but the Yankee coaches refined it
I've read this many times in your prospects profiles. How would you rank the Yankees pitching developing in its farm system? Do they have good coaches/teachers? Are they capable of handling someone like Huge or turn a good stuff pitcher into a great pitcher?
What can we expect from them in comparisson to other team's?
Couple of things -
1. The Yankees have adopted a strategy in their drafting. They have sunk a lot of money into improving their scouting of college and high school pitching. They have been trying to find underrated talent in the late rounds of the drafts. One tactic that they have used successfully is to find pitchers who have not succeeded due to flawed mechanics.
2. Yankee coaches in the past have had difficult fixing starting pitchers enough to keep them starting. They have been successful at converting failed starters to relief pitching (Matt Smith, T.J. Beam), but actually teaching starters how to throw different pitches has not been a strength.
3. Nardi Contreras, who signed on prior to the 2005 season, has certainly done a great job as the Yankee pitching coordinator. He put Phil Hughes on an excellent plan, canning his Slider in favor of a curveball and forcing a changeup. Since he signed on, no major Yankee farmhand has gone down with an arm injury (Henn, White, Hoover and Abreu all suffered terrible arm problems before Contreras)
4. There is still uncertainty in the coaching staff of the Yankee minor league system. Besides Wang, we are still trying to develop a major league starter. Wang is a special case however. Neil Allen taught Wang his sinker, which Wang combined with his velocity and control into a unique pitching style. Allen is no longer with the organization.
5. Phil Hughes is a strange case. He is just so gifted. Even though he was well coached, you have to give Hughes the credit for the incredible development of his curveball and changeup. He didn't have either pitch one year ago, and now his curve is possibly the best in the minors.
To continue this conversation:
1.They have been trying to find underrated talent in the late rounds of the drafts.
They got Betances and Melancon in rounds 8 and 9. That's very good.
2. Yankee coaches in the past have had difficult fixing starting pitchers enough to keep them starting.
Is this a problem of the Yankee coaches or the result of the product they had to work with? (via the draft)
3.There is still uncertainty in the coaching staff of the Yankee minor league system.
We have to give Contreras and new guys on board at least two to three more years to prove themselves. It's going to be interesting how guys like Clippard, Joba and Ian Kennedy develop.
Can we say that 2004-2005 marks a new era in the farm system and the pitching developing program? If that's true, we have to give Wang to the old guard and Huge and others to the new guys.
1. I wasn't really refering to Betances and Melancon in that regard. Those guys are a second kind of steal - the kind that the Yankees specialize in. Those two plus Austin Jackson and Dave Robertson were tough-signs that the Yankees tossed bonuses of 500k+ at. I was more refering to the Kontos/Norton/McCutchen/Horne type pitchers. These pitchers have massive talent but some sort of correctable flaw that the Yankees pinpoint and decent to try and fix. For Kontos, it was nibbling against wooden bats. For Horne, it was arm problems. For Norton, it was (and still is) secondary pitches.
2. Well, it was both. Drafting before Oppenheimer was terrible. The Yankees primarily drafted strong athletes as position players and not strong baseball players. This is the kind of drafting strategy that ruined many a farm system (And the reason why Oakland/Boston/Toronto/Dodgers are all enjoying their prospects right now). The Yankees adjusted (probably thanks to increasing Cashman control) and adopted a college/statistics-based drafting strategy.
But in terms of the actual talent, especially on the pitching side, the Yankee coaches certainly pushed them a little too hard. The overall Yankee strategy was not to develop future NYY pitchers, but to create trade bait for the future. Guys like Wang, White, Abreu, Hoover and Henn all showed flashy velocity, only to meet their starlight promotions with surgery.
2004-2005 certainly marks the begining of a new era. Oppenheimer is the best director that we have had since Stick Michael found Jeter, Williams, Rivera, Pettitte, and Posada way back when. The organizational philosophy of the Yankees has become more patient and more attentive toward prospects.
And finally, the Latin-American scouting of the Yankee system is unrivaled. They own a facility in the D.R. which dwarfs facilities shared by multiple teams. Cano and Melky came in under the new regime, but a class of Latin Americans featuring cheap signs like Angel Reyes, Carlos Urena, Francisco Castillo and Marcos Vechinacci, plus expensive signings like Tabata and Montero add up to almost a second draft.
Thanks for all the information.
And finally, the Latin-American scouting of the Yankee system is unrivaled.
This is where the Yanks should rule by far above everybody else, as money does the talking. With the great talent coming from Latin America, th eYanks should be able to sign 50% of the top teir prospects, and asume the risk of doing it. I prefer them to give $15 mill to 10 contracts every year with young and promising talents, than paying that amount to one old free agent.
Thanks for reading 
Try comparing Kontos to Tim Norton, the next best pitcher in the majors. He's super-talented, driven and all doubters can grab a beer, take a seat in the stands, sit back and watch him pitch his way to the top.
Kontos is looking like a steal. Classic fastball/slider type. Need that change to come through, then look out. The Yanks won a lot of WS's in the 40's and 50's with rigthy power pitchers just like Kontos.
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