End of the road

After talking things over with the owner of Pinstripes Plus, we've decided to bring this blog's content as well as future postings over to the Pinstripes Plus subscriber's forum. So, you will see the in-game updates in their Game Threads section, as well as the game recaps and prospect profiles in their Yankees Prospects section.

I received a lot of wonderful support, from my friends and family for starting up this blog.. From Mike Ashmore, the owner of Thunders Thoughts. From Jessie Holder, my girlfriend, for sending all of the Facebook messages. From my parents who were the first to sign on! And from Pinstripes Plus, for making this possible to begin with.

I will miss writing for this blog, as it was only in it's infancy. I will likely start up another blog sometime down the road. But for now, I am retiring this one. Thanks everyone.

Elliot Davis

Krum and Maruszak photos from the opener

Addison Maruszak chatting with the first base coach after singling in the bottom half of the seventh inning on Friday.

Austin Krum waiting on deck for his chance to bat with Addison Maruszak at the plate.

Austin Krum's at bat in the seventh with Maruszak on first.

The shortstop Addison Maruszak on deck. Thanks go to Kelli for this photo.

My digital camera ran out of batteries on me so I was not able to get many more shots that were any good. I am considering looking into getting a better camera which would dramatically improve my ability to record the games through photos. I am betting that some Yankees fans would have liked to see a shot of Betances firing in an 98-mph fastball. Anyways, my goal is to get a lot of good shots on Monday. We'll see how that goes.

Thunder Thoughts

I just wanted to drop a line regarding a great blog covering the Class AA Trenton Thunder. Mike Ashmore runs a great blog and is definitely worth a look. Lots of great contents with photos, interviews, in game updates, etc. Just great stuff, all in all. Here's the link:

http://thunderbaseball.wordpress.com/

I am enjoying Easter weekend now so updates may be few. I will try to post a recap of tonight's game by tomorrow. Monday's game, the finale of a 4 game series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, will be back in Tampa. I will be at the game so check back here for live game updates! Also, if you want me to ask a certain question, snap a photo of a player, or let you know about anything going on with the club, let me know! I will gladly investigate for you.

One win in the books

On the left, Dellin Betances matched Duane Below's performance from a night ago. Betances was very solid in the outing, striking out 7.

FLYING TIGERS 1, YANKEES 2
at Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL
Friday, April 10

Flying Tigers at the plate: The Flying Tigers were not able to muster much of anything in the way of offense in this game, with a combined 5 hits and 2 walks. There were no extra base hits for the Tigers and just one run. The speedy center fielder Kyle Peter caused the most havoc in the quiet offensive night. Peter stole second and third before scoring on a hit by Andy Dirks. Dirks and Kody Kaiser would also steal bases in the game. Montero was really burned on stolen bases in the game.

Yankees at the plate: Like the Flying Tigers, the T-Yanks could not get their offense in gear. No one in the lineup recorded an extra base hit and the team drew only one base on balls (Romine). Eric Fryer was the catalyst tonight, reaching base 3 times on 3 hits, while swiping a bag off of the Lakeland catcher Adrian Casanova. Damon Sublett made a tremendous grab in the top of the first, leaping to snare a grounder between 1st and 2nd and firing off a throw from his knees to nail the runer at first. Sublett would then later make the lone Yankee error in the fourth on a ball hit by Kody Kaiser.

Flying Tigers on the mound: Tigers pitching did quite well tonight. The starter Thad Weber went 5 strong innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs. Relievers Patrick Stanley and Lester Oliveros pitched three scorless innings behind Weber's solid start. Weber was given the loss.

Yankees on the mound: The star of tonight's game was certainly the Yankee starter Dellin Betances. Betances showed great stuff in this one, striking out 7 Flying Tigers on route to his first win of the season. He struggled with his command early on, throwing a few pitches off line and allowing a pair of walks. After he settled in, he was dominant. Throughout the ball game, there were many swings and misses, even if the at bat wouldn't end in a strike out. He had a great curve ball working which made a few batters look silly at the plate. Amaury Sanit came in to pitch the 7th and 8th innings, both scorless. Jonathan Ortiz came out in the ninth to pick up the save while recording one strike out.

