Yankees MILB 7/30: Spencer Jones Homers, Steals 2 Bases

News:

The Yankees released IF Jeter Downs today, allowing him to sign in Japan.  Downs hit .264/.360/.498 (117 wRC+) in 274 plate appearances for Scranton.

The Yankees signed Brett Phillips to a minor-league deal. They signed him as a pitcher, which could be fun. Phillips’ best attribute as a position player was his Immaculate Grid game, as he appeared in 393 games for five different clubs. He recently threw 97 MPH in an NBC World Series game, whatever that is (Update: The NBC World Series is an annual event going back to 1935! I never heard of it).

It will be fun to follow his progress.

Trades:

LHP Caleb Ferguson was traded to Houston for international bonus pool money and RHP Kelly Austin

The Yankees acquired a pair of left-handed relievers from the Dodgers over the winter, and neither panned out. Ferguson pitched to a 5.13 ERA (4.27 FIP) over 33.1 IP with a 26.5% K, 10.3% BB, and 1.35 HR/9. The Yankees acquired him because of his ability to miss bats, and his strikeout rate was his highest since 2020. However, he didn’t impress overall. The Yankees acquired him for LHP Matt Gage and RHP Christian Zazueta. The Dodgers traded Gage to the Mets (he was called up yesterday) while Zazueta owns a 7.10 ERA in 41.1 innings for the Dodgers’ Rookie League/Low-A affiliates.

Austin (23) was signed by the Astros as an undrafted free agent in 2023. The UCLA product owns a 2.21 ERA (3.60 FIP) over 36.2 IP between Low-A/High-A with impressive strikeout (31.1%) and walk (4.7%) rates.

IF Ben Cowles and RHP Jack Neely were traded to the Chicago Cubs for RHP Mark Leiter Jr.

Cowles and Neely have raised their stock in 2024, and the Yankees cashed in the chips. I sound like a broken record, but if you are a Yankees fan, your reality has to be that most prospects are built up as trade chips.

Leiter Jr. doesn’t throw hard, but he generates a ton of strikeouts, a need for the Yankees’ bullpen. A starter in the minors (he made some starts for the Phillies in 2017), Leiter has found a groove as a relief pitcher. Over the past three seasons, he owns a 3.85 ERA (3.62 FIP) over 168.1 innings with a 28.8% K and 8.8% BB. While his ERA is up in 2024 (4.21), his FIP (2.11) is the best of his career.  This season, he abandoned his 4-seam fastball while increasing his slider/sweeper usage. When pitchers move to the bullpen, they dump most of their pitches and concentrate on two or three. That isn’t the case with Leiter, who continues to throw a 5-pitch mix. In back-to-back games in late May, he allowed 7 runs while recording only three outs. Beyond that and a hiccup in mid-June, he has pitched well.

Cowles is hitting .294/.376/.472 (141 wRC+) in 378 plate appearances in Double-A. The University of Maryland product has played second, short, and third base. He could have been in the 2025 mix at second base/utility, but players of his ilk don’t typically make it to the Bronx. He will have an opportunity in Chicago.

Neely was the Yankees’ top relief prospect. The 24-year-old owns a 2.81 ERA in 41.2 IP between Double-A and Triple-A with a 63/16 K/BB. He stands an impressive 6’8″ and will likely debut for the Cubs this season.

While I label Neely as their top relief prospect, the Yankees are good at building up relief prospects. As I stated the other day, the Yankees likely would have considered Neely if they couldn’t find someone on the market.

OF Brandon Lockridge was traded to the San Diego Padres for RHP Enyel De Los Santos and RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.

De Los Santos is a 28-year-old who misses bats (28.2% K). He also allows an insane number of home runs (2.45/9 this season). However, his home run rates were fine in 2022 and 2023. Unlike Leiter, he is traditional as he comes at hitters with a mid-90s fastball, a slider, and an occasional change-up. His profile doesn’t “wow” me, but the Yankees had an obvious objective to acquire relievers who can strike hitters out. If they feel his HR rate will normalize (20.9% HR/FB is ridiculous), maybe they have a diamond in the rough.

Balboni Jr. (it doesn’t appear that he has a relation to former Yankees’ first baseman Steve Balboni) was drafted by the Padres in the 15th round of the 2022 draft out of Northeastern. The 23-year-old pitched for Low-A Lake Eisinore this season, compiling a 4.46 ERA in 34.1 IP with a ridiculous 38.2% strikeout rate. However, he walks batters at a 12.7% clip.

Lockridge is a speedy grinder (34-for-38 stealing bases this year) with a 4th/5th outfielder profile. He hit .295/.405/.383 for Scranton this season. He is 27 years old and might be approaching minor league free agency.

Overall Deadline Thoughts:

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the headline move. How you think about this deadline is how you evaluate him (so far, so good). The Yankees did not add to their rotation but added a pair of strikeout arms to their bullpen (an obvious need).

The Dodgers pulled off a deal for RHP Jack Flaherty. The return included former Yankees’ farmhand Trey Sweeney. In theory, the Yankees could have beat the Dodgers offer.  However, it is hard to know how organizations value prospects. Hence, when people tweet “comparable packages” on Twitter, that is based on prospect rankings and values that may not (probably don’t) match the Tigers’ internal evaluations.

It wasn’t a bad deadline. I tend to agree that it feels incomplete.

Scranton (57-45) (Squeaked past Louisville, 2-1)

CF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-2, SB (3), BB
When Dominguez starts playing full games in the field, the “call-up” clock starts. They won’t do it unless there is a clear path to playing time.
  LF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-1
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-2, 2 BB
For Scranton: .244/.385/.381 in 221 PA. He owns a 14.9% BB rate at this level.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
Peraza has a 13.1% BB rate for Scranton (9.7% in 2023)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, RS
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, 2 K
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-3, HR (3), 2 RBI, RS
Smith’s 2-run HR in the 7th won the game.
RF-CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, K
LF-RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
6.59 ERA (95.2 IP, 106 H, 75 R, 70 ER, 21 HR, 49 BB, 84 K). Last 3 starts: 16 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 14 K.
LHP Chasen Shreve (W, 2-1): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Phil Bickford (S, 5): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (48-49) (Lost to Bowie, 7-6)

DH Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, RS, CS (1), BB, K
Durbin was CS in the top of the 9th, down by a run with no outs and Spencer Jones at the plate. Tsk, tsk.
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, HR (12), 2 RBI, RS, 2 SB (21), BB, K
When he has nights like this, you become excited. I believe the Yankees were willing to deal Jones, but not for a rental starter. That would have taken him off the table for Jack Flaherty.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, 3 K
Rodriguez is 6-for-31 (.194) since his promotion. He missed a month due to injury.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, RS, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, HR (8), RBI, RS
Seigler had a home run binge earlier this season. This is his first since June 20th.
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Vargas is hitting a respectable .252 with a .676 OPS at this level.

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
5.47 ERA (107 IP, 115 H, 68 R, 65 ER, 10 HR, 35 BB, 97 K). This season has been a learning experience for Vrieling. Here’s hoping he finishes strongly.
RHP Danny Watson: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
With Neely leaving the nest, Watson moves up the list of relief prospects. An injury delayed his progress in 2024, but six of his last seven appearances have been scoreless. 
RHP Luis Velasquez (L, 3-3): 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR

Hudson Valley (47-48) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 6-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-5, K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 3 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-3, 3 RS, 2B (4), HBP
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-2, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
.248/.368/.366 in 296 PA. Last 6 games: 8-for-23 (1 double, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K).
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-4, 2B (11), RS, 2 K
LF Christopher Familia: 2-for-3, 2B (4), 3 RBI, BB
.191/.277/.303 in 101 PA. Familia has struggled somewhat in High-A (.240/.313/.416) after annihilating Low-A pitching (.290/.368/.611).
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
2.56 ERA (59.2 IP, 34 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 30 BB, 73 K). As a starter (3 starts): 10.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 14 K. 
RHP Sean Boyle (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Sebastian Keane: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
4.91 ERA (69.2 IP, 64 H, 39 R, 38 ER, 6 HR, 34 BB, 67 K). Keane was a starter until recently. I assume they are controlling his innings down the stretch.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (39-54) 

Their game against Lakeland was postponed.

FCL (35-22)

I was wrong. Will wonders never cease? When the FCL squad lost to the Pirates on Saturday, their season ended. The semi-finals are single elimination.

