Tom's Sports Blog

Yankees MILB 5/21: Josue Gonzalez Doubles, Homers

News:

Oswald Peraza‘s rehab stint is over and he has been assigned to Scranton. While this was inevitable, it is now official: Peraza’s final option has been used. They won’t be able to demote him in 2025 without exposing him to waivers.

OF Brando Mayea made his 2024 debut on Monday, going 0-for-1 with a walk. He earned his first hit of the season this afternoon.

With Somerset in New Hampshire and Hudson Valley in Brooklyn, the Yankees transferred DJ LeMahieu‘s rehab from the former to the latter. He will reportedly join the Yankees in Anaheim.

According to the roster page, Clayton Beeter is on the injured list down in Scranton. With Will Warren struggling and Chase Hampton on the shelf, the starting pitching depth has taken some hits. Yoendrys Gomez is talented but they haven’t stretched him out much. Cody Poteet pitched well in a start earlier this season. Like Warren, Edgar Barclay has struggled lately. This is something to monitor as it is nearly impossible to get through a full season using only 5-6 starters.

Scranton (29-16) (Didn’t have a fun night against Syracuse, losing 12-1)

3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, 2B (15), BB
Durbin has 111 walks (10.9%) and 92 strikeouts (9.1%) in his minor league career.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, HBP
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, K
Trammell is 6-for-30 as the Yankees try to do what others failed at: Tap into the potential he once had.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, K
13-for-38 (4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR) at this level.
DH-P Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, K
2B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, RS, K

RHP Will Warren: (L, 3-3) 4 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Oof. Warren was dominant in his four April starts (his rough opener was in March), pitching to a 2.33 ERA in 27 innings. May hasn’t been so kind: 24 runs (23 earned) over 14 innings with six home runs allowed. Triple-A is a crazy offensive environment, but that doesn’t explain *all* struggles.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Art Warren: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Phil Bickford: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Jose Rojas: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Pulling double duty for the second time this season.

Somerset (19-20) (Lost to New Hampshire, 10-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, SB (9), K
DH Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 3 K
Dominguez’s rehab was moved here from Tampa.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3, BB, K
C Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, K
Rice has 3 extra-base hits in May (10 in April). Perhaps this will get him going…
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, RS, SB (7), BB
Cowles is 30-for-34 (88.2%) stealing bases the last two seasons.
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, BB
2B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-2, SF, RBI
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-4) 4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 4 HR
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
For Somerset: 2.08 ERA in 8.2 IP (5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K)

Hudson Valley (19-18) (Lost to Brooklyn, 7-1)

3B DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-3, RBI, K
3B-2B Beau Brewer: 0-for-0
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Serna’s on-base streak is up to 19.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, K
Vivas is 2-for-21 during his rehab stints this year.
PH-3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-1
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (9), K
.314/.387/.504 in 155 PA. After hitting a solid .293/.354/.440 in April, he has elevated his game to .339/.425/.581 in May. This is the stuff that promotions are made of, though I think we are several weeks away from the first batch of in-season promotions.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, K
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (5), K
Martinez increases his hitting streak to 7.
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-2, 3B (1), RS

RHP Cam Schlittler: (L, 3-1) 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 5 K
1.80 ERA (35 IP, 15 H, 13 R, 7 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 42 K). Other than a few bouts of wildness, Schlittler has thrown well in 2024.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Matt Keating: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
3.24 ERA (25 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 27 K). Keating is a multi-inning reliever with four outings where he has compiled 9 outs.

Tampa (14-26) (Lost to Jupiter, 3-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, BB, K
.202/.380/.250 in 108 PA. He is 3-for-25 with two walks since coming back from the injured list (20 walks in 16 games before his injury)
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 2B (6), K
Arias hit the double 107.2 MPH. All 12 of his extra-base hits have come hitting left-handed. As a right-handed bat, he is only 7-for-33 with one walk and 18 strikeouts. If you go back to his debut season (2022), he has one extra-base hit (double) against LHP. Is this meaningful? Yes, since you want to see progress in all phases of his game. Is it fixable? Yes, as he is still a teenager.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, SB (7), BB
.266/.404/.494 in 99 PA. In May, he has 16 walks and 5 stolen bases in 15 games.
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-3, K
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-3, 2B (6)
Palencia has 13 strikeouts in 122 Low-A plate appearances (10.7%). For now, he is a contact guy (.301 career average) who hasn’t shown much power (he has yet to hit a home run in his career).
DH Tomas Frick: 0-for-3, K

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (L, 0-6) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
5.50 ERA (36 IP, 40 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 39 K). The Yankees likely love his ability to keep the ball on the ground. That elevated ERA doesn’t have anything “bad” attached to it. A little over a hit per inning but a reasonable walk rate, etc.
RHP Cade Austin: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
4.10 ERA (26.1 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 6 BB, 31 K). Not bad for his debut season…
RHP Kris Bow: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.63 ERA (17.1 IP, 11 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 21 K). It’s all about whether or not he can keep the walks at a reasonable level.

FCL (7-6) (Defeated the Tigers, 6-4)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-3, BB
Mayea was signed for $4.35 million during the 2023 international signing period. He hit .276/.382/.400 in 38 DSL games last year.
DH Edgleen Perez: 1-for-5, RBI, K
C Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (4), RBI, 2 RS
Gonzalez is tied for the FCL lead in home runs and is second in slugging percentage (.758). His OPS (1.289) leads the league.
LF-CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, SB (6), BB, K
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
SS Juan Matheus: 3-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
Matheus’ 6th career 3-hit game (first since 2022)

RHP Danny Flatt: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
1.42 ERA (12.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 15 K). The 19-year-old could make his Low-A debut this season.
RHP Hansel Rosario: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/19: Trystan Vrieling Sparkles

News:

The news section has been too quiet for my liking lately. Something big is about to happen…

Scranton (29-14) (Split a doubleheader with Worcester)

Game 1 (Won, 6-3)

3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4
.285/.402/.418 in 200 PA. Durbin has a reverse split, hitting .216/.341/.270 vs. LHP and .305/.419/.461 vs. RHP.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, K
Peraza was called up from Somerset to continue his rehab assignment here.
DH Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, 2 K
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-3, 2 RS, SB (5)
1B Jose Rojas: 3-for-3, 2B (10), HR (9), RBI, 3 RS, SB (1)
LF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-3, RBI, K
Gonzalez is 14-for-43 (.326) at this level (4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR).
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
CF Greg Allen: 1-for-2, RS, HBP
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, 2B (7), RBI, K

RHP Cody Poteet: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
4.05 ERA (33.1 IP, 26 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 38 K)
RHP Cody Morris (W, 3-0): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (S, 2): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Game 2 (Lost, 3-1)

LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-3, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB, K
.244/.392/.420 in 153 PA.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-2, BB
Rumfield has a 7-game hitting streak and is hititng .317/.385/.424 in 156 PA between here and Somerset.
DH Everson Pereira: 0-for-2, BB, K
.265/.346/.512 in 182 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 33 R, 14.6% BB, 32.4%)
RF Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-3, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: (L, 0-2) 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
3.62 ERA (27.1 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 33 K). The Yankees have until the end of next year’s spring training to determine what they are going to do with Gomez. For now, he is depth.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.29 ERA (21 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 23 K)

