Yankees MILB 6/11: Drew Thorpe Ks 12

News:

As a follow-up to yesterday’s note on Oswald Peraza, it appears he is out of action due to illness. He isn’t hurt. He hasn’t been traded. They don’t have him on standby to replace Anthony Volpe. 

RHP Tanner Myatt was promoted to Scranton, as their pitching staff was depleted during yesterday’s doubleheader. Drafted in the 11th round back in the 2018 draft, Myatt is a hard-throwing pitcher with control and injury concerns. This year for Somerset, he has compiled a 5.16 ERA (5.20 FIP) over 22.2 innings with a 23.6% K and 18.9% BB. The likelihood is decent that he probably will head back down to Somerset once things settle down – but you never know.

Scranton (29-33) (Defeated Norfolk, 7-4)

RF Estevan Florial: 2-for-4, HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Florial extends his on-base streak to 30. He is hitting .309/.411/.617 in 224 PA (10 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 34 RBI, 40 R, 34 BB, 67 K (29.9%), 12-for-18 SB). 
DH Franchy Cordero: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
1B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-5, 4 K
Rip up the boxscore and never look at it again. 
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
.223/.340/.332 in 238 plate appearances.
2B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-3, HR (8), 4 RBI, RS, BB
There are reasons that go beyond statistics, but I am still surprised that a player who consistently hits double-digit home runs and has versatility has yet to receive a big league chance after 1,038 minor league games.
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
Narvaez is hitting .281 (16-for-57) with more walks (18) than strikeouts (16) since his promotion.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-4, K, CS (3)

LHP Tanner Tully: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR
The Railriders needed some length this afternoon and got it from Tully.
RHP Tanner Myatt: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Earning a win in your debut is always a nice touch.
RHP Matt Bowman (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (34-22) (Mauled Hartford, 10-2)

SS Trey Sweeney: 2-for-5, 2B (12), RS
Sweeney is now the owner of a 9-game hitting streak (12-for-41; .293). He has four doubles in his last six games.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4, SF, 2 RBI, RS, K, SB (15)
.210/.364/.392 in 236 PA. He has 12 runs batted in so far in June (11 games)
DH Austin Wells: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Rumfield has homered in three straight games and in four of his last five games. He is hitting .235/.330/.470 in 176 plate appearances. His BABIP is only .210, so there might be more average to come.
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
2B Caleb Durbin: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, SB (14)
Durbin is up to 29 stolen bases between here and Hudson Valley. He is hitting .271/.346/.396 since his promotion with an 8/4 BB/K rate. 
C Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-2, HR (8), RBI, RS, K
Rosario was ejected.
   LF Max Burt: 0-for-1, RS, BB, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 4-for-4, 2B (3), HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (4)
This is what you call production from the bottom of the order!  Palensky is hitting .241/.465/.552 in 43 PA since his promotion and .331/.441/.708 in 154 plate appearances overall (12 doubles, 2 triples, 14 HR, 38 RBI, 40 R, 14-for-14 SB)

RHP Clayton Beeter: (W, 5-2)  5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
2.13 ERA (55 IP, 41 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 29 BB, 69 K). The walks are high – though he has shown slight improvement in that category from last year. The overall results are certainly very good.
RHP Zac Houston: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Danny Watson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Justin Wilson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (33-24) (Shut down Jersey Shore (again), 1-0)

SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, RS, SB (8)
Vargas needed a day like this badly.
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-2, 2 BB
.281/.355/.445. He is on a 5-game hitting streak and could be seeing himself in Somerset soon enough. He can play 2B/SS/3B, so nobody is really going to “block” him.
DH Josh Breaux: 1-for-3, BB, K
Breaux has played 11 games down here on his “rehab” stint. He hasn’t done much but this is a bit of a longer stretch than is typical.
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, K
.305/.361/.372 in 180 plate appearances (8 doubles, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 15 BB, 46 K). The 25.6% K rate is certainly a bit high for a player who relies more on contact than power, but he has hit well. It is probably not a first baseman’s profile (unless he improves that power), but if he can stick behind the plate…
RF Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, 4 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (11), 2 K, CS (1)
.239/.306/.348 in 175 plate appearances. Entering June, his triple slash was .205/.272/.280 after his dreadful May, so we are at least seeing some improvement.
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, BB, K
CF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-3, K

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 5-1)  7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K
This is pure domination. Like Chase Hampton, this is Thorpe’s first professional season and they were aggressive with him. In both cases, it looks like the right move. Season: 2.91 ERA (58.2 IP, 48 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 20 BB, 69 K). He has tossed 15 scoreless innings in his last two starts and could be in line for a promotion (along with Hampton himself)
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
1.57 ERA (23 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 34 K). The Renegades are loaded with pitching talent.
RHP Carlos Gomez (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (25-31) (Lost to Lakeland, 9-5. They started the game red hot again as they appeared headed to their 4th straight 10+ run game (5 runs in first two innings), but they finally slowed down)

2B Jared Serna: 2-for-4, 2B (11), HR (11), 3 RBI, 2 RS
This little guy continues to pack a lot of punch. He is now hitting .321/.384/.541 and is 9-for-23 with two doubles and three home runs during his 5-game hitting streak. 
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-4, 2 K
Hall’s hitting streak is snapped at 9. He is hitting .272/.390/.419 in 164 plate appearances.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-2, SF, RBI
I am not sure why Ramirez needed to leave the game.
  C Omar Martinez: 0-for-1, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Matt Pita: 0-for-4, K
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-2, RS, 2 HBP
Familia increases his hitting streak to seven (well-deserved after getting hit by two pitches!)
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (6), RBI, RS
Rodriguez has five straight multi-hit games and seven multi-hit games during his 9-game hitting streak. He is all the way up to .301/.372/.411 in 165 plate appearances.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-3, 2 K
1B Jake Palmer: 0-for-2, RS, BB
Palmer’s Low-A debut. At 24 years old, he wasn’t going to stay in the FCL for long!

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 1-4)  5.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Adam Stone: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Stone cranked it up to just under 96 MPH. He threw a lot of cutters today, mixing in his 4-seamer, curve, and slider. 

FCL Yankees (3-2) 

Day off.

DSL Yankees (5-0) and the DSL Bombers (5-0)

Both had the day off.

Yankees MILB 6/10: Fitts, Hampton Dominate

News:

OF Brandon Lockridge is now a member of the Scranton Railriders. The 26-year-old (who can play any of the three outfield positions) hit .313/.395/.510 in 114 plate appearances for Somerset, stealing 17 bases in 19 attempts. Don’t be fooled by the fact he has played mostly RF this season. There are kids named Jasson Dominguez and Everson Pereira who need their CF reps.

Last year, Lockridge had a shockingly down season, hitting only .230/.300/.378 in 108 games for Somerset. This was after hitting .328/.382/.557 in 43 games for Somerset in 2021. Interestingly, a repeat of his 2021 season may have forced the Yankees to protect him (or trade him). His down season likely kept him from being a Rule 5 target.

He is a legitimate depth outfielder who can make his debut at any point. At the very least, he could be a Tim Locastro type in the big leagues. It is all dependent on what the bat becomes – the glove and speed are in place.

SS Oswald Peraza missed today’s doubleheader against Norfolk. I learned later in the day that he fouled a ball off of his leg in yesterday’s game, so that can explain it.

Scranton (28-33) (Split a doubleheader with Norfolk)

Game 1 (Lost, 4-2)

LF Estevan Florial: 1-for-4, HR (13), 2 RBI, RS, K
Florial extends his on-base streak to 28. He is four home runs shy of his season-best, set in 2021.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K
It is always nice to get that first hit out of the way when you join a new level.
C Rodolfo Duran: 0-for-2, 2 BB
.270/.333/.504 in 150 PA.
3B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-3, 2B (10)
Chaparro’s hitting streak reaches 7 (this is his first multi-hit game during the streak)
DH Franchy Cordero: 0-for-2, BB, K
1B Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-3, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Michael Hermosillo: 2-for-3, RS
Hermosillo’s first game since 5/20.

