Down on the Farm

[ChrisLDuncan]

Since they haven't gotten their fill from the Tony Womack trade, the Reds have now signed Yankee immortal (and fan favorite) Bubba Crosby!

Reds agree to deal with OF Bubba Crosby

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He was a good 5th or 6th OF. I liked him

[Mattingly]

Down on the Farm

We haven't had a thread about the Yankee Farm system for quite awhile now. Might as well start now. Ee-i-ee-i-oo. (from Ol' McDonald had a Farm, to those of you who've never been kids).

Anything pertaining to this should be posted here.

Yankees hopefuls heat up AFL
Arizona Fall League provides platform for baby pinstripers

By Michael Echan / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees are finally starting to see returns from some of their draft picks, especially a homegrown golden boy.

Eric Duncan is hitting the cover off the ball while learning a new position, and T.J. Beam and Steven White turned in strong outings on the mound. Here is a review of how the Yankees' prospects are faring with the Arizona Fall League's Grand Canyon Rafters:

T.J. Beam, RHP -- Beam was solid in his first two outings, working 3 2/3 scoreless innings without issuing a walk. The 6-foot-7 right-hander hit a bump in the road on Oct. 12 against the Peoria Saguaros, allowing seven runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over two innings.

Eric Duncan, 3B -- As frustrating as the Eastern League season was for the former first-round pick, the AFL has been just as rewarding for Duncan. The 20-year-old New Jersey native is batting .519 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in six games -- all while making the move to first base.

David Parrish, C -- The 26-year-old backstop had a rocky start to his AFL stay, but started to come around toward the end of the week. After going hitless in his first two games, Parrish launched a two-run homer on Oct. 11 against the Surprise Scorpions.

Bronson Sardinha, RF -- Sardinha has been steady in right field for the Rafters, collecting at least one hit in four of his first five games. His best performance came on Oct. 11, when he went 3-for-4 with a run scored against the Scorpions.

Matt Smith, LHP -- The Las Vegas native hasn't had much luck in the AFL. Smith allowed four runs over two innings on Oct. 5, then was lit up for seven runs while retiring only two batters on Oct. 10 against Surprise.

Steven White, RHP -- The big right-hander had mixed results during his first two outings. On Oct. 5, he gave up two runs over two innings against the Peoria Javelinas. Facing the Peoria Saguaros on Oct. 12, White worked four scoreless frames, yielding just a hit and two walks while fanning five.

Michael Echan is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[DoubleX]

Other than the news about Duncan, there doesn't seem much else of real promise to note.

[sandlot]

Anybody know if David Parrish is any relation to Lance Parrish?

[DoubleX]

Anybody know if David Parrish is any relation to Lance Parrish?

I think I remember hearing when he was drafted that he is Lance Parrish's son. He's already 26, and we haven't really seen him on the big league level. It's looking doubtful that he'll ever really contribute for the Yanks at the ML level. They have to start thinking about grooming an heir for Posada. Navarro would have been perfect. He's gone now, so I say try to pry Brian McCann from the Braves. That will be tough, but they do already have Johnny Estrada and another young catcher (can't remember his name, I think his last name is Pena though).

[Yankee Legend]

Ive heard the 1B on the Staten Island Yankees has some promise. I believe his name is Kyle Larson??? I live only 10 minutes from the ballpark so i see him play all the time.

[yankees-chick]

I like that the article on MLB said "yankees re-discover the farm system".

this may have been the first time steinbrenner has heard that he HAS a farm system...

maybe i'm just jealous of the mets (wright, jacobs, mileage...)

[pacewon]

Eric Duncan destroyed the Arizona Fall League. In 23 games, he hit .362 with a .423 OBP and .734 SLG. He had 9 doubles, a triple, and 8 homers. He hasn't played recently, however, and I'm concerned that he's injured, or maybe he was just sent home. Hopefully the latter.

[pacewon]

Never mind, Duncan was just sent home early. AFL is over.

*sigh of relief*

[Ravenlord]

honestly, i think Duncan is the only prospect who'd show up on most teams (read the top 12) teams prospect lists (as stated by Basbeall America). sorry if that ruffles anyone's feathers, but that's just how i feel (not that i think the Reds system is much/or any better).

[Dasperp]

Most Scouts seem to think Hughes is a very good prospect, though he is still young.

