Yanks favored to land Hechevarria

March 11, 2010 by Mike Axisa 73 Comments

Via GAK3, the Yankees are among the favorites to land Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria, and are battling four other teams to sign him. We heard they were heavily interested in him over the weekend, and he’s apparently been working out at the team’s complex in the Dominican. One scout compared him physically to Alfonso Soriano, which tells us that he’s rail thin and absolutely nothing about his game.

If you were Hechevarria, why would you come to the Yankees? Derek Jeter is going to re-sign after the season and isn’t going anywhere for a while, and Robbie Cano is under contract for another few years. Doesn’t really make sense, playing time wise.

og

Jeter’s moving to Left Field!!11
http://pendingpinstripes.net Greg F.

Hey Mike. Any idea on what his real age is?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  I’ve seen 19/20, that’s it.
Templeton “Brendog” Peck

how far away is he really though? if he comes here and goes to a, or aa and is 3-4 years away it makes perfect sense. and then the yanks could be like, derek we dont want to go more than 4 years cause we have this ss, or if they odn’t maybe they trade cano his free agent to be yr. who knows. playing time will work itself out, winning doesnt. and if they offer him the most $$$, boom.
- Andy (different one) in chilly NYC
  
  This is what I was thinking.
  You’re going to want to give him some seasoning at AAA. You could start working him in toward the end of Jeter’s next contract, letting Jete DH occasionally, as Joe’s already starting to do.
  
  As long as he’s not blocked forever, the money should talk with IFAs the way it does with MLB FAs, right?
- http://theblogthatruthbuilt.com Craig
  
  People need to stop suggesting that we trade Cano. What does he have to do? He’s a second baseman, hit .320 with 25 HR and he isn’t even in his prime yet. Why would we trade him just b/c some unproven kid is knocking at the door? If anything, someone would have to trade positions.
  - mbonzo
    
    Yankees fans never seem to appreciate their kids. They always want to go for big free agents. I loved the article (couldn’t find it) that showed Brett Gardner was worth more runs than Jason Bay and close to Holliday. The problem is the nature of the media in NY that pushes for these free agent signings. In my opinion Cano easily has the potential to be the best hitting and fielding second best man in the major leagues. If he matures this year like Kevin Long has predicted (35+ home runs) and the statistics even out so he hits in the clutch, he could be in the running for MVP.
http://www.yfsf.org AndrewYF

Yeah, I don’t see playing time as an issue. Jeter’s got what, 3 years left at his position? Then if he’s still playing beyond that, that’s when you start giving a possibly ready Hechevarria some playing time. In a system mostly devoid of MI talent, he’d instantly become the ‘future shortstop of the Yankees’, however much that’s worth.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew

We need to feed this man.

http://cubanballplayers.blogspot.com/2009/11/ss-adeiny-hechevarria-is-my-seven-best.html

He looks superthin in the second video and is listed on their site at 6′ 160lbs.
- Andy (different one) in chilly NYC
  
  True story: many many moons ago, when I first hit my full height of 6’2″, at age 17, I weighed…125 lbs. Had a 27″ waist.
  
  Of course, now I’m more like 185-190… but whatever.
  
  No one stays perfect forever…except Derek Jeter and Mo.
  
  Maybe Melvin and Hey Zeus, too, come to think of it…
  - http://mystiqueandaura.com/ JMK the Overshare’s Mystique and Aura
    
    125 lbs. at 6’2″? Did you party too hard with Lindsay Lohan for a few years?
    - http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
      
      His name isn’t Andy. It’s Edwar Ramirez.
    - Tom Zig
      
      nice touch, JMK.
    - Andy (different one) in chilly NYC
      
      Lindsay Lohan was probably not even born yet when I was 17, alas…
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew

If you were Hechevarria, why would you come to the Yankees?

#1 It’s the New York Yankees!
#2 Nine Million Dollars!
- http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=436793&w=2005/open/topplays/archive07/071405_nyabos_arod_hr_350.wmv&pid=mlb_tp&gid=2005/07/14/nyamlb-bosmlb-1&cid=mlb&am bexarama
  
  I was gonna say. YANKEES RULE!!!
J.R.

Mike, if the Yankees did land him, where do you think they would start him out at?
Shits and Giggles

Playing time? The guy is 19/20 yrs old.
He will get the proper seasoning in the minors and why would he be confined to either SS or 2nd base? If the scouts compare him to Soriano then maybe he will get a look in the outfield also.
- YankeesJunkie
  
  Hopefully he has a little more patience and a better sense of the strike than Soriano.
YankeesJunkie

Does anyone have stats on this guy from when he played in Cuba?

