One Time Mets Prospect Joins Yankees

The thing about highly hyped baseball products is that they don't pan out more often than not. Sometimes it's due to injuries (Brien Taylor), the realization that the jump from high school to professional baseball is a big leap (Eric Duncan), or sometimes it's just all smoke and mirrors.  Perhaps that was the case when it came to Mets prospect Fernando Martinez.

Martinez was hands off in Mets trade talks, but just 24 hits in 103 at-bats over three Major League seasons and a number of injuries changed the minds of the Mets' front office. The Houston Astros snatched him up off waivers in January, 2011 and earlier today the Yankees acquired the former star-in-the-making for pitcher Charles Basford.

Martinez was ranked as baseball's 20th best prospect by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season. He had put up .662 OPS through 28 games this season for the Astros Triple-A club in Oklahoma City.

Basford was a 37th round pick by the Yankees in last season's amateur draft. He was pitching for Staten Island in the New York-Penn League.

Harper No. 1 Pick and Then Who Cares

I don't mean to belittle what people like, but how can people watch tonight's airing of the MLB amateur draft? Bryce Harper was the obvious first pick by the Washington Nationals - by the way, as I mentioned the other day on Twitter, someone tell this guy lamp black is not supposed to be worn like facial hair - and then the really big crap shoot begins.

Seriously...high school players make up the bulk of the draft. You cannot possibly foresee a long and illustrious career for any player coming out of high school, especially a high school pitcher. On top of that 99% of the viewers haven't heard of 99% of the players.

The draft is more Brien Taylor and Eric Duncan than Derek Jeter. And so, I'll let everyone else watch and give you a synopsis of Yankees picks at a later date.

Slam Duncan

It's over. The great ball man experiment. Not the Seinfeld episode. I'm talking about the hope that the Duncan boys, Shelley and Eric (no relation) could become regular contributors to the Yankees lineup.

Shelley had some moments in the sun during the the 2007 season, hitting seven home runs, but Eric has never had a major league bat and had the bigger upside.

I watched Eric's development at Seton Hall Prep. Local boy makes good. The Florham Park native was the NJ high school player of the year in 2003 and was selected in the 1st round, 27th overall, by the Yankees. Local area baseball fans were excited and full of anticipation as we just knew he would be hitting 30 home runs a year with the friendly right field porch in the old(er) Yankee Stadium.

Things started out well enough. Duncan graduated high school, then spent his summer playing for the GCL and Staten Island Yankees. 6 home runs and 69 RBI in 107 games, plus a good OPS had to be a portend of things to come.

But while Eric hit 35 home runs over the next two seasons, more often than not he wasn't making contact. 267 strikeouts over those same two seasons as the holes in Duncan's game were exposed. He would never hit higher than .260 again and his power diminished. Injuries limited his playing time and led to his departure from the Yankees organization, still just 25 years old.

That announcement came today from LoHud's Chad Jennings (by the way if I haven't said it already, a great replacement for Pete Abe. Chad's work covering the Scranton Yankees was outstanding) that Duncan has signed a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. Perhaps a chance of scenery will help turn things around for Duncan. We can only hope so!

Minor League Playoff Update - 9/10

Scranton and Trenton both began their championship series last night in their respective leagues. The International League showdown pits the Yankees and the Rays' top farm team, the Durham Bulls. The Yankees built a 6-2 lead behind Chase Wright's strong six innings and a potent offense against stud starter David Price, but the Scranton bullpen coughed up five runs in the seventh inning and suddenly the Bulls had a 7-6 lead.

The Yankees rallied in the ninth though, tying the game when Tim Battle doubled home pinch-runner Chris Basak from second base. Then it was Eric Duncan's turn to play hero, and he came through, lining a single to right to score Battle with the game winner. The victory gave Scranton a 1-0 lead in the Governor's Cup final. Kevin Czerwinski of mlb.com has more.

Trenton meanwhile got another big start from Eric Hacker in taking the Eastern League final opener, 3-1 over the Akron Aeros. Hacker allowed a run on three hits over six innings and is now 2-0, 1.54 in his two post-season starts. Chris Malec drove in two runs and Ramiro Pena enjoyed a 3-hit night. Jhonny Nunez recorded the final four outs for the save.