Somerset (19-19) (Shut down Portland, 7-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, 2B (5), RS, 2 K
Jones’ first extra-base hit since May 7th (9 consecutive games without one). We’ll see if it sparks him.
3B DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-1, RBI, 2 RS, 3 BB
The Yankees will play it cautiously with LeMahieu, but this is an encouraging day. Some may wonder about how he will impact what the MLB team is doing. One hates to upset the apple cart, but a healthy LeMahieu is still a useful baseball player.
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-1
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB
He ends Sunday with an OPS just below 1.000 (.998). vs. LHP: .382/.463/.912. vs. RHP: .239/.369/.489. That is acceptable, especially since he has 7 HR, 20 RBI, and 18 walks in 110 PA vs. RHP.
1B Ben Rice: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
Rice has slumped in May (.192/.317/.269), but at least he did something productive this afternoon. His bat has been too dominant in Double-A (24 HR in 84 games) for this to continue.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-2, 2B (14), 2 RBI, RS, SB (6), 2 BB
.331/.414/.543 in 152 PA (14 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 22 R, 6-for-6 SB, 12.5% BB, 15.8% K).
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, SB (6), HBP, BB, K
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (6), 2 K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, RS, 2 SB (7), BB, K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 3-4) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
4.40 ERA (45 IP, 40 H, 24 R, 22 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 44 K). Earlier in the week, against this team, Vrieling allowed 9 runs in 4.2 innings so this was a nice adjustment.
RHP Ryan Anderson: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Kahnle has retired all 15 batters he has faced during his rehab stint (Tampa/Somerset), striking out 11. He is on his way to New York now.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Since promotion: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Hudson Valley (19-17) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 6-5, in 10 innings)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5, RS, BB, 3 K
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-3, 2B (9), RBI, RS, SB (4), 2 BB, K
.263/.388/.489 in 165 PA. He has 7 multi-hit games in his last 17 games played.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-5, 2B (12), 3 RBI, SB (4), BB, K
.310/.412/.550 in 119 PA (12 doubles, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 17 R, 4-for-4 SB). He has hit safely in 13 of 15 May games (18-for-61, 9 doubles, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 12 R)
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5
.308/.384/.489 in 151 PA with a 10.6% BB and 14.6% K.
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, BB, 3 K
Martinez has a 6-game hitting streak (7-for-20; 7 walks). He is starting to get rolling.
PR-DH Kyle Battle: 0-for-0
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
Flores has a 5-game hitting streak and is 13-for-32 (.406) in May with 5 doubles and 8 walks.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, BB, K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-4, RS, BB
RF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, RS, BB, HBP, K

LHP Ben Shields: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
3.86 ERA (25.2 IP, 22 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 4 BB, 34 K). You have to love that K/BB. He started strong in April but has struggled in May. This was only his second start.
RHP Trent Sellers: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K
2.82 ERA (22.1 IP, 14 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 16 BB, 30 K). This is the first time in his career (which only started this year) that he didn’t strike out at least one batter in an appearance.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers: (L, 1-2) 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (14-25) (Defeated Bradenton, 3-1)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, K
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-0
DH Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
This is the first time Dominguez played back-to-back games this season.
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 2 K
.213/.345/.348 in 171 PA (5 doubles, 4 triples, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 21 R, 9-for-15 SB, 15.8% BB, 35.7% K). Last 12 games: 12-for-44 (.273), 10 BB, 16 K.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, 2B (13), K
.319/.360/.551 with 7 doubles, 3 HR, and 16 RBI in 17 May games.
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
3B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, 3B (2), HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Montero is 16-for-48 (.333; 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR). He was 3-for-18 in his first five games. Interestingly, we don’t know if he would be here right now if not for the injuries to George Lombard Jr. and (especially) Enmanuel Tejeda.
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-4, RBI, RS
.321/.426/.429 with 3 doubles, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, and 11 walks in 16 May games. Morales was their 18th-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Washington. He bats lefty and has an extreme split (.294/.416/.363 vs. RHP; .097/.222/.097 vs. LHP)
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, BB
LF Dayro Perez: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Ryan Harvey: (W, 1-2) 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Harvey sets a new personal best for strikeouts in a game.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The 22-year-old was called up from the FCL. In 33 appearances between the DSL/FCL since 2022, he went 4-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 51.2 IP. He walked 30 and struck out 72. Today, he threw 20 sinkers (92.3 MPH average), 7 changeups, and 3 sliders.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Montana Semmel (S, 2): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (5-6)

They never play on Sunday.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/18: Jasson Dominguez is Heating Up

News:

I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-13)

Their game against Worcester was postponed. Instead of playing two tomorrow, they will attempt to make this up on Monday. The posted lineup is below.

2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-0
.286/.405/.422 in 196 PA (14 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 30 R, 20-for-22 SB, 14.8% BB, 10.7% K). His SLG has, predictably, slipped (only four extra-base hits (all doubles) in May), but the rest of his profile has motored along. Starts, by position: 2B: 17; 3B: 10; SS: 7; LF: 4; CF: 1.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-0
Peraza’s rehab stint was moved here from Somerset.
RF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-0
1B Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-0
After a .215/.384/.354 April, Narvaez is hitting .275/.396/.475 in May.
DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-0
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-0
.265/.358/.510 in 124 PA. How souped up is this league? A .510 SLG is strong on paper. In the International League, it is good enough to be ranked 33rd. In the Double-A Eastern League (where Somerset plays), the 33rd-best slugging percentage is .394.
C Luis Torrens: 0-for-0
LF Greg Allen: 0-for-0
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0

RHP Cody Poteet: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (18-19) (Lost to Portland, 2-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
.222/.298/.333 in 121 PA. He hasn’t homered since April 23rd (20 straight games without one). Eventually, you figure someone is going to pay.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
.285/.395/.618 in 147 PA. His hitting streak is at 7 (12-for-26).
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, 2 K
.328/.405/.536 in 148 PA.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, K
DH Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, RS, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 2-3) 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
I was concerned when he only pitched three innings last time, but he is fine, it appears. Season: 3.99 ERA (38.1 IP, 33 H, 18 R, 17 ER, 17 BB, 41 K). His first 8 professional starts have gone as well as you can hope for.
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
In his last five appearances: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 13 K. Overall, he has a 1.45 ERA and 30/6 K/BB over 18.2 IP. In his career, he has 222 strikeouts in 137.1 innings. He is a legitimate high-leverage relief prospect.

