Melky, Cano performing well in winter ball

November 30, 2008 by Mike Axisa 143 Comments

In case you missed it, Ian Kennedy was rock solid in his last start this past Tuesday. He lines up to start Tuesday for Mayaguez (off-day tomorrow). The AzFL and HWB seasons are over as you already know; here’s the highlights from the guys still playing down in the Caribbean:

Melky Cabrera: 12 for 35 (.343), 6 R, 22B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 SB in 9 games
Robbie Cano: 8 for 26 (.308), 6 R, 4 2B, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 SB in 6 games (remember, he’s strictly DH’ing)
Frankie Cervelli: 9 for 35 (.257), 8 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 7 BB, 8 K in 16 games
Justin Christian: 41 for 141 (.291), 22 R, 7 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 12 BB, 21 K, 10 SB, 1 CS in 34 games
Reegie Corona: 15 for 55 (.273), 10 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K, 1 SB in 25 games
Walt Ibarra: 14 for 66 (.212), 3 R, 2 RBI, 6 BB, 13 K, 3 SB 1 K in 28 games
Ramiro Pena: 13 for 51 (.255), 4 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 CS in 15 games
Jon Albaladejo: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 WP in 7 appearances
Wilkins Arias: 7 IP, 11 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 6 BB, 10 K, 2 WP, 1 HB in 12 appearances
Edgar Soto: 1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HB in 1 appearance

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the evening. Lots of interesting NFL action today, so talk it up here. Just be nice.

Update (6:10pm): IPK was flat out awesome today: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 7-13 GB/FB. His last two starts: 16 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. What a bust.

Mike Pop

Does J Christ have any trade value ? He seems to have a solid bat in the minors
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Not really. Guys like him are a dime a dozen.
Andy In Sunny Daytona

Actually, Ian threw a shut-out today.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  D’oh. Thanks, I updated the post. I assumed they’d remain on a five man rotation despite the Thanksgiving off-day, but nope.
  - Andy In Sunny Daytona
    
    He woke up this morning and decided that he was just going to dominate Brad Halsey.
    - Steve
      
      He knows what he’s capable of doing at this level.
- Steve
  
  Most encouraging thing (for me) about Ian’s line is the 1BB. If he doesn’t make it as a MLB player, its going to be because he walked too many guys and/or didn’t throw enough strikes. He’s the type of pitcher who will get guys out with pitches out of the zone. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, he has to walk a fine line to be successful.
  - Peter Lacock
    
    Exactly! Same thing I look at first. Consistent command & control is most important for every pitcher.
  - O Coelho
    
    Kennedy’s problem in The Show is his inability to get outs with strikes. When he throws a strike, it gets clobbered by major league hitters, so he nibbles, nibbles and nibbles some more. Untils he’s forced to throw a strike — which is typically turned into a hard hit line drive. That’s the issue: he gives up solidly hit balls ALL THE TIME — both base hits and loud outs.
    
    I think he’s the classic 4-A player — dominant in AAA but unable to perform at the MLB level. Case in point: Like Kennedy, even Igawa looks like Mike Mussina in Scranton.
    
    Best hope for Kennedy’s MLB career is leaving the AL East for the NL in SoCal. Petco park is a good fit: big yard, closer to home and he faces the weak-hitting NL West.
Ivan

Wow Cano in 6 games has 3 BB’s. Nice Job.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  More BB than K too. Surprising.
  - AndrewYF
    
    I’m more impressed with the 1 SB.
A.D.

Ugly, ugly line for Arias
Accent Shallow

Robbie’s only hitting .308 against lesser competition, and has only walking 3 times although he’s had 26 AB. Prepare for a worse season than last

On a serious note, good to see Robbie and Melky hitting. And 3 walks isn’t too bad, he’s only had 29 PA If he walks at a similar rate next year, that’d be ~60 BB over a full season. Beautiful.

Also good to see Kennedy pitching well. We haven’t heard much about him being in the rotation mix, but he’s certainly talented enough to force his way into the conversation, no?
- Accent Shallow
  
  First paragraph is tongue-in-cheek. I had faux HTML tags to indicate that, but RAB ate them.
Ivan

Yo im really intrigued by Jon Albaladejo. The brief time he was with the yanks, he pitch pretty well and of course pitch well with the Nats as well. Throws alot of strikes, solid arm. Wouldn’t surprise me if he breakouts very well for the yanks.
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=594331910&ref=name Jamal G.