DSL Yankees (14-25) (Destroyed Arizona Black, 12-1)

SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (20), 2 BB, 2 K
While strong stolen base rates are common at this level, it impresses me that he is 20-for-23 given his inexperience.
DH Richard Matic: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
C Justin Capellan: 1-for-4, 2B (9), 3 RBI, RS, SB (7), 2 BB
CF Gabriel Lara: 2-for-5, RS, SB (12), BB, K
2B Jelson Coca: 2-for-5, 2B (2), 3B (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS
Coca entered the game 4-for-58. This was likely a relief for him!
1B Niurby Asigen: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K

RHP Edinzo Marquez (W, 1-0): 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
The 19-year-old owns a 1.99 ERA (31.2 IP, 24 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 36 K). Goal 1 for an international signee: Get off the island and come stateside. Marquez is likely earning that for 2025.
RHP Jesus Mejia: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The 18-year-old owns a 1.88 ERA (14.1 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 11 K)

DSL Bombers (23-19) (Split a doubleheader against the DSL Rangers Red)

Game 1 (Won, 3-0)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Queni Pineda: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K
SS Christofer Reyes: 1-for-3, RS, SB (13)
Still 16, Reyes is hitting .200/.313/.227 in 128 PA.
2B Luis Escudero: 2-for-2, 3B (4), RBI, RS, SB (23), BB
1B Carlos Villarroel: 2-for-3, RBI, SB (2), CS (3)

RHP Franyer Herrera (W, 2-1): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
2.34 ERA (34.2 IP, 29 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 13 BB, 44 K). Herrera hasn’t allowed an HR in 55 career IP.
LHP Jose Ledesma (S, 6): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.10 ERA (16.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 20 K)

Game 2 (Lost, 6-5)

CF Browm Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RS, SB (17), 2 K
17-for-23 SB in 29 games.
DH Carlos Villarroel: 1-for-1, 2B (3), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
  PR-DH Luis Escudero: 0-for-1
.303/.479/.472 in 121 PA with a 23-for-28 stolen base rate. He has 28 walks and 11 strikeouts.

Yankees MILB 7/28: Brandon Lockridge: 3 BB, 3 SB

News:

We are nearing August 1st and haven’t seen any “mass promotions” yet. That will likely happen after the deadline.

Because we no longer have short-season leagues, promotions come with cuts. It is a harsh reality. While Agustin Ramirez, Jared Serna, and Abrahan Ramirez were in no danger of being cut, Brian Cashman is considering many angles with his deals. The Rule 5 draft, the current 40-man roster, players they want to promote, etc.

As I said yesterday, it’s easy to get attached to prospects. If you read this report, I tend to have a positive slant while mixing in some reality (I think that is fair).

The best advice I can offer: The kids you love to follow will have better MLB opportunities elsewhere. Serna’s probability of making it to MLB increased when the trade was announced.

Scranton (56-45) (Lost to Worcester, 6-5)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-2, 3 SB (34), 3 BB, K
In 164 games over the last two seasons, Lockridge is 74-for-83 stealing bases.
DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-5, 2 K
He was out for a while, so I forgot about his hitting streak. He owns a 10-game hitting streak (16-for-42).
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, RS, HBP
For Scranton: .247/.383/.385 in 217 PA. With the acquisition of Jazz Chisholm Jr., Vivas can concentrate on finishing strong here and see what opportunities arise in 2025.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, RS, SB (15)
July: .275/.356/.413 (7-for-9 SB)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K
Rumfield has 7 RBI in his last 6 games (zero RBI in the previous five games)
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, RS
Escarra has four multi-hit efforts in eight games since his promotion (12-for-28)
2B Kevin Smith: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, HR (7), 3 RBI, RS
LF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-4, 2 K

LHP Thomas Pannone: 5 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
One reason why you bring in Pannone: If you trade from your pitching depth, you have someone who can eat minor league innings. The Triple-A season is nearly as much of a grind as the MLB season, minus the insane travel.
RHP Nick Burdi: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Burdi averaged 95.4 MPH with his 4-seamer (averaged 97.5 MPH in MLB this season)
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
For Scranton: 1.16 ERA (31 IP, 20 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 17 BB, 37 K). Mauricio allowed three runs in his second outing this season (April 11th). He’s been dominant since. He relies on a cutter/slider combination with a 4-seamer that he throws in the 92-93 range.
RHP Jack Neely: (L, 1-1) 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
Neely, a call-up candidate, didn’t have it today. Due to his small sample size at this level, this spiked his ERA from 0.93 to 3.38.
LHP Tim Mayza: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (48-48) (Lost to Portland, 4-2. Ever since I pointed out how well they are playing, their offense has gone into the tank)

3B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3
Durbin is 1-for-10 since being placed here. He hasn’t struck out. He is still on a rehab stint that isn’t labeled that way – don’t place him on a “hug” watch because he was pulled.
  2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-1, RS
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, K
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, K
No need to place Rodriguez on a “hug” watch – he is still on the “rehab plan”. This is his first game at 1B this season (15 last season).
  RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-0, SF, RBI
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, K
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, HR (5), RBI, RS, 3 K
Hardman has 5 HR in 33 games for Somerset this year (31 in 110 games going back to last year). That is solid pop, though he has struggled with other aspects of his offensive game this year.
RF-1B Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, BB, K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3
2B-3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Ben Shields: (L, 1-1) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 2.08 ERA (21.2 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 10 BB, 23 K). Between here, Scranton, and Hudson Valley, Shields is up to 75.2 innings in his debut season.
RHP Matt Sauer: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP McKinley Moore: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.48 ERA (36.1 IP, 27 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 52 K). Stevens has impressed and I would like to see him promoted to Scranton. That way, we can get some Savant data.

Hudson Valley (46-48) (Defeated Wilmington, 5-4)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
.227/.357/.392 in 337 PA. Splits: .282/.417/.385 against LHP and .218/.347/.393 vs. RHP. He is a left-handed bat.
LF Garrett Martin: 1-for-5, RBI
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4
Gomez is 10-for-68 (.147) since joining this level.
3B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, HR (6), RBI, 2 RS, K
Moylan has homered three times in his last five games. He is hitting .242/.360/.361 in 292 PA.
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, 2 BB
CF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-3, RS, HBP
RF Anthony Hall: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 3B (1), RBI, RS
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-2, SB (4), CS (2), 2 BB

RHP Baron Stuart: 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
3.70 ERA (82.2 IP, 72 H, 36 R, 34 ER, 4 HR, 32 BB, 68 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: (W, 3-4)  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.27 ERA (52.1 IP, 45 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 5 HR, 19 BB, 64 K). 
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.64 ERA (54.1 IP, 40 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 23 BB, 64 K)
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.78 ERA (33.1 IP, 32 H, 19 R, 14 ER, 6 HR, 10 BB, 37 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard (S, 2): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
3.90 ERA (32.1 IP, 27 H, 20 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 20 BB, 46 K)
All these relievers likely have a case to go to Somerset, though it’s hard to find room for everyone. 

Tampa (39-54) (Defeated Clearwater, 3-2, in a rain-shortened game. Tampa improves to 16-12 in the second half and 9-1 in their last 10 games)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-2
.235/.354/.349 in 345 PA (17 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 43 R, 28-for-32 SB, 13.6% BB, 24.1% K). He has 41 games at SS, 17 at 2B, and 9 at 3B.
2B Roderick Arias: 0-for-2
.222/.319/.365 in 405 PA (15 doubles, 7 triples, 7 HR, 52 RBI, 55 R, 26-for-37 SB, 11.6% BB, 32.8% K). He has 55 games (51 starts) at SS, 30 at SS, and 2 at 3B. I have talked about his extreme splits, but he has improved somewhat against LHP. His average is higher against southpaws (.239 to .218) but everything else continues to show the extremeness.
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-1, RS, BB
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-2, 2B (17), RS
.258/.388/.414 in 317 PA (17 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 50 R, 16-for-20 SB, 17.4% BB, 19.6% K)
LF Willy Montero: 1-fo-2, 2 RBI, RS
His 2-run single in the bottom of the 4th tied the game at 2. He is hitting .243/.302/.360 in 348 PA (15 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 43 RBI, 45 R, 9-for-10 SB)
DH Hans Montero: 0-for-1, BB, K
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-2, K
C Diomedes Hernandez: 0-for-2, RBI, K
Little did he know that his RBI fielder’s choice would prove to be the game-winner. He is 3-for-11 since his promotion.
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-2

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (W, 4-7) 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
Barbosa records his second complete game (neither was 9 innings, obviously). Season: 4.87 ERA (92.1 IP, 92 H, 54 R, 50 ER, 9 HR, 28 BB, 95 K). Barbosa features a 6-pitch mix, throwing five of those pitches 10%+ of the time today. Interestingly, his two most-used pitches are a slider and curve. 

FCL (35-22)

Day off. They must beat the Pirates tomorrow to force a Game 3 in the semi-finals.

DSL Yankees (13-25)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (22-17)

Scheduled day off. The Bombers are in third place, two games behind the Marlins. In the DSL, eight teams make the playoffs (6 division winners + 2 wild cards).

Yankees MILB 7/27: Josh Grosz Dominates

News:

Nothing to report.

Just kidding.

The Yankees acquired IF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins today for three prospects – C/1B Agustin Ramirez, 2B/SS Jared Serna, and IF Abrahan Ramirez.

The most significant prospect is Agustin Ramirez, who blossomed into arguably the best Yankees minor league bat over the past two seasons. Between Somerset and Scranton this season, he hit .269/.358/.504 (136 wRC+) with 17 doubles, 20 home runs, and 69 RBI over 386 plate appearances. His numbers were suppressed by a tough start after his promotion, but he is on an 8-game hitting streak that improved his Triple-A triple slash to .224/.328/.364. His profile points to a player who could be an above-average MLB bat. His future position (Catcher? First base? DH?) remains a question. If you are a 1B/DH long-term, the offensive bar increases accordingly.

