Yankees Top 10 Prospects: #8 DeLaRosa and #7 Brackman

Yesterday we took a look at the Ivan Nova and Jeremy Bleich the number 10 and 9 prospects on our New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects List.  Today we will take a look at the next two players on our list which is left-handed pitcher Wilkin De La Rosa and the tall right-hander Andrew Brackman.

8.  Wilkins DeLaRosa – Originally signed as a right fielder with a killer arm DeLaRosa’s bat was not able to come around and the Yankees moved him to the mound in 2007.  In the Gulf Coast Laegue he was 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in 12 relief appearances in his first season as a pitcher.  In 2008 he split between the bullpen and the rotation for the Charleston RiverDogs and the Tampa Yankees.  Between the two he was 9-4 with a 2.11 ERA with 125 strikeouts in 106.2 innings throughout 32 games, 11 starts.

The 2009 season saw DeLaRosa starting the season in the rotation of the Tampa Yankees.  He was promoted to the Trenton Thunder after going 1-0 with a 1.29ERA in 3 games with Tampa.  With the Thunder he appeared in just 16 games, all of them starts, throwing 82.2 innings and earning a 4-5 record with a 3.48 ERA in the process.  His season was cut short to just 96.2 innings due to injury and struck out 94 batters.

The Yankees believe that De La Rosa does have the stuff to be a starter but he could find himself moving to the bullpen to provide some relief.  If he does move to the bullpen Yankees fans could see him at some point in 2010.  As a player that was converted to pitcher he has had less time to develop then others but has stepped up to have success in the minors.  De La Rosa posses 3 pitches including a fastball that can get up to 96MPH but usually sits more in the low 90s, a curveball and a changeup.  He is likely to start the season in Double-A again as a member of the rotation but could earn himself a promotion to Scranton if he has the same success he has had in the past.
2010 Prediction: Double-A – Trenton Thunder

7.  Andrew Brackman – As a former two-sport athlete in college the towering Andrew Brackman never has been through the regular off-season training routine that typical pitchers went through, in addition sitting out a season due to Tommy John surgery he did not have his best stuff in 2009, but the Yankees still liked what they saw from his development.  Ending the season striking out 9 in 10 shutout innings in 4 appearances showed that the tall right-handed pitcher might be beginning to come together.  Overall his season was one of ups and downs, flashes of the reason why the Yankees drafted him showed however the expected struggles caused him to end the season with a 2-12 record and a 5.91 ERA.

Possessing a fastball, knuckle curveball and a changeup the big Andrew Brackman could be a future front of the rotation start if he is able to figure things out.  As an amateur he was touching triple-digits with his fastball but in his first professional season he was more in the 94-96 range.  As with all tall pitchers the key to his success will be if he could repeat his delivery and he will have the chance to work on that in Tampa with fellow tall right-hander Dellin Betances.
2010 Prediction: Class-A Advanced – Tampa Yankees

Tomorrow we will take a look at catcher John R Murphy and right-handed pitcher Zach McAllister.

Topics: Andrew Brackman, Batters, bullpen, Changeup, Charleston RiverDogs, Curveball, Delarosa, Fastball, Gulf Coast, Handed Pitcher, Ivan, Jeremy Bleich, New York Yankees, Pitches, Prospects, Relief Appearances, Right Fielder, Right Hander, Tampa Yankees, Trenton Thunder

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