Yankees MILB 9/10: Ben Hess Tosses 6 Strong Innings
Notes:
Trade analysis links:
Jose Caballero/Camilo Doval (link)
David Bednar/Jake Bird (link)
Ryan McMahon (link)
Amed Rosario (link)
Austin Slater (link)
Updated look at the trade deadline.
The Arizona Fall League rosters were released today.
Yankees on the list:
RHP Bryce Cunningham – The highest-ranked Yankees’ prospect on his way to Arizona is Cunningham, who pitched to a 2.82 ERA in 54.1 innings with a 55/19 K/BB. We will see him in Somerset in 2026.
RHP Cade Smith – Like Cunningham, Smith (ranked 19th), needs innings due to missing time to injury. He pitched only 39.2 innings this season, compiling a 2.50 ERA and 42/18 K/BB.
RHP Brady Kirtner – The 23-year-old pitched in 35 games between Tampa and Hudson Valley, compiling a 2.70 ERA and 52/21 K/BB over 46.2 innings in his first professional campaign. Why is he going to Arizona? Likely a combination of missing some time in July/August and the Yankees liking something in his profile.
RHP Huey Morrill – Morrill, recently placed on the Development List, was dominant this season. pitching to a 0.76 ERA in 47.2 innings with only 18 hits allowed. Additionally, he struck out 42 while walking 17. This could be a “Rule 5 Evaluation” move as he is eligible this winter.
RHP Adam Stone – If your first reaction is “Who?”, I understand. The 24-year-old hasn’t pitched since compiling a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings during his debut 2023 campaign. This is likely a situation where the planets lined up perfectly – he’s finally healthy just in time to go to Arizona.
1B/OF Coby Morales – Entering tonight, Morales has 468 plate appearances, so this isn’t a situation where he is making up for lost time. He is also not Rule 5 eligible (2026). So, why him? Perhaps they want him to do some defensive work, or they are tweaking his swing. Alternatively, it is also possible that they had a spot open and decided to go with Morales to fill out the roster.
C/1B Manuel Palencia – The Rule 5 eligible catcher is hitting .272/.322/.349 in 256 plate appearances between Hudson Valley and Somerset.
UTIL Enmanuel Tejeda – Only 20, Tejeda’s 2024 and 2025 campaigns were shortened by injury. He is going to make up for lost time in Arizona. In 35 games for Tampa, he walked more than he struck out (17.4%/13.4%) while stealing 14 bases in 19 attempts. Tejeda no longer plays shortstop, though he may do that in Arizona.
Scranton (81-56; 43-22 in second half) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 4-1)
Lehigh Valley is now 5.5 games back. Scranton needs to win a game or two this week to keep them at bay. Syracuse lost to remain three games out.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, R, 2 K
Escarra’s homer in the 9th allows them to avoid the shutout.
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, K
Jones now has a 6-game hitting streak (6-for-23).
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4
RF Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, K
DH Brennen Davis: 0-for-3, 2 K
A 4-for-26 slump has dropped his triple slash to .282/.342/.680. You may be curious what it was before the slump: .325/.384/.831. That pace wasn’t going to last forever.
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-3, K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-3, K
LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-3, K
RHP Allan Winans (L, 11-1): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
Winans comes close to finishing off a perfect season, but it wasn’t meant to be.
RHP Scott Effross: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Yerry De los Santos: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.73 ERA (26 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 13 BB, 27 K). Cohen loves to use his cutter and is getting results. He is Rule 5 eligible this winter, so we’ll see how much the Yankees value him.
RHP Ian Hamilton: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Somerset (71-63; 36-29 in the second half) (Lost to Reading, 5-3, in ten innings. The Patriots blew a chance to clinch a playoff berth, as they owned a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th. That said, Hartford lost, and the magic number is 1 with four games to play.)
CF Brandon Jones: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Between Somerset and Hudson Valley, Jones has scored 86 runs, walked 80 times, and stolen 45 bases in 53 attempts. He’s doing “leadoff guy” things – at least in the minors.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5, R, CS (4), 2 K
LF Jace Avina: 2-for-4, BB, K
Avina has back-to-back multi-hit efforts.
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-5, RBI, K
Jasso ties Ryan Clifford (NYM) for the Eastern League lead in RBI (75). He can pass him this week, as Clifford is in Triple-A now. The other player in the RBI title mix (Jorge Burgos (CLE)) has been out of action since August 10th. He drove home 73 runs in 98 games.
PR-2B Duncan Pastore: 0-for-0
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, K
DH Jackson Castillo: 0-for-5, K
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, 2B (13), BB
2B-3B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-4, K
C Diomedes Hernandez: 1-for-4, 2 K
RHP Ben Hess: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Since promotion: 2.70 ERA (36.2 IP, 22 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 45 K). Hess finishes the regular season with a 3.22 ERA in 103.1 innings (65 H, 43 R, 37 ER, 3 HR, 46 BB, 139 K). Impressive.
RHP Danny Watson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.91 ERA (55 IP, 59 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 6 HR, 8 BB, 56 K). The road to getting his ERA under 5.00 has been a long one, as Watson owned a 16.71 ERA in April (7 innings).
RHP Carson Coleman: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Kelly Austin: (L, 3-2) 0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
Hudson Valley (79-50; 41-24 second half)
Their season is over.
Tampa (63-63; 27-34 in the second half)
Their season is over.
FCL (28-30)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (24-32)
Their season is over.
DSL Bombers (31-25)
Their season is over.