Yankees MiLB News: SWB Year in Review

What Yankees fans really learned this season is the unfortunate truth that there is little to offer in the starting pitching department at the Triple-A level. No single starting pitcher on the RailRiders with more than ten starts had an ERA under 4.45, with Matt Tracy leading the way at that mark. Unfortunately, Tracy’s team-best ERA led to an unspectacular 1-6 record. That was the kind of year it was for starting pitching in SWB.

The bullpen was seemingly a disaster as well. Coming into 2014, the Yankees hyped (or in hind-sight overhyped) the near major league ready arms of Mark Montgomery and Danny Burawa. Both were expected to have an outside shot at pitching in pinstripes this season, yet neither finished the season at Triple-A, with both landing on the Thunder’s roster for the better part of the second half of the season. Burawa showed little control, walking 26 in 42.1 innings with SWB to register a 1.72 WHIP. Montgomery wasn’t awful, but he proved he still needs more work before he’s ready for a promotion.

Even Shane Greene who has had some brilliant starts in the majors, was moderately decent at SWB. He was terribly inconsistent, getting blasted in one start and being great in the next. He was promoted amid one of his scoreless hot steaks, and since being in the bigs, has showed that inconsistency from start to start that he has always been known for in the minors. Bryan Mitchell showed a lot of promise. He went 4-2 over 8 starts with a 3.67 ERA and has earned a September call-up. That being said, Mitchell doesn’t pan out to be more than a fifth starter for a major league career.

Miley has a lot to look forward to in 2015. Manny Banuelos will anchor his staff and he will see Luis Severino sooner than later. Ian Clarkin could rise fast as well. Smaller names, like Caleb Smith and Jaron Long, will need a boost to Triple-A at some point to see what they are really made of, and this would give Miley the most he has had to work with in a few seasons.