Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
I saw a post on Reddit about how people were evaluating Aaron Judge back in the day.
I can go into the Wayback Machine (Google Groups) to read some of my old reports on the subject. As he was close to being promoted, I made a few notes about how Aaron Hicks should be looking over his shoulder. I noted that in December, 2015, Baseball America ranked him third in the system, behind Jorge Mateo (he’s made a nice little career for himself as a utility player) and Gary Sanchez (still chugging along as a power bat for the Brewers. He is three home runs away from 200). Baseball Prospectus? They were on the ball, ranking Judge #1.
At the 2015 deadline, I noted that the Yankees didn’t trade Judge or Luis Severino in a Cole Hamels package, so I assume there was a rumor about that.
Another blurb I found from July 2015:
“As people have mentioned, this is not a 6’7″ kid with a “grip it and rip it” mentality. He has a clue at the plate, and is willing to use all fields. Judge has all of the markings of a legitimate major league hitter – but, to be fair, many prospects who died out had the markings of legitimate major leaguers. Judge would be quite the sight to behold if he became a solid major league player, though.”
I can find more, but that’s more than enough for now.
Scranton (52-44; 15-7 in the second half) (Shut down Syracuse, 2-0)
We are at the time of the year when people look for breadcrumbs. 99% of the time, those breadcrumbs end up being stale as players are held out of games for innocent reasons. Tonight, George Lombard Jr. didn’t play, leading to speculation of a callup or (gulp) trade. It was reported later by Chris Kirschner that today was just a routine day off for the red-hot infielder. Could he still take an overnight Uber to Philadelphia? Of course. But that doesn’t appear to be in the works.
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 2B (13), RBI, BB, K
Jones has 27 extra-base hits (13 doubles, 14 HR) in 52 Triple-A games. I have seen the rumors of the Yankees being willing to trade him. What is his value? His power potential and ability to play center field should intrigue teams. Yes, they will have the same swing-and-miss concerns.
2B Marco Luciano: 0-for-3, BB, K
After drawing a walk (innocent enough?), Luciano was pulled from the game.
PR-SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-0
Perhaps the Railriders read all the silliness online and decided to troll everyone.
DH Yanquiel Fernandez: 1-for-4, 2B (13), R, 3 K
SS-2B Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, 2B (10)
Hardman’s power comes in spurts (as evidenced by hitting four home runs in three games earlier this month, but zero home runs the rest of the month).
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Kenedy Corona: 0-for-2, R, BB, K
RHP Brendan Beck: (W, 8-2) 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Between here and New York, Beck is up to 106.1 innings. For Scranton: 2.89 ERA (99.2 IP, 71 H, 37 R, 32 ER, 9 HR, 30 BB, 100 K). I can see a team being interested in him as a “deal sweetener.” He could be like JP Sears being shipped off to Oakland a few years ago – a pitcher who will take the ball and provide innings for a team rebuilding.
RHP Zach Messinger: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Will Brian:(S, 1) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Somerset (47-46; 10-13 in the second half) (Swept a doubleheader against New Hampshire)
Game 1 (Won, 9-3)
DH Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, K
RF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, R, HBP
3B Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2B (19), 2 R
CF DJ Gladney: 2-for-4, HR (17), 4 RBI, 2 R
2B Connor McGinnis: 0-for-4, K
C Miguel Palma: 1-for-3, 2 R, HBP
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, R, BB, K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, RBI, R, K
SS Owen Cobb: 2-for-3, 2 RBI
LHP Xavier Rivas (W, 5-4): 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, HR
4.02 ERA (69.1 IP, 43 H, 34 R, 31 ER, 13 HR, 35 BB, 101 K). June/July: 1.43 ERA (37.2 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 HR, 10 BB, 53 K)
RHP Matt Keating: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Game 2 (Won, 8-3)
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4
Castillo’s struggles continue. He is down to .248/.336/.376 in 333 PA and is 9-for-64 (.141/.253/.172) in July.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-1, 2 R, 3 BB
No doubt that Avina strikes out a lot (though that is down to 26.8% thanks to a 14.7% rate this month), but a 10.9% BB is a solid rate.
3B Coby Morales: 1-for-3, HR (17), 3 RBI, 2 R, SB (15), BB, K
Regardless of what an idiot like me says, if Morales continues to hit, teams will take notice. He is hitting .276/.357/.506 and leads the Eastern League with 67 RBI.
