Chart Observations: NYM @ NYY

• Johan Santana comes from a high 3/4 release and showed a sweeping 11-4 slider with good bite, a change with great fade and sink and a fastball with some fade. His command was off in this game and was the reason he got hit, as he fell behind 3-0 to multiple hitters and struggled to locate his change.

1st: FB (89-91), CU (78-79), SL (80)

2nd: FB (89-92), CU (81-83), SL (80-83)

3rd: FB (89-92), CU (80-85), SL (83-84)

4th: FB (87-90), CU (79-83), SL (83-86)

• A.J. Burnett, a 6-4, 230 pound right hander, opposed him. The 32 year old has a big frame that is maxed out. He comes from a 3/4 release. His fastball shows some good fade and sink. His curveball is a power curve that is a sharp 1-7 offering with goot bite and is a knee buckler when it is on. His change shows good fade and sink, though it is rarely thrown (just the occasional lefty). Ace stuff, 4th starter results and he has been fairly consistent with that throughout his career. His command is just average and can be at any level from inning to inning. I wouldn't have paid him that much money.

1st: FB (94-96), CB (82-83)

2nd: FB (95-96), CB (83-85)

3rd: FB (93-97), CB (81-85)

4th: FB (94-96), CB (81-85), CU (88-89)

5th: FB (93-95), CB (82), CU (89)

6th: FB (93-96), CB (81-84), CU (88)

7th: FB (93-96), CB (80-84), CU (89-90)

• Brian Stokes added fuel to the fire when he entered. The 6-1, 210 pound righty has a medium frame that can add a little more muscle. The 29 year old comes from an over the top release, almost high 3/4 release. He is similar to Brandon League in that the ball comes out of his glove as soon as he starts his delivery, which is a classic drop and drive. He has a mini Ted Lilly style hip turn in his delivery. His fastball has some fade. His change shows sink, but can be fairly straight and was anywhere from below average to above average in this outing. His curveball is a 1-7 offering with okay depth. His change was good when it was down and away, but he showed some issues in getting it there. 10th or 11th guy in a pen, as his fastball is his only consistent major league offering.

4th: FB (92-96), CB (79-80), CU (77-80)

5th: FB (92-96), CB (78), CU (79-82)

• Jon Switzer is a 29 year old lefty who stands 6-3, 210. He has a medium to big frame that is maxed out. He comes from a high 3/4 release. He has a weird finish to his arm action, as he almost flicks the ball and that put a lot of extra stress on his elbow (may explain some of his injury issues in his younger years). His fastball is a fairly straight 4-seam. His slider is a 10-4 offering with good bite and his change shows a little fade. He tired in his 2nd inning of work, limiting him to mostly LOOGY work where his FB-SL combo can try to do some work.

6th: FB (88-90), SL (81-83), CU (81)

7th: FB (86-91), SL (82-83), CU (79-83)

• David Robertson is a 5-11, 190 pound right hander. The 24 year old has a small frame that is maxed out. He comes from an over the top release and hides the ball very well in a classic drop and drive delivery. His fastball is a straight 4-seam that looks like it may have some extra giddy-up on it. His power cruveball is a 12-6 pitch with good depth and can generate swings and misses. Setup man is probably his ceiling and he should have a pretty good chance of reaching it.

8th: FB (91-94), CB (79-80)

• Ken Takahashi comes from a high 3/4 release with a sweeping 10-4 slider, a straight 4-seam fastball, a change that shows some good fade, a big breaking 11-4 curve with decent depth and a 2-seam fastball with some fade and sink that he likes to throw in on lefties.

7th: 4 (86-89), SL (78), CU (81-82)

8th: 4 (87-90), 2 (84), SL (81), CU (82-83), CB (73)

• Phil Hughes, a 6-5 240 pound 24 year old, has moved to the bullpen. The right hander has a big frame that can probably get up to 250. He comes from a 3/4 release. He shows a fastball with some fade and sink, though it can be inconsistent. The curveball is a sharp 3-8 offering with great bite and depth while his newly added cutter has a little cut and sink, but it can be straight. Remember when him and Homer Bailey were regarded as the top pitching prospects in the game? They are now both at major career crossroads (at least as major as you can get for guys under 25). Hughes has the ability to be a back of the bullpen reliever with his FB-CB combo, but he will likely be receiving another opportunity in the rotation shortly and he is more valuable to the Yankees in the rotation.

9th: FB (93-95), CB (75-78), Cut (89)

• Francisco Cervelli is a 6-1, 210 pound catcher. The 23 year old righty thrower/hitter has a medium frame that is maxed out. He has a straight on stance with a little crouch and features a trigger of a toe turn and cocking of the bat. His swing can get a little long at times. He is regarded as a defense first catcher and I can neither confirm nor deny it, as the Mets never forced him to do anything. His bat will not play as a starter though. He doesn't show much power either now or down the road and merely hits gaps. He doesn't have a great eye at the plate and will get himself out. These couple of months in the bigs have served him pretty well, but he is just an organizational catcher unless his defense is Jose Molina good.