Latest Cuts Impacting SWB Yankees’ Roster

Opening day, April 8th at PNC Field in Moosic, PA, is only about 2 weeks away and the Triple-A roster is starting to fill up quickly. Scranton beat writer Donnie Collins reports on how the Triple-A roster is starting to take shape as the big league club’s cuts become more regular. The 24 man roster will include the Yankees’ best hitting and pitching prospects, catcher Jesus Montero and pitcher Zach McAllister.

The stories of Montero’s hitting prowess have been endless this spring after the 20 year old has moved up quickly through the farm system. This will be his last stop as he hones his catching skills before he heads to the majors for good. If he hits well enough at this level, and something happens to the injury prone DH Nick Johnson, we could be seeing him sooner than later.

McAllister is most likely headed to Scranton's starting rotation. The young hurler is a ground ball pitcher who has great command over his fastball. Drafted out of high school back in 2006, he has since worked his way up through the system. He had a small taste of Triple-A last year in the playoffs and did well. This year he is looking to build on those innings and experience. If all goes well he should at least make it to the big league club for a September call up.

The remainder of the roster should include a number of nearly major league ready prospects who opened eyes during spring training and some older prospects that will help fill out the roster. By position, here's a quick look at the roster:

Catcher

Looks like there will only be room for one more catcher. Mike Rivera has major league experience and will act as a mentor to Montero. He will probably be the emergency call up if something happens to Jorge or Cervelli.

Infielders

Because of his inexperience at shortstop, Kevin Russo will probably lose the infield utility role to Ramiro Pena and should start the season in Triple-A. If he continues to hit like he did last year and in the spring he could be headed to the Bronx to provide some hitting depth to the bench. Juan Miranda will play first base and could also be one of the first called up if right-handed power is needed. He will be joined by Reegie Corona, Eduardo Nunez and Mexican League veteran Jorge Vasquez, who will play mostly first and third base.

Outfielders

Outfield prospects drawing attention during spring training were Colin Curtis, because of his power and clutch hitting, and Greg Golson who adds speed on the bases. Veterans Reid Gorecki, Dave Winfree and Jon Weber, who hit .571 in the spring, will round out the SWB Yankee outfield.

The pitching staff is a little more unsettled and will take a few more days to work itself out. There are at least 4 pitchers on the major league bubble right now, fighting for one spot. Those are Sergio Mitre, Royce Ring, Mark Melancon and Boone Logan. Girardi will need to decide if he wants another lefty to go with Marte or a long reliever. Everyone else will be heading to Triple-A to be a part of a major league quality bullpen.

Starting Pitchers

Assuming Mitre makes the team and Chad Gaudin does not accept a Triple-A assignment, Ivan Nova and Rumulo Sanchez should join McAllister and young veterans Jason Hirsh and Dustin Mosely in the starting rotation. Hirsh was solid in the spring and has had some success in the majors, so he could be one of the first called up if a spot starter is needed.

Relief Pitchers

This could be the strongest part of the team. Spring training standouts Royce Ring, and Mark Melancon will join holdover Kei Igawa, the all-time wins leader at Scranton in the bullpen. Igawa will focus on proving he has some value as a left-handed reliever. We’ll see! Veterans Amaury Sanit, and Boone Logan should join Jonathan Albaladejo who will probably return as the closer. Grant Duff, Kevin Whelan and Zack Segovia will fight it out for the last spot in the rotation.

Melancon is high level prospect who was not very successful in the majors last year but has pitched well in the spring. He has a chance to be this year’s David Robertson who started in Scranton, became an important part of the Yankee bullpen, and finished by pitching in the World Series.

This team has a lot of talent and should compete at the same high level it has for the last couple of years. But it's been a long time since we have seen a prospect who has received as much hype as Montero. Yankee fans will keep an eye toward Scranton to see if he continues to dent scoreboards and hit towering home runs.