Staten Island has been eliminated in two games in their quest for the New York-Penn League title. The Jamestown Jammers jumped out to an 8-1 lead after just two innings in game one and held on for a 10-7 win. Mitch Abeita and Mike Lyon homered in a losing cause.

Game two showcased much better pitching on both sides, but the Baby Bombers came out on the wrong end of a 4-1 score. The Jammers again jumped out to a quick lead, with a three run first inning against Jon Albaladejo. Elih Villanueva dominated the Baby Bombers, limiting them to one unearned run and four hits over six innings, while striking out 10. Jeremy Bleich was a bright spot for S.I. though, throwing four scoreless innings in relief.

Minor League Playoff Update - 9/10

Scranton and Trenton both began their championship series last night in their respective leagues. The International League showdown pits the Yankees and the Rays' top farm team, the Durham Bulls. The Yankees built a 6-2 lead behind Chase Wright's strong six innings and a potent offense against stud starter David Price, but the Scranton bullpen coughed up five runs in the seventh inning and suddenly the Bulls had a 7-6 lead.

The Yankees rallied in the ninth though, tying the game when Tim Battle doubled home pinch-runner Chris Basak from second base. Then it was Eric Duncan's turn to play hero, and he came through, lining a single to right to score Battle with the game winner. The victory gave Scranton a 1-0 lead in the Governor's Cup final. Kevin Czerwinski of mlb.com has more.

Trenton meanwhile got another big start from Eric Hacker in taking the Eastern League final opener, 3-1 over the Akron Aeros. Hacker allowed a run on three hits over six innings and is now 2-0, 1.54 in his two post-season starts. Chris Malec drove in two runs and Ramiro Pena enjoyed a 3-hit night. Jhonny Nunez recorded the final four outs for the save.

Staten Island has been eliminated in two games in their quest for the New York-Penn League title. The Jamestown Jammers jumped out to an 8-1 lead after just two innings in game one and held on for a 10-7 win. Mitch Abeita and Mike Lyon homered in a losing cause.

Game two showcased much better pitching on both sides, but the Baby Bombers came out on the wrong end of a 4-1 score. The Jammers again jumped out to a quick lead, with a three run first inning against Jon Albaladejo. Elih Villanueva dominated the Baby Bombers, limiting them to one unearned run and four hits over six innings, while striking out 10. Jeremy Bleich was a bright spot for S.I. though, throwing four scoreless innings in relief.

Igawa Leads Scranton to 2-1 Lead

The Scranton Yankees are one game away from winning their first round International League series with the Pawtucket Red Sox after a 6-4 win tonight. Kei Igawa allowed one earned run over seven innings to pick up the win. The PawSox scored a pair of runs off Steven Jackson before Scott Strickland slammed the door on them, striking out three of the four batters he faced.

Leading 3-2 in the fourth inning, Eric Duncan belted a 3-run home run off of Jon Switzer to break the game open. Ben Broussard was 3-3 in the game, and he and Matt Carson, who played center field since Melky Cabrera was back with the Yankees, scored two runs each.

Igawa Leads Scranton to 2-1 Lead

The Scranton Yankees are one game away from winning their first round International League series with the Pawtucket Red Sox after a 6-4 win tonight. Kei Igawa allowed one earned run over seven innings to pick up the win. The PawSox scored a pair of runs off Steven Jackson before Scott Strickland slammed the door on them, striking out three of the four batters he faced.

Leading 3-2 in the fourth inning, Eric Duncan belted a 3-run home run off of Jon Switzer to break the game open. Ben Broussard was 3-3 in the game, and he and Matt Carson, who played center field since Melky Cabrera was back with the Yankees, scored two runs each.

Minor League Weekend Recap - 6/23

The Scranton Yankees won both games with the Toledo Mud Hens over the weekend to split their 4-game series. Sidney Ponson, who is slated to face the Mets on Friday at Shea Stadium, threw 4 decent innings in a tune up. He allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. Dave Robertson (3-0, 1.82) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Juan Miranda, Eric Duncan, and Matt Carson drove in 2 runs each. Justin Christian also added a solo home run.

