Yankee Top Prospect Austin Jackson

AJax played in Hawaii this winter and BA had the following to say about the # 2 ranked prospect in HWB's performance:

2. AUSTIN JACKSON OF
Honolulu (Yankees)

After having a breakout season during which he hit .304/.370/.476 across three levels of the minors, Jackson reported to Honolulu and never slowed down. A premium athlete, Jackson finally grew into his tools in 2007. A line-drive hitter with gap power, Jackson's profile is likely as a No. 2 or No. 3 hitter with the ability to drive in runs. He is an above-average defender in center field, getting good reads and jumps on balls while running quality routes. While he doesn't always get out of the batter's box quickly, he's a graceful runner. "Once he gets underway he's a plus-plus runner," an NL scout said. "He's the best athlete in this league. He doesn't have that first-step explosion, but this guy is a real crowd pleaser on the bases."

Ranked only behind Joba and ahead of Tabata and IPK on BA's list of top 10 Yankee propsects, Ajax is slated to begin 2008 in Trenton (AA). If he's able to keep up the growth he's shown the past year, a 2009 debut in the Bronx is looking likely.

This Man IS an Eiland

Many times when people speak (write) about the new Yankee pitching coach, the point is made that he has a relationship with the triumvirate of youngsters about to make a huge impact on the Yankee rotation in '08. As the SWB pitching coach last year, Eiland did have contact with each of the big 3:

IPK - 6 games, 34 ip
Phil - 5 games, 28 ip
Joba - 3 games, 8ip

What impact could Eiland have had on these 3? The highest number of starts any made was 6; assuming a 5 man rotation he had IPK longest - 30 days!

I'll say again that I am extremely disappointed by the lack of big-league experience on the Yanks' coaching staff. Especially when you factor in the impact that 3 rookies will have on our year, and the impact the pitching coach will have on their long-term success, I can't believe that there weren't more qualified candidates available.

The obvious choice would be Leo Mazzone. Leo has a long history of not only making pitchers better, but also of keeping them healthy long term. There was talk of Leo having motivational problems at the end of the year in Baltimore - well they fired his best friend (manager Sam Perlozzo)! That might piss me off a bit too!

There was surf-n-turf on the menu, but the Yanks instead chose the mystery meal of the day. I really hope that decision doesn't come back to bite us!

The Santana Watch Day 85

Ok, now we can't even go a full day without conflicting Johan reports (and The Hank opening his big fat mouth). First ESPN was reporting that the Yankees had pulled their offer off the table and were officially (for real this time!) out of the Johan sweepstakes. Then the story that was posted on ESPN.com quickly morphed into;

TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner has not closed the door on a trade for Minnesota Twins left-hander Johan Santana, despite reports to the contrary.

"It's still in the deciding process," Steinbrenner said Monday night outside Legends Field at the Yankees' spring training complex. "We're still discussing it. There's still a little talk back and forth."

The Twins really have no choice but to deal Santana and if they wait till the season starts his trade value will only decrease. However, they continue to try and wait the Yankees out.; they want one more top prospect and I bet they get it.

With This $275mm, I thee Wed

I was watching the G-men beat up Jessica's Simpson's boyfriend tonight when a commercial came on that included Arod in it. My brother (and co-author of this blog) made a typical (for him) and predictable anti-Arod comment, and it dawned on me - that has GOT to stop!

No longer is Arod the guy who played for Seattle and Texas and was making a stop here in NY with our beloved Yankees. No longer is he the self-absorbed superstar that many Yankee fans boo because he has yet to 'earn his pinstripes.' No longer are we, the fans, dating Arod - with that $275 million contract we got hitched!

Jeter might always be forefront in the hearts of Yankee fans for his clutchness, his rings, his demeanor and his enviable romantic endeavors, but like it or not Yankee fans, Arod is now and for the next 10 years gonna be the Face of the Franchise. We're gonna be moving from the House That Ruth Built, to the new set of The Arod Show on Yes!

Like it or not (and we should like it!), we have got to stop the madness with respect to our new 'true Yankee.' He might be too polished, and the opt out thing was a disaster, but no one can deny the guy works his tail off. He plays everyday, he plays hurt, he produces at a higher level than almost everyone else in the game, he has been a great influence on the younger players in the clubhouse, and now he's here to stay. Can we please stop with the 'until he wins a ring he's not a true Yankee' crap? To those who say that I have 2 words for you - Donnie Baseball.

