News
RHP JT Brubaker has an oblique injury, which will temporarily shut down his rehab stint.
As for where the system is at the midway point, it is a mixed bag that leans slightly towards disappointment. Some of that is due to injuries. Some of it is because we don’t have Drew Thorpe throwing 7 shutout innings every five days. Some of it is underperformance by upper-tier prospects.
It isn’t all negative – Ben Rice ascended to the majors, Agustin Ramirez has raked since Day 1 (despite a bumpy road in Scranton), and George Lombard Jr. is showing signs of adjusting to Low-A pitching. RHP Cade Smith has pitched well in Tampa.
Many depth prospects have played above expectations. Whether that is attractive to trade partners remains to be seen. When a system isn’t performing, it lessens your trade capital. The Yankees have routinely moved pitchers up the chain and used them in trades. This year? In my opinion, that supply isn’t as robust. However, one of my favorite mantras is that you never know how other organizations view your system.
There are still several weeks left in the season for the kids to end on a good note.
Tonight is the MLB Draft. Judging by social media and general buzz, you may not even know about it. I am not a draft expert. I will watch the draft and read everything I can about the Yankees’ selections. That way, I can give you a general idea about who they are when they begin playing. On Twitter, you can look up VirginiaYankee1 and BobbyMilone29 for analysis. VirginiaYankee1 writes up a post-draft report which I will retweet.
As you may suspect, writing these things every night can be a little tiring by the time we get to mid-July. I cherish the next four days off. Maybe I will write quick blurbs (like usual) for the FCL and DSL, but that’s it. I did a “midseason Top 30” a few years ago. It drove me crazy. Never again.
Scranton (49-42) (Defeated Syracuse, 3-2, in a thriller)
2B Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
.210/.325/.251 in 198 PA. Peraza hasn’t earned a promotion but I don’t know why they chose Jorbit Vivas for bench-riding purposes.
DH T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, K
Rumfield is 7-for-24 in July with a double and a pair of homers.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
His full profile at the break (including his time with Somerset): .262/.355/.518 in 349 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 20 HR, 61 RBI, 55 R, 11.5% BB, 17.5% K, 17-for-18 SB). Offensively, he is a legitimate MLB prospect. Where does he fit defensively? We’ll see.
1B Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, 2B (16), RS, K
.266/.364/.505 in 262 PA (16 doubles, 3 triples, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 42 R, 15-for-21 SB)
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, SB (9)
Trammell hit a game-winning 2-run HR in the top of the 9th (it followed Downs’ double)
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-4, CS (2), K
LF Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, 2B (8), BB
RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
4.20 ERA (55.2 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 26 ER, 7 HR, 34 BB, 61 K). I wouldn’t be surprised to see him included in a deadline deal, but he won’t be a headliner.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
0.98 ERA (27.2 IP, 19 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 32 K)
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Back-to-back scoreless outings as he works his way back to MLB. His rehab clock doesn’t have much time left, but they can ask for an extension if need be.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (W, 1-2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.94 ERA (45.2 IP, 30 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 27 BB, 60 K). He has eight consecutive scoreless outings (10.1 IP).
Somerset (43-44) (Lost to Erie, 6-1. The Patriots have teetered around .500 all season).
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, 2 BB
.298 with a .854 OPS (24 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 50 R, 10.5% BB, 17.8% K, 14-for-16 SB). You are impossible to please if you find fault in Cowles’ profile this season. He has played 2B (10 games)/SS (60)/3B (19).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
Hardman is hitting .240 with a .696 OPS for Somerset (107 PA).
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
Since promotion: 13-for-66 (.197; 3 doubles, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 11 R, 9 BB, 24 K). His 31.6% K rate for Somerset is high but he didn’t get here long ago.
CF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-3, HR (10), RBI, RS, BB
July: 18-for-44 (.409; 6 doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R). He has hit safely in 19 of his last 20 games (9 multi-hit efforts).
3B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, 2B (18)
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-4
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
Seigler has a 13.8% BB (9/6 BB/K in July). He has played his entire season at second base.
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, BB
RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 2-7) 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
3.94 ERA (96 IP, 80 H, 57 R, 42 ER, 7 HR, 31 BB, 100 K). Messinger is the first to record 100 strikeouts in the system (he leads the Eastern League). I think other organizations would have an interest in trade talks. He is 6’6″ and durability hasn’t been a concern (he has never been on the injured list).
