We will never forget the “house that Ruth built,” a place that has been host to so many great moments, both baseball and history related. From the rise of baseball to three papal visits to George Bush’s opening pitch shortly after the September 11th attacks, the stadium has been more than just a place. It has been spirit. It has been life. It has been the world. The stadium is more than a building, it is a symbol.

First it was Hank giving up on the team, then it was Gerritt Cole going to UCLA instead of signing with the Bombers, and now it is the still injury-plagued Yanks sitting 6 games behind the Red Sox for the wildcard with huge holes in the rotation. I am an optimist, so I haven’t given up just yet, but things aren’t looking the best at the moment.

And with that the Yankees are left with the same hole in the rotation that we had prior to Chamberlain’s injury. Who will take the spot is still uncertain as there really aren’t any great options left. In place of Kennedy, the Yankees called up Billy Traber to help out the exhausted bullpen, so again the rotation seems to be one short. Darrell Rasner may jump back in after making a few starts earlier this season, but he hasn’t been playing very well lately. If it isn’t Rasner, then it will probably be, gulp, Kei Igawa or Carl Pavano. Sadly, that is the state our pitching staff is currently in.

On the bright side, Chamberlain is scheduled to start a throwing program this Wednesday as he eagerly anticipates returning to the team that needs him so much. Hideki Matsui is also getting better, as he ran the bases today. Let’s just hope we can stay alive before these two can get in and give us the boost we so severly need. Stay tuned to this blog for more information on who the starter for Wednesday will be. Anyone have any suggestions that haven’t already been thrown out?

Samuel Mende, a shortstop from Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Florida was selected in the 40th round by the Yankees, as the 1220th overall picked. Mende, who turned 18 in January is a 6’1, 166lbs. right-handed middle infielder. He was named to the first team All State Baseball team for 3A players as a middle infielder. His high school squad at CCHS finished the 2008 season with a final record of 26-4.

Mende does not have a ton of power, but he seems to hit the ball well. His expertise is really on the other side of the ball though, where some may call him a “wizard” of the glove. It’s always nice to have a reliable middle infielder and that is exactly what Mende can bring to the club. He has been signed for the league minimum of $400,000.

In the 43rd round of the draft the Yankees selected Matthew Summers, a right-handed pitcher out of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is listed at 6’1, 195lbs and turns 19 years old in August. He has shown tremendous work ethic and that should serve him well as he tries to prove himself at a young age. Currently, Summers has also signed with the Yankees for the minimum of $400,000/year.

This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.

For the Yankees this is devastating news, as we really needed him to do well in place of Joba. Hopefully this was just a one night thing, but looking at Kennedy’s performances thus far this year, we can’t count on it. Currently, we are still in third place, but are now 7 games behind Tampa. With the season flying by, we really need to pick it up and start winning soon if we want to make the playoffs. Joba did tell reporters recently that he plans on being back later this month, but until then we really need Rasner, Kennedy, and Ponson to pretty well as a unit.

Even after the outcome of this season is decided, the Kennedy question will still exists (unless he is able to make a quick turnaround of course.) How long will it be until we see IPK develop into a major league pitcher?

The Yankees, as always, didn’t give up as they continued to stay in it with the likes of Darrell Rasner, Dan Giese, and Sidney Ponson stepping up when needed. Brian Cashman responded with a couple of deadline moves, bringing in good replacements for Posada and Matsui with Ivan Rodriguez and Xavier Nady as well as extra bullpen help in Damaso Marte. Yet, the injury bug still didn’t care. It has bit again and Pudge is now out, again leaving the Yanks without a good-hitting catcher. Joba has also been struck, having been placed on the 15-day deal and putting even more pressure on the iffy rotation.

Yet, the Yankees will continue on. We really have no other choice. Andy Pettitte will likely continue to play consistently and Mike Mussina looks like he can keep this up. But, after that it’s still a mess. Perhaps Sidney Ponson will be able to keep up this run, but it’ll have to be something we hold our breath with. Same goes for Giese and whoever the other starter will end up being (for now its Kennedy, but I don’t know how long that will last; hopefully he can surprise us.) Let’s just hope that this group can keep us in it until Joba comes back, if he does this season.

