Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
The Yankees can’t hit.
Scranton (62-54; 25-17 in the second half) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-4)
2B Anthony Volpe: 0-for-5, K
Too soon to say they are in “permanent move” mode, but Volpe has exclusively played second base for several consecutive days.
RF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, R, CS (2), BB, 2 K
LF Max Schuemann: 2-for-3, 2B (8), HR (3), RBI, 2 R, BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, 2 2B (12), 2 RBI
For Scranton: .287/.366/.517 in 164 PA (12 doubles, 7 HR).
SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-for-3, R, BB
DH Yanquiel Fernandez: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RBI, K
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 3-for-4, 2B (12), SB (10)
Martinez Jr. has a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-19).
PR Duke Ellis: 0-for-0
CF Kenedy Corona: 1-for-4, K
RHP Brendan Beck: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
2.75 ERA (121 IP, 90 H, 42 R, 37 ER, 10 HR, 37 BB, 133 K).
RHP Hayden Merda: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Justin Topa (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Somerset (59-53; 22-21 in the second half) (Defeated New Hampshire, 5-1)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, 2B (25), 2 K
Avina sets a new personal best for doubles in a season.
SS Core Jackson: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 2 SB (4), 2 BB
Jackson is 5-for-17 (.294/.409/.412) since his promotion. He has 36 stolen bases in 43 attempts between here and Hudson Valley.
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, CS (3), BB
Since promotion: 12-for-42 (.286/.362/.467; 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run).
DH Omar Alfonzo: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF DJ Gladney: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB, K
3B Coby Morales: 1-for-3, R, SB (19), BB, K
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 4 K
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, R, K
.269/.328/.352 in 241 PA (6 doubles, 4 HR, 18 RBI). All four of his homers have come in seven August games, which boggles my mind. Before August 2026, he hit one home run in 903 plate appearances. He did hit for average during that time (.281) and only struck out 12.4% of the time. Legit prospect, or more wishful thinking that the catching pipeline is showing some signs of improvement? Who knows?
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, R, 2 SB (7), 2 BB
RHP Cade Smith (W, 6-7): 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Smith needed this performance badly. It lowers his ERA to 5.09 in 99 innings (105 H, 58 R, 56 ER, 20 HR, 43 BB, 91 K). It’s his second 7-inning performance this year (3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K on June 10th)
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Michael Arias: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Hudson Valley (54-57; 24-23 in the second half) (Defeated Wilmington, 8-5. Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the 8th, they scored one in the 8th and seven in the 9th to win it, walk-off style)
C Eric Genther: 0-for-4, R, BB
SS Jackson Lovich: 2-for-5, 2 HR (2), 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 K
Lovich’s first two Hudson Valley extra-base hits were big ones. First, he broke up the shutout with a home run in the 8th. In the 9th, he came up with two on and one out and launched a 3-run blast to win it. Anyway, he now has 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases between here and Tampa
DH Kyle West: 2-for-4, 2B (15), K
CF Maika Niu: 3-for-4, HR (3), RBI, R, SB (3)
Niu led off the 9th with a home run. The undrafted free agent out of Arkansas is 10-for-30 (.333; 2 doubles, 3 HR, 11 RBI).
1B David McCann: 1-for-4, HR (5), RBI, R
McCann followed up Niu’s home run with one of his own. The 22-year-old has hit five home runs in eight games since his promotion.
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3, R, HBP
LF Dean Toigo: 1-for-4, SB (1), K
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI, R, 2 K
RHP Luis Serna: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, HR
While he didn’t make my midseason Top 30, I was happy to see him on the Pipeline list. In 98.1 innings, he owns a 4.39 ERA with 114 strikeouts (27.4%) and 32 walks (7.7%).
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Brady Kirtner: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Brandon Decker (W, 7-1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The good luck charm owns a 3.02 ERA in 44.2 innings (35 H, 20 R, 15 ER, 4 HR, 17 BB, 52 K)
Tampa (65-47; 30-16 in the second half) (Demolished Dunedin, 14-7. After losing the first two games, they have bounced back to win the next three. This gives them a 6-game lead over Dunedin in the race for the second-half title. However, Ft. Myers has pushed ahead of Dunedin and is five games back)
SS Dax Kilby: 2-for-5, 3B (1), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (6), BB, K
After an extended slump, Kilby is 6-for-15 with a triple and home run in his last three games. He is now 22-for-24 stealing bases in 39 career games.
