Friday, December 16, 2005
Cabrera impresses in winter ball
12/16/2005
Melky Cabrera continues to impress with his performance in the Dominican Republic this winter, showing the Yankees that he has a bright future.
Cabrera, a 21-year-old Dominican, is playing for Las Aguilas Cibaeñas this winter. Cabrera is hitting .298 (25-for-84) with six doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs, five stolen bases and an impressive .375 on-base percentage through the first 31 games of the season.
Cabrera has walked 11 times and struck out nine times, a great improvement from his 37 walks and 87 strikeouts in 132 games with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Columbus in 2005.
"He's swinging the bat really well down in the Dominican right now," said general manager Brian Cashman at the Winter Meetings. "He's a talented guy."
In 106 games with Trenton, Cabrera hit .275 with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs, stealing 11 bases and doubling 22 times. In 26 games with Columbus, Cabrera hit .248 with three homers, 17 RBIs and two steals.
Last July, the Yankees called up Cabrera from the Minors to give him a shot as the center fielder, but he struggled at the plate and in the field, looking nervous and overmatched. Cabrera hit .211 (4-for-19) with no RBIs during his stint in the Majors before being sent back down.
Although Cabrera's name has not been mentioned with regards to the center field job in the Bronx this year, it was an impressive winter in the Dominican and a solid showing at Spring Training that helped Robinson Cano open the Yankees' eyes last year, so anything is possible.
"If you asked me last December if Cano was going to do what he did, I couldn't have answered," said Cashman. "Because of Cano, there's some guy that could come from nowhere in our system. Melky Cabrera, Kevin Thompson, who knows?"
Also playing for Las Aguilas is infielder Caonabo Cosme, who played shortstop for Columbus for 62 games in 2005. Cosme is hitting .316 in 19 at-bats for Las Aguilas, scoring a pair of runs and driving in one.
In 211 at-bats for the Clippers, Cosme hit .265 with six home runs and 24 RBIs. He also stole five bases, doubled 13 times and tripled once.
Rudy Guillen, who hit .260 in 100 games with Class A Tampa in 2005, is playing for Leones del Escogido this winter. Guillen has had just 19 at-bats, posting a .273 average.
Guillen hit six homers, drove in 39 runs and stole 10 bases with Tampa this year, scoring 51 runs. In 28 games with Trenton, Guillen hit .257 (28-for-109) with two homers and eight RBIs.
Two pitchers from the Yankees' system also are honing their skills in the Dominican: Jorge De Paula and Elvys Quezada.
De Paula is pitching for Escogido, posting a 3.12 ERA in five games. In 17 1/3 innings, De Paula has held opponents to a .246 average, striking out 11 while walking five. The right-hander came back last year from Tommy John surgery to pitch 25 games in the Minors and three with the Yankees.
De Paula was 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) with Columbus. He struck out 90 batters in 116 innings. In his three relief appearances with the Yankees, De Paula posted an 8.10 ERA in 6 2/3 innings.
Quezada has appeared in four games for Las Aguilas, posting a 2.84 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Quezada has allowed nine hits and two walks, striking out five.
In 19 games (four starts) with Class A Tampa, Quezada went 4-1 with one save and a 5.94 ERA. Quezada also pitched 16 games (one start) for Class A Charleston, going 1-1 with a 1.95 ERA. In 79 1/3 innings for the two teams, Quezada struck out 87 batters.
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
Melky Cabrera continues to impress with his performance in the Dominican Republic this winter, showing the Yankees that he has a bright future.
Cabrera, a 21-year-old Dominican, is playing for Las Aguilas Cibaeñas this winter. Cabrera is hitting .298 (25-for-84) with six doubles, one triple, 11 RBIs, five stolen bases and an impressive .375 on-base percentage through the first 31 games of the season.
Cabrera has walked 11 times and struck out nine times, a great improvement from his 37 walks and 87 strikeouts in 132 games with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Columbus in 2005.
"He's swinging the bat really well down in the Dominican right now," said general manager Brian Cashman at the Winter Meetings. "He's a talented guy."
In 106 games with Trenton, Cabrera hit .275 with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs, stealing 11 bases and doubling 22 times. In 26 games with Columbus, Cabrera hit .248 with three homers, 17 RBIs and two steals.
Last July, the Yankees called up Cabrera from the Minors to give him a shot as the center fielder, but he struggled at the plate and in the field, looking nervous and overmatched. Cabrera hit .211 (4-for-19) with no RBIs during his stint in the Majors before being sent back down.
Although Cabrera's name has not been mentioned with regards to the center field job in the Bronx this year, it was an impressive winter in the Dominican and a solid showing at Spring Training that helped Robinson Cano open the Yankees' eyes last year, so anything is possible.
"If you asked me last December if Cano was going to do what he did, I couldn't have answered," said Cashman. "Because of Cano, there's some guy that could come from nowhere in our system. Melky Cabrera, Kevin Thompson, who knows?"
Also playing for Las Aguilas is infielder Caonabo Cosme, who played shortstop for Columbus for 62 games in 2005. Cosme is hitting .316 in 19 at-bats for Las Aguilas, scoring a pair of runs and driving in one.
In 211 at-bats for the Clippers, Cosme hit .265 with six home runs and 24 RBIs. He also stole five bases, doubled 13 times and tripled once.
Rudy Guillen, who hit .260 in 100 games with Class A Tampa in 2005, is playing for Leones del Escogido this winter. Guillen has had just 19 at-bats, posting a .273 average.
Guillen hit six homers, drove in 39 runs and stole 10 bases with Tampa this year, scoring 51 runs. In 28 games with Trenton, Guillen hit .257 (28-for-109) with two homers and eight RBIs.
Two pitchers from the Yankees' system also are honing their skills in the Dominican: Jorge De Paula and Elvys Quezada.
De Paula is pitching for Escogido, posting a 3.12 ERA in five games. In 17 1/3 innings, De Paula has held opponents to a .246 average, striking out 11 while walking five. The right-hander came back last year from Tommy John surgery to pitch 25 games in the Minors and three with the Yankees.
De Paula was 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) with Columbus. He struck out 90 batters in 116 innings. In his three relief appearances with the Yankees, De Paula posted an 8.10 ERA in 6 2/3 innings.
Quezada has appeared in four games for Las Aguilas, posting a 2.84 ERA in 6 1/3 innings. Quezada has allowed nine hits and two walks, striking out five.
In 19 games (four starts) with Class A Tampa, Quezada went 4-1 with one save and a 5.94 ERA. Quezada also pitched 16 games (one start) for Class A Charleston, going 1-1 with a 1.95 ERA. In 79 1/3 innings for the two teams, Quezada struck out 87 batters.
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