However, if the Yankees land this guy it really can’t be bad for the team if he develops into an everyday player. That just gives the Yankees a lot more flexibility if Jeter or Cano falls stats wise or in Cano’s case leave after his contract is up. However, considering this guy is only 20 or 19 it will take three to four years before he becomes a dependable everyday player in the majors in which a lot of things could happen. Also, the Yankees could use him as trade to help the Yankees fill a hole in the outfield or in the rotation.
- http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
  
  Some stats;
  
  http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tmbu6-ccbHiLtqh7SKA2Dow&output=html&widget=true
  
  I got that directly from http://cubanballplayers.blogspot.com/2009/11/ss-adeiny-hechevarria-is-my-seven-best.html
  - YankeesJunkie
    
    Looking at those stats they are not really impressive, but he is still very young and very raw and obviously very talented so it is worth the risk.
    - http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
      
      Yepp. Very much a prospect.
  - Tom Zig
    
    Adeiny was named the starting shortstop for the Cuban Junior team in 2007 World Junior Championship in Canada. Recent signed shortstop José Iglesias had to play second base for that team.
    
    Emphasis mine.
    - http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
      
      heh, you don’t have to sell me on him. From the few clips I saw of him he looks to have serious ability.
    - anon
      
      Well, in Iglesias’ defense (pun intended), Hechavarria is a year older than Iglesias, so Hechavarria bumping Iglesias to 2B for a 6-game tournament doesn’t tell us much.
      - Tom Zig
        
        Yeah I know SSS. But don’t you think they’d play the better player at the more important position?
        
        anon
        
        Yes, but better in 2007, when Iglesias was only 16 or 17, doesn’t mean Hechevarria is still better in 2010. Iglesias was well ahead of Hechevarria by the time Iglesias left in 2008.
Andrew what?

Lets also remember that this is George King reporting this. George King is famous for making errorneous rumors.
Cecala

If you were Hechevarria, why would you come to the Yankees? Derek Jeter is going to re-sign after the season and isn’t going anywhere for a while, and Robbie Cano is under contract for another few years. Doesn’t really make sense, playing time wise.

Sarcasm? Sounds like something ripped off of ESPN.
Mike Pop

This might be a silly question, but if they do land him where would he be in the top prospects?
- http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
  
  I don’t think we know enough about him to render a guess. I haven’t read too many in depth scouting reports on the guy.
- sleepykarl
  
  I would think in the top 10. That is just going off the fact that a much less hyped 16 year old was #7 in BA opinion.
- YankeesJunkie
  
  Defitenly will not be #1 considering of the return of Jesus. Also, considering the Yankees have a couple more polished prospects like Romine, McAllister, and even Banuelos who have played in the United States puts this guy probably in the top 10, but not the top 5.
- http://www.thechuckknoblog.com/ JobaWockeeZ
  
  He’ll probably be left out of Mike’s list until he comes to the states so I have no idea where I would rank him.
  - YankeesJunkie
    
    That is true, you defitenly like to see ballplayers play some games in the states before you can fully analyze them, however I am talking about like Baseball America or other places that might be more inclined to rank him top 10 because of his upside.
    - http://www.thechuckknoblog.com/ JobaWockeeZ
      
      Yeah probably around top 10 I suppose with the farm being thinned out.
http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Look at the big money Yankees, trying to throw money around and dominate the international FA SS market with Hechevarria, while the mid-market Red Sox have to settle on Iglesias.

Nothing would make me happier than signing Hechevarria and having him be the better player than Iglesias.
- http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=436793&w=2005/open/topplays/archive07/071405_nyabos_arod_hr_350.wmv&pid=mlb_tp&gid=2005/07/14/nyamlb-bosmlb-1&cid=mlb&am bexarama
  
  No one will be a better player than Iglesias. He has hands of gold and the energy of Dustin Pedroia.
  
  Sincerely,
  Peter Gammons
  - Tom Zig
    
    He can grow a beard that is more manly than Kevin Youkilis’s!
    - JGS
      
      He can speak French…in Russian
  - YankeesJunkie
    
    He is Pedroia and Fisk combined with a little bit of Big Papi just to get that extra boost of “natural” power.
- Tom Zig
  
  You mean Jose “Honus Vizquel” Iglesias?
- Andy In Sunny Daytona
  
  Could you imagine the tweets if he would have signed with Boston?
  
  @Jason_Grey Not joking: a veteran scout told me today he actually considered using the phrase “Cooperstown-worthy” on his Chapman report #reds
  - Tom Zig
    
    I mean what’s higher than Cooperstown-worthy?
    