RHP Will Warren: (L, 2-3) 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Since promotion: 7.08 ERA (20.1 IP, 23 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 6 HR, 10 BB, 21 K)
RHP Aaron McGarity: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
4.91 ERA (29.1 IP, 17 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 6 HR, 12 BB, 40 K)

Game 2 (Won, 7-6, in 11 innings)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, RS, K
Florial extends his on-base streak to 29.
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K, SB (8)
Dunham is 8-for-31 in June. He stole 37 bases in 2022, so he has the ability to run. He simply hasn’t been able to consistently get on base.
C Ben Rortvedt: 1-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, K, SB (2)
1B-3B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K
Chaparro’s 7-game hitting streak is snapped.
RF-1B Franchy Cordero: 2-for-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB
3B-2B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, BB
DH Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
  PR-RF Michael Hermosillo: 0-for-1
SS Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-5, RBI
Walk-off RBI single in the 11th.
2B-P Wilmer Difo: 0-for-4

RHP Colten Brewer: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
They had to go with a bullpen game in Game 2.
RHP James Norwood: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Gomez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP D.J. Snelten: 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
RHP Greg Weissert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Wilmer Difo: (W, 1-0)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Railriders ran out of pitchers, so Difo had to do double duty!

Somerset (33-22) (Defeated Hartford, 5-2)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-3, BB, K
Sweeney now has an 8-game hitting streak.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4
.203/.364/.390 in 231 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 39 R, 46 BB, 58 K, 14-for-17 SB). He has a .239 BABIP, which is impacting his bottom line. Overall, his season has been fine – not overwhelming, but fine.
C Austin Wells: 1-for-4, RS, K
.259/.358/.526 in 134 PA (7 doubles, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 18 R, 18 BB, 29 K). 
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K, CS (2)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, K
.234/.327/.455 in 171 PA. He has homered in back-to-back games and in three of his last four games. His power surge is an under-the-radar story.
DH Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Seigler is 6-for-21 in June with a pair of doubles and a home run. 
CF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K, 2 SB (7)
Rosario is on a little 5-game hitting streak (6-for-17; HR, 3 SB). Maybe this will get him going.
2B Max Burt: 0-for-3, HBP, K, SB (8)
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 3-4): 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, HR
Fitts is starting to cruise along. This is his 4th straight strong start and second time he struck out 10 during this stretch. Overall: 4.25 ERA (59.1 IP, 59 H, 28 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 15 BB, 65 K)
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (32-24) (Shut down Jersey Shore, 4-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2B (18), RS, BB, 2 K
Jones hasn’t homered in 21 games. He does have 7 doubles during this timeframe, so that’s something.
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-5, 3 K
Vargas is 1-for-27 in June and 1-for-32 if you include the last game in May. Eek. 
C Josh Breaux: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
RF Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, RBI, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (10), RBI, RS, 2 K
Gomez is 8-for-19 with three doubles and a home run in June. By the way, he hit exactly 10 doubles in both 2021 and 2022. Hopefully, for his sake, he surpasses that number this year.
1B Spencer Henson: 2-for-3, 2B (10), RBI, BB
.282/.358/.500 in 179 PA (10 doubles, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 32 R, 16 BB, 44 K)
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 2-for-4, 2B (7), 3B (2), RS
Cabrera is 6-for-19 in June with four doubles and a triple.
2B Luis Santos: 3-for-4, RBI, K, CS (2)

RHP Chase Hampton: (W, 2-1)  5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
The only negative is that it took him 92 pitches, which may be surprising given the lack of hits and walks. Regardless, that is the smallest of nitpicks as he continues his dominant run. Season: 2.68 ERA (47 IP, 31 H, 18 R, 14 ER, 5 HR, 16 BB, 77 K). 77 strikeouts in 47 innings for a pitcher in his first professional season. The Yankees challenged him from the start and he has responded. I am not comparing him to the rise of Joba Chamberlain as every prospect is different – what I will say is that the Yankees were very aggressive with Chamberlain in 2007. He pitched in High-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and New York in his first year. I am putting the cart before the horse – let’s get him to Double-A first.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
A strong High-A debut for Velasquez, who pitched to a 1.05 ERA in 25.2 IP for Tampa (33/15 K/BB ratio)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (25-30) (Beat up on Lakeland, 13-7. The Tarpons have reached double digits in runs scored three games in a row)

2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, HBP, K
.317/.382/.522 in 228 PA (10 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 36 R, 20 BB, 39 K, 13-for-17 SB)
CF Daury Arias: 2-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Daury did all of his damage in the 9-run first inning. 
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
.253/.398/.390 in 186 PA. 
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
RF Matt Pita: 1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, HBP
Pita (26) is on a rehab stint (this is his first game of the season).
  RF Felix Negueis: 1-for-1, RS, BB, SB (2)
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-5, RS, 4 K
Familia has a 6-game hitting streak going. He homered in the first five games of the streak.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
Martinez has hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games (11-for-34; .324)
3B Ronny Rojas: 2-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, 3 RS, BB, K
1B Beau Brewer: 2-for-3, SF, 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Last year’s 19th-round pick has a 10/4 BB/K ratio (nice) but is still looking for his first extra-base hit in 2023.

RHP Justin Lange: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K, HR
This kind of stat line should just be dubbed the “Lange”.  Season: 4.30 ERA (37.2 IP, 20 H, 22 R, 18 ER, 2 HR, 30 BB, 65 K)
RHP Matt Keating (W, 4-4): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Bustamante: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.16 ERA (25.2 IP, 14 H, 12 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 17 BB, 25 K)
RHP Manny Ramirez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL Yankees (3-2) (Mauled the Blue Jays, 10-2. This game had the makings of a crazy 25-4 score early, but they didn’t score after the 4th inning)

2B Keiner Delgado: 2-for-4, 2 RS, BB, 2 SB (4)
I talked a bit about Roderick Arias‘ chances to make it to Tampa this year – I wouldn’t count out Delgado, either. He is now 6-for-18 with eight walks and a 4-for-6 SB rate.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-5, 3 K
The prospect with all the hype didn’t join the party today.
CF Willy Montero: 3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 RS
Montero is now 8-for-15 with a pair of doubles.
DH Hans Montero: 2-for-4, HR (2; grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
His DSL experience wasn’t the best but he has started strong here. You never know when (if?) something will click with a bonus baby.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 4-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS, 2 SB (4)
7-for-16 with five runs batted in and a perfect 4-for-4 stealing bases.
LF Dayro Perez: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
After a few games in RF, Perez makes his debut in LF. I have no quarrels with trying to develop him as more of a super-utility type. The up-the-middle field of prospects is a crowded one.
1B Kelvin Espino: 2-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB

RHP Matt Sauer: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
One has to assume he won’t linger down here much longer.
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Fristoe’s professional debut. He is listed at 6’4″ and comes out of Mississippi State.
LHP Edwar Polimir: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
The 22-year-old struck out 59 hitters in 38.1 innings for the DSL squad last year.
RHP Montana Semmel: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Semmel has tossed 32.2 innings at this level, compiling a 3.03 ERA and 31/11 K/BB ratio. If he is healthy, they will get him to Tampa soon enough.

DSL Yankees (5-0) and the DSL Bombers (5-0) both won. The Yankees won a crazy 13-12 game (they were down 12-5) while the Bombers took a much less crazy 5-2 decision.

For the Yankees:
2B Luis Escudero (17) went 2-for-4 with a big 3-run HR (first of his career) with two outs in the 8th inning…C Josue Gonzalez (19) contributed a huge 3-run double…DH Santiago Gomez (19) had a hit, three walks, two runs scored, and a stolen base…CF Andres Lacruz (18) had two hits (including a double), two runs batted in, and a stolen base…For such a crazy game, it ended in a mundane way: An RBI walk by LF Jhon Imbert, one of his three walks…RHP Ernesto Disla (19) calmed things down with 1.1 scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out two…

For the Bombers:

Both LF Abrahan Ramirez and 2B Geyber Blanco had a pair of hits. Blanco’s hits included a double…C Edgleen Perez drove home a pair of runs without a hit. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and an HBP…CF Ramiro Altagracia doubled, walked, and drove home a run…

RHP Joshawn Lampson: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alejandro Gomez: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
Gomez is 20 and this is his third year down here.

Yankees MILB 6/9: Jasson Dominguez Has Big Night

News:

Nothing to report.