RF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-6, 3 K
DH Bear Harrison: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Harrison was only 3-for-23 entering tonight.
C Luis Puello: 4-for-5, 2 HR (14), 5 RBI, 2 R
I assume he left the game due to the score. Anyway, Puello’s big campaign continues. He is hitting .278 with an .881 OPS (15 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 50 RBI, 41 R). This is his third multi-HR game this season (including a 3-HR game and a 2-HR game a week ago). If we include his two FCL homers, he has 16 home runs in 2026 after hitting seven in 107 games between 2023 and 2025.
C Ediel Rivera: 0-for-0
CF Diego Castellanos: 2-for-5, HR (2), RBI, 2 R
Castellanos is 8-for-26 with a double and a pair of home runs.
1B Tyce Armstrong: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
3B Anthony Potestio: 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, R, BB
Potestio, who hit a 423-foot HR tonight, is off to a nice start to his career: 8-for-22 with a double and two home runs.
LF Blake Cyr: 1-fot-5, R, SB (4), 2 K
2B Luis Escudero: 2-for-5, 2 R, SB (9)
LHP Justin West (W, 9-3): 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
4.52 ERA (97.2 IP, 100 H, 52 R, 49 ER, 10 HR, 29 BB, 100 K)
RHP Greysen Carter: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Jose Martinez: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Jose Ledesma: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (32-20) (Defeated the DSL Mets Blue, 11-4. Things are looking good for a tournament berth with two games to go, but nothing is clinched. Their next game is a big one, as they play the 33-21 DSL Tigers 2 squad)
CF Isaias Castillo: 1-for-2, 2B (18), RBI, R, 2 SB (28), BB
C Juan Martinez: 1-for-3, R, SB (21), BB
SS Stiven Marinez: 1-for-3, R, 2 SB (37), HBP
In case you are wondering, 37 stolen bases is a solid number. However, the DSL leader (Juan Cespedes (Angels)) has 66 stolen bases in 49 games. On June 20th, Cespedes set a minor league record by stealing eight bases in one game (in case you are wondering, he is not related to Yoenis Cespedes).
2B Juan Torres: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (26), BB
Torres is hitting .387/.470/.648 in 237 PA. He leads the DSL with 63 runs batted in. Believe it or not, ex-teammate Yostin Pena (who was called up to Tampa) is still second in the league with 57.
1B Poly Ojeda: 1-for-4, 3B (2), RBI, R
RF Alfiery Matos: 1-for-3, RBI, R, SB (33), BB, K
Matos has 33 stolen bases in 45 games.
DH Stalen Ramirez: 2-for-3, HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, K
Ramirez will turn 18 in two days. He’s hitting .292/.414/.449 in 111 PA. He started the season with the Bombers before being moved here on July 28th.
RHP Jhon Beltre: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Only 17, Beltre hasn’t had a fun debut campaign. Nice outing today, however.
DSL Bombers (23-29-1) (Defeated the DSL Blue Jays Blue, 7-5)
CF Ruben Castillo: 0-for-2, RBI, CS (4), 2 HBP
DH Dariel Santana: 1-for-1, 3B (5), RBI, R, CS (4), 3 BB
Santana has a 22.8% BB. The issue is the contact, as he is only hitting .197 and has a 27.98% K.
C Alessandro Rodriguez: 1-for-2, RBI, R, SB (6)
1B-C Kenneth Melendez: 1-for-2, 2B (5), 2 R, 2 BB
SS Germayhoni Beltre: 1-for-4, 2B (11), R
Beltre isn’t a random prospect having a good season. The 17-year-old (won’t be 18 until January) signed for $100,000. While that isn’t “bonus baby” territory, it was one of the highest bonuses the Yankees handed out after the messy divorce with Donny Rowland.
3B Alfred Ciriaco: 1-for-2, RBI, HBP, K
RHP Argenis Veloz: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
RHP Brandy Luis (W, 3-0): 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K