SSTN Mailbag: Bench Bat, Pitching Depth, And Minor League Placements!

I can almost smell the ballpark. Pitchers and catchers report in just a few short days, and despite the fact that the Yankees haven't taken the approach I hoped for this offseason, I'm still excited for baseball to return. Just because the Yankees didn't do what I want them to do, doesn't mean that I don't think the Yankees will be good. On the contrary; I think this is one of the 3-4 best teams in the AL. Could it have been a better offseason? Sure. Might the Yankees' front office be right while many others are wrong? Of course. That's part of the fun.

To me, there's plenty to look forward to this season:

• The Yankees will win a lot of games.

• Aaron Judge might just continue to put together the best stretch of baseball since Barry Bonds - seriously, I think Yankee fans have generally gotten to the point where we take the quality of baseball that guy plays for granted.

• Some of the young guys might take a big step forward; remember, progression isn't linear.

• I can't wait to find out if Cam Schlittler can at least hold up to the numbers he posted in his first big league stretch, which were near-ace level numbers (hint: I think he can, and more). Numerous talent evaluators around baseball have stated that were Schlittler still prospect eligible this year, he'd be ranked in the top-10 in all of baseball.

• The Yankees might be better against left-handed pitching than we believe. It flew under the radar, but Austin Wells and Ben Rice both handled left-handed pitching significantly better in the 2nd half last year. If that trend continues, this is a much better team than we realize.

• I want to find out if the Yankees still have the best outfield in baseball. I think it's possible, even probable.

• There truly is a lot of randomness involved in making it through the playoffs. The Dodgers have outspent everyone, but their World Series victories the last two seasons were not sure things. In fact, the Dodgers had an eerily similar swoon to the Yankees last season. It's about clicking at the right time, and the Yankees haven't quite gotten there. Maybe this is the year.

I for one am ready for the optimism and fun that Spring brings. Maybe I'm naive, but I love baseball; I love Yankees baseball; and I'm ready for baseball season, because football and hockey have been depressing this year.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about bench bats, pitching depth, and minor league placements! Let's get at it:

Steve B. asks: There have been a lot of reports about the Yankees hunting for right handed bats in the bargain bin this offseason like [Randal] Grichuk or Ty France. Do you view any of these guys as better than what the Yankees have in house and are there names internally who can fill the role?

Of the bargain names that have been publicly discussed by baseball writers, the only names of vague interest were Miguel Andujar and Ty France, with Andujar being far more interesting than France. Andujar absolutely mashes left-handed pitching and can moonlight at both infield and outfield corners (badly, but he can do it). While the rumors are that Andujar has a large contingent of supporters in the Yankee front office, I'm sure Andujar was looking for a place where he could guarantee himself more playing time. France is outstanding defensively at 1B and can moonlight defensively elsewhere, though he's close to 1B only at this point. That said, his offense dried up last year, so I don't like the idea of a "hit-and-hope" signing.

In reality, the Yankees have in-house options right now. We know that Jasson Dominguez didn't hit lefties last year, nor did he mash hitting right-handed in the minors, but he barely has the equivalent of a full season of minor league at-bats from that side of the plate. I find it nonsensical that many are discounting the idea that he can improve from that side of the plate. Anecdotally, I thought his right-handed at-bats looked better as the year went along before his playing time was cut significantly in late August. If Dominguez sticks around, he might be the best 4th outfielder in baseball, and while it would certainly be better for his development to playing everyday, there's a really dynamic skillset there, and room for semi-regular playing time. I still believe in his talent, and I think the Yankees do too, which is why he's still around.

Cary Greene and I have both written about him this offseason, but I am intrigued to see what Mexican League MVP, Nick Torres, can do in Spring Training. Pitching talent across the league will be depleted this Spring with the WBC running concurrently, but I will be fascinated to see how his skillset plays after tearing up a lesser league. While nowhere near a top prospect, he was a real prospect before stalling out in his first stint in the US, and he remains a good defender in the outfield corners and at 1B. I don't necessarily think he can be an everyday player, but I do think he has a shot to be a valuable platoon player with very real raw power.

Judging the internal options versus the external options, I'll take the internal options.

Brian S. asks: I know that we keep talking about this year as a year where the Yankees are running it back, but there seems to be a lot of minor league pitching that is close to the big leagues. Can you tell me who is most likely capable of helping this year?