So when he slumps remember he's not a rent-a-player anymore. When he k's late in a game I don't want to hear ANY boos. NO MORE BOOING AROD! Like any marriage this one won't be perfect; it will take some effort on both ends to work out. I see him working, now we just gotta make sure we hold up our end of the bargain!

Top American League Tools

The following results were compiled from a survey of American League managers, as reported in Baseball America:

BEST HITTER
1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2. Derek Jeter, Yankees
3. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers

No argument here - Ichiro is the best pure hitter in baseball.


BEST POWER
1. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
2. Justin Morneau, Twins
3. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels

Huh...I'd have figured to see the hated Big Papi on this list, but that's quite alright!


BEST BUNTER
1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2. Kenny Lofton, Rangers
3. Luis Castillo, Twins

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...bunting's for the NL


BEST STRIKE-ZONE JUDGMENT
1. Travis Hafner, Indians
2. Bob Abreu, Yankees
3. Placido Polanco, Tigers

Hafner? Really? I realize he had a .439 OBP in '06, but that dipped to .385 in '07and is .395 lifetime - very good, but the best in the AL? Placido Polanco is the most underrated player in baseball...period. Did you know he went 341/388/458 with 36 doubles and 30 (THIRTY!) strikouts in 587 PA last year?


BEST HIT-AND-RUN ARTIST
1. Placido Polanco, Tigers
2. Derek Jeter, Yankees
3. Orlando Cabrera, Angels

3 guys who handle the bat extremely well.


BEST BASERUNNER
1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2. Brian Roberts, Orioles
3. Derek Jeter, Yankees

I can feel the Jeet love!


FASTEST BASERUNNER
1. Carl Crawford, Devil Rays
2. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
3. Joey Gathright, Royals



MOST EXCITING PLAYER
1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2. Grady Sizemore, Indians
3. Carl Crawford, Devil Rays

Top of this list 2010 - Austin Jackson


BEST PITCHER
1. Johan Santana, Twins
2. Dan Haren, Athletics
3. Josh Beckett, Red Sox


BEST FASTBALL
1. Justin Verlander, Tigers
2. Joel Zumaya, Tigers
3. Felix Hernandez, Mariners

We all know the name at the top of this list after '08...JOBA THE BEAST!


BEST CURVEBALL
1. Josh Beckett, Red Sox
2. Justin Verlander, Tigers
3. Francisco Rodriguez, Angels

Pending - Phil "The Messiah" Hughes


BEST SLIDER
1. Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers
2. Scott Kazmir, Devil Rays
3. C.C. Sabathia, Indians

Joba might make this list too!


BEST CHANGEUP
1. Johan Santana, Twins
2. James Shields, Devil Rays
3. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox

The best change in all of baseball belongs to Edwar Ramirez; it's truly unfair that it's the only pitch he knows how to throw!


BEST CONTROL
1. Paul Byrd, Indians
2. Johan Santana, Twins
3. Roy Halladay, Blue Jays


BEST PICKOFF MOVE
1. Andy Pettitte, Yankees
2. Kenny Rogers, Tigers
3. Mark Buehrle, White Sox


BEST RELIEVER
1. Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox
2. J.J. Putz, Mariners
3. Mariano Rivera, Yankees

Hey Papelpunk - when you've done it for 13 years and have a 0.77 era in 117+ postseason innings then you can talk about truly being the best reliever in baseball!


BEST DEFENSIVE CATCHER
1. Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers
2. Joe Mauer, Twins
3. Jason Varitek, Red Sox

Irod is OVERRATED! A great arm does not a great defensive catcher make! He has the best arm in the history of the position, and therefore changes the game unlike any other catcher in the bigs - that's why he gets votes like this.


BEST DEFENSIVE FIRST BASEMAN
1. Mark Teixeira, Rangers
2. Carlos Pena, Devil Rays
3. Casey Kotchman, Angels

Damn, Tex is gonna look good in pinstripes!


BEST DEFENSIVE SECOND BASEMAN
1. Luis Castillo, Twins
2. Placido Polanco, Tigers
3. Brian Roberts, Orioles

There's that guy Polanco again!


