Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
There isn’t much to report. RHP Chien-Fan Lai was moved from the DSL Yankees roster to the FCL roster. This is a paper move. The hyped 18-year-old has yet to make his debut, but he wasn’t supposed to. We’ll see him in 2027.
Scranton (62-56; 25-19 in the second half) (Lost to Charlotte, 7-2)
2B Anthony Volpe: 0-for-4, 3 K
Volpe hasn’t committed an error in his eight games at second base. He has helped convert five double plays.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-3, 2B (6), SB (11), BB, K
Hopefully this helps to jump start him. However, the Yankees acquiring Heliot Ramos, who is a decent bat (better than decent against LHP, but of course the Yankees trapped themselves into using him against all pitching), was enough to tell me that their confidence in Dominguez has slipped considerably. You don’t get a defensive upgrade with Ramos, as crazy as that sounds.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4
SS Max Schuemann: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-for-4, R
DH Marco Luciano: 0-for-3, BB, K
RF Yanquiel Fernandez: 1-for-4, R
Fernandez has hit safely in nine of his last ten games.
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K
CF Kenedy Corona: 2-for-3, RBI, SB (9)
LHP Xavier Rivas: (L, 0-2) 3.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
His first two Triple-A starts haven’t gone according to plan.
RHP Travis MacGregor: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Zach Messinger: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
3.45 ERA (60 IP, 40 H, 26 R, 23 ER, 6 HR, 28 BB, 54 K). There could be an MLB role for Messinger as a bulk reliever (he is a converted starter), but I don’t believe it will happen with the Yankees.
RHP Justin Topa: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Somerset (61-55; 24-23 in the second half) (Defeated Hartford, 10-4)
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-5, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias: 3-for-5, 2 2B (6), 3 RBI, 3 R, K
His 3-run double in the top of the 9th broke the game open. Regardless of everything I said yesterday, his run has been fun to follow. Between here and Hudson Valley, he has 24 doubles, 3 triples, 13 HR, 72 RBI, and 32 stolen bases in 45 attempts. I pointed out the K% last night, so I won’t do that again.
DH Omar Alfonzo: 0-for-5, 3 K
RF DJ Gladney: 3-for-4, 2 2B (22), HR (22), 5 RBI, R BB
His 3-run blast in the top of the eighth turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead. He is up to 80 RBI, second in the organization behind Jackson Lovich‘s 81.
3B Coby Morales: 1-for-5, HR (20), RBI, R, K
Morales has 20 doubles, 20 HR, and 20 stolen bases.
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-3, BB
PR Connor McGinnis: 0-for-0, R
C Miguel Palma: 0-for-0
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, R, K
2B Kevin Verde: 2-for-4, R
LF Luis Durango: 3-for-3, RBI, 2 R, SB (7), CS (2), BB
Between here, Tampa, and Hudson Valley, Durango has 43 stolen bases in 54 attempts (79.6%). For Hudson Valley and Somerset, his rate is 25-for-30 (83.3%). He is hitting .375 (15-for-40) since his promotion.
RHP Yerry Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Trent Sellers: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Tony Rossi: (W, 4-0) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Since promoton: 2.81 ERA (25.2 IP, 19 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 34 K). This is his fifth consecutive multi-strikeout appearance (12 strikeouts in six innings) and he has a 60/11 K/BB over 44 innings between here and Hudson Valley.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Hudson Valley (57-57; 27-23 in second half) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 6-5)
C Eric Genther: 1-for-3, HR (13), 3 RBI, R, 2 BB, K
In 105 games and 447 plate appearances, he is hitting .268/.404/.437 (19 doubles, 1 triple, 13 HR, 64 RBI, 61 R, 13.2% BB, 18.6% K). The 24-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Rhode Island in 2025.
CF Jackson Lovich: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 SB (12), BB, K
Since promotion: 24-for-70 (.343/.400/.500); 6-game hitting streak. He has 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts in 18 games. The Yankees are testing him in center field, a position he covered ten times for the University of Missouri in 2024.
