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Who could’ve possibly kept Adam Warren and his 15K game from winning Pitcher of the Week in the latest MLPW? You will find out after I shamelessly plug my new Twitter page, @gw_nomaas.

Minor League Players of the Week (v19):

Pitcher:
Adam Warren, 22, RHP, AA
7 IP, 15 K, 1 BB, 2 H, 0 ER

Previous Wins - Week(s): 6

No one, that’s who.

Adam’s start on the 18th is easily the best single-game pitching performance in the Yankee farm system this year, which is extremely impressive considering some of the dominant outings from young arms like Noesi, Banuelos, Stoneburner, and Betances.

It’s been awhile since Warren last took this award home, but that isn’t to say he’s performed poorly in the interim. It’s quite the opposite. Before receiving a mid-July bump to Trenton, Adam was simply outclassing the younger, less experienced hitters of the Florida State League (56.4 GB%, 20.1 K%, 5.1 BB%). While the the competition has improved, the results have stayed largely the same for the former North Carolina Tarheel. Warren’s ERA might look a tad worse in the Eastern League (3.29 in AA vs. 2.22 in A+), but he’s struck out considerably more batters at Trenton (26.8 K%) which has actually improved upon his stellar FIP (2.48 in AA, 2.83 in A+).

Warren’s great season has been lost a little this year, with numerous Yankee pitching prospects having good years as well. The one thing that separates Adam from the pack, however, is his sparkling control. He has walked only 39 of the over 700 batters he’s faced in his professional career (5.4 BB%) spanning 176.0 innings. That’s a stellar rate for any pitcher. Couple it with his diverse arsenal of pitches (which you can read about from the man himself here) and you can quickly understand why he’s been so successful in his short career.

If Adam keeps his performance up, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to start him at AAA in 2011, as he’s a polished pitcher who hasn’t hit an extended rough patch in nearly two seasons. That would put him one injury away from seeing time in the Bronx. In any case, it looks like Warren has as good a chance as any minor league pitcher to contribute in the Majors some day, and that day might not be too far off.

Position Player:
Bradley Suttle, 24, SHB 3B, A+
.400/.483/.862 in 25 PAs

This is the type of production the Yankees envisioned when they selected Suttle in the 4th round of the 2007 draft, and handed him a well over slot bonus (1.3M) to leave the University of Texas. Unfortunately, Bradley’s career to date has been marked with multiple shoulder surgeries that have considerably slowed his development. Injury cost him all of 2009, a year which he entered the season as the Yankees #10 prospect according to Baseball America.

Suttle is a solid player across the board, with virtually all of his hitting tools being average to above-average. His plate discipline has taken a step back this season (10.5 BB% in ‘08, 8.9% in ‘10), though this could be due to his year-long layoff from competition and general rustiness. Beyond this, he’s displayed decent speed in 2010 (11-for-12 in SB attempts in 2010) and possesses a good glove. His fielding at the hot corner in 2008 was so good, in fact, that he was named the top defensive third baseman in the Sally League. Luckily, Suttle’s ability to deliver the ball quickly and accurately hasn’t faded after his shoulder procedures, so his defense still grades out pretty well.

While he’s a little bit old for his level, it’s hard to press a guy who has missed as much time as he has. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if next year we’re talking about Bradley Suttle as a breakout player in the Yankee system. He’s always been highly regarded, and if he can put the injury bug in his rear view mirror, there’s a lot of upside left in his already well-rounded skill set.

Honorable Mentions:

Brett Marshall, 20, RHP, A
6 IP, 5 K, 0 BB, 3 H, 0 ER
Marshall has induced weak contact all year at Charleston (46.6 GB%, 10.3 LD%).

Melky Mesa, 23, RHB CF, A+
.286/.375/.542 in 27 PAs
His 19 HRs are second in the system behind Brandon Laird (25).

Hector Noesi, 23, RHP, AA
6 IP, 6 K, 0 BB, 4 H, 0 ER
Another rock solid outing for Noesi.

Jose Pirela, 20, RHB SS, A+
.231/.286/.607 in 28 PAs
Developing power is a big deal for Pirela, as it was the biggest hole in his game. Now he needs to find consistency.