[pacewon]

honestly, i think Duncan is the only prospect who'd show up on most teams (read the top 12) teams prospect lists (as stated by Basbeall America). sorry if that ruffles anyone's feathers, but that's just how i feel (not that i think the Reds system is much/or any better).

No offense taken. Our system is not in the top 10 in baseball.

That being said, as Dasperp mentioned, most rank Hughes ahead of Duncan as far as Yankees prospects go.

[Mattingly]

Old McGeorgie had a Farm! E-I-E-I-O!

Thunder named nation's top organization
President's trophy goes to "Complete Baseball Franchise" among 160 teams

TRENTON, NJ -- The Trenton Thunder, Class AA Affiliate of the New York Yankees, was formally recognized by its governing body and the other 160 Minor Leagues teams in the United States and Canada as the Number One baseball organization in the nation.

Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, announced that the Trenton Thunder has been awarded the John H. Johnson President's Trophy which is given annually to the most outstanding franchise in Minor League Baseball that best exemplifies the complete Minor League Baseball organization. The categories that are taken into consideration when selecting a winner for this award include contributions to the baseball industry, contributions to the community, long-term franchise stability, the financial success of the operation and overall promotion of the baseball industry. The President's Trophy will be presented at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings in Dallas,TX next month.

With this latest honor the Thunder has become just the 10th team in Minor League Baseball history to win the three major team awards in Minor League Baseball: the Johnson Trophy, the Larry MacPhail Trophy for Outstanding Club Promotion (2003) and the Bob Frietas Award for Long-Term Success (1998, given by Baseball America). The Thunder has won the three awards in a span of eight years. Only two teams have won the three awards in a shorter time span: Buffalo (AAA) 1989-1992 and Reading (AA) 1999-2003.

"On behalf or our entire organization and Thunder family, I would like to thank Minor League Baseball for this outstanding award," said Thunder President and co-owner Joe Finley. "We are both honored and humbled by the receipt of this award and reminded that the most important part of the Thunder Family remains our fans and our community. We pledge to our fans and our community that we will honor our commitment to provide them with the experience they have come to expect as they pass through the gates of Waterfront Park."

The Thunder has consistently been one of the top organizations in all of Minor League Baseball since its inception twelve years ago. The Thunder has drawn over 400,000 fans in each of the last 11 seasons and welcomed its 5,000,000th fan in the history of the franchise this past season. Both of these are records for Minor League Baseball at the Double A level and below. The Trenton organization has also made a strong commitment to giving back to the community, as the club has raised $2.46-million worth of goods, services and monetary donations through its Grand Slam We Care Foundation. "To win all three of the awards that a Minor League team can earn in just 12 seasons really speaks volumes about the level of continued support we receive from our fans. We cannot thank the fans and community enough for believing in what we do and for spending their time with us," said Thunder General Manger Brad Taylor.

Taylor added," So much of the credit should also be given to our highly motivated staff for bringing an enthusiasm and a passion for what they do at the ballpark everyday. They continue to strive to make the Thunder entertainment experience, our community outreach initiatives and our presence as a partner in the local business community better than ever. It feels great to see all of our hard work get recognized as the best in the nation."

The Thunder are busy getting prepared for the 2006 season, which kicks off on Thursday, April 13th at Waterfront Park against the Connecticut Defenders (formerly the Norwich Navigators) at 7:05 PM with post game fireworks and a magnetic schedule giveaway courtesy of Verizon Super Pages. Full and half season tickets, group tickets and Mini Ticket Packages are currently available by calling the Trenton Thunder Ticket Office at (609) 394-3300 or by going online to www.trentonthunder.com.

[Coal Cracker]

I'm still rather unsure of why David Parrish is still appearing on prospect lists? He's not even that good. The only reason he is really even still in the organization is because of the complete lack of catching talent on all levels of the Minor League system.

Phil Hughes is going to be a good one. I really hope that the Yankees manage to hold on to him because he will be the best lefty to come out of the organization since Andy Pettitte. Though there's not much competition for that.

[TonyStarks]

I'm still rather unsure of why David Parrish is still appearing on prospect lists? He's not even that good. The only reason he is really even still in the organization is because of the complete lack of catching talent on all levels of the Minor League system.

Phil Hughes is going to be a good one. I really hope that the Yankees manage to hold on to him because he will be the best lefty to come out of the organization since Andy Pettitte. Though there's not much competition for that.

FYI:
Hughes is Righty, not a lefty.