DH DJ Gladney: 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
Gladney is 17-for-68 (.250) with five doubles and four home runs in July.
2B Connor McGinnis: 1-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, R, BB, K
In his one year at a Division I college (Houston, 2025), he hit .343/.450/.610 with 14 doubles and 4 home runs over 132 PA. In 50 games (192 plate appearances) for Somerset, he is hitting .256/.333/.430 (10 doubles, 1 triple, 6 HR). He is striking out 25% of the time, but has shown some bat in the high minors. He is not considered a prospect, but something to monitor.
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, 2B (7), R, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-4, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, R
SS Owen Cobb: 3-for-3, RBI, R
A sneaky 5-for-6 afternoon by the utility infielder. He entered the afternoon 6-for-45 (.133) in July. Baseball!
RHP Trent Sellers: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Emergency start. Sellers has a history of starting (including ten times this season!), but has been used as a short reliever lately.
RHP Harrison Cohen (W, 2-1): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Hayden Merda: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
3.89 ERA (34.2 IP, 24 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 4 HR, 17 BB, 59 K). His K% is now 40.1%. Entering tonight, that ranked 11th among pitchers with 30+ innings.
RHP Ben Grable: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Grable’s 41.4% rate (entering tonight) ranked 5th among pitchers with 30+ innings.
RHP Kelly Austin: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Hudson Valley (45-46; 15-12 in the second half) (Split a doubleheader with Wilmington)
Game 1 (Lost, 2-1)
3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-2, BB
SS Core Jackson: 1-for-3, R
C Eric Genther: 2-for-3, K
1B Kyle West: 3-for-3, RBI, CS (2)
RF Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3, K
DH Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3
LF Robbie Burnett: 0-for-3, K
CF Luis Durango: 0-for-3
2B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-2, CS (1)
RHP Rory Fox (L, 6-4): 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
Fox has a pair of complete games this season (and a start where he went eight innings). He has tossed 82.1 innings over 15 appearances (14 starts), posting a 4.59 ERA with 23 walks (6.5%) and 90 strikeouts (25.5%).
Game 2 (Won, 12-4)
3B Roderick Arias: 0-for-2, 2 R, 2 SB (29), CS (9), 3 BB
May 30th: .191/.297/.268. Now: .269/.361/.439.
SS Core Jackson: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (29), 2 BB
.256/.360/.470 in 322 PA.
DH Eric Genther: 2-for-3, HR (10), 5 RBI, R, HBP
Genther has three 5-RBI efforts this season. He has a 5-game hitting streak that features four multi-hit games and is hitting .270/.397/.427 in 351 PA (18-for-48 in July)
1B Kyle West: 1-for-4, R, SB (10), 2 K
A 4-hit day without any power? That’s not the West I know!
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-3, HR (5), SF, 2 RBI, R
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-1, CS (3), HBP
C Diomedes Hernandez: 0-for-1, HBP, K
Don’t you love it when random names appear in the boxscore? According to the transactions log, Hernandez has been active since late June. Yet, tonight is the first time he has played all season (other than a PITCHING appearance on April 10th). Obviously, he was used tonight because something happened with Gonzalez and they didn’t want to lose their DH by throwing Genther behind the plate after catching in Game 1.
LF Robbie Burnett: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, BB, K
RF Camden Troyer: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (10), 2 BB
CF Luis Durango: 0-for-3, R, BB, K
LHP Franyer Herrera: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
RHP Brandon Decker: (W, 4-1) 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Andrew Landry: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Tampa (54-39; 19-8 in the second half) (Lost to Palm Beach, 5-1)
DH Jackson Lovich: 2-for-5, K
Lovich continues his solid July (18-for-64; .281; 5 doubles, 4 HR).
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, HBP
LF Luis Puello: 2-for-4, 2 K
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 3-for-4, 3B (2)
His 9th 3-hit performance this season. He leads the FSL in runs with 65 and is second in stolen bases with 32.
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, R
Montero has an 8-game hitting streak.
1B David McCann: 1-for-4
CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, K
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-3, BB, K
RHP J.T. Etheridge: (L, 7-2) 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR
LHP Jose Ledesma: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
3.62 ERA (27.1 IP, 24 H, 15 R, 11 ER, 0 HR, 15 BB, 31 K). He has allowed one home run in 69.2 career innings.
RHP Matthew Tippie: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Parker Seay: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
FCL Yankees (29-29) (Lost their season finale to the FCL Tigers, 5-3. Will any of their players, other than Dax Kilby, make it to Tampa over the next week? That’s the question.)
