Cito Culver Makes Pro Debut in Staten Island!

Staten Island, NYC– The top draft pick of the New York Yankees in 2010 has finally made his professional debut. He did it with the Staten Island Yankees on Friday against the Connecticut Tigers. Culver went 0-3 but he did score a run. After signing his contract in late June, the 17-year-old started his pro career with the Gulf Coast League Yankees. The Rochester, N.Y., native batted .269 with two homers and seven doubles for 18 RBI in 41 games before being promoted to Staten Island. Culver hit seventh in Friday night’s lineup and he flew out to left field in the second, grounded out to short in the fourth and flied out to right in the sixth. Culver then worked out a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth and scored on Casey Stevenson’s two-out single. Staten Island had the tying run at the plate, but Ramon Lebron struck out Rob Segedin for the game’s final out.

Eduardo Nunez In the Bronx!

2005

Bronx, NYC– In 2005 you could catch Eduardo Nunez playing third base for the Staten Island Yankees at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George with fellow current New York Yankee Brett Gardner. The Staten Island Yankees won the New York Penn-League Championship that season and it was part one of going back to back as they repeated their championship glory in the 2006 season. Nunez now joins Robinson Cano, the aforementioned Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli who have all spent time in Staten Island. I’m glad to see Eduardo in the Bronx and I sure hope John Sterling eventually learns how to correctly pronounce his name. Eduardo Nunez had his first Major League hit, RBI, and run scored yesterday and he followed it up today with his first major league double. Yesterday he played 3B for the injured Alex Rodriguez and today he played SS for Derek Jeter who was given most of today off due to the high scoring of the Yankees offense.

2010

2010 NYPL American League All-Stars

2010 NYPL All-Star Game

Sosa, Mojica, O'Brien, Claiborne, Whitley

Staten Island, NY– The Staten Island Yankees will be hosting next week’s NYPL All-Star game at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George and 5 Yankees have been selected to represent the American League. Along with skipper Josh Paul, Eduardo Sosa, Jose Mojica, Mikey O’Brien, Preston Claiborne and Chase Whitley will be among the participants. Sorry for the lack of posting lately but I have been very busy as of late. I have been tweeting about the SI Yankees from time to time on twitter.com/yanksyakkinblog. I will have an all-star game post after the game next Tuesday. Gates open at 3:00 pm, there will be a HR Derby at 4:00, autograph sessions for both teams and the game will begin at 7 pm.

R.I.P. GEORGE M. STEINBRENNER 1930-2010

The man, the myth, the legend, the boss. George Steinbrenner, owner of the greatest franchise in all of professional sports has died at the age of 80 today. The boss has owned the team since 1973 and has won 7 world series title with his most recent being in 2009 in the new stadium. His legacy will be remembered and the new Yankee Stadium is a staple of his legacy and all of the great things he did in those 80 years of his life. Click the link below for coverage on the boss courtesy of the New York Yankees.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/tributes/obit_steinbrenner_george.jsp

Tonight is the 81st MLB All-Star game from Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California. I am sure that a tribute to the boss will take place during the festivities tonight. Robinson Cano and the captain Derek Jeter will be starting for the AL and many other Yankees will be on the bench for manager Joe Girardi.

Yankees take game 3 from Cyclones behind strong pitching performance from Mike O’Brien

Manager Wally Backman (left) and Darrell Ceciliani (right)

