Yanks Lose Michael Gardner, Get Bo Hall

The Yankees lost relief prospect Michael Gardner to San Diego in the Rule V Draft. Because Gardner had enough service time in the minors and was not on the 40 man roster, he was exposed. The Padres now get Gardner but will need to return him if he does not stay on their 25 man active roster.

Gardner posted a 2.88 ERA at AA Trenton last year. He was a swingman out of the bullpen for the Thunder and made a few spot starts. Gardner is not much of a prospect, although he might turn into a decent Major League reliever. The Yankees have more talented guys without the health issues that have plagued Gardner.

It is amazing that nobody picked up Steven White. White is hardly a big time prospect, but he has progressed through the minors and should be ready to slide into the back of somebody’s rotation. White is a hard thrower, who could make a niche for himself down the road as a reliever. He is likely to land in New York at some point in 2008 either as a spot starter or as bullpen reinforcement.

In the minor league phase, New York got a reliever Bo Hall from Milwaukee. He posted a 3.46 ERA in 54.2 innings last season at AA Huntsville. He is underwhelming, but as a pick in the minor league portion, the Yanks do not need to keep him on the big club. This move is unlikely to make any impact, but it is worth a shot. Nothing is lost either way.

Clippard Traded to Washington

The Yankees have traded Tyler Clippard to Washington in exchange for reliever Jonathan Albaladejo. This is a really puzzling move by a front office that gets more puzzling by the day. It is unclear why this move was necessary. It seems as if this team sold really low on Clippard.

Clippard had a rough year in 2007. After earning a promotion to the big leagues, he begin with a series of decent starts. The bottom soon fell out for him, and Tyler was sent back to AAA with a 6.33 ERA in the Majors. He continued to struggle and eventually earned another demotion to AA Trenton, where he posted a 5.40 ERA. It appears that the Yanks decided to give up on him just a year after Tyler established himself as a quality prospect. He did get hit in the Majors, but it takes time for finesse pitchers to adjust. He does not have an overpowering fastball. He needs to gain polish because his stuff alone is not good enough to dominate. Tyler needs to execute. He needed more time to develop. It was clear that his failures in the Majors messed with his head, which contributed to his struggles upon returning to the minors. He was simply not mentally ready to deal with failure in the bigs. That does not mean a 22 year old is finished as a prospect. He still owns an above average curveball and changeup. He still has shown good control, which should return with an offseason of mental rest. He is not on the level of Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy, or Horne, but he still projects to be a middle of the rotation guy. He has value and could potentially have helped the Yanks in 2008. He should not have been untouchable in the right deal, but this trade reeks of despiration send a guy out of town.

Albaladejo is a decent relief prospect. He throws hard and has put up solid but unspectacular minor league numbers. He had a Brian Bruney type 2007 cup of coffee with Washington, where he exceeded his minor league output, posting a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings. His career minor league ERA is 3.54, solid but unspectacular. This is a guy with a ton of talent. He might be able to put it together one day. The thing is that the Yankees already have a plethora of high upside relievers. This is just another face in that cluster.

If this team was going to give Clippard up, it should have gotten something more. At worst, he could have been filler to get something really good. Ablaladejo is not worth much. This team already has plenty of similar pitchers. This type is not hard to find. A decent starting prospect like Clippard is more difficult to pick up.

Yankees Resign Henry

Lost in the shuffle over the Thanksgiving holiday was news that the Yankees resigned minor leaguer C.J. Henry. Henry was the team’s first round pick in the 2005 Draft. He struggled during his brief time in New York’s minor league system before heading to Philadelphia as part of the Bobby Abreu heist of 2006. He only hit .148 in A ball this season for the Phillies but had a .300 batting average after getting contact lenses late in the year. This suggests that his issues at the plate might have been related to seeing the ball.

Henry is a terrific athlete, recruited out of high school to play basketball. During his first stint with the Yankees, he played shortstop but will move to the outfield this time around. Given his natural ability, the transition should not present much of a problem. This is a guy with a ton of upside. He was talented enough for the Yankees to take him in the first round just two years ago. If his problems were eyesight, he might crack the Majors still. C.J. is a great guy to take a flier on.

Hughes: Baseball’s 4th Best Prospect

SI.com’s Bryan Smith ended his look at baseball’s top prospects by ranking Philip Hughes 4th. Homer Bailey of the Reds was the only pitcher ahead of Hughes.

4. Philip Hughes, 21, RHP, New York Yankees
2006 Stats (A+/AA): 2.16 ERA, 92H/146IP, 168K/34BB

If Roger Clemens does not return to the Bronx in 2007, Hughes will be the hot-button issue in New York come June. By then, Hughes will be dominating AAA with every outing. The Yankees have done a fabulous job preparing Hughes for his midseason call-up, slowly increasing his workload in the minor leagues. With 146 innings last year, Hughes should be able to pitch consistently through October, by which time he might already be the Yankees’ No. 2 starter. Far more impressive than Hughes’ heavy sinker or jaw-dropping curveball is his understanding of pitching; he is the most intelligent phenom in recent memory. Hughes does not give in to any bat, rarely allows free trips to first base, and gets groundballs consistently from the stretch. Hughes is as good as a New York pitching prospect has been in a long time.

