David Phelps: Derek Jeter "looks amazing" in workouts

For the first time in a couple of years, Derek Jeter has been able to workout during the winter in preparations for the upcoming season.

He couldn't do anything last offseason because of the ankle surgery, and because he wasn't able to stay in shape and workout, Jeter hit the disabled list four different times, and hit .190 in just 17 games -- the first time in his 19-year career that he played below 131 games.

But Jeter is healthy, he's working out, and he's got everything thinking that the injuries and health problems are all behind him.

"Derek (Jeter) looks amazing." Yankees pitcher David Phelps told the New York Daily News. "That’s awesome."

Phelps said that he has watched some of Jeter's workouts at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa and thinks that the Bombers will finally have the legendary shortstop on back on the field this season, playing just like the Derek Jeter we're all use to.

"You can tell he’s determined to go out there and do well," Phelps said. "If you had to place a bet on it, you know he’s going to go out there and have a good year. I'm really looking forward to seeing him play again. He’s having a lot of fun right now."

But does all of this mean? If Jeter is as healthy as he looks to others, what Jeter can we expect on the field this season?

Are we going to get the 2012 Derek Jeter that led the league in hits (216) and hit .316 in 158 games? Or are we going to get the 2010 version of Derek Jeter that displayed the worst offensive season of his career, hitting .270 in 157 games, causing many to question if the end is near?

It's no secret that the Yankees are hoping for the first version of Jeter.

They want the guy that is going to show up to the ballpark every day -- healthy -- ready to play and give the Yankees a performance working talking about here on the blog and in the newspapers the next day.

However, as much as I think that this might be Jeter's last season and I really want him to go out on top with a year like he had in '12, I'm not sure that he'll be able to perform up to his career line of .312/.381/.446.

But that doesn't mean he won't have a good season. I think that just staying healthy will make this season good for Jeter, because, well, he's Jeter, and he's still got a lot left in the tank.

When I started watching Yankees game, the Core Four of Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano River and Jorge Posada were leading the Yankees, making for from very enjoyable baseball to watch. But now Jeter is the only one left, and going another season without him would make games less enjoyable.

The Yankees didn't make a whole lot of moves to improve the infield this offseason, and re-signing Robinson Cano was not one of those moves. And though re-signing Brendan Ryan, and signing Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson gives them some more depth, it seems like Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are hoping that Jeter is a big part if their success this season.

And they're not wrong. When Jeter is healthy and in the lineup, the Yankees are a much better team than they are when Ryan is hitting everyday, or when Eduardo Nunez is playing shortstop.

**********

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

Read More

Stephen Drew wants multi-year deal with opt-out after first year

PALM COAST, Fla -- Free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew and his agent, Scott Boras, are looking for a multi-year deal with an opt-out clause after the first year of the contract, says Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

According to Rubin, the New York Mets are unwilling to do that kind of deal, and it's unknown if the Boston Red Sox feel the same. Up to this point, they have been the two teams most interested in signing Drew.

The Yankees have not been showing much interest in Drew this winter, and even though a couple of reports in recent weeks suggested they might go after him since signing Masahiro Tanaka put them over the $189 million luxury-tax mark, Brian Cashman has said he's not going after him.

But at the same time, Drew would be a good fit on the Yankees, and Boras has said that his client is willing to play positions other than shortstop. If the Yankees signed him, they would likely have him play third base.

In some way, the opt-out could potentially help the Yankees, too.

In signing him, they would be giving up a second round pick in this summers draft, so they're not taking much of a hit there. But they could gain from him next winter if he has a good season in 2014, opts-out, and signs elsewhere after rejecting a qualifying offer from the Bombers.

Getting him at the right price has been something that I've been cautioning the Yankees to do. They really need a third baseman, and Drew would be better than the current options there.

**********

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

Follow @GavinEwbank Tweet

Read More

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.

* * *

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.

**********

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

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Organizational Depth: Outfielders, Part One

Outfield is the last category of this series, and it might be the deepest position in the farm system. This is especially true for the major league ready section, which features players that spent the majority of the year in AA. Like the SP and RP categories, the OF category will be broken down into two parts. The first part will look at players who spent most of the year in or above AA.  

Major League Players:

The Yankee prospect closest to being a Yankee starter is Zoilo Almonte. Almonte made the team last year but his time in the majors was cut short due to an injury. Almonte doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he has some power and is a switch-hitter so he does have some appeal. Almonte has decent tools, but none of his tools are plus.

Almonte has always been an aggressive hitter, that had an all-or-nothing approach at the plate. But in 2014 it had looked like he finally became more selective in AAA, as he doubled his walk rate. This resulted in the loss of some power but overall he had good numbers at AAA last season.

However, he really struggled in his short stint in the big leagues. Almonte had a WRC+ of 55 in 34 games. This is a very small size and he might be a better player than Ichiro Suzuki at this point of their careers. If he can't beat out Ichiro for the Yankees 5th outfielder spot he will either end up in AAA or traded. Considering he kind of looks like a fourth outfielder, it may be in the Yankees best interest to trade him.

After Almonte, the Yankees have two former consensus top 100 prospects who could begin the year at AAA, and have a legitimate chance to rebound. Slade Heathcott, and Tyler Austin are two big reasons why so many changed their stance on the Yankees system but they both have the ability to make the majors next season.

Slade Heathcott, has one of the highest ceilings in the organization but has been injured for basically his entire career. In my opinion, games played is his most important stat. Last season he was relatively healthy and set a career high in games played.

Heacthcott is the type of player that plays the game too hard. Nothing can stop him from hustling on every play. This style of play leads to a lot of injuries, and he has had multiple shoulder and knee surgeries in his career.

