Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera have done a terrific job in New York, but don't expect to see the team start promoting all of their Minor Leaguers to try replicating that magic. It still takes time to groom a prospect into a ready-for-prime-time player, so everyone needs to exercise some patience.

Exactly what are the plans for Eric Duncan? He would be playing Major League ball with any other team, and it is a shame not to promote him. But with A-Rod at third base, he seems destined for the Minor Leagues.
-- Bunny Y., Monroe, NY

Based on the first two months of Duncan's season, he's not going to be arriving in the Bronx anytime soon.

Duncan struggled at Triple-A Columbus in April, hitting .209 with no home runs and six RBIs in 31 games. He then suffered a strained back, which sidelined him for more than three weeks.

He's healthy again, but the Yankees sent him back to Double-A to work on his game. As for the third-base issue, he isn't playing the position anymore, having moved to first base on a full-time basis.

Duncan is just 21, so there's still plenty of time for him.

How could trading Duncan be considered mortgaging the future for Dontrelle Willis? Duncan was born in '84, Willis in '82. How is Duncan any more of a prospect than Willis? Should the fact that Duncan is completely unproven at the Major League level and the fact that Willis won more games than anybody in baseball on a second-rate team mean anything?

Despite the fact that pitchers usually take much longer to mature, Willis has had an immediate impact. By the same token, it stands to reason that 20-year-old Philip Hughes won't be a good big-league pitcher for another three or four years. Anybody who wouldn't trade either Hughes or Duncan to get Willis should never be allowed to watch baseball again.
-- Sean K.

Well, Sean, I guess I shouldn't ever be allowed to watch baseball again.

I would entertain the idea of dealing Duncan, though I think the Yankees would be better off holding on to him. He is a top-notch hitting prospect who could be ready to take over at first base within two years.

Hughes, in my eyes, should be an untouchable. After hearing players such as Jorge Posada and Jason Giambi gush over him in Spring Training, I think Hughes' future is incredibly bright.

Yes, Willis has had a lot of success at a young age. He won 20 games for the Marlins, and is considered one of the best young pitchers in the National League.

There's my problem -- in the National League.

Willis isn't exactly knocking anyone over with his season thus far. I know the Marlins are a rebuilding team, but that shouldn't translate to a high ERA, which he had through the first two months of the season.

I've said it time and time again in this space: National League pitchers have not had success in recent years when they go to the American League. Matt Clement, Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez, Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett ... all of them have struggled after making the move. What do Pavano, Beckett and Burnett have in common? That's right, they came from Florida.

I wouldn't give up a top-notch prospect for a Marlins pitcher right now. That's my two cents.

Have a question about the Yankees? E-mail your query to MLB.com Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content. First Name, Last Initial: Hometown: Email Address: Question:

How has Hughes been doing in the Minors? When do you think, if ever, he will get a chance to pitch for the Yankees, considering their rotation can be shaky at times?
-- Ben H., Livingston, N.J.

Hughes had great success early this season at Class A Tampa, going 2-3 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts. He allowed just 19 hits and two walks in 30 innings, striking out 30 batters.

Those numbers earned him a promotion to Double-A Trenton, where he has a matching 2-3 record but a bloated 4.46 ERA in seven starts. His strikeout rate is similar, with 35 Ks in 40 1/3 innings, but he has walked 13 batters and given up 41 hits.

I don't think Hughes is ready to make the jump to the Majors just yet. I'd say he will have to have a terrific spring in 2007 to earn a spot on the Yankees, and his future will more likely include a year at Columbus, with his Major League career getting under way in 2008.

With Pavano's season in doubt, Randy Johnson looking like he's 53 and Jaret Wright not living up to expectations -- again -- why shouldn't The Boss and Brian Cashman start looking for some pitchers? They've got the money, so why not try it?
-- Gary D., Commack, NY

Who exactly would you like to see them go after?

Barry Zito isn't available, and it's unlikely that the A's would deal him to another American League team even if he was. I've said what I have to say about Willis. Right now, who would you like the Yankees to acquire?

Wright has pitched well for the most part, and to say otherwise means you're not paying much attention. He's not going very deep in games, but his five or six innings have kept the Yankees in the game on most nights.

Johnson looked like he was turning a corner until his start on Friday night, but I still think he'll be OK.

Pavano? With Wang and Shawn Chacon in the rotation, they're not counting on him, anyway.

I'm not saying that Cashman won't make a move for a pitcher, but right now, I don't think it's something he has to go out and overpay for.

Now that the Yankees have signed Erubiel Durazo to a Minor League contract, is there any chance that he will be coming up to the Majors anytime soon?
-- Jeremy P., Oakhurst, N.J.

I can't say there's no chance he makes his way to the Yankees at some point, but barring an injury to Andy Phillips or Jason Giambi, it won't be anytime soon.

The 31-year-old designated hitter/first baseman was recently sent from extended Spring Training games to Columbus, where he has played just a handful of games.

The way Phillips has been hitting, I'd find it hard to believe that the Yankees would bring Durazo up in his place. I see him as nothing more than injury protection at the position.