Staten Island, NY– This was simply a pitcher’s duel. The final score was 2-1 and the Yankees have Mike O’Brien to thank for that. O’Brien gave the Yankees 7 innings while only giving up 1 run on just 2 hits and 4 strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. On top of that stellar pitching performance O’Brien can also field his position extremely well, a few come backers were hit his way and he made them all but one that hit off his foot and knocked his cleat off.  Preston Claiborne followed O’Brien out of the pen to pick up a hold and Chase Whitley came in to close out the top of the 9th. There were 3 errors in this game,2 committed by Staten Island, but the 1 error committed by the Cyclones was the straw that broke the camel’s back. On a bunt single the third baseman Jet Butler fielded the ball and threw it right over the first baseman’s head to allow the runner to get to third instead of second on what was intended to be a sacrifice. The play was scored a Sac Bunt and an E5. In the previous 2 games errors plagued the Yankees and led to their losses but the performance from O’Brien negated those errors today. If you remember the Yankees committed a lot of errors early last season as well but they still came back to win the championship. It is almost expected for them to have some chemistry errors considering this is the first time they have all been together as a team. Next Game: Monday June 21,2010 at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill,NY to take on the Hudson Valley Renegades (Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays).

Brooklyn
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Holliday, C LF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.143
Ceciliani, D CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.286
Vaughn DH	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.077
Flagg 1B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Brown 2B	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.100
Butler 3B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.400
Harris, R.J. RF	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	.333
Centeno C	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.143
Nieves SS	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Cuan P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pinera P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

BATTING
2B: Harris, R.J. (1, O’Brien).
TB: Harris, R.J. 2; Nieves.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Centeno 2; Flagg.
S: Holliday, C.
Team RISP: 0-for-3.
Team LOB: 3.

BASERUNNING
SB: Vaughn (1, 2nd base off O’Brien/Farnham, J).

FIELDING
E: Butler (1, throw).

Staten Island
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Brown, I LF	4	0	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	.500
Sosa CF	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.250
Urena, C 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	.222
Mahoney, K DH	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
De Leon RF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.083
Farnham, J C	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Mojica SS	4	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	.364
Lassiter 3B	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.333
Parache 2B	3	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	.333
O’Brien P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Claiborne P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Whitley P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

BATTING
2B: Brown, I 2 (2, Cuan, Cuan), Mojica (2, Cuan), Urena, C (2, Cuan), Parache (1, Pinera).
3B: Lassiter (1, Cuan).
TB: Brown, I 4; Urena, C 2; Mojica 3; Lassiter 3; Parache 2.
RBI: Brown, I (1), Parache (1).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Mahoney, K 3; Brown, I; Farnham, J.
S: Sosa; Lassiter.
Team RISP: 2-for-14.
Team LOB: 8.

FIELDING
E: Urena, C (1, throw), Mojica (4, fielding).

Brooklyn
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Cuan	6.0	5	1	1	0	1	0	1.50
Pinera (L, 0-1)	2.0	2	1	1	1	1	0	4.50

Staten Island
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
O’Brien (W, 1-0)	7.0	2	1	0	1	4	0	0.00
Claiborne (H, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Whitley (S, 1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00

IBB: Sosa (by Pinera).
HBP: Mahoney, K (by Cuan).
Groundouts-flyouts: Cuan 8-7, Pinera 4-1, O’Brien 11-3, Claiborne 2-0, Whitley 0-0.
Batters faced: Cuan 24, Pinera 10, O’Brien 25, Claiborne 3, Whitley 3.
Umpires: HP: Kiff Kinkade. 1B: Aaron Reynolds. 2B: . 3B: .
Weather: 90 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 1 mph, Varies.
T: 2:05.
Att: 7,171.

Yankees drop game 2 to Cyclones at MCU Park

Cyclones' left handed pitcher Chris Hilliard

Coney Island, Brooklyn, NYC– Chris Hilliard tossed six scoreless innings in the Cyclones’ home opener at MCU Park for their 10th season. Following Hilliard, Hunter Carnevale made his professional debut and pitched a scoreless seventh inning but gave up four runs without getting an out in the eighth. Nelson Pereira relieved Carnevale in the eighth and got out of the inning, and Johan Figuereo threw a perfect ninth to earn his first save.The Cyclones’ offense scored nine runs on nine hits, and registered nine RBI’s, while taking advantage of 5 Staten Island errors. Darrell Ceciliani,  Jet Butler and  Joe Bonfewere were the offensive force for Brooklyn,driving in two RBI and two hits each.  1B Jeff Flagg went 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base, bringing his average up to .429. SS Rylan Sandoval and C Taylor Freeman also drove in one RBI a piece.