When healthy he looks like a future big leaguer, but his lack of playing time means he is a bit more raw than he should be. He currently strikes out over 20 percent of the time, but that number is improving, and most project him to be an above average batter in the future.

He has or had the potential to be a five tool player, but at the moment his two strongest tools are his speed and his defense. He still has an above average arm despite undergoing shoulder surgery, which is pretty remarkable.

Slade didn't display his hit or power tool in 2013, until the end of the season. By August he really began to show he could play baseball at a high level (.852 OPS after the All-Star game). Unfortunately, he wasn't able to finish the year healthy.

Likewise, Austin's season also ended early because of injuries, as he was forced off of the Arizona Fall League because of a lingering wrist injury. This injury bothered him for most of the season and took away much of his power. Because of this his numbers look very pedestrian last season, and some are now pegging him as a fourth outfielder.

He still has one big supporter in Keith Law, who noticed he was injured before it actually was announced, based off of how his swing looked. When healthy he shows gap power, and should be able to hit enough homeruns to be a corner outfielder. His defense in right is average, and he has a strong arm. Additionally he steals a surprising amount of bases for a guy without good speed.

 Austin should be given the chance to redeem himself in either AA or AAA next season, and is an interesting player to watch in spring training. He'd be even more interesting if the Yankees allowed him to practice third-base.

The last player in this section is Ramon Flores. Flores played the 2013 season as one of the youngest players in the Eastern League. While he didn't show much power and struggled initially he didn't do so badly considering his age.

Right now his only real strength is his ability to work counts and take walks.  While that is a very important aspect of baseball he needs to do hit for more power to be considered more than a fourth outfielder. He isn't fast, and he isn't a great defender so he really needs to become the type of offensive player scouts believe he could be.

Power is the last tool to really develop, so he still has time, but the Yankees are starting to stockpile outfielders throughout their system, so he will really need to breakout soon. In his defense he is working hard on his power and has gained a lot of muscle in recent years. So far the results aren't there, but if the power comes he will become a pretty good offensive player.

**********

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

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More

A healthy Michael Pineda can be a big victory for the Yankees

PALM COAST, Fla. -- Even if they don't win a championship, the Yankees have a chance to be major winners this season.

Two winters ago, when the Yankees sent their top overall prospect, Jesus Montero, to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Michael Pineda, an all-star pitcher with some serious potential, they thought they had acquired their future ace.

But a couple of shoulder surgeries later, the Yankees have yet to see him throw a Major League pitch in anything more than spring training.

Pineda is finally healthy -- at least that is what Brian Cashman is telling us -- entering spring training this year, and is ready to compete for a spot in the rotation for the first time since coming to New York.

For both teams involved in the trade, the Yankees and Mariners, this trade that featured nothing but promising young prospects has been a disaster. The Yankees have had to deal with Pineda's shoulder problems, and Montero not only dealt with some injuries, but he performed so badly in 2013 that he was sent back down to the minor leagues.

In all, nobody got what they thought they would.

But that can change this year with Pineda and the Yankees. Assuming he can stay healthy, they'll have a chance to be the winners of the trade, even if the victory comes a few years later.

Of course, everyone has their views on the matter, and I'm sure Cashman and Joe Girardi will have different opinions on how to use Pineda, but here is how I see things shaping out.

Pineda will be battling for the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation this spring, and the job won't be won easily. He'll be going up against the like of David Phelps, who won the job last spring, Adam Warren, and Vidal Nuno. Warren pitched well out of the bullpen last season, and might be more suited in that role, and Nuno proved to be effected in his couple of starts in 2013.

There is always a chance that the Yankees decided to bring in one more starter, maybe someone with more experience, to compete for the final starting spot. But I don't see that happening right now.

Although, I think that of four starters most likely in the running for the job, Pineda might be in line to win it, ahead of Phelps, Nuno and Warren.

The reason being that the Yankees invested heavily in him, and really want to see what he can give them.

If you remember, this guy was an all-star in 2011, his last year in Seattle before being traded. If he can earn himself a rotation spot, and pitch to half of the level he was at in 2011, Pineda becomes, possibly, the best fifth starter in the game, and helps set the Yankees' rotation near the top of the league.

However, I don't expect Pineda to come back that great right away. He hasn't faced Major league hitters in a couple of years -- he only made a few starts in the minors last season - and it might take him a little bit of time to adjust.

But if he can get back to normal, and stay healthy, then Pineda becomes a major asset to the Yankees not just this year, but for the next few years. And with the farm system where it is, that's a pretty big victory for the Yankees.

**********

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

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Yankees planning big splash in the international free-agent market

The original story that the Yankees were planning to go over their 2014 cap allotment was essentially broken by Kiley McDaniel at scout.com. While Kiley broke the story weeks ago, other reporters and news sites are now picking it up. Yesterday, ESPN New York wrote an article stating that the team was expected to make a huge splash into the 2014 international free agent market.

The figure reported by ESPN New York was about $18 million. This would be more than double what the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers spent last year, a year where the both teams signed several top free agents. This figure would allow the team to acquire even more top-end talent than the Cubs did.

Though it's unclear if any of the top players in this years class of players are as good as Eloy Jimenez or Gleyber Torres or Yeyson Yrizarri, the fact that the Yankees waited to flex their financial muscle suggests that they feel this years class is very strong.

There are several risks and benefits for this type of strategy. The biggest risk is the penalty they will receive for going over the limit. Not only will the Yankees have to pay a tax on overage, they will be severely restricted from signing International free agents for the next two seasons. The maximum contract the Yankees would be able to give out after going over the cap would be $300,000. This restriction would last two seasons.

This risk is mitigated by the fact that the MLB is thinking of getting rid of the IFA system and creating a draft. Considering the Yankees are always one of the best teams in baseball this would mean that they would miss out on elite talent anyways. So essentially all the Yankees need to do is to sign more two elite players to make up for the restrictions.

