Notes:
Nothing much to report on the minor league front.
Scranton (18-14)
Day off.
The Railriders are currently in a 3-way tie for the first-half title in the International League.
Somerset (12-15)
Day off.
The Patriots are four games behind New Hampshire in their quest for a first-half title.
Hudson Valley (14-12)
Day off.
In their 6-team division, five of the teams have 11 or 12 losses.
Tampa (12-15)
Day off.
The Tarpons are four games behind Clearwater.
FCL Yankees (2-0) (Shut down the Tigers, 2-0. Offense was at a premium. Only four hits and three walks combined.)
By the way, teams agree before the game whether it will be a 7-inning or 9-inning contest. Today, they decided on seven innings.
3B Richard Matic: 1-for-3, R
LF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, R, K
C Queni Pineda: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Leni Done: 1-for-3, RBI, K
CF Jose Castro: 0-for-1, BB
DH Justin Capellan: 0-for-2, K
1B Luis Puello: 0-for-2, K
SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-2, 2 K
RF Gabriel Lara: 0-for-2, K
RHP Thatcher Hurd: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Finally, Hurd makes his debut. Drafted in the 3rd round in 2024 (LSU), Hurd underwent Tommy John Surgery last February. Despite never pitching in a professional game, Hurd routinely finds himself on Top 30 prospect lists, including my own.
Hurd struggled with control in college, walking 74 batters in 141.1 career innings. However, he also struck out 188. He jumped on radars during the 2023 College World Series, where he won the clinching games in the semifinal and final. Fun fact: In the semifinal win, he tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Paul Skenes. In the championship, he allowed two runs and struck out seven over six innings. What made that even more impressive is that Florida scored 24 runs in the prior game.
He is far from perfect and is a project. The Yankees are good with projects. He threw hard before the Yankees drafted him. We’ll see if they get him to throw even harder.
RHP Omar Gonzalez (W, 1-0): 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
“What about me?” says the 20-year-old. This is Gonzalez’s third year in the FCL. After a rough 2024, he pitched fairly well (though with control problems) in 2025, compiling a 3.86 ERA in 46.2 innings with a 44/31 K/BB.