SS Dax Kilby: 0-for-3, 2 K
Kilby is 0-for-9 with a walk.
2B Diego Flores: 0-for-2, K
3B Richard Matic: 1-for-4, 3 K
.283/.394/.439 in 264 PA (17 doubles, 3 triples, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 63 R, 15-for-19 SB, 13.6% BB, 23.1% K). He ended the season with a bad slump (11-for-61 in July), though he did lead the league in runs. He is a Tampa possibility.
RF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-4, K
De Pena wins the FCL Triple Crown with ease. He hit .358/.411/.677 with 20 doubles, 2 triples, 16 HR, 67 RBI, 46 runs and 23 stolen bases in 30 attempts. The FCL was an offensive league in 2026, but De Pena still crushed the competition enough to be notable.
C Queni Pineda: 0-for-4, K
CF Jose Castro: 1-for-3, R, SB (31), BB, K
.328/.488/.552 in 166 PA. Castro was the league leader in OBP.
DH Francisco Vilorio: 2-for-4, RBI, R, K
.235/.316/.333 in 117 PA. He hit better late in the season (7-for-18 in his final six games), but it was a season filled with disappointment after returning from injury.
2B-SS Dexters Peralta: 2-for-4, HR (13), 2 RBI, R, K
Peralta slugged .221 in42 games last season. This season, he slugged .505 in 58 games. As stated, offense was king at this level in 2026. Last year, teams averaged 4.64 runs per game. Entering today, they were averaging 5.72 runs per game in 2026. That doesn’t explain a nearly 300-point increase in Peralta’s slugging percentage, of course.
LF Estivenzon Montero: 1-for-3, BB
1B Justin Capellan: 1-for-4
RHP Chalniel Arias: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Arias returned from a long-term injury late in the year. They could keep him at the complex to work, though I wouldn’t rule out them giving him some time in Tampa.
RHP Mack Estrada: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Jerson Alejandro: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
RHP Enixon Sanchez: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Rafael Arias: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
DSL Yankees (22-15) (Lost to the DSL Rangers Blue, 13-2. They have lost three in a row and are a part of a mad scramble to make the 16-team postseason tournament. There’s still plenty of time left in the season)
CF Isaias Castillo: 0-for-3, HBP, K
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-4, K
Marinez has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games.
DH Yostin Pena: 1-for-3, R, SB (27)
Pena has a 7-game hitting streak and is hitting .383/.465/.660.
2B Juan Torres: 0-for-3, BB
Torres has a 30-game on-base streak.
1B Cesar Lopez: 1-for-4, R, K
C Poly Ojeda: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
RF Manuel Aguilar: 1-for-4, SB (7)
3B Abrahan Pichardo: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, 2 K
LF Kendry Diaz: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
RHP Victor De Leon (L, 1-2): 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
3.20 ERA (25.1 IP, 23 H, 12 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 19 BB, 23 K)
DSL Bombers (16-21) (Defeated DSL Miami, 22-9. Touchdowns > Field Goals. 22 runs, 13 hits, 15 walks)
CF Ruben Castillo: 0-for-2, 3 R, 2 HBP, BB
Castillo left the game early – not sure if that was due to the score or the HBP.
2B Dariel Santana: 0-for-3, 3 R, 4 BB
I love when the DSL goes crazy.
C Alessandro Rodriguez: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
The 17-year-old catcher is hitting well (.329/.457/.471 in 116 PA; 18.1% BB, 12.1% K)
C Stalen Ramirez: 1-for-2, HR (2, grand slam), 4 RBI, R
He homered off a catcher, but nobody will remember that.
SS Carlos Bello: 1-for-7, 2 RBI, R, 3 K
DH David Carrera: 2-for-3, HR (5), 3 RBI, 3 R, BB
PH-DH Edgar Jimenez: 1-for-2, 2B (5), RBI, K
1B Kenneth Melendez: 2-for-2, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
The 16-year-old is holding his own (.265/.480/.324 in 50 PA)
3B Germayhoni Beltre: 1-for-1, RBI, 2 R, 3 BB
RF Sebastian Pinto: 2-for-5, 2B (8), HR (3, grand slam), 7 RBI, 2 R, HBP
This helps the 18-year-old’s bottom line. He is hitting .268/.417/.507 in 96 PA.
RHP Cesar Acosta (W, 4-1): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
July: 0.90 ERA (20 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 20 K)