Since when did Andy Reid start calling plays for the Jets?
Tripp

Mike,
Is Walt Ibarra going to be anchoring the Yankees’ prospect list next year?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Uh, no. The guy’s a 21 yr old minor league utility man who’s gotten a total of 335 at-bats in three years as a pro.
kenthadley

for us to get any value out of IPK, whether we keep him or not, he needs to build innings and confidence…..he seems to be doing both so we should look with some optimism that he will provide something to us in 09, via our staff or someone elses…..that’s the most we can ask for at this point…….if I was San Diego, and I couldn’t move Peavy, I’d consider him as part of a package….a small part, but something of value nonetheless…….and if we sign our pitching via FA, then he’d probably help get us back some offense……
- 27 this year
  
  he has innings unlike any of our other prospects. He pitched 164 in 2007 and I think will probably have a little more this year so if need be, he has 200 innings in him.
Ivan

Yo, for all those video gamers out there, check out the new Resident Evil 5. That shit looks pretty damn sick. RE4 was one of the best games I,ve ever played so hopefully this one is just as good.
- Manimal
  
  Demo next week I believe.
  - Manimal
    
    http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/933/933962p1.html
    
    Yup, next week.
    - Ivan
      
      I saw the trailer for RE5. I haven’t played the demo yet.
      - Mike Pop
        
        Gonna be a great game I think
A.D.

Melky is hitting .343 and still OPSing .778… not the prettiest.
- Andy In Sunny Daytona
  
  Mr. Positive!
  
  http://www.sadtrombone.com/
Matt C

I still think we should only go after Sabathia and Tex. I dont think we need to sign more than 1 pitcher. If we get Sabathia we have Sabathia, Wang, Joba, Hughes and Kennedy. Would not mind a rotation of that next year in 09
- Mike Pop
  
  What is the same thing happens next year in 09 that happened this year and IPK and Hughes go down.. We are screwed again… You need to at least add Pettite to that rotation
- Steve
  
  If Brian Cashman tried to force feed Hughes and IPK after last year’s April/May performance (0-4 6.62/0-4 8.17) by both of them, he should be taken out and shot.
  
  I can live with one of these guys in the rotation, and I still believe in both. But we’re not the KC Royals. Our first priority is to win, not develop. Team comes before the players.
Steve

Mike, what’s the level of competition like in Puerto Rico? AA? AFL? Somewhere in the middle?

It seems like for these winter leagues that teams only send the prospects they really like, so I would think its a bit of a minor league all-star league from a mix of development levels.
- Reggie C.
  
  The prospects go two places: AFL and HWL.
  
  Nobody goes to PR to up “prospect” status. They’re all local guys, fringe major leaguers, and the occasional bored super-star.
  - Steve
    
    Hmmm . . . IPK’s not a major leaguer . . . . not a super star . . . .
    
    Ian Kennedy lives in Puerto Rico? I would imagine his wife (who lives in California) would have a bit of a problem with that.
  - A.D.
    
    other prospects play in dominican or PR leagues
    
    Salty, Jordan Schafer, LaPorta are just a few playing in leagues where they clearly aren’t from.
    
    Teams only have so many spots for Hawaii & Arizona, and may have more prospects that they want to get time for
Steve

Mike, why is Cano DH’ing? Fear of injury?

His glove certainly was an issue last year, but it often seemed to be a lack of focus/effort more than ability. He was outstanding at his position in prior seasons.
- Manimal
  
  His bat was the biggest disappointment
  - Steve
    
    I get that. But he could be playing 2B as well, and he’s not.
    - Mike Pop
      
      Na we cant risk injury
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=594331910&ref=name Jamal G.

Best team in the AFC my ass.
- Manimal
  
  OMG THAT SUCKS, you run all the way across the field to get downed at the one. BTW, Cassel sucks.
  - Manimal
    
    Sorry didn’t mean to link this to yours Jamal.
    - http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=594331910&ref=name Jamal G.
      
      Heh, whoever has Pittsburgh’s defense in fantasy must be pissed.
Matt

Kennedy and Hughes’ inconsistency is def point of concern. I mean, both show signs of greatness, but then are just as easily terrible.

Good to see Melky and Cano doing well, hopefully they have some sort of sense of urgency…something they lacked at times last year.

Fucking stinker for the Jets and Rangers today…
- whozat
  
  “Kennedy and Hughes’ inconsistency is def point of concern.”
  