Scranton (27-32) (Lost to Norfolk, 8-4)

CF Estevan Florial: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K
His hitting streak ends at 14, but his on-base streak is up to 27.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
Peraza’s 9th inning RBI single will hopefully get him going again – he has been in a relatively minor slump as of late.
RF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-5, 2B (11), 2 K
Dunham is 7-for-26 in June (.269). That isn’t a hot streak – but it does show some improvement after a tough May.
DH Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, 2B (9), RS, BB
Chaparro is on a 6-game hitting streak that features one hit in each game. He is hitting .254/.322/.460.
C Ben Rortvedt: 1-for-4, 3 K
1B Rodolfo Duran: 2-for-4, RS, K
.274/.329/.511 in 146 plate appearances (he has 11 doubles and 7 home runs)
LF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-3, HR (3), SF, 3 RBI, RS, K
2B Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RS, 3 K
3B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-4, K

RHP Jhony Brito: (L, 1-1)  5.1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 3 HR
RHP Michael Feliz: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Deivi Garcia: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR

Somerset (32-22) (Defeated Hartford, 11-4)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, 2B (11), RBI, RS, BB, K
Sweeney has three doubles in his last four games. We’ve been waiting for the power to show up this year – maybe this is the beginning of that.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-6,  2B (5), HR (9), 5 RBI, RS, 3 K
Dominguez sets a new personal best for RBI in a game.
C Austin Wells: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, RS, K, 2 SB (6)
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-5, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
.234/.329/.440 in 167 plate appearances.
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, 2 K, SB (5)
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-1, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 HBP, K
This was a “fun” night.
DH Mickey Gasper: 2-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
8.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K
LHP Edgar Barclay: (W, 1-0)  2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Steven Jennings: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Blas Castano: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Hudson Valley (31-24) (Knocked off Jersey Shore, 8-4, in ten innings)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-5, K, SB (14)
.265/.317/.485 in 218 plate appearances. He is 14-for-19 stealing bases.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, BB
DH Rafael Flores: 1-for-5, RS, 3 K
LF Anthony Garcia: 3-for-5, 3B (1), RS, K
.228/.347/.405 in 95 plate appearances. This is his third consecutive multi-hit game.
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
RF Grant Richardson: 3-for-4, 2B (5), 3B (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Richardson has his average up over .200 (.201/.297/.360 in 158 PA). It is the first time he has been over .200 all season (his average was .110 after the games of May 14th)
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 2-for-4, SF, 3 RBI, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-4, BB
C Juan Crisp: 0-for-3, BB, K
  PR Kyle Battle: 0-for-0, RS
  C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-0

RHP Juan Carela: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Carela’s second straight 10K game. He now owns a 3.28 ERA in 49.1 IP (37 H, 23 R, 18 ER, 2 HR, 18 BB, 62 K). He has been very impressive.
RHP Bailey Dees: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
2.70 ERA (23.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 34 K)
LHP Ryan Anderson: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Nick Paciorek (W, 4-0): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (25-30) (Deflated Lakeland, 11-5. The offense has scored 22 runs in the last two games)

2B Jared Serna: 2-for-5, HR (10), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Serna had 6 HR in 49 games in 2022. Tonight, he hit his 10th HR in his 49th game this season. 
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-6, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 3-for-4, RS, 2 BB, K
.254/.398/.387 in 181 PA with more walks (35) than strikeouts (31). 
CF Anthony Hall: 2-for-5, 2B (7), RS, BB, K
Hall now has a 9-game hitting streak (13-for-38; 3 doubles). From where I sit, he is mastering this level.
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-5, 3B (3), 2 RBI, 2 RS
DH Christopher Familia: 3-for-5, 2B (3), HR (6), 4 RBI, 2 RS, K
In 8 games this season: 13-for-33 (.394; 3 doubles, 6 HR, 15 R, 11 R, 4 BB, 5 K). This is what you call a hot streak.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, K
Rodriguez is on an 8-game hitting streak. He has four multi-hit games in a row and six total during the streak. He is hitting .296/.369/.394.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-5, 2 K, SB (3)
1B Beau Brewer: 2-for-5, RBI

RHP Sean Hermann: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Hermann has been up and down this year, which is expected for a kid his age at this level. One encouraging sign has been his GB%, which was over 60% entering tonight.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.80 ERA (30 IP, 21 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 38 K)
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert (W, 4-1): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.10 ERA (25.2 IP, 19 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 32 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL Yankees (2-2) (Lost to the Phillies, 4-2)

2B Keiner Delgado: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K, SB (2)
4-for-14 with seven walks.
DH Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, BB
5-for-18 with a double, triple, and home run. He has two strikeouts in 20 plate appearances (46 in 140 plate appearances last year (32.9%))
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-3, 2B (2), RBI, RS
5-for-10 with a pair of doubles.
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, 2B (2)
4-for-14 with two doubles and a home run.
RF Dayro Perez: 2-for-4

RHP Cam Schlittler: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Schlittler’s professional debut. He stands 6’6″ and was drafted in the 7th round in the 2022 draft out of Northeastern.
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
I have to assume that Rodriguez will find his way to Tampa at some point this season (he received a cup of coffee there in 2022)

DSL Yankees (4-0) and the DSL Bombers (4-0) both won. The Yankees knocked off the Rangers, 6-3, while the Bombers knocked off the Rockies, 9-4.

For the Yankees:
SS Luis Suarez (18) doubled twice and scored a pair of runs. He stole his third base of the season…DH Jelson Coca (17) singled and drove in two. He is listed as a shortstop…2B Luis Escudero (17) went 2-for-4 with a double. He is 3-for-11 with five walks…

For the Bombers:

CF Gabriel Lara went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a triple. He scored two runs…3B Juan Matheus went 1-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, and two stolen bases…2B Abrahan Ramirez (18) and SS Rafael Martinez (17) each had a pair of hits. Ramirez doubled, scored two runs, and drove in a run. Martinez drove home a pair and stole a base…

RHP Omar Gonzalez: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K. The 17-year-old pitched to a 0.44 ERA in 20.1 innings at this level last year, striking out 36 hitters while walking nine. I doubt he sticks in the DSL much longer if this keeps up…

 

Yankees MILB 6/8: Jared Serna: 3 Hits, HR

News:

Nothing to report.

Scranton (27-31) (Lost to Norfolk, 5-3)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-4, 2B (10), RS, BB, SB (12)
Florial now has a 14-game hitting streak and a 26-game on-base streak.
3B Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, RS, HBP, K, SB (7)
Peraza is in a little 3-for-20 slump. You couldn’t expect him to stay scorching forever.
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, 2 K
Chaparro has exactly one hit in five straight games (5-for-21). He hasn’t homered in 15 straight games.
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, K
DH Rodolfo Duran: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-4, RS, K
RF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K, SB (3)
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, BB, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Mitch Spence: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HR
Norfolk is very good with a strong offense. Spence held them down nicely. He now owns a 4.21 ERA in 62 IP (59 H, 34 R, 29 ER, 23 BB, 53 K, 12 HR). He was very strong in May (2.21 ERA in 36.1 innings) and keeps it up in his first June appearance.
RHP Michael Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP D.J. Snelten: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Bowman: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Greg Weissert (L, 1-1): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Weissert hasn’t been as sharp in 2023 as he was in 2022.

