Newman: Melancon Could Stay in the Minors All Year

Chad Jennings interviewed the Yankees Senior VP of Baseball Operations Mark Newman yesterday, and asked him about several things, here's what Newman had to say about Mark Melancon. And sorry to those who wanted to see him in the Majors this year, you might be disappointed.

With a 1.57 ERA through 11 Double-A games, Melancon has fans calmoring for a call-up, but Newman is happy to leave the right-hander where he is.

“He could stay there all year," Newman said. "Probably will. Not a guarantee, but probably.”

Newman has long stressed patience with his young pitchers. Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy were the exception to the rule. The methodical development of Phil Hughes and now of Mark Melancon is the norm. Add in the fact Melancon is coming off surgery and threw just 7.2 professional innings before this season, his big league ETA may be a little later than some fans had hoped.

“He’s not throwing very many pitches," Newman said. "He went three innings the other day on 31 pitches. Some guys would get two-thirds of an inning on 31 pitches. We want him to use his breaking ball and changeup, but he can have a nine-pitch inning and do it with his fastball. Developmentally, it’s important that he use his secondary pitches.”

It's understandable that why the Yanks don't want to rush him, having him develop his breaking ball and change up will only help him, and the Yankees in the long run.

The Yankees also have David Robertson and J.B. Cox already at AAA, and both will most likely end up with the Major League team at some point in the near future.