Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
Kiley McDaniel (ESPN) came out with his latest Yankees’ prospect rankings. He was more on the bullish side of the ledger than I was, which is fine. Different opinions are good.
He cited the recent draft and the emergence of players like Richard Matic and Wilberson De Pena. This is where we would differ. Not because these players are bad. More so, because these players are so far away. He included Sean Duncan in his Top 10, while I didn’t rank Duncan at all. On a talent level, McDaniel is right. The Yankees probably drafted a first-round talent who scared teams off because he needed Tommy John surgery and likely won’t pitch much (if at all) in 2027. McDaniel values him differently than I do, as I want to take a wait-and-see approach. He also was bullish, though he didn’t rank, on outfielder Paul Contreras and catcher Brendan Brock, who were drafted this year.
Anyway, one thing we agree on is that the emergence of some of these prospects has allowed us to push down pitching prospects who were on shaky ground.
Scranton (61-52; 24-15 in the second half) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 11-3)
2B Anthony Volpe: 2-for-4, 3B (1), R, K
Volpe has hit safely in all five games since his demotion.
RF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4
CF Max Schuemann: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RBI
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-1
LF Marco Luciano: 0-for-1
After flying out, he was replaced defensively in the next half inning. Not sure why.
LF Duke Ellis: 1-for-3, SB (44), K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-for-4, HR (14), RBI, R
Cabrera has homered in back-to-back games and has four dingers in ten August games.
DH Yanquiel Fernandez: 2-for-3, HR (20), RBI, R, BB
Fernandez reaches 20 home runs for the third time in five full-season league seasons.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 1-for-4
LHP Xavier Rivas: (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
I was looking forward to his Scranton debut. Hey, things happen. The positive? Of the six swings generated with his slider, five resulted in whiffs. His 4-seam fastball, which he needs to spot well as he only averaged 89.8 MPH with it, was destroyed. No whiffs on five swings and an average exit velocity of 106.3 MPH. Get them next time, kid.
RHP Zach Messinger: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Hayden Merda: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Not a great night for debuting Triple-A pitchers. Merda, a converted starter who carries an extreme strikeout rate, topped out at 97.9 MPH with his 4-seamer. However, the swing-and-miss pitch is a much slower cutter that averaged 88.3 MPH and generated ten whiffs on 16 swings (one of the swings resulted in a home run, however). He’s an intriguing arm to watch, but he is Rule 5 eligible this winter (he was last winter as well). I doubt he survives that draft in 2026, assuming there is one (lockout = No Rule 5 draft. They cancelled it last time).
RHP Carson Coleman: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Chris Kean: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Somerset (56-53; 19-21 in the second half) (Defeated New Hampshire, 7-4. They won this with a bullpen game)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, SB (14), BB, K
Strikeouts have been an issue in his career. Thus far in August, however, he owns a 15% rate. In July, it was 16.7%. This has dipped his overall percentage to 25.2%. Something to keep an eye on.
SS Core Jackson: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 2 R, BB, K
Probably one of the biggest questions I get is how real this kid is. As a $4 million bonus baby, there was talent seen in him from an early age. That talent doesn’t always translate, as we all painfully know. While some aspects of his game still raise questions (his Somerset BABIP is a whopping .455, and his overall BABIP is .375), his streak has gone on for so long that you must pay attention. He is hitting .344/.400/.563 (only 35 PA) since his promotion and .277/.360/452 in 430 plate appearances overall. That’s another aspect of Arias: Because he has stayed mostly healthy, he has worked up a large volume of reps (1,239 plate appearances the last three years). You don’t need me to tell you how valuable that can be.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-2, RBI, R, SB (18), 2 BB, K
Like DJ Gladney, Morales is closing in on a 20/20/20 campaign. He has 20 doubles, 19 home runs, and 18 stolen bases.
DH DJ Gladney: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, R, BB
2B Connor McGinnis: 1-for-4, HR (8, grand slam), 4 RBI, R, 2 K
McGinnis’ second grand slam this season (6/16). An overwhelming number of his games are at second base, though they have given him a handful of reps in left field.