Somerset (31-22) (Defeated Hartford, 7-5)

SS Trey Sweeney: 2-for-5, 2B (10)
Sweeney is on a 6-game hitting streak (8-for-28; 2 doubles)
DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
His plate discipline is impressive for a kid his age at this level. He has 46 walks in 49 games.
3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, 2B (4), RS, K, SB (13)
Durbin’s 28th stolen base between here and Hudson Valley.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 3-for-5, 3 2B (7), 3 RBI, RS
It’s not often you see three RBI doubles in a game.
C Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4, BB
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, RS, BB, HBP
1B Eric Wagaman: 1-for-4, RS, K
2B Max Burt: 1-for-3, HR (7), 3 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K, CS (2)

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W, 4-3)  6.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, HR
Abeyta sets a new personal best for strikeouts.
LHP Lisandro Santos: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Zac Houston (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (30-24) (Swept in a doubleheader against Jersey Shore. The pitching continues to pitch extremely well – but the offense did not show up today)

Game 1 (Lost, 1-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3
C Josh Breaux: 0-for-3, K
Breaux is hitting .231/.268/.333 in 41 plate appearances during his rehab stint.
DH Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, K
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-3
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-3
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-1, HBP
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-2, K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-2

RHP Zach Messinger (L, 0-4): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR
Messinger has pitched better than the record. He now owns a 2.68 ERA in 50.1 IP (42 H, 22 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 24 BB, 61 K)
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.64 ERA (22 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 34 K)

Game 2 (Lost, 2-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-2, BB, K, SB (13)
.272/.324/.497 in 213 plate appearances (17 doubles, 3 triples, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 30 R, 15 BB, 74 K, 13-for-18 SB)
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-3
.310/.368/.374 in 171 plate appearances.
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3
3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, 2 K
.279/.344/.450 in 157 plate appearances. 
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-3
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, K
2B Luis Santos: 1-for-2, 2B (2), RS, K
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-2

RHP Tyrone Yulie: (L, 1-4)  5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
5.02 ERA (43 IP, 34 H, 32 R, 24 ER, 6 HR, 29 BB, 50 K)
RHP Carlos Gomez: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (24-30) (Mauled Lakeland, 11-3)

2B Jared Serna: 3-for-6, 2B (10), HR (9), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Whenever Serna seems to go into a little slump, he seems to bounce right out of it. He is listed at 5’6″, yet has 21 doubles and 15 HR in 97 games over the last two seasons. This season, his triple slash is up to .316/.375/.515.
DH Daury Arias: 1-for-4, RS, 2 BB
CF Anthony Hall: 2-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K, CS (4)
Hall increases his hitting streak to 8 and is entering “Does he belong here anymore?” territory. He is 8-for-26 in June after hitting .338/.477/.471 in May.
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
LF Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, 2B (2), HR (5), 3 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K, CS (1)
Familia: 5 HR in 7 games. 
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Rodriguez is now on a 7-game hitting streak (three straight multi-hit games)
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 4 K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-2, RS, 3 BB
1B Ronny Rojas: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 3-3)  5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
Selvidge was stretched out to 100 pitches tonight. He is throwing in the mid-90s (hit 96.7 tonight) and generated 19 swing and misses. Season: 3.02 ERA (50.2 IP, 46 H, 21 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 56 K)
RHP Shane Gray: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
4.28 ERA (27.1 IP, 23 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 4 HR, 9 BB, 35 K)
RHP Alex Bustamante: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL Yankees (2-1) (Defeated the Phillies, 7-1)

DH Keiner Delgado: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K, SB (1), CS (1)
Just like we said with Serna last year: If he taps into some power, his stock will go up. Without power? He still would have a chance because he can play up the middle positions.
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
If Arias develops to his potential, he will have above-average power for a shortstop. I think the Yankees will be patient with him, but they won’t keep a bonus baby down here any longer than he needs to be.
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K, CS (1)
The 18-year-old did enough in the DSL last season (.262/.396/.382; 16-for-20 SB) to earn a shot here in 2023. I don’t see any info on his signing bonus (again, likely an indicator that it wasn’t much) but the fact that he is a CF hitting third in the lineup tells you that the organization is impressed with something.
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, RS, 3 BB
Montero, who was signed for $1.7 million (the highest bonus the Yankees handed out in 2021), struggled badly in the DSL. Now 19, they simply couldn’t throw him back down there for a third season. Something has to start clicking.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3, 2 BB, K
Tejeda (18) hit ..289/.463/.493 in 46 DSL games last season. As I keep saying: DSL stats are wacky. However, if you don’t perform down there, you will probably die on the vine (unless you are someone like Montero, who they invested significant money in)
RF Dayro Perez: 0-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, SB (1)
Perez, signed as an infielder, gets his first career start in the OF. He was given a taste of Low-A earlier this season, where he went 13-for-85 (.153) with a 2-for-3 stolen base rate.

RHP Ryan Harvey: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
A strong professional debut for Harvey. Bobby Milone (on Twitter) pointed out that he was a college reliever so it appears this is another case of the Yankees drafting a relief pitcher and converting him to a starter. It really is not a bad strategy. It isn’t hard to convert them back to the bullpen.
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza (W, 1-0): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Mendoza received some praise from Josh Norris of Baseball America. In 2022, down in the DSL, he pitched to a 2.95 ERA in 55 IP with a 77/19 K/BB ratio. Given that he tossed three innings today, he likely is still seen as a starting pitcher.

DSL Yankees (3-0) and the DSL Bombers (3-0) both won. The Yankees knocked off the Pirates Black, 8-5, while the Bombers knocked off the Mets Orange, 7-6. The Bombers overcame a 6-0 deficit entering the bottom of the 7th.

As I keep saying, DSL stats are insane. The Yankees’ eight runs came on 6 hits and *16* walks. C Josue Gonzalez and DH Luis Escudero each drew three walks while 3B Ovandy Frias doubled home two runs and drew a pair of walks. RHP Jorge Luna went 2.2 innings in his professional debut, allowing no runs on two hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts.

As for the Bombers, CF Ramiro Altagracia hit his first home run of the season. This is his third season at this level and he has done little of note offensively in his first two years…SS Kevin Verde (17) had one of the biggest knocks in the game: A 2-run double. He made his first professional hit memorable…DH Gabriel Lara (17) went 1-for-3 with an RBI, 2 runs scored, a walk, and a stolen base…

 

Yankees MILB 6/7: Austin Wells Drives Home 2

News:

The Yankees have selected the contract of OF Billy McKinney to replace Aaron Judge. McKinney, on his second tour with the Yankees organization, was hitting well in Scranton (.274/.388/.511 in 40 games) and should find himself getting some playing time over the next few weeks.

“Why McKinney and not Estevan Florial?” I don’t disagree with those who would rather see Florial than McKinney, who hasn’t done much with his 768 MLB plate appearances (.206/.277/.387). Furthermore, in his most recent sample size, he went 5-for-52 in 23 games for Oakland last season. We could have a situation where the Yankees simply do not want to push Florial through the waiver process again once they need to send him back down. He slipped through after Spring Training, but that is a tough time for any player to be designated for assignment. Teams have already set their 26-man rosters and may not see a need to claim a player like Florial, who is not a sure bet to be anything useful in MLB. Now? Teams have evaluated their rosters for two months. Injuries have occurred. There may be more of a market to pick up Florial for “free” and give him a bench role. Whatever the case may be, McKinney is here in the short term and will be battling it out with Jake Bauers and Willie Calhoun to be here for the longer term.

The Yankees have promoted RHP Luis Velasquez from Tampa to Hudson Valley. Signed by the Yankees in 2019 (I can’t find any news on his bonus, so it likely wasn’t much), Velasquez has moved up the chain in a reasonable amount of time. Like with many prospects, the lost 2020 season likely impacted him in some way.

There isn’t much to dislike about Velasquez, other than an elevated BB rate (which isn’t uncommon amongst Yankees relief prospects). This season for Tampa, he compiled a 1.05 ERA (3.21 FIP) over 25.2 innings with a 32.7% K, 14.9% BB, and 69.4% GB.

On August 5, 2019, Velasquez allowed a home run. Why is that a big deal? He hasn’t allowed one since. Overall, he has allowed that one home run in 84.2 career innings (0.1 HR/9). His ability to keep the ball on the ground and strike hitters out is tantalizing. The control can be worked on.

Scranton (27-30)

For the second night in a row, their game against Norfolk was postponed due to poor air quality. No makeup dates have been announced for these games.

