Josh Norris covers the Yankees’ AA affiliate, the Trenton Thunder for the Trentonian. He was kind enough to agree to an interview here; you can read his “Minors Matters” blog here.

Which position player impressed you the most and why?

This is easy. It has to be Brandon Laird. Based on his impressive work in the Arizona Fall League, I figured Laird would be a solid little ballplayer, but I never expected this.

I can’t really stress enough how difficult it is to hit a home run at Waterfront Park. He not only managed to do that consistently, but nearly all of his homers were soaring, majestic bombs that made me fear for my windshield.

He was one of the three players I’ve seen with the ability to make the stadium look small. The others were Jesus Montero (perhaps you’ve heard of him) and Jorge Vazquez.

He played a nice third base with a solid arm, but, as most of you know, will be transitioning to the outfield to maximize his potential.

I’m not sure if he has a place with the Yankees, simply because of their current outfield situation. Gardner and Swisher probably aren’t going anywhere for a while, so the only way I see him getting to New York is if Granderson leaves and Gardner moves to center (where he belongs). Other than that, he could be trade bait this offseason.

Which pitcher impressed you the most?

 I think the most impressive pitcher was Brackman, based on the absolutely rock-bottom expectations he had coming into the season. It would have been perfectly reasonable to see him spend all of 2010 Tampa, but he didn’t. He moved to Trenton and, after a brief adjustment period, dominated.

He topped at 98 with the heater and flashed a hook that, even from the elevated press box, looked really, really dirty. In his final game, in relief of Andy Pettitte, he held the Altoona Curve (the eventual league champions) to just a hit and a walk over five shutout frames.

The coup de grace came in the eighth, when an error put the winning run at second base with nobody out. With help from a one-out intentional walk, Brackman loaded the bags with just one down.

Earlier in the season, this would surely have led to a crooked number. This time, however, Brackman buckled down and coaxed an inning-ending double to keep alive his team’s chances in what wound up being the team’s final win.

The stuff was clearly there from day one, but his mental toughness grew by leaps and bounds as his Thunder tenure grew. That showed me a lot. He’s still got a bit to work on, but I think the Yankees may have scratched off the right lottery ticket with Andrew Brackman.

Of the Killer B’s (Brackman-Betances-Banuelos), which looks most polished/advanced?

I’m going to go with Banuelos, because of the extreme poise he showed as a 19-year-old in the playoffs. The game against New Hampshire really sealed it for me. Here he was, in a game with the potential for a clinch, against the best hitting team in the league, and he comes up nails.

He coupled high-90s heat with low-80s change-ups in his first start with the 80-pitch count removed, and in the process more than lived up to all the praise that was lavished on him during the offseason.
Moreover, his command of the English language was impressive, and his maturity with the media was very, very good. You don’t always see that out of prospects, particularly ones facing a real media contingent for the first time.

Romine started hot and then kind of fizzled. Still an elite prospect? What impact does Montero/Sanchez have on the way we percieve Romine?

At this point, I think Romine is a B+ prospect rather than an A. I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see him return to Trenton to begin the season. He has too much work to do as a hitter and a receiver, plus I think Montero will probably begin 2011 at Scranton for more work with the glove.

Romine did make excellent strides as a game-caller this year, and I still believe he will eventually take over for Posada down the road. That said, he will be 22 once next year opens, and that means there is PLENTY of time for him to develop. If that means Cervelli or Montero has to serve as a buffer for a year.

Ever thought Cervelli would stick in the majors as long as he has?

5. Absolutely not. He really hasn’t lit the world on fire with his bat, and I didn’t even give him that much credit when he left. He hit a blistering .190 during his brief time with Trenton, and seemingly got the promotion solely because of his spot on the 40-man. That he could have two World Series rings by the end of the year is an absolute shocker.

Which prospects heading to winter ball intrigue you the most? What about those listed with an unusual position, like Laird as an outfielder?

Because I really don’t know all of the names heading to the various winter leagues, I’ll stick to the AFL. The most intriguing, I think, is Craig Heyer. At 24, he was far too old for High-A. Still, he put up some pretty damn good numbers. In 92 innings, Heyer walked an astonishing six hitters and allowed one home run.

He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but it will pretty interesting to see how his arsenal plays against some of baseball’s top talent. He could be a nice addition to the Trenton bullpen next year.

Which players are you most looking forward to seeing play next season? Which departed ones do you imagine you will miss most?