Hudson Valley (19-16) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 14-8)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, RS, BB, HBP, K
His BB% (16.3) continues to be higher than his K% (15.4). I expect the bat to eventually get going.
SS Luis Serna: 1-for-5, HR (7), RBI, RS, SB (3), BB
Serna has homered in two of his last three games and is hitting .305/.406/.627 in May (4 doubles, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 12 R). While many see him as a 2B long-term, he has started 26 games at SS and 8 at 2B.
RF Jace Avina: 3-for-4, 2B (11), HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (3), BB
.305/.407/.547 in 113 PA (11 doubles, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 17 R, 11.5% BB, 28.3% K).
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
.313/.390/.500 in 146 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 24 R, 10.96% BB, 15.1% K). He owns a 12-game on-base streak.
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 2 RS, BB, K
Martinez has a 5-game hitting streak. He is at .240/.406/.413 in 133 PA (21.1% BB and 21.1% K).
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, 2B (10), 2 RBI, BB, K
Flores is up to .281/.387/.461 in 106 PA (10 doubles, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 10 R, 14.2% BB, 23.6% K). He has five multi-hit efforts in his last seven games (12-for-24; 5 doubles, 10 RBI – he has at least one RBI in seven straight games). Before this streak, he was hitting .200/.307/.369.
3B Josh Moylan: 3-for-5, 2B (3), 2 RBI, CS (1)
In his last four games, Moylan is 6-for-15 with five RBI. It has lifted his triple slash from .205/.344/.295 to .237/.368/.323. It’s a start!
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-5, 2 K
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-4, RS, SB (4), BB, K

LHP Kyle Carr: 4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
6.49 ERA (26.1 IP, 32 H, 27 R, 18 ER, 2 HR, 23 BB, 22 K). I won’t try to trick you into thinking that is a good line. I will say that this is his debut season and everyone develops at a different pace. How does he adjust? That is the question you want answered.
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Arejula: (L, 1-3) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (13-25) (Defeated Bradenton, 10-9, in ten innings)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-3, 2 RS, BB, HBP, K
Vivas is 1-for-7 since he restarted his rehab stint (he went 1-for-7 for Scranton during his first rehab stint)
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1, RS
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Dominguez’s double was hit 106.5 MPH. On his rehab stint: 5-for-11 (1 double, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K).
PH Hans Montero: 1-for-1
Again, they probably told Dominguez his night was over after his 5th plate appearance, which is why he didn’t hit in the 10th inning.
3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, HBP, K
He is hitting .210 with a .644 OPS.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 3B (4), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
Arias walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, 2 2B (12), BB, 2 K
Jasso has 20 doubles in 57 career games.
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, SF, 3 RBI, K
All 9 of Castillo’s RBI have come in his last ten games. In those ten games, he is 14-for-31 with four doubles and three homers.
LF Willy Montero: 2-for-5, 2 K
For a moment, he lifted his average over .200. At he end of the night, he settled in at .198.
RF Coby Morales: 0-for-4, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, RS, BB

RHP Josh Grosz: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, HR
7.06 ERA (29.1 IP, 37 H, 32 R, 23 ER, 8 HR, 13 BB, 48 K). That line shows off his raw ability and things he needs to work on. His rate numbers show bad luck: Entering tonight, he had a .413 BABIP and 35% HR/FB. A 35% HR/FB is insane – something like that can’t be sustained.
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.96 ERA (18.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 9 BB, 18 K). Rodriguez hit 96.3 with his 4-seamer and 95.1 with his sinker.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
2.14 ERA (21 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 17 BB, 22 K)
RHP Kris Bow: (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
He just comes at you with hard sinkers and sliders. They don’t always hit the zone, but there is no way Bow is a comfortable AB. Season: 3.94 ERA (16 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 19 K)

FCL (5-6) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 6-2)

1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, HBP, K
8-for-29 (2 doubles, 3 HR, 10 BB, 8 K, 2-for-2 SB)
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, 2 RS, BB, HBP, K
My thick skull finally figured it out: They send Hardman to the FCL for rehab on days Jasson Dominguez plays for Tampa. For now, both are only playing DH.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, 2B (3), 2 RBI, BB
7-for-22 (3 doubles, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 11 BB, 4 K). The 17-year-old (for one more week) is making an early impression.
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, SF, 2 RBI
7-for-30 (1 triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2-for-5 SB)
3B Luis Ogando: 2-for-4, RS

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Last year’s 20th-round pick stands 6’8″. His ERA wasn’t great at Cal Poly, but he kept the walks in check, which is unusual for a kid this big.
RHP Omar Gonzalez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Sabier Marte (W, 2-0): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
9.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 9 K
RHP Chris Kean: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. I doubt he will be in the FCL for long.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/17: Sebastian Keane’s Big Effort

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I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-13) (Lost a pitcher’s duel to Worcester, 9-8. How did these two teams play a 1-0 game earlier this week?)

2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (20)
Durbin has 56 stolen bases in 111 games since joining the organization.
CF Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, 2B (8), RBI, RS, K
.261/.341/.516 in 176 PA.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, RBI, RS
Rumfield has a 6-game hitting streak.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-5, 2 K
LF Oscar Gonzalez: 3-for-4, 2B (4), 3B (1), 2 RS, BB
Gonzalez came up with a runner on second and two outs in the 9th, giving himself a shot at a dramatic cycle. It wasn’t meant to be.
RF Jose Rojas: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-2, 2 SF, 2 RBI
Productive Outs!
C Luis Torrens: 3-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS
SS Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS, 2 K

LHP Tanner Tully: 4 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Clayton Andrews: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Phil Bickford: (L, 2-1) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (18-18) (Defeated Portland, 9-4)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RS, SB (8), K
3B DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-2
Hopefully, he comes out of this feeling healthy.
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, RS, SB (5), BB
C Ben Rice: 0-for-4, K
Rice is down to .238/.365/.454 in 157 PA. He is only 10-for-49 in May with a .286 SLG, his calling card. Everyone goes through slumps!
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-4, 2 2B (13), RBI, 2 RS, BB
.331/.410/.545 in 144 PA (13 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R, 11.8% BB, 15.3% K, 5-for-5 SB). He is floating under the radar a bit, but what a start to 2024.
CF Grant Richardson: 2-for-5, 2B (11), HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Speaking of under-the-radar, Richardson is at .294/.348/.490 (11 doubles, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 16 R, 6.3% BB, 25% K). Yeah, Richardson is a bit of a free-swinging type.
1B J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, RBI, RS
2B-3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3, RS, HBP
RF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-2, RS, SB (3), 2 BB
.273/.391/.468 in 92 PA. Dunham is 9-for-24 (.375/.531/.458) in May. He conquered this level in 2022, but struggled in Scranton in 2023.
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, RBI, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (W, 2-2) 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
3.83 ERA (44.2 IP, 32 H, 26 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 48 K). Last 4 starts: 2.08 ERA (21.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 21 K). Is he figuring things out?
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Colby White: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (19-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 6-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, K
LF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, K
Avina’s 11-game hitting streak is snapped.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
PR-DH Kyle Battle: 0-for-0
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Flores is now 11-for-28 with 8 RBI in May. He plays 1B/C.
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-2, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (4), 2 BB, K
Romero has a .231 BA with a .851 OPS. He has 10 walks in 9 May games.
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-4, 4 K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K

RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 2-3) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Keane needed only 80 pitches to get 21 outs in his longest career outing. Season: 5.06 ERA (32 IP, 32 H, 18 R, 18 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 29 K). Remember that he was a relief pitcher in his 2023 debut season. The Yankees drafted him in 2022 out of Northeastern (he was a starter there).
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (12-25) (Defeated Bradenton, 5-2)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B (4)
The double was crushed (106.4 MPH/406 feet). Lombard also lined out at 107.4 MPH.
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, RS, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 3-for-3, 2 2B (7), RBI, RS, BB
.278/.422/.528 in 90 PA. He is 14-for-42 (.333) in May with 5 doubles, 3 HR, 6 RBI, and 12 runs scored. A switch suddenly turned on.
LF Willy Montero: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Montero, who is 13-for-44 (.295/.367/.455) since his promotion, hit 5 HR in 53 games during his breakout in the FCL last season.
RF Coby Morales: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
Morales has six walks in his last three games.
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-4, K
This is the first time he hasn’t reached base this season (17th game)

