There have been no shortage of opportunities for the New York farm system to showcase their talent at the Major League level this season as a plagued Yankees rotation has left one opening after another. Often characterized as talent depleted in recent years, the Yankees minor league system is proving that with an opening, rising stars like Phil Hughes, Matt DeSalvo, Jeff Karstens, and Darrell Rasner are more than ready to compete at the big league level. The most recent starter to get the call, Matt DeSalvo, has shined in the spotlight getting his first major league victory on Saturday night in his second career start. DeSalvo got the call from triple A last week after going 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA in five starts and has turned in similar numbers in two starts against the Seattle Mariners. Boasting some nine pitches in his arsenal, DeSalvo rekindled his confidence in the forkball against the Mariners, a pitch he hasn’t relied on since high school. The results paid off as he limited the Mariners to seven hits and two earned runs over 6 and 2/3 innings of work en route to the win.

With the highly anticipated addition of Roger Clemens to the rotation and Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, and Chien-Ming Wang all healthy and rounding out the top four spots in the rotation, it seems the fifth spot is still up for grabs. Carl Pavano has all been forgotten in what appears to be one of the worst free agent signings in the history of the game as his third year in pinstripes has yielded another lost season to the disabled list. The other projected fifth starter, Japanese import Kei Igawa has hardly performed up to the standards of a $46M contract and has since found himself demoted to the minor leagues. That leaves the potential fifth spot open to Darrell Rasner and DeSalvo, at least until Phil Hughes comes off the disabled list. Whether this amounts to the formidable staff they originally envisioned, the New York Yankees will obviously rest their hopes of a turnaround on the shoulders of Roger Clemens and his ageless talent. But with an aging staff the Yankees can be assured that the current glimpses of success from their young arms will ultimately pay dividends for the future.

(5 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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