Prospect of the Night (5/18)

The Yankees made a huge mistake when they signed Jaret Wright to a free agent contract prior to the 2005 season. Between injuries and poor performance, Wright was a bust, second only to Carl Pavano. The Yankees tried to make up for that this past off-season by sending Wright to the Orioles for rookie reliever Chris Britton.

Britton struggled in Spring Training, but has emerged as one of the International League's top relievers. With 2 scoreless innings this afternoon against Norfolk, Britton's ERA is at a staggeringly low 0.57.

Britton has walked more batters (7 in 15.2 innings) than he would have liked to, but has also recorded 18 strikeouts. At 6'3", 280 pounds, Britton looks more like a tackle than a pitcher, but there's no question that he should get a chance with the Yankees shortly. Whether or not Brian Cashman is wise enough to make that move remains to be seen (especially getting rid of Luis Vizcaino).

Britton appeared in 52 games for the Orioles last season, limiting AL hitters to a .228 average. At just 24 years of age, he could have major impact on the Yankees (not just at the post game spread) for years to come.

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