LHP Allen Facundo: (W, 1-1) 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
2.88 ERA (25 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 27 K). A lefty who can touch 96.7 MPH (which he did tonight) is worth watching.
RHP Cade Austin: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Montana Semmel: (S, 1) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.40 ERA (19.1 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 16 K)

FCL (4-6) (Lost to the Phillies, 7-3, in a 7-inning game)

CF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-2, 2B (2), RS, SB (3), BB
3B Luis Ogando: 0-for-2, RS, SB (2), BB, K

RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
His rehab stint continues…
LHP Brady Rose (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Diaz compiled a 6.35 ERA in 11.1 IP for Low-A Tampa (14 BB/12 K)

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/16: Jasson Dominguez: 2 Hits

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I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-13) (Lost a pitcher’s duel to Worcester, 13-12)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, SB (19), BB
.288/.411/.429 in 191 PA. He has 14 multi-hit games this season (41 games)
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-5, 3 RS, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-6, RBI, RS, K
Rumfield has a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-22). He is at .317/.368/.452 since his promotion.
C Carlos Narvaez: 3-for-5, 2B (9), 2 RBI, RS, HBP, K
.243/.396/.405 in 144 PA. He has four doubles in his last five games (walks and power have always been his offensive trademark – and it’s proving to be the case in 2024 as well)
LF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, 2B (2), 3 RBI, RS, SB (1), 2 BB, 2 K
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS
RF Jose Rojas: 2-for-4, 2B (9), HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
The veteran depth piece is hitting .221/.376/.538 in 133 PA. If this was 2023, he would be in the MLB lineup.
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
3B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 3 K
Back-to-back rough starts (14 R in 7.2 IP) have spiked his ERA to 5.84 in 37 IP.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
Yikes.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Art Warren: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (L, 0-1): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Allowed a walk-off HR with two outs in the 9th.

Somerset (17-18) (Lost to Portland, 5-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, K
Jones is 7-for-50 (.140) in May. There was a time in May 2023, when Jasson Dominguez was hitting .125/.367/.304. You never know when a top prospect will start to break out. Hopefully, Jones does soon.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, SB (1), BB, 3 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, RS
Ramirez has a 6-game hitting streak (11-for-23, 3 doubles, 2 homers). He is 22 (23 in September) and dominating Double-A (1.024 OPS). Yes, he should be considered one of the better offensive prospects in baseball.
DH Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI
.246/.371/.468 in 152 PA. The bar is high for a 1B/DH. The bar lowers if he can be a backup catcher as well.
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, K
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3

LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 3-2) 6 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 2 HR
This is Selvidge’s second time he has allowed multiple home runs in a game (45th game; 41st start). Season: 3.00 ERA (39 IP, 30 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 41 K)
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
He is toying with minor-league hitters, retiring all 12 he has faced. For Somerset, he has faced six batters and struck them all out. In Tampa, he faced six batters and struck out three.
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.53 ERA (17.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 27 K). It may be time to send him to Scranton.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Pestana has tossed 6.1 scoreless innings since his promotion and owns a 1.13 ERA in 16 IP overall. This is his first full season in the bullpen and he is seemingly throwing well.

Hudson Valley (18-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 8-5)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, 2B (6), 2 RS, BB
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-5, HR (6), RBI, 2 RS, K
He is hitting .256 with a .847 OPS. After games of 4/27, his OPS was .583. An incredible run (22-for-60, 6 doubles, 4 HR, 9 BB) has turned around his fortunes. We have seen this throughout his brief career: When he gets hot, he is special.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-5, 2B (10), HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 RS
11-game hitting streak. He is up to .299 with a .921 OPS and has 13 extra-base hits in 23 games (50% of his hits have gone for extra bases).
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, 2 K
I have written a lot about him. So, why isn’t he prominently on Yankees prospect lists? It is possible he doesn’t have the “loud” tools that prospect watchers love. However, he continues hitting well while playing anywhere the Yankees ask him to. It’s an interesting package regardless of what the rankings say.
1B Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
C Rafael Flores: 3-for-4, 2B (9), RBI
Flores has four multi-hit games in his last five games, increasing his triple slash from .200/.307/.369 to .265/.361/.446.
DH Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (6)
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Jackson Fristoe: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
It is hard to get a good read on Fristoe, as the Yankees have protected him thus far (17 IP in six starts this season). He throws as hard as anyone in the system. The question is whether he can put the entire intriguing package together.
RHP Trent Sellers: (W, 4-1) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
3.00 ERA (21 IP, 12 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 30 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: (S, 2) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.33 ERA (19.1 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 23 K). After allowing 10 HR in 78.2 innings in 2023, he hasn’t allowed any in 2024.

Tampa (11-25) (Lost to Bradenton, 3-1)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, K
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4
Dominguez’s first hit was smoked (111 MPH). His second hit was exactly half that. They both count the same in the boxscore. By the way, I am 100% for officially placing him in Scranton after rehab. The Yankees don’t care about “burning” options. He has three left and you hope they don’t need to use all of them. He will essentially become the team’s 4th outfielder – unlike most 4th outfielders, he will be in Triple-A as an insurance policy in case of injury instead of playing once a week while riding the pine the other days.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS
.246/.395/.478 in 86 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 14 R, 6-for-7 SB, 19.8% BB, 22.1% K). He is 11-for-32 in his last ten games with three doubles and three home runs.
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, K
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-2, 2B (4), BB
16-for-46 (.348) in May.
C Edinson Duran: 0-for-3
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cade Smith: (L, 1-2) 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
2.97 ERA (30.1 IP, 21 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 41 K).
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Kris Bow: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Bow hit 98.3 MPH with his sinker, which he threw 82% of the time. If I threw a 98.3 MPH sinker, I’d use it 100% of the time. While he didn’t walk anyone tonight, walks have been his issue (12 in 15 IP this year, 36 in 36.2 innings last year). He has a legitimate chance if he can harness that (he doesn’t need to become a control specialist to be effective).

FCL (4-5) (Lost to the Phillies, 19-1, in a 7-inning (thankfully) game)

1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-1, 2 BB
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-2, SB (2), CS (3), BB, K
CF Fidel Montero: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB, K
Montero hit 11 homers in 108 DSL games (to go along with the 59 stolen bases in 72 attempts)

RHP Angel Benitez (L, 1-1): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/15: It’s Serna Day!

News:

I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-12) (Squeaked past Worcester, 1-0)

3B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4, SB (18), BB, K
Durbin is second in the International League in SB (Steward Berroa (Buffalo) has 20)
LF Everson Pereira: 0-for-4, BB, K
.259/.339/.524 (8.5% BB; 33.9% K) in 165 PA. It’s an interesting profile that shows off his power (7 doubles, 10 HR) and swing-and-miss.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, SB (2)
Rumfield has hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games (13-for-34; .382).
DH Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, 2B (1), BB, K
Trammell is 4-for-16 with a double since joining the Railriders.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
C Luis Torrens: 0-for-3, BB, K
2B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, SB (2), BB, K
SS Kevin Smith: 2-for-4, 2 2B (4), RS, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (2), 2 BB
.229/.373/.325 in 102 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 15-for-17 SB). Lockridge hit 39 HR between 2019-2022 (there wasn’t a season in 2020) but has only three in 2023-2024. I still think he can carve out an MLB career.