Somerset (30-22) (Lost to Hartford, 5-4)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, RBI
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
Walks by month: April: 20 (17 games); May: 17 (25 games); June: 7 (6 games). The discipline is there if that wasn’t already obvious. He has 143 walks in 224 career games.
DH Austin Wells: 1-for-4, 2B (7), 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Wells has three doubles and 8 RBI in six June games.
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, BB
2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, SB (12)
Durbin is now 27-for-31 stealing bases between here and Hudson Valley (44 games). He stole 31 bases in 105 games last season. As for the strikeouts, he still has only two in 92 plate appearances at this level.
RF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-4, 2 K
Lockridge’s first game since 5/24. He was hitting well prior to his injury (.310/.400/.494 with 17 stolen bases) so hopefully he can pick up where he left off.
CF Jeisson Rosario: 2-for-4, HR (7), RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
C Mickey Gasper: 3-for-4, 2 RS, K

RHP Gray Fenter: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, HR
Fenter’s best start as a member of the Yankees’ organization. He is 27, so he is purely a depth arm.
RHP Danny Watson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Watson hasn’t allowed a run in 3.2 innings since his promotion. This is his first strikeout since moving to Somerset after striking out 39 in 24.1 innings for Hudson Valley. Every level is an adjustment.
RHP Tanner Myatt: (L, 2-1) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Justin Wilson: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (30-22) 

Their game against Jersey Shore was postponed due to poor air quality. I can vouch for how “smoky” the air has become down here. No makeup date has been announced.

Tampa (23-30) (Defeated Lakeland, 3-1)

2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, K
.311/.371/.495. It is the first time his SLG has dropped below .500 since May 4th, and he is 1-for-14 in his last three games after going 8-for-13 in his previous four games. Baseball!
CF Daury Arias: 1-for-3, 2B (7), BB, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-4, HR (4), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Familia’s four home runs have come in only six games. He is 22 years old and already received a taste of this level in 2022 (.207/.295/.362 in 36 games). 
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 2B (4), RS, BB, K
Rodriguez has hit safely in all six June games (12-for-24). He struggled mightily in May, so it is good to see him get going again. Overall, he is hitting .286/.356/.368.
1B Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, K
Martinez is off to a 5-for-15 start in June. 
DH Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-4, 2 K
RF Felix Negueis: 2-for-3, K
A needed game for Negueis, who entered tonight 3-for-61.

RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Kris Bow: (W, 1-1) 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
This is Bow’s first professional victory. His last two outings: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K (he allowed ten earned runs in 2.2 innings during his first two outings). Bow is throwing mid-90s sinkers. That’ll work.
RHP Matt Keating: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.63 ERA (24 IP, 20 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 36 K). He has at least one strikeout in 14 of his 16 appearances (12 of those games feature 2+ strikeouts). He doesn’t throw hard (90-92, topped out at 93.1 tonight), so I assume much of his swing-and-miss comes on his curve and slider.
RHP Adam Stone (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Stone’s first career save was an adventure, but he got the job done. He was throwing in the mid-90s.

FCL Yankees (1-1)

Day off.

DSL Bombers (2-0) and DSL Yankees (2-0)

Both teams had the day off.

Yankees MILB 6/6: Roderick Arias Hits a Slam

News:

The FCL Yankees and the two DSL squads started their seasons on Monday. I will report on them below, but I don’t typically type up full lineups or anything for those games.

Scranton (27-30)

Their game against Norfolk was postponed due to air quality concerns (due to the fires in Quebec).

Somerset (30-21) (Shut down Hartford, 4-0)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-3, 2B (9), RS, BB, K, SB (9)
CF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, K
C Austin Wells: 1-for-3, 2B (6), BB, K
Wells is 6-for-19 in June with a pair of doubles and 6 RBI.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS
Rumfield has already blown past his personal best for home runs in a season. If he is tapping into some power, there can be something to watch here.
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3, RS, BB
DH Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, 2B (4), K, CS (3)
Seigler has a 5-game hitting streak going (6-for-16)
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, RS, K
Palensky hit 12 home runs for Hudson Valley earlier this season. He leads the organization in homers.

RHP Clayton Beeter: (W, 4-2) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 K
Beeter has two 11-K games this season. Stats: 2.34 ERA (50 IP, 37 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 28 BB, 63 K)
RHP Alex Mauricio: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
4.40 ERA (14.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 14 K)
RHP Steven Jennings: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (30-22) (Crushed Jersey Shore, 13-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Josh Breaux: 0-for-5, BB
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-6, RBI, RS, 3 K
Flores is hitting .315. He has 12 multi-hit games.
RF Anthony Garcia: 2-for-4, 2 RS, 2 BB
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, 2 RS, HBP, 2 K
Gomez increases his hitting streak to 6 (9-for-21)
2B Ben Cowles: 3-for-4, HR (6), SF, 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Cowles started the season 4-for-29. He is 33-for-105 (.314) since. This is his first 3-hit game this year.
LF Grant Richardson: 4-for-4, 3 RS, HBP
Richardson is bound to go through a hot streak, given his .200 BABIP entering tonight. This is his second career 4-hit game (6/16/2022)
3B Marcos Cabrera: 2-for-4, 2 2B (6), 5 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Bottom of the order thunder! Cabrera sets a new personal best for RBI in a game. He hasn’t done much hitting since his rookie league days. 

LHP Joel Valdez: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 5 HB (yes, FIVE)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Maciejewski stranded the bases loaded for Valdez in the 5th.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Clay Aguilar: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.38 ERA (13.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 9 BB, 20 K)
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (22-30) (Defeated Lakeland, 7-6, in 11 innings)

2B Jared Serna: 0-for-6, 2 K
I bet Serna doesn’t have many 0-for-6s on his lifetime resume, going back to when he was 4-5 years old.
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-5, K, SB (3)
Hall now has a 7-game hitting streak.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-2, 2 RS, 3 BB, 2 SB (6)
Ramirez has drawn 12 walks in his last six games (including a 5-walk performance)
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-5, 3B (2), RBI, RS, K
Escanio can draw walks but hasn’t yet shown that he can hit consistently. This is a nice game for him.
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-5, 2 K
DH Christopher Familia: 2-for-5, 2B (1), HR (3), 2 RBI, 3 RS
Familia has three home runs in five games this season.
LF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, 2 K
Doubles account for 50% of Aguilar’s hits this season. You do the math.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, RBI
Rodriguez drove home the winning run in the 11th.
1B Omar Martinez: 1-for-5, HR (5), RBI, RS, 2 K

RHP Hayden Merda: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, HR
Last three starts: 17.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 BB, 16 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Manny Ramirez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: (W, 2-1) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
This is what you want to do if you are pitching with the ghost runner on base. Season: 1.95 ERA (27.2 IP, 21 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 35 K). A very impressive stat line. He is 21 years old.

FCL Yankees (1-1) (Defeated the Tigers, 8-6)

SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-6, HR (1), 5 RBI, RS
The home run was a grand slam and the RBI are a new personal best for Arias. The 18-year-old bonus baby ($4 million) put up a .194/.379/.370 line in 140 plate appearances in the DSL last season.
2B Keiner Delgado: 2-for-3, 2B (1), 2 RS, 3 BB, K
While Arias had a much-publicized signing bonus, it is much harder to find information on Delgado. He emerged on radars last season when he hit .310/.504/.506 with 34 stolen bases in 52 games in the DSL. Like Jared Serna, Delgado has a short stature which will inevitably lead to Jose Altuve comparisons. I would try to avoid those kinds of comparisons.
DH Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-2, RS, 2 BB, SB (1)
Tejeda homered on Opening Day yesterday. Listed as a SS (he may not play there too much with Arias around), the 18-year-old hit .289/.463/.493 with 41 walks and 25 strikeouts in 46 games for the DSL squad last season.
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Duran is a smallish 20-year-old catcher who hit .341/.437/.647 in 29 DSL games last season. If you aren’t yet catching on, DSL statistics can get a little wacky.
RF-CF Jake Palmer: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, KK
Palmer was signed as an undrafted free agent out of UCLA last year. He is already 24 years old.

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Lagrange is a tall kid (6’7″) who struck out 43 batters in 33 innings for the DSL last season while only allowing ten hits. As you may suspect with a pitcher of his size, he needs to work a bit on control (19 BB last season)
RHP Osiel Rodriguez (S, 1): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Seemingly here forever, Rodriguez is still only 21 years old. After starting four games in 2019, he hasn’t made a start since. Rodriguez had a cup of coffee with Low-A Tampa in 2022.

I have nothing of note to mention about the DSL squads today.

Yesterday, bonus baby Brando Mayea ($4.35 million) doubled in his first at-bat and promptly left the game. He did not play today.