Jeff Karstens threw a gem on Sunday to complete the weekend sweep. Karstens struck out 11 in 6.2 innings pitched, while allowing just 1 unearned run in the Yankees 10-1 win. Shelley Duncan drove in 4 runs and Juan Miranda continued his hotting hitting with a 3-5 game. He was 12-19 (.632) in the 4-game series, including a 5-5 night on Friday.

	June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Toledo 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 5 6 0 Scranton/WB 3 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 X 9 15 3 Recap | Box | W: D. Robertson (3-0, 1.82); L: Y. Bazardo (1-4, 5.86) HR: SWB: J. Christian (4).

	June 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Toledo 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 Scranton/WB 1 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 X 10 11 1 Recap | Box | W: J. Karstens (2-3, 4.55); L: C. Lambert (6-4, 3.51) HR: None.

George Kontos' excellent performance on Saturday lead the Trenton Thunder to a 3-2 win over the Binghamton Mets. Kontos allowed 2 runs over 6 innings for his third win and Anthony Claggett finished it off with 3 scoreless innings for his 5th save. The Thunder trailed 2-1 in the 6th when Jose Tabata stroked a 1-out single, stole 2nd base, and scored on a P.J. Pillitere single. Chris Malec then drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double.

Binghamton won the rubber game of the series, 7-3, on Sunday, banging out 4 home runs in the process. Al Aceves turned in another solid performance, allowing 2 runs over 6 innings, and left the game with a 3-2 lead. But the bullpen didn't do its job. Recently acquired Oneli Perez was tagged with the loss after allowing 3 runs in the 8th inning. Ramiro Pena drove in 2 of the 3 Thunder runs.

It was a pretty good weekend overall though for Aceves. He proposed to his girlfriend in front of Saturday's crowd and she said, "yes". Peter Abraham has the story.

	June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Binghamton 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 8 3 Trenton 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X 3 7 2 Recap | Box | W: G. Kontos (3-6, 3.36); L: E. Brown (4-6, 6.31); SV: A. Claggett (5) HR: BIN: C. Stewart (6).

	June 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Binghamton 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 7 12 0 Trenton 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 2 Recap | Box | W: E. Brito (4-1, 2.68); L: O. Perez (0-1, 9.00); SV: T. Lavigne (6) HR: BIN: N. Evans (11), A. Concepcion (8), J. Petersen (2), M. Nickeas (1).

Tampa's weekend games against the Lakeland Flying Tigers and Daytona Cubs were both rained out.

Wet weather had an impact on the Charleston RiverDogs as well. The Dogs lead 5-0 over the Columbus Catfish on Saturday when the game was halted. The rains came down again on Sunday preventing the completion of Saturday's game as well as Sunday's regularly scheduled game.

Staten Island improved to 3-2 with a pair of wins over the Hudson Valley Renegades. David Adams drove in 3 runs and Melky Mesa (another Melky!) added a solo home run in the Baby Bombers 9-1 win on Saturday. Jacinto Gonella picked up the winner after starter Cory Arbiso tossed 3 shutout frames.

Casey Erickson pitched 5-hit ball over 6 innings in Sunday's 3-0 win. Pat Venditte notched his first save for the Yankees. Dan Brewer delivered the big hit with a 2-out, 2-run single in the 3rd inning.

June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Staten Island 4 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 9 12 0 Hudson Valley 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 2 Recap | Box | W: J. Gonell (1-0, 2.08); L: S. Dyer (0-1, 9.00) HR: STA: M. Mesa (1).

	June 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hudson Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 Staten Island 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 X 3 4 0 Recap | Box | W: C. Erickson (1-0, 0.00); L: T. Hayes (0-2, 8.44); SV: P. Venditte (1) HR: None.