While some would say the high amount of money is a separate risk, I don't think Yankee fans should really care about that. It's not like the team decided to cut payroll and than invest in 16 year old players. The Yankees have taken this kind of risk before, as just last year they gambled that amount on the hopes that Vernon Wells and Kevin Youkillis could be productive.

Essentially there is very little risk. Which is why the Yankees decided to break IFA cap, and not the draft cap. Breaking the draft cap could result in the lost of more than one draft pick, and it's very hard to plan for something like that.

That is why no team has yet to go well overslot in the draft, and a few have already broken the IFA cap.

The Yankees apparently already spent quite a deal of money and still have more to spend. The strategy I feel they should be taking is spreading the money across several prospects. They should still go for some top guys, but at the end of the day it is really hard to scout 16 year old prospects, so sometimes quantity beats quality. Some of the best players signed out of the IFA class were small signings. Xander Boegarts, Oscar Taveras are two big examples of this.

This shows why it is important for the Yankees to keep on eye out for bargains and not to just sign the biggest names regardless of their cost. The Yankees seem to do to this well as some of their best prospects are low-key IFA signings. If the Yankees stick to same strategy that landed them Abiatal Avelino, Thairo Estrada, Luis Severino and others they should be okay.

By spreading the money around the Yankees would be increases the odds that they don't have a bad class. If they spend 20 million and their best prospect turns out to be a small signing who is easily a top 100 prospect, no one will really care about the amount they spent. In 2011 the Rangers did this exact same strategy and their best current prospect from that class is Rougned Odor, who had a tiny signing bonus.

The benefits of such a move are obvious, this might be the Yankees last chance to dominate the IFA market, and by flexing their financial muscle they would be getting talent they would have been forced to pass over in previous years.  This is why the team should try to sign as many players as possible.

Such a move would help restock the system in two years. Though it should be noted that even some of the best IFA talent will have trouble breaking into a systems top 20 right away. So this strategy could help the system in 2016, but wouldn't impact how people view the system in 2014.

Currently I feel the system is rated pretty lowly because of injuries, but like Marc Hulet from Fangraphs, I feel the talent currently in the system could rebound, or breakthrough to the point where the Yankees have a top system again by next season.

So by the time these players make an impact the Yankees system could be a lot stronger than it is right now. This is important as you don't want the Yankees to sign big risky players just to change the outlook of the system. You would want them to try to guage the best overall player based and focus on not overpaying for talent. As long as the Yankees sign two top ten players, fans should be content with the strategy.

At the moment it is hard to find non-protected information on the players the Yankees are rumored to have signed. But that information has been made available by Kiley McDaniel on his website. If you subscribe to read his stuff you will find videos and analysis on some of the best players in the 2014 IFA class. 

Considering Mcdaniel's website is very strict on users sharing information I will not reveal anything that can't be found elsewhere, but I will highly recommend signing up now or near July 2nd to find out some more information.

However, I was able to find information on four Yankee targets that wasn't behind a pay-wall. According to Juan Mercado from El Dia, four of the Yankee targets are Dermis Garcia, Christopher Torres, Nelson Gomez, and Juan De Leon.

Garcia, Torres, are both shortstops; Gomez is a third-baseman; Juan De Leon  is an outfielder. Garcia is the headliner from this group and got over 3 million dollars according to McDaniel. Garcia is reportedly one of the better prospects in this IFA class. 

Here's the Spanish link talking about some of these rumors. http://eldia.com.do/bonos-peloteros-rd-suben-como-la-espuma/.

I personally do not know how reliable this newspaper is, but once again it should be noted that Kiley has a lot more information on his site that talks about about a lot of different players.

The link to his archive can be found here: http://search.scout.com/a.z?s=243&p=4&c=1&search=1&sssiteid=-1&sskey=%22Kiley%20McDaniel%22&type=2

One intriguing name that should be mentioned is Huascar Ynoa, the brother of Michael Ynoa. Huascar has recieved praise from both Ben Badler, Kiley McDaniel and other sources and appears to be the best pitcher available. While things do change, he will probably get a big bonus once July 2nd comes.

According to Mcdaniel's latest free artcicle Ynoa doesn't have a deal in place but should get 2 million, because he has an advanced changeup, an improving curveball, and a fastball that is over 90 MPH. While it would be nice to sign the arguably the best hitting and pitching prospect I don't think fans should be dissapointed if they don't. Even if they spend 20 million they can't sign the entire country.

According to El Dia, they spent 10 million on four players, so they still have a lot of money left. As we get closer to July 2nd we will hear more information on who the best players in the class are, and some new names will emerge as breakout stars. Because of this the Yankees would be wise not to spend all their money at once.

**********

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

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More

Best free-agents still available: Starting Pitchers

With Masahiro Tanaka now in the mix, the Yankees' starting rotation looks a lot better than it did a few weeks ago. The Yankees can now count on CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Tanaka and Ivan Nova being their first four starters, with a spring training battle to decide the fifth spot.

However, it's always possible that the Yankees could decide to sure up the rotation even more and add a veteran starter to compete for the fifth starter role, rather than just simply go with one of the young guys competing for the job.

Spring training starts next week for the Yankees, and there are still a good handful of notable pitchers worth signing, should Brian Cashman go that route.

Ervin Santana, SP: age 31, 211.0 IP, 9-10 W-L, 3.24 ERA, 161 K.

With Tanaka and Matt Garza having come off of the board in the last couple weeks, Santana remains as the top pitchers on the market, not far ahead of Ubaldo Jimenez.