  Yeah, I mean most ballplayers of their age are models of consistency.
  
  The only things that concerns me about them at this point are Hughes health issues (which aren’t that big a deal to me, given that it’s not been his elbow or shoulder–it’s just that he’s been deprived of development time) and Kennedy constant nibbling and predictability in his big league outings — which is not super surprising given his lack of experience and merely average fastball. Hughes’ issue will hopefully clear up, since they all seem to be unrelated injuries, and Kennedy…well, he just needs more innings to develop a more mature approach to pitching.
  
  And a better defense wouldn’t hurt either of them :-) Getting RF up to league average will help a LOT; it got REALLY boring watching little bloopers off right handed bats kill us.
  - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
    
    Stop it with your rational thought and patience, this is a Yankees’ site!
  - Mike Pop
    
    No they are both busts.. Trade em !
    - Jay CT
      
      YOU ARE SO FUNNY!!!!!
      - Mike Pop
        
        Thanks
  - Steve
    
    Just for the sake of accuracy, Hughes did hurt his elbow a few weeks after he showed up in Yankee camp after being drafted. But I agree with most of the rest of your sentiments.
    
    I thought that IPK went wrong last April by relying too heavily on 2 pitches, he seemed to lose confidence in his curve and became a fastball/change pitcher with the rare slider mixed in. That’s not how he’s going to be successful. He’s at his best when he’s using all his pitches and keeping hitters off balance. Its not about any one pitch with Ian, its the the hitter never knows what he’s swinging at and they all look the same. When Ian is going well, you see a lot of weak ground balls.
    
    Hughes just seemed to be trying to hard. Every pitch was 92ish with the curve used as a swing and miss pitch. Success at the big league level can be about subtlety. Putting a little on and taking a little off. Throw hitters a ‘show me’ fastball early in the count and then give them you best one later. And don’t try to strike everyone out, you have 8 guys behind you. Let them hit the ball, just keep them off the fat of the bat.
    
    Anyway, in both cases I think they just need to mature a bit and they’ll be fine.
http://footballstu.blogs.sportsline.com/ Stu H

Is anyone else concerned that IPK has now thrown 221.4 innings this year?!?!
- http://footballstu.blogs.sportsline.com/ Stu H
  
  Is anyone else concerned that I can’t read a stat sheet? 145.1 ip so far for IPK. He still has 20 IP left to go to match last season’s total.
  - Steve
    
    Of the Big 3, he’s the oldest and has the most innings under his belt. So in any case it wouldn’t be a major concern. He needed to work on refining his curve and slider, that’s what he’s doing down there.
    
    In Hughes’ case, he needed the innings and needed to work on his change up and a new cutter. That was a bit different.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Where in the world are you getting that number from? He’s at 162.1 after today, including the AAA playoffs.
  - http://footballstu.blogs.sportsline.com/ Stu H
    
    I double counted his minor league innings. I didn’t realize there was a sub-total the first time I read it.
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v621/134/99/513321182/n513321182_2118948_7574.jpg Nady Nation

The Chargers are complete shit. And Norv Turner is one of the worst coaches in the history of the league.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  You want to know how bad the Chargers are? I sat their defense in fantasy this week … in favor of the Texans!
- Steve H
  
  Norv has been a failure in all of his head coaching stops, why does he keep getting jobs? And will he ever get another HC job again?
  - Mike Pop
    
    http://sadtrombone.com/
    
    Hat tip to sunny daytona
    - Mike Pop
      
      Agreed though, Norv sucks ass.. They should of brought in Rex Ryan instead of Norv
Pingback: Melky, Cano performing well in winter ball & Yankees headlines over the past week « Zell’s Pinstripe Blog
Steve

Every time I click on ESPN’s website, I see this-

“Alex Rodriguez’s IQ=118

Are You Smarter Than Alex Rodriguez? Take The IQ Quiz Now!”
- Tom
  
  Where do they come up with these things?
  
  I want to see Vince Young’s IQ, considering he got a 6 (first time around) on the wonderlic test
  - Mike Pop
    
    They should convert Vince Young into a return man
    - Tom
      
      he is fast enough, no doubt about it. But is he agile enough?
      - Mike Pop
        
        He’s got the jukes
    - Reggie C.
      
      Do you think Vick will return as a returner? What capacity does he fill on the Cowboys?
      - http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v621/134/99/513321182/n513321182_2118948_7574.jpg Nady Nation
        
        Special teams. Plax too will be brought in by Jerry Jones as a slot receiver once he gets out of prison.
        
