Yankees MILB 9/14: Spencer Jones Extends Hitting Streak to 10
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.
Scranton (83-58; 45-24 in second half) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 6-1)
They could have eliminated Lehigh Valley today, but it wasn’t meant to be. That said, they own a 5.5-game lead over them with six to play. Syracuse won to pull within three games of the lead. I stopped talking about Toledo and Indianapolis because they fell off the pace.
Back to Syracuse: Scranton clinches the second-half title with a 4-2 final week. If they go 3-3 while Syracuse goes 6-0, it becomes complicated. The two squads split a 6-game second-half series, which would be the first tie-breaker. The second tie-breaker is the final 20 games of the season. A 3-3 week by Scranton would leave them at 9-11. A 6-0 week by Syracuse would equate to a 14-6 mark.
Anyway, the Railriders play a bad team (Buffalo) while Syracuse plays a good team (Lehigh Valley).
2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-5, 2B (19), RBI, K
Vivas hits a run-scoring double with two outs in the 9th to prevent the shutout.
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-5
Escarra is hitting .279/.377/.395 in 106 PA since his demotion (2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 16 RBI)
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2B (13), 2 K
Jones has a 10-game hitting streak. It’s his second 10+ game hitting streak this season (11 games from June 20th – July 3rd). During this streak, he is 11-for-38 (.289) with three doubles and a home run. It’s not one of those “red hot” hitting streaks, and the strikeouts are high. However, it shows us a sign of life after a brutal stretch that saw him hit .180/.250/.306 in August.
DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-1, SB (15), 3 BB, K
“So, why do players like Jose Rojas hang around?” Good question. He is a Triple-A masher who hasn’t sniffed MLB since 2022. While nobody makes a great living as a Triple-A player, a veteran like Rojas *can* shop his services around and get more money than your typical minor leaguer. He is a good depth piece, and it is fun to see someone earn a living doing something he (obviously) loves.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Brennen Davis: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Davis is hitting .275/.344/.651 in 122 PA since being signed. It’s the first time his OPS has fallen under 1.000 since joining the organization.
3B Jeimer Candelario: 1-for-4, K
Candelario has provided a veteran presence, but hasn’t done anything to suggest he is a Major League talent anymore.
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4
SS Braden Shewmake: 0-for-4, R
RHP Kenta Maeda: (L, 5-7) 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Ian Hamilton: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Bailey Dees: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Kervin Castro: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
1.60 ERA (45 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 22 BB, 51 K). Castro has allowed ten home runs in 240.1 minor league innings (three in 25.2 MLB innings).
RHP Harrison Cohen: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 1.69 ERA (26.2 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 15 BB, 28 K)
Somerset (73-65; 38-31 in the second half) (Lost to Reading, 7-4)
Their playoff series against Binghamton starts on Tuesday. It is best-of-3 with the first game in Somerset and the last two games in Binghamton. Binghamton is comfortably the most dominant team in the Eastern League. The only reason Somerset is in the playoffs is that Binghamton easily won both halves in the East Division, allowing for the second-place team in the second half to join them. That said, rosters change. Dominant starter Jonah Tong was rushed to MLB, and their big masher (Ryan Clifford) was moved to Triple-A.
RF Brendan Jones: 2-for-4, 2B (14), R, 2 SB (28), BB
Jones clears the 50 stolen base mark (51) to go along with 20 doubles, 89 runs, and 82 walks. Additionally, he finishes his Double-A campaign at .250, which is fine given his plate discipline. Overall, between here and Hudson Valley, he hit .245/.359/.395 in 549 PA (20 doubles, 8 triples, 11 HR, 69 RBI, 89 R, 51-for-60 SB, 14.9% BB, 19.9% K). He is a sneaky good prospect.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 CS (6), BB, K
Final Somerset line: .215/.337/.358 in 469 PA (24 doubles, 4 triples, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 68 R, 24-for-30 SB, 13.6% BB, 26.4% K). Overall: .235/.367/.381 in 580 PA (32 doubles, 5 triples, 9 HR, 49 RBI, 90 R, 35-for-43 SB, 15% BB, 25.2% K). It’s an interesting profile, as he showed off his plate discipline, swatted plenty of doubles, and stole a lot of bases. There is also something to be said for reps, and Lombard Jr. compiled 580 plate appearances. It wasn’t perfect. The 20-year-old has work to do. But it is encouraging and I look forward to 2026.
DH Jace Avina: 2-for-5, 2B (11), R, 2 K
Avina hit .224/.314/.341 in 194 plate appearances after his promotion and .260/.366/.425 in 415 plate appearances overall.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, BB, K
Jasso, one of the few to spend the entire season at one level, finishes at .257/.326/.400 in 537 PA (17 doubles, 6 triples, 13 HR, 76 RBI, 62 R, 7.8% BB, 24.2% K). He won the Eastern League RBI crown while playing first base, second base, and third base (his primary position).
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, 2B (25), R, BB, 2 K
The power was there (.458 SLG; 25 doubles, 20 home runs). However, he doesn’t draw walks and has a high strikeout rate (31.6%). A team looking for cheap power potential may have interest.
CF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
Castillo started slow after his promotion, but went 11-for-35 (.314/.405/.457) in September.
2B Max Burt: 1-for-4, 2B (13), RBI
C Diomedes Hernandez: 1-for-4, 2B (2), R, K
LHP Kyle Carr (L, 0-1): 5 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Carr had one of the most insane runs of any professional pitcher in 2025. It earned him a promotion to Somerset, where he had one solid outing and two not-so-good ones. That’s fine, as getting his feet wet here was the most important thing. As for the upcoming playoffs, he will be rested enough to pitch on Friday, which is the “if necessary” game. Anyway, including his time with Hudson Valley, he finishes the regular season at 8-7 with a 2.64 ERA over 133 innings (95 H, 48 R, 39 ER, 8 HR, 55 BB, 117 K).
LHP Will Brian: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
For Somerset: 2.48 ERA (36.1 IP, 30 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 38 K). Brian has a legitimate chance to develop into a Major League reliever.
RHP Hayden Merda: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Merda pitched to a 4.38 ERA in 24.2 innings after his promotion.
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.