He's been a guy with the potential be be a good starting pitcher, but he has never been able to put it all together for a full season. He's a guy that has given up a lot of homeruns in the past, making him no so compatible in Yankee Stadium. Phil Hughes gives up a lot of homeruns, and Yankee Stadium hurt his Yankees career.

The Bombers have not shown much interest in him this winter, though, and the signing of Tanaka probably threw away any small interest they might have had.

Ubaldo Jimenez, SP: age 30, 182.2 IP, 13-9 W-L, 3.30 ERA, 194 K.

Jimenez is probably the pitcher, of all of the free-agents that were on the market this winter, that I thought could most likely end up in pinstripes. I always felt that if they could land Tanaka, then the Yankees could go after Jimenez.

He is another guy that can be really good if he puts everything together. He finished the 2013 season with a great second half in Cleveland.

Declining a qualifying offer from the Indians means that he is tied to draft-pick compensation, bu that doesn't really seem to matter to the Yankees at this point after giving up picks to sign Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran.

Again, I don't think the Yankees are going to spend the kind of money on a start like Jimenez, when all they really need is a legit fourth or fifth starter. Not saying they can't do it, but I don't think they will.

A.J. Burnett, SP: age 37, 191.0 IP, 10-11 W-L, 3.30 ERA, 209 K.

I'm just going to come out and say this: why would some people even think of this as an option? The Yankees have already tried working things out with Burnett, and it ended with them trying really hard to get rid of him before the 2012 season, trading him to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yeah, it would be a great story to have him coming back to New York one last time, but things didn't work the first time he was here, so why would they work the second time around?

Sure, Burnett was decent in Pittsburgh in his two years there, but that was in Pittsburgh, not New York. Different league, different team, complete different setting.

Right now, I see the Baltimore Orioles being the favorites to sign him. They really need to add a starting pitcher before they get to Opening Day, and their heavy interest in the right-hander suggests that he could be the guy.

Bronson Arroyo, SP: age 37, 202.0 IP, 14-12 W-L, 3.79 ERA, 124 K.

Arroyo seems close to landing with another team as we speak, with someone on the west coast likely to come up the winner with him. Even though the Yankees reportedly "touched base" with him earlier in the offseason, I doubt there was any serious interest.

Yeah, Arroyo is a pretty tough, durable workhorse that will give you 25-30 starts each season, but I just didn't see him working out well in the Bronx.

Paul Maholm, SP: age 32, 153.0 IP, 10-11 W-L, 4.41 ERA, 105 K.

Personally, this lefty has been at the top of my "Fifth Start Free-Agent Big Board" for the Yankees this winter. I've always believed that if they sign someone to compete for the rotation stop, Maholm should be the guy.

Yeah, 2013 was not a great year for him (as you can see from the numbers above). He also failed to reach 175 innings last season, which he has done in six of his eight full big league seasons. That kind of workload would be great for a fifth starter.

Signing him on a short-term contract could be something that can help re-establish his value, and can turn out to be a good signing for the Yankees.

* * *

If the Yankees decide against signing another starting pitcher, I think the current group of starters that will compete for the fifth spot -- David Phelps, Adam Warren, Vidal Nuno and Michael Pineda -- can be a solid option, too.

I'm sure that Pineda will go into the spring with the best chance to win the job. Assuming that he is healthy, I think the Yankees will give him the chance to be the all-star pitcher that he was when they acquire from him the Seattle Mariners two years ago.

**********

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

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Organizational Depth: Third Base

The depth of this position is very similar to the depth at short, in the sense that there aren't many major league options but there are some interesting names in the system. No one on this list is really competing for a job on opening day.

Major League Ready Depth:

The Yankees best option in this section may not even be a third-baseman for much longer, but in my opinion Rob Segedin is still the best major league ready third-baseman in the system. Segedin had a WRC+ of 168 in 18 games before being sidelined with a hip injury.

Segedin has Femoroacetabular impingement or FAI, which is a genetic condition, that also resulted in Alex Rodriguez's and Ty Hensley's needing hip surgery. Segedin and Hensley went to same doctor as Alex did, and are both fully recovered.

As was the case with A-Rod, FAI truly inhibits ones range of motions and results in an athlete never reaching his full potential. After A-rod got his surgery done, he and his doctor both said that he should be able to move better than ever.

This is probably even more true for Segedin as he got the procedure out of the way at an earlier age. It also would benefit him more because he isn't the type of athlete A-Rod is, and was limited defensibly at third. Now that his body can finally operate at it's optimal level, perhaps his range at the position will get better.

This would really benefit the Yankees because they would get actually have a decent prospect at a position of need. His bat would be very intriguing as a third-baseman. The move would also benift Segedin, because quite frankly he would be pretty low on the depth chart of major league ready outfielders.

After Segedin the Yankees don't have many major league options at the position. This could change if the team feels that Tyler Austin, J.R. Murphy, or even Ronnier Mustlier are capable at third.

The Yankees have made it pretty clear that Murphy is a catcher, and honestly at 29 Mustlier isn't much of a prospect. However, Austin was allowed to play third in the Arizona Fall League and would be a very interesting option at the position.

Depth Below AA:

The Yankees best option in this section is 2013 first round pick Eric Jagielo. Jagielo is a  is a consensus top ten Yankee prospect. He was ranked as one of the best players in the NYPL last year. And according to Jim Callis he is currently the 11th best third-base prospect in baseball.

The reason that so many are so high on Jagielo as a prospect, is that he is a polished bat with some power. While some still question his defensive ability, he is still improving at the position and most see him as a third-baseman. If he can stick at the position he is a future all-star type talent.

Jagielo should begin the 2014 season in High-A and should quickly progress through the system. By putting Jagielo in high-A the Yankees may be creating yet another logjam at the level. This is because Dante Bichette Jr. will probably start there as well.