Hughes is the total package. He has some of the best stuff in baseball. Last year at Spring Training, Jorge Posada said that Phil had the best arm of any pitcher in the organization. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi were marveled by his stuff when they stood in against him. The Yankees do need to take caution with the way they handle Hughes. His 146 innings last year were the most that he has ever thrown. He has had some arm problems in the past so they need to make sure that they do not overload him. Hughes probably will see some action in New York this summer. The best move to make would probably be to limit his innings early in the year at AAA Scranton when the weather is frigid. That way they can extend a bit him if he is needed late in the year in the Majors without putting too much extra strain on him. There have been plenty of highly touted guys who have flopped in the bigs so Hughes is not can’t miss. However, with his talent, it seems that injuries are all that could slow him down. His stuff is filthy. He has a battler’s mentality on the mound so the pressure of New York should not hinder him. He also is a very grounded guy as he is married at 20 and not one to have a crazy lifestyle. That means that he will not be derailed by the temptations that New York offer somebody who is suddenly rich and famous.

Tabata: Baseball’s 23rd Best Prospect

Yankees minor league outfielder Jose Tabata rates as the 23rd best prospect according to SI.com’s Bryan Smith.

23. Jose Tabata, 18, of, New York Yankees
2006 Stats (A-): .298/.377/.420, 15 SB in 319 AB

Like Rasmus, Tabata is a polished beyond his years. He’s a good right fielder with solid baserunning instincts and excellent patience, but the big question will be his power development. The phenom has an odd body type but should have enough core strength to be a home run threat down the road.

Tabata is a very highly rated prospect. This is mostly due to his potential. People still should be careful before anointing Tabata. He is only 18 years old and has never played above A ball. He has a lot of development to go through before he becomes a big leaguer, let alone an impact player. If he develops properly, he will be a very special player. However, a lot of touted prospects fizzle out because people misjudge how they will grow. A lot of variables go into something like that. Players just beginning the process like Tabata are the toughest to project because they have the longest path to follow and have not been able to prove themselves against top competition. It is the same thing as an NBA team taking a high school player. There is a lot of potential, but it is tough to tell whether that potential will ever be reached. Plenty can go wrong. With that said, Tabata’s defensive ability and patience are very good signs that he will come through successfully.

Sanchez: Baseball’s 52nd Best Prospect

SI.com’s Bryan Smith continues his rankings of baseball’s top prospects. Number 52 on his list is Humberto Sanchez.

52. Humberto Sanchez, 24, RHP, New York Yankees
2006 Stats (AA/AAA): 2.63 ERA, 97H/123IP, 129K/47BB

With the Tigers, Sanchez would have entered spring training with questions surrounding his role. Given Joel Zumaya’s 2006 season, many fans would have wanted Sanchez converted to a reliever, hoping his powerful arsenal would add power in one-inning outings. Others would insist on Sanchez using his large frame to become an innings-eating starter. Now a Yankee, Sanchez is likely a reliever going forward, and his heavy fastball and big slider should make for one smooth transition.

It’s tough to see the Yankees turning Sanchez into a reliever at least at this point in time. The team has a very deep relief corps right now. There also is plenty in the reserves as T.J. Beam and J. Brent Cox should be ready to contribute if called upon this season. Starting pitching is another story. The Yanks have a number of starters who are injury risks. Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano make up a shaky back of the rotation on paper. Minor leaguers like Sanchez probably will get a chance to show what they have in 2007 to try and fortify the rotation. Regardless, getting a guy like this for Gary Sheffield, who served the team no use, was a stroke of genius by Brian Cashman.

Clippard: Honorable Mention

Bryan Smith of SI.com is putting together a list of baseball’s top 75 prospects. Tyler Clippard was the first Yankees prospect to be listed. He received honorable mention.

Tyler Clippard, SP, Yankees
2006 Stats (AA): 3.35 ERA, 118H/166.1IP, 175K/55BB

Clippard, who has always relied on statistics to carry his prospect status, was in danger of proving the naysayers true in the 2006 season’s first half. After 13 starts, Clippard was just 2-9, with a 5.69 ERA, a K/9 under nine and a HR/9 above 1.00. Clippard then tightened his curveball, trusted his change more, and his season turned around. He had a 1.74 ERA in his final 15 starts, going 10-1, and allowed just four home runs in those 98.1 innings.

The job that Clippard did was overshadowed by Phillip Hughes’ dominance at Trenton.
However, T-Clipp is a major part of the rebuilt farm system. He should develop into a quality Major League pitcher somewhere down the road. He could easily make his first stop in the Bronx in 2007. If nothing else, he certainly will not be the last Yankee on Smith’s list.