J.B-ecoming Up Soon

Ok that was lame, but I think you get the point. Yes Yankee fans the day is coming, the day when you get to see J.B. Cox setting up Mariano Rivera. Just a little backround on J.B. before I tell you when to expect to see him wearing pinstripes.
Cox was the setup man for a guy you may have heard of, Huston Street, in 2004. Cox to Street was a powerful combo for the Texas Longhorns, then once Street left for the Oakland A's, Cox became the Longhorn's stopper. Cox was unstoppable as the 'Horns closer as he led them to a National Championship before being namedthe first-ever winner of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) "Stopper of the Year" Award, given to the top relief pitcher in collegiate baseball. The Yankees took notice of Cox's dominance on the mound and make him their 2nd round selection. Cox enjoyed immediate success with the Class A Tampa Yankees that season, as he sported a 2.06 ERA holding hitters to a .260 batting average. The next season he was bumped up to AA Trenton Thunder posting an impressive 6-2 record with a 1.75 ERA and 3 saves in 41 relief appearances. Cox had an amazing stretch going 15 consecutive apprearances (22 innings) without allowing a single run! Let's see a show of hands - who's impressed? Well, Team USA certaintly was as Cox made Team USA for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament that year, along with Roger Clemens. Cox made a splash, helping lead the US to a first-place finish and automatic berth in the 2008 Olympics in Berlin. He appeared in 3 games for Team USA and allowed only one run in 5.2IP with 6 strikeouts. There was talk among the Yankee brass that Cox would be given a shot to make the Yankee roster that following season, assuring him atleast a promotion to AAA Scranton. Unfortunatley for Cox and Yankee fans, disaster struck and Cox missed that season after being forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. This season, Cox has returned to the Yankees in full force. The Yankees wanted to play it safe with the 22 year old, so they started him off in Tampa. That didn't last long as Cox dominated the competition. He only pitched in 6 games (6 innings) before the Yankees were convinced by his 3.00 ERA and 1 save that although he was a bit rusty, he was ready for the next step: Trenton. In his Trenton stint, he needed only 5 games (6.2 innings) this time to force a promotion. He sported a 1.35 ERA with 6 strikeouts, holding opposing hitters to a .130 batting average. He then made his Scranton debut with even greater success. J.B. went 10.1 innings before giving up a run and in his total of 12.1 innings, he has only given up 1 run for an ERA of .73. In Scranton, he has struck out 4 hitters and limited the opposition to a .175 batting average with a 1-1 record.
He is envisioned as the setup man for Rivera until Mark Melancon can replace Rivera. Think 10+ years of Cox to Melancon and you will see visions of Rivera setting up Wetteland. The Yankee brass has said Cox is on track for a September call up, but it could be before then. Cashman said that Cox is far more polished than a guy like Melancon and his performance and great pitch execution is what seperates him from the rest of the pack. He has been working hard on the location of his fastball which is greatly improving. These analysis are in order of best pitch to not as good pitch.
Slider: He has a plus slider, which is ranked as the 3rd best in the minors and he throws it at about 85 mph with excellent control. It breaks hard and in to left handed batters. Though he is not much of a strikeout pitcher, the slider is certainly a major strikeout weapon that can also be used to get weak ground balls to force double plays. He throws this pitch at his trademark 3/4 arm slot.
Fastball:He probably won't be blowing his heater by anybody as his 2-seamer flies by about 91-92 mph from that 3/4 arm slot. His delivery is deceptive and he repeats it well. He controls his fastball very well which allows him to throw strikes with ease. His fastball has a good sink to it, but don't think Wang here, its not that much of a sink.
Changeup: An average pitch that he is still working on, his progress has been very good.

Pinstriped as Always,
Laura