Yanks News: Good and Bad

The Good: Keith Law, from Scouts Inc. has a piece about the Yanks' farm system, and how it's made a complete turnaround in the past couple of years. Law says Philip Hughes is one of the top two pitching prospects in all of baseball and predicts he'll be on the mound for the Yanks in the first half of the season. He also mentions that the reason Hughes wasn't moved up to AAA was because the Yanks didn't want him exposed to the Columbus clubhouse. Not sure what that means, but you'd think the Yanks would rather get rid of whatever was souring their AAA clubhouse rather than keeping prospects at lower levels to avoid it.

Other notable names from Law's piece: Jose Tabata, centerfielder. Law's take: "Tabata has an outstanding package of tools, but also has a degree of baseball acumen not often seen in players so young. He has a quick bat with developing power and good command of the strike zone. He has good instincts in center, with a plus arm that will allow him to move to right if he outgrows center." And a slew of pitchers, namely, Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan, Anthony Claggett and Ross Ohlendorf. The not-so-distant future is looking bright for the Yanks.

The Bad: As for the immediate future, well, check out this story from the Post if you want to read about Carl Pavano's newfound work ethic. It reminds me of a story that ran years ago about Mike Piazza hiring a yoga master/lifestyle guide in preparation for his last year as a Met.