RHP Clayton Beeter: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K
2.53 ERA (32 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 44 K). Is the wildness what makes him tough to hit? Or would he still be tough to hit if he curtailed the wildness?
RHP Cody Morris: (W, 2-0) 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
1.40 ERA (19.1 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 26 K)
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Phil Bickford (S, 4): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.40 ERA (15 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 18 K). In MLB, Bickford has been a “meh” reliever with a high K rate (26.6%). This is mostly due to walks and fly balls. Whether the Yankees can find a way to work with this remains to be seen – but if you are a pitcher looking to find new ways to be effective, signing with the Yankees should be near the top of your list.

Somerset (17-17) (Win a pitching duel over Portland, 1-0. This follows a 11-10 loss last night. Baseball!)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 4 K
.237/.306/.361 in 108 PA. There was a point early last year where people were wondering about Jasson Dominguez. We all know how that story ended up. So, we’ll see if Jones can build a similar story in 2024 (not that I expect him to march up to MLB regardless)
DH Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
His home run in the 4th held up.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-3, 3 K
.246/.374/.467 in 148 PA (14.9% BB; 24.3% K). He is 9-for-41 (.220) in May (1 HR, 8 BB, 8 K).
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B (5), SB (8), K
.284/.403/.638 (15.8% BB; 18.7% K) in 139 PA. His BABIP, which I referenced last night, has normalized (.269). You can disparage “advanced” (not that BABIP is all that advanced) metrics all day – the data showed that a correction was coming for Ramirez and here it is. The Yankees need to decide whether his projected bat is too good to worry about catcher development, even if that development increases trade value.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-2, SB (5)
Cowles left the game after the stolen base.
PR-3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-1, K
3B-SS Jordan Groshans: 0-for-3
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, SB (4), BB, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, SB (5), BB, 2 K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W,2-3) 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
4.86 ERA (37 IP, 45 H, 29 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 8 BB, 28 K)
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Between Scranton/Somerset/Hudson Valley: 2.18 ERA (20.2 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 19 K)
RHP Kevin Stevens (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (17-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 9-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, 2B (5), SB (6), K
.213/.343/.382 in 108 PA. Riggio is hitting .204 in his first 45 professional games, which is something to monitor. He makes a lot of contact and it is nice to see some extra-base hits in 2024.
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-1, 3 RS, 4 BB
Serna’s first career 4 BB game (not that it should be common). He is hitting .250/.375/.448 (15.97% BB; 13.9% K) in 144 PA. Going back to 4/28, he is 20-for-55 (.364) with 9 walks and 10 strikeouts. Interestingly, the only three homers he has during this streak were hit on the same day (5/1). Baseball!
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2B (9), RS, 2 BB, K
Avina now owns a 10-game hitting streak and is hitting .293/.404/.476 in 99 PA. This is the 20-year-old’s first taste of High-A, and he is holding his own. Last year, in A ball for the Brewers’ organization, he hit .233/.373/.442. Avina’s .440 BABIP will come down, so we’ll have to see where he settles in.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, 3 RS, 2 BB
.322/.386/.517 (9.1% BB; 14.4% K) in 132 PA. He is second in the Sally League in average and 6th in slugging percentage. It is easy to see him in Somerset this season. Last year, the Yankees played him in 84 Low-A games before promoting him here. He is at 55 games at this level (his triple slash is a ridiculous .337/.422/.524).
DH Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, 2B (8), 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
Flores has three multi-hit games in his last four games played.
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, K
There’s a hot streak in Moylan somewhere…it hasn’t come out yet.
LF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-4, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, BB, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 1-1) 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
4.13 ERA (24 IP, 23 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 16 K)
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
3.60 ERA (20 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 24 K). Keating (23) struck out 93 in 65.1 IP for Low-A Tampa last year.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (11-24) (Defeated Bradenton, 5-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, K
Hardman started his rehab here, went to the FCL for one game, and is now back. It makes sense to somebody, and that is all that matters.
3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, 2B (5), 2 RS, 2 SB (9), BB, K
I am asked what my honest assessment of Arias is. The answer? I don’t have one. We have to see how he progresses as the season goes along. Earlier in 2024, he was generating some power without the walks. Now, he is walking more but the power has drifted away (only two extra-base hits in May after compiling eight in April). It’s all a part of a process that will take a while to play out.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K
Jasso has 16 RBI in 13 May games.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
Castillo is 10-for-36 with 14 walks in May. As is the case with Jasso, he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Montero has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
2B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, BB, K
13-for-37 (.351). Last 6 games: 9-for-19. He has four multi-hit games in his last five starts.
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-4, K
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-3

RHP Luis Serna: (W, 2-2) 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Brilliance. Season: 5.40 ERA (26.2 IP, 23 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 31 K). Three May starts: 15.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 15 K. Don’t forget that Serna is only 19 years old.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: (S, 2) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
2.33 ERA (19.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 16 BB, 21 K)

FCL (4-4)

Scheduled day off.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/14: Agustin Ramirez Overshadows Jasson Dominguez’s Return

News:

OF Jasson Dominguez and IF Jorbit Vivas began their rehab stints in Tampa today. RHP Tommy Kahnle‘s rehab was moved up to Somerset today.

The unfortunate side of the minors is that players must be cut occasionally. The Yankees cut Tayler Aguilar, Kelvin Espino and Spencer Henson. Aguilar, their 15th-round pick in 2022, couldn’t find his bat in 117 games. Like many prospects, Espino couldn’t get past the rookie league hurdle. Henson showed some pop (32 HR in 750 career plate appearances) but dealt with some injuries.

Here is hoping that they all find jobs in other organizations.

Scranton (27-12) (Lost to Worcester, 8-4)

2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, 2B (14), RBI, 2 K
Durbin has only two 2-K games this season (he had one last year). He has 14 doubles in 39 games (17 in 69 games last year)
RF Everson Pereira: 3-for-5, HR (10), RBI, RS, K
Pereira’s second 3-hit game this season. He is hitting .266/.344/.538.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, RBI
Back-to-back multi-hit games. Since his promotion, he continues to pile up the hits and is hitting .323/.379/.473. This is the type of prospect he was before last year’s home run surge. Can he combine the high average with home runs? Who knows?
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-5, 3 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-3, RS, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs: 2-for-4, 2B (6), K
.268/.360/.526 in 115 PA. I won’t try to make you think he is suddenly a prospect again – but this is fun to follow!
DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, RBI, K
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, 2B (2), RS, 3 K
CF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, RS, HBP, 2 K

RHP Will Warren: (L, 3-2) 4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
6.27 ERA (37.1 IP, 37 H, 28 R, 26 ER, 10 HR, 12 BB, 42 K). Triple-A is a high-octane offensive environment, but ten HR in 37.1 innings is a concerning number. After he seemed to figure things out after his first start of the season, Warren has allowed 15 runs in 10 IP in his last two starts.
LHP Clayton Andrews: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
He is the latest veteran the Yankees are going to try to unlock. He didn’t pitch well in his initial rehab appearances (rust!) but pitched well tonight.
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Did he deserve the demotion? No. Did it make sense from the Yankees perspective? Yes.

