pazos also has a show me changeup.

While Pazos still has to perform at higher levels, it seems that at the very least he can become a great lefty specialist. The best outcome would be a good lefty setup arm.

If he keeps improving, and his walk rate stays low he should move quickly next season. However, he has almost no chance to make the big league team next season.

Manny Barreda, the next player in this category is proof of just how much can go wrong with  prospects.A few years ago Barreda seemed to have been progressing nicely, but in 2009 he had Tommy John surgery and it took him several years to recover.Now entering his 8th season in the Yankees system, the 25 year old must move quickly. Or else he will become a  forgotten prospect.

What makes Barreda a good sleeper is his great strikeout rates, and his well developed pitching repertoire. Barreda has three good pitches: a slider, a changeup, and a fastball. However he often struggles with his location and control, resulting in high walk rates.

If he could improve that aspect of his game he would be sure-fire closer. As it stands now Barreda may either became a great bullpen option or never advance to the majors. There truly is no middle ground with a pitcher like Barreda.

The last player in this category may end up being more than a reliever, but with the amount of starting options in the lower levels of the Yankees system it seems probable that Phil Walby is moved to the pen. Such a move wouldn't be surprising as Baseball America felt he was better suited for the pen anyway.

Like Rumbelow Walby was a 2013 draft pick. However Walby's stock was much higher coming into the draft. Walby was ranked as the 282nd best draft prospect last year. As a reliever Walby should be able to sit at 94-97 with his fastball. His other pitches include a slurvy slider and inconsistent changeup, that he has no feel for.

Essentially Walby is a one pitch pitcher who is starting to improve his breaking ball. As a recent pick few have truly scouted Walby, but those who have seem to be impressed. Matt Filippi from pennleaguereport.net called said he's the type of guy fans should keep an eye on.

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Organizational Depth: Relief Pitchers, Part 1

Despite the vast amount of criticism the Yankee system has attracted in the past year there still are many players to root for. In this series we will be looking at the organizational depth at each Yankee position. This should show us a few of the Yankees better prospects at each position and the systems best sleeper prospects. The series will highlight the Yankee prospects that are most capable improving the system’s stock.

The first part of our series will look at the Yankees bullpen depth. This is an obvious starting point because the Yankees may need to rely on some of these prospects in order to succeed in 2014. As it stands, it is also one of the deepest areas in the system. This feature will be broken into 2 parts. The first will look at players that can contribute in 2014, while Part 2 will look at the systems lower level prospects and sleepers.

Major League Ready Right Handed Relievers:

The safest option to help the 2014 Yankees is Chase Whitley. If it weren’t for an oblique injury it is likely that Yankee fans would’ve already seen his debut. Whitley is known for his consistency, and has never had a bad season as Yankee. His consistent success led the Yankees to give him some time as starter in 2013, but he expected to be a reliever in the future. 

Whitley pitched two full seasons in AAA, so he would be able to transition to the big leagues at the start of the 2014 season. That is if he wins a job in spring training. If he does make the majors his strong changeup fastball combination should make him a viable middle relief option.

The next two options in this category, Dellin Betances and Mark Montgomery, are much riskier than Whitley, but have much more upside.

Like Whitley, Mark Montgomery would probably be in the majors already if an injury hadn’t slowed him down. However, Montgomery's shoulder injury seemed to have impacted his overall game. Montgomery lost a couple miles off of his fastball, and walked over 5 batters per 9 innings.

Despite his poor year he still had a k/9 of 11.03, so it was clear that his plus slider was still working. In addition to his slider and fastball, Montgomery occasionally, but rarely throws a changeup. If he is able to regain his fastball he should be able to become the next great Yankee setup man.

The next player in this category is very familiar to Yankee fans as a once great prospect. While Betances will never reach that level of hype again, he could still be a very productive player out of the pen. After being made a full time reliever Betances put up a k/9 of about 13 and an ERA of 1.35. Armed with a plus fastball and curveball, Betances may be salvageable as a reliever.

The final pitcher in the category is Daniel Burawa. Burawa is known for his fastball, which is generally 95 MPH and an inconsistent but good slider. Like Montgomery he also throws a changeup but it's more of a show me pitch.