BEST DEFENSIVE THIRD BASEMAN
1. Eric Chavez, Athletics
2. Adrian Beltre, Mariners
3. Mike Lowell, Red Sox


BEST DEFENSIVE SHORTSTOP
1. Derek Jeter, Yankees
2. Orlando Cabrera, Angels
3. Yuniesky Betancourt, Mariners

Hey...you see this Jason at Baseball Bias? Maybe Zone Rating is overrated!


BEST INFIELD ARM
1. Adrian Beltre, Mariners
2. Brandon Inge, Tigers
3. Yuniesky Betancourt, Mariners


BEST DEFENSIVE OUTFIELDER
1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2. Torii Hunter, Twins
3. Vernon Wells, Blue Jays


BEST OUTFIELD ARM
1. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels
3. Delmon Young, Devil Rays


BEST MANAGER
1. Jim Leyland, Tigers
2. Mike Scioscia, Angels
3. Ron Gardenhire, Twins

What?!? No Torre? HA!

The Santana Watch Day 84

So the Mets also seem to think the Twins asking price is too high for Johan;

"The two teams continue to talk and word out of Minnesota yesterday was that, yes, the Mets could snare Cy Young Santana for the right price, but as far as the Mets are concerned, that five-for-one deal is not the right price. "

I have stated this again and again - Johan will end up in the Bronx and Phil Hughes + will be on their way to Minnesota. Its just a matter of time. So we wait and wait and wait.....

Roger - Say it Ain't So!

Uh-oh! Word is leaking out that Roger may not make the trip to proclaim his innocence in front of congress after all. This would be an incredibly bad move for an innocent man. However, this is the ONLY option for a guilty man.

Tarnishing a Hall of Fame legacy is one thing; lying in front of congress is quite another.

I've said before that if Roger stands before congress and continues to boldly and emphatically deny he used PEDs I am going to believe him.

If, however, he wiggles his way out of testifying, my mom's old saying comes to mind - when in doubt, actions speak louder than words.

Joba and Johan

The Daily News has an article headlined "Joba Chamberlain may start next season in bullpen for Yankees " but the headline does not jive with the content. Cashman is non-committal to any strategy other then preparing Joba as a starter;

"We're going to prepare him as a starter and we see him as a starter," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said yesterday. "But we have an innings limit that he won't exceed. How we manage the innings limit remains to be seen. The plan is to have him start, but there are a number of scenarios that we'll review."

A non-story.

Also, there is now talk that the Yankees are out of the Johan sweepstakes and this comes a week after Hank said the Yanks were still in it. So now the Red Sox were about to make a deal, then they were the clear leaders, then Johan was not going to be traded, then the Yanks were the leaders and now they are out of it with the Mets in the lead. Got it? Ignore all the talk until something happens. I still say he ends up in the Bronx.

I Eschew Pompous Postulation

Did you read the guest blog @ Lohud today? If you didn't, take a look.

After reading the post I proceeded to the author's blog - Yankee Republic.

Now, I am not typically one to denigrate others' writing, but about the only thing I hate more than someone preaching at me from his/her self erected alter is someone doing so in self-important, self-aggrandizing verbiage.

No one speaks that way, and his whole blog is written like that! Other than in a thinly veiled attempt to try and look smart, writing in this manner is nothing but pompous drivel. I bet that every time he finds a 5-star word in that overused thesaurus of his he rings a special bell on his desk to celebrate yet another triumph over concise, content-based writing.

Not only is it written like he is trying to impress the Dean of English studies at Oxford, but it is wholly inaccurate as well. He writes -

Why, for example, do the Yankees alone seem to project Hughes a bonafide ace?

Hughes has been in everyone's top 5 prospects in all of baseball for the past 3 years; how is that the Yankees alone? J'accuse: A Pompous Blog! And BTW - he needs a punctuation guide to go along with the Thesaurus; I haven't seen worse use of the comma since my daughter's 2nd grade Jenny Archer book report!

If you have something to say you Frazer wannabe, just say it! Don't drape a thesaurus around it and hang allegorical idioms from it like madrigal holiday sapling simply to augment your affected aplomb!

Sheesh!

Let's Go Mets!

Betcha never thought you'd see that headline here, huh?

Right now, though, I am rooting real hard for the Mets.

It has been widely reported that Omar has not only wiggled his way into the Johan Santana party, but may now be the favorite to take the pretty girl home with him. Go Omar!!