        Mike Pop
        
        Id bring em both in..And I do think Vick should be a return man.. Not for the cowboys though.. We got Felix
        
        Steve
        
        Plax isn’t going to get any jail time. Its a felony, but as a 1st offense he will be given a lecture and a stiff fine.
        
        A slew of celebs have been caught with guns in NYC and can’t remember any of them ever serving a day.
        
        Mike Pop
        
        I read 3.5 years mandatory
        
        Steve
        
        I haven’t read that. But even if that’s the case, he should be able to plea bargain down to a lesser charge before going to trial.
        
        Steve
        
        BTW-He’s going to want to settle this case in the off season if at all possible. Once he’s convicted, the league is going to suspend him.
      - Mike Pop
        
        If I were the Vikings I would bring Vick in
        
        A.D.
        
        Vick will come back as a WR/ return man. Then he can be used in some gimmick plays throwing the football once in awhile.
Mike Pop

Chicago or Minny tonight ?
Mike Pop

Ugh no baseball news is killing me
- Yank Crank
  
  I’m also absolutely dying for some baseball news, anything. At this point i’d be happy if Miguel Cairo signed somewhere because he used to have Yankee connections. Anything, please!
  - Mike Pop
    
    Im ready for a big signing.. Dunn/CC/Burnett you know.. Obviously Boras is gonna wait it out so that leaves MAnny and Tex out most likely
Yank Crank

Anybody wanna put a friendly wager on which day they think CC will sign with a team? And by friendly wager i mean absolutely no money but to see who can win with blind luck of projection?
- Mike Pop
  
  December 6th—Yankees 143 million
- Yank Crank
  
  December 10.
- John
  
  July 21
- http://jobatheheat jobatheheat
  
  Dec 2-3 Yankees 150
- Chip
  
  December 7th Yankees 145 million
Mike Pop

Always like Berrian
pat

wtf….. is there a mike masnik here?
Steve

Someone posted this on another site, the players we have eligible for the Rule 5 draft

Eric Milton
Eric Wordekemper
Sergio Mitre
Jason Jones
Ivan Nova
Alan Horne
Garret Patterson
Jason Stephens
Oneli Perez
Zack Kroenke
JB Cox
Jose Valdez
Brett Smith
Michael Gardner
Wilkins Arias
Kevin Whelan
Edgar Soto
Rob Semerano
Josh Schmidt
Grant Duff
Jesse Hoover
Noel Castillo
Jason Brown
PJ Pillitere
Kyle Anson
Eric Duncan
Chris Malec
Reegie Corona
Marcos Vechionacci
Ramiro Pena
Joseph Muich
Jose Gil
Bernie Castro
Eladio Rodriguez
Edwar Gonzalez
Luis Nunez
Eduardo Nunez
Matt Carson
Tim Battle
James Cooper
CJ Henry
Josh Kreuzzer

If there are any mistakes, I’m sure Mike A. can help, but it looks pretty accurate overall from what I know.
- Mike Pop
  
  Someone just take Eric Duncan please
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Looks about right to me, but Milton, Oneli and Carson aren’t with the organization any more, they’re free agents.
  - Steve
    
    Mike, why would Mitre be on there since we just signed him? He’s not on the 40 man, so it appears to be correct.
    - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
      
      Because he meets the criteria, it’s that simple. He was drafted out of high school in 2001, which means he has to be on the 40-man roster for good as of 2005, otherwise he’s eligible for the R5. It doesn’t matter if he’s traded, released, signed with a new org, whatever.
      - Steve
        
        Gotcha.
  - pat
    
    ivan nova is not eligible as time spent outside the united states does not count towards rule v elegibility. I beleive the same thing applies to ramiro pena marcos vecc. and reegie corona.
- A.D.
  
  Hope no one takes Malec, Cox, or Horne.. fan of those guys even if they amount to nothing
  - Steve
    
    Cox, especially. That one really befuddles me. I know we have plenty of bullpen options and he may have got caught in a numbers game, but he was one of our best relief prospects a year ago. He appear to be hurt from what I know, he says he just ran out of gas at the end of last year.
    - Steve
      
      “doesn’t appear to be hurt”
    - A.D.
      
      Yeah not sure if that is a strategic risk, if the yanks just weren’t impressed by the lack of K’s last year, or an underlying health issue.
      
