In another example of just how deep the Yankees pitching depth in the minor leagues really is, Alan Horne is another fine young pitcher in the Yankees system and going into the 2007 he may not have even ranked among their top 5 pitching prospects. The 24 year old Horne went 12-4 with a 3.11 ERA and helped the Trenton Thunder to the Eastern League title and was named their Pitcher of the Year. The 6’4, 195 lb right hander had 165 K’s in 153.1 innings. His 57 BB’s may still be a little high but it’s an improvement over his 61 in about 30 less innings in 2006. Horne’s 2006 season in Tampa was rather average, 6-9 with a 4.84 ERA combined with his 4.70 ERA post all star break this season leave some doubt about how good he can be, but Horne still has a rather high ceiling overall. Horne features a fastball that can range from 92-96 mph on a good day, but if he muscles up a little he could easily notch it up to consistently 96-97, and also a plus curveball and a newly refined cutter that he now has good control over. His changeup is still below average for now and he’ll likely need to refine it to become a truly dominant pitcher. Another concern with Horne is his health as Horne has already had Tommy John surgery and battled hamstring issues last season. Horne was selected in the 11th round by the Yankees in the 2005 draft after leading the University of Florida to the College World Series. Horne will likely begin the 2008 campaign with AAA Scranton/ Wilkes Barre and could be one of the first pitchers called up if one of the Yankees starters is injured. If the real Alan Horne is the one from the first part of last season then he has the talent to be in the majors midway of next season, but with all the young pitching ahead of him in the depth charts, Horne may have to wait until 2009 to get his real shot at the big leagues.
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