Up next: The Yankees are going back to Lakeland to to face the Flying Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Game time is set for 6:00 P.M. EST. Jeremy Bleich will most likely be the starter for the Tampa Yankees.

Opening Day at 1 Steinbrenner Drive

It's game time here. After a moment of silence for the passing of Nick Adenhart, the Tampa Yankees took the field. Erica Brown sung the national anthem for us.

Lakeland Flying Tigers (1-0)
Peter CF
Roof 2B
Dirks LF
Bertram 1B
Ciriaco SS
Kaiser RF
Tucker DH
Tomas 3B
Casanova C

Pitching: Thad Weber

Tampa Yankees (0-1)
Krum CF
Fryer LF
Montero C
Laird 3B
Sublett 2B
Romine DH
Rufino RF
Hilligoss 1B
Maruszak SS

Pitching: Dellin Betances

UPDATE, 7:03 p.m.: Game just got underway with a walk by Betances to the Lakeland lead off batter Peter

UPDATE, 7:05 p.m.: Peter steals second on a close throw by Montero. Montero seemed to pop up pretty quickly

UPDATE, 7:06 p.m.: Peter steals third easily with no throw from Montero. Betances punches out the second baseman Roof after having a few good pitches fouled off into the Yankee dugout. Roof looked pretty upset with himself with his swing and miss.

UPDATE, 7:07 p.m.: A very nice play by the Yankee second baseman Damon Sublett on a sharply hit ball between first and second. Sublett dove and extended his body completely to nab it, tossing the ball on his knees to first for the out. On the play, Peter tagged and scored. 1-0 Lakeland.

UPDATE, 7:11 p.m.: Dellin Betances strikes out the left fielder Dirks to end the inning.

UPDATE, 7:14 p.m.: Eric Fryer gets on base with a single and advances to second with a steal. The throw is very close but he's in there safely. With big Jesus Montero up with a man in scoring position, this could be a chance for the T-Yanks to get on the board early.

UPDATE, 7:17 p.m.: Montero pops one up into the foul territory beside the home field dug out. The first baseman Hilligoss calls off the advancing pitcher and second baseman to make the out.

UPDATE, 7:22p.m.: Here in the top of the second, after getting two quick outs, Betances is back to the stretch after allowing back to back singles to bottom part of the lineup.

UPDATE, 7:24p.m.: Betances gets out of the 1st and 2nd jam by picking up another swinging strikeout in the form of the catcher Raul Casanova. That's 3 strikeouts in 2 innings now for Betances.

UPDATE, 7:34p.m.: There's another no-hit inning for Betances. He didn't pick up a strikeout here in the top of the third but he did manage to coax out quite a few swings and misses. His command is a bit off right now but he looks to be bringing the heat.

UPDATE, 7:37p.m.: Addison Maruszak slaps a broken bat single over the short stops head to lead off the bottom half of the third. And man, his bat shattered! It looked lke it just disintegrated into the infield.

UPDATE, 7:42p.m.: After a passed ball thrown by Weber, Maruszak raced to second and rounded his way to third. The ball got to the third baseman a good two or three feet before his slide and he was called out. Krum popped up to end the inning.

UPDATE, 7:45.m.: Uh-oh, close call Yankees fans. Jesus Montero was on the ground, grabbing his leg. It looked like the ball got down and bounced up and hit him where his pads weren't covering him. The trainer, coach, and Betances came over to help him out. After stretching it out, Montero bounced back up and stayed in the game. Nice round of applause from the fans here. Phew.

UPDATE, 7:47.m.: Another strikeout for Betances as Audy Ciriaco goes down swinging. This kid has got dynamite stuff.