 Of the guys I didn’t see in Double-A last year, I am really looking forward to watching Graham Stoneburner. He is one of my absolute favorite players in the system, and really knocked my socks off when I saw him against Lakewood in early May.

That day, albeit against a very young, swing-happy BlueClaws team, he struck out 11 over seven two-hit innings. He allowed just two outs in the air all day long, and hit 95 miles per hour on his 95th and final pitch of the afternoon. He also displayed a tight slider that he could either bury or drop in for a strike.
He also flat-out dominated in Tampa throughout the rest of the season, and compiled a WHIP under 1.00, as well as a batting average against of just .209. He’s just another of the Yankees power arms, and Brett Marshall’s probably due for a taste of the upper levels toward the end of 2011 as well.

As far as hitters go, Melky Mesa and Brad Suttle are the obvious choices. Mesa, the T-Yanks’ center fielder and the Florida State League Player of the Year, displayed dynamic talent all year long. He placed in the top five in the organization in home runs (19), RBIs (74) and stolen bases (31). He does strike out a bit (129 in 121 games), which could hurt him when the pitching gets better.

As for Suttle, he appears to be fully back from shoulder surgery, and he showed it in the second half. After the All-Star break, Tampa’s third baseman hit a stellar .293/.369/.839 with nine of his 10 bombs. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break out.

Of the ones who depart, obviously Brackman, because of his skill and because he is a genuinely nice guy. Aside from the obvious, I hope I’ll miss Josh Schmidt. He’s a great kid who has no business pitching another inning in Double-A.

Any plans to go to spring training and scout out the players at the minor league complex?

I sure hope so. I had a great time at spring training this year, but I really didn’t know what I was doing. I had never been there as a journalist or as a fan, and it certainly was an eye-opening experience. Pretty much every minor leaguer from Charleston to Scranton are scattered across four fields, with games and drills going on constantly.

I remember one of your colleagues once telling me that sabermetrics aren’t their choice when it comes to evaluating prospects. Where do you fall on the scout vs sabr spectrum?

When it comes to scouts vs. sabermetrics, I really don’t think you can go with one or the other. Scouts and stats are like peanut butter and jelly: Taken individually, both are good. Together however, they are so much better.

Let’s use Stoneburner as an example: Without seeing him, I could have told you he struck out 137 hitters last season and put up stellar statistics. When you sit behind the plate and really watch, however, you can see the way he places his fastball and the way his slider breaks. Numbers alone simply won’t tell you that.

That said, it’s always better to have more information at your disposal. Give me WHIP, give me FIP, give me WAR, give me WARP, give me VORP, I’ll take it all and use whichever metric I feel is most valid.

As for traditional metrics, let me just say this: Manny Banuelos fanned 85 men in 64 2/3 innings that spanned 15 regular-season starts. His record? 0-4.

Of course, they really don’t keep the really sabermetric stats for the minor leagues, so it’s kind of a moot point.

Biggest thing you learned this season?

I didn’t really learn it this year, but the Thunder’s season really reinforced just how important it is for a team to spend on player development. From David Phelps and D.J. Mitchell and Hector Noesi to Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Andrew Brackman and Adam Warren, the Trenton rotation was a testament to the smart people the Yankees have spanning the globe for top-notch talent

Yes, the unlimited payroll is a pretty big advantage, but without spending some of it on the draft and international free agency, there’s no question the return on the investment would be significantly smaller.

Lastly, any parting words of wisdom for our readers?

Remember, it’s only a game.

******

Many thanks to Josh for taking the time to do this; come back for a playoff preview live chat, eight PM eastern time this evening.

Share on Facebook

Once again, Tom “Tonto” Kackley, who works for the Trenton Thunder, has set up an auction on Ebay to help The Domestic Violence Project.

Over the past two years, the auction has raised nearly $8,000, and, well, with Thanksgiving coming up there is perhaps no better time of the year to help out a very worthy cause.

The auction can be found here.

Items available include game-used and signed Jesús Montero gear (like a chest protector and shin guards), a variety of game used bats, and numerous other Thunder memorabilia from current Thunder and Thunder alums.

As for myself? In 2007 I bid on a Phil Hughes signed-hat, and last year won a Matt LaPorta signed bat. I’ll keep my bid secret for now–but I have no problem letting you all know that I probably will not win it.

Most bidding will end at the end of this week.

Share on Facebook