By William Coppola
“Make the New York Yankees great again” is a refrain fans of the Bronx Bombers are chanting. This theme, “great again,” was heard over and over this summer. I guess Yankees management were also pulled into its hypnotic trance as they have taken their franchise boldly into unfamiliar territory.
That is, rebuilding the storied franchise from the bottom up. They are in a unique situation and with some luck, they could have a few winning seasons as this rebuilding develops. They’ll need a lot of luck. But that usually is not the case with a team that is rebuilding. Starting pitching, once again, will be their Achilles heel during the 2017 pennant campaign.
Not since the underappreciated GM Gene Michael put the great team of the “Core Four” Jeter years together, have the Yankees embarked on a mission like this. He did it with a core of home-grown talent, then adding key trades for the likes of Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez. Michael built a powerful team that would later dominate for almost 20 years. Too bad, he was fired as GM in 1995 and never got to hoist those four World Series trophies.
New York Yankees’ Clint Frazier finds groove with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders | MiLB.com News
Today, we see the signs of a new dynasty in the making. Brian Cashman and his staff, are putting together a group of, home grown super prospects. Done with trades and the draft which include Gary Sanchez, Jorge Mateo, Aaron Judge, Blake Rutherford, Miguel Andujar and Domingo Acevedo who were all drafted.
With Clint Frazer, Glebyer Torres, Dillon Tate, Albert Abreu and Justus Sheffield, coming in those blockbuster trades last year, the Yanks have a boatload of talent in their minor league system.
These are names, that will become familiar to Yankee fans, in the next few years. It doesn’t happen over night and will have some twists and turns along the way. With all that talent, it will be interesting to see how Cashman, puts it all together.
You can’t play them all, there will be injuries, some will not live up to expectations, some will be used in trades for a veteran or two to complete the puzzle.
I don’t see Aroldis Chapman and his $86 million arm being a factor down the road, when these prospects are ready. But they may have a few Mariano Rivera’s in 6’ 7” Acevedo, who has a 96-100 fastball that has touched 103, Dillan Tate, a 2 pitch guy with a 92-98 fastball and sharp 85-89 slider and Abreu, who went from 87-91 to 93-97, touching 99 in two years of pro ball.
The bottom line is patience, something the Yankees and their fans are not accustomed to having.
Gary Sanchez, Catcher, NY Yankees
Remember, all those names above are prospects. Even Gary Sanchez is still a prospect, although it is hard to think he will be anything but amazing.
Now, if they could only find a mascot. That would make their team complete.
William Coppola just completed his 40th year in the game of baseball. He has been a coach, instructor and advanced scout.
Follow Us