Recently Jed Weisberger did a spotlight on Yankees 2008 supplemental first round pick Jeremy Bleich.

Bleich was given the highest praise by Baseball America as they named him the organizations pitcher who most soon could help on the big league level. With  names like Zach McAllister and, when healthy, George Kontos and Ian Kennedy, on the depth chart that is high praise.

After dominating winter ball and putting up solid numbers in Tampa, Bleich has struggled since his call up to Trenton. In five starts he is 1-3 with a 6.25 ERA. His command has been the biggest issue with 19 walks in 27 innings. Despite the struggles at AA, Tony Franklin believes he will only improve. He went as far to say that Bleich could be the best pitcher in the Eastern League.

We have seen the Yankees focus on development pay dividends over the last three seasons. David Robertson, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain all have had impact on the big league roster. Keep on eye on Bleich as he moves up the ladder. At this time next year we may be talking about him and Zach McAllister possibly getting a call to the big leagues.

Wild Thing Gets the Call

Last summer I did a small minor league tour to Trenton, Scranton, and Binghamton. During my Trenton visit I had the opportunity to watch two of the prospects acquired in the Gary Sheffield trade: Anthony Claggett and Kevin Whelan. Claggett impressed me a great deal that night and has moved through the organization quickly. Whelan possessed a great arm but his command was terrible. I told readers how it was like watching “Wild Thing” Ricky Vaughn in Major League. In 2008 he walked 29 batters in 38 innings. This negated his .180 BAA and 46 strikeouts. Although he showed improvement in the first half of the season, it wasn’t until recently that Whelan seems to have finally put it together. In his last 13 innings at Trenton he allowed no runs, only 5 walks, and struck out 17. Opponents are hitting less than .100 against him. It will be interesting to see how he fares at AAA. Brian Cashman continues to tout the young arms throughout the system. It will be interesting to see if Whelan can put himself in the same class as Ivan Nova, Anthony Claggett, and Mark Melancon.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

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Tags: Anthony Claggett, Brian Cashman, David Robertson, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Nova, Jed Weisberger, Jeremy Bleich, Joba Chamberlain, Kevin Whelan, Mark Melancon, New York Yankees, Phil Hughes, Trenton Thunder