The Yankees like to target smallish infielders who require smallish bonuses on the international market. That description fits Serna, who stands only 5’7″. He packs a punch in his frame, given his .253/.341/.444 (120 wRC+) line in 393 plate appearances for High-A Hudson Valley this season. Like Ramirez, he doesn’t strike out much (15.3%). Serna’s future position is clearly defined. While he has played a lot of shortstop with the Yankees, most experts point to him as a second baseman long-term.

Most of these trades usually include a lottery ticket. That is where Abrahan Ramirez comes in. Only 19 years old, the infielder hit .348/.447/.513 (161 wRC+) in 189 plate appearances for the FCL squad this season. It was his first taste of the level after spending 60 games in the DSL between 2022 and 2023. While his stats are impressive, there is a long way to go before he is a viable prospect, never mind a viable MLB player.

By the way, Agustin Ramirez was on the 40-man roster while Serna is Rule 5 eligible for the second straight winter.

As for Chisholm, he isn’t a “perfect” player. However, any notion that he doesn’t improve a team is wrong. For Miami, he hit .249/.323/.407 (104 wRC+) with 13 home runs and 22 stolen bases. His 24.9% K rate is above the MLB average but shows improvement over previous seasons. While the Marlins have forced him into CF duty the past two seasons, his versatility should be useful. If he can handle CF, he should be able to handle the corners along with his experience at 2B. I wouldn’t be shocked if he is playable at SS and 3B. The Yankees must be creative in their usage if no other moves are made.

I don’t know how many times Yankees fans have complained about the Yankees needing versatility, athleticism, and speed. Chisholm provides that. Again, he’s not a perfect player. Not many are. Does he fit with the Yankees? I think so.

Bottom Line:

I am not giving this trade five stars out of five. It’s not an obvious, no-brainer. Not many trades are.

However, the Yankees acquired a good player with breakout potential and 2.5 years of control to reach that potential. I don’t think you can say “No” to that. Will it work? Time will tell.

As for the Marlins, I like their return. They received three legitimate prospects, one of whom has a Top 100 level bat. That’s the cost of doing business.

If I was the Yankees’ GM and this deal was offered to me, I would say “Yes.” That is how I have to judge it.

Scranton (56-44) (Defeated Worcester, 9-7, in 11 innings)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 4-for-6, RBI, 3 RS, SB (31), K
.298/.401/.386 in 254 PA (15 doubles, 2 triples, 0 HR, 32 RBI, 37 R, 31-for-35 SB). He is 11-for-22 during his 5-game hitting streak.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-6, 2B (7), RBI, 3 RS, SB (12), K
Vivas is 5-for-14 with a double, 4 RBI, 5 runs, and 3 stolen bases in his last three games. He was slumping for a while but is back on track.
3B Oswald Peraza: 3-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, RS, SB (14), HBP
Peraza walked it off with a 2-run homer. He is hitting .239/.345/.318 in 236 PA. He is 21-for-76 (.276) in July with two home runs. He has three 3-hit games this month.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, 2B (17), 2 RBI
Rumfield is 16-for-61 (.262) in July with 3 doubles, 3 HR, and 10 RBI this month.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, HBP, 2 K
SS Kevin Smith: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
RF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, 2B (14), BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, SAC, 3 K
Palensky’s first Triple-A game this season (played 9 games here in 2023)
DH Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, RS, SB (3), 2 BB, K

RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Scranton went with a bullpen game tonight. That is an understatement.
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
3.81 ERA (49.2 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 5 HR, 27 BB, 62 K). This ends his 10-game scoreless streak.
RHP Phil Bickford: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
For Scranton: 11.1 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 10 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez (W, 3-0): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Somerset (48-47) (Lost to Portland, 3-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, CS (5), BB, K
.234/.317/.400 in 369 PA. He is 11-for-67 (.164) in July with 8 walks and 34 strikeouts. He has at least one strikeout in ten straight games.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-2, 2 BB
Taking walks is a part of Flores’ game (12 in 109 PA since his promotion (11%) and 14.6% overall)
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, BB, K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, CS (5), HBP, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 2-8) 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
3.76 ERA (107.2 IP, 88 H, 62 R, 45 ER, 7 HR, 36 BB, 106 K). Messinger might be the most snakebit pitcher in professional baseball history. He carries a decent 4.12 minor league ERA over 73 games (55 starts). His record? 4-26.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Last 7 appearances: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
RHP Joey Gerber: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Colby White: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
White can strike hitters out (190 in 129.2 career IP). Walks have been an issue, including 27 in 26 IP this season.

Hudson Valley (45-48) (Lost to Wilmington, 2-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (17)
.226/.356/.394 in 332 PA (17 doubles, 4 triples, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 52 R, 17-for-22 SB). 
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, BB, K
.235/.370/.408 in 319 PA (17.2% BB, 22.9% K)
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RS, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, K
LF Christopher Familia: 0-for-2, SF, RBI
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cam Schlittler (L, 5-4): 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
2.64 ERA (81.2 IP, 54 H, 33 R, 24 ER, 7 HR, 37 BB, 99 K). This is the longest outing in his brief professional career.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.97 ERA (39.1 IP, 33 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 37 K)

Tampa (39-54) (Swept a doubleheader against Clearwater. They are playing better in the second half, as they are 15-12 and in the playoff race)

Game 1 (Won, 4-3, in 9 innings. They walked it off on a combination of events, none of which were pretty)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, RS
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 K
It is a big 2-run single for Castillo, who continues his impressive campaign.
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, K
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-3, RS, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 2-for-3, 2B (11)
   PH Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-0, BB
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, RS, K

RHP Josh Grosz: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
4.19 ERA (73 IP, 69 H, 47 R, 34 ER, 9 HR, 27 BB, 93 K). He had a tough time in an emergency start for Somerset on 6/23. Since coming back: 0.397 ERA (22.2 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 25 K). That is dominance. Grosz throws primarily 4-seamers and sliders while mixing in a change.
RHP Matt Givin: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Givin (25) has missed most of the season due to injury. He is not technically here on a rehab stint, but that is what it is.
RHP Ocean Gabonia (W, 3-2): 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
3.88 ERA (48.2 IP, 46 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 4 HR, 12 BB, 55 K)

Game 2 (Won, 2-1)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-2, 2B (17), RS, HBP
Lombard Jr. has a .237/.708 OPS line. He owns a pair of 2-hit efforts in his last three games (five in his last ten games).
DH Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
Arias is at .223 with a .687 OPS.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2, BB
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 3B (2), RS, K
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-2, RBI, BB, K
Montero brings in Montero for the winning run in the bottom of the 6th.
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-1, CS (3), 2 BB
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cade Smith: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
3.48 ERA (82.2 IP, 56 H, 38 R, 32 ER, 38 BB, 109 K). Smith, their 2023 6th-round pick out of Mississippi State, is one of their most consistent 2024 performers. He is more of a mix guy than an overpowering type, but that is fine. We’ll see how it translates as he moves up.
RHP Aaron Nixon: (W, 3-2)  1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (35-22) (Lost Game 1 to the Pirates, 4-3. The semi-finals are best-of-3)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Mayea took his share of walks and hit .281 in 35 games. He didn’t homer but don’t read into that. The power can come later. For example, Oswald Peraza hit one home run in 94 rookie league games. Three years later, he hit 18 as a 21-year-old in full-season leagues.
1B Engelth Urena: 2-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, BB
It wouldn’t surprise me if the Marlins asked about Urena as the “lottery ticket”. Urena is impressive – he might be the next Agustin Ramirez-like riser. 
RF Joel Mendez: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RS, BB
3B-SS Santiago Gomez: 2-for-3, K

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Making the playoffs allowed Lagrange to add to his innings total. He needs more, given the late start to his campaign.
RHP Chris Kean: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
I expect Kean to go to Tampa once the FCL squad is done. He’s 22 years old and dominated during the regular season (1.31 ERA in 20.2 IP with a 27/3 K/BB).

DSL Yankees (13-25) (Defeated the DSL Bombers, 6-3. They are playing playoff spoiler against their own organization mates!)

SS Dexters Peralta: 2-for-3, 3B (1), RS, 2 SB (18), CS (3), K
.226/.299/.304 with 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts. The triple slash may not jump out at you, but he just turned 17 years old.
3B Richard Matic: 0-for-0, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB
C Justin Capellan: 1-for-3, 2B (4), 4 RBI
Capellan’s first career multi-RBI game.
RF Louis Pierre: 0-for-1, RS, 2 SB (10), CS (2), 2 BB, K

RHP Jorge Luna: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
1.65 ERA (32.2 IP, 21 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 37 K)
LHP Ronald Tejada (W, 3-0): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.42 ERA (19 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 16 K). It is the 17-year-old’s debut season.

