Thrill of the Chase

The Yankees' rotation -- depleted by injuries to four starters -- got a boost yesterday when rookie Chase Wright beat the Indians in his first start above the AA level.

Of course, the Bronx Bombers' 10-run outburst -- including eight runs off newly re-signed starter Jake Westbrook -- didn't hurt the rookie's cause any. If the Yanks can keep piling up runs, they may actually survive for a while longer without Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Jeff Karstens.

The interesting question in all of this, though, is, "Why Chase Wright?" All year, we've heard the hype about the Yanks' young arms like Phil Hughes and Tyler Clippard. Why not them?

If you believe the party line, the decision was made strictly on performance to date this season. It is hard to argue with Wright's pitching line in his first two 2007 starts: 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, one walk and 19 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. But those innings were thrown for AA-Trenton, in a league decidedly short on Travis Hafners and Grady Sizemores. But believing the Yankee party line is not unlike putting faith in Bill Belichick's injury reports for the Patriots -- we're not taking Brian Cashman's word on this.

A far more reasonable scenario?

• The Yanks don't want to disrupt the development of Hughes and Clippard by bringing them to the majors for a spot start. When they arrive, they'll be in the Bronx to stay. Wang and Karstens should be available soon; Wright's spot in the rotation will be short-lived.
• When Hughes or Clippard do make their debuts, we expect Joe Torre and Brian Cashman will pick an opponent and date that's a little more auspicious. They'd much rather see their prized prospects debut against, say, the Pirates on a warm day in July than a brutal lineup like Hafner's Indians or Big Papi's Red Sox on a chilly night in April.

So sit tight a bit longer, fantasy owners. You'll get your chance to bid on the big prospects soon enough.

Originally published at About Baseball