2014 will be an important year for Bichette, as he has really been a disappointment over the past couple of seasons. There are several aspects of Bichette's game that needs to be improved in order to considered a top prospect again.

Bichette has yet to hit the way people assumed he could, but his biggest problem may be sticking at third. That was a major question when he was drafted and it remains one now.

Despite his flaws he is still just 21 years old and  it is too soon to give up on him completely on him as a prospect.

But he needs to move soon because both Jagielo and Miguel Andujar may pass him on the Yankees depth chart soon enough. Andujar was a major signing out of the Dominican republic in  2011. He spent the past two seasons in the GCL, and really broke out last season.

Andujar has a good hit tool, and some power at third. Andujar has to be more selective at the plate and to continue to hit the balls to all fields.

 Defensively Andujar has the ability to be an average or better defender. Lastly Andujar is an average runner. Andujar was ranked as one of the best prospects in the GCL last year, and might begin 2013 in low-A.

Sleepers:

Considering that Drew Bridges and Matt Duran were on the first-base list there isn't a lot of options for this category. However, there are a few players that are worth checking up on at the start of the 2014 season. One such player is Christopher Tamarez.

Tamarez is only 20 years old so he has time to rebound, but he was pretty awful in the GCL last season. While he was signed as a shortstop, he is now a third baseman who is still learning the position. This might be part of the reason why he struggled so mightily last season.

**********

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

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More

What will Ichiro's role be with the Yankees this season?

The Yankees locked Ichiro Suzuki up on a two-year contract last winter, leaving them stuck with him for one year too many. Last year was one of his worst in professional baseball, and it would be easy to see this being his last season before retiring -- that's far from a guarantee, though.

After signing Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran this winter, the Yankees have given themselves more than enough outfielders heading into spring training.

They've already released Vernon Wells after designating him for assignment back in January, and it could be possible that Ichiro is the next outfielder the Yankees move.

But for now, however, Ichiro is still on the Yankee's roster, and they're still in line to pay him the $6.5 million they owe him in 2014.

Even this late in his career, at 40-years-old this season, Ichiro can give the Yankees some speed on the bases, some slap hits into the gap here and there, and he'll stay on the field for the full season -- he's never played less than 140 games in a season since coming to the MLB from Japan.

Having been very durable and always in the lineup, Ichiro shouldn't be able to expect that same kind of playing time in 2014.

If you're looking at the depth chart, it won't be hard to see Ichiro at the bottom of the outfield list, coming in behind Beltran, Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano. And because of that, I just don't see him fitting into Joe Girardi's game plan each day.

Like I said above, Ichiro will be able to pinch-run off of the bench, and could even be a late-game option at the plate for Girardi if he's looking to send an experience hitter at the plate -- and Ichiro has more than enough experience with the bat.

I'm not saying that Ichiro won't get in at least 100 games this season, because he can still help the team (not as much as he could five years ago) in a few ways. But it would be more reasonable to expect him at least 120-130 games, not the 150 that he's been averaging in the Major Leagues.

Right now, the Opening Day lineup projects to have Gardner in left, Ellsbury in center, and Beltran in right. Soriano will act as the fourth outfielder and spend most of his time as the DH, cycling though that position with Beltran and Derek Jeter, two players near the end of their careers that will certainly need a break from the field a couple times a week.

It would not surprise me at all if the Yankees were to move him before heading to Houston for Opening Day, possibly trying to trade him for a another bullpen arm. Should he stay with the team through the first few months, though, you can expect a much lesser bench role for Ichiro. He'll likely be the fifth outfielder, if the Yanks even decide to carry that many.

**********

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

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Best free-agents still available: Position Players

Brian Cashman has told us that the Yankees are done spending any more money on major free-agents this winter, but after the signing of Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees have blown past the $189 million luxury-tax mark, meaning that saving money is no longer a problem.

Spring training is just over a week ago from beginning for the Yankees, with a number of notable free-agent still left on the market.

After fixing some major holes in the starting rotation and adding more power to the lineup, the Yanks still need to find some clarity in the infield, as well as the bullpen. And there are quite a few free-agents capable of filling those roles.

But even if the options are available, and the Yankees are willing to spend the extra cash to ensure that they've built the best possible roster for 2014, are any of the free-agents worth signing?

Let's start with the position players today.

Nelson Cruz, OF: age 33, 27 homeruns, .266 average, 76 RBIs in 2013.

The Yankees swooped up three of the top ten bats on the market this offseason -- signing Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran -- and now Cruz is left as the top free-agent hitter.

For a guy that has shown some serious homerun power over the past few seasons, it would seem kind of surprising that he is still available with spring training about to start, but being tied to a PED suspension in 2013 and draft-pick compensation for rejecting a qualifying offer from the Texas Rangers, many teams seem reluctant to sign him.

As for the Yankees, there is simply no need for another outfielder on the roster. There are too many, as it is. The Yanks release Vernon Wells a couple weeks ago, and seem willing to trade Ichiro and his contract away, but adding another outfielder is not in the works.

It felt possible earlier in the winter that the Yankees could make a run for Cruz, but that was before they signed Beltran to a three-year deal. Sure, his power would make him dangerous in Yankee Stadium, but Cruz is not on the table for the Bombers.

Stephen Drew, SS: age 31, 13 homeruns, .253 average, 67 RBIs in 2013.

Drew has been one of the most talked about players among Yankees fans and writers this winter. With the questions around Derek Jeter and his right ankle, signing Drew would be a pretty good fallback option in case something happens to Jeter, and could also be there to take over as the primary shortstop if he retires in the next couple of years.

Drew isn't much at the plate, but he can give the Yankees a decent glove in the field that would be an upgrade over some of the other player coming to camp.