DSL Bombers (22-17) (Lost to the DSL Yankees, 6-3)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Kevin Verde: 1-for-2, 2B (7), 2 RS, SB (9), BB
The 18-year-old has 16 doubles and 17 stolen bases in 55 DSL games.

LHP Jose Ledesma: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Yankees MILB 7/26: Agustin Ramirez is Heating Up

News:

Infielder Caleb Durbin returned to Somerset yesterday. Infielder Ben Cowles is heading to the injured list for Somerset today.

Cowles, who was HBP last night, is having a breakout season while playing three positions (2B/SS/3B). He is hitting .294/.376/.472 (140 wRC+) in 378 PA with 9 home runs, 51 RBI, 52 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 16 attempts. He owns a 10.3% BB and 17.7%. In 2023, he struck out at a 23.7% clip. With the MLB infield in flux, one could see him as an option for at least a utility role sometime in 2025.

Infielder Enmanuel Tejeda was moved to the full-season injured list for Tampa. Darn. Tejeda will finish the season with a .310/.353/.369 (108 wRC+) line for Low-A Tampa with a homer, 18 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts.

OF Jasson Dominguez was activated today and assigned to Scranton. It isn’t a rehab assignment on paper, but it is in reality.

Scranton (55-44) (Defeated Worcester, 8-5)

DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, HBP, 2 K
A good enough return for Dominguez. When will he be back with the Yankees? Let’s get him through a week or so of games before we speculate.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-5, 4 K
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, 2 SB (11), K
Hopefully, Vivas is heating up again. He has 12 stolen bases total this year after stealing 25 last season. The ability to steal bases could get lost in his profile, but it’s in his toolbox.
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K
Ramirez has an 8-game hitting streak (11-for-34; .324). He is also on a 5-game RBI streak (hasn’t relied on a home run for any of the RBI)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, 2B (15), RS, 2 K
LF J.C. Escarra: 2-for-3, 2 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
Escarra is on a heater since his promotion (10-for-20, 3 doubles, 5 RBI). He is a left-handed bat who can play some positions, including catcher. 
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-4, 2 RS, K
RF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, 2B (13), RBI, RS, K

LHP Tanner Tully: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Chasen Shreve: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 0.93 ERA (9.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 12 K). Neely should be on the list of possible reinforcements, but the Yankees are going to look for relievers with more experience. That’s fine, too.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Tim Mayza (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (48-46) (Lost to Portland, 3-0)

DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3, SB (2), BB
Durbin has stolen bases in back-to-back games and is 22-for-24 in 50 games this season. His ability to run should not be underestimated.
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2B (15), 2 K
Jones’ 50th career double (222 games). I am honest: I can’t read who he is. I don’t think anyone knows what he will be.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-2, CS (1), BB,K
   PH-C Juan Crisp: 0-for-1, K
Rodriguez’s rehab will allow Crisp to get a little playing time.
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-1, 2 BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3
Vargas has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-18).

RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 4-6)  6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR
Dees is over the 100-inning mark. Season: 4.28 ERA (101 IP, 85 H, 53 R, 48 ER, 15 HR, 37 BB, 104 K). It isn’t a perfect stat line, but it is his first year as a starter. I am happy with what I see.
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 8.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 13 K. He is an impressive relief prospect.

Hudson Valley (45-47) (Lost to Wilmington, 5-2)

CF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, RS
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-3, 2 2B (26), CS (8), BB
Serna has three doubles and a homer in his last four games, increasing his triple slash to .253/.341/.444. His 26 doubles rank second in the league. He is only 11-for-19 stealing bases after going 29-for-37 last year.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, BB
DH Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, RBI
Gomez is 9-for-60 since joining Hudson Valley.
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, HR (5), RBI, RS, K
Moylan has an impressive 14.4% BB rate and has homered in two of his last three games. If the power starts to show up, the Yankees could have an interesting prospect who has played both infield corners.
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-3, K
LF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, K
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 1-2)  5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
LHP Joel Valdez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.02 ERA (44.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 53 K). 
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (37-54) (Defeated Clearwater, 7-6)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, 2 SB (28), K
One of his hits was a “Little League home run.” He is 28-for-32 stealing bases.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 3 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-1, 2 RS, 3 SB (16), 3 BB, K
Castillo’s first career multi-stolen base game. He is 16-for-20 in that category this season and has an .800 OPS/17.5% BB.
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, BB
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, RS
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-2, RBI, RS, BB
DH Tomas Frick: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, 2 K

RHP Chase Hampton: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Hampton topped out at 93.9 MPH (averaged 91.7) as he mixed in all his pitches. I doubt he will be in Tampa much longer.
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Diaz was promoted today from the FCL (he had an earlier stint with Tampa this year)
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
2.51 ERA (46.2 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 7 HR, 24 BB, 56 K). The home run ball has haunted him this year.
RHP Jordy Luciano (W, 2-3): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Pacheco (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The Yankees signed the 25-year-old on June 11th (he made 6 appearances in the FCL before being promoted). He hadn’t pitched in an affiliated league since his 2019 stint with the Phillies’ GCL squad. Over the last several years, he has toiled in the Independent/Mexican/Winter leagues. According to Savant, he dialed it up to 96.4 with the 4-seamer and 96.1 with his sinker.

FCL (35-22)

The playoffs begin tomorrow against the Pirates. It’s been rainy/stormy lately, so I hope they can get these playoffs in without interruption.

DSL Yankees (12-25) (Split two games with DSL Mets Orange)

Game 1 (Won, 9-2. This was the conclusion of a game started on 7/19)

SS Dexters Peralta: 3-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, CS (2)
The 17-year-old’s (he started the season as a 16-year-old) first professional home run.
CF Gabriel Lara: 2-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, BB, SB (10)
LF Isael Arias: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (7), HBP
DH Louis Pierre: 0-for-1, RBI, BB
  PH-DH Niurby Asigen: 1-for-1, RS, 2 SB (6)

RHP Jorge Luna: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
1.59 ERA (28.1 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 31 K)
RHP Oscar Vasquez (W, 2-1): 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Rafael Arias: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Lost, 7-4)

SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
He is hitting .214/.290/.277 in 124 PA with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts.
CF Gabriel Lara: 0-for-2, RS, SB (11), BB, 2 K
.202/.316/.274 in 98 PA (11-for-14 SB)
2B Geyber Blanco: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, K

RHP Emanuel Vargas: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR

DSL Bombers (22-16) (Lost to the DSL Rockies, 9-1)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-4, K
.204/.286/.323 in 105 PA in his debut season.
3B Luis Suarez: 3-for-4, 2B (2), RBI, SB (3)

RHP Mariano Salomon (L, 2-1): 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR

 

Yankees MILB 7/25: Roderick Arias: Grand Slam

News:

IF Caleb Durbin‘s rehab is already over (one plate appearance!) but it’s semantics. The Yankees moved him to Somerset today to continue rehabbing, though it won’t be labeled that way.

Scranton (54-44) (Defeated Worcester, 7-2)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 HBP
Hopefully, this gets him back on track.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, K
Ramirez has a 7-game hitting streak. At this level: .214/.317/.359 in 120 PA (3 doubles, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 13 R, 11.7% BB, 17.5% K). While in Somerset, he owned a 10.7% BB and 16.5% K. There is a lot to like.
2B Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, RBI
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, K
1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB
Escarra is 8-for-17 with two walks and a strikeout since his promotion.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-4, 2B (14), RS
Gonzalez is 7-for-14 with three doubles in his last four games.
CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
LF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K

RHP Will Warren: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
6.11 ERA (95.2 IP, 99 H, 71 R, 65 ER, 18 HR, 35 BB, 115 K). July: 21.2 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 30 K. His miserable May is nearly impossible to overcome, but he has thrown pretty well for much of the season.
RHP Nick Burdi: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Burdi was throwing hard in his first rehab appearance. Can he still be useful for the big club? Yes. Should they continue to look for upgrades in the bullpen? Yes. Even if Burdi is healthy, you worry about future injuries and lack of control/command.
LHP Victor Gonzalez (W, 2-0): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Somerset (48-45) (Lost a tough one to Portland, 7-6. Portland scored 3 in the top of the 9th)

DH Spencer Jones: 0-for-5, 4 K
Jones’ strikeout woes continue. Who would I trade him for? A deal for someone in the Jonathan India class isn’t bad. You don’t want to “give up” on a kid with his talent level, but the outcomes remain wide. When will Jones be a productive MLB player? It could be mid-2026 before he starts to figure it out. This is not an easy one because the Yankees need young, cheap talent if they end up signing Juan Soto. I see some people on social media who think he isn’t worth packaging for India, and I get it. India won Rookie of the Year in 2021 but followed that up with a .246/.323/.394 (97 OPS+) in 222 games between 2022 and 2023. In 2024, he is playing back to his rookie level after nearly losing his full-time job. He has never played third base, which could be more of a need than 2B. I like him but I get the trepidation.
2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, SB (1)
Between here and Scranton, Durbin has 18 doubles and 21 stolen bases in 23 attempts over 48 games.
  2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-0
3B Ben Cowles: 0-for-0, BB, HBP
No, he wasn’t pulled due to an impending trade. He left the game shortly after being HBP.
  3B Max Burt: 0-for-1, SF, RBI, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, HR (5), RBI, RS, K
Flores has homered in back-to-back games (5 HR in 23 games since his promotion). He has 20 doubles and 11 home runs this year (15 doubles and 8 home runs in 105 games last year). Interesting.
CF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, RS, SB (11), BB, K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 3 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, HR (2), 4 RBI, RS, CS (4)
A grand slam for Vargas. Known for his defense, Vargas is 25-for-95 (.263/.290/.411) since joining Somerset.