      One would think he put up an eh year, but that was influenced by a few rough stretches, an injury, and the overall 1st year back from TJ
- Baseballnation
  
  Whelan and Horne are the only guys I can see drafted and actually have a relatively fair shot of being kept by the drafting team. Hornes injury concerns may shy away teams and Whelan’s walks may make teams weary of him…But both have the pure stuff that could allow them to tread in the back of somebody’s bullpen in the worst case scenarios.
  
  And if were talking about pure stuff, Whelan is one of the toughest pitcher in the whole minors to hit, And that kind of explosive stuff, BB’s or no BB’s could make him a viable guy in somebody’s bullpen next year
  - Mike Pop
    
    Sucks that Horne got hurt.. We could of used him as trade bait
    - Steve
      
      When was Horne ever NOT hurt? 2007?
    - A.D.
      
      we could have used him in the rotation instead of Ponson
  - A.D.
    
    Horne’s health should pretty much guarantee he can’t be healthy on the 25 man for the time required…unless some team desperate for pitching just rolls the dice on him being effective or winning a 5th starting spot… seems like a stretch
    - Steve
      
      Exactly, and you have to keep the guy on your roster for the entire year or offer them back to their original team, so the guys who are banged up (Horne/Mitre) are fairly safe.
      
      I’m not sure if Cox falls into that category or not.
Murph1010

Mike what do you think about Nady’s D in right? Plus/minus system prediction? We know he will be better than Bobby but better than league average?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  I haven’t seen Nady’s projected +/- numbers, but he can’t be worse than Abreu. Bobby was a -24 last year, fourth worst among all outfielders in the big leagues (behind McLouth, Hawpe and Edmonds). Abreu has a really strong arm though, so he had that going for him, but the guy didn’t go anywhere near the wall.
  
  For what it’s worth, Nady’s RZR in RF for the Pirates this year was .907, which is pretty good. In 2007 it was .846, and that sucks. He’s not going to be great out there, but he’ll catch what he’s supposed too.
  - Steve
    
    Here’s the 2008 leaders.
    
    http://www.billjamesonline.net/fieldingbible/2008-plus-minus-leaders.asp
    
    Since he doesn’t show up as either a leader or trailer, figure he’s a solid, middle of the pack type defender.
- dan
  
  Ever so slightly below league average at the corners.
  - Murph1010
    
    I’ll take it!
    - Steve
      
      League average is a huge upgrade over Bobby (-24 Worst in AL) Abreu.
Murph1010

Isn’t the arb deadline like an hour away?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  I’m pretty sure it’s 25 hours away – midnight on the 1st. I could be wrong though.
  - Murph1010
    
    Definitely to Abreu and Pudge, right? Pettitte is the only wild card?
    - Steve
      
      I’m with Mike that you DEFINITELY offer arb to Andy. It gives you a fall back position if your FA options don’t pan out. If the FA options fail, the 4 mil difference will be pocket change compared to what you would have given CC/Burnett/etc.
      
      If the FA option do pan out, I don’t think Andy will want to come back if the team makes it clear they’re moving in another direction. There’s plenty of time to figure all this out between now and a hearing.
      
      From everything I’ve read, Houston is out. They’re trying to slash payroll by 20 mil and are looking to unload, not reload. And if Andy wants a reunion with Torre, I’ll bet he gets a year and a team option for a second. They will want him under control for 2 years if they have to give up 2 picks to get him.
      - Steve
        
        Another way to look at this. If LA signs him and we get #17 and #50 overall, how much money will those picks SAVE us if just ONE of them pans out and turns into a cost controlled MLB regular for 6 years before being eligible for free agency?
        
        Much more than the 4-6 mil difference between the Yanks and Andy right now. If he’s a star, you can add a zero.
        
        A.D.
        
        For that matter LA probably doesn’t sign him if they’re going to loose 2 picks
        
        A.D.
        
        i meant 1 pick
        
        Ed
        
        The odds of Pettitte being valuable to the team next year are a hell of a lot higher than the odds of a draft pick panning out, let alone becoming a star.
        
        Look at it from a risk analysis standpoint and multiply the potential cost savings from a draft pick by the odds of him actually panning out. I think you’ll get a pretty low number, much lower than the difference between any probable Yankees offer and Pettitte’s demands.
- A.D.
  
  Midnight Monday is the deadline
Mike Pop

If you got drafted by the Sawx.. Do you sign with them ? You gotta right ?
- Murph1010
  
  I’m gonna pretend this was a joke
- Mike R.
  
