Alan Horne Looking to Regain Prospect Status

Coming off a season with a 12-4 record and a 3.11 ERA, Alan Horne had hoped to take the next step in 2008, and finally move up to the major leagues.

But after he tore his rotator cuff he has become nothing more than an afterthought.

He is still in the minors and hoping that he can do in 2009 what he failed to do in 2008: finally take that next step.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Horne said of his injury problems in 2008. “When you’re as close as I was to pitching in the majors, close to being one of the first guys called up,  it’s tough.

“It will be something to drive me to get back to where I was before the injury. The rest will take care of itself.”

He has since had minor surgery, and after sitting for three months he began a throwing program in December. Things have been going well so far.

The 26-year-old will start this season with the Tampa Yankees, but don’t expect him to stay at the single-A level long. The Yankees are reportedly keeping him there just to start the season as a precaution. They don’t want him to risk making his shoulder worse by playing in the cold weather.

If everything goes well after that, he should be promoted to triple-A by June with a possibility of a late season call up to the Bronx. That is a best case scenario. If he finishes this season in triple-A it is certainly no setback. At this point what he needs to do is have a full productive 2009 season.

I never thought that much of Horne personally. His numbers in the minors were never really outstanding and he was always a bit older than the competition. He was on track to being a decent back end of the rotation option though. Maybe not with the Yankees, but if Darrell Rasner can pitch in the bigs this guy probably could too.

Here’s hoping he is the minor league comeback player of the year.