Right now, however, the Yankees don't need him to play shortstop. Their biggest infield need is at third base.They could ask Drew to play third base if they signed him, being an upgrade over current third base favorite Kelly Johnson.

Cashman has been making it clear to the media over the past couple of months that he doesn't intend to sign Drew, and while some reports say they might go after him now that the $189 million goal is out of the window, the tune remains the same: they don't plan to go after him.

Kendrys Morales, 1B/OF: age 30, 23 homeruns, .277 average, 80 RBIs in 2013.

Let's just get this out of the way. Morales is a free-agent, he has power, and he can play first base -- a position in which the Yankees lack and serious depth right now with concerns surrounding Mark Teixeira's wrist. But the interest is not there with the Yankees, from what I know.

The overstock of outfielders is too much for him to fit in. A couple of those outfielders -- Alfonso Soriano and Beltran -- along with Jeter figure to spend a lot of time DHing, taking away even more at-bats from Morales. The only way I can see them signing him is if something happens to Teixeira during spring training that forces the Yankees to find a replacement for him.

Placido Polanco, 3B: age 38, 1 homerun, .260 average, 23 RBIs in 2013.

OK, he's not one of the best free-agents available, but he is a third baseman, and the Yankees need one of those. There is nothing really great about him, but he'll take the field, give you at-bats, and play third base on a daily basis.

I would still go with Johnson over Polanco, but he might be worth bringing to camp on a minor league deal. It wouldn't hurt to do so.

Justin Turner, 3B: age 29, 2 homeruns, .280 average, 16 RBIs in 2013.

Hey look, another third baseman. Turner was non-tendered by the Mets back in December because the didn't like the way he hustled on the field, apparently.

Turner is a versatile infielder that can play around the infield, and could be a very couple bench option on the Opening Day roster is the Yankees decided to bring him into spring training on a minor league deal. With all the infielders the Yanks have coming to camp now, adding one more wouldn't be a bad thing.

Turner can play third base and first base for the Yankees, and even second base if needed. As I've mentioned a few times above, he can be a useful first base backup, and a option to play third base.

----------

At this point, the Yankees are very unlikely to bringing in anymore players in anything more than a minor league deal. Turner seems to be one of the better options worth brining to Tampa. Really, though, it's hard to completely cross Drew off the list until he signs elsewhere, because you never really know if the Yankees are actually staying away, or planning to spend as much as they can.

We'll look at all of the best available pitchers tomorrow, and see which ones are better than the current crop of pitchers that are expected to battle for the fifth spot in the rotation, and the bullpen.

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Organizational Depth: Shortstop

The system doesn't have the strongest upper division depth, but has many intriguing players in the lower levels. This is one reason that pundits feel that this system can quickly rise to the top again.

Major League Ready Depth:

The Yankees don't really have a any players in AA or above that stand out at the position. Their most major league ready player might be Addison Maruszak, who is 27 years old. While the Yankees do seem to like him, he shouldn't really be considered a prospect due to his age.

The next best option is Carmen Angelini. Angelini was once thought of as a promising prospect. He was given a million dollars as a tenth round pick in 2007. That figure was obviously well over-slot, and some think the failures of Angelini, and the overly expensive 2007 class made the Yankees wary of spending big in drafts.

Angelini's failures are related to the fact that from between 2010 to 2012 he was only able to play 9 actual games. This was due to three major injuries. In 2010 he tore his hip,in 2011 he shattered his ankle, and 2012 he broke his wrist.

However, he was finally healthy in 2013 and started the year off strong in A+. At 24 years old he was older than his competition, but when you play as rarely as Angelini that isn't a huge advantage. Angelini ended his season by playing 66 games in AA and only put up a .623 OPS, but considering he was finally healthy I would say he had an okay season.

Depth Below AA:

While most people seem to have given up on Cito Culver, I still have some hope that he becomes a major-league player That's because he is considered an above average defender. As we have seen in recent years defense first shortstops can become major league regulars.

I believe Culver's defense will carry him to the majors, but it's his bat that will determine whether he can become a regular starter for a team like the Yankees.

Culver has shown that he has a good eye at the plate and even has some power for the position. However he was a terrible hitter for most of his minor league career. His biggest problem was attempting to be a switch-hitter.

In 2013, he abandoned switch-hitting and began hitting solely from the right side. It took him a while to adjust but near the end of the 2013 season he looked like a better hitter. This led to a promotion to High-A, where he dominated in a small sample (.878 OPS in 28 games).

Considering that Culver is still just 21 years old there is still time for him to prove he is a real prospect. He will begin the 2014 season in High-A and no one's stopping him from advancing quickly through the system.

After Culver the Yankees have a batch of exciting shortstops that spent to 2013 season in the GCL. Abital Avelino, Thairo Estrada, Tyler Wade, all had good seasons last year. Avelino, and Estrada both made Baseball America GCL top 20 list and Wade is a major sleeper for the 2014 season.

Avelino and Estrada were relatively small Dominican signings. Avelino impressed scouts with his defense and his eye at the plate. The 18 year old had more walks than strikeouts last season, and may grow into more power down the road. He also did well on the bases stealing 28 bases in 32 attempts.

He may never develop plus power but he is had a pretty great set of tools right now and could be a top prospect soon if he does well in A-Ball next year.

Despite signing for less than 50,000 thousand dollars in 2012 Estrada has quickly become one of the Yankees best prospects. Like Avelino, Estrada is an advanced hitter for his age (17), but currently only has line drive power. Estrada is also know for his plus speed and for being a solid defender at SS. In addition to SS, Estrada has shown he can handle playing second base.

The presence of Avelino may mean that Estrada begins the season in the NYPL, but considering he will be only 18 years old that might actually benefit him.