  It depends how old I am. If I am a senior in HS and they select me in the 40th round I probably go to college. If I am a Senior in college I am signing pretty much regardless of team or bonus offer.
Mike R.

Hey Mike.

I was checking out some information on next year’s draft class. Do you have any thoughts/opinions on Kentrail Davis? I think being a draft eligible sophomore makes him a good candidate to drop a bit.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
  
  Small guy (5’9″ 190) but he strong as hell because he worked for his father’s construction company while growing up. Tons of power, redic bat speed, good running speed, girly throwing arm. Playing CF now, but he’ll have to move to a corner.
  
  He’ll drop because he’s a DES and a Boras client. Definite guy to watch.
mustang

“IPK was flat out awesome today: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 7-13 GB/FB. His last two starts: 16 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. What a bust.”

Yes, Lets hand him the CY Young right now.
- Steve
  
  Let’s hand you the Cy-Nic award.
  - http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.
    - mustang
      
      Hey i like that.
      Very funny.
  - mustang
    
    Oh please it’s the same theme for about a year now when these guys do great everyone is quick to point out how they are not bust and when they get bombed then it’s just AFL.
    They got their work in lets hope it continues into spring training and even better yet into the majors.
    - Steve H
      
      So it’s wrong to point out that a 23 year old 1st round pick with 58 innings under his belt isn’t a bust? No one is saying, in a literal sense, look at what Kennedy did today, he’s not a bust. That would extremely shortsighted, as is calling him a bust. He’s nothing yet, he’s not a bust nor a success. The point being, anyone who calls him a bust is paying no attention to baseball history with young pitchers. As great as he was in his callup in 2007, no one was putting him in the HOF, and as bad as he was in 2008, he can not be labeled a bust. It’s just nonsense. Was Edinson Volquez a bust? Roy Halladay? I could go on and on.
      - Reggie C.
        
        I know the “bust” label on IPK doesn’t make sense considering his domination of the minors and a good college record, BUT don’t bring up guys like Volquez and Halladay.
        
        IPK doesn’t have anything near the stuff of either guy. THat’s the dilemma. We all want IPK to succeed very badly, but who are we talking about here? A young man with an decent array of offerings with supposed above average command, but nothing in the plus range. IPK isn’t a savior.
        
        Steve H
        
        Ok, Greg Maddux never had great “stuff” either when it came to a fastball. Kyle Farnsworth does have great stuff. That and 50 cents will get you or him a newspaper. I was just pointing out that labeling someone a bust after 58 innings (of which the first 19 were great) is complete nonsense. It’s even more nonsense when he does have a pedigree in college (the best pitcher ever at USC) and domination in the minors. He ain’t chopped liver.
      - mustang
        
        “No one is saying, in a literal sense, look at what Kennedy did today, he’s not a bust.”
        
        Oh really then I must not be reading many of the posting right. I understand what you’re saying I just wish we could be a little more objective when it comes to IPK and Hughes. But it is what it is for what it worth I hope they turn out to be what we all hope they can be.
        
        Steve H
        
        Ok, to clarify. Nobody who previously thought Kennedy was a bust changed their mind based on tonight”s performance. Anyone who ever has labeled him a bust just doesn’t get it. He’s not a bust. He may turn out to be a bust, but no one has seen enough to make any determination one way or the other.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
        
        Your urging objective thought when it comes to IPK and Hughes is fairly humorous.
        
        mustang
        
        Yes, the same way that the umpires, wind, sun, rain,cold and lunar movements came into factors when you exampled Hughes and IPK failures in April 2008.
        
        mustang
        
        explained not exampled
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
  
  Are you really that dense? No one is handing him the Cy Young, but if you can’t recognize a good performance when you see that line, then I don’t see how can you actually claim to root for the Yanks to succeed.
  - mustang
    
    It’s a good line something that he can built on going into Spring Training, but I don’t think that it determines whether he a bust or not.
    - mustang
      
      The same way that one bad April doesn’t.
      - http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
        
        Right. Mike was being obviously and clearly sarcastic. Not that tough to pick up on it considering all the people who have proclaimed half the Yankee prospects busts.
        
        mustang
        
        Sometimes the sarcasm is a little hard to pick up especially with the latitude these guys have been given in the past.
Bo

Kennedy dominates the Puerto Rican league. We should install him as the ace of the staff ASAP.