MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - The New York Yankees announced today that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Humberto Sanchez (MLN FAB50 Baseball 2006 No. 5), right-handed pitcher Kevin Whelan and right-handed pitcher Anthony Claggett from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for outfielder Gary Sheffield.Sanchez, 23, posted a 10-6 record and ranked second among all Tigers' minor-league pitchers with a 2.63 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 20 games (20 starts) with Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie in 2006 (123.0IP, 97H, 40R, 36ER, 47BB, 129K). He began the season with Erie, where he went 5-3 with a 1.76 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .190 batting average in 11 starts before being promoted to Triple-A Toledo in June. In his first five starts with Toledo, Sanchez went 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA and was named the International League "Pitcher of the Week" from June 12-18. He finished the season with a 5-3 record and a 3.86 ERA in nine starts with the Mud Hens.
Sanchez, who attended high school in the Bronx, was named the Tigers' minor-league "Pitcher of the Month" in back-to-back months (May and June) after allowing just three earned runs over seven consecutive starts from May 17- June 18 (47.2IP, 49K). Sanchez entered the 2006 season ranked as the Tigers' sixth-best prospect, according to Baseball America. He was selected by the Tigers in the 31st round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft.
Whelan, 22, ranked third among all Tigers' minor-league pitchers with 27 saves in 2006, going 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA in 51 games for the Class-A Lakeland Tigers. He limited opposing hitters to a .178 batting average (33-for-185) and held right-handed hitters to a .158 average (18-for-114). In addition to being named a top prospect in the NY-Penn League following the 2005 season, Whelan also ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the entire Tigers' organization according to Baseball America. He was originally selected by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2005 draft out of Texas A&M University.
Claggett, 22, posted a 7-2 record with a team-best 0.91 ERA and 14 saves in 51 games for Class-A West Michigan in 2006 (59.1IP, 35H, 7R, 6ER, 20BB, 58K). He held opposing hitters to a .174 batting average (35-for-201) and did not allow a run in his final 10 appearances of the season. He was selected by the Tigers in the 11th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of UC Riverside.
Sheffield, 37, batted .298 (45-for-151) with six home runs and 25 RBI in 39 games for the Yankees in 2006. He missed a total of 117 team games while on the disabled list recovering from an injury to his left wrist. Sheffield was signed by the Yankees to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year on Dec. 17, 2003.