If the Mets can pull this off, we as Yankee fans should be thrilled! Not only will we get to keep The Messiah (Hughes), but we won't have to see Johan in a Red Sox uniform for the next 5 to 7 years...a total win/win!

I can't help but be a little happy that I have this terrible song stuck in my head.....

Meet the Mets, meet the Mets. Come on out and beat greet the Mets...

Immunity? We don't need no Stinkin' Immunity!

It's been reported that Clemens will not be receiving immunity for his testimony in front of congress; one question - why should he?

Rocket is going to The Hill to defend his name; he is going to convince the world that McNamee is a liar and he didn't use PEDs. Why in god's name would he want immunity?

I am really looking forward to The Rocket's testimony. As someone who wants to believe him I have to believe that the prospect of losing everything far outweighs his baseball legacy. If he used and lies to Congress he will go to jail. If he tells the truth all that happens is his baseball legacy is tarnished, but he goes on with his very (his words) 'blessed life.'

I am going to use the congressional testimony to make my final decision about whether I believe Roger ever used. As of now, I am doing what everyone should - give him the benefit of the doubt.

Jason Giambi - A look back

Jason Giambi has now played 6 years with the New York Yankees following his 6 full years in Oakland. While most would consider Giambi a pretty major bust, I thought it would be a good exercise to see how the two halves to his career compare.

Jason has now played 752 games with the Yankees after playing 899 from '96 to '01 with the A's; that's a difference of almost 25 games a year. One thing we can say for certain is Jason has not stayed healthy enough. But how does his production stack up?

First, lets look at Jason's Power Numbers:

HR's - A's - 181, Yankees - 177
AB per HR - A's - 17.8, Yankees - 13.9
SLG % - A's - .553, Yankees - .525

So Giambi's power number were pretty close; he hit more home runs per AB, but his slugging numbers went down slightly meaning less hits.

Giambi's other big ability is his his ability to get on base. How does that compare?

OBP % - A's - .415, Yankees - .409
BA - A's - .311, Yankees - .263


Considering the significant drop in BA it is impressive how Giambi has maintained his ability to get on base. However, the Yankees were expecting an all around top level hitter, not an all or nothing slugger. A couple of more important stats:


AB per K - A's - 5.6, Yankees - 4.2(Over 500 abs, that is the difference between 88 and 120ks)
AB per BB - A's - 5.8, Yankees - 4.6
ABs - A's - 3222, Yankees - 2476

So Giambi's dip in BA can be attributed to a higher strikeout rate which he made up for by a more discerning eye.


Giambi's average numbers do not tell the whole story because he really had monster years in 2000 and 2001 (.333/43/137 & .342/38/120). The end result is the Yankees got an all or nothing brittle superstar, not the MVP caliber beast they thought they were getting. However, his numbers are surprisingly close between the two halves of his career and he performed almost as well as could be expected considering his age.

Since Cairo is no longer Available....

And the Yankees clearly need a no-hit first baseman;

...the Yankees have interest in adding free agent Jason Lane, according to a source.
Lane, 31, was not tendered a contract by the Padres after hitting .178 with eight homers and 27 RBIs last season. He began last year with Houston and went to San Diego in a September trade.
Though Lane is a career outfielder, the Yankees believe he would be a quick study at first base, where he has appeared in four games during his six-year major league career. "

Ok, so we have a bad hitter who has never played first base before, sounds like a solid plan. I have always thought defense at first base is a little overrated(sorry Donnie ballgame) and it drives me insane to see the Doug M, Cario, Andy Phillips and now possibly Jason Lane's of the world getting significant time at first base for the Yankees. If Duncan and his blood clot are an issue why not take your chances on some time for Matsui at first or even Juan Miranda?

Also interesting read a common side effect of steroids is blood clots....

MLB GM

There is a new baseball blog on the horizon that is worth a read;

http://mlbgm.blogspot.com/

Check it out.