Somerset (16-17) (Lost to Portland, 11-10)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (7)
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, RS, BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1, K
DH Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 3 RS, BB
C Agustin Ramirez: 4-for-5, HR (12), 5 RBI, 2 RS, SB (7), K
For the first several weeks, I kept bringing up his mediocre BABIP. Well, those batted balls are starting to fall in. He is hitting .283/.404/.637 with 12 HR and 29 RBI.
2B-SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, BB, K
1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
RF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2 RS, 2 K
Richardson’s magic carpet ride continues, as he is up to .301 with a .832 OPS in 103 PA. He is 12-for-32 in May.
LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (L, 2-4) 4.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
Sometimes, games don’t go your way. This spikes his ERA to 4.99 in 39.2 IP (it was 3.34 entering tonight). He has been off his game after a strong start to the season, but I will remind you (again) that he never pitched an inning in a level lower than this one.
RHP Colby White: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
The Yankees claimed White off of waivers (Tampa Bay) on May 9th. He has never appeared in MLB. Entering tonight, he owned a 2.83 ERA in 91 minor league games with a 167/58 K/BB over 111.1 IP. He was Tampa’s 6th-round pick in 2019 out of Mississippi State.
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Between here and Tampa, Kahnle has retired all nine batters he has faced with six strikeouts. Yes, he is close.
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Hudson Valley (16-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 8-5)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, RBI, K
.214/.350/.381 in 103 PA. He has more walks (18) than strikeouts (17).
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-3, CS (5), BB
Serna is 2-for-7 in the stolen base department (70-for-87 (80.5%) entering this season)
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2B (7), SF, RBI, RS, 2 K
Avina has a 9-game hitting streak.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K
Back-to-back multi-hit games and 13th this season (29 games). Starts by position: Catcher: 12 (14 games overall), 2B: 3, 3B: 9 (10 games overall), LF: 4. Rodriguez has first base experience but hasn’t played there in 2024.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-2, 2B (3), 2 RS, 2 BB, K
.223/.392/.404 in 120 PA. He has 25 walks in 27 games (67 in 105 games in 2023).
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB
.213/.360/.300 in 100 PA (18% BB, 23% K).
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-2, RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Kiko Romero: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
CF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, 2 K

RHP Cam Schlittler: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
2.03 ERA (31 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 4 HR, 12 BB, 37 K). It isn’t easy to maintain a hit rate like Schlittler had to enter tonight – eventually, the BABIP gods allow some of those balls to fall in. Entering tonight, his BABIP was a ridiculous .098.
RHP Huey Morrill: (W, 1-1) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers: (S, 2) 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Now that is what you call a save! Ayers has a 2.29 ERA in 19.2 IP (13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 28 K). He struck out 86 in 64.1 innings in 2023.

Tampa (10-24) (Lost to Bradenton, 4-3)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-1, SB (1), 2 BB
The last time he started a rehab stint, it lasted two games for Scranton. Let’s hope that is his final setback this season.
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, K
DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-3, BB, K
The journey back begins. I think he will be the designated hitter for a while.
PH-DH Manuel Palencia: 1-for-1, RBI
Palencia pinch-hit for Dominguez with the bases loaded and two outs in the 8th (Dominguez wasn’t likely available – told he was done after his 4th plate appearance). It is a part of the rehab process.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-1, K
3B-SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, 2 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, RS, BB
PR Dayro Perez: 0-for-0, 2 SB (5)
LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, BB
Castillo is up to .250 with a .845 OPS (5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 12 R, 7-for-8 SB). He has four multi-hit efforts in his last six games. He has bounced back nicely after a tough start (he had a .532 OPS after games of 5/2).
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
RF Coby Morales: 0-for-2, 3 BB, K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, RBI, HBP, K
Frick increases his season-long on-base streak to 16 (at least one hit in 14 of those games)

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, HR
5.46 ERA (31.1 IP, 34 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 36 K). The ERA isn’t great but some of the underlying numbers are strong (one home run allowed, more than a strikeout an inning…)
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
2.25 ERA (16 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 9 BB, 16 K)
RHP Cade Austin: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Montana Semmel: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Semmel has 5.1 scoreless innings in May.

FCL (4-4) (Lost to the Tigers, 7-4)

1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 K
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4
His rehab was moved here from Tampa.
3B Abrahan Ramirez; 1-for-3, 2 RS, SB (2), BB
LF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
Sanchez was the other prospect acquired (along with Jace Avina) for Jake Bauers.
2B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-4, RBI, K

RHP Danny Flatt: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
8 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 9 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/12: Agustin Ramirez: 3 Extra-Base Hits

News:

Happy Mother’s Day!

Scranton (27-11) (Defeated Rochester, 6-4)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, 2 RS, 2 SB (17), BB
Durbin continues his big season: .296/.420/.444 in 175 PA (13 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 28 R, 15.4% BB, 10.3% K, 17-for-19 SB).
DH Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, RS, SB (4), K
10-for-43 (.233) in May with a double and two homers. He also has a whopping 15 strikeouts.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, SB (1)
14-for-40 (.350) in May and .318/.378/.477 since his promotion.
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, 2B (8), RBI, RS, 2 SB (4), 2 BB, K
Narvaez has three doubles in his last two games. His career best for stolen bases is 6, set last year.
RF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, RBI, K
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, BB, K
LF Greg Allen: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-4, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, 3B (1), K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
3.47 ERA (23.1 IP, 17 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 28 K). Too many walks.
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
1.50 ERA (18 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 21 K). A tremendous start to his 2024 campaign.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (W, 3-0): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
1.42 ERA (19 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 26 K).
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Phil Bickford (S, 3): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (16-16) (Split a doubleheader with Altoona)

Game 1 (Won, 5-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
DH Oswald Peraza: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (11), 2 RBI, RS
1B Ben Rice: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, RS, BB
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, BB
3B J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, RS
LF Jared Wegner: 2-for-2, 2B (3), SF, RBI, BB
.256/.344/.462 in 90 PA (10% BB, 23.3% K)
2B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Zach Messinger (W, 1-2): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
4.19 ERA (38.2 IP, 28 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 45 K). Last 3 starts: 15.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 18 K.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Pestana has 5.1 scoreless innings since his promotion (3 H, 1 BB, 6 K)
RHP Kevin Stevens (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Lost, 3-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-3, RS, K
.250/.323/.386 in 99 PA (10.1% BB, 29.3% K)
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B (4)
.259/.389/.602 in 131 PA (4 doubles, 11 HR, 24 RBI, 24 R, 16.8% BB, 18.3% K). Eastern League ranks: OPS – 3; SLG – 2; HR – 1; RBI – 2. The questions about his catching will continue but the bat alone could make him a Top 50 prospect or better.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-2, BB
.252/.381/.487 in 140 PA. He has 14 starts at catcher, 9 at first base, and 8 at designated hitter.
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, 2 K
.327/.409/.540 in 132 PA. He is fifth in the Eastern League in batting average and second in doubles.
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, CS (2), BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-2
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, K

RHP Bailey Dees: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
I am not sure why he was pulled after 47 pitches. He owns a 4.41 ERA in 32.2 IP (28 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 5 HR, 15 BB, 33 K). The ERA is skewed high by his tough first start (3.1 IP, 8 ER)
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.62 ERA (16.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 25 K). Neely has the look of a high leverage relief pitcher.

