Yankees Focus on Future

The NABL New York Yankees continue to draft players with a view of the future. In the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds the Yankees have selected right-handed pitcher, Andrew Carpenter, first baseman, Gaby Sanchez; and outfielder, Chris Carter. All of these players are not expected to make immediate impacts, but could possibly develop into quality major league players.

Yankees Happy With Draft Picks

The New York Yankees are pleased with the 1st 2 rounds of the 2009 Rookie Draft. In round #1 they selected outfielder, Carlos Gonzalez. "Carlos is a great athlete who can run and throw in the outfield," said Yankee GM, Dan Thurston. Thurston added, "He is 23 years old and we think he will be an outstanding player for the Yankees for years to come."

In the 2nd round, the Yankees selected starting pitcher, Jeff Niemann. Niemann is a 6'9", 280 pound power right-hander who can be dominate at times. "Niemann's ceiling is as high as anyone on our staff right now," said Thurston. "When he has his control, he can dominate a game."

Thurston would not tip his hand as to what players he is looking at in the coming rounds, but it is apparent the Yankees are excited about the draft so far, and are taking steps to make this a younger, more versatile team.

Yankee Recap

The Batavia Yankees finished the season with a 73-89 record. They were a bismal 33-48 (.407) at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees also did not fair well against left-handed starters where their record stood at 12-22 (.353)

Some of the statistical leaders for the Yankees include a fine season by Jorge Posada. Posada hit .323 with 53 doubles, 26 home runs and 101 rbi's. Posada had a .956 OPS. Derek Jeter also had a fine season hitting .316. Robinson Cano hit .285 with 24 home runs and 95 rbi's.

The pitching staff was anchored by Chin Ming-Wang's 13-10 record and had 4.32 ERA. The bullpen was the one bright spot for the Yankees as Mariano Rivera had 35 saves and set-up men Jonathon Broxton was 8-4 with 1 save and a 1.63 ERA and Joba Chamberlain was 4-0 with 1 save and a 0.54 ERA.

The Yankees turn their focus to next season. It will be a difficult off-season with so many fan favorite players eligible for free agency and ownership's insistance on youth and the future. The Yankee fan based who is used to a win-now approach will have to deal with plan for the future plan set forth by the ownership. Regardless, it should be an entertaining off-season for the Yankees.

Carlyle Pitches Well in No-Decision

Yankees starting pitcher, Buddy Carlyle, pitched well in a no decision against the Wichita Rays. Carlyle arguably "out pitched" John Smoltz. Carlyle went 7 strong innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 earned run while walking 1 and striking out 10. Unfortunately for the Bronx Bombers, Mariano Rivera could not hold the lead in the 9th and recorded his 6th blown save of the season.

The Rays won the game in 14 innings 3-2.

On a side note, recently acquired outfielder, Delmon Young, recorded his first hit in pinstripes. Young was 1-for-6 with an rbi.

Nippert Less Than Stellar in Debut

The Batavia Yankees' newest acquisition, Dustin Nippert, made his debut and looked less than stellar against the Wichita Rays. Nippert entered the game in the 8th inning with the Rays holding a 3-1 lead. Nippert pitched 1 inning, gave up 6 hits, allowed 7 runs to score (all earned) and surrendered 2 home runs. Ouch! Welcome to the Yankees Mr. Nippert.

The top of the Rays order did most of the damage in the ballgame. Jose Reyes, Carl Crawford and Magglio Ordonez were hitting 1-2-3 in the order and combined for 7 hits, 6 runs and 6 rbi's.

The Rays won the game 10-1.

Yankees Have Decisions To Make

With the regular season winding down and the Yankees out of the playoff picture, the Yankees will turn their focus to the offseason "hot stove" time and face themselves with some serious decisions to make. General Manager, Dan Thurston, has been quoted as saying, "We need to get younger. Period." The Yankees appear to be starting a 2-3 year plan of rebuilding with youth through trades and the draft. This has already been evident with the trading of right fielder, Bobby Abreu to the Sycamore White Sox for outfielders Delmon Young and Rocco Baldelli and left handed starting pitcher Aaron Laffey.

The Yankees face themselves with difficult decisions on expiring contracts for fan favorites Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada. "We obviously would love to have all of these players back, however, does that make the best sense for where we are and where we want to go? That is what we will be deciding at our off-season organizational meetings." Rumors are flying that Thurston has had trade discussions with more than one franchise that are interested in these experienced players. "We will be looking at all possibilities to acquire talent to make the Yankees a better franchise."