Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Kevin Goldstein of BP on Prospects Betances, Laird, and Mesa

A portion of the article can be found here - a subscription is required to read the article in its entirety, however.

On Betances:
Of Betances' 11 starts this year, eight of them could arguably be described as dominant, with none more so than last night's when Betances retired the last 14 batters he faced, nine via the strikeout. With a fastball that is all the way back (94-98 mph) and control that we've never seen before, the 22-year-old has whiffed 68 over 57 innings while allowing just 31 hits and walking 15. Only an ugly track record when it comes to staying healthy prevents him from being labeled with an elite tag.
On Laird:
It's been a darn good year overall for the Yankee farm system, and one of the brightest points of light has been Laird, who entered the year as a nice little hitter with some upside, and is now considered one of the better offensive prospects in the system. After batting .291/.355/.523 in the Eastern League, you couldn't have asked for a better Triple-A debut, but much like Jesus Montero, it's hard to figure out where his big league future lies if he remains a Yankee.
On Mesa:
Above-average power and speed, good defense with a plus arm, the only problem is he's not a very good hitter; .261/.333/.469 overall.
For what it's worth, here are the season-to-date numbers for each:

Betances (High-A) - 57 IP, 33 H, 15 BB, 68 K, 0.81 WHIP, 1.26 ERA
Laird (AA and AAA) - .298/.360/.542, 25 HR, 2 SB, 38 BB, 84 K
Mesa (High-A) - .261/.333/.469, 15 HR, 28 SB, 32 BB, 101 K

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