Hudson Valley (15-15) (Defeated Aberdeen, 4-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Jared Serna: 3-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, RS
.252/.358/.459 in 134 PA (8 doubles, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 13.4% BB, 14.2% K). He is 13-for-40 (.325/.386/.650) in May with 12 RBI.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB
.289/.400/.461 in 90 PA.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, RBI
Rodriguez doesn’t stop hitting. He is hitting .324/.382/.532 in 123 PA. In May, he is 14-for-36 (.389) and he leads the South Atlantic League in hits, is second in batting average, fifth in slugging percentage, and third in OPS.
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (2), BB, K
.217/.379/.391 in 116 PA (19.8% BB, 21.6% K)
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, K
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-2, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB, 2 K

LHP Ben Shields: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Shields’ first professional start. One has to love the strikeouts!
RHP Trent Sellers: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.86 ERA (19.1 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 26 K)
LHP Joel Valdez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Mason Vinyard (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Tampa (10-23) (Lost to Clearwater, 8-2)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-2, 2B (3), 2 RS, SB (10), BB
This certainly screams “I’m Back!”
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2
2B-SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, CS (6), 2 K
.212/.354/.347 in 144 PA. Arias is 7-for-21 (.333) in his last six games. On the season, he owns a 16.7% BB and 35.4% K. His entire stat line suggests the raw talent that he is.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
.293/.391/.500 in 138 PA with 10 doubles, 4 homers, and 23 RBI. He has 15 RBI in 11 May games.
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, RBI
Castillo hit .200/.273/.333 in April. In May, he is hitting .267/.463/.467 with more walks (11) than strikeouts (10) and a 5-for-6 SB rate. He turned 21 in early May.
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, CS (1)
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, BB
Montero is hitting .303 (10-for-33) since his promotion.
LF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 K
DH Manuel Palencia: 0-for-4, K
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-4, K

RHP Ryan Harvey (L, 0-2): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (4-2)

Scheduled day off.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/11: Brock Selvidge’s CG Effort Leads Somerset

News:

The Yankees released OF Luis Gonzalez from his minor league contract, finally getting their revenge for that game-winning hit in the 2001 World Series. Sorry, Luis, you are guilty by association even if you don’t have any association.

Gonzalez hit .282/.374/.397 in 91 plate appearances for Scranton.

Expect a report delay on Sunday due to Mother’s Day.

Scranton (26-11) (Split a doubleheader with Rochester)

Game 1 (Lost a close one, 15-3)

3B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
.248/.333/.519 in 150 PA. The 35.3% K is concerning.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (7), RS, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Trammell cleared waivers and was outrighted to Scranton, where the Yankees will try to tap into some of what once made him a top prospect.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-1, RS, 2 BB, K
DH-P Jose Rojas: 0-for-2, RS, BB
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-1, SF, RBI, BB
2B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-2, BB

LHP Edgar Barclay: (L, 3-2) 4 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 HR
This is a “toss it out” outing. Season: 4.86 ERA (33.1 IP, 30 H, 21 R, 18 ER, 5 HR, 19 BB, 34 K).
RHP Cody Morris: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Clayton Andrews: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Jose Rojas: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR

Game 2 (Won, 5-3 – proving that one game rarely builds momentum to the next)

CF Greg Allen: 1-for-3, K
3B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-2, BB
.290/.414/.442 in 170 PA. He owns a 15-game on-base streak.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB
.310/.372/.476 with 18 RBI in 94 PA since his promotion.
DH Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS
LF Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, HR (7), RBI, RS, K
Pitches in Game 1, homers in Game 2 – is there anything Jose Rojas can’t do?
LF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-1, 2B (5), 2 RS, 2 BB
.267/.358/.533 in 107 PA. This is Downs’ 4th season in Triple-A, and he didn’t do much in the first three years.
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, 2B (6), RBI, K

RHP Cody Poteet (W, 3-0): 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, HR
3.68 ERA (29.1 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 4 HR, 7 BB, 34 K). One thing the Yankees don’t lack is adequate pitching depth.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (S, 3): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (15-15) (Defeated Altoona, 7-3, in a 7-inning game. This was supposed to be a doubleheader, but Game 1 was delayed, so they postponed Game 2. They will try to play two tomorrow)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, SB (6), BB, K
His recent slump is documented, so this is nice to see.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-0
C Ben Rice: 2-for-4, HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Rice’s first HR since April 30. He is hitting .264/.386/.509 in 133 PA.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, RS, K
HR >>>>> Singles. However, I like the fact he compiled a couple of singles today. Maybe this is the start of non-HR falling in more often. He is hitting .248/.387/.564 in 124 PA.
2B-SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, 2B (11), 2 RS, BB
.333/.416/.556 in 125 PA (11 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 18 R, 11.2% BB, 16% K). He is on pace to match last year’s HR total (10) while eclipsing last year’s doubles pace (18 in 453 PA).
DH Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
.299/.361/.483 in 97 PA. When do we take his Double-A performance (which goes back to the second half of 2023) seriously?
3B J.C. Escarra: 3-for-4, 2 RS
Escarra was in a 1-for-17 slump entering today.
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2, RBI, BB
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 3-1): 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
The rare minor league complete game. Selvidge needed 93 pitches to get through this one. Season: 2.18 ERA (33 IP, 26 H, 13 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 33 K). Selvidge won’t be 22 until late August. I think he belongs on midseason Top 100 lists, but when you get towards the bottom of those lists, there are a lot of prospects for the “experts” to choose from.

Hudson Valley (14-15) (Lost to Aberdeen, 6-5, in extra innings. This game started extremely late due to rain)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, K
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Serna’s 9-game hitting streak is snapped.
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
C-3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 2B (6), 2 RBI, RS, K
Rodriguez is hitting .321 with a .919 OPS (6 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R).
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
PR-LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-0, RS
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-3, 2 2B (7), RBI, BB, K
DH Kiko Romero: 0-for-1, 3 BB, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, K
C Juan Crisp: 0-for-0

LHP Kyle Carr: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
Carr sets a new personal best for strikeouts (only his 6th start). He owns a 5.64 ERA in 22.1 IP (26 H, 21 R, 14 ER, 1 HR, 20 BB, 19 K).
RHP Matt Keating: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.00 ERA (18 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 23 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Steven Fulgencio: (L, 1-1) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (10-22) (Lost to Clearwater, 9-4. By the way, I love it when affiliates play well and win titles. However, do I worry about a 10-22 Low-A team? No)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, 3 K
Not the return he wanted, but at least he is back. He is hitting .226/.422/.258 in 83 PA.
2B Brenny Escanio: 2-for-2
13-for-43 (.302) in limited action.
2B-SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, RBI, BB, K
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
7-game hitting streak (13-for-29)
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, 2B (5), BB, K
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, RBI, RS
3B Hans Montero: 2-for-4, SB (1)
Montero’s third straight multi-hit effort jumps his average to .300 (9-for-30). When Enmanuel Tejeda returns from injury, there will be an infield crunch to sort through. Will Montero head to the FCL?
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
DH Tomas Frick: 2-for-4, 2B (6), RS
Frick is hitting .373 with a 1.033 OPS (6 doubles, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R, 8 BB, 11 K). He has reached base safely in all 15 of his games.
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, RS

RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
It’s only a matter of time before he is activated.
RHP Josh Grosz: 4 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
6.66 ERA (25.2 IP, 33 H, 28 R, 19 ER, 7 HR, 12 BB, 40 K). The K rate is solid and the HR rate needs to come down (his HR/FB was 27.8% entering today, which will likely go up. Is that unlucky? Let me say this: 13% is considered “awful”) He is 21 and in his first professional season – he deserves a load of patience.
RHP Cade Austin: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Montana Semmel: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Kris Bow: 0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

