I attended today’s final regular season Trenton Thunder game between the AA Yankees and the Connecticut Defenders, the AA affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Today’s game was significant as it featured the first Double A appearances for Yankee pitchers Humberto Sanchez and Christian Garcia. Sanchez was the featured player received from the Detroit Tigers in the Gary Sheffield trade, while Garcia, a 3rd round pick in 2004 has been injured most of his career. If not for the injuries, Garcia, a ground ball and strikeout machine, would likely be knocking on the door of the majors - if not already there - his stuff is that good.

Both are coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2007.

Sanchez started the game and Garcia was scheduled to begin the second inning. Sanchez threw strikes and gave up a run in the first inning, as he gave up a two out, run scoring double to former major leaguer catcher Eliezer Alfonzo. Met fans may remember Alfonzo, former Met Edgar Alfonzo’s cousin, as he hit a 2 run homer versus Mets on June 30, 2006 for his first major league hit.

I found it interesting that after Sanchez gave up a leadoff double, the Defenders decided to bunt the runner over to third. Perhaps they didn’t believe they were going to get much off of Garcia.

Garcia began the second inning and if he had any butterflies they were immediately released as the first batter hit a rocket comebacker that Garcia snared. If Garcia did not get his glove on the ball, it might have been the only batter he faced today; especially the way the Yankees protect their pitchers.

Garcia’s line of 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K’s, 6 BB’s does not appear great, but is not indicative of his true body of work. He did not give up a run until his sixth inning of work - his longest outing of the season. He loaded the bases in his second and last innings of work, but in between retired 11 of 12 batters he faced.

When Garcia loaded the bases in the third inning, he struck out Alfonzo and got the next batter to ground into a 1-2-3 double play. The strikeout of Alfonzo was on a high fastball, preceded by two good, low curveballs. It was a nice setup of the former major leaguer, and Garcia also struck Alfonzo again in his next at bat.

During the 7th, Garcia walked the bases loaded with one out. He appeared to be squeezed by the home plate umpire. I imagine it sort of a welcome to Double A initiation, as several pitches on the outside corner went directly into PJ Pilittere’s catcher’s mitt, which did not move. I asked Garcia after the game if he felt he was squeezed a little bit by the home plate ump, he replied with a smile, “A little bit?…I thought a lot of bit.” He did not let the strike zone frustration show on the mound; a good, positive sign of his mound demeanor.

After the third walk, Trenton manager Tony Franklin removed Garcia, bringing in LHP Michael Dunn, another pitcher making his Double A debut, to face the righty hitting Alfonzo. It was an interesting move as Garcia had struck out Alfonzo his two prior at bats. It appeared Dunn would get out of the inning after getting Alfonzo to pop up, but then gave up a two run single to the next batter and Garcia’s line was finished.

Garcia looked good overall, but seemed to lose command of his curveball on occasion, not finishing the pitch, thus leaving it up and out of the zone. When he finished the curve, he kept it down, receiving plenty of swings and misses. His fastball was surprisingly quick and he got a few swings through on the high fastball. On several occasions, however, when you knew he was going to the fastball on a big pitch, he often overthrew the ball, either leaving it way high or too low. In those instances, Garcia (or any pitcher for that matter) should stay within themselves and think location over velocity.

Since both Sanchez and Garcia were coming off TJS, I asked each if the elbow felt good. Both responded in the affirmative, with Sanchez adding he can’t wait for the Arizona Fall League to start so he can log more innings. After the game, when I spoke with Garcia outside and a full hour plus after he was removed from the game, he still had ice packs wrapped around his elbow and shoulder. With his arm packed in ice, it was amusing watching Garcia sign autographs for the young fans surrounding him. Both he and Sanchez were very good to the kids outside the stadium.

I asked starting pitcher George Kontos if he was going to throw in a fall league and he said. “No. I already have enough innings this season.” Kontos has always been a workhorse at each level. The Yanks are high on the former Northwestern hurler, even having him skip Low A Charleston last season, going straight from short season Staten Island in 2006 directly to High A Tampa. He does not support a good won-loss record (6-11 in 2008), but he is a bulldog on the mound, going right after the hitters, and has averaged over a strikeout per inning in his pro career. Kontos is part of that great 2006 Yankee pitching heavy draft which also produced Joba, Ian Kennedy, Dellin Betances, Mark Melancon, Zach McAllister and David Robertson. Five years from now, that 2006 draft class will go down in history as one of the best ever. Recently traded Daniel McCutchen was also part of that group.

After giving up the tying single in the top of the 7th, Dunn ended up getting the win by retiring the side in order in the 8th. Dunn repeatedly threw in the 90-92 range, while touching 94. He did not appear to be throwing that hard because his motion is very fluid and mechanically sound. Surprisingly, the 25 year old Dunn was originally drafted by the Yankees as a power hitting OF/1B, but did not hit very well his first two years and switched to pitching in 2006. The Yankees have done this switch also with a few other players in their system.

Jose Valdez came on in the 9th for his 4th save, striking out the final two hitters. Valdez started the season in High A Tampa and has posted great relief numbers his entire Yankee career. What impressed me today was every pitch Valdez threw was located at the knees or lower, but never wild. He used a great late breaking slider for the two K’s and had many swings and misses during the final inning.

Although Austin Jackson did not get on base (0-4, 1 K), his swing is more in control than it was earlier in his career. Whether the ball was inside or out, the swing was smooth and effortless. Chris Malec started at first base and hit the ball several times, coming though with a big two-out single to drive in a run. Malec is one of three Thunder players to come back from cancer. It is very easy to root for guys like Malec, who has hit very well at every level of the Yankees system since he was drafted in 2005.

While in attendance to view Sanchez and Garcia, I came away impressed by the entire team. They don’t give away at bats and do not make defensive mistakes. Infielders Kevin Russo, Reegie Corona and Ramiro Pena looked good defensively and Jackson shows in center that he can cover lots of acreage. Corona had two hits and two RBI’s, including the go ahead RBI single in the eighth, while Russo has impresssed the Yankees enough to play in the Arizona Fall League this year. Corona also had a great at bat in the 5th, culminating in a run scoring sac fly. While the lineup does not have the big bopper in the middle, they have lots of good contact hitters who put the ball in play and do the little things to help the team win games.

We all wish the parent club had more players like that.