Yankees MILB 6/4: Drew Thorpe Dominates

News:

While not minor league news, the Guardians have designated RHP Zach Plesac for assignment.

The question is: Assuming he falls to the Yankees (not guaranteed), is there room for him? The Yankees have Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino, and Nestor Cortes locked into the rotation with Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt at the bottom of the rotation. Factoring in the return of Carlos Rodon (assuming it happens), you do find yourself with a bit of a rotation logjam. That said, you can never have enough pitching depth and Plesac can just as easily take the spot that was recently vacated by Ryan Weber due to an arm injury.

Plesac has not been a particularly healthy or good pitcher. In five starts this season, he owns an unpleasant 7.59 ERA (though it comes with a 4.51 FIP) in 21.1 innings. His strikeout rate is a meager 13.3% and the only time he has shown the ability to strikeout hitters was during the 2020 COVID season (27.7%). His career 102 ERA+ is bolstered by his 2019-2020 seasons. From 2021-2023, it is 86.

The cost to acquire him shouldn’t be high. After all, Cleveland had to designate him for assignment because nobody wanted to trade for him. He could slip through waivers, which would allow teams to save a little money by signing him for a prorated league minimum. I will never say no to adding pitching depth and he does have a Matt Blake connection. That said, I wouldn’t expect miracles. He is purely a depth option who could find himself on the waiver wire multiple times before all is said and done.

Scranton (27-30) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 8-7)

RF Estevan Florial: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RS, K
Florial has a 13-game hitting streak and a 25-game on-base streak.
DH Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, BB, HBP, K
His hitting streak is snapped, but he does reach base a pair of times.
CF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-5, RS, K
3B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, K
Chaparro is earning some hits (he has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games) but hasn’t been fully in the zone. He hasn’t homered in 14 games.
LF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-3, 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, BB
C Rodolfo Duran: 1-for-4, 2B (11), RBI, RS
Duran continues to show off his pop.
1B Billy McKinney: 0-for-4, K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-3, HR (7), RBI, RS, HBP
SS Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-3, HR (7), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Bastidas has three home runs in his last six games.

LHP Tanner Tully: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Aaron McGarity: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Colten Brewer: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Greg Weissert: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Deivi Garcia: (L, 1-1)  1.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
Is it almost time to just throw in the towel?

Somerset (29-21) (Defeated Portland, 5-4, in ten innings)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, HR (4), RBI, RS
.227/.360/.343 in 211 PA (8 doubles, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 31 R, 34 BB (16.1%), 46 K (21.8%), 8-for-11 SB)
LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB
.211/.374/.398 in 206 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 36 R, 42 BB (20.4%), 50 K (24.3%), 12-for-15 SB). I find it rather interesting that Dominguez has only four doubles. He hit 32 in his first 176 professional games. It could just be noise.
DH Austin Wells: 3-for-5, RBI
.270/.365/.560 in 115 PA. This is his second 3-hit effort for Somerset (8 multi-hit games)
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
  PR Max Burt: 0-for-0, RS
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, RBI, BB
Rumfield walked it off with his RBI single in the 10th. He is now hitting .240/.333/.419 in 243 PA with 18 BB (7.4%) and 21 strikeouts (8.6%). The BABIP remains low at .236.
2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4
Between here and Hudson Valley: .303/.414/.388 in 181 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 33 R, 21 BB (11.6%), 11 K (6%), 26-for-30 SB). His K% for Somerset is 2.4%.
CF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, 2B (2), RS, BB
C Mickey Gasper: 1-for-4, RS

RHP Richard Fitts: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
4.73 ERA (51.1 IP, 56 H, 27 R, 27 ER, 7 HR, 13 BB, 55 K). His last three starts: 2.00 ERA (18 IP, 18 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 19 K)
RHP Justin Wilson: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Zac Houston: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Tanner Myatt (W, 2-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
I like it when Myatt has clean innings. Season: 3.68 ERA (22 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 24 K)

Hudson Valley (29-22) (Shut down Aberdeen, 9-0. Their pitching is on fire – today, the offense kept pace)

CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-4, 2B (17), BB, CS (5)
Jones has four doubles in his last five games. An old adage stated that current doubles are future home runs. I don’t know how much truth that holds, but we all know that Jones has a lot of power to tap into.
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, K
DH Josh Breaux: 2-for-5, 2B (1), RS
Breaux is 9-for-31 during his rehab stint.
C Antonio Gomez: 3-for-4, 2B (8), HR (2), RBI, 4 RS, BB
Gomez is on a modest 5-game hitting streak (8-for-17). This is his first career 4-run game.
RF Anthony Garcia: 2-for-4, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
  LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-1
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-3, 2B (9), RS, BB, K
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF-RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-3, RS, BB

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 4-1)  8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
You don’t see many pitchers (MLB or minors!) complete eight innings nowadays. Season: 3.31 ERA (51.2 IP, 43 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 20 BB, 59 K).
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (21-30) (Lost to Bradenton, 6-2. A boring afternoon offensively, as they had five hits and didn’t draw any walks)

SS Jared Serna: 0-for-4, 2 K
I don’t think the recent spike in K% is alarming – I do think it is normalizing. He struck out 15% of the time in the Complex League last year and 34.1% of the time in his small taste of this level. This year, his rate is now 16%. We’ll see if he can keep it around that level.
CF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, K
Ramirez has 30 walks (18.1%) and 29 strikeouts (17.5%) in 166 PA.
DH Anthony Hall: 1-for-4, CS (3)
6-game hitting streak (8-for-24; .333)
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Nelson Medina: 2-for-3, RS
.290/.390/.468 in 146 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 18 R, 7-for-8 SB, 20 BB (13.7%), 45 K (30.8%))
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, RBI
.272/.343/.352 in 141 PA. He is 8-for-16 in June.
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, 2 K
LF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 1-3)  3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Alex Bustamante: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Adam Stone: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Stone’s second career appearance.
RHP Shane Gray: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
4.26 ERA (25.1 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 3 HR, 9 BB, 31 K). Last year’s 16th-round pick allowed 9 of those 13 runs in his first five appearances this year. He has a 1.29 ERA between May and June.

Yankees MILB 6/3: Chase Hampton Ks 10 (Again)

News:

The Greg Allen injury opened up the possibility for the Yankees to promote Kole Calhoun before the deadline, but it didn’t happen. Calhoun is officially a free agent. Given that he opted out, there is likely a team out there that has already shown some level of interest in the veteran.

The Yankees decided to bring Oswaldo Cabrera right back into the fold, and I have mixed feelings about that. I like the kid – I followed him all the way back to the days when his minor league number weren’t very good but the Yankees kept promoting and challenging him anyway. He was a poster child for “organizations look beyond just the raw numbers when it comes to evaluation.”  But, sending him down to Scranton was all about getting his stroke and confidence back. He is here until at least Harrison Bader gets back, so it could be a short stay.

Of course, right after I hit Send, Cabrera homers in Los Angeles. Baseball!

Scranton (27-29) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 8-6)

LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-5, K
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, BB, K
Peraza’s hitting streak is up to 10.
DH Ben Rortvedt: 2-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, RS
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
.255/.323/.474 in 220 plate appearances
RF Franchy Cordero: 0-for-4, 3 K
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, RS, K
CF Billy McKinney: 2-for-4, HR (9; grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 RS
The veteran has 7 RBI in three June games.
3B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-4
2B Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, RBI, BB

RHP Will Warren: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Warren has a 7.04 ERA since his promotion. Every level presents its share of challenges.
RHP Michael Feliz: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP James Norwood: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP D.J. Snelten: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Bowman: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP Matt Krook: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
It is too bad that he was unable to make his MLB debut during his brief stay.