    (excluding memes)
- WIlliam
  
  He will be used to play SS when Casey Kelly \ decides to actually give hitters a chance, and moves from pitching from SS, to pitching from the Warning track in CF. After all, baseball needs sooome competitivity in order to hold interest. Of course, that’s for other teams. The red sox don’t need money, since Casey Kelly, the super awesome semeritan he is, only makes the league minimum in order to let the sox improve their team. FYI, the money he does make, he donates to charities in order to find homes for baby, orphan puppies who are recovering from cruel treatment by abusive owners.
Ted Nelson

Let’s see if he can make the big leagues (and when) before worrying about who is or isn’t blocking him. The Yankees don’t have much middle infield talent among their top prospects. Pena is the best ML ready guy they have. Even as a utiliy guy he’s weak, as a starter he’d be an atrocious option entering the season. I’m all for getting some depth in the middle infield, if it’s a sound investment. Insurance, a utility player, or trade bait if he works out and is not really needed. Miranda, for example, was maybe too heavy an investment, but I don’t mind having his bat sitting in AAA as insurance. If he actually reaches his ceiling you really have to consider moving Jeter to another position or pushing him out the door. Or if he’s got the bat and not the glove, move him to LF. Yankees do have to protect against Jeter leaving as a FA a tiny, tiny, tiny bit as well: let’s just say the Mets or some cracked out team offer him a 5 year contract at big money. Plenty of options for the Yankees IF this kid is any good.
- V
  
  Holy paragraph, Batman?
  
  And Pena is a weak utility guy? How good do you thing a ‘good’ utility guy is?
  - Ted Nelson
    
    Pena is not a plus utility player, and I doubt he ever starts in the MLB unless a major injury occurs (even for the Pirates or Royals or someone). No one is particularly happy or relieved to have him as the utility infielder. If Jeter, god forbid, breaks his back tomorrow no Yankee fan will be happy that Pena will be the starting SS all year… that’s for sure. The Yankees would immediately trade for someone serviceable or better. Having a young plus utility player you’d be happy to have filling in as a starter at any of the 3 infield positions for an extended stretch would be a great luxury for a WS contender like the Yankees. Something like having Posada to back-up Girardi, or Mo to set-up for Wettland.
    - K.B.D.
      
      “Having a young plus utility player you’d be happy to have filling in as a starter at any of the 3 infield positions for an extended stretch would be a great luxury for a WS contender like the Yankees.”
      
      Tell me the people this WOULDN’T be a luxury for.
      
      Your expectations of a utility player are kind of ridiculous. Pena is a good utility guy as he plays plus defense and isn’t a complete black hole with a bat. Just because they Yankees wouldn’t want him out there for an entire season doesn’t mean he’s a bad utility guy. It means he’s not a starter.
      - Ted Nelson
        
        His career minor league OPS is .635… He is a blackhole with the bat. He’salso young enough that there’s a high variability in his potential results: maybe he improves or maybe he’s out of the big league permanently. He might not end up being as good as or better than a Miguel Cairo, but Cairo had a track record when he got to the Yankees.
        
        The Yankees are not anybody, anyway, and the MLB is very unequal. There is no other team with the resources of the Yankees, period. The Sox, though, have Jed Lowrie and Mike Lowell as their utility men. Lowrie’s minor league OPS was almost 200 points higher than Pena’s. Not too ridiculous to expect the Yankees to match the Red Sox.
        
        My point about the starter is that your utility guy is one injury away from being your starter. He’s a serviceable utility guy, but you don’t want him as a starter. If your payroll is $200 million why not have a reserve starter?
        
        My bigger point is that Pena is not a prospect. The Yankees have no good SS prospects to speak of. Given Jeter’s age, seems like a spot you want some future options at. Even if they re-sign him for 5 years, doesn’t mean he stays healthy and productive.
        
        Ted Nelson
        
        “He might not end up being as good as or better than a Miguel Cairo”
        
        Should read, “He might end up being as good as or better than a Miguel Cairo”
        
        No “not”
- http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
  
  Let’s see if he can make the big leagues (and when) before worrying about who is or isn’t blocking him.
  
  I don’t think Mike, personally, is worried about who may or may not block him in the future. I think he was just pointing out that a prospect may think to himself, The Yankees don’t have an opening any time soon but Team X does. That may be a deterrent to some young prospects.
  - Ted Nelson
    
    I think those young prospects would be getting ahead of themselves, that’s what I’m saying. If they prove they can play in the bigs they’ll find a place. Money and actually getting to the big leagues some day are tops on the priority list of most young prospects, anything after that comes secondary to those first two goals.
    - http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
      
      I guess. But look at guys like Russo, Pena, Vasquez, Miranda. On many other clubs, they’d be getting an opportunity to showcase their talent at the major league level. On the Yankees, they’re blocked by far superior, established talent.
      
      I think it’s a reasonable concern for a highly touted prospect.
      - K.B.D.
        
        Well, Russo is mainly blocked by Pena. Pena would only get a real look as a starting SS on a non-contender, as his bat isn’t great. Anybody could have had Vasquez in 2008 if they wanted to and he was a 27 year old playing in AA ball. It’s no sure thing he’ll be productive in the MLB.
        
        Miranda is the only person I see legitimately starting on another team. Even then, he’d probably be in a platoon situation.
        
