Final Touches On Yanks Opening Roster
Via Jon Lane -
Eduardo Nunez, Eric Chavez and Bartolo Colon are headed north. Ramiro Pena, Justin Maxwell, Jesus Montero and Austin Romine are beginning the season in the Minors with Romine playing in Double-A Trenton. Ronnie Belliard was released and a deal is in the works to sell Romulo Sanchez to a Japanese league team.
Barring a late waiver pickup, Gustavo Molina and his 23 games of big-league experience will back up Russell Martin until Francisco Cervelli (foot) is ready to return.
Pedro Feliciano (upper-arm shoulder soreness) will definitely begin on the DL; Luis Ayala and left-hander Steve Garrison are the top options to hold his place in the bullpen. Mark Prior will remain in Florida to continue his comeback after an impressive Spring Training. Prior hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2006, but confidence is high he’ll be pitching if not with the Yankees then somewhere in the bigs this year.
Interesting move on Nunez and Pena. Doesn’t this also cut into Eduardo Nunez’ development – riding the pines in the Bronx?
Pena is being sent down because he stinks.
Nunez can hit better than Pena so he’s of more value to the Yankees right now. I assume stunting his development isn’t of big concern to the Yankees since Nunez is thought of mostly as a utility/reserve type.
Nunez also stinks, and since he doesn’t really look to have a future starting at shortstop for this team, he’s on the bench.
Corey Italiano wrote:
Yep, pretty much.
Corey Italiano wrote:
MJ Recanati wrote:
And, yet, he was given the Yankees’ 2010 Kevin Lawn Award as the Yankees’ minor league “Player of the Year” (last season).
So, if he’s their best player in the minors last year, and he sucks, what does that say about the Yankees minor league pipeline?
@ Steve Lombardi:
But who hired Kevin Long? Why are we to trust his opinion since he was hired by someone who you consider to be an idiot?
@ Steve Lombardi:
BOX!!!!!
@ Steve Lombardi: Box!!! Nicely played Steve!!!
@ PocketAces:
box?
Nunez isn’t the shortstop of the future for the Yankees, I’m fine with him being on the bench.
Corey Italiano wrote:
The annual awards are dedicated to Kevin O’Brien Lawn, the son of long-time Yankees Vice President and Chief of Operations Jack Lawn, who passed away in 1999.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
A minor league award has very little to do with a player’s prospects as a future major leaguer. As such, an award-winning player having limited MLB prospects doesn’t impugn an entire farm system.
Remember, Nunez won the award on the basis that he was named to the AAA All-Star team and because, “he led all Scranton/WB batters in hits and stolen bases, ranked second in doubles and recorded the third-highest average among all Yankees farmhands.” (source: http://tinyurl.com/4sc7ke7)
Having had one of the best seasons in the organization and not having a high MLB ceiling doesn’t mean the Yankees pipeline is bad. One has nothing to do with the other.
FYI: I think all would agree that Tampa’s got one of the better farm systems in all of baseball. Yet, in 2010, their 2010 MiLB batter of the year was none other than 31-year-old Dan Johnson. Would you call Dan Johnson a prospect? Would you say that Tampa’s system is somehow degraded by the fact that their best minor league hitter in 2010 was a guy who made his professional debut in 2001 and his MLB debut in 2005?
http://tinyurl.com/5struzj
PocketAces wrote:
Unbox; no box at all.
Winner of “Kevin Lawn Award” whatever that means not = best prospect.
Or 2nd best.
Or 5th best.
MJ Recanati wrote:
I don’t really agree.
I think Nunez has enough ability to start for some big league teams. Jeter, A-Rod, Nomar, he’s not. Tulo and Hanley, he’s not. He may not even be J.J. Hardy. But I think he’s clearly better than Pena, overall, and I think he’s earned a job on the big league level.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Organizational Award not = Best prospect.
Various scouting touts put Montero, Sanchez, Banuelos and Betances in their top 100. Nunez? Nowhere.
Which also doesn’t mean Nunez can’t have a career for himself. It just means that at this moment, those guys appear to have much higher ceilings than Nunez.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Fair enough, same question applies to the people giving the award then.
Evan3457 wrote:
I agree that he’s better than Pena, and I said as much in my first comment. Pena can’t hit, Nunez can hit a little bit and — voila! — you have an upgrade at the utility infield position with a guy that hits a little bit and fields a little bit too.
Can Nunez start for some other teams? Sure. But that’s a fairly low threshold of evidence for having talent. There are plenty of teams that start bums at SS. Khalil Greene and David Eckstein had jobs in the big leagues for several years. ‘Nuff said.
Anyone think neither will be the utility infielder come August???
77yankees wrote:
If Nunez isn’t the utility infielder in August, it’ll be because he’s been traded as part of a package for a major starter.
Evan3457 wrote:
Agreed.