As for the future of this blog, I will do my best to post more consistently. I don’t know about preview posts for every game, but the big news (and analysis) will certainly be covered here. The previews aren’t really anything special since tons of sites and major sports hubs do them anyway. As the blog moves forward I will focus more on analysis and speculation, as well as covering the often overlooked parts of the Yankee universe, such as more on prospects. Things should pick up again shortly and I really hope you guys stick around. If you have any suggestions or comments, I would love to hear them via comments or the contact form.

First off I want to say that Cashman hasn’t sold out. He is still sticking by our young prospects and the fact that we still have Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes shows that. This move does send away prospects, but without them the farm system is far from depleted. We still have good depth at their positions and it really shouldn’t be a big hit. Add that with the fact that Nady and Marte are in their prime and not on the downhill just yet, and this move makes a lot of sense for us.

The prospects we will part with are Jose Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Phil Coke, and George Kontos. Kontos and Coke aren’t likely to become anything special, although Tabata and Ohlendorf certainly seem to have a future. Tabata is considered one of the best athletes in the organization, but he is an outfielder, a position that we have a huge abundance at. Add that with the fact that he is struggling this year and that Nady is also an outfielder, and it doesn’t seem that bad to let him go. Nady will be a great addition to the squad, as he will certainly help the struggling lineup. He bats right-handed as well, which is a big plus since most of our bats are lefties at the moment. He will also be some good insurance should we choose to let Abreu walk next year.

Ross Ohlendorf showed some good potential this year, but the Yankees have a lot of good arms in the farm system, but most just aren’t ready yet. Marte gives us someone who can help the team right now, in a bullpen that will welcome him. With a cohort of young pitchers and the extensive resources we have, I am not too worried about our pitching situation in the future.

So, that’s basically what the trade is all about. Of course everyone won’t agree with my views, but I believe that letting go of these prospects was worth it, especially considering what we got in return and what we have left. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about keeping a strong farm system, but sometimes you just have to let some guys go if you want to win in the present (if we did a deal like IPK for Fuentes, as the Rockies are supposedly seeking, then I would be 100% against it, but looking at who we lost and who we got, it certainly isn’t bad.) Although the 2008 Yankees have received a lot of scrutiny this year with predictions that we wouldn’t make it in the ultra-competitive AL East, I think that we do still have a chance and I am glad to know that the organization feels similarly.

Update: Instead of George Kontos and Phil Coke, the Pirates will be receiving Dan McCutchen and Jeff Karstens. Apparently they had a choice of two players out of a pool of several (including Kontos and Coke) and decided to go with Karstens and McCutchen. It really isn’t that big a deal because none of them are anywhere near big prospects and chances are none of them will have a big impact in the future.

Erik Lovett, a first baseman and outfielder from Mount Olive College was selected by the New York Yankees in the 2008 MLB draft. Lovett, who will turn 23 in August is a 6’1, 220lbs. lefthander.

As a junior, Erik played in all 64 of Mount Olive’s games. He hit .371, with 28 doubles, 18 homeruns, and 77 RBI’s. His walk to strikeout ratio was 52:44. In the field Erik split time between first base and outfield. His fielding percentage for the 2008 season was .990. We see Erik best served as a first basemen. If he continues to develop, he could have a serious career in the big leagues.

In the 50th round (1502nd overall) of the 2008 MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected Nikolas Turley, a southpaw out of Harvard- Westlake High School in La Canada, California. He turns 19 years old on September 11th and is a 6’3, 210lbs lefthander.

At Harvard-Westlake, Nikolas led his squad to a 14-13 record his senior season after going 13-12 his junior year. As the last pick, it would appear Turley has a lot of work to do to improve his mound presence, but that is nothing a little collegiate baseball can’t help solve. It will be interesting to track Turley’s performances from here on out, especially as we (and scouts) track his progress on whether or not he is MLB material.

This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.