        I’d say most of these guys are “blocked,” because of their own short-comings, not because the Yanks have great players.
        
        Ted Nelson
        
        I think that’s a fair assessment. One of Pena or Russo figures to be in the MLs this season anyway, either Pena for his glove or Russo for his bat. Russo might get a shot at 2B for non-contenders with his solid bat, but he’s been moving through the system at a steady pace after being drafted in the 20th round… so this is the first year he could start to get a little impatient. And, yeah, Vasuez is a total “out of LF” guy. Speaking of which, any chance he could move to LF at AAA this season? (I know nothing about the guy, I mean is he too fat/unathletic for OF or could be an option if Gadner and co. fail? If he hits like that in AAA maybe he leap-frogs Miranda as Nick Johnson’s understudy…)
      - Ted Nelson
        
        Yeah, I suppose it is a realistic concern. Those guys are in their mid-20s, though, and mid-level prospects or worse. In 3 or 4 years Jeter will have a shorter tenure left and if this kid is good he won’t get stuck at AAA. Those guys might get more serious looks on other teams (especially Miranda with the investment), but I don’t know how many. They’re not top prospects.
Cy Farnsworth

I don’t see playing time as a roadblock to signing this guy. When the Yankees signed Jesus Montero they had Jorge Posada blocking him already. There is always space for talent within an organization.

The worst case scenario is that Hechevarria becomes big league ready earlier than expected, and they trade him for something good.
- Cy Farnsworth
  
  That’s the worst case scenario assuming that he doesn’t totally bust, of course.
- http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/mlb.alex.rodriguez.through.the.years/images/1993.alex-rodriguez.jpg Drew
  
  One huge difference between your example and this situation is the fact that Jesus was 16 and A-Hech is 20.
  
  Totally different imo.
  - YankeesJunkie
    
    True, most players are not pushing for the majors at the age of 20 though. If the Yankees do sign A-Hech I expect that the Yankees will try to get him MLB ready in three to five years when he is 22-25 which is still very young.
A.D.

Figure Jeter situation could be fine give Hechevarria’s age, plus if the kids has the goods, he’ll get the majors
YankeesJunkie

If this kid turns out to be a great propsect he will be valuable to the Yankees no matter what he does.
king of fruitless hypotheticals

you know what’s better than playing time?

counting money!

on a serious note, this kid has to know he’s not playing SS for any major league team next year, right? no matter how good he thinks he is, doesn’t he expect some seasoning?

or is he distracted by the strasburg and chapman?
chriso

I predict that Jeter will play SS through the 2011 season. thereafter, he will be a “super-sub” and play a little everywhere on the field (except, maybe, C), get in his 400+at-bats per year, play until he’s 42, and accumulate somewhere between 3750 and 4001 hits for one of the all-time greatest careers.
The Yankees will not sign a DH-type over the next five years.
I think that the Yanks really want Carl Crawford in LF beginning in 2011, though I wouldn’t be too surprised to see them sign Jayson Werth, instead. I just don’t think Jeter is ever going to be a full-time outfielder.
This all would appear to make the Yanks’ signing of Hecchevaria (sp?) very, very likely. Sign him now, get him some seasoning in the minor leagues until late 2011, start breaking him in as a part-timer, then he takes over SS in 2012.
- Ted Nelson
  
  What’s up with Crawford? Why does everyone feel like the Yankees covet him? I feel like I’m out of the loop…
  - WIlliam
    
    Well, the yankees didn’t get a left feilder this year despite that fact that a) 2 of the top 3 fa’s were in Lf and b) they had no solid left feilder. This has lead people to beleive they want a left feilder from next year. That leaves either crawford and werth. Crawford provides excellent spped, something the yankees are in need of. Also, many insiders in the organization have said the yankees loooove crawford.
    - Ted Nelson
      
      I think it depends where the market for Crawford is. They’ve already got the best line-up in baseball and Jesus should be coming up next season. If Crawford and Werth are looking for Holliday/Bay money I think the Yankees will stay away. Yankees already have a FAT payroll and unless Hughes and Joba step up bigtime pitching figures to be more of a priority with Pettitte likely to retire and Javy a FA. Maybe for $10 mill or less Crawford is worth it, more than that I think is a stretch.
EJ

Young players signed this way don’t usually see the major leagues until years after theyre signed, if at all.
- Section 39
  
  Where did you get that idea from? Which international FA’s are you referring to with that statement? Just about all of the ones I can think of who came out with as much hype as Hech were playing ML ball within 2 years. Throw some examples out there…
Joe S

Maybe if it comes out that AROD did HGH last year we can void his contract, then move Jeter to third eventually if/when this Cuban kid comes up
- Ted Nelson
  
  That would be great if A-Rod weren’t the Yankees’ clean up hitter and one of the best hitters in the game.