Sleepers:

Wade may be the Yankees best sleeper from the 2013 draft. Like Kotah, he skyrocketed up draft boards right before the draft, and that made him a fourth round pick. Tyler Wade truly has the ability to be as good as some of the other shortstops on this list, but has yet to get the same acclaim.

Wade is a good runner, and defender, who needs to add some muscle to be considered a future major league hitter. The 19 year old should begin the 2014 season in Low-A or A-Ball, and should be closely followed by fans.

The next group of players were either injured last year, just signed or were in the DSL. Jorge Mateo, Yancarlos Baez, Yonauris Rodriguez, and Angel Aguilair. While some of these players may come over to the United States next year, they all have some appeal.

Mateo and Aguilar may be the best two from this group, and they have both put up good numbers in the DSL. Rodriguez and Baez on the other hand have yet to play much at all. That is because Rodriguez was only signed last year, and Baez struggled with injuries. Both players got decent bonuses so it will be interesting to see how they do.  Mateo who earned praise from Ben Badler after signing is the best of this group, and may be the next Avelino.

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More

Organazational Depth: Second Base

After the departure of Robinson Cano, the Yankees decided to try to find a new second-baseman off of the scrap heap. While Brian Roberts and Scott Sizemore aren't bad options, their injury riddled past may mean that the Yankees will need to make a trade or call-up one of their own prospects to man the position.

Major League Ready:

Corban Joseph highlights this rather thin section. Joseph has a big chance to replace Cano, as he is the type of hitter that the Yankees like. He has great at-bats and has some power. In his last full season in AAA he had a WRC+ of 134. But he was much more average in 47 games last year, and he looked over-matched in his short stay in the majors.

Defensively Joseph is a decent fielder, but can be error-prone. Joseph doesn't have the type of range to be a utility player, which may put him at a disadvantage when compared to the Yankees other upper level second-base prospects.

Two players that can serve as utility players are Jose Peirella and Adonis Garcia. Pirela is the bigger prospect of the two, and the Yankees seem to believe in his ability to play in the majors.

Pirela has spent the majority of the last three seasons in AA, this was mostly due to the presence of Corban Joseph and David Adams in AAA. Overall Pirela has done well in AA and had an OPS of .777 last season at that level.

After the season Pirela went on to play in winter league and dominated. While he still doesn't show much power, he really has improved as a hitter in the past few seasons.Defensively he is decent  at second, and can also play shortstop, third-base and the outfield. 

In a recent interview Mark Newman spoke highly of the young second-baseman progress and his winter league numbers, stating  “He’s still just 23 (actually, 24). He’s been around or a while, but he’s not old. … He’s really made strides in the last couple of years. He’s really improving offensively he’s really made a lot of progress.”.

Pirela earned himself an invitation to spring training, and actually has a chance to win a starting gig if he gets over his history of slow starts.Considering that he will be just 24 years old next season he should still be looked at as a prospect.

The same can not be said for Adonis Garcia, as he is already 28 years old. However, the Cuban expat can still be a useful piece for the 2014 Yankees. That's because he is so versatile. Garcia can play the outfield, second and third.

Garcia and Pirela were both invited to spring training where they will be able to show the Yankees whether or not they can handle playing in the majors.

Depth Below AA:

Robert Refsynder quietly may of had the best offensive season of any Yankee minor league player last season. The lack of attention is surprising considering he was only 22 last season.

Refsnyder showed great on-base skills last season and showed good power with 41 extra-base hits. The biggest weakness in his game was his defense, but considering he used to be an outfielder until he was drafted it isn't really a big deal. Refsnyder defense will improve as he gets more playing time at the position.

Refsnyder will begin the season in AA and if he continues to perform well he may have a shot at a late season promotion. This would be an aggressive approach but some prospects are capable of skipping AAA.Refsnyder may have the highest floor of any Yankee prospect.

Angelo Gumbs, and Gosuke Katoh are the two second-basemen in the system, with highest ceilings. Gumbs ceiling would make him a top ten Yankee prospect but he has struggled in recent years.

Some of these struggles are related to injuries as he was hurt for a bit over the past two seasons. But his failures go beyond his injuries as he hasn't taken advantage of his raw ability. This was the reason that he was sent down to repeat A-Ball last season.

Gumbs has too much ability to stay in A-Ball for three seasons, so the Yankees will have to push him back to High-A. This will be complicated as Anderson Feliz will also need playing time at that level and there is no open DH spot on the team.

Gumbs has a higher ceiling than Feliz and some of the players that would be playing DH, so it would make sense for him to get the most playing time. Gumbs is known for his excellent bat speed; it is one of the first things scouts mention when they watch him play. His bat speed  is the reason so many think he has so much offensive potential.

But Gumbs is more than just a bat, he also has plus speed, and has shown potential on defense. He has a plus arm and solid range. If Gumbs puts all these tools together he can become an elite player, he is still just 21 so he has time to reach his potential.

Hopefully he has a better and healthier season in 2014, as he could have a major impact on the Yankees in a couple of years if he doesn't bust.

Kotah, who Baseball America ranked as the systems tenth best prospect, may not have Gumbs upside but he is currently a borderline top ten second base prospect.

Kotah dominated the GCl hitting,  310/.402/.522. People expected him to be able to hit, but his power was truly surprising.Kotah is already a good runner and excellent defender so even if his power isn't real he would remain a good prospect.

If he can keep that up as he advances through the system, he should be a top 100 prospect despite his position.

Sleepers:

Anderson Feliz is one of New York's toolsiest players, and he might be the systems best switch hitter. Feliz's struggles in the past two years are related to several injuries. He has only been able to play 36 games last season and only 45 games in 2012.

Because of this Feliz has never really had a chance to put up the type of statistical season he is capable of. However fans shouldn't give up on him yet, as he has above average power, and could hit for a decent average.

