Player Development Origins for the 2009 New York Yankees

by John Sickels on Oct 26, 2025 1:18 PM EDT Comment 28 comments

Here are the player development origins of the 2009 American League Champion New York Yankees. I'll do a comparison of the Yankees and Phillies tomorrow.

PITCHERS

Alfredo Aceves, RHP: Signed out of Mexico as a free agent in 2008.

A.J. Burnett, RHP: Drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round out of high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1995. The Yankees signed him as a major league free agent for 2009.

Joba Chamberlain, RHP: Drafted by the Yankees in the supplemental first round in 2006 from the University of Nebraska.

Phil Coke, LHP: Drafted by the Yankees in the 26^th round in 2002, out of San Joaquin Delta Community College.

Chad Gaudin, RHP: Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 34^th round in 2001, from high school in Harahan, Louisiana. The Yankees traded for him in the summer of 2009.

Phil Hughes, RHP: Drafted by the Yankees in the first round of the 2004 draft, from high school in Santa Ana, California.

Damaso Marte, LHP: Signed by the Seattle Mariners as a free agent from the Dominican Republic in 1992. Yankees acquired him in a 2008 trade.

Andy Pettitte, LHP: Drafted by the Yankees in the 22^nd round in 1991 out of high school in Texas, signed as a draft-and-follow from San Jacinto JC in '92. Went to Houston as a free agent in 2004 but re-signed by the Yankees for 2007.

Mariano Rivera, RHP: Signed by the Yankees as a free agent from Panama in 1990.

David Robertson, RHP: Drafted by the Yankees in the 17^th round in 2006, from the University of Alabama.

C.C. Sabathia, LHP: Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the 1998 draft, out of high school in Vallejo, California. Signed by the Yankees as a major league free agent for 2009.

POSITION PLAYERS

Melky Cabrera, OF: Signed by the Yankees as a free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2001.

Robinson Cano, 2B: Signed by the Yankees as a free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2001.

Francisco Cervelli, C: Signed by the Yankees as a free agent out of Venezuela in 2004.

Johnny Damon, OF: Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the supplemental first round in 1992, out of high school in Orlando, Florida. The Yankees signed him as a major league free agent in 2006.

Brett Gardner, OF: Drafted by the Yankees in the third round in 2005, from the College of Charleston.

Freddy Guzman, OF: Signed by the San Diego Padres as a free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2000. Acquired in a trade in late August 2009.

Jerry Hairston JR, INF: Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11^th round in 1997, from Southern Illinois University. Acquired by the Yankees in a trade in July 2009.

Derek Jeter, SS: Drafted by the Yankees in the first round in 1992, out of high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Hideki Matsui, OF: Signed by the Yankees as a free agent from Japan in 2002. I am counting him as a "major league free agent" on the list below, not as a Yankee farm system product, since he was already an established star in Japan.

Jose Molina, C: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14^th round in 1993, from high school in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico. The Yankees acquired him in a trade from the Angels in 2007.

Jorge Posada, C: Drafted by the Yankees in the 24^th round in 1990, out of high school in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round in 1993, out of high school in Miami, Florida. The Yankees acquired him in a trade with the Rangers in 2004.

Nick Swisher, OF: Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round of the 2002 draft, from Ohio State University. Acquired in a trade with the White Sox in November 2008.

Mark Teixeira, 1B: Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round in 2001, from Georgia Tech. Signed by the Yankees as a free agent in December 2008.

ACQUISITIONS

Trades or Waivers: Gaudin, Marte, Guzman, Hairston, Molina, Rodriguez, Swisher.

Yankees Farm System Products: Aceves, Chamberlain, Coke, Hughes, Rivera, Robertson, Cabrera, Cano, Cervelli, Gardner, Jeter, Posada.

Major League Free Agents: Burnett, Pettitte, Sabathia, Damon, Matsui, Teixeira.

ORIGINS

Drafted from North American high schools: Burnett (8^th), Gaudin (34^th), Hughes (1^st), Sabathia (1^st), Damon (1-S), Jeter (1^st), Molina (14^th), Posada (24^th), Rodriguez (1^st),

Drafted from junior colleges: Coke (26^th), Pettitte (22^nd).

Drafted from four-year colleges: Chamberlain (1-S), Robertson (17^th), Gardner (3^rd), Hairston (11^th), Swisher (1^st), Teixeira (1^st).

Undrafted free agents from North America: none.

