The Daily Yankeeland - 8/15

Hideki Matsui's rehab assignment couldn't kick off yesterday due to rain.

Tyler Kepner reports that Yankees' top pick in this year's amateur draft, Gerrit Cole, has opted to attend UCLA instead of signing with the Yankees. Ed Price reports that a source close to second pick in the first round, Jeremy Bleich, says he wants to sign with the Bombers. Negotiations with second rounder Scott Bittle are said to be far apart. Makes you wonder if the Yankees did more harm than good when they gave sixth round selection Brett Marshall an 850K bonus.

Darrell Rasner will get another start next Tuesday, meaning Phil Hughes will definitely make his minor league start on Sunday.

Dan Giese has been diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis.

Joba Chamberlain will begin his throwing program today, but you have to wonder if it would be smarter just to shut him down for the final month and a half of the season.

The Yankees will open their new Stadium on April 16 against the Cleveland Indians. The season starts on the road in Baltimore.

In an interview yesterday, Jon Heyman referred to Robinson Cano as the most overrated player in MLB right now. That's a stinging criticism, but you can see why Heyman is saying it. Cano is clearly wasting his talent and it would not be surprising if the Yankees moved him this winter.

Update 4:15 PM EDT

The Yankees have fired two Latin American scouts as part of the on-going kickback scandal.

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Breathe In Breath Out

No Yankees baseball today. No chance to lose and drop another game in the standings. Woo hoo!

Go to the park, read a bike, wash the car, play with your pets.

For tomorrow they play again.


Derek Jeter says he will play in tomorrow's series opener with the Royals.

Anthony McCarron knows that Hank is the kinder, gentler Steinbrenner.

Phil Hughes will have a 100 pitch count when he takes the mound for Scranton on Sunday. Carl Pavano will go again for Trenton then as well.

Hideki Matsui is scheduled to start a rehab assignment today.

Tomorrow is the deadline for signing 2008 amateur draftees. The Yankees top two picks, pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jeremy Bleich, remain unsigned. Scott Boras(s) is their agent.

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Yankees Select High School Pitcher

The Yankees used their 1st round pick in this year's amateur draft to select Gerrit Cole, a high school pitcher from California.

Draft report from mlb.com



Player Name: Gerrit Cole
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Orange Lutheran HS (Calif.)
School Type: High School
Academic Class: Senior
Birthdate: 09/08/90
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Report Date(s): 03/08/08
Game(s): Tesoro HS


Fastball: Cole was throwing 95-98 mph early and settled in at 92-94 throughout his start.
Fastball movement: He usually has plus arm-side sink and bore, though he was fairly straight in this outing.
Slider: It's an average pitch now, which he throws 78-82 mph, but it projects as a plus pitch in the future. It has some depth coming from a 3/4 arm angle.
Changeup: It's a little too firm at 79-80 mph, but he's got a good feel for it.
Control: He's an above-average strike-thrower for a high schooler, letting his stuff work for him in the zone.
Poise: His makeup on the field can be an issue, as he gets animated with umpires and teammates at times.
Physical Description: Cole is a projectable high school right-hander who compares a bit to Kyle Farnsworth.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: His projectability and his stuff, with the ability to throw three average to plus pitches, and to throw them for strikes.
Weaknesses: He has some mechanical issues with his delivery, with an arc in the back and a tendency to throw across his body; he gets too emotional on the mound.
Summary: A projectable high school right-hander with the capability already to throw a fastball up into the upper 90s is bound to garner interest. Throw in a future plus slider and a changeup, all for which he can throw for strikes, and it's no wonder Cole is considered one of the top prep pitchers in the class. He's going to have to work out some kinks in his delivery and he's got Scott Boras as an advisor, but neither of those issues should keep him from being drafted early.

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