Staten Island
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Stevenson 2B	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.111
Arcia C	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.125
Brown, S LF	3	1	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.286
Roller, K DH	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.222
De Leon RF	5	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	3	.125
Mahoney, K 3B	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	1.000
Mojica SS	4	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.286
Urena, C 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	.200
Sosa CF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	.333
Elam P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Barreda P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Gipson P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Forer P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

BATTING
2B: Urena, C (1, Hilliard).
TB: Brown, S 2; Roller, K; De Leon; Mahoney, K; Mojica; Urena, C 2.
RBI: Urena, C (1), De Leon (1), Mahoney, K 2 (2), Mojica (1).
2-out RBI: Urena, C.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Sosa; Mojica; Stevenson 2.
GIDP: Arcia.
Team RISP: 4-for-13.
Team LOB: 8.

BASERUNNING
SB: Mojica (1, 2nd base off Pereira/Freeman), Mahoney, K (1, 3rd base off Pereira/Freeman).

FIELDING
E: Arcia (1, throw), Elam (1, throw), Mojica 2 (3, fielding, throw), Stevenson (1, fielding).
Outfield assists: De Leon (Ceciliani, D at home).
DP: (De Leon-Arcia).

Brooklyn
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Butler 3B	3	1	2	0	0	0	2	2	1	.667
Ceciliani, D CF	5	1	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	.400
Vaughn RF	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.111
Flagg 1B	4	2	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	.375
Brown 2B	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	.143
Cherry LF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.143
Bonfe DH	4	1	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	.333
Freeman C	5	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	.000
Sandoval SS	2	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	.333
Hilliard P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Carnevale P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Pereira P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Figuereo P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

Staten Island
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Elam (L, 0-1)	3.2	3	5	1	4	3	0	2.45
Barreda	2.1	5	4	4	2	3	0	15.43
Gipson	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
Forer	1.0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0.00

Carnevale pitched to 5 batters in the 8th.

WP: Elam 2, Barreda.
HBP: Sandoval (by Elam), Mahoney, K (by Hilliard), Mahoney, K (by Hilliard), Mahoney, K (by Hilliard), Brown, S (by Figuereo).
Groundouts-flyouts: Elam 4-3, Barreda 2-1, Gipson 1-1, Forer 2-0, Hilliard 8-4, Carnevale 2-0, Pereira 0-1, Figuereo 0-1.
Batters faced: Elam 20, Barreda 15, Gipson 4, Forer 5, Hilliard 25, Carnevale 8, Pereira 4, Figuereo 4.
Inherited runners-scored: Barreda 2-0, Pereira 2-1.
Umpires: HP: Aaron Reynolds. 1B: Kiff Kinkade. 2B: . 3B: .
Weather: 84 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 22 mph, In from CF.
T: 3:09.
Att: 9,888.

Yankees lose Opener to Cyclones 5-3

Brooklyn Cyclones' pitcher Yohan Almonte

Staten Island, NY– In front of a sold out crowd of 7,171 fans the defending New York Penn League champions dropped their home opener to their rival Brooklyn Cyclones. The Cyclones starter Yohan Almonte picked up his first win of the season with 5 innings of work. Hamilton Bennet threw 2 innings and Mitch Houck threw 1 and a third one hit innings. Hocuk left the game with the bases loaded but Brian Needham came in to get the final out of the game. Cyclones pitchers allowed eight total hits and five walks, while striking out seven Yankees. The Cyclone offense was powered by CF Darrell Ceciliani, RF Cory Vaughn, and DH Will Cherry. Ceciliani had two hits and Vaughn and Cherry had two RBI each. Cherri singled in the third inning with the bases loaded to score Cecilani and Vaughn. In the 6th inning catcher Juan Centeno hit a one out single followed by a double off the bat of short stop Rylan Sandoval. With two outs and runners on second and third, Ceciliani had a bunt single that scored Centeno and tied the game.  Ceciliani then stole second base, and Vaughn singled to drive in the two runners and put Brooklyn ahead for good.