UPDATE, 7:49.m.: The Flying Tigers seem to be really testing Montero's throwing arm tonight. There's another stolen base for the Tigers by the right fielder Kaiser. That's 3 already tonight here in the fourth. Joe Tucker strikes out swinging to end the inning.

UPDATE, 7:52.m.: Eric Fryer gets on for the second time tonight for Jesus Montero. Montero shot a line drive right at the first baseman, doubling off Fryer for a double play.

UPDATE, 7:54 m.: Laird drives a line drive single into left field with the second baseman Damon Sublett on deck.

UPDATE, 7:57.m.: Sublett hit a liner at the right fielder Kaiser who dropped it in the outfield. Laird is held up at third by the third base coach. Romine ends the inning with an out.

UPDATE, 7:59.m.: I am going to go down with Kelli to see if we can snap a few photos of Austin Krum and Adddison Maruszak. Will update when I return.

UPDATE, 8:20.m.: I am back in the booth. We were able to get a few good photos. My camera's battery died on me so I had to use Kelli's. The Yankees raced out to a 2-1 lead while we were shooting photos. Both Krum and Montero picked up the RBI. Betances is still on the mound here in the top of the sixth. He has looked strong, just 2 hits surrendered so far.

UPDATE, 8:25p.m.: And there's another stolen base for the Flying Tigers. Montero's throw was on line but had far too much arc. The runner was into second easily. Betances works out of a first and third jam by coaxing out a ground ball to close out another scoreless inning. That's five straight scoreless innings with the one run coming in the first.

UPDATE, 8:31p.m.: Sublett strikes out looking to begin the bottom half of the sixth with Austin Romine headed up to bat.

UPDATE, 8:32p.m.: Romine skies one into center field for an out. Rufino coming up to the plate with two out and no one on.

UPDATE, 8:36p.m.: Wady Rufino drives one hard into the left field corner but is held up at first. He may have made it into second but that throw from the left fielder was a frozen rope.

I am going down to enjoy the game from up close. When we get a few more readers, I will make sure to blog the entire game. Recap to come!

Sojo's lineup

Luis Sojo marched out the following lineup for his opening day Tampa Yankees:

YANKEES (0-1)
Krum CF
Fryer LF
Montero C
Laird 3B
Sublett 2B
Romine DH
Rufino RF
Hilligoss 1B
Maruszak SS

Now, that is a very good lineup. The 3-6 hitters can all be quite devastating and should form a very potent middle of the order for Sojo. Krum and Fryer can slap the ball around and will be able to really set the table well for Montero and the others. It's going to be fun getting to see these guys hit this year.

Game on!

Lakeland starter Duane Below on the left was dominant to begin the High Class A Season.

FLYING TIGERS 6, YANKEES 4
at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland, FL
Thursday, April 9

Flying Tigers at the plate: Audy Ciriaco put the Flying Tigers on the board in the fourth on a fly ball hit towards center field. With two on the bases, Ciriaco burned his way to third base scoring both runners, eventually scoring himself on a throwing error by second baseman Damon Sublett. They would tack on one more in the seventh and two more in the eighth.

Yankees at the plate: The Tampa Yankees bats slumbered for most of the game. Eric Fryer did his part in the top of the fourth, legging out a triple. After striking out in his first at bat, the slugging catcher Jesus Montero picked up his first RBI of the season, grounding out to the shortstop, scoring Fryer. The designated hitter Austin Romine put himself in scoring position to kick off the seventh, beginning the inning with a double. He would advance to third on a fielding error by second baseman Shawn Roof before scoring on a Addison Maruszak sacrifice fly. Down four runs in the ninth, the Yankees showed resolve. Wady Rufino got the inning going with a single. Mitch Hilligoss would double, advancing Rufino to third on the play. The next batter, Addison Maruszak, would make it to first on another Flying Tiger error, this one coming from the shortstop Audy Ciriaco. Rufino would score and the other runners advanced. Fryer would pop off a sacrifice to get an RBI on Hilligoss for the last run of the night for the Yankees. The highly touted Montero stepped in representing the tieing run and would ground out to the shortstop to end the ball game.