After missing the entire 2012 season, Burawa needed some time to adjust to AA but ended the year very strong. In his last 18 innings in AA Burawa only allowed one run. Burawa should start 2014 in AAA, and will probably be added to the roster at some point during the season.


Major League Ready Left Handed Relievers:

Unfortunately the Yankees do not have a lefty version of Chase Whitley and all of their top left handed relievers are wildcards at this point. Despite the uncertainty in this category, they are several players with good potential in  AAA. With the departure of Boone Logan, some of these players will probably be called upon at some point.

If the Yankees choose to open camp with two left handed relievers, there is a good chance that Cesar Cabral is their man. Cabral initially came over to the Yankees through the Rule 5 Draft and has managed to stay a Yankee despite having a major injury.

Cabral arsenal is bigger than one might think he throws: a fastball, circle change, a slider and a curvebal. His changeup is probably his best pitch. With his combination of control and command he may end up being a serviceable reliever. As a part of the Yankees forty man roster Cabral has a good chance to be a part of the Yankees opening day bullpen.

 If Cabral proves inadequate at the major league level the Yankees have an emerging prospect in Fred Lewis who would be able to step up. Lewis is actually older than Cabral, but it has taken quite some time to put his game together.

Lewis throws a bit harder than Cabral sitting around 93 MPH, and has similar blend of secondary pitches. Lewis's main strength is the fact that he produces so many ground balls. In a recent interview farm director Mark Newman remarked “He has a good arm, throws 95 to 96 (mph) and can spin the ball,” .... “He had a stupid (3.57-1) ground ball-fly ball ratio.”

In total Lewis throws five pitches as he also throws a sinker. This combination of pitches should allow him to get righties and lefties out. The Yankees were very fortunate he wasn't selected in the Rule 5 Draft, and it is entirely possible that he beats Cabral for a spot in the Yankees pen. He has the ability to be a left-handed setup man.

The last major lefty that is on the verge of making the Yankees is Jeremy Bleich. At this point most fans have probably forgotten this former first round pick, as he has been injured for most of his tenure. However he really seemed to have turned things around in 2013.

Bleich pitched 65.1 solid innings in AA last year, which is about as much as he has thrown from 2010-2012. Most of these innings came as a reliever. Bleich has three average to above average pitches: a curveball, a changeup and a fastball. It has taken some time for him to regain his stuff post-shoulder surgery, but based off his numbers it appears that his stuff is finally back.

While he did start a few games last year, it is doubtful the Yankees let someone his age continue to develop as a starter. Considering how much time he has missed moving him to the pen full time makes a lot of sense, and as a reliever he can become a good middle reliever.

The 2014 Yankees seem to be done making major moves and chances are the success of the teams bullpen will depend on a few young relievers. Fortunately, the Yankees have several prospects who can contribute in 2014.

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Looking at the potential Yankees bullpen next season

We've spent so much time this offseason talking about who is going to play third and second base, and who the Yankees are going to sign with round out the starting rotation, that a lot of attention has seemingly been taken away from the bullpen.

For the first time almost 20 years, there is some uncertainty at the backend of the Yankees' bullpen entering the upcoming season.

David Robertson appears to be the favorite to over the closer role, while there has also been talk of the Yankees bringing in one of the free-agent closers instead.

However, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner came out and said this past week that Robertson will be their guy, saying, “We're going to rely on [David] Robertson. I'm sure he'll do a good job for us.”

Pressed whether he thought Robertson would be the team's closer, Steinbrenner said, "I think you'll have to ask [Joe] Girardi that, but that's my understanding. He's the number one candidate. Rightfully so."

But that still leaves us with the rest of the bullpen? Who will be doing what? Ans who will even be there in houston on Opening Day?

Starting with the setup man, Robertson had been in that role for the past few seasons, and now that he's likely going to be closing, Girardi is going to need someone to setup. Assuming the Yankees don't sign someone, I think that Shawn Kelley will go into spring training as the favorite to win that job.