RHP Colby White: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Watson has three consecutive scoreless outings (four of his last five). Before the season started, you could have placed him in the same realm as Jack Neely. An injury left him behind.
RHP Matt Sauer: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Hudson Valley (42-43) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 5-3)
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, 2 RS
Riggio’s HR was a lead-off blast. He enters the break at .218/.354/.379 in 303 PA (16 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 48 R, 15-for-18 SB, 15.2% BB, 18.2% K). The average hasn’t shown up consistently yet but I think it will.
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (7), HBP, BB
.254/.347/.441 in 366 PA (23 doubles, 12 HR, 53 RBI, 49 R, 10-for-17 SB, 10.7% BB, 16.1% K). Serna played 107 games at Low-A Tampa and has 108 games at High-A Hudson Valley. I expect him to be called up soon.
LF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 2 K
.271/.356/.440 in 315 PA. He has performed well in his first taste of High-A and should stay here for the season (he is only 21)
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
.240/.378/.403 in 288 PA (9 doubles, 1 triple, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 34 R, 17.7% BB, 22.6% K). Statistically, a similar profile to 2023. The “under the hood” stuff shows a kid hitting more balls in the air.
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4, K
RF Christopher Familia: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-3, SB (6), BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-4
CF Nelson Medina: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 K
RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Sellers, a starter for Oregon State last year, makes his first professional start. He struck out the side in his final inning. Season: 3.12 ERA (49 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 29 BB, 60 K)
RHP Matt Keating: (L, 3-3) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
4.93 ERA (49.1 IP, 38 H, 29 R, 27 ER, 7 HR, 21 BB, 61 K). Some players don’t want a 4-day break, while others welcome it. Keating can use the rest.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.24 ERA (41.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 48 K). His BB rate still needs work but it is down considerably from 2023.
Tampa (32-53) (Defeated Dunedin, 9-5)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-6, 2 2B (15), 2 RS, SB (25), 3 K
.234/.350/.352 in 311 PA (15 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 38 R, 25-for-29 SB, 14.1% BB, 23.5% K). April: 2 extra-base hits (both doubles); May: 4 extra-base hits (3 doubles, 1 triple); June: 9 extra-base hits (7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR); July: 6 extra-base hits (3 doubles, 3 HR). It is fun to watch a prospect adjust to a level.
DH Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 3 RS, SB (24), 2 BB, K
.220/.320/.360 in 372 PA (13 doubles, 7 triples, 6 HR, 44 RBI, 50 R, 24-for-35 SB, 11.8% BB, 33.6% K). He owns a .423 OBP in July. As I keep saying, you look for positive signs as he tries to iron out the rest of his game.
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, HR (9), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
Jasso doesn’t want the All-Star Break, as he is 6-for-8 in his last two games.
LF Jackson Castillo: 3-for-4, 2B (15), 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP, BB, K
Castillo ends the first half on a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-19) and is 12-for-40 (.300/.440/.450) in July. Overall, he is hitting .264/.393/.429 in 285 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 46 R, 13-for-17 SB, 17.5% BB, 18.9% K)
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-6, HR (6), 3 RBI, RS, K
Montero has 6 RBI in his last two games. He is hitting .243/.293/.363 in 317 PA.
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
You don’t want anyone to get hurt, and Montero would have received playing time regardless of Enmanuel Tejeda‘s status. That said, he is 12-for-38 (.316/.435/.579) in July with a pair of triples and homers.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K
C Diomedes Hernandez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Warrecker tossed 61 pitches today. They are understandably taking it easy with him (11 starts, 32 IP) in his first professional season.
RHP Harrison Cohen: (W, 2-0) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
I will assume that Cohen’s rehab is nearing completion and a trip to Somerset is upcoming.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Montana Semmell: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.40 ERA (43 IP, 44 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 49 K). He entered June with a 6.14 ERA and has steadily brought it down.
FCL (31-18)
Scheduled day off. Unlike the full-season leagues, the FCL does not go on break.
DSL Yankees (11-17)
Scheduled day off. Unlike the full-season leagues, the DSL does not go on break.
DSL Bombers (18-11)
Scheduled day off. Unlike the full-season leagues, the DSL does not go on break.