MY BASEBALL BIAS

With pitchers and catchers reporting to Tampa in 10 more days, I thought we’d take a daily look at all 26 non-roster invitees in alphabetical order. If all goes according to plan, we’ll wrap up this series on February 13th with infielder Marcos Vechionacci, one day before Yankee camp officially opens.

One word of caution - I do not claim to be a scout. Most of my sourcing will come from various interviews, profiles, videos and looking at statistics. The series is meant to be a learning tool as we prep for the opening of Spring Training. I invite all of you to add to the discussion in the comments section, post links on said player or, if you have a story, feel free to share it.

Will he end up a rotation or bullpen guy…

DANIEL McCUTCHEN

Position: RHP
Born: September 26, 1982 - McKinney, Texas
Height: 6-1
Weight: 195
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
High School: Norman (Norman,OK)
College: University of Oklahoma

2008 Prospect Rankings:

• Ranked as a C+ prospect (#10) by John Sickels
• Ranked 14th in the Yankee system by Baseball America
• Ranked 14th by Pinstripes Plus
• Not ranked by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus

Statistics

Complete Minor League Stats

Background

McCutchen was drafted by the Yankees in the 3th Round (404th overall) of the 2006 amateur entry draft (June-Reg). After a rough start to his career with a 50 game drug suspension by MLB in 2006, McCutchen has bounced back to become one of the top pitching prospects in the system. There’s still a debate as to whether he’ll end up as a starter or in the bullpen, but he has the tools to excel in either role.

Scouting Report

I think McCutchen has a shot at being a real star. He currently has three pitches in his arsenal - a fastball, changeup and curveball. His two-seam fastball has sink to it and sits consistently between 90-94. He also throws a riding four-seamer that can top out at 96. McCutchen can throw both his curveball and changeup in any count which shows the confidence he has in his off-speed offerings. He’s very intense on the mound and works fast, but has great control and doesn’t walk many batters. He attacks the strike zone and keeps hitters off balance. He also keeps himself in very good shape and feeds off of his emotions which many in the organization feel would benefit him well in a relief/set-up role. His career numbers of a 2.41 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and only 39 walks to 133 strikeouts in 172.0 innings are extremely impressive.

Projection and Outlook

Having ended the season at Double-A where pitched only 41 innings, I would expect the Yankees will send McCutchen back to Trenton for at least the first half of the season. A bump to Triple-A in June followed by a trip to the 40-man roster in September is not out of the question based on his development. By 2009, however, I think McCutchen could play a significant role on the big league roster. He’s one of the top guys in the system who’s development should be watched very closely.

Below are profiles I’ve already completed in case you missed one or all of them:

All non-roster invitee profiles are available in the sidebar as well.

NEXT UP: Mark Melancon, RHP