Minor League Weekend Recap - 6/23

The Scranton Yankees won both games with the Toledo Mud Hens over the weekend to split their 4-game series. Sidney Ponson, who is slated to face the Mets on Friday at Shea Stadium, threw 4 decent innings in a tune up. He allowed 1 earned run on 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 2. Dave Robertson (3-0, 1.82) tossed 1.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win. Juan Miranda, Eric Duncan, and Matt Carson drove in 2 runs each. Justin Christian also added a solo home run.

Jeff Karstens threw a gem on Sunday to complete the weekend sweep. Karstens struck out 11 in 6.2 innings pitched, while allowing just 1 unearned run in the Yankees 10-1 win. Shelley Duncan drove in 4 runs and Juan Miranda continued his hotting hitting with a 3-5 game. He was 12-19 (.632) in the 4-game series, including a 5-5 night on Friday.

	June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Toledo 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 5 6 0 Scranton/WB 3 2 0 2 1 0 0 1 X 9 15 3 Recap | Box | W: D. Robertson (3-0, 1.82); L: Y. Bazardo (1-4, 5.86) HR: SWB: J. Christian (4).

	June 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Toledo 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 Scranton/WB 1 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 X 10 11 1 Recap | Box | W: J. Karstens (2-3, 4.55); L: C. Lambert (6-4, 3.51) HR: None.

George Kontos' excellent performance on Saturday lead the Trenton Thunder to a 3-2 win over the Binghamton Mets. Kontos allowed 2 runs over 6 innings for his third win and Anthony Claggett finished it off with 3 scoreless innings for his 5th save. The Thunder trailed 2-1 in the 6th when Jose Tabata stroked a 1-out single, stole 2nd base, and scored on a P.J. Pillitere single. Chris Malec then drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI double.

Binghamton won the rubber game of the series, 7-3, on Sunday, banging out 4 home runs in the process. Al Aceves turned in another solid performance, allowing 2 runs over 6 innings, and left the game with a 3-2 lead. But the bullpen didn't do its job. Recently acquired Oneli Perez was tagged with the loss after allowing 3 runs in the 8th inning. Ramiro Pena drove in 2 of the 3 Thunder runs.

It was a pretty good weekend overall though for Aceves. He proposed to his girlfriend in front of Saturday's crowd and she said, "yes". Peter Abraham has the story.

	June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Binghamton 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 8 3 Trenton 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 X 3 7 2 Recap | Box | W: G. Kontos (3-6, 3.36); L: E. Brown (4-6, 6.31); SV: A. Claggett (5) HR: BIN: C. Stewart (6).

	June 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Binghamton 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 2 7 12 0 Trenton 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 6 2 Recap | Box | W: E. Brito (4-1, 2.68); L: O. Perez (0-1, 9.00); SV: T. Lavigne (6) HR: BIN: N. Evans (11), A. Concepcion (8), J. Petersen (2), M. Nickeas (1).

Tampa's weekend games against the Lakeland Flying Tigers and Daytona Cubs were both rained out.

Wet weather had an impact on the Charleston RiverDogs as well. The Dogs lead 5-0 over the Columbus Catfish on Saturday when the game was halted. The rains came down again on Sunday preventing the completion of Saturday's game as well as Sunday's regularly scheduled game.

Staten Island improved to 3-2 with a pair of wins over the Hudson Valley Renegades. David Adams drove in 3 runs and Melky Mesa (another Melky!) added a solo home run in the Baby Bombers 9-1 win on Saturday. Jacinto Gonella picked up the winner after starter Cory Arbiso tossed 3 shutout frames.

Casey Erickson pitched 5-hit ball over 6 innings in Sunday's 3-0 win. Pat Venditte notched his first save for the Yankees. Dan Brewer delivered the big hit with a 2-out, 2-run single in the 3rd inning.

June 21, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Staten Island 4 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 9 12 0 Hudson Valley 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 2 Recap | Box | W: J. Gonell (1-0, 2.08); L: S. Dyer (0-1, 9.00) HR: STA: M. Mesa (1).

	June 22, 2008
	Final 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Hudson Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 Staten Island 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 X 3 4 0 Recap | Box | W: C. Erickson (1-0, 0.00); L: T. Hayes (0-2, 8.44); SV: P. Venditte (1) HR: None.