Minor League Report - AFL and Winter Ball Edition

Big Guy is back, this time with what will be a weekly AFL and Hawaii Winter League report. Thanks Big Guy for all your great contributions.

This is the first in a weekly series I'll be doing thru the Arizona Fall League and Hawaii Winter League. I'll be posting them on Saturday or Sunday mornings.

HAWAII WINTER LEAGUE: The Yankees have sent minor leaguers Andrew Brackman, Jeremy Bleich, Austin Romine and Damon Sublett to play for the Waikiki Beach Boys. The HWL has a 40 game schedule that started 9-27 and runs thru 11-15.

Andrew Brackman: Yankees 1st round pick 2007. Recovering from TJ surgery. Brackman picked up his 1st pro win Friday night going 5 shutout innings and allowing 3 singles in a 3-1 win over North Shore. He had 5 K-'s and 1 walk. He worked out of a jam in the 2nd inning when he gave up 2 singles and a wild pitch. He then retired the next 7 batters before allowing a single in the 5th inning. Brackman got a DP to wipe out the runner. He threw 63 pitches--42 strikes.

In his first start on opening night Brackman was roughed up for 7 runs (6 earned) in a loss to Honolulu. He allowed 7 hits (2 doubles), 3 K's--2 walks. He threw 71 pitches--45 strikes and took the loss.

Jeremy Bleich: LHP, 1st round supplemental pick 2008-Stanford. 9-28 Bleich's 1st start he went 2.2 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits. He had 2 K's and issued 4 walks. He took the loss in a 7-2 defeat to Honolulu. He picked a runner off 1st base. Bleich threw 51 pitchs --23 strikes.

Austin Romine: Catcher, 2nd round pick 2007. Romine spent 2008 at Charleston single A. He hit 10 homers with 42 RBI a .300 average. in 104 games. Romine has only appeared in 2 games so far hitting .286. 9/28 Romine's 1st HWL game he went 0-4 with a strikeout and allowed 2 passed balls. Not a very impressive debut. On 10/2 Romine went 2-3 with 2 singles, 1 rbi, 2 runs scored, and 2 walks.

Damon Sublett: 2nd base. 2007 7th round draft pick, Wichita St. Missed time with an ankle injury only playing 43 games. He hit .263 with a .364 OBP at Tampa A. Sublett's off to a good start in the HWL hitting .444.

10/1: Sublett's 1st game at the HWL he went 1-2 with a double and K.

10/2: Sublett was the offensive star in Waikiki's 1st win going 2-4 with 4 RBI, on a 2-run double and 2-run single. He also added a walk.

10/3: Sublett went 1-3 with an rbi single . He had 2 strikeouts to help Andrew Brackman pick up his 1st win over North Shore.

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE: The Arizona Fall League opens Tuesday Oct 7th. The following Yankees will be attending. Pitchers: Phil Hughes, Jeffrey Marquez, Humberto Sanchez and Kevin Whelan. Position Players: Austin Jackson, Kevin Russo. I'll have full coverage in next weeks report.

NOTES: SWB Manager Dave Miley's name has come up as a possible replacement to manage the Seattle Mariners should they make a managerial change. ... The Yankees AA team will stay in Trenton for at least 6 more years.