Somerset (28-21) (Lost to Portland, 4-3)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, K
CF Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-3, RBI, BB, CS (3)
.210/.373/.401 in 201 plate appearances. Hopefully, he continues to move further and further away from the Mendoza Line.
C Austin Wells: 1-for-3, HR (8), RBI, RS, BB, K
Wells’ first home run since May 20th. He has 20 home runs in 79 Double-A games.
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, HR (11), RBI, RS, 2 K
Hardman has homered in three straight games (.235/.307/.544 (5 doubles, 2 triples, 11 HR, 28 RBI, 24 R, 14 BB, 46 K))
2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, HBP
Durbin is now 19-for-70 since his promotion (.271/.363/.386; 7 walks, 2 strikeouts)
DH Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K, CS (2)
LF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, BB, K, CS (2)
1B Eric Wagaman: 0-for-4, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, SB (3)
Palensky is 1-for-11 since his promotion but has walked five times.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Only his second start coming back from injury.
RHP Blas Castano (L, 3-3): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Lisandro Santos: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
2.86 ERA (28.1 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 19 BB, 33 K)
LHP Edgar Barclay: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (28-22) (Squeaked past Aberdeen, 3-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, K, SB (12)
.265/.311/.503 in 196 plate appearances (16 doubles, 3 triples, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 29 R, 12 BB (6.1%), 69 K (35.2%), 12-for-16 SB)
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, RBI, K
.270/.345/.437 in 142 plate appearances (6 doubles, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 20 R, 12 BB, 47 K, 4-for-4 SB). He has 14 starts at shortstop, 13 at second base, and 9 at third base.
C Josh Breaux: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
Breaux is up to 27 plate appearances during his rehab stint. The Yankees are going to have to make room for him in the upper minors soon.
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, K
.315/.377/.385 in 159 plate appearances. He was signed as an undrafted free agent last July, and is thus far making the Yankees look smart with that transaction.
DH Anthony Garcia: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
Garcia’s first game since 5/11. He is hitting .167/.300/.303 in 80 plate appearances. He is a three-outcomes type who isn’t fairing well in the power piece of that equation.
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, BB
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB, K
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 2-for-3, BB, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, 2 K

RHP Chase Hampton: 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Hampton’s third 10-strikeout game of 2023 (including back-to-back games).  Season: 3.05 ERA (41.1 IP, 30 H, 18 R, 14 ER, 5 HR, 15 BB, 69 K). Remember this: This isn’t a kid who has been languishing in the minors for three years finally finding it in High-A ball. This is Hampton’s debut season after being drafted in the 6th round of last year’s draft out of Texas Tech. He is listed at 6’2″, 225 pounds though I take that stuff with a grain of salt. A trip to Somerset in 2023 is definitely not out of the question.
RHP Indigo Diaz (W, 1-0): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.71 ERA (21 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 33 K). 

Tampa (21-29) (Lost to Bradenton, 6-5)

SS Jared Serna: 3-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (13)
Serna with his second straight 3-hit effort (he has six 3+ hit games this season, including three 4-hit games). At one point tonight, Serna had an active streak of reaching base in nine straight plate appearances. He is hitting .330/.393/.528 in 196 plate appearances (9 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 32 R, 18 BB (9.2%), 30 K (15.3%), 13-for-17 SB). 
CF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, BB
RF Anthony Hall: 2-for-5, HR (3), 2 RBI, RS, K
Hall has the triple slash up to .272/.396/.430 in 139 plate appearances. He is on a mini 5-game hitting streak (1 double, 1 triple, 1 home run during the streak)
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, 2 BB, SB (3)
.252/.390/.417 in 141 plate appearances (.391 career OBP in 558 plate appearances)
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5
DH Christopher Familia: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, BB
LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-4, K
2B Brett Barrera: 1-for-4
1B Beau Brewer: 1-for-4, RS

RHP Justin Lange: 4 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
4.05 ERA (33.1 IP, 19 H, 17 R, 15 ER, 1 HR, 25 BB, 58 K). His season is a mix of everything.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
2.10 ERA (25.2 IP, 21 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 31 K). Calderon has excelled in this role this year – are they stretching him out to get back into the rotation?
RHP Matt Keating (L, 3-4): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
2.82 ERA (22.1 IP, 19 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 34 K). Keating has put together a solid season.
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Yankees MILB 6/2: Juan Carela Ks 10

News:

The Yankees made a (very very very very) minor trade today, sending C Jose Godoy to the Orioles for something. That something might be enough to buy a hot dog at Yankee Stadium. Godoy was on the Scranton Development Roster recently. When he did play for Scranton, he appeared in only 11 games, hitting .270/.341/.514 with three home runs. Godoy has 26 games of MLB experience with the Twins, Pirates, and Mariners. For the Yankees, he was signed for depth purposes but the catching position is logjammed in the minors. There simply wasn’t much playing time to distribute to him.

Scranton (27-28) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 6-3)

LF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, 2B (8)
Florial now has a 12-game hitting streak and a 24-game on-base streak.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, RS, BB, CS (2)
Peraza now has a 9-game hitting streak (tonight’s walk is his first during the streak)
C Ben Rortvedt: 1-for-2, 3 BB, K, SB (1)
Rortvedt is 13-for-39 with eight walks for Scranton. He is 3-for-3 stealing bases in his minor league career (388 games!)
3B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-5, RBI, K
Chaparro has at least one hit in nine of his last ten games.
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2 K
DH Kole Calhoun: 0-for-3, RS, BB
1B Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
CF Billy McKinney: 2-for-3, HR (8), 2 RBI, RS, BB
The veteran has his OPS up to .899.
2B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-4

RHP Randy Vasquez: (L, 1-6) 4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
Vasquez pitched well in his spot start for the Yankees. Down here, he shows signs that he still needs some seasoning.
RHP Aaron McGarity: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Greg Weissert: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Somerset (28-20) (Defeated Portland, 9-7)

SS Trey Sweeney: 2-for-4, RS, HBP, K
Sweeney’s first multi-hit game since May 16th. The OBP is already established (.368) – if the hits start coming, his season is going to look very good.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
Dominguez has 12 multi-walk games this season. 
DH Austin Wells: 1-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-5, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 RS
Hardman has homered in back-to-back games and has his slugging percentage up to .530 (it was .464 for Hudson Valley in 2022)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, RS, BB
2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (11)
Durbin’s first home run as a member of the Yankees’ organization. Power will likely never be a big part of his game – he is about contact and speed. That said, he did hit 8 home runs in 105 games in the Braves organization last year. Anyway, he has five multi-hit games in 18 games since his promotion and is 26-for-30 stealing bases between here and Hudson Valley.
C Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, SB (4)
Seigler’s BB% is 19.8. If he could just hit for a little bit of average, he can be a useful MLB ballplayer. 
CF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, BB
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, SF, RBI

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W, 3-3) 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
RHP Shawn Semple: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Danny Watson (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Things were getting a little dicey late, but Watson was able to close the door.

Hudson Valley (27-22) (Lost to Aberdeen, 2-1, in 12 innings. The pitching has been there the past few nights, but the offense has gone silent)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K, CS (4)
.266/.313/.508 in 192 plate appearances. I bring up the K rate because I think that is important – but he is also slugging over .500. We have some good mixed with some not-so-good. We’ll see if good wins over evil.
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-5, 3 K
DH Josh Breaux: 0-for-5, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, BB, K
  PR Kyle Battle: 0-for-0
  C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-1
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-5, 3 K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-5, K
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K, SB (10)
3B Marcos Cabrera: 1-for-3, RS, SB (3)
2B Luis Santos: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Juan Carela: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, HR
The home run was inside-the-park. This is Carela’s first career 10+ strikeout game (four career 9-strikeout efforts entering tonight). He is pitching to an impressive 3.09 ERA in 43.2 IP (32 H, 20 R, 15 ER, 17 BB, 52 K, 2 HR) and is only 21 years old. Yep, put him firmly on your radar.
RHP Nick Paciorek: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.31 ERA (16.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 9 BB, 20 K)
LHP Ryan Anderson: (L, 1-3)  2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Not exactly a “fair” loss.
RHP Bailey Dees: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (21-28) (Used a 3-run 9th to defeat Bradenton, 7-6. They won on a walk-off wild pitch (after tying the game on a balk – baseball!)