Flying Tigers on the mound: Duane Below pitched a five inning gem to begin his season in High Class A. Below struck out the side in the first, setting down Austin Krum, Eric Fyer, and Jesus Montero consecutively. He would set down two more in the second, finishing his outing with nine strikeouts against two hits, one walk, and one earned run.

Yankees on the mound: Yankee pitching did their job, with the starter Jason Stephens, a sixth rounder from the 2003 draft, matching Below's five innings. Stephens struck out six Flying Tigers, allowed three hits and three runs, two of them earned. Stephens was saddled with the loss.

Up next: The Yankees head back to Tampa to face off against the Flying Tigers in the Seinbrenner Field home opener. The lanky right-hander Dellin Betances is expected to be on the mound for Tampa. Betances pitched well for the Charleston River Dogs in 2008, posting a 9-4 record with a 3.67 ERA. He struck out 135 while walking just 59 in 115 plus innings of work. I will be headed to the ball game for tomorrow's game. This will be my first time meeting the team. I am looking forward to it!

Adenhart dies at 22

While this does not relate to the Tampa Yankees, I feel it is appropriate to pay condolences to Nick Adenhart and his family. Early this morning, Adenhart was killed in a hit-and-run car crash, hours after he whirled a six inning gem against the Oakland A's. Adenhart hurled 6 shut-out innings to open his season and was considered a top-flight pitching prospect in the LA Angels system. This is a tragic loss for all. Given his age and and his enormous potential, his passing will certainly be felt by all those who follow the game.

'Twas the night before baseball

Tomorrow night, there will be meaningful minor-league baseball again for the Tampa Yankees. In the minors, with the massive roster turnover from year to year, each team is entirely different. What the 2008 Tampa Yankees were able to accomplish is truly a non-factor going into 2009. The team will match up against the Lakeland Flying Tigers, an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The game will be the first of a four game series with the Flying Tigers. The Lakeland club doesn’t appear to stack up against Tampa in terms of pure talent, although the team does carry a few high round draft picks, such as the right-handers Scott Green (3rd rounder 2008) and Brett Jacobson (4th rounder 2008).

Opening Day is always fun. The promotional aspects of the game are in high gear, with $1.00 draft beer, giveaways, free parking, and contests. I am not unable to make it out to Lakeland to enjoy the fun myself, unfortunately. But, Kelli Polson, the other Tampa-based Pinstripes Plus writer, and I are going to head over to Steinbrenner Field for the home opener on Friday. Now, that should be a fun event. I'm looking forward to getting a feel for the press box, personally.

Manager Luis Sojo has yet to release the order of the starting lineup. As soon as it is released, hopefully before game time tomorrow, I will post it.

Jesus Montero, Catcher

Jesus Montero is arguably the best prospect in the New York Yankees system as of 04/07/2009. Montero boasts big-league power, rating an 80 out of 80 in terms of power according to most scouting reports. Signed out of Venezuela in late 2006 at the age of sixteen, he has done well at each level so far, show casing his tremendous natural ability on the professional stage.

Montero began his professional career with a short stint in the gulf coast league playing for the GCL Yankees. With a little more than a month's worth of games and 123 plate appearances, he hit a sound .280 accompanied by 3 home runs, 6 doubles, and 19 runs batted in.

When looking at minor-league stats, glancing over the counting numbers like home runs and stolen bases isn't very telling. With less at bats and unusual circumstances, a less talented player can hit 50 home runs at the Class AAA level and do nothing in the major-leagues, whereas another player, like Montero, can hit 3 in High Class A and be considered a future home run champion. One of the statistics that scouts drool over is on base percentage. A player who can take walks and get on base in the early stages shows a player with plate discipline. Power can be developed in the gym and speed can be developed on the tread mill. Improving a player's read on the ball and his willingness to look at pitches is far more difficult, as it is a psycological and mental aspect of the game that few coaches can teach.

