Yankees MILB 6/22: Another Strong Effort for Griffin Herring
Notes:
I have concluded that we aren’t receiving accurate roster updates from Hudson Valley. Today, they announced that OF Jace Avina was activated off the injured list. The problem? From what I can find, it was never announced that he was ever on the list.
Keep that in mind while you wonder what the heck happened to RHP Ben Hess (last year’s first-round pick ), who hasn’t pitched since the end of May, and infielder Parks Harber. There is a good chance that both are currently on the injured list. We just haven’t been told about it.
By the way, I am not complaining. They don’t have to tell us anything. But I assume they have to submit the transactions, so perhaps it is milb.com that is missing in action.
What do we know? That RHP Brendan Beck has been promoted to Scranton. RHP Allan Winans, who was promoted to the Yankees to take LHP Ryan Yarbrough‘s spot in the rotation, was scheduled to pitch today. Beck took his place. Is this permanent? Unknown. I don’t think Jesus Rodriguez‘s promotion was supposed to be permanent, but he forced the issue.
Either way, Beck earned this chance by posting a 1.82 ERA (2.54 FIP) over 54.1 innings. He owns a 24.8% K, 5.7% BB, and 37.2% GB.
Scranton (38-34) (Defeated Louisville, 3-2)
3B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, 2B (8), 2 RBI, SB (8)
.306/.420/.442 in 183 PA (8 doubles, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 28 R, 8-for-13 SB, 13.1% BB, 7.1% K). Vivas had a 20.8% K in his brief MLB tenure.
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-3, BB, K
.246/.340/.470 in 212 PA. What do I think of his MLB chances? He has the power to hit home runs at the big league level. I am confident there. I am skeptical about his swing-and-miss, and there is a fine line between a player who develops into an everyday player vs. someone like Bryan De La Cruz.
DH-1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4
.278/.366/.474 in 268 PA. As I often say, the Yankees seemingly don’t have faith in his ability to play in the big leagues (and nobody else bit during the Rule 5 draft). However, I expect him to get a shot in MLB.
LF Brennen Davis: 0-for-1, K
Davis was taken out of the game after a play in left field to close out the third inning.
PH-LF Ismael Munguia: 2-for-3, R
He wasn’t expecting to play, but ended up having a good day.
1B CJ Alexander: 1-for-4
Alexander is 6-for-25 since joining the organization.
P Zach Messinger: 0-for-0
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, RBI, K
C Alex Jackson: 1-for-4, 2B (6), R, K
Off to a hot start, Jackson has since settled in to be…well, Alex Jackson. He is hitting .237/.310/.468 and is 4-for-43 in June.
2B Braden Shewmake: 1-for-4, 2B (8), R
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-3, 2 K
RHP Brendan Beck: (W, 1-0) 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Well, if this was only supposed to be an emergency start, he did his best to make it a difficult decision to move him back down! One thing today gives us is Savant data! Beck used mostly a 3-pitch mix (4-seamer, slider, curve) with a cutter mixed in. Savant also picked up on one change-up, which may be a misread. His fastball maxed at 93.7 and didn’t generate a whiff. His slider, however, generated five. I don’t think Beck was ever projected as a big strikeout guy, and he could be used as trade bait next month. For now, I am impressed that he has looked so good given how much time he has missed.
LHP Brent Headrick: 1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Zach Messinger: (S, 1) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Messinger earns his fourth career save. As a reliever: 2.87 ERA (15.2 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 16 K). Today, he maxed out at 96.5 MPH as he featured mostly his fastball (50%)/slider (48%) combo.
Somerset (35-34) (Knocked off New Hampshire, 12-5, to get above .500)
2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, R, K
Riggio is 18-for-67 with four doubles and six home runs since his promotion. You did know the home run surge would end at some point, right? He has one in his last nine games.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-5, RBI, K
Lombard Jr. started June 3-for-21. He is 15-for-53 (.283) since. It seems he is reaching a comfort level, which is what we want to see.
DH Spencer Jones: 2-for-5, HR (15), RBI, 2 R, K
Perhaps he deserved the headline for the third day in a row, but I went for variety. Given that Jones missed so much time, being only four home runs behind the minor league leader is impressive. Last ten games: 17-for-36 (.472; 2 doubles, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R, 2-for-2 SB). He has three straight multi-hit games, and his OPS is an Eastern League-leading .994. His SLG, which also leads the Eastern League, is just a tad below .600 (.59876). Jones is Rule 5 eligible this winter, which only means he will be on the 40-man roster if he isn’t traded.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, 2 2B (18), RBI, 2 R, 3 K
Flores has 32 doubles and 27 home runs in 133 Double-A games.