He was a very reliable pitcher for the Yankees last working working in the 6th, 7th and sometimes the 8th inning. He's a pure strikeout guy, doesn't walk a whole lot of people, and could be the man in the 8th.

Following behind him will be Matt Thornton and Preston Claiborne, who Girardi counted as one of the only three sure-things in the bullpen this season -- Kelley and Robertson being the other two. Thornton will replace Boone Logan as the team's lefty-specialist after signing a two-year, $7 million deal with the Yankees this winter, and Claiborne will likely be more of a middle-inning reliever after being more of a mop-up man for Girardi last season.

No one has ever been able to take a picture
of Pineda in pinstripes

You can also look at someone like Dellin Betances, who could get a roster spot as a middle-reliever, maybe a late-inning guy -- like the Yankees are hoping he can be -- as the season goes on.

The Yankees will go into spring training with a handful of pitchers looking to win a job in the starting rotation -- David Phelps, Michael Pineda, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and David Huff. Should the Yankees sign Masahiro Tanaka, only one of those guys are needed in the rotation, but two will likely get jobs if Tanaka isn't in pinstripes this year.

Either way, it'll likely be that two of those starters could end up in the bullpen as long-relievers. Warren was decent in that role last season, and might be there again in '14, and as much as I'd like to see Pineda win a starting job, it could also be very beneficial for him and the Yankees if he starts the year in the bullpen.

This kid hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2011, and it would be good for him to get some innings from the bullpen before jumping straight into the rotation.

Starting Pineda in the bullpen, Phelps would be the leading candidate for the 5th spot in the rotation. He spent most of his 2013 -- when he wasn't on the DL -- in the rotation. He mainly got his chance to start when Ivan Nova went down with injury, and pitched well enough to keep it when Nova was ready to come back.

Looking at who the Yankees could possibly add to the mix for competition this spring, they've already added Thornton, as mention, and also signed pitchers like Matt Daley, Robert Coello, Brian Gordon to minor league deals in the past couple of weeks.

A lot of the talk earlier in the offseason involving the Yankees possibly adding a closer involved the Joe Nathan, but he signed with the Detroit Tigers long ago, taking him off the board. A couple successful closers of the past couple of years, Grant Balfour and Fernando Rodney are still on the board.

Balfour is still out there because of some wrist and knee concerns that caused the Baltimore Orioles to back out of a deal with him. And Rodney is still a free-agent because he followed up a great 2012 season with a shaky year with the Tampa Bay Rays, causing him to lose some of his value as he heads into the final years of his career.

And speaking of Balfour, recent reports have the Washington Nationals being interested in the right-hander, leading them to the idea that trading Drew Storen would be something worth looking into. I think that making a trade for him was also be a good idea.

Brian Cashman drafted Storen in the 34th round of the 2007 draft, but couldn't get any deal done to sign him. If Cashman still likes his as a pitcher, it would almost be a no-brainer do at least make a call to Washington to gauge was the asking price is there.

If the Yankees can work something out to acquire him, Storen would give them a great late-inning are that they're looking for, and could possibly be the 8th inning setup man for Robertson.

There are also a few low-risk, high-reward players out there that the Yankees could take a look at, and it wouldn't hurt them at all to do so.

Joel Hanrahan was an all-star closer with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012, then got hurt after being traded to the Boston Red Sox last winter. He had to undergo Tommy John Surgery last season, and is expected to workout for teams in the spring, suggesting that he is ahead of schedule, and could be ready to get back in the majors early in the season.

If you ask me, it wouldn't do any harm to sign him on a minor league deal, let him spend some time in Triple-A Scranton while he gets his groove back, and hope that he comes back just as good as he was while in Pittsburgh.

The same can be said about Eric O'Flaherty, who also underwent Tommy John Surgery last season. Another very good reliever that could possible just as good as he was before he got hurt. Give him a minor league deal and let him work his way back into the Yankees' bullpen sometime mid-season.

I've also mentions this offseason a guy like Andrew Bailey, who was great while with the Oakland Athletics a few years ago before coming to Boston. Mitchell Boggs was a solid reliever with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012, but was a terrible 2014. Maybe you sign one of them and hope they bounce back under pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

Follow @GavinEwbank

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