McNamee/Clemens Mitchell Report Revisited

Now that Roger is in full attack mode there is a lot of misinformation floating around about what McNamee said to Mitchell and what is in the Mitchell report. Lets take a look back and clear some things up;

1. I heard Robb Dibble and Kevin Kennedy discuss how McNamee was up to something because he didn't even have a written agreement with the feds. Mitchell report says
   "McNamee, through his attorney, entered into a written agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California."
2. Some so called experts have also used the McNamee never said he provided Clemens with drugs defense. Mitchell report once again debunks "According to McNamee, during the middle of the 2000 season Clemens made it clear that he was ready to use steroids again. During the latter part of the regular season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone from a bottle labeled either Sustanon 250 or Deca-Durabolin that McNamee had obtained from Radomski."
3. Some also question why there isn't a paper trail like in the Balco scandel. A couple of experts provide a window into that; " McNamee stated that he has no ill will toward Clemens and “was always ahead [financially] with Roger.” McNamee received money for expenses from Clemens’s business representatives. They paid McNamee for training Clemens, and for his expenses. From time to time Clemens also gave McNamee “extra money.” Clemens never gave money to McNamee specifically to buy performance enhancing substances."

Roger really had the best possible cover for his dealer; a guy already on his payroll who was also paid by his business partners. He also gave him extra money, we'll call it a Christmas bonus but never paid specifically for steroids. Roger is lying I firmly believe that, I suspected him prior to the report coming out and nothing has made me change my opinion.

The thing I am anxious to see is what Andy Pettitte is going to do with congress. The hearing was delayed so prosecutors could gather evidence and prepare, maybe for a Bonds like perjury follow-up. So how does Andy handle that? Refuse to go? Plead the 5th? Sell out his best friend? And how has this affected their relationship? By Andy coming out and admitting guilt he is clearly taking a different path then Clemens. This is just going to get worse and drag on longer then the Johan situation....

Update on the Pursuit of All Things Enchanted

Newsday's Kat O'Brien spoke with HankenStein yesterday and discussed the Yankees never-ending non-pursuit of the mythical creature Johan Santana. In addition to expressing worry about the fabled Johan's on-again/off-again love triangle with Cinderella and and the tooth fairy, Hank actually did say something of note -

"I wouldn't do it if it were a six- or seven-year contract," Steinbrenner said. "I wouldn't go past five, on an extension."

Ugh.

Deadlines, ultimatums and now maximum extension lengths...does Hank EVER shut up?

BA Joba Scouting Report

From Baseball America -


1. Joba Chamberlain, rhp Born: September 23, 1985 • B-T: R-R • Ht: 6-2 • Wt: 230
Drafted: Nebraska, 2006 (1st round supplemental) • Signed by: Steve Lemke/Tim Kelly

Background: As a 272-pound freshman, Chamberlain went 3-6. 5.23 for Division II Nebraska-Kearney. However, he started to emerge as a player there, improving his body and reaching the low 90s with his fastball. After one season, he transferred to Nebraska, where he starred for his hometown Cornhuskers. While his talent made him a consensus top prospect for the 2006 draft, his stock fell because of concerns about a knee injury that required surgery in the fall of 2004. He fell to the Yankees with the 41st overall pick and signed for $1.15 million. A member of the Winnebago tribe, he became the second-highest Native American ever drafted, behind only Jacoby Ellsbury. After signing, Chamberlain reported to Hawaii Winter Baseball, where he ranked as the No. 1 prospect in his first pro action. Chamberlain had a mild hamstring pull last spring and didn't make his pro debut until May, then made the minor leagues look easy. After breezing through high Class A Tampa and Double-A Trenton, Chamberlain moved to the bullpen to help the Yankees fill a big league need. He made the majors look easy too, giving up just one earned run in 19 outings. Only Mother Nature could stop him. He coughed up a 2-1 lead against the Indians in Game Three of the Division Series after he was swarmed by midges and lost his focus.

Strengths: Scouts chuckle with delight discussing Chamberlain's raw stuff, and several give him 70 or 80 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale for three different pitches. He reached 100 mph with his fastball as a reliever, and more impressively can sit at 96-97 mph when he starts. His fastball command grades at least major league average, if not higher. He also commands two breaking balls—a mid-80s slider with depth and a nasty power curveball in the low 80s. Both are strikeout pitches, and he's adept at keeping his hand on top of the curve and behind the slider. He even has shown a solid-average changeup. His arm action is clean, and his fierce competitive streak helps give him something extra when he needs it.

Weaknesses: Chamberlain will need to keep his weight in check, which would help him avoid any recurrence of his past knee, hamstring or triceps tendinitis issues. He needs to maintain the mechanical improvements he has made as a pro, which keep him more balanced and direct his energy toward the plate, rather than side-to-side. He must prove he can maintain his stuff through a full season. His career high for innings remains the 119 he threw for Nebraska as a sophomore.