Latin Free Agents: Aceves, Marte, Rivera, Cabrera, Cano, Cervelli, Guzman,

Asian Free Agents: Matsui

0 recs | Comment 28 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Read More: Alfredo Aceves (P - NYY), Joba Chamberlain (P - NYY), Phil Coke (P - DET), Chad Gaudin (P - OAK), Phil Hughes (P - NYY), Mariano Rivera (P - NYY), Andy Pettitte (P - NYY), David Robertson (P - NYY), Melky Cabrera (LF - ATL), Robinson Cano (2B - NYY), Francisco Cervelli (C - NYY), Freddy Guzman (CF - PHI), Brett Gardner (LF - NYY), Johnny Damon (LF - DET), Hideki Matsui (DH - ANA), Derek Jeter (SS - NYY), Seattle Mariners

Comments

12 farm system products

That’s a fair amount for a team that is constantly criticized for having a weak system, and gutting it to acquire expensive pieces. That’s 50% more farm players than the Phillies.

http://www.theyankeeuniverse.com

by lemonjello on Oct 26, 2025 2:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah

and also shows the huge influence they’ve had in latin America- Aceves, Rivera, Posada, Cabrera, Cano, Cervelli, all being home grown and all hailing from Central/Latin America

by ScottAZ on Oct 26, 2025 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

rivera

I believe it is in “Birth of a Dynasty”, but the Yankees signed Mariano Rivera out of Panama for two grand when he was 18-years-old. They were down there looking at his cousin, Ruben, and saw a lanky shortstop with a decent arm. Got the kid in a bullpen session and he hit 88 mph. Mariano Rivera. Greatest closer of all time. Signed for $2,000 on the spot.

by richieabernathy on Oct 27, 2025 9:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yaah

every great player has a crazy story that brought then here… bull

by matthewmafa on Oct 27, 2025 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Another reason why it's better to be lucky than good

http://www.chop-n-change.com

by alexwithclass on Oct 28, 2025 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yankees

3 of those 12(4 of those 13 if including Pettitte) Yankee prospects came from the mid 1990s(Jeter, Rivera, Posada). The Yankees farm system of the past 5-7 years has produced nothing but relievers and average hitters outside of Cano.

The Phillies have produced Howard, Utley, Happ and Hamels in the past 5-7 years.

by UncleBuck44 on Oct 26, 2025 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

And it's PED fueled

Posada is 37, Jeter is 35, A-Rod is 33, Damon is 35, Pettitte is 37, and Rivera is 39.

No way a team in any other era has that many guys performing at that level well past their primes.

by acerimusdux on Oct 27, 2025 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so, now were assuming that the yanks have invented a way to beat the current steroid tests?

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Oct 27, 2025 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No test for HGH. Not saying I agree, but I’m a contrarian by nature, so I had to point out the loophole they could use, if they wanted.

by Cormican on Oct 27, 2025 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

every other team could use that same loophole

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Oct 27, 2025 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

True, but the basis of his post wasn't

compared to other current teams it was compared to historic teams. Any other era wouldn’t have had HGH. I don’t agree with his premise, but I do recognize it.

by Cormican on Oct 28, 2025 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think its far more likely that the yanks....

have players performing past the tradition ‘prime’ period due to advances in physical training and diet than due to PED.

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Oct 30, 2025 3:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Get your pitchforks and torches!

Time for a witch hunt!

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Oct 27, 2025 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

If other teams could afford to continually re-sign their own internally-developed stars from the ’90s, their systems would all look much better, too.

by Vlad on Oct 27, 2025 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Phillies

Comparing how the Yankees have built their roster compared to how the Yankees have just does not work.

Yes, the Yankees made nice moves on Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera, Hughes, Chamberlin and Hughes. But this team is not in the WS without the mega millions they used to buy A-Roid, Tex, CC, Burnett and Damon.

The Phillies core of Howard, Utley, Rollins, Hamels, Happ etc is more impressive front office work IMO. Even getting Victorino in the Rule V draft is more impressive than just throwing millions at a top FA. I think they got Lee for less than they should have, but at least they gave up homegrown prospects to acquire their ace. Their only real big FA signing was Ibanez, not exactly the most sought after piece on the market last off season.

I respect the Yankees and would love for my favorite teams to have owners who care as much as The Boss does. But they bought that Pennant, it is what it is.

by bl on Oct 26, 2025 3:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

really hate it when...

people say the Yanks bought their Pennant or WS or whatever. So does every other team. The Yankees happen to spend more because they have an owner who cares about winning than how much money he pockets (which seems to be the majority of owners). Everyone had the same opportunity to sign the free agents that the Yanks signed including the Phillies.

By your logic, I think it is fair to say that the Phillies bought their World Series in 2008 since they spent more than the Rays.

by yoda1 on Oct 26, 2025 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm...

The Yankees got:

38.3 WAR from hitters or 172.3 million dollars worth of value.
18.7 WAR from pitchers or 84.1 million dollars worth of value.
-——-
57 WAR total for a total value of 256.4 million dollars worth of wins.

They spent 201.4 million dollars (median value for contract was 5.2 million), according to USA Today’s Salary Database. So they got their money’s worth.

Doing some quick math, the Yankees spent 3.53 million per WAR. Efficient. League average is around 4.5 million / WAR. Mets, for example, spent 7.37 million / WAR, but injuries will do that to your efficiency.