DH Maika Niu: 0-for-5, 2 K
1B David McCann: 0-for-4, 3 K
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, R, 2 K
Montero launches his first High-A home run. He hit 12 for Tampa.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3, SB (22), BB, K
He owns a .406 August OBP, which has allowed him to steal 11 bases in 12 attempts.
SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, K
Martin-Grudzielanek is only 10-for-51 since his promotion. The only bright spot is the 7-for-7 stolen base rate.
LF Robbie Burnett: 1-for-3, R, BB, 2 K
RF Camden Troyer: 1-for-4, RBI, R
RHP Bryce Cunningham: 6 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Wilmy Sanchez (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
Sanchez has struck out 31 batters in 15 July/August innings.
RHP Hansel Rincon (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.11 ERA (37.2 IP, 30 H, 19 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 18 BB, 56 K (32.7%)). He hasn’t walked a batter in his last seven appearances (9 innings).
Tampa (66-48; 31-17 in the second half) (Destroyed Daytona Beach, 15-3. Last six games: 5-1 with 76 runs scored (12.7 R/G). Their only loss was the crazy 12-11 game last night)
In case you are wondering about Luke Pettitte after his successful debut: He is probably limited to designated hitter duty. Other prospects need at-bats, too. Hence, he’s unlikely to play every day and is getting his feet wet.
SS Dax Kilby: 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 BB
Kilby has four multi-hit efforts during his 6-game hitting streak (11-for-27). It’s unfortunate he missed so much time, but he is starting to make up for it.
CF Yostin Pena: 4-for-6, HR (2), 5 RBI, 2 R
With so much focus on Wilberson De Pena‘s FCL Triple Crown, was Pena overlooked? He’s not ranked on any Top 30, but he is crushing it after his promotion from the DSL. He is 20-for-53 (.377) with 2 triples, 2 home runs, and 13 RBI. Additionally, he is 11-for-23 during a 5-game hitting streak. Now, not everything is butterflies and shortcake: In these 12 games, he has earned only one walk. In case you have forgetten, the Yankees signed him after the Cardinals backed out of a deal due to age-releated concerns.
RF Paul Contreras: 4-for-6, 2B (1), 2 RBI, R, K
After starting his professional career 3-for-24, he is 6-for-10 in his last two games.
DH Bear Harrison: 0-for-3, R, HBP, 2 BB, 2 K
3B Anthony Potestio: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, 3 BB, K
He’s played in eight games, and has hit safely in all of them. He is 11-for-27 (.407; 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 2-for-2 SB, 10 BB, 4 K). This is how you make an early impression.
LF Diego Castellanos: 1-for-6, RBI
2B Blake Cyr: 2-for-3, 4 R, 2 BB, K
Cyr is 7-for-23 and has reached base safely in all eight of his games. I love when players from the most recent draft perform well immediately. Does it mean anything for their prospect status? No.
1B Tyce Armstrong: 1-for-2, 3 R, 3 BB, K
Armstrong has scored seven runs and driven home nine in his last four games.
C Ediel Rivera: 2-for-5, HR (4), 4 RBI, R
RHP Ty Boudreau: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
He tossed 3.2 scoreless innings in an “emergency” appearance for Somerset last time out. At this level: 3.60 ERA (95 IP, 67 H, 44 R, 38 ER, 8 HR, 37 BB, 104 K)
RHP Anthony Mena (W, 2-0): 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 10.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K
RHP Matthew Tippie: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
June/July/August: 23.2 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 2 ER, 8 BB, 31 K
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (33-21)
Their DSL Cup journey begins tomorrow with pool play. Their pool includes the DSL Reds (36-19), DSL Colorado (36-18), and the DSL Tigers 2 (34-22). Pool play is a round-robin, where they will play one game against each team. The team with the best record moves on to the semi-finals.
DSL Bombers (25-29-1)
Their season is over.