Swisher to Yankees

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Originally Posted by koolzach1

The Yankees have as strong a farm system as just about anyone... We're just a little light on hitting prospects, but our pitching prospects are as good as anyone's.

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I'd be willing to go out on a small limb and proclaim that to be completely false....especially when you admit that most of the better prospects are in the lower minors. The Royals got a pretty large amount of good looking arms in the low minors too....don't think they'd be considered one of the best farm systems. It's getting better...but not that great yet. Same with the Yanks I'd imagine..improving..but until those young arms get to AA/AAA and maintain their status...then it will mean a lot more. Other than Ian Kennedy..not sure which arm would be considered a good prospect at the AA or AAA level..and please don't mention any of the AA guys with good ERAs, they are all 25 years old. Too old to be in AA and finally doing well...

Again..not to say the Yanks farm system is awful..but saying it's as good as there is is a pretty big stretch....

I'm just stating what most "experts" have said - Plus, I've looked around on various scouting sites at some of these prospects and a lot of them have a high upside.

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Originally Posted by koolzach1

I'm just stating what most "experts" have said - Plus, I've looked around on various scouting sites at some of these prospects and a lot of them have a high upside.

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who are 'most' experts? I think these 'think-tanks' like baseball america use alot of information provided by scouts and teams themselves....and the yankees just have more scouts and propaganda, plus dumping tons of money into the farm these think-tanks always overrate them. Look at their top draft picks over the past decade. No talent has shown much in terms of major league quality.

Again, baseball-america looks at a ton of money buying foreign prospects, developing talent, and overrate the yankee farm. theres a reason they haven't been able to trade for top talent of late, there are only a few prospects anyone is interested in and with hughes and kennedy stinking it up there are even less now.

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Originally Posted by dickay

who are 'most' experts? I think these 'think-tanks' like baseball america use alot of information provided by scouts and teams themselves....and the yankees just have more scouts and propaganda, plus dumping tons of money into the farm these think-tanks always overrate them. Look at their top draft picks over the past decade. No talent has shown much in terms of major league quality.

Again, baseball-america looks at a ton of money buying foreign prospects, developing talent, and overrate the yankee farm. theres a reason they haven't been able to trade for top talent of late, there are only a few prospects anyone is interested in and with hughes and kennedy stinking it up there are even less now.

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Oh, my bad for buying into the propaganda and hype around these Yankee prospects. For now on, every Yankee is a future bust, IMO. All Red Sox prospects will be stars. The Red Sox farm system is not over-hyped nor is there any propaganda around it. Thanks for taking the homer glasses off my eyes and giving me your VERY un-biased opinion on the Yankees farm system.

Now, to get serious... The Yankees really just started developing their farm system in around 2004 or so.

* = considered to have a high or very good upside

Top hitting prospects (no particular order):
Jesus Montero* (Scouts have him as an 80/80 power upside)
Austin Jackson* (Scouts project him as a leadoff hitter, Curtis Granderson type)
Brett Gardner
Juan Miranda
Austin Romine* (A very good defensive C, and many project him to hit for a solid average)
Kelvin DeLeon* (Many project him as a good ML outfielder, an international signee)
Carmen Angelini
Francisco Corvelli
Bradley Suttle
Brandon Laird
Bradley Suttle

Top pitching prospects (no particular order):
Joba Chamberlain* (Has already been great in the majors, not really a prospect, but only 23)
Phil Hughes* (Has struggled his 1st 2 seasons, but just recently starting hitting 95 on the gun again)
Ian Kennedy (Has also struggled, but he is still considered a future #3 or 4 - only 24)
Alfredo Aceves
J.B. Cox
Mark Melancon* (Projected as the future CL of the NYY)
David Robertson
Kevin Whelan
George Kontos
Dellin Betances* (At 6-8, he is projected to be an ace, with a future high K total)
Zach McAllister* (Projected as a #3 for now with high control and has dominated thus far)
Jairo Heredia* (Projected as a possible #2, but is very young and needs more time)
Humberto Sanchez*(Injury prone, but has always been projected as a top of the rotation pitcher or very good CL)
Christian Garcia
Alan Horne* (He's 25 years old, injury prone, but he looks like a late bloomer and a middle of the rotation SP or a very good RP)
Andrew Brackman* (Before the draft Andrew Brackman and David Price was 1/2 and both were considered future ace's... Brackman got hurt and slid, though)
Jeremy Bleich

Take those homer glasses off, chief, and don't just assume that all Yankee prospects are/will be busts. Did Hughes struggle? He very well did, but so did Buchholz, and Red Sox fans still love him. Ditto for Ian Kennedy... Also, don't most prospects (especially SP prospects) struggle when they first come up? Yes, most do.

I have to agree with koolzach1. The Yankees have a very good farm system, and it's not only BA that said it. BA had them #5. Keith Law had them #5. This guy had them #5. Baseball Prospectus ranked them 6th.

You can go on believing that there's a massive conspiracy to overrate the Yankees and their farm system, or you could just admit that you're massively underrating them.

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Originally Posted by dickay

Look at their top draft picks over the past decade. No talent has shown much in terms of major league quality.

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If they had shown anything in terms of major league quality, they wouldn't be prospects. Only players that qualify as rookies are ranked as prospects. Also, looking at the last decade is irrelevant to ranking the farm system as it stands today.

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theres a reason they haven't been able to trade for top talent of late

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That reason would be that Cashman is hesistant to trade his prospects.

Swisher is a huge upgrade. He can play both corners, all OF, and is cheap. I hate to see Marquez go, but so what?

The Yanks have freed up about 70 million so they are a threat on the free agent market. Texeira, Sabathia, etc. CC might get his roman numeral name if he decides that sunny California isnt all that.

As for the Yanks farm, it is pretty good. Of course you can brag about TB or KC. They get the #1-5 pick every year. How is TB going to deal with picking late? LOL.

The "expert" LeBron James says C.C. is going to be a Yankee, but C.C.'s "friends" supposedly say that he doesn't want to play in New York. Ahhhh, rumors!

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Originally Posted by grasshopper

How is TB going to deal with picking late? LOL.

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Well, they sure won't throw huge bonuses at the Boras clients and other draftees demanding ridiculous bonuses, like the Spankees and several other high rollers have been doing over the last little while. I don't begrudge any proven professional athlete for squeezing every last dime they can out of the owners during their brief careers, but I've got no time for the guys whose agents get them to hold out or demand MLB contracts upon signing. These guys haven't even played a rookie league game yet for crying out loud. I say the slot money is fair, now go earn the rest of your megabucks whippersnappers. Fix the Draft Bud! So endeth the curmudgeonly rant. ;)

CC's gonna settle for $200, wow I hope the Jays can get him. :p