Steve Lombardi wrote:

FWIW, if Brackman makes it, he won’t be the first case of a huge FB pitcher having some terrible BB totals in the minors. It took Randy Johnson time to click. Then again, Danny Cabrera never clicked….

I agree, which is why no one should close the book on Brackman right now and prematurely call him a bust.

That being said, Brackman’s major league contract and presence on the 40-man roster create some developmental obstacles for the Yanks. That’s why Oppenheimer is right to wish for Brackman’s “explosion” this off-season and into next year.

FWIW, if Brackman makes it, he won’t be the first case of a huge FB pitcher having some terrible BB totals in the minors. It took Randy Johnson time to click. Then again, Danny Cabrera never clicked….

To me, the most interesting tidbits of the interview were:

Ashmore: What have you seen from Andrew Brackman this season that leads you to believe he’s on the right path?

Oppenheimer: “Well, since we’ve taken him and stuck him in the bullpen and said just go out there and go ‘em, I think we’ve seen some improvement. There’s been less thinking about thinks so much and not worrying about stuff. We’re seeing some good things coming from him. It’s a learning year for him, it’s not easy coming off of that surgery and it’s not easy being that tall. We’ve seen good stuff. That’s the thing. Now it’s just this off-season and going into next year, we’re really hoping to see him explode.

Ashmore: Does he still profile as a starter in your eyes?

Oppenheimer: “Yeah. It’s just sometimes you have to deviate from the plan a little bit and take a step backwards to go forwards, and that’s where we needed to go with him.”

I’m very curious to know how Brackman comes back from a rough first season of pro ball next year. The ’07 draft won’t be a total bust even if Brackman doesn’t get on track but, by most accounts, none of the players drafted by the Yanks in the ’07 draft class are considered high-ceiling impact players. The Yanks don’t NEED Brackman the way other teams need their first rounders to succeed…but it would be nice to get some sort of return on him.

Trading chips, and I hope they continue to progress to a point where other teams will value them highly. It is a common psychological phenomenon that owners of any item tend to overvalue it in relation to the market — that’s why Yankee fans (who may be treated as the owners here) complain that other teams demand “more” from the Yankees in trades than from other teams. We should want to see players like these rise in the estimation of scouts across baseball.