Post by dg on Feb 5, 2006 7:12:35 GMT -5
Masse Trusted To Mold Yankees' Top Prospects
February 5, 2006
By DOM AMORE, Courant Staff Writer The Yankees are looking to build a younger, faster, less expensive team, but that is a time- and labor-intensive process. Bill Masse is one of those charged with putting in the long hours and hard work to polish young players.
"If you look at the lists of top 100 prospects, you probably won't see many of ours in there," said Masse, an East Catholic-Manchester grad who is starting his second season as manager of the Yankees' Double A affiliate at Trenton. "But yet you see a guy here and a guy there at a very high level. Last year, you look at a guy like Robinson Cano, who was runner-up rookie of the year, and a Chien-Ming Wang, who became a solid starter. What we don't have right now is the depth."
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The Yankees farm system has been considered bare since a series of midseason trades in 2000, and the Yankees have been frustrated in attempts to trade prospects for veteran players in recent years. Cano and Wang, two they kept, proved valuable in 2005.
Masse, who played seven years in the Yankees farm system before retiring as a player in 1995, has been moving steadily upward in player development.
Now 39, he has moved back home and plans to start a hitting school in central Connecticut. On Feb.12, he will run a clinic at Precision Baseball in Berlin from 6 to 9 p.m., the first half for kids ages 8 to 12, the second half for 13-and-over. Cost is $40 a child. Spots are available on a first-call, first-serve basis at 828-6111.
Masse was in line to manage Triple A Columbus before the Yankees hired former Reds manager Dave Miley. At Trenton last year, Masse guided the Thunder to a 74-68 record and second-place finish. He was entrusted with some of the organization's top prospects, including Eric Duncan, a No.1 pick who was one of the youngest players in the Eastern League.
Masse believes outfielder Kevin Thompson, left-handed reliever Matt Smith and starting pitcher Matt DeSalvo could help the Yankees in the near future, and he favors the organization's plan to give Andy Phillips to chance to play semi-regularly next season.
Duncan, who had a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League, could start next season at Triple A Columbus, or he could get a few more months with Masse. Melky Cabrera, who had a short, unsuccessful stint in the majors last July, played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and appears to be back on track, too.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Tampa, Fla., on Feb.16. Position players arrive Feb. 21 and the first full-team workout is the next day.
"I think we're going to have an interesting year," Masse said. "We could have a very young team, with a lot of kids coming up from Class A, or we could go with a very experienced team with a lot of players returning from last year."
February 5, 2006
By DOM AMORE, Courant Staff Writer The Yankees are looking to build a younger, faster, less expensive team, but that is a time- and labor-intensive process. Bill Masse is one of those charged with putting in the long hours and hard work to polish young players.
"If you look at the lists of top 100 prospects, you probably won't see many of ours in there," said Masse, an East Catholic-Manchester grad who is starting his second season as manager of the Yankees' Double A affiliate at Trenton. "But yet you see a guy here and a guy there at a very high level. Last year, you look at a guy like Robinson Cano, who was runner-up rookie of the year, and a Chien-Ming Wang, who became a solid starter. What we don't have right now is the depth."
ADVERTISEMENT
The Yankees farm system has been considered bare since a series of midseason trades in 2000, and the Yankees have been frustrated in attempts to trade prospects for veteran players in recent years. Cano and Wang, two they kept, proved valuable in 2005.
Masse, who played seven years in the Yankees farm system before retiring as a player in 1995, has been moving steadily upward in player development.
Now 39, he has moved back home and plans to start a hitting school in central Connecticut. On Feb.12, he will run a clinic at Precision Baseball in Berlin from 6 to 9 p.m., the first half for kids ages 8 to 12, the second half for 13-and-over. Cost is $40 a child. Spots are available on a first-call, first-serve basis at 828-6111.
Masse was in line to manage Triple A Columbus before the Yankees hired former Reds manager Dave Miley. At Trenton last year, Masse guided the Thunder to a 74-68 record and second-place finish. He was entrusted with some of the organization's top prospects, including Eric Duncan, a No.1 pick who was one of the youngest players in the Eastern League.
Masse believes outfielder Kevin Thompson, left-handed reliever Matt Smith and starting pitcher Matt DeSalvo could help the Yankees in the near future, and he favors the organization's plan to give Andy Phillips to chance to play semi-regularly next season.
Duncan, who had a successful stint in the Arizona Fall League, could start next season at Triple A Columbus, or he could get a few more months with Masse. Melky Cabrera, who had a short, unsuccessful stint in the majors last July, played winter ball in the Dominican Republic and appears to be back on track, too.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Tampa, Fla., on Feb.16. Position players arrive Feb. 21 and the first full-team workout is the next day.
"I think we're going to have an interesting year," Masse said. "We could have a very young team, with a lot of kids coming up from Class A, or we could go with a very experienced team with a lot of players returning from last year."