RHP Trystan Vrieling:  5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
5.31 ERA (101.2 IP, 107 H, 63 R, 60 ER, 9 HR, 34 BB, 93 K). He was cruising until a 4-run 5th inning. He is pitching well overall in July and we must remember that he is spending his entire debut season in Double-A.
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP McKinley Moore (L, 2-1): 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

Hudson Valley (45-46) (Defeated Wilmington, 5-2)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, K
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, RS, SB (11)
Serna’s first stolen base since 7/1. 
LF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 2 K
Avina is in a 0-for-23 slump. Slumps happen. Now, he has to get himself out of it.
DH Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, HR (11), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
.240/.373/.417 in 311 PA. Martinez has homered twice in his last four games. Between 2023 and 2024, he has 29 HR in 179 games. From 2019 to 2022, he hit 10 HR in 103 games.
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
RF Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, RS, K
1B Kiko Romero: 2-for-3, 2B (10), RBI, RS, BB
.234/.363/.392 in 190 PA. He is 6-for-13 with a pair of doubles in his last four games.
3B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, SAC, RBI, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-4, K

LHP Kyle Carr: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
5.75 ERA (72 IP, 73 H, 55 R, 46 ER, 5 HR, 44 BB, 64 K). He is pitching better lately (5 hitless innings last time out). Carr entered the season with a buzz around him but initially struggled. Is he turning it around down the stretch?
RHP Sean Boyle: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Mason Vinyard (W, 3-2): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
At three levels (Hudson Valley, Somerset, Scranton): 1.89 ERA (47.2 IP, 32 H, 17 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 43 K)

Tampa (36-54) (Split a doubleheader against Clearwater)

Game 1 (Lost, 8-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, 2 K
DH Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, 2B (14)
Arias has struggled mightily as a right-handed hitter, so it is worth noting that he hit this double batting right-handed.
1B-3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-1
  LF Daury Arias: 0-for-2
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-2
3B-2B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, K
LF-1B Coby Morales: 1-for-2, SB (23), K
Morales is 23-for-25 stealing bases.
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-2

RHP Bryce Warrecker: (L, 0-3)  3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, HR
The 6’8″ Warrecker will need time. He has 35 professional innings, all this season.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
RHP Montana Semmel: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Semmell dialed it up to 95.7 MPH. 

Game 2 (Won, 7-1)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, RS, 2 K
Lombard Jr. is hitting .231 with a .697 OPS (16 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 41 R, 26-for-30 SB, 13.9% BB, 24.2% K)
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 2B (15), HR (7, grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Arias is hitting .228 with a .703 OPS (15 doubles, 7 triples, 7 HR, 51 RBI, 55 R, 26-for-37 SB, 11.99% BB, 32.4% K). In July, his BB/K is 12/12. In June, he walked 7 times and struck out an incredible 41 times. Is something clicking? We’ll have to wait and see.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, HBP
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-2, RS, BB, K
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-3
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-2, BB, K
Gonzalez is 10-for-36 (.278) since his promotion. He won’t turn 21 until October.
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, K
RF Daury Arias: 2-for-2, 2 RS, HBP

RHP Luis Serna: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Serna’s first career 10+ strikeout game. He tossed 82 pitches (52 strikes). Season: 5.64 ERA (68.2 IP, 62 H, 44 R, 43 ER, 6 HR, 24 BB, 81 K). This is his first full start since July 10th (threw only one inning, due to rain, on 7/19). Serna doesn’t throw hard (though he did throw a 94 MPH sinker tonight), relying more on his 5-pitch mix to generate outs. His 17 whiffs tonight were distributed among his change (8), slider (5), and sinker (4).
RHP Ocean Gabonia: (W, 2-2) 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Gabonia was able to strand one of his two inherited runners. Season: 3.97 ERA (47.2 IP, 46 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 12 BB, 55 K). The K/BB stands out. Last season, it was 49/29 over 53.2 IP.

FCL (35-22)

Their game against the Tigers was cancelled due to rain (they started it, but couldn’t get in enough innings). While the stats won’t count, LHP Henry Lalane tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out three.

Due to the cancellation, the Yankees win the division and go to the playoffs.

The other teams in the playoffs are the dominant Marlins (39-15), the Pirates (36-23), and the Wild Card Tigers (34-23). Today’s cancelation benefited the Tigers, who ended up percentage points ahead of the Rays and Red Sox.

The playoffs begin on Saturday. The Yankees will play the Pirates.

By the way, the FCL schedule is structured in a way where you only play division teams. So, the Yankees haven’t faced the Marlins or Pirates this season.

DSL Yankees (11-24) (Lost to the DSL Bombers, 5-1)

LF Gabriel Lara: 0-for-2, RS, BB

RHP Michell Chirinos (L, 0-4): 4 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
RHP Luis Burgos: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
The 18-year-old owns a 5.85 ERA in 20 IP (21 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 0 HR, 14 BB, 15 K)

DSL Bombers (23-15) (Defeated the DSL Yankees, 5-1)

DH Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-2, BB, K
C Queni Pineda: 1-for-3, 2B (6), RS, 2 K
.256/.458/.410 in 107 PA (26.2% BB, 20.6% K)
2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-2, RS, BB
1B Carlos Villarroel: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 3 RBI
.265/.346/.382 in 78 PA. 
3B Kevin Verde: 0-for-1, RS, SB (8), CS (2), 2 BB
LF Angel Ventura: 1-for-2, RS, SB (15), K

RHP Enixon Sanchez (W, 3-0): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
1.59 ERA (22.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 13 BB, 21 K). Not bad for a 17-year-old in his first season (he was 16 when the season started).
RHP Alexis Paulino: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Yankees MILB 7/24: Rafael Flores Walks it Off

News:

The Yankees are signing their draftees. As always, some required extra money to sign while others required less. You can find a full list in many places. I don’t need to rehash it. New talent is coming to try to break their 18-year World Series drought in 2027.

Scranton (53-44) (Split a doubleheader against Worcester)

Game 1 (Won, 8-1)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, 2B (14), RBI, RS
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, BB
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, RS, K
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, HR (11), RBI, RS, K
DH Taylor Trammell: 0-for-2, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-2, 2B (13), 2 RS
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-2, 2B (17), RS, BB, K
LF Josh VanMeter: 2-for-3, 2B (9), 3 RBI

LHP Edgar Barclay: (W, 4-8) 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Last 2 outings: 10 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 10 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.78 ERA (47.2 IP, 31 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 27 BB, 61 K). He extends his scoreless streak to ten games.
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 2 (Lost, 7-4)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, CS (4), BB, 2 K
Lockridge is 7-for-20 with a pair of walks in his last five games.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, 2 K
Vivas, who didn’t play for a week because the Yankees brought him up only to not use him, is 3-for-24 since the All-Star Break. Smart move, geniuses.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
Ramirez has his Triple-A batting average over .200 (.214) thanks to a 6-game hitting streak (8-for-25, 6 RBI).
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RS, 2 K
July: 17-for-62 (.274; 4 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 11 R, 5-for-7 SB). Over a smaller sample (last five games): 9-for-20 with three walks. He started the month with a .592 OPS. It is now .653.
DH T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, RS
Rumfield, who has five 3+ hit games since his promotion, is 5-for-10 in his last three games with a double, homer, and 3 RBI. While his average is down in July, he has homered three times in his last nine games.
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, RS, K
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-3, 2B (9), RBI
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3

RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Scranton went with a bullpen game in Game 2. Underwood has a history of starting, but not in recent years. Season: 2.50 ERA (36 IP, 26 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 5 HR, 23 BB, 35 K)
RHP Phil Bickford: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Tim Mayza: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Mayza’s organizational debut isn’t a memorable one.
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Scott Effross: (L, 1-1)  0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
Supposedly, the Yankees aren’t comfortable with where Effross’ stuff is. This would seem to confirm that discomfort. He missed a lot of time, so that is understandable. You hope it isn’t permanent.
LHP Chasen Shreve: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (48-44) (Defeated Portland, 6-4, in 12 innings. Last week, I said it looked doubtful that any full-season affiliate would make the playoffs. I guess the Patriots want to prove me wrong. They are now 16-7 in the second half (including five wins in a row), giving them the division lead by 2.5 games)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-2, RS, 4 BB (1 intentional), K
Jones’ first career 4 BB game. He is hitting .240/.323/.409 in 356 PA (36.8% K; 10.4% BB). 
C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-2
It’s his second game back from injury, so don’t be concerned that he was pulled.
  PH-C Juan Crisp: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
Crisp is a seldom-used (heck, seldom-active) organizational catcher with 182 plate appearances from 2019 to 2024 (140 of those were compiled in 2019). It is fun when players like him earn professional hits.
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-6, RBI
.294/.372/.472 in 376 PA. He is 19-for-68 (.279) in July (4 doubles, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB, 11 K).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-6, 4 K
It’s all forgotten when your team wins!
DH Rafael Flores: 2-for-6, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Flores swats a walk-off 2-run HR with two outs in the 12th. Since promotion: .221/.309/.395 in 97 PA. Overall (including time with Hudson Valley): .265/.376/.444 in 330 PA with 20 doubles, 10 homers, and 46 RBI.
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-5, K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, RS, HBP, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, SAC, BB, K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 K

RHP Luis Velasquez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Velasquez has made a few starts recently, but I don’t think that indicates a role change (he tossed only one inning in his previous start).
RHP Danny Watson: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Joey Gerber: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 3.68 ERA (7.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 11 K)
RHP Matt Sauer: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Sauer needed this. Hopefully, he can finish the season strong.
RHP Kevin Stevens: (W, 4-0)  2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
2.55 ERA (35.1 IP, 27 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 50 K). Stevens was masterful at pitching around the ghost runner in extra innings.