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-3, BB
RF Luis Durango: 1-for-3, R, SB (5)
Durango is 10-for-31 since his promotion and is 41-for-51 stealing bases overall. When I saw him play on television a few weeks back, he wow’d me with his hitting style. We’ll see if it translates. If it does, it comes with no power whatsoever.
RHP Trent Sellers: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Tony Rossi: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 3.18 ERA in 22.2 IP (19 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 29 K). Overall, he owns a 55/11 K/BB over 41 innings.
RHP Michael Arias: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Harrison Cohen (W, 4-1): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert (S, 1): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.90 ERA (27.2 IP, 18 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 7 HR, 13 BB, 32 K)
Hudson Valley (53-55; 23-21 in the second half) (Defeated Wilmington, 9-6)
C Eric Genther: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
SS Jackson Lovich: 2-for-4, RBI, 3 R, BB
Lovich brings down the insane strikeout rate tonight. He had 37 extra-base hits in 78 games for Tampa, but has yet to compile one in 13 games for Hudson Valley. Level of concern? Zero.
CF Maika Niu: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, R, SB (2), 2 BB
Niu follows up last night’s walk-off home run with another strong game. He is 7-for-19 with two doubles, two home runs, and ten RBI in five professional games.
1B David McCann: 1-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, SB (2), 2 HBP
McCann loves life in Hudson Valley: He has four home runs in six games at this level.
DH Hans Montero: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (1), 2 BB
PH-DH Kyle West: 0-for-1, K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-4, R, 2 SB (19), BB
Tejeda is 8-for-8 stealing bases in 11 August games.
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 0-for-3, BB, K
LF Robbie Burnett: 1-for-2, RBI, SB (4), 2 BB
RF Camden Troyer: 1-for-3, R, BB, K
RHP Sean Paul Linan: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
5.65 ERA (73.1 IP, 65 H, 54 R, 46 ER, 11 HR, 37 BB, 89 K).
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Brandon Decker: (W, 6-1) 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Wilmy Sanchez (S, 4): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Tampa (62-47; 27-16 in the second half) (Lost to Dunedin, 10-1. A strong week by Dunedin makes the second-half race much closer)
SS Dax Kilby: 0-for-3, BB, K
Kilby is 5-for-28 without an extra-base hit in August.
CF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-4, CS (2), K
RF Paul Contreras: 0-for-4, K
DH Bear Harrison: 1-for-4
3B Anthony Potestio: 1-for-3, BB
Potestio is off to a 5-for-12 start with four walks and only one strikeout.
C Luis Puello: 1-for-4, 2B (15), R, K
The power is still showing up (15 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs in 61 games at this level).
LF Blake Cyr: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyce Armstrong: 1-for-4, RBI, K
2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-2, BB
RHP Edinzo Marquez: (L, 1-1) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
At this level: 4.15 ERA (13 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 15 K). He generated 18 whiffs, which is a huge number. But, like many youngsters, he was inconsistent.
RHP Danny Flatt: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Jose Martinez: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Greysen Carter: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
4.09 ERA (44 IP, 31 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 2 HR, 39 BB, 51 K). He topped out at 98.4 MPH.
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (29-20)
Their game against DSL Colorado was cancelled and will not be made up.
“Is this good or bad for their tournament chances?”
Depends how you look at it. DSL Colorado is a strong team, so not playing them can be a good thing. However, it erases an opportunity to win a game.
As I have stated 2.2 trillion times, they don’t make up games in the minors for playoff implications purposes. So, it comes down to winning percentage. Right now, they are ranked 16th on the DSL standings page. I assume that page factors in tiebreakers, but I am not sure. If it does, they are ranked at the bottom of six teams that are 29-20. See how today’s game could have been useful?
As a reminder, 16 teams make the tournament, with eight division winners receiving automatic berths followed by eight wild cards.
DSL Bombers (22-27-1)
Day off.