Brooklyn
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Holliday, C LF	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	.250
Ceciliani, D CF	5	2	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	.400
Vaughn RF	4	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	.250
Brown 2B	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.200
Flagg 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	.250
Cherry DH	4	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	.250
Bonfe, J 3B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	.000
Schroeder 3B	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Centeno C	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Sandoval SS	4	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Nieves SS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Almonte, Y P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bennett P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Houck P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Needham P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

BATTING
2B: Ceciliani, D (1, Greene, S), Flagg (1, Greene, S), Sandoval (1, Varce).
TB: Holliday, C; Ceciliani, D 3; Vaughn; Brown; Flagg 2; Cherry; Centeno; Sandoval 2.
RBI: Cherry 2 (2), Ceciliani, D (1), Vaughn 2 (2).
2-out RBI: Cherry 2; Ceciliani, D; Vaughn 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Brown; Sandoval; Centeno 2; Cherry.
Team RISP: 4-for-12.
Team LOB: 8.

BASERUNNING
SB: Ceciliani, D (1, 2nd base off Varce/Arcia).
CS: Holliday, C (1, 2nd base by Martinez, Ri/Arcia).

FIELDING
E: Ceciliani, D (1, throw), Centeno (1, catcher interference).
PB: Centeno (1).
DP: (Flagg-Sandoval-Bennett).

Staten Island
Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
Stevenson 2B	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	.250
Arcia C	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.250
Urena, C a- PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Brown, S LF	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Roller, K 1B	4	1	1	1	0	0	2	1	3	.250
Brown, I 1- PR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
De Leon RF	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000
Ferraro DH	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	.250
Mojica SS	3	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	.333
Lassiter 3B	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	.250
Sosa CF	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.667
Greene, S P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Claiborne P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Varce P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Martinez, Ri P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000

BATTING
2B: Roller, K (1, Almonte, Y), Stevenson (1, Almonte, Y), Mojica (1, Almonte, Y), Lassiter (1, Bennett).
TB: Stevenson 2; Arcia; Roller, K 2; Ferraro; Mojica 2; Lassiter 2; Sosa 2.
RBI: Roller, K 2 (2), Ferraro (1).
2-out RBI: Ferraro.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Arcia 3; De Leon 2.
GIDP: Stevenson.
Team RISP: 3-for-12.
Team LOB: 11.

FIELDING
E: Mojica (1, throw).

a-Struck out for Arcia in the 9th.
1-Ran for Roller, K in the 9th.

Brooklyn
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Almonte, Y (W, 1-0)	5.0	6	3	3	1	3	0	5.40
Bennett (H, 1)	2.0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0.00
Houck (H, 1)	1.2	1	0	0	3	3	0	0.00
Needham (S, 1)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00

Staten Island
Player	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Greene, S	4.2	4	2	2	3	3	0	3.86
Claiborne	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
Varce (BS, 1)(L, 0-1)	1.0	4	3	3	0	1	0	27.00
Martinez, Ri	3.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00

HBP: Stevenson (by Almonte, Y), Vaughn (by Greene, S).
Groundouts-flyouts: Almonte, Y 6-6, Bennett 3-1, Houck 2-0, Needham 1-0, Greene, S 9-1, Claiborne 1-0, Varce 2-0, Martinez, Ri 5-2.
Batters faced: Almonte, Y 24, Bennett 7, Houck 9, Needham 1, Greene, S 23, Claiborne 1, Varce 7, Martinez, Ri 9.
Inherited runners-scored: Needham 3-0, Claiborne 1-0.
Umpires: HP: Kiff Kinkade. 1B: Aaron Reynolds. 2B: . 3B: .
Weather: 80 degrees, clear.
Wind: 1 mph, Varies.
T: 2:55.
Att: 7,171.