Hudson Valley (44-46) (Lost to Wilmington, 4-1. An offensive spectacle, this was not)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, RBI, CS (6), K
Riggio increases his hitting streak to 6 (8-for-22; 1 triple, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB)
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, K
Avina is in a 0-for-19 slump (6-for-53 in July). He is hitting a respectable .257/.339/.417 in 330 PA.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, K
.235/.368/.402 in 307 PA. While he hit .282 in the FCL (2022), most of his performance indicates a kid who isn’t going to hit for much average but draws walks and has some pop. As a left-handed hitting catcher, you hope he can develop into something.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3
DH Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, K
Hall is 3-for-41 at this level. High-A has given him trouble (as have injuries)
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, RS
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Sellers tossed 51 pitches as he retired all 11 batters he faced. He owns a 2.75 ERA (55.2 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 29 BB, 67 K). As for the short outing, he’s been a multi-inning reliever most of the season. This is only his second start. 
RHP Sebastian Keane: (L, 6-7) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
They may be trying to control Keane’s innings the rest of the way, as this is his first relief appearance. He owns a 5.05 ERA (67.2 IP, 64 H, 39 R, 38 ER, 6 HR, 34 BB, 62 K).
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
4.73 ERA (53.1 IP, 40 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 23 BB, 63 K)
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Diaz’s brief rehab assignment is over.

Tampa (35-53) (They tried to play two games against Clearwater, but it wasn’t meant to be)

Game 1 (They trail, 6-0, in the 3rd inning. This game was suspended and will be resumed tomorrow)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-1
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-1, 2B (14)
Arias has struggled mightily as a right-handed hitter, so it is worth noting that he hit this double batting right-handed.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-1
DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-1
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-0
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-0
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-0
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-0
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-0

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, HR

Game 2 (This game was postponed due to rain. I do not see a makeup date)

FCL (35-22)

Scheduled day off. The season ends tomorrow. If they beat the Tigers, they clinch the division. If they lose, I believe the Tigers have the tie-breaker.

If they lose, they need either the Pirates or Rays to lose to earn the Wild Card berth.

DSL Yankees (11-23)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (22-15) (Destroyed DSL Colorado, 15-1. This was the conclusion of a game started on July 22nd)

C Queni Pineda: 2-for-3, 2 RS, BB
SS Christofer Reyes: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 RS
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (21), BB, HBP
.286/.477/.429 in 107 PA. He has 21 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
LF-CF Angel Ventura: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
RF David Carrera: 3-for-4, 2 2B (8), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (7), BB
The 17-year-old is hitting .270/.427/.429 in 82 PA.

RHP Carlos Almonte (W, 1-0): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Almonte’s first professional win. Congrats!

Yankees MILB 7/23: Spencer Jones Homers

News:

UTIL Caleb Durbin has started a rehab assignment in Tampa. He hasn’t played since May 23rd, so he missed two months after being HBP. Before that unfortunate injury, he hit .299/.413/.458 in 215 PA with 20 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Is there time for him to make an MLB impact? Sure, but I doubt the Yankees are counting on that.

OF Jasson Dominguez will begin another rehab stint with Scranton. He has missed so much time this season that I don’t know how much we should count on him, but the Yankees may not have much choice. Do they try to acquire a veteran outfielder or hope Dominguez is good to go by mid-to-late August?

C/Everything Jesus Rodriguez returned to the Somerset lineup tonight after missing a month due to an undisclosed injury.

Scranton (52-42) (Doubled Up Worcester, 8-4)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-5, 2B (13), 2 RBI
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, CS (1), K
Ramirez has six 3+ RBI games this season. If the Yankees are willing to talk about Jasson Dominguez (I doubt they will trade him) and Spencer Jones (it will take a perfect deal), you can bet that they will discuss Ramirez.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, RS, SB (13), BB, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, RS, SB (3), BB
Rumfield has struggled in July (9-for-40). Hopefully, this gets him going.
DH J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, RBI, HBP
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 3-for-4, 2 RS
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-2, 2B (12), RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB, K

LHP Thomas Pannone: (W, 1-0)  5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
A nice organizational debut for Pannone.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Interestingly, they used Neely for one batter. Yes, that can be a development thing: Come in and air it out for one batter rather than come in for a full inning or two. Anyway, since his promotion: 8.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 K.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (47-44) (Defeated Portland, 7-5)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, HR (11), 2 RBI, RS, SB (19), K
If you wonder why other organizations want Jones, this is why. He has unlimited power potential and speed. He has 30/30 type of potential but has rough edges to fix. I would trade him in the right deal, but that “right deal” isn’t for a random relief pitcher. He is hitting .241/.317/.412.
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, K
Rodriguez’s first game since June 22nd. It hurts that he missed a month, but at least he wasn’t done for the year. One of the organization’s best hitters before his injury, he is hitting .322/.406/.496 in 266 PA between here and Hudson Valley.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, 2B (25)
Cowles is second in the Eastern League in doubles.
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
Dunham has a 6-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 23 of his last 24 games.
LF Grant Richardson: 3-for-4, 2B (20), HR (6), 3 RBI, RS
Richardson has four 3+ hit games this season. Last year, he hit 7 doubles and 18 HR in 92 games. This year, he has 20 doubles and 6 HR in 69 games.
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (18), BB, K
Seigler is 18-for-20 in the stolen base department.
3B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, 3B (3), RBI, RS

LHP Ben Shields: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
A mixed-bag kind of night for Shields. Since promotion: 17 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 8 BB, 20 K. Minus a rough emergency appearance for Scranton, Shields has been one of the organization’s most consistent performers this season.
RHP Carlos Gomez: (W, 4-1)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Colby White: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: (S, 2) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (44-45) (Lost to Wilmington, 5-4)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-2, 2 RS, 2 SB (17), 2 BB
Riggio, at his best, is a pest. He is hitting .229/.364/.401 in 320 PA and is on a 5-game hitting streak.
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-4, 2B (24), HR (13), 3 RBI, RS
Serna’s first home run in July (17-game drought overall). Serna tends to hit in spurts, so we’ll see if this is the start of one. He’s hitting .252/.340/.442 in 382 PA. He is second in the league in doubles and tied for the league lead in RBI.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4, 3 K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB, K
.239/.363/.339 in 278 PA. He has a 14.7% BB and 24.8% K.
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, 3 K
LF Christopher Familia: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, 3 K

RHP Baron Stuart: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
3.77 ERA (71.2 IP, 67 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 3 HR, 26 BB, 61 K). That stat line doesn’t include an impressive emergency start for Scranton (7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). 
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Cole Ayers (L, 2-4): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2 HR

Tampa (35-53) (Their game against Clearwater was postponed due to rain)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-0
After spending the weekend at 3B, Lombard Jr. was scheduled to return to SS tonight.
2B Roderick Arias: 0-for-0
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-0
DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-0
He missed a lot of time, so expect them to take their time with Durbin.
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-0
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-0
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-0
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-0
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-0

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (35-22) (Lost to the Phillies, 5-3. The Yankees’ lead over the Tigers is one game with one game remaining. That game is against the Tigers. By my count, and I could be wrong, the teams have split 20 games this season. If I am correct, whoever wins on Thursday wins the division title. There is also a wild card slot open)

FYI: The Tigers played tonight, but the game ended in a 1-1 tie due to rain. The FCL does not require games to finish for playoff purposes. Hence, while the stats count, the game will go down as a meaningless tie.

CF Brando Mayea: 0-for-4, 2 SB (19), 3 K
.281/.370/.326 in 154 PA. He is 19-for-22 stealing bases (41-for-51 in 73 career games)
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Engelth Urena: 0-for-3, RS, BB
LF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (16), RBI, RS, K
.306/.394/.514 in 198 PA. He is tied for second in the FCL with 16 doubles.
SS Juan Matheus: 2-for-2, RBI, RS, BB
.321/.429/.488 in 196 PA. He has 40 RBI and 30 runs scored.
2B Abrahan Ramirez: 1-for-1, RBI
I am not sure why Ramirez left the game. He is hitting .348/.447/.513 in 189 PA.

