Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
The Yankees continue to tap into the Asian market for international prospects. While he cannot officially sign until January, Korean high schooler Joh Sung-chul (Seongcheol Cho) is heavily rumored to sign with the Yankees. Cho is a two-way player who pitches and plays third base. He likely would have been a first-round pick in the upcoming draft, but is opting to sign with an MLB squad instead.
Just like with Japanese teenagers, Korean teenagers rarely sign with MLB clubs. The practice is frowned upon, as the KBO wants the top teenage talent to start in their league. You can’t blame them for that. That said, as long as the Yankees follow a protocol, this shouldn’t cause tension. The Orioles were once banned from scouting South Korean amateur games for signing Kim Seong-min in 2012. The contract was eventually voided.
Cho joins Chien-Fan Lai, the teenage pitcher they signed out of Taiwan in June, as recent Pacific Rim signings. Lai is a Top 30 prospect in the system, though he didn’t make his professional debut this season. It appears the Yankees are making a serious effort to sign young talent from this region.
Scranton (67-59; 30-22 in the second half) (Defeated Worcester, 2-0)
SS Anthony Volpe: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RBI
Volpe is hitting .216/.290/.450 in 124 PA at this level. One has to search hard for a silver lining. Is it the .234 BABIP? See: straws, grasping at.
RF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, 2 K
Dominguez has three extra-base hits (2 doubles, 1 home run) in 18 games since his demotion.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, BB
2B Marco Luciano: 0-for-4, K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera: 1-for-4, K
DH Yanquiel Fernandez: 2-for-3, HR (22), RBI, R, BB, K
Fernandez is three HR away from tying his personal best.
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
LF Kenedy Corona: 0-for-3, SB (12), BB
CF Duke Ellis: 2-for-4, R, SB (46), K
Ellis leads Luis Durango and Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek by two in the organizational stolen base race. Durango, however, was recently placed on the injured list (boooo)
RHP Alexander Cornielle: (W, 4-3) 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
What a performance by Cornielle, who lowers his Scranton ERA to 2.83 in 54 innings (41 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 5 HR, 30 BB, 53 K). The Yankees signed the 25-year-old to a minor league deal out of the Brewers organization in December.
RHP Bradley Hanner: (S, 5) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Somerset (67-57; 30-25 in the second half) (Defeated Akron, 3-1)
SS Core Jackson: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, K
Avina has the talent to develop into an MLB player though questions about whether he can handle center field have persisted the past few years. This isn’t uncommon for young players as they fill out. As for his platoon splits, he is hitting .297/.405/.535 against left-handed pitching this year. Slaughtering left-handed pitching hasn’t been his career norm (.173/.292/.333 in 2025), so it’s too early to say he can be a Shane Spencer type. We’ll see.
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, HR (4), RBI, R, SB (5), BB, K
Arias has homered three times in his last four games. He’s hitting .276/.344/.517 in 96 PA at this level and .272/.354/.457 with 16 home runs in 491 plate appearances overall. If Arias is turning himself into an interesting prospect again, don’t underestimate his durability as a factor. While he dealt with an injury last season, he still had 465 plate appearances. In 2024, he went to the plate 552 times. Reps. Reps. Reps.
C Omar Alfonzo: 0-for-4, 3 K
Alfonzo is 9-for-82 since being acquired. As I have stated many times already, we have to give him a pass this year after dealing with a personal tragedy.
RF DJ Gladney: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Coby Morales: 1-for-2, BB
DH Manuel Palencia: 1-for-3
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-3, HR (12), RBI, R
Amazingly, Moylan leads the Yankees’ organization in home runs with 25. He has struck out 156 times in 423 PA (36.9%), so this is not me claiming he’s a prospect. However, it’s fun to watch since he showed very little power from 2023 through 2025.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-2, HR (4), RBI, R, BB
RHP Dom Hamel: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, HR
A good night for Yankees’ minor league signings. Hamel didn’t pitch well for Scranton (6.90 ERA in 91.1 IP).