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN! OPENING DAY 2010

(Staten Island Advance/Hilton Flores)

Staten Island, NY– This is most definitely my favorite time of the year. Yes I am a New York Yankee fan but this is my home town team and I am very passionate about them. The Yankees had their first workout as a team yesterday at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George with a new interim manager at the helm.  Last season’s manager Josh Paul is currently the bullpen coach for the New York Yankees while regular bullpen coach Mike Harkey is filling in for pitching coach Dave Eiland who formerly was the pitching coach for the Baby Bombers. Tomorrow the Yankees open their season and title defense at home against the rival Brooklyn Cylcones. Since the rosters just have not been released I currently do not have the probable pitchers for tomorrow’s match-up.

Follow me on Twitter for updates LIVE from the Richmond County Bank Ballpark tomorrow night! http://www.Twitter.com/YanksYakkinBlog

I will keep you updated for EVERY home game of the 2010 season.

SELECT STATEN ISLAND YANKEES INVITED TO 2010 SPRING TRAINING

Higashioka is a non roster invite to 2010 spring training

There are a total of 20 Non-Roster invites to 2010 Spring Training for the Yankees including OF Marcus Thames.

LHP Wilkins Arias, 29, spent the 2009 season with Double-A Trenton, going 5-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 48 appearances (two starts) and holding left-handed batters to a .183 (20-for-109) batting average with one home run. Arias was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in June 2005.

LHP Jeremy Bleich, 22, combined to go 9-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 27 starts with Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton in 2009. Bleich enters the 2010 season ranked by Baseball America as the organization’s ninth-best prospect after recording the fifth-most strikeouts (116) among all Yankees minor leaguers in 2009. The Louisiana native was originally selected by the Yankees in Compensation Round A (44th overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

OF Colin Curtis, 24, appeared in 126 games with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2009, combining to bat .250 with seven home runs, 48 RBI and a career-high 24 doubles. Curtis was originally selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft out of Arizona State University.

RHP Grant Duff, 27, combined to go 4-3 with two saves and a 3.52 ERA in 45 appearances (one start) with Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton in 2009. The right-hander was selected by the Yankees in the 31st round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif.

OF Reid Gorecki, 29, saw his first Major League action in 2009, batting .200 in 31 games with Atlanta. Also spent time with Triple-A Gwinnett, batting .286 with 27 doubles, nine home runs and 49 RBI in 106 games, setting a career high in doubles. Gorecki was originally selected by St. Louis in the 13th round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

C Kyle Higashioka, 19, batted .253 with 11 doubles, two home runs and 32 RBI in 60 games with short-season Single-A Staten Island in 2009, leading all New York-Penn League catchers in games caught (57), total chances (497) and putouts (451). His 25.3 percent caught stealing rate (19-for-75) ranked fifth in the league. Originally selected by the Yankees in the seventh round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Higashioka will be the youngest player in the team’s spring training camp.

RHP Jason Hirsh, 27, owns an 8-11 career record with a 5.32 ERA in 32 appearances (29 starts) over parts of three Major League seasons with Houston (2006) and Colorado (2007-08). In 2009, he combined to go 10-7 with a 5.55 ERA in 26 appearances (22 starts) with Triple-A Colorado Springs and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Following a mid-season trade to the Yankees on July 29, 2009, he went undefeated in six starts with Scranton/WB, going 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA. Hirsh was originally selected by Houston in the second round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.

LHP Kei Igawa, 30, led Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in both wins and games started, going 10-8 with a 4.15 ERA in 26 starts. With 29 career wins at the Triple-A level, the lefthander now holds the record for most victories in Scranton/WB history. Igawa was originally acquired by the Yankees through the Japanese posting process in November 2007 and owns a 2-4 record with a 6.66 ERA in 16 Major League games (13 starts).