I'll go in order of readiness:

SP Brendan Beck - I've written about Beck a lot in the last few months, but I'll sum it up here. As a pitcher, I think he's close to a finished product. He might tweak his offspeed pitches a bit more, but he's got a good breaking ball, sequences pitches well, shows strong command of his fastball and breaking ball, and really pitches with a plan and guts. The issue is, despite good movement, his fastball velocity is really weak. While he has flashed 93 MPH, he often lives below 90 MPH for stretches of outings, and his fastball gets hammered when his velocity dips. However, last year was his first significant stretch of pitching after years of arm injuries, so I have a hunch he was still building arm strength. Other teams are worried about the medicals and the velocity, which is why he didn't get picked in the Rule 5 Draft this year. When he was drafted, the Yankees clearly had a plan to help him build velocity that was derailed by injury. With a healthy offseason, I am very curious to see if he shows up to camp living at 93-94 MPH. If he does, he is the first man up that can help in a spot start or middle relief role. Scouts have long raved about his makeup, and he has a reputation for pitching well under pressure dating back to his years at Stanford.

SP Elmer Rodriguez - Rodriguez is definitely a big league starter, though he doesn't have a single pitch that stands out. His development is nearly complete, and I think he could be an option as soon as May/June. He pitches with a plan with solid velocity, good secondary stuff, and emerging command. He can throw enough stuff that he won't get beat terribly too often, but I'm also not sure he has upside beyond that of a 4th starter, but that has real value. I like the artist formerly known as ERC quite a bit. Rodriguez could very well find a long career as a steady, stable back-end starter on a championship team.

SP Carlos Lagrange - Lagrange has the loudest tools of any pitcher in the Yankee system. I've only ever watched 2 guys throw 100+ MPH with such ease, and last year, he controlled it better than at any point in his career. His slider is good enough to be a valuable sidekick, and on pure stuff, he can get big league hitters up right now. The Yankees owe it to themselves to develop him to see if he can start. In the first half, I think Beck and Rodriguez are in front of Lagrange for starts, but if the Yankees are in contention and need a bullpen arm, it would not shock me if Lagrange's first big league exposure came out of the bullpen. He looks like a fire-breathing closer to me, but I also think if everything clicks, he has front-of-the-rotation potential.

SP Ben Hess - Hess really started to take off in the 2nd half of the season, and he's had big stuff since college. I noted when he was drafted that with some tweaks, he could be a fast-riser given his experience against upper level hitting in the SEC. He's another guy that I can see helping out of the rotation or out of the bullpen. He's a bit behind Lagrange, but only because Lagrange's stuff is so absurdly good.

Alan B. asks: If it was up to me, GLJ (SS/3B) would start 2026 in SWB (AAA), Kilby (SS) in HV (A+), & Kaeden Kent (3B/SS) in Tampa (A)  and I'd start 1B Jackson Lovich in Tampa too, but not against moving him up to HV very quickly.  Your comments on my plan 

Not to be confrontational, but I disagree with a significant portion of this plan.

There is no planet in which George Lombard should start in AAA. While he shined defensively and on the basepaths, he showed that the hit tool needs real work at AA. Yes, he started to turn things around over the season's last few weeks and he was absurdly young for the level, but that's still a very small sample size. The rumor is that Lombard has been re-tooling his swing to make more contact while accessing his power more optimally. Regardless of how he looks in Spring Training, he needs to prove he's mastered AA before moving up. Additionally, AAA is weaker than it has ever been. Teams, in very targeted fashion, are keeping position players at AA for longer periods of time for development. AAA is for finishing school and putting up numbers. I'd start Lombard in AA, and if he kills it there, by all means, call him up.

Kent played 3 years in the SEC and has nearly 300 plate appearances in the Cape Cod Baseball League. There is zero value to sending him to Low-A despite his struggles at A+ last season. Mashing Low-A pitchers will not help him develop any further; in fact, you could argue that it's a huge red flag that Kent struggled so mightily in A+ last season. He has the equivalent of A+ experience, and he needs to play up to it.

I am really, really torn on Kilby. I think his talent is for real. I don't disagree that Kilby might slot in at A+ out of the gate, but that is a really aggressive assignment for a kid with almost no non-high school baseball experience. He might be up to it! But it also might be worth having him prove that last year wasn't a fluke at Tampa.

As another guy with significant SEC experience, I'd send Lovich to A+ immediately. There's no reason that he shouldn't be able to handle that league developmentally. If he can't, he's not a prospect.