RHP Sunayro Martina: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Alejandro Gomez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL Yankees (11-23) (Lost to DSL Miami, 10-2)

SS Dexters Peralta: 1-for-4, RS, 2 SB (16), K
Recently turned 17, Peralta is hitting .208/.286/.248 in 112 PA with 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts.
DH Richard Matic: 1-for-2, 2B (5), RBI, BB
The 16-year-old (turns 17 on 7/26) is hitting .226/.330/.280 in 109 PA.

RHP Alexander Almonte: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The 17-year-old owns a 2.95 ERA in 18.1 IP with an 18/8 K/BB.
RHP Ismael Delgadillo: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

DSL Bombers (20-15) (Lost to Phillies Red, 3-1)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 2-for-4, 2B (6), K
Vilorio has hit safely in six of his last seven games. He has four doubles during this streak (he increased his triple slash from .180/.242/.279 to .214/.287/.345).

LHP Franyer Herrera: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
The 19-year-old owns a 2.79 ERA in 29 IP with a 38/11 K/BB.

Yankees MILB 7/21: Cade Smith Ks 8 in 5 Innings

News:

We are closing in on the trade deadline. I will watch closely to see if any prospect gets pulled out of a game over the next week. Today, I noted on Twitter that George Lombard Jr. has played third base and Roderick Arias has played shortstop in all three games since the All-Star Break. Is this a “weekend showcase” for scouts, or a coincidence?

Scranton (51-42) (Defeated Buffalo, 4-0)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, RBI
For Scranton: .255/.394/.414 in 183 PA (15.8% BB, 21.9% K, 9-for-13 SB). 
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2B (2), RS, SB (5)
Since promotion: .186/.304/.349 in 102 PA with a 12.7% BB and 17.6% K. Earlier this season, his BABIP was lagging – eventually, he ended up with a normal .292 mark for Somerset. For Scranton, it is .185. There is likely another correction coming.
2B Oswald Peraza: 3-for-4, RBI, RS, 3 SB (12)
Peraza has reached base 8 times in the last two games, increasing his triple slash from .210/.325/.251 to .234/.348/.286.
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, RS, BB
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, K
Escarra is 6-for-9 in two games since his promotion. That pace should be easily maintained.
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-3, RBI
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3

LHP Tanner Tully: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Scott Effross: (W, 1-0)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Effross’ 4th straight scoreless appearance (4 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K). He relies on command to generate outs, so the Yankees will wait until they are satisfied that his command is back. It looks like it is heading in that direction.
LHP Chasen Shreve: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.86 ERA (46.2 IP, 31 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 27 BB, 60 K). He has a 9-game scoreless streak (11.1 IP).
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.57 ERA (35 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 5 HR, 21 BB, 35 K)

Somerset (46-44) (Squeaked past Altoona, 3-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Jones is hitting .238 with a .716 OPS
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, HR (9), RBI, RS, K
Cowles, who has already set a personal best in doubles, is one away from his best in home runs (10, set last year).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-2, RS, BB, K
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3
Dunham has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, SAC
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-2, CS (2), BB
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, SF, RBI
3B Max Burt: 1-for-3, 2B (5), RS, K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
3.90 ERA (101.2 IP, 85 H, 59 R, 44 ER, 7 HR, 34 BB, 103 K).
RHP Joey Gerber: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Sauer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kevin Stevens (S, 6): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2.76 ERA (32.2 IP, 27 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 46 K)

Hudson Valley (44-44) (Defeated Rome, 3-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-3, BB
.227/.359/.400 in 316 PA. Last 4 games: 6-for-16 (1 triple, 2 HR). 
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-4, K
.248/.339/.429 in 378 PA. He is 10-for-50 (.200) in July with only three extra-base hits (all doubles). That said, he has struck out only four times. Following him over the last few years, I have noticed a streaky trait in his profile.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, HR (10), RBI, RS, 2 K
In his last two seasons, Martinez has 28 HR, 103 RBI, and 119 walks in 744 PA (15.99%).
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, K
DH Christopher Familia: 2-for-3
Familia is 13-for-77 (.169/.256/.286) at this level with a pair of home runs.
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, RS
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (9)
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, RBI
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, 3 K

RHP Cam Schlittler: (W, 5-3)  5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
For Hudson Valley: 2.77 ERA (74.2 IP, 48 H, 31 R, 23 ER, 6 HR, 37 BB, 94 K). He had a tough emergency start for Scranton earlier this year, but I am not concerned about that.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Cohen’s rehab stint is over and he was assigned here. I thought they might place him in Somerset (where he finished in 2023).
LHP Joel Valdez (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.16 ERA (42.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 50 K). In 2023, he allowed 10 HR in 78.2 IP. In his 172 other career innings, he has allowed 4 HR.

Tampa (35-53) (Defeated Bradenton, 9-6)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 HBP, K
July: 16-for-60 (.267/.343/.483; 4 doubles, 3 HR, 5 BB, 18 K, 4-for-5 SB).  Season: .237/.358/.356 in 324 PA. 
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, RBI, 3 RS, SB (26), BB
July: 16-for-52 (.308/.431/.365; 12 BB, 12 K, 12 R, 7-for-9 SB). I won’t ignore the warts but I will point out that July has been a good month for him.
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-5, 2B (22), 2 RBI, K
Jasso leads the FSL in doubles (22) and is second in RBI (52).
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, SF, 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
July: 15-for-51 (.294/.403/.431; 4 doubles, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 9 BB, 9 K, 3-for-3 SB). The 21-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Nevada in 2023 and is overachieving. He owns a 16.8% BB and 19.2% K.
LF Willy Montero: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (9), 2 BB
.245/.298/.361 in 329 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 6 HR, 41 RBI, 40 R, 9-for-10 SB, 6.7% BB, 22.5% K). Montero is a free-swinging type.
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, RS, SB (10), BB
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, HBP
Gonzalez is 9-for-34 (.265) since his promotion. He has three doubles and six RBI.
DH Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, RS
Frick’s first game since July 4th. He was never placed on the injured list.

RHP Cade Smith: (W, 6-6) 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
3.61 ERA (77.1 IP, 53 H, 37 R, 31 ER, 5 HR, 36 BB, 103 K). July: 14.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 22 K. Last year’s 6th-round pick out of Mississippi State (the Yankees love SEC pitchers nowadays!) doesn’t throw exceptionally hard (averaged 91.4 with the 4-seamer) but generates whiffs with his slider. He also mixes in a curveball.
RHP Gabriel Barbosa (S, 1): 4 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
It looks like they went the “tandem start” route today. In other words, I wouldn’t be concerned about Smith being pulled after five innings with a low pitch count. Barbosa has a 4.95 ERA (87.1 IP, 86 H, 52 R, 48 ER, 8 HR, 28 BB, 89 K)

FCL (34-21)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Yankees (11-22)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (20-14)

Scheduled day off.

Yankees MILB 7/20: Pitching Rules!

News

RHP Cody Morris cleared waivers and was outrighted to Scranton.

With Josh Maciejewski demoted to Scranton, my guess is that Yoendrys Gomez will get the call. That is a guess, but he is rested and conveniently on the 40-man roster. It appears the Yankees are not ready to promote Scott Effross.

Scranton (50-42) (Defeated Buffalo, 8-3, in 11 innings)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, BB
Yesterday, Lockridge went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts. I love baseball. 
2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-5, RS, SB (9), HBP, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-6, RBI
Ramirez is 15-for-81 (.183) since his promotion. He is not ready to be a “savior,” and they don’t have a position for him anyway. If he played 3B, we would be having a discussion…
SS Oswald Peraza: 3-for-4, 2 2B (6), RBI, 2 RS, CS (4), 2 BB, K
Peraza reaches base five times. A few years ago, that would have created a buzz but much of his buzz is gone, and I am not sure who to blame for that. 
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-5, RS
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, SAC
1B J.C. Escarra: 4-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, 2 RS
Escarra was promoted here from Somerset. He will serve as a backup to Agustin Ramirez in addition to his 1B/3B duties. While this is his Scranton debut, it wasn’t his Triple-A debut. He played in 58 games for Triple-A Norfolk in 2021 before heading to the independent/Mexican leagues for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, RS, BB, HBP
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, SB (10), BB, 2 K