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, R, BB, K
Jasso is hitting .284 with a .844 OPS (10 doubles, 4 triples, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 38 R). He has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games. He has been one of the system’s most consistent bats since Opening Day.
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, SF, RBI
CF Brendan Jones: 3-for-5, 2 2B (3), HR (1), 3 RBI, 3 R, K
Jones is up to .241 with a .682 OPS since his promotion. This is due to an 11-for-32 (.344) surge over his last eight games.
1B Tyler Hardman: 3-for-5, 2B (13), HR (11), 3 RBI, 2 R
Hardman had two shots at the cycle but couldn’t get that elusive triple. Given he only has five in 371 minor league games, that is hardly a surprise.
RF Cam Eden: 0-for-3, SB (2), 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The “trickle down” effect – they needed Winans in MLB and Beck in Scranton, so someone had to start for Somerset. This was Vinyard’s first start since who knows when, as he was nothing but a reliever in college as well.
RHP Bailey Dees: (W, 3-4) 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Danny Watson: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Baron Stuart: (S, 1) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Stuart’s first professional save.
Hudson Valley (40-27) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 3-1)
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4
CF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, K
Between here and Tampa: .233/.295/.462 in 275 PA (11 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HR, 41 RBI, 42 R, 15-for-16 SB, 7.6% BB, 26.9% K). He has cut down on the strikeouts in Hudson Valley (23.8%), and his lower batting average (.195) could be attributed to the .204 BABIP.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-1, R, SB (11), 3 BB, K
Morales’ stolen bases were a fun storyline last year, though I have dropped it this year. He has 45 stolen bases in 174 games over the past two seasons after going 1-for-3 in 104 collegiate contests.
2B Jose Colmenares: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, 2 K
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, SB (5), BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Luis Durango: 0-for-2, BB
Durango is 12-for-42 (.286/.345/..286) since returning from his rehab stint.
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3, 3 K
DH Duncan Pastore: 0-for-3, K
LHP Griffin Herring: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Since his promotion: 0.76 ERA (23.2 IP, 16 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 20 K). Overall: 1.05 ERA (68.1 IP, 40 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 23 BB, 78 K). Herring has the lowest ERA among qualified minor league pitchers at every full-season level (including the FCL and DSL would be foolish). Can he make it to Somerset this year? That likely wasn’t the plan, but plans often change. I think it was smart not to push him there today, though there was a need. But at some point in the second half? Sure.
RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 4-5) 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
3.55 ERA (63.1 IP, 44 H, 29 R, 25 ER, 3 HR, 27 BB, 73 K). His profile shows a lot of promise, including a solid strikeout rate. Additionally, he has cut down on the home run rate this year. The walks? Still needs some work there.
Tampa (37-31) (Lost to Bradenton, 5-3)
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-3, R, BB
.194/.353/.223 in 266 PA (6 doubles, 0 HR, 19 RBI, 29 R, 4-for-5 SB, 18% BB, 21.4% K). I told myself at the beginning of the season not to worry much about his numbers, and I will stick to that…for now.
LF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
All of Sanchez’s homers have come in the last ten games. He has seven in 128 career games. Baseball! He is hitting .273/.352/.443 in 210 plate appearances.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4
.182/.310/.261 in 210 PA (11 doubles, 1 HR, 21 RBI, 25 R, 18-for-23 SB, 15.2% BB, 27.6% K). In a sea of disappointing “stuff” on his profile, the one that strikes me the most is the power. He is showing nothing in that department.
DH Engelth Urena: 0-for-2, HBP, BB
.212/.344/.342 in 282 PA (9 doubles, 7 HR, 27 RBI, 41 R, 5-for-6 SB, 14.2% BB, 18.4% K). He has eight HBP – ouch.
3B Juan Matheus: 0-for-3, R, SB (20), BB
Matheus is third (behind Brendan Jones (25) and George Lombard Jr. (24)) in the organization in stolen bases.
RF Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
CF Marshall Toole: 0-for-4, SB (20)
See the note on Juan Matheus.
1B Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, HBP, K
2B Santiago Gomez: 0-for-4
RHP Andrew Landry: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
4.26 ERA (57 IP, 61 H, 34 R, 27 ER, 4 HR, 21 BB, 56 K). June: 4 starts, 2-0, 0.82 ERA, 22 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 19 K. His ERA was 6.43 entering this month. Landry is trying to be the latest mid-to-late round pick (16th round is now considered “late”) who the Yankees turn into something valuable.
RHP Gus Hughes (L, 4-2): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cade Austin: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.96 ERA (27.1 IP, 26 H, 16 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 30 K).
RHP Jack Sokol: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.00 ERA (24 IP, 23 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 18 K). He has six straight scoreless appearances.
FCL (17-19)
Day off.
DSL Yankees (5-9)
Day off.
DSL Bombers (6-8)
Day off.