Yankees' Farm System News

The news from the big leagues is bleak so let's turn our attention to the Yankees' farm system:

• "The running joke among some minor league pitchers in the New York Yankees minor league system goes something like this: Be careful how well you pitch, you don’t want to ruin your season by getting called up" Now that's encouraging.
• Ian Kennedy has gone from the next Mussina to the next Whitson. The prodigy has work to do: "Kennedy was asked to work on his secondary pitches. To stop leaning on his changeup and four-seamer, and start working on his curveball and two-seam.That’s what Kennedy did Thursday night at PNC Field, and even if it wasn’t always pretty, it was effective.Lasting just five-plus innings on 99 pitches, Kennedy was constantly in three-ball counts, but he made big pitches when he needed to..." A small step in the right direction.
• If you can't beat the Angels, set your sights on the Iron Pigs.
• The one that got away: "Cole grew up rooting for the Yankees, and even attended the 2001 World Series in Arizona, hanging out in the lobby of the Yankees’ hotel and gawking at the players. But with a chance to become a Yankee less than seven years later, Cole has chosen college instead."
• The organization has problems, top to bottom: "Several Yankees who scout the Dominican have been placed on leave as MLB and the FBI investigate whether club employees paid players small portions of bonuses they reported to baseball and kept the difference for themselves,"
• The relentless pursuit of talent continues: "Before the game, two Yankees scouts, including Gordon Blakeley, the team's current vice president and the man most responsible for signing, in 1997, Cuba's greatest modern pitcher and disgraced defector, Orlando (El Duque) Hernández, wandered into the section and set up shop: Notepads, stopwatch, opinions at the ready."

Photo/Minor League Dugout.com