RHP Zach McAllister, 22, went 7-5 with an Eastern League-leading 2.23 ERA in 22 starts with Double-A Trenton in 2009, ranking second among Yankees minor leaguers in ERA. Originally selected by the Yankees in the third round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, he enters 2010 ranked by Baseball America as the Yankees’ fifth-best prospect and as having the “Best Control” in the organization.

C Jesus Montero, 20, combined to bat .337 with 45 runs, 25 doubles, 17 home runs and 70 RBI in 92 games with Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton in 2009, ranking fourth among all Yankees minor leaguers in home runs. Named to the midseason All-Star teams with both Tampa and Trenton, he had his season cut short when he was hit by a pitch while behind the plate on 8/1, fracturing his middle finger. Originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in October 2006, the Venezuela native, played for the World Team in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium. He enters the 2010 season ranked by Baseball America as the Yankees’ top prospect and the fifth-best prospect in all of Baseball (top catcher).

C P.J. Pilittere, 28, combined to hit .220 with one home run and 17 RBI in 55 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Double-A Trenton in 2009. Originally selected by the Yankees in the 13th round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Pilittere will be making his fourth straight spring training appearance after receiving non-roster invitations each year since 2007.

LHP Royce Ring, 29, spent the 2009 season with Triple-A Memphis, going 5-2 with four saves and a 3.04 ERA in 51 relief outings. In 94 relief appearances, he owns a 3-3 record with a 4.93 ERA over parts of four Major League seasons with the Mets (2005-06), San Diego (2007) and Atlanta (2007-08), holding left-handed batters to a .229 (30-for-131) batting average. Ring was originally selected by Chicago-AL as the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

C Mike Rivera, 33, owns a .244 (129-for-528) career batting average with 13 home runs and 69 RBI in 181 Major League games over parts of seven seasons with Detroit (2001-02), San Diego (2003) and Milwaukee (2006-09). He hit .228 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 41 games with the Brewers in 2009, making 31 starts at catcher. Rivera was originally signed by the Detroit Tigers as a non-drafted free agent in 1997.

C Austin Romine, 21, was selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of El Toro High School in California and will be making his third consecutive appearance as a spring training non-roster invitee. He batted .276 with 61 runs, 28 doubles, 13 home runs and 72 RBI in 118 games with Single-A Tampa in 2009, tying his career high in hits and establishing career highs in doubles and RBI. Following the season, Romine was tabbed by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the Yankees organization. He was selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

RHP Amaury Sanit, 30, went 1-5 with 10 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 44 combined relief outings with Single-A Tampa, Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2009. Sanit was originally signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent in August 2008.

RHP Zack Segovia, 26, went 1-0 with a 7.84 ERA in eight relief appearances with the Washington Nationals in 2009. He also saw time at the minor league level, combining to go 3-5 with six saves and a 3.24 ERA in 51 appearances (three starts) with Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. Segovia was originally selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft.

OF Jon Weber, 31, hit .302 with 14 home runs and 69 RBI in 117 games with Triple-A Durham in 2009, leading the team in hits (136) and doubles (46) and ranking third in runs scored (63) and RBI. Originally signed by Cincinnati as a non-drafted free agent in 1999, Weber spent the last two seasons in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

RHP Kevin Whelan, 26, combined to go 4-0 with three saves and a 2.67 ERA in 44 relief appearances with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2009, allowing just one home run in 67.1 IP. Whelan was acquired by the Yankees with RHPs Humberto Sanchez and Anthony Claggett from Detroit in exchange for OF Gary Sheffield in November 2006. He was originally drafted by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.

OF David Winfree, 24, batted .273 with 48 runs, 14 home runs, 61 RBI and a career-high-tying 31 doubles in 116 games with Triple-A Rochester in 2009, leading the team in doubles, ranking second in home runs and RBI and third in hits. Winfree was originally selected by the Twins in the 13th round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.