The Future: While his big league debut hinted that he could be an elite closer almost immediately, Chamberlain fits the No. 1 starter profile in nearly every way except for the workhorse part of the equation. If they were only thinking of his development, the Yankees would limit him to 170 innings or so. He's likely to pitch so well as to tempt new manager Joe Girardi to use him more than that, however. If he remains healthy, Chamberlain has multiple all-star appearances in his future.

All Yankees fans should be 'chuckling with delight!" - it's gonna be huge fun watching this kid dominate for the next 20 years!

Hall of Fame - Goose In; Only one

With 86% of the vote, Goose Gossage made the Hall of Fame. He was the only person elected this year as Jim Rice fell 16 votes shy with 72.2%. Mark MacGwire received less than 24%.


Player Votes Pct.
Goose Gossage 466 85.6
Jim Rice 392 72.2
Andre Dawson 358 65.9
Bert Blyleven 336 61.9
Lee Smith 235 43.3
Jack Morris 233 42.9
Tommy John 158 29.1
Tim Raines 132 24.3
Mark McGwire 128 23.6
Alan Trammell 99 18.2
Dave Concepcion 88 16.2
Don Mattingly 86 15.8
Dave Parker 82 15.1
Dale Murphy 75 13.8
Harold Baines 28 5.2

Others receiving votes:
Rod Beck 2, Travis Fryman 2, Robb Nen 2, Shawon Dunston 1, Chuck Finley 1, David Justice 1, Chuck Knoblauch 1, Todd Stottlemyre 1.

BA Top Ten Yankee Prospect

BA released their top ten Yankee prospects today. My takeaway from this list is just how damn good Joba could be. He is listed as having the best fastball, slider and curveball in the organization. Also, this quote makes me tingle;
Scouts chuckle with delight discussing Chamberlain's raw stuff...
You know what makes me chuckle? Not the three dominant pitches but the two straight high hard ones to Kevin Youkilis. Joba is a beast!

Projecting Current Yankee HOFers

The hall of fame results are set to be announces tomorrow at 2pm and it got me thinking, How many current Yankees will end up making the Hall? Now even though I project the holy trinity to dominate for years lets skip the kids, including Cano, for this exercise and only look at players with 10+ years in the league.

No-Brainers
Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez
All three are first-ballot candidates even if they never played another game. Jeter will have 3,000 hits barring injury (has 2356) and with all his gold gloves and clutch play he is in. ARod might become a guy everyone starts rooting for as he starts to erase Bonds from history, he really could retire today and be a first ballot candidate. Rivera is the greatest closer ever, period.

Borderline
Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada
Mussina
Now Mussina has a real good shot. His numbers are pretty close;
Top Ten Cy Young - 8 times
Top Ten Wins - 8 times
Top Ten K's - 10 times
Top Ten adjusted ERA+ - 10 times
Five Time All-Star(Seems low)
6 Gold Gloves
Career ERA 3.70
250 Career Wins
The biggest issue Mussina will have is not with the quality of his numbers but the fact that he doesn't have any of he criteria that voters love; a high peak, reaching number thresholds and postseason excellence. High Peak-Moose never won 20 games and never won the Cy Young. He was always overshadowed by Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson. Reaching Numbers - 250 wins is nice but 300 is still where automatic election begins. Postseason excellence - Moose pitched some great games in the post season but his numbers (Except Wins) are almost a carbon-copy of his regular season numbers(3.42 Era more then a K per inning). I once heard Moose referred to as Mr Almost, almost wins 20 games, almost won a series, almost pitches a perfect game and it looks like almost makes the hall.

Andy Pettitte
Andy has 200 Wins at age 35 and could become a strong candidate if he pitched well for 3-4 more years. Add in his 18-7 postseason record and he becomes a real strong maybe. However, it looks like he will pack it in sooner rather then later and end his career with 230+ wins, that won't be enough but if he has a late career surge he could make it in.

Jorge Posada
I was surprised to find myself putting Jorge on this list but he has 5 silver slugger awards in the eight years since he been a full-time player. Does the best player at a position for almost a decade deserve consideration for the hall? I think so. Jorge does only have 218 career home runs, to have a reasonable shot he needs to eclipse 300.

Most likely we are probably looking at four who end up getting in; Rivera, Jeter, ARod and one from Posada, Moose and Andy.