New York Yankees Make Two Mistakes With Their 40 Man Roster Decisions
November 22, 2010 · Joseph DelGrippo · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Let’s preface this piece by saying the Rule 5 draft is the most overrated way to obtain talent for your organization. The reason why is most teams know their own organizations players pretty well.
They know the players make up as well as their games.
Can the player handle pressure?
Do they have a good work ethic to get better as a player?
All players who play professional baseball have talent, but talent will get you only so far. Most guys left off 40 man rosters are at Double A and below, and if they have not performed well enough after 3+ years in the organization, they likely never will.
For a major league organization to select one of these lower-level, minor leaguers, they would have to keep them on their major league roster for the entire season.
With 25 man roster spots scarce, and the manner in which managers change pitchers during a game, most teams carry 12 pitchers. That leaves very few spots for non-regular position players.
What team wants to carry a Double A type player who will not get much playing time, thus wasting a valuable bench spot?
That is why positional players rarely get selected AND kept, while pitchers are the favorites, mostly selected by bottom feeder teams.
If a team is bad, why not take a chance on the guy who throws 95 and stick him as the seventh man in the bullpen?
Last week the Yankees assigned IF/OF Brandon Laird, RHP Dellin Betances and RHP Ryan Pope to their 40 man roster, removing them from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. All showed enough over the 2010 season that they could be selected—and kept—by a second division club.
All three probably would have been selected AND kept by their team for the full season.
Laird has power and can play all four corners, while Betances and Pope throw hard and did very well at Double A Trenton. Pope was a dominating closer at Trenton after being moved from the rotation to the bullpen mid-season.
Either hurler would make the Pittsburgh Pirates 12-man pitching staff.
But while these three selections are great moves, many times the New York Yankees have made some weird choices regarding their 40-man rosters. They have mostly stored young pitching on their roster, and over the last five seasons, the likes of Eric Hacker, Chase Wright, Jeff Kennard, Steven White and Matt DeSalvo have taken up 40-man spots.
Even Kei Igawa was coveted at one point and a 40-man roster member.
None of those guys made an impact in the major leagues, yet they were deemed worthy of future Yankee greatness and a cherished 40-man roster spot.
But why?
They were young pitchers who—at various times in the minor leagues—actually showed promise and with young pitching the most desired commodity in all of baseball, teams hoard the talent.
For example, Chase Wright was the High A Florida State League “Pitcher of the Year” in 2006. But his Yankee claim to fame was allowing four consecutive home runs to the Boston Red Sox in the third inning on April 22, 2007.
The other guys didn’t fare very well either although many never really got a chance. Almost two years ago I wrote a piece that the worst place to be for a young pitcher to be is on the Yankee 40-man roster.
Why do the Yankees save all these young pitchers with only mediocre talent?
Furthermore, why do they keep these pitchers and not give them a decent chance?
Keeping them on the 40-man roster means you think that these kids are able to pitch in the major leagues because if they are not protected, they can be claimed in the Rule 5 draft.
The three 2010 additions gave the Yankees 33 guys on their current 40 man roster, leaving seven available spaces. Add one each for Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and lets say for arguments sake, Cliff Lee, and that leaves three additional open spots.
And more if you really want to trim the fat of Reegie Corona (not needed with Eduardo Nunez above him) and Kevin Russo (obsolete with Laird on board).
Damaso Marte might not even pitch in 2011 either.
But while the Yankees did keep those three guys on the 40-man, they did not protect two guys who should have been protected, especially with three—or more—open spots.
I would have also selected Craig Heyer and Lance Pendleton, both right handed pitchers.
I have spoken of Heyer recently, having watched him since his first season in Staten Island in 2007. Heyer has spent the last two seasons at High A Tampa and is an extreme strike thrower, generating lots of ground balls.
The reason he probably was sent to the AFL was to see how he fared against better competition than what he was accustomed in High A ball. Heyer answered the challenge and performed well out in the Arizona Fall League, basically having one bad outing.
He would fit nicely in the Trenton bullpen as a swing man, able to spot start on occasion. He impressed enough scouts in the AFL, that some teams (Arizona, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee) can take a chance on a guy who throws strikes and keeps everything at the knees or below.
I might even throw out a guarantee that the Diamondbacks grab him up, since new GM Kevin Towers saw Heyer pitch when he scouted for the Yankees this past summer. The D’Backs also need ground ball pitchers in that stadium.
Pendleton was drafted in 2005 from Rice University—the “arm injury waiting to happen” school.
Sure enough, Pendleton did have Tommy John surgery after being drafted, missing almost all of the 2006 and 2007 seasons. But since returning, Pendleton has started 23, 26 and 27 games over the last three seasons, quietly working his way up to Triple A.
He is very consistent in his walk and strikeout rates, and while he is not going to be a major league starter this year out of the gate, he sure is good enough to take a chance as a 12th man on staff.
But the main reason for keeping Pendleton is insurance.
While I respect the Yankees allowing Pendleton to maybe get a shot at the majors sooner with another organization, why let him walk for nothing instead of keeping him and letting him eat up innings at Triple A in 2011?
He threw 155 innings this past season, and could go 180+ this season pitching every five days.
The opening Scranton staff is likely looking at David Phelps, Hector Noesi and D.J. Mitchell at three of the spots with Kei Igawa, George Kontos and Romulo Sanchez battling for other starting roles.
Depending what happens with Pettitte and possibly Lee signing, Ivan Nova could also be starting the season in Scranton.
The Yankees also like to keep 30 year-old former injured hurlers in Scranton—with John Van Benschoten, Tim Redding, Jason Hirsch types permeating the AAA roster. Because of their major league “experience” those guys end up as the Dustin Moseley’s of the major leagues.
Not very good.
So Pendleton would at least give the Yankees starting pitching stability at the Triple A level, giving the organization another durable in-house option.
The Yankees might not think he will be selected, or if he is, he might not last the year.
But why risk it? Especially with spots open.
I believe the Yankees are going to make some trades this off season, moving around valuable minor league talent, with the need for Heyer and Pendleton as pitching depth much more important.
And it would only cost them two of those scarce, coveted, extremely valuable 40-man roster spots.
The same spots once occupied by the Steven White’s and Kei Igawa’s of the universe.
Read more New York Yankees news on BleacherReport.com
Yankee Tickets
Shop Yankee
