Buhner Dot Com Est. 2000, which is like 1947 in Internet years.

A quick Clipper look

Being a Yankee fan, why not look at two guys tearing it up for AAA Columbus right now?

OF Mitch Jones - Jones seems to be more out of the "corner outfielder/first baseman" mold. He hit 39 home runs at AA Trenton last season. Why is he not on the prospect radar? Well, Jones is 27 years old, and those 39 home runs were sandwiched around a .246 batting average. Jones admittedly got a slow jump having spent time at Arizona State and not starting his pro career at the age of 22, despite having been drafted four times (Texas in '97, Baltimore in '98 and '99, and the Yankees in 2000).

Jones has never hit for average since leaving Arizona State, and spent part of three seasons in A ball until finally getting called up to AA Norwich in 2002, where he spent another three seasons (in Norwich and Trenton, where the Yankees moved their AA franchise). While Jones increased his home run total at Trenton from 23 to 39 last season, his strikeouts increased as well - from 131 to 152, an alarming number at AA. So far at AAA, Mitch is slugging an amazing .898 with six home runs in 15 games (to go with a .424 batting average), but the strikeouts are still there - 18.

P Colter Bean - Ok, Colter I don't understand. I know you don't generally draft players to be middle relievers. Most middle relievers or set-up-men (finger quotes) are converted starters who couldn't make it as a starter, whether it be that they were ineffective as a starter or that they didn't have the stamina to last. Mariano Rivera was a failed starter, so was Eric Gagne.

Colter only started two games during his four years at Arizona State. He's definitely a relief guy. That being said, he's already proven himself in the Yankees organization. He's old for a "prospect" (he's 28), but he's only spent 4 1/2 seasons in the minors (starting at 23 after four years at Auburn), and when you're dealing with relievers, "prospect" isn't really even a consideration. But what's to stop a team from playing him?

Here's Colter's statistics from last season: 9-3, 2.29 ERA, 82.2 IP, 61 H, 23 BB, 109 K
This season - no different: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 14 K

Boston plucked Bean (pun not intended) away from the Yankees via Rule 5 last season, but returned him. Since then, Bean has stayed in Columbus and pitched lights-out for the Clippers. He's not closing in Columbus, but that's pretty much the only concern someone might have (can he take pressure situations?)

The Yankees right handed bullpen looks like this: Tom Gordon, Steve Karsay, Paul Quantrill, Mariano Rivera, and Felix Rodriguez. One injury to any of these players could see Bean come up, but there is a strong enough investment in all of these players that the Yankees aren't going to cut one to bring up Bean. The 2006 season may be Bean's time, as all those pitchers (except Rivera) are in the final year of their contracts. Considering Gordon and Quantrill's ages and Karsay's injury history, there's sure to be a different looking bullpen in New York in 2006.

But that doesn't stop me from wanting to see Colter now. It's too enticing.