It is unclear where Feliz will begin the 2014 season, as he and Gumbs would benefit from starting the year at High-A. Because of the logjam at third and first, the DH position will always be filled by a decent prospect. This means that Gumbs or Feliz can only get playing time at second.

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More

Derek Jeter takes on-field batting practice for the first time

Spring training won't start for the Yankees until next weekend, but that hasn't stopped Derek Jeter from getting ready for the season ahead.

A couple weeks after participating in baseball-related activities for the first time since going in the disabled listed on September 11th, ending his injury plagued season, Jeter took live batting practice for the first time since September at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa.

According to the Associated Press, Jeter took 39 swings and was hitting the ball to all fields. They also mentioned that he fielded 34 ground balls at shortstop for the first time this year.

"Everything is good so far, knock on wood," Jeter told the AP.

Jeter made four separate trips to the DL last season, one in which he played just 17 games .190 (12 for 63) with one homer and seven RBIs. He played in just five spring training games last year, re-injuring his surgically repaired right ankle.

"This offseason is like a normal offseason," said Jeter. "I'm four months ahead of where I was last year. Last year, quite honestly, I want to forget about it."

Jeter missed the first 91 games of the 2013 season, then felt pain his right quadriceps when he returned July 11th, forcing him back to the DL. He returned again on July 28th for three games, then strained his right calf.

"My job is to be ready to play," Jeter said. "I remember when I was 35, everyone said that was it. He can't play anymore. End of my career. So, it's really nothing different. Eventually, somebody is going to be right, you know what I mean? You're going to run out of numbers."

Yankees pitchers and catchers will report to Tampa next Friday, February 14th, and will have their first full-squad workout on February 20th.

Follow @GavinEwbank

Read More

Organizational Depth: First Base

In 2014 the Yankees will have to deal with a very risky infield. Not only due they have no set third baseman, but Derek Jeter and Brian Roberts are both injury concerns. This is why Mark Teixeira is so important to the team. If he is also injured than the Yankees would probably need to make a trade, as the systems major league ready first base depth is nothing special.

Major League Ready Depth:

The Yankees best prospect in AA or above is easily Kyle Roller. Roller is a 25 year old fringe prospect, who has shown some the ability to take walks and hit for power. However his highest level of advancement is AA, and it's unclear how much the Yankees value him as a prospect.

The Yankees didn't invite him to spring training so it's unclear if they think he can ever be a major league contributor. However he did hit .253/.347/.427/.774 this season with 17 home runs and 24 doubles at AA, so maybe there is some some potential there.

Depth Below AA:

Arguably the Yankees three best first-base prospects are all in A+. As neither Greg Bird, Matt Snyder or Reymond Nunez have experience past that level. This will create quite the logjam, so it's possible that Snyder or Nunez begin the year at AA.

Bird is the superior prospect from this trio of players, and is regarded as one of the best first-base prospect  in baseball. Bird destroyed his competition in A-Ball, and was one of the leagues most productive hitters.

Bird put up the following numbers last year, .288/.428/.511, 36 doubles, 20 home runs, 107 walks. Bird was essentially in the top ten in every statistical area, despite playing in one of the worst hitting parks in the minors.

Bird is known for his ability to get on base, but some question his power. However, to this point he has shown plenty of power. In my opinion his only major concern should be his defensive game. At the moment he may be a below-average to average defender. However it is important to remember that 2013 was his first year at the position and that he is still improving in that regard.

He will obviously get to play first everyday in 2014, and if he continues to improves and perfects his offensive game he could become the best first-base prospect in baseball.

Because Bird deserves the most playing time, either Nunez or Snyder will have to move out of High-A quickly. Out of the two players Snyder has the better chance of doing this. Snyder is a much more polished bat than Nunez. Because of this the Yankees pushed Snyder to High-A at the start of last season, and put Nunez one level lower despite being the same age.

Snyder is known for his good bat and being a patient hitter while Nunez is more of a power bat. Neither player has really reached their potential. Snyder missed the entire 2013 season with a series of injuries. And Nunez has never  hit more than 15 homeruns in a season. Considering they are both 23, this season may be their last chance to reach their potential as prospects.

Similarly 2014 may be a make or break year for Austin "Bubba" Jones, and Renzo Martini, both had decent seasons last year but would need to produce more in 2014 to be considered big prospects. 

Jones hit  284/.348/.393/.741. in his first taste of the NYPL. This was a big improvement from what he did in GCL two seasons ago and it shows that he is growing as a player. He would need to continue to show improvement in his power numbers, but at the moment he has a chance to break-out at age 21. Jones will begin the year at A-Ball and probably won't need to battle anyone for reps at first.

Martini also had a decent season hitting  .267/.332/.387/.719, in the GCL. He will probably begin the year in the NYPL, but he may be pushed past rookie ball because he will be 21.

Sleepers:

First-base isn't the easiest position find sleepers at, because players don't move to the position until they have to. With the said we can guess that the next two players will be first-baseman and are serious sleepers. Matt Duran and Drew Bridges, haven't seen much game time but they were both considered good picks with interesting upside.


Duran was a fourth round draft pick in 2011. At the time of the draft Baseball America reported that he had raw plus power, but had no other plus tools. BA also stated that he was likely to be moved to first as he had a weak arm. Duran should begin the 2014 in the NYPL, where he may have to split time with Martini, and Bridges. If he reaches power potential he should be able to stick at the position.

Bridges may not begin his career as first-baseman but like Duran, Baseball America feels he will have to play there eventually. Bridges has earned early comparisons to Brett Wallace, which is both good and bad--considering how his career turned out. Bridges will start the year in the GCL or the NYPL.

Follow @YanksBeatBlog

Read More