RHP Trent Sellers: (W, 4-4) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
4.48 ERA (72.1 IP, 72 H, 44 R, 36 ER, 10 HR, 48 BB, 94 K).
RHP Kevin Stevens (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
After blowing his first career save opportunity in 2022, Stevens is 10-for-10 since. That’s your useless fact for the night.
Hudson Valley (63-59; 33-25 in second half) (Defeated Brooklyn, 5-2)
C Eric Genther: 2-for-3, RBI, R, SB (8), BB
Genther is up to .270 with a .847 OPS. He’s on a 5-game hitting streak and has walked 20 times in 24 August games.
SS Jackson Lovich: 0-for-4, SB (15), 3 K
1B Kyle West: 2-for-4, HR (20), 2 RBI, R
West didn’t homer in 11 games last season. While we love the home run power, his profile is much like Moylan’s this season, though not quite as pronounced: He has 151 strikeouts in 504 PA (29.96%).
CF Maika Niu: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH David McCann: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Dean Toigo: 2-for-4, R
Toigo is 16-for-55 (.291) to begin his professional career.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-4, SB (24)
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 1-for-2, RBI, R, SB (10), 2 BB, K
1B Willy Montero: 1-for-3, R, SB (5), BB, 2 K
LHP Allen Facundo: (W, 5-3) 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
4.67 ERA (94.1 IP, 69 H, 51 R, 49 ER, 6 HR, 67 BB, 116 K). While the walks remain high, he has pitched fairly well in his last three games (18 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 14 K)
LHP Jose Ledesma: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Ledesma’s Hudson Valley debut. He owned a 3.49 ERA in 29 games (38.1 innings) for Tampa.
RHP Andrew Landry: (S, 3) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Tampa (72-49; 37-18 in the second half) (Kicked Jupiter out of its orbit, 14-3. What more needs to be said about this squad in the second half?)
SS Dax Kilby: 1-for-4, 2 R, 3 SB (11), 2 BB
Kilby, who is on a 5-game hitting streak, is 27-for-29 stealing bases in 48 career games. It’s helped him score 43 runs.
CF Yostin Pena: 1-for-3, 3 R, 3 SB (7), 3 BB
Pena walked one time in his first 14 games at this level. He has five in his last three games. As for the stolen bases, he is now 34-for-37 in 54 games between here and the DSL.
RF Paul Contreras: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 K
C Bear Harrison: 3-for-6, 2 2B (3), 3 RBI, 3 R, 3 K
Harrison’s first career 3-hit effort.
DH Luke Pettitte: 1-for-5, R, HBP, 2 K
1B Tyce Armstrong: 2-for-5, 2B (4), HR (4), 5 RBI, BB, 2 K
I don’t know what kind of prospect he will become, but I am liking the early power (4 doubles, 4 HR, 20 RBI in 16 games).
3B Blake Schaaf: 0-for-4, SB (1), 2 BB, 4 K
Schaaf, a 21-year-old left-handed bat out of Wake Forest, makes his professional debut. The Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent after he hit .324/.431/.515 with five home runs for the Demon Deacons.
LF Diego Castellanos: 0-for-5, RBI, BB, K
2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-0, RBI, R, 2 SB (13), CS (2), 5 BB
5 walks? When is the last time a Yankees’ prospect did that? I don’t know the answer to that question, nor do I feel like trying to figure it out. Perhaps Nick Johnson did it a time or two in his insane minor league days.
RHP J.T. Etheridge: (W, 9-3) 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K
Something was in the water for starting pitchers tonight, all the way up to the majors. Etheridge, who stands 6’6″, owns a 5.56 ERA in 66.1 innings (64 H, 46 R, 41 ER, 6 HR, 37 BB, 99 K). That’s an impressive 31.9% K.
RHP Brennan Stuprich: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Stuprich’s first appearance since July 5th. He was their 14th round pick in 2025 out of Southeastern Louisiana.
RHP Jose Martinez: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Matthew Tippie: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (33-21 regular season; 0-2 in pool play)
Their season is over.
DSL Bombers (25-29-1)
Their season is over.