MAJORING ON THE
MINORS: TOP 30 PROSPECTS – #13 GABRIEL YNOA - VOL.18 – Tom Brennan
I’m doing my Top 30 Prospects articles
a bit differently – in 2 lists:
·
A
top 10 list of lower minors guys who likely won’t show up until 2017 or later. Already
completed. See list at end of this article.
·
Followed
by my top 20 list of guys who are closing in on the big leagues. Guys who could help in the near future or be
trade bait.
Here is the list so
far:
20.
Daniel Muno
|
19.
Michael Fulmer
|
18.
Miller Diaz
|
17.
Dario Alvarez
|
16.
Jayce Boyd
|
15.
Rob Whalen
|
14.
Hansel Robles
|
Today, selection #13:
So far, Ynoa has been pitching in the mode of….well,
Whitey Ford. Whitey, the former Yankee great, pitched well his last 3
years, but only went 20-22 in those years. Before that, he had a stunning .720
career win %. Ynoa so far is 38-16, a .704 win %. Comparable.
Nice.
Before I focus on Ynoa, let me add that Whitey won
236 games, but after a 9-1 rookie season, had to spend 2 years in the early
50’s in the military. Amazing what a career he would have had, even beyond
his Hall of Fame career, had he not lost those 2 prime years.
Back to Gabe. Ynoa is a slender (so far) 6'2"
righty, whose velocity increased into the low 90s by last year. Some say
he reminds them of Rafael Montero, but
with lesser secondary stuff. I say, stop being picky with the kid, he was
just 21 last year!
Gabe has exceptional control (63 walks in
489 innings, a miniscule 1.15 per 9 innings). And with 148 innings last
year (not including playoffs), he should have virtually no innings limit this
year.
OK, let me stop being a fan for a second....is it
all coming up roses? Any areas of concern? Well, 4 of them, actually.
· He allowed 169 hits in 148
innings. Excellent control or not, he needs to reduce that rate...a lot.
· Secondly, he allowed 16 homers in
148 innings last year, also too many.
· Thirdly, just 106 Ks in 148
innings.
· Lastly, an uncharacteristically
high 4.07 ERA in 2014.
The ability to pitch to contact is really good, but
he needs to lessen the frequency and quality of contact in 2015...or he'll
possibly get tattooed in AAA. And I am not a big fan of pitchers getting
tattooed. The only tattoo I like is from
the Fantasy Island show, actually.
On the bright side, he only turns 22 around
Memorial Day 2015, so maybe he can add another tick or 2 of velocity. If he does that with his control…WOW!
But, lest we stray too far from the main path, HE
WINS GAMES. It's not all ERA, K rate, WHIP, folks....it's winning, and he
excels in that category. No reason to think he won't be ready by late
2015 to mid-2016. Winners move quickly.
Let me conclude by saying "Ynoa good thing
when you see one." Bad puns aside,
whaddya think?
MY
TOP 10 LOWER MINORS LIST:
# 1 - Marcos Molina
#2 – Michael Conforto
#3 – Amed Rosario
#4 – Dominic Smith
#5 - Jhoan Urena
#6 – Vicente Lupo
#7 – Wuilmer Becerra
#8 – Luis Guillorme
#9 - Casey Meisner
#10 - Milton Ramos
3 comments:
another of the many perfect projected relievers for this team
Wins mean your team scored more than the other - this isn't always the pitchers accomplishment
Andy Petite once won 20 games with an ERA below league average - doesn't mean he was good
I have little hope for Ynoa unless his rate stars make a huge step forward
I hear you, Lew. It's on Ynoa to do it, and I think we will see the huge step this year.
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