SS Jared Serna: 3-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, CS (4)
Serna with back-to-back multi-hit games (14 multi-hit games in 43 games played). He is hitting .322/.387/.520 (8 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 30 R, 18 BB, 29 K, 11-for-15 SB)
CF Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, 3B (2), SF, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Hall has his OPS up to .800. 
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, BB, K
DH Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, K
LF Christopher Familia: 0-for-4
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 3-for-4, 3B (2), RS
Rodriguez, who hit .196 in May, starts June with back-to-back 3-hit efforts. Baseball!
2B Brett Barrera: 0-for-4, RBI, RS
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, RS, BB
RF Felix Negueis: 0-for-3, 2 RS, BB, K

RHP Sean Hermann: 4 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR
Teenagers in a full-season league will typically have their ups and downs.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
1.05 ERA (25.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 15 BB, 33 K). Velasquez is having a strong start. He is 21 years old.
RHP Manny Ramirez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert (W, 3-1): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.01 ERA (22.1 IP, 17 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 28 K)

Yankees MILB 6/1: Jasson Dominguez: 3-Run Boom!

News:

UTIL Oswaldo Cabrera was demoted to Scranton after the Yankees-Mariners game last night.

Cabrera was a high-energy catalyst last season for the Yankees. He hit .247/.312/.429 (108 OPS+; 111 wRC+) while playing strong defense at multiple positions (including the outfield, where he was a novice). This season, he couldn’t get anything going. Cabrera hit .195/.246/.292 (46 wRC+) with 3 home runs and 15 runs batted in. One encouraging sign is his 19.6% strikeout rate, but nothing else in his offensive profile was solid enough to make you think a turnaround was coming soon. The only position he is blocked at in the minors is shortstop (Oswald Peraza). That said, Peraza could slide over to other positions to give Cabrera some time at shortstop.

This isn’t the end of Cabrera’s story. He has things to work on, and Scranton is where he will work on them. The Yankees aren’t immune to injuries, so it is up to Cabrera to keep himself sharp so that he can be next in line when a need arises.

OF Kole Calhoun is opting out of his minor league deal. The Yankees have 72 hours to promote him or release him. The promotion seems doubtful.  He was in tonight’s lineup for Scranton, as the Yankees can still use him until the 72 hours are up. Including tonight, the 35-year-old is hitting .291/.396/.547 in 22 games for Scranton.

Scranton (27-27) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-3)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, 2 K
Florial’s hitting streak is up to 11 (19-for-52 (.365); 6 HR, 13 RBI, 12 runs). By the way, the last time Estevan Florial didn’t reach base in a game was back on April 30th (23-game on-base streak)
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-5, HR (10), RBI, RS
Peraza now has an 8-game hitting streak (13-for-38 (.342); 7 HR, 9 RBI, 10 runs). Hitting .342 during a hitting streak is strong – for Peraza, it has allowed him to maintain his .340 batting average for the season. By the way, Peraza hasn’t drawn one walk during the streak – when you are hitting for this much power, why would you want to walk? 
LF Kole Calhoun: 1-for-4
DH Andres Chaparro: 1-for-3, 2B (8), RS, BB, SB (3)
.257/.326/.482 in 215 plate appearances. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, RS, K
C Rodolfo Duran: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Billy McKinney: 1-for-2, 2B (5), RBI, BB, HBP
3B Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, 2B (7)
Bastidas didn’t want May to end (.353/.443/.559), but he starts off June with an extra-base hit.
2B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-3, BB, K

RHP Jhony Brito: 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR
He allowed a 3-run home run to former Yankees farmhand Jake Cave.
RHP James Norwood (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
LHP D.J. Snelten: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.80 ERA (23.2 IP, 13 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 29 K). Something tells me that just getting back on the mound is a big accomplishment for Snelten, who hadn’t pitched since 2019 (when he was with the independent Chicago Dogs). He pitched in four games for the San Francisco Giants back in 2018.
RHP Colten Brewer: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (27-20) (Scored 11 unanswered runs in an 11-7 comeback over Portland)

SS Trey Sweeney: 0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Sweeney is where he needs to be as he tries to break through with the bat. He has drawn walks all season but the hits aren’t coming consistently. I am confident they will.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, HR (8), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Dominguez had the SLG up to .433 after the games of 5/18. He slid a bit after that, but this blast has him over .400 (.404) to go along with his .365 OBP. 
C Austin Wells: 0-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Wells drew a pair of run-scoring walks. He is hitting .250/.347/.534 in 101 plate appearances at this level (he is 5-for-26 without a home run (but 6 walks) in his last seven games)
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, HR (9; Grand Slam), 5 RBI, BB, 2 K
The grand slam gave Somerset an 8-7 lead. Hardman has driven home five runs in a game twice this season. He is hitting .228/.306/.512 (5 doubles, 2 triples, 9 HR, 25 RBI, 21 R, 4-for-5 SB)
DH Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, 2B (3), SF, RBI, K
RF Jeisson Rosario: 2-for-4
1B Eric Wagaman: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 SB (9)
Wagaman was 11-for-19 stealing bases in his career prior to this season (9-for-10 in 2023). 
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-1, 3 RS, 3 BB, SB (2)
Palensky is now 12-for-12 stealing bases between here and Hudson Valley.
2B Max Burt: 1-for-3, 2 RS, BB

RHP Gray Fenter: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
RHP Steven Jennings: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
An outstanding job by the bullpen to keep Portland (a good offensive squad) off the scoreboard. Jennings (24) has a 3.65 ERA in 24.2 IP (17 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 33 K)
RHP Justin Wilson: (W, 2-1)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.34 ERA (18.2 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 17 K). Wilson allowed four runs in one inning a few outings ago, which crushed his numbers a bit. Still, the walks are obviously high and control has always been his bugaboo. There is still time for the Yankees to work with him.
RHP Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (27-21) (Lost to Aberdeen, 1-0. They drew five walks (plus an HBP) but couldn’t get the big hit)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, 2B (16), 3 K, CS (3)
Jones’ 16 doubles rank second in the league (Wilfred Veras (Nationals) has 20).
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, BB, K
Vargas didn’t have a great May (though he ended the month on a bit of a hot streak). Let’s see what June brings…
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, BB, K
Gomez had two passed balls, giving him 9 on the season. Are his offensive struggles leading to defensive lapses? His defense has received rave reviews in the past and it is something they can probably clean up. 
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, BB
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-4
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-4, 4 K
Battle’s first game since 4/14 didn’t go according to plan.

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-3): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
This is what you call a tough-luck loss. He sports a 2.78 ERA in 45.1 IP (39 H, 21 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 22 BB, 55 K)
RHP Indigo Diaz: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Diaz was sent down here from Somerset, where he sported a 3.32 ERA in 19 innings with a 25/16 K/BB.
RHP Jack Neely: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.80 ERA (20 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 32 K). Neely has 124 strikeouts in 72.1 career innings, The walks aren’t ideal (38), but I am always a believer in moving college relievers as quickly as possible.

Tampa (20-28) (Lost to Bradenton, 7-2)

2B Jared Serna: 2-for-5, 2 K
Serna has at least one hit in 11 of his last 12 games. However, only three of those games feature multiple hits, so his average has dropped from .325 to .310 (not exactly bad!). The strikeout rate has ticked up lately, thanks to eight strikeouts in his last four games (he didn’t reach eight strikeouts for the season until May 9th (his 22nd game)).
CF Anthony Hall: 1-for-5, RS, K
Hall hasn’t skipped many beats since his 4-for-33 April. He was dominant in May and is trying to carry that over to June.
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
Ramirez has been pretty consistent (especially in the walk column) since the start of the season (he now has 29 in 157 PA (19.1%)).
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, 3 K
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-4, K
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 3-for-4, RBI, SB (6)
Rodriguez has two 3-hit games this season. He hit well in the rookie leagues, so let’s see how his first year in a full-season league goes.
1B Beau Brewer: 0-for-2, 2 BB, SB (1)
3B Ronny Rojas: 0-for-4, K

LHP Brock Selvidge: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
3.15 ERA (45.2 IP, 42 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 9 BB, 48 K). It is way too early to look at an innings load, but I will point out that Selvidge tossed 42.2 innings in the rookie leagues last season. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Adam Stone: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Stone’s professional debut. He was signed as an undrafted free agent last July out of Harvard. He stands 6’6″. Tonight, he pretty much only used his 91-93 cutter (20 of his 22 pitches)
RHP Alex Bustamante: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
The life of a reliever, where one performance can jump your ERA from 2.18 to 3.86.
RHP Shane Gray: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K