In 2008, the Yankees promoted Montero to Low Class A Charleston. In his first full professional season, Montero proved all of the scouts right by posting a remarkable .326/.376/.491 batting line. In 132 games and 569 appearances, he blasted 17 dingers, accompanied by 87 RBI, 34 doubles, and even a single triple and stolen base. And while the counting numbers don't tell the whole story, they certainly don't hurt. Montero should only build on this success in 2009, likely hitting clean-up for the Tampa Yankees.

Jesus Montero could be the New York Yankees starting catcher by 2011, when the veteran backstop Jorge Posada's contract expires. There are concerns that Montero will outgrow the position, but for now, the scouts feel he has the ability to remain a member of the battery. As the season progresses, I will make regular updates regarding his defensive aptitude.

Tampa Yankees set for season

The New York Yankees front office sent out a release with their "finalized" minor-league rosters. Of course, as minor-league baseball goes, the roster will see a large amount of turn over before the season is through. It is expected that several of the better guys from the Low Class A Charleston River Dogs will graduate to the High A level fairly shortly. And, likewise, some of our own Tampa Yankees may see call-ups to the Class AA and Class AAA levels before too long.

But for now, let's act as if we've got our squad for the year. Here it is:

HIGH ClASS A TAMPA YANKEES
Manager: Luis Sojo
Coaches: Greg Pavlik (P), Julius Matos (H), Tim McIntosh.
Pitchers: Dellin Betances, Jeremy Bleich, Noel Castillo, Grant Duff, Craig Heyer, Jon Hovis, Chuck Nolte, Jon Ortiz, Lance Pendleton, Amauri Sanit, Jason Stephens, Ryan Zink.
Catchers: Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, Steve Strausbaugh.
Infielders:Matt Cusick, Mitch Hilligoss, Brandon Laird, Addison Maruszak, Luis Nunez, Wady Rufino, Damon Sublett.
Outfielders: Tommy Baldridge, Eric Fryer, Austin Krum, Jack Rye.

The manager Luis Sojo returns for his fourth year as the team's skipper. Sojo, something of a cult hero amongst Yankee fans, was a key component in the big-league club's late nineties success. Sojo returns to the club after enjoying great success in the World Baseball Classic, helping guide the club into the tournament's "final four" in Los Angeles. Greg Pavlick, the team's pitching coach, is the team's warhorse, having spent eight seasons with the club in this role. According to a release from the official Tampa Yankees site, Pavlick "oversaw a 2008 Tampa pitching staff that finished second in ERA and strikeouts." So, certainy, the expectations are high in 2009 with a lot of upside in the rotation and in the pen. Julius Matos and Tim McIntosh are both new to the club in 2009, so evaluations of their abilities will still be pending. From what little I can surmise, Matos is a former player who enjoyed a lengthy thirteen year professional career. McIntosh is a former scout from the Texas Rangers organization.

In coming entries, I will preview a few of the team's most promising players.

1 Steinbrenner Drive?

1 Steinbrenner Drive is the address to Tampa's greatest outdoor baseball facility, Steinbrenner Field, formerly known as Legend's Field. Steinbrenner Field hosts the New York Yankees spring training camp in addition to the team's Minor League complex right next door. But, here at 1 Steinbrenner Drive the blog, I will be focusing on the team that really calls this spot of grass and dirt home, the members of the Tampa Yankees.

The Tampa Yankees are the High Class A affiliates for the Bronx Bombers. The 2009 rendition of the squad looks intimidating with an enormous amount of young talent coming up through the system, largely in response to the youth movement that Brian Cashman has been orchestrating over the past few years.

So, check back here regularly for team updates and the occasional interview. We're in for a good season of Minor League baseball.