News:
Expect report delays on Saturday and Sunday due to Mother’s Day weekend.
Scranton (25-10)
Their game against Rochester was postponed. They will try to play two on Saturday.
Somerset (14-15)
Their game against Altoona was postponed. They will try to play two on Saturday.
The lineup was posted before the postponement.
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-0
His first 19 games this season (10.2% BB; 29.5% K, 105 wRC+) are close to his 17 Somerset games last season (9% BB; 28.2% K; 104 wRC+). I expect his bat to take off at some point.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-0
Peraza’s rehab moves to Somerset for the weekend. A reminder that Peraza has one option year remaining so he can be assigned to a minor league team once his rehab is over.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-0
The Yankees remain somewhat committed to him behind the plate, as he has 12 starts (8 each at first base and designated hitter). If opposing scouts like what he does behind the plate, they see power at a premium position. That may not be the goal here, but one has to consider it. If it weren’t for the catching, he would have no reason to be here (.301/.394/.589 in 351 Double-A plate appearances).
1B Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-0
139 PA for Somerset in 2023: .211/.273/.313. In 120 PA in 2024: .237/.383/.567. His 2024 average is being impacted by a low BABIP (.203). Imagine if the number was league average.
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-0
What can Cowles be? I don’t know the answer to that. A Rob Refsnyder outcome would be a win (Refsnyder has carved out a 392-game career with a .758 OPS vs. LHP). That outcome likely doesn’t keep him in the Yankees organization, but maybe the higher-ups see a potential second base option. Who knows? If he keeps up his current hitting, he won’t have to worry about making it to MLB.
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-0
For Hudson Valley last year, Richardson hit .204/.306/.389 (92 wRC+) with an 11.2% BB and 31.3% K. The Yankees decided to promote him. As one would expect to happen (sarcasm), he is hitting .309/.383/.544 with an 8.4% BB and 25.97% K since that promotion. Don’t question it – go with it.
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-0
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-0
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-0
Wegner is one of those prospects that hardly anyone pays attention to…then, he suddenly gets called up to make his MLB debut.
LHP Brock Selvidge: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
A 51.5% GB and 25.9% K is a formula for success. He has allowed 7 HR in 200 career innings. The number of teams who would use him in MLB in 2024 is not zero.
Hudson Valley (14-14) (Lost to Aberdeen, 5-3)
SS Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, CS (2), BB, K
Riggio is hitting .214 with a .778 OPS. He has an eye (19.3% BB) and pop (.414 SLG). His BABIP is low.
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, 2B (7), BB, K
Serna extends his hitting streak to 9 (15-for-42; 5 doubles, 3 HR)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, SB (2), 4 K
With the extra-base power comes the high strikeout rate. The Yankees weren’t getting a polished prospect for Jake Bauers – they accepted a worthwhile lottery ticket.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, K
Games by position: C: 13 (11 starts); 3B: 8; 2B: 3; LF: 3; DH: 1
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, 3 BB, K
Martinez is 3-for-22 in May but has 9 walks. Taking it back further, he is in a 3-for-34 slump.
PR Kyle Battle: 0-for-0, SB (2)
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-5, 2 K
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, K
Thankfully, his stay on the IL wasn’t a long one (first game since 5/2)
RF Nelson Medina: 1-for-3, RS, SB (5), BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-2, 2 BB, K
RHP Sebastian Keane: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
6.12 ERA (25 IP, 29 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 25 K).
RHP Luis Arejula: (L, 1-2) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Tampa (10-21)
Scheduled day off (they played a scheduled doubleheader earlier this week)
FCL (3-2) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 6-1, in a 7-inning game)
“Why are so many games seven innings?”
Firstly, this is a manager’s decision before the game starts. They have the option to play 7 innings or 9 innings.
The reason why the number of 7-inning games has gone up comes down to:
1. The earlier start to the season (no new draftees filtering onto the roster);
2. “Domestic roster limits” – Teams can only carry 165 players between the FCL/A/A+/AA/AAA (this is down 15 players from 2023);
3. Related to the above: Lack of pitching. Starters aren’t asked to go deep often (especially early on), so teams need enough pitchers to get through a game. It is easier to do that in seven innings than in nine innings.
For example, seven FCL games were played today – four went nine innings while three went seven.
(Remember, I do not list out the entire lineup for the FCL/DSL games. However, since today was light on action, I will do it)
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 2 RS, BB, K
In 17 FCL games, Rodriguez is hitting .218/.377/.382 in 69 PA (18.8% BB, 28.99% K). He is a long-range 19-year-old prospect.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
4-for-9 (2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB)
DH Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 2B (2), SB (2), 2 K
6-for-13 (2 doubles, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB)
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, CS (2), K
The 20-year-old is 3-for-15.
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, RS
5-for-13 with a homer and 5 RBI.
CF Fidel Montero: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RS, BB, K
3-for-11 with a double and three stolen bases. Montero hit 11 homers and stole 59 bases in 108 DSL games.
1B Luis Ogando: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
Now 20, Ogando hit .352/.446/.541 in 148 DSL plate appearances in 2023. He played a pair of games at SS in his 2022 debut season but has been 1B/3B with a sprinkle of LF the last two seasons.
LF Ramiro Altagracia: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Season debut for the 20-year-old. He spent 2021-2023 in the DSL and didn’t show much at the plate until last year.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 0-for-2, BB, K
Terrero will play the entire 2024 season at 18 years of age.
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
This is a rehab appearance for the 29-year-old. He compiled a 7.09 ERA in 20 games for Somerset last season. Liranzo is a lifer who started his professional journey in 2013 but has yet to make a big league appearance.
RHP Angel Benitez (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
This is the second appearance of 2024 for the 6’7″ Benitez. He didn’t pitch in 2023 due to the elbow surgery he needed in mid-2022. He is an intriguing 20-year-old lottery ticket.
LHP Brady Rose (S, 1): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
If the name looks familiar, it is because he pitched in four games for Tampa earlier this year. Having a stretched-out arm is beneficial down here, though I would guess that Rose preferred the full-season league experience.
DSL (0-0)
It will be a while before their season starts!