“I don’t necessarily believe that it will begin in 2008”
“All three guys will be big contributors in 2008”

Your comments are somewhat contradictory. In your earlier post you warn of expecting too much of Kennedy/Chamberlain/Hughes and then in a subsequent post on the same matter you predict Kennedy will be in the running for ‘Rookie Of The Year’ and will have a rookie portfolio akin to Justin Verlander’s!

In your earlier comments you refer to the Jobaphilian era – don’t you think you’re proclaiming that 3 relatively unproven players are…well…something much more than 3 relatively unproven players? None of ‘The Big 3’ have pitched even half a season at the major league level and they all have minimal minor league experience. I’m not saying that they aren’t good prospects but that’s all they are. How many good prospects have we seen amount to nothing; only 3 years ago Wilson Betemit was a can’t miss guy who was projected to be an all star player for years to come now he’s a bench warmer on your team and he would be on many other teams as well. Even when prospects do amount to something it is not unheard of for their development to be slow and over a period of several years (i.e. not recording an era of 3.63 in their first full season in the majors!). This process can take longer than big teams like New York are willing to wait and so young guys get traded off. I’m not saying Chamberlain, Kennedy and Hughes won’t be brilliant major league players, but rather that it might take them several years to reach the kind of level that merits a title like ‘The Big 3’ (and that even if this does happen they might be pitching for other teams).

In pragmatic terms, all three will be on fairly tight inning counts this year and so, even if they stay healthy, having all of them in the rotation at the same time will be a burden for the Yankees pen; the antithesis of a genuine ‘Big 3’. Also the inning counts will make it unlikely that even if they all pitch brilliantly (and out of the rotation) that any of them will get past 15-16 wins. If they were Yankees, Miguel Batista, Derek Lowe and Jamie Moyer could give you that – would you refer to them as ‘The Big 3’?

They are just good prospects that are subject to the same rules as all prospects and I would be surprised if they amount to anything more than a trio of no. 3’s or 4’s next season. That’s why you get experienced guys who can pitch more, have less doubts surrounding their performance at the major league level and who, even with lesser ability, can get guys out in the league based on previous experiences.

I absolutely think the Yankees were crazy not to pass one of them off this winter when ephemeral GM’s from smaller clubs would have traded players who would do more for you next season. As always, the Yankees have to perform next season and, in all likelihood, the only thing their precarious ‘Big Three’ will lead them to is a ‘Big 3rd’ place finish behind Toronto.