FCL (4-2) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 9-3, in a 7-inning game)

(Remember, I do not list out the entire lineup for the FCL/DSL games)

C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
Perez went 0-for-2 with a HBP in the season opener. Since: 5-for-10, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 1 K
1B Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, 3 BB, K
7-for-15 (2 doubles, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 7 BB, 4 K). When Perez is 17, Gonzalez is 20. Since the FCL starts earlier and ends earlier now, some of these kids will trickle up to Low-A once this season ends. Gonzalez already looks like a good candidate.
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 K
Season debut for the 19-year-old who hadn’t played since 2022. Oh, in case you are wondering, he too is listed as a catcher. I would love to be in the room when the Yankees discuss all their catching prospects.
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-2, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Two good signs for Matheus: They are playing him extensively at shortstop and batting him in the middle of the order. That indicates some level of trust.
3B Luis Ogando: 2-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
Ogando hit 6 HR in 70 DSL games.

RHP Omar Gonzalez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Alejandro Gomez: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jose Guzman (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/10: Edgleen Perez Homers in FCL Win

News:

Expect report delays on Saturday and Sunday due to Mother’s Day weekend.

Scranton (25-10)

Their game against Rochester was postponed. They will try to play two on Saturday.

Somerset (14-15)

Their game against Altoona was postponed. They will try to play two on Saturday.

The lineup was posted before the postponement.

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-0
His first 19 games this season (10.2% BB; 29.5% K, 105 wRC+) are close to his 17 Somerset games last season (9% BB; 28.2% K; 104 wRC+). I expect his bat to take off at some point.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-0
Peraza’s rehab moves to Somerset for the weekend. A reminder that Peraza has one option year remaining so he can be assigned to a minor league team once his rehab is over.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-0
The Yankees remain somewhat committed to him behind the plate, as he has 12 starts (8 each at first base and designated hitter). If opposing scouts like what he does behind the plate, they see power at a premium position. That may not be the goal here, but one has to consider it. If it weren’t for the catching, he would have no reason to be here (.301/.394/.589 in 351 Double-A plate appearances).
1B Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-0
139 PA for Somerset in 2023: .211/.273/.313. In 120 PA in 2024: .237/.383/.567. His 2024 average is being impacted by a low BABIP (.203). Imagine if the number was league average.
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-0
What can Cowles be? I don’t know the answer to that. A Rob Refsnyder outcome would be a win (Refsnyder has carved out a 392-game career with a .758 OPS vs. LHP). That outcome likely doesn’t keep him in the Yankees organization, but maybe the higher-ups see a potential second base option. Who knows? If he keeps up his current hitting, he won’t have to worry about making it to MLB.
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-0
For Hudson Valley last year, Richardson hit .204/.306/.389 (92 wRC+) with an 11.2% BB and 31.3% K. The Yankees decided to promote him. As one would expect to happen (sarcasm), he is hitting .309/.383/.544 with an 8.4% BB and 25.97% K since that promotion. Don’t question it – go with it.
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-0
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-0
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-0
Wegner is one of those prospects that hardly anyone pays attention to…then, he suddenly gets called up to make his MLB debut.

LHP Brock Selvidge: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
A 51.5% GB and 25.9% K is a formula for success. He has allowed 7 HR in 200 career innings. The number of teams who would use him in MLB in 2024 is not zero.

Hudson Valley (14-14) (Lost to Aberdeen, 5-3)

SS Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, CS (2), BB, K
Riggio is hitting .214 with a .778 OPS. He has an eye (19.3% BB) and pop (.414 SLG). His BABIP is low.
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, 2B (7), BB, K
Serna extends his hitting streak to 9 (15-for-42; 5 doubles, 3 HR)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, SB (2), 4 K
With the extra-base power comes the high strikeout rate. The Yankees weren’t getting a polished prospect for Jake Bauers – they accepted a worthwhile lottery ticket.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, K
Games by position: C: 13 (11 starts); 3B: 8; 2B: 3; LF: 3; DH: 1
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, 3 BB, K
Martinez is 3-for-22 in May but has 9 walks. Taking it back further, he is in a 3-for-34 slump.
PR Kyle Battle: 0-for-0, SB (2)
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-5, 2 K
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, K
Thankfully, his stay on the IL wasn’t a long one (first game since 5/2)
RF Nelson Medina: 1-for-3, RS, SB (5), BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-2, 2 BB, K

RHP Sebastian Keane: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
6.12 ERA (25 IP, 29 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 25 K).
RHP Luis Arejula: (L, 1-2) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR

Tampa (10-21)

Scheduled day off (they played a scheduled doubleheader earlier this week)

FCL (3-2) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 6-1, in a 7-inning game)

“Why are so many games seven innings?”

Firstly, this is a manager’s decision before the game starts. They have the option to play 7 innings or 9 innings.

The reason why the number of 7-inning games has gone up comes down to:
1. The earlier start to the season (no new draftees filtering onto the roster);
2. “Domestic roster limits” – Teams can only carry 165 players between the FCL/A/A+/AA/AAA (this is down 15 players from 2023);
3. Related to the above: Lack of pitching. Starters aren’t asked to go deep often (especially early on), so teams need enough pitchers to get through a game. It is easier to do that in seven innings than in nine innings.

For example, seven FCL games were played today – four went nine innings while three went seven.

(Remember, I do not list out the entire lineup for the FCL/DSL games. However, since today was light on action, I will do it)

RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 2 RS, BB, K
In 17 FCL games, Rodriguez is hitting .218/.377/.382 in 69 PA (18.8% BB, 28.99% K). He is a long-range 19-year-old prospect.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
4-for-9 (2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB)
DH Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 2B (2), SB (2), 2 K
6-for-13 (2 doubles, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB)
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, CS (2), K
The 20-year-old is 3-for-15.
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, RS
5-for-13 with a homer and 5 RBI.
CF Fidel Montero: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RS, BB, K
3-for-11 with a double and three stolen bases. Montero hit 11 homers and stole 59 bases in 108 DSL games.
1B Luis Ogando: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
Now 20, Ogando hit .352/.446/.541 in 148 DSL plate appearances in 2023. He played a pair of games at SS in his 2022 debut season but has been 1B/3B with a sprinkle of LF the last two seasons.
LF Ramiro Altagracia: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Season debut for the 20-year-old. He spent 2021-2023 in the DSL and didn’t show much at the plate until last year.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 0-for-2, BB, K
Terrero will play the entire 2024 season at 18 years of age.

RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
This is a rehab appearance for the 29-year-old. He compiled a 7.09 ERA in 20 games for Somerset last season. Liranzo is a lifer who started his professional journey in 2013 but has yet to make a big league appearance.
RHP Angel Benitez (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
This is the second appearance of 2024 for the 6’7″ Benitez. He didn’t pitch in 2023 due to the elbow surgery he needed in mid-2022. He is an intriguing 20-year-old lottery ticket.
LHP Brady Rose (S, 1): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
If the name looks familiar, it is because he pitched in four games for Tampa earlier this year. Having a stretched-out arm is beneficial down here, though I would guess that Rose preferred the full-season league experience.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!