Here’s the thing, though… top WAR for Yankees and salary:
Derek Jeter - 7.4 WAR - 20 million for 2009
CC Sabathia - 6.0 WAR - 14 million for 2009.
Mark Teixiera - 5.2 WAR - 20 million for 2009.
Alex Rodriguez - 4.6 WAR - 32 million for 2009.
Robinson Cano - 4.3 WAR - 6 million for 2009.
Jorge Posada - 4.0 WAR - 13.1 milliion for 2009.
Nick Swisher - 3.7 WAR - 5.3 million for 2009.
Andy Pettitte - 3.3 WAR - 5.5 million for 2009.
AJ Burnett - 3.1 WAR - 16.5 million for 2009.
Johnny Damon - 2.8 WAR - 13 million for 2009.
Hideki Matsui - 2.4 WAR - 13 million for 2009.
Phil Hughes - 2.2 WAR - 0.404 million for 2009.
Bret Gardner - 2.1 WAR - 0.415 million for 2009.
Mariano Rivera - 2.0 WAR - 15 million for 2009.

See, some people only pay attention to the A-Rod, Tex, and Sabathia contracts and think the Yankees are buying their way into contention. That’s wrong. It’s also the extension contracts to their star players (Jeter, Posada, Rivera) that allowed them to stay Yankees and the multitudes of the other 13 to 16 million thrown about easily that make it ridiculous.

Other teams simply can’t do this. You look at that list, and there are only five easily afforded players for any team, and four are under the 6 year restriction for free agency that MLB imposes on it’s prospects. Then you’ve got the 6 in the next tier of players, those paid in the 13 to 16 range, how many of those do you think other teams could afford? All six of those come out to a cool 84.6 million, which would bust the budgets of 23 of the 30 MLB teams, leaving virtually nothing for the other 19 players necessary to form a 25 man roster.

I don’t fault the Yankees for what they do. They have the resources and the money to do it, so why in the heck shouldn’t they take advantage of the situation? But those who sit around saying the Yankees don’t “buy” championships are living life with blinders on. They spend a TON of money on top tier talent. Top tier talent that they normally would not be able to acquire if they were as limited as the other teams in the league. They also get to keep their top tier talent from GOING to another Yankee-like spending team because they can spend. Last but not least, they can afford to take on those albatross contracts (A-Rod) that nobody else can afford in trades.

I mean, seriously, 200+ million? And people want to believe they don’t “buy” contention? Jesus Christ people. The combined WAR they got from their affordable talents, 15.6, does not even come close to the combined WAR of the expensive ones, 37.5. Yeah, it might be a numbers game (5 players vs. 9 players) but the rate is just as damming (2.6 WAR per player vs. 4.17 WAR per player).

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Oct 26, 2025 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

yeah except

when the Yanks spend all that money and still don’t win, you don’t hear anyone complaining (i.e. - last 6 years).

It’s not just money but good management. Look at teams like Minnie, Florida, Oakland, etc who are consistently near the bottom in payroll but are always better than horribly run organizations like the Cubs. To attribute nearly all of Yanks success on money alone is simply wrong.

by yoda1 on Oct 28, 2025 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No one is saying it is.

But you cannot argue against the huge advantage it gives them in making moves and retaining their own talent. Yes, they are a well run organization that develops useful talent and evaluates players well for acquisition through free agency or trades. So, I don’t expect the Yankees to call Brian Sabean and take Zito off their hands. I’m not going to deny that Cashman has been a good GM.

However, Cashman is not having to do the things that Minnesota, Oakland, or (barf) Florida do to maintain payroll flexibility. He can just select whatever he wants from the pile and not have to worry about what it costs. It’s pretty easy to say “We need a guy like Teixiera” when you can afford it.

By the by, I hear Yankee fan complain all the time when their team doesn’t win, spending money or no spending money.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Oct 28, 2025 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well

to be fair, Cashman is under a microscope larger than any other GM in all of sports period. Not exactly easy despite the enormous budget that he is operating with when you have a meddling owner and a media who is out to get you.

Also, there are players who take a discount to play for winning teams in sports with salary caps. So as long as you run a successful organization, then you will end up with good players with or without money.

by yoda1 on Oct 29, 2025 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not a big supporter of salary caps in general.

Baseball’s rules regarding amateur free agents and first year drafted players makes a salary cap unnecessary.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Oct 30, 2025 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

also

Arod, who was by far the best player in the ALCS, was traded for Soriano who came up in their system.

by yoda1 on Oct 26, 2025 5:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

who was signed for a 3.15 mil contract coming out of Japan.

by Daniel Berlyn on Oct 26, 2025 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plus

A-Rod became a free agent and then re-signed with the Yankees to a $275 million contract.

by dkdc on Oct 27, 2025 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

so what?

He just wanted to milk more money out of them.

by yoda1 on Oct 28, 2025 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's another piece of evidence to the Yankee flexibility with their payroll.

If A-Rod were doing that to anbody else, they’d have sent him packing. The flip side is that without a team like New York that has such easy payroll flexibility, I doubt he’d have tried. There’d be nobody to leverage against. When Boras tried saying the Dodgers or Red Sox were willing to pay him 30+ million a year, the whole world snickered. New York still caved anyway.

Fans are typically idiots.

by The Typical Idiot Fan on Oct 28, 2025 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs