Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
MLB Pipeline came out with their new Top 100 and Top 30 lists. The Yankees landed two players on the Top 100 list: George Lombard Jr. and Dax Kilby. After Lombard Jr. and Kilby, the next nine prospects are pitchers, including 2026 draftees Hunter Dietz (5th) and Sean Duncan (11th). Core Jackson broke the chain and is ranked 12th.
Top international signing Chien-Fan Lai breaks in at 26th. Past international signings on the list include Carlos Lagrange (4th), Allen Facundo (8th), Luis Serna (18th), Stiven Marinez (19th), and Richard Matic (23rd). Elmer Rodriguez (3rd), Wilberson De Pena (14th), and Omar Alfonzo (29th) are acquired international prospects on the list.
Besides Dietz and Duncan, C/OF Brendan Brock (16th) is the other 2026 draftee on the list. Brock is an interesting prospect – how many prospects have projections behind the plate and in center field? That speaks to his athleticism. My instinct is that the Yankees will try to develop him at both positions initially. He has yet to make his professional debut.
The highest-ranked reliever is Tony Rossi, at 27th. However, Pipeline feels that Facundo is moving there sooner rather than later. I agree.
Scranton (62-52; 25-15 in the second half) (Defeated Lehigh Valley, 5-1)
2B Anthony Volpe: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, BB, K
Volpe has a 6-game hitting streak (every game since his demotion). He has played four games at second base.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, R, BB, K
3B Max Schuemann: 1-for-3, 2B (7), BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, R
In case you are wondering, Mitch Garver is not yet on the roster. Signed on August 8th, he was assigned to the FCL squad (which is a meaningless paper move).
SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-for-4
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, R, K
Hardman has 23 home runs and 73 RBI between here and Somerset. Believe it or not, Garrett Martin, who has been out of action for a while, still leads the organization with 24 home runs.
RF Yanquiel Fernandez: 1-for-4, R
DH Christian Bethancourt: 0-for-3, R, BB
CF Kenedy Corona: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RHP Elmer Rodriguez: (W, 8-3) 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
This is the first time Rodriguez has tossed seven innings in 2026 (did it four times in 2025). He owns a 2.63 ERA over 92.1 innings (71 H, 32 R, 27 ER, 5 HR, 46 BB, 94 K). In some organizations, he would have likely been given an extended MLB look in 2026. The Yankees don’t have room for that, so he settled in as a “get your feet wet” guy. That is not a bad approach for a youngster.
RHP Travis MacGregor: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
MacGregor was activated off the 60-day injured list today. He’s a 28-year-old signed to a minor league deal over the winter. He should be able to give them some innings down the stretch.
RHP Danny Watson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Somerset (57-53; 20-21 in the second half) (Defeated New Hampshire, 5-1. Note: It should be mandatory that Luis Durango plays any time Somerset is televised!)
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4
SS Core Jackson: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (2), K
Jackson, who is 34-for-41 stealing bases between here and Hudson Valley, is 3-for-11 with a triple since his promotion.
3B Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 3 K
He’s had a handful of games like this during his torrid stretch, but has found ways to bounce back.
C Omar Alfonzo: 0-for-3, R, BB
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-1, R, HBP, BB, K
2B Connor McGinnis: 2-for-3, R
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, HR (7, grand slam), 4 RBI, K
Moylan launches his 20th HR between here and Hudson Valley.
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, K
DH Manuel Palencia: 1-for-3, 2B (6), R
Palencia’s surprising power surge continues, as he has two doubles and three home runs (.870 SLG) in August. Overall, in 65 games (237 PA), he is hitting .265/.325/.335.
LHP Carlos Rodon: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
You couldn’t go five to earn the win, Carlos? Bah!
RHP Ty Boudreau: (W, 1-0) 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Boudreau makes his Double-A debut (he skipped Hudson Valley). The most likely reason is they needed a fresh arm to piggyback off of Rodon, and the bullpen was used for all nine innings yesterday afternoon. Regardless of “why” he is here, he took advantage of the opportunity. For Tampa, he compiled a 3.46 ERA in 18 starts (91 innings) with 60 hits allowed and a 100/35 K/BB.
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Hudson Valley (53-56; 23-22 in the second half) (Lost to Wilmington, 6-5)
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 1-for-4, R, 2 SB (5), BB, 2 K
Martin-Grudzielanek is only 5-for-35 since his promotion. Between here and Tampa, he is 39-for-47 stealing bases.
DH Maika Niu: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K
C David McCann: 2-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, R, BB, K
McCann adds a double to his four High-A home runs (seven games).
1B Kyle West: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, R, SB (1), K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-4, 3 RBI, 2 SB (21), K
Tejeda is 13-for-40 (.325) in August. He is 10-for-10 stealing bases (nine of those stolen bases have come in his last six games)
LF Robbie Burnett: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 2 SB (5), K
I am not sure why he left the game. Montero is 8-for-37 since his promotion. He is 5-for-5 stealing bases.
PH Eric Genther: 0-for-1, K
CF Camden Troyer: 0-for-0
RF Dean Toigo: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, 2 K
RHP Bryce Cunningham: 6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
4.60 ERA (74.1 IP, 68 H, 42 R, 38 ER, 7 HR, 34 BB, 68 K)
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Andrew Landry (L, 2-3) 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
Tampa (63-47; 28-16 in the second half) (Defeated Dunedin, 11-7)
DH Dax Kilby: 3-for-6, HR (2), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
Big night for Kilby, who was struggling in August. This is his third 3+ hit effort in his short career. Despite his long-term injury in 2026, Pipeline was bullish by placing him in their Top 100.
CF Wilberson De Pena: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 2 RBI, R, BB, K
De Pena is 9-for-50 (.180) since his promotion. He has a double, triple, and two home runs.
C Bear Harrison: 0-for-5, 2 K
SS Anthony Potestio: 1-for-6, RBI, SB (2), 2 K
1B Tyce Armstrong: 2-for-5, 2B (2), R, 2 K
Armstrong is 6-for-28 with two doubles and a home run.
LF Diego Castellanos: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R, BB
Castellanos hits his first professional home run. He is off to a solid start to his career (6-for-17 with a double and homer)
3B Bayram Hot: 0-for-3, 2 R, SB (1), 2 BB, 2 K
RF Brando Mayea: 2-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, K
Mayea has hit safely in 16 straight starts. Remember that he is only 20 years old, so it’s too early to give up on him despite some uneven results (coupled with injuries).
2B Luis Escudero: 2-for-4, HR (8), RBI, 2 R, BB, K
Escudero has eight home runs (.505 SLG) in 38 games at this level.
RHP J.T. Etheridge: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
LHP Jose Ledesma: (W, 1-3) 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Antonio Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Gomez maxed out at 99.8 MPH tonight. 15 of his 17 pitches were 4-seam fastballs (two cutters).
RHP Rafael Arias: 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (30-20) (Defeated the DSL Tigers, 6-1. All it took was one win to jump them from 16th to 13th. When I say it’s all bunched up, this is what I mean: 3 teams have 20 losses (the other two teams are ahead of the Yankees since they have 31 wins). Six teams have 21 losses. There’s only room for 16 squads in the tournament, so the final three games are going to be wild)
In case you are wondering, yes – the Yankees and Bombers can switch players to create the best possible team to earn a playoff slot. However, that’s not going to happen.
DH Isaias Castillo: 1-for-4, 2B (17), 2 SB (26), CS (3), K
Castillo has 33 extra-base hits in 47 games. “Are you surprised he isn’t ranked?” No. Despite the insane numbers, he has struck out 30.2% of the time.
CF Luis Cruz: 0-for-3, SB (10), BB
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-4, SB (35), CS (7)
3B Juan Torres: 3-for-3, 2B (23), 2 R, 2 SB (26), BB
Honestly, I am surprised that Pipeline didn’t rank him. He’s hitting .387/.471/.654 in 228 PA (23 doubles, 2 triples, 8 HR, 61 RBI, 51 R, 10.96% BB, 7.0% K). A lot goes into evaluation, but it’s hard to ignore his dominance.
C Juan Martinez: 2-for-3, R, 2 SB (20), BB, K
The 18-year-old is hitting .364/.447/.473 in 152 PA in his debut campaign.
RF Alfiery Matos: 0-for-2, R, SB (28), HBP, BB, K
2B Stalen Ramirez: 0-for-2, SF, 2 RBI
LF Manuel Aguilar: 1-for-3, 3B (2), RBI, R
1B Jose Peralta: 2-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, K
The 18-year-old left-handed bat is only 8-for-47, but carries a .443 OBP and .447 SLG.
RHP Jhosneyker Colina (W, 2-1): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
The 18-year-old is throwing innings, as he completed seven innings his last time out. Over his two August starts, he has allowed only one run over 13.1 innings (6 H, 3 BB, 15 K).
RHP Jose Vargas: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
DSL Bombers (22-28-1) (Lost to the DSL Cardinals, 6-2)
C Alessandro Rodriguez: 0-for-1, HBP, BB
CF David Carrera: 1-for-3, 2B (11), 2 K
SS Germayhoni Beltre: 0-for-2, R, HBP, K
1B Edgar Jimenez: 0-for-2, R, BB
2B Alfred Ciriaco: 2-for-3, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, K
All three of the Bombers’ hits were doubles.
RHP Cesar Acosta: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
A few weeks ago, I wondered when the last time a Yankees’ DSL prospect struck out 10+ hitters in a game. Why did I ask that? Because Acosta struck out ten that day. Two starts later, he strikes out 11. The smallish 19-year-old owns a 3.31 ERA over 51.2 innings with a 34.5% K and 10.3% BB.