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The
Straw That Stirs Trenton
by Mike Ashmore
August 17, 2006 - Hunterdon County Democrat
It may have been August, but it was time for "Mr.
October" to make his yearly trek to Trenton.
One of just 36 first ballot Hall of Famers, Reggie Jackson
was at Waterfront Park last Tuesday and Wednesday, getting a
first-hand look at the future of the Yankees.
"I'm just making my annual trip to some of the places
where we have special players," Jackson said.
"This is a nice place, I like it."
Currently a member of the Yankees special advisory group, he
got to see their most special player in person, watching
20-year-old Phil Hughes allow one run on just two hits over
five innings of work for his seventh Double-A win.
"I think that everybody feels pretty much the same
about Phil Hughes," Jackson said. "Big skills,
nice mound presence. Young, still growing. I think the
biggest concern with him is them bringing him along so his
body gets used to 100 pitches every five days over a
162-game schedule."
Right now, Hughes is on a strict order of no more than five
innings per start, and the organization had even gone as far
as to tell him not to throw his slider last season.
"30-some starts is a huge difference, having that much
demand, " said Jackson, comparing the rigors of a big
league season to the minors.
"Rather than the season starting on April 14th and
spring training starting in March, spring training starts in
February and the season ends on October or November 1st.
That's a huge difference for a young body."
All concerns aside, everyone in the Yankees organization
knows they've got something special in Hughes, and Jackson's
no different.
"He's certainly a sure shot big leaguer," he said.
"And what you do, is you try to not crash the car on
the way to the show. Don't let anybody run into it, don't
let anybody do anything silly. Keep it under wraps as best
you can and hopefully everything will progress to what
everyone expects."
Two of the other top prospects for the Yankees, J.B. Cox and
Matt DeSalvo, also came up in conversations with the
two-time World Series MVP
"He certainly looked good," Jackson said of Cox.
"He certainly could be an asset. But he's a guy who's
thrown a lot of pitches in college, and you want to just
bring him along and give him time."
While Cox, ranked as the #11 prospect in the Yankees
organization by Baseball America coming into this
season, has yet to appear on the 40-man roster, DeSalvo has
held a spot on it since November, putting him a phone call
away from pinstripes. It's a phone call that won't be coming
any time soon.
"Matt DeSalvo's had a bad year," Jackson said.
"He's had some off the field issues that we believe
he's got straightened out."
On the field, DeSalvo has struggled, putting up a 3-9 record
with a 7.44 ERA while splitting time between Trenton and
Triple-A Columbus. Once an injury away from Yankee Stadium,
DeSalvo would now be fortunate to retain his spot on the
coveted 40-man after this season.
"Every year isn't a great year," Jackson said.
"But the organization still loves him and is behind
him."
Whether it be for standouts like Cox and Hughes or for the
struggling DeSalvo, Jackson did have one message for all the
Yankee prospects.
"All they need is for the clock to keep ticking, and
they're going to end up in the big leagues," he said.
With the Yankees in the thick of the playoff race, you've
got to wonder if George Steinbrenner is going to move the
hands of time sooner rather than later.
Thunder Notes: Octavio Dotel made a surprise
appearance in Trenton last Thursday, his second rehab game
with the Thunder in as many months. Dotel had a flawless
1-2-3 inning, needing only nine pitches to retire the B-Mets
in the sixth.
"I feel like I can go two more (innings)," he
said.
Benches and bullpens emptied last Thursday after Thunder
catcher Jason Brown was run over in a play at the plate for
the second time during the game. Corey Ragsdale lunged into
Brown instead of diving, but Brown held on and infuriated
Ragsdale by showing him the ball. Ragsdale swatted at
Brown's arm, and that's when everything broke loose.
"It's just accepted in baseball that it's OK for guys
to try to run the catcher over," said Brown, reluctant
to discuss the play. "That's part of it, especially on
a play like that. Instead of sliding and being out, try to
run the catcher over and knock the ball loose."
No punches were thrown, and order was eventually restored
after a brief delay.
Contact Mike: mashmore@mikeashmore.com
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