RHP Will Warren: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
6.42 ERA (89.2 IP, 97 H, 70 R, 64 ER, 17 HR, 34 BB, 107 K). Two starts ago, he struck out 11 in six innings (1 R, 2 H). We’ll see if he is starting to find a groove. Left-handed batters have, to put it mildly, torched him this season (.315/.408/.566 entering today). 
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
0.93 ERA (29 IP, 19 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 33 K). He has been masterful this season.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: (W, 3-2)  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Phil Bickford: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (45-44) (Squeaked past Altoona, 2-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2B (14), 2 K
.238/.316/.403 in 342 PA (14 doubles, 3 triples, 10 HR, 46 RBI, 48 R, 18-for-22 SB, 9.6% BB, 37.1% K).  Is he the CF version of Oneil Cruz? That isn’t a bad comparison on paper, but Cruz reached Double-A at 20 (to be fair, Jones was still in college!) and struck out 25.7% of the time. That remains the one thing I can’t get over. Striking out 37.1% of the time in Double-A is a massive red flag. So, I do think Cruz is a good comparison when you factor in size and athleticism. I don’t think Jones is progressing as well as Cruz did.
3B Ben Cowles: 0-for-4, 3 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RS, K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
How do you fix an 0-for-3, 3 K night? By hitting a walk-off RBI single!
DH Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, RS, K
Dunham has hit safely in 21 of his last 22 games. He is 21-for-51 (.412) in July. 
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, 2B (19), K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, RBI
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, K

RHP Bailey Dees: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
4.26 ERA (95 IP, 79 H, 50 R, 45 ER, 14 HR, 36 BB, 99 K). Due to the break, Dees hadn’t started since July 12th. I think he needed the time off and it paid dividends tonight.
RHP Danny Watson: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Watson’s overall numbers aren’t spectacular, but I think much of that was due to his return from injury. He has put together six scoreless outings in his last seven, lowering his ERA from 10.13 to 7.47. 
RHP Luis Velasquez: (W, 3-2)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.75 ERA (36 IP, 31 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 5 HR, 27 BB, 51 K)

Hudson Valley (43-44) (Lost, 4-3, in 11 innings)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, 3B (4), RS, 2 K
Riggio has two home runs and a triple in his last three games. 
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, SF, 2 RBI
.252/.342/.435 in 374 PA (23 doubles, 12 HR, 55 RBI, 49 R, 10.4% BB, 15.8% K, 10-for-17 SB). 
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-5, 3 K
.263/.347/.427 in 323 PA (22 doubles, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 38 R, 9.6% BB, 26.3% K, 4-for-5 SB). 
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (10), BB
.242/.378/.404 in 296 PA. 
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-5, 2 K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, 2B (9), RS, SB (2), BB
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, HBP
  LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-0, BB
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-5, 3 K
1B Kiko Romero: 2-for-4, RS, 2 SB (8)

RHP Blane Abeyta: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.88 ERA (50 IP, 41 H, 20 R, 16 ER, 3 HR, 18 BB, 59 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
3.56 ERA (30.1 IP, 24 H, 18 R, 12 ER, 2 HR, 19 BB, 43 K). 
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
4.73 ERA (51.1 IP, 39 H, 30 R, 27 ER, 7 HR, 22 BB, 62 K)
RHP Luis Arejula: (L, 3-4)  1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
3.05 ERA (38.1 IP, 33 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 36 K)

Tampa (34-53) (Won two games against Bradenton)

Game 1 (Won, 2-1, in the conclusion of yesterday’s game. This game went 10 innings and was won on a walk-off error)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-3, RS, SB (26), 2 BB, K
This is Lombard Jr.’s third straight 2-hit effort.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, SB (25), 2 BB, K
Arias has nine walks in his last seven games. 
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, BB, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Coby Morales: 1-for-4, K
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-4, RS
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, K

RHP Chase Hampton: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Hampton retired 11 of the 12 batters he faced (hit a batter) and averaged 92 MPH (94 max). He threw 45 pitches (30 strikes) and should be coming to Somerset shortly.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Nixon was used as a “bridge” between Hampton and Serna.
RHP Luis Serna: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
That bridge will be meaningless, as Serna did not return to this game.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
4.20 ERA (45 IP, 45 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 53 K). 
RHP Osiel Rodriguez (W, 1-2): 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
2.42 ERA (44.2 IP, 22 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 6 HR, 22 BB, 53 K). 

Game 2 (Won, 7-0)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B (16), RBI, RS, K
Lombard’s OPS is up to .717. He owns a .360 slugging percentage. On June 9th, his SLG was .268. His progress is one of the highlights this season.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, K
He leads the FSL in triples (7), is 4th in RBI (45), and third in stolen bases (25).
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, RBI
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, 2B (16), RBI, K
Castillo has a .811 OPS in 70 games. It is fair to say that he has been one of the system’s biggest surprises this year.
DH Willy Montero: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, RS, SB (9), 2 K
RF Coby Morales: 3-for-3, 2 HR (4), 3 RBI, 3 RS
Morales’ first career multi-HR game. 
C Diomedes Hernandez: 2-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, RS
The 19-year-old’s first Low-A extra-base hit.
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, RS

RHP Josh Grosz: (W, 3-5)  5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Last three starts: 15.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 17 K. This stretch comes after a tough emergency outing for Somerset. He could have easily been discouraged by that, but he has instead turned it up a notch. Season (for Tampa): 4.64 ERA (66 IP, 65 H, 47 R, 34 ER, 26 BB, 85 K). This is his debut season.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Luciano (22) can dial it up into the mid-90s.

FCL (34-21) (Split a doubleheader with the FCL Tigers, essentially chopping two games off the schedule. They own a 1.5-game lead with three games left. Note: They don’t “make up” games in the FCL. If the Yankees win the division by 0.5 games over the Tigers, the Tigers don’t get to make up a game)

Game 1 (Lost, 8-3)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-4, 2B (2), 2 K
DH Edgleen Perez: 0-for-1, 2 RS, 3 BB
C Engelth Urena: 3-for-4, HR (8), 2 RBI, RS, CS (2)
His 8th HR in 37 games.
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, BB
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-4, RBI

RHP Sean Boyle: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
The 27-year-old Boyle is down here on a rehab stint. He made only 9 starts for Scranton last year.
LHP Will Brian: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Their 10th-round pick in 2022 (Eastern Kentucky) makes his first rehab appearance.

Game 2 (Won, 17-5)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-6, 3B (2), 3 RBI, 2 RS
Mayea, who has five 2-hit games in July (8 games played), is hitting .297/.384/.344 in 146 PA with a 25.3% K. He has a pair of doubles and triples and is 16-for-19 stealing bases. In my opinion, the 18-year-old is doing enough to get to Low-A Tampa, whether that is to finish this year or to start 2025.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
.289/.452/.384 in 208 PA. Perez has more walks (44) than strikeouts (33).
1B Engelth Urena: 0-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB
Urena is hitting .315/.429/.591 in 154 PA (11 doubles, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 32 R, 14.9% BB, 11.7% K). He is second in the league in OPS and third in home runs (he has played 15 fewer games than leader Jhonny Severino, who has 10 HR). He is a legitimate prospect with the bat. We’ll see what he is long-term with the glove.
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
.291/.384/.485 in 190 PA with 15 stolen bases in 18 attempts.
SS Juan Matheus: 3-for-5, 2 2B (9), 4 RBI, RS
.312/.418/.478 in 189 PA.  He is third in the league with 38 RBI.
DH Gabriel Terrero: 2-for-3, 3B (1), 2 RBI, 3 RS, SB (14), BB
2B Abrahan Ramirez: 3-for-4, 2B (14), RBI, 2 RS, BB
.351/.454/.519 in 184 PA. He has slowed down (.255/.321/.392 in July) but we didn’t expect him to hit .400 this season, right? He still ranks second in batting average.
RF Joel Mendez: 2-for-4, 3B (4), 2 RS, BB, 2 K
.301/.417/.569 after hitting .293/.363/.424 here last year. Likely not a top prospect, but he has done enough to get to Low-A.
3B Santiago Gomez: 2-for-4, HR (2), 5 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
The 20-year-old ties his best for RBI in a game. He is hitting .333/.438/.440 in 89 PA. If you haven’t figured it out, the FCL Yankees are good offensively.

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
He only has 6.2 innings during his rehab and the FCL season ends next week. If they don’t move him to Tampa, he will need to get some innings this fall/winter.
RHP Hansel Rosario (W, 2-0): 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR

DSL Yankees (11-22)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (20-14)

Scheduled day off.

Yankees MILB 7/19: Hudson Valley’s No-Hitter

News

The draft was interesting for the Yankees. Everyone assumed the Yankees had an “all pitching” mentality but that doesn’t appear to be the case. I applaud the Yankees for not “reaching” for a position player just because they had already drafted many pitchers. The draft fell in a way where the most valuable thing on their board was pitching.

Will this cause a glut of pitching? Potentially, but that’s a concern for 2025 and beyond. As college arms, you want them to move up the chain quickly. However, not all of them will. A lot will happen between July 19, 2024, and the beginning of the 2025 season. I am not worrying about a logjam now.

As for my favorite pick, just based on what I am reading it is RHP Bryce Cunningham, their second-round pick. He seemingly can move fast with Keith Law claiming that he zoom up to Double-A next season. The arm that jumps out at you is RHP Greysen Carter, who has dialed it up to 103. An arm like his would be a no-doubt first-round pick if not for that thing called control. I like pitchers who come into the system with a plus pitch in their arsenal. Cunningham’s changeup and Carter’s fastball will play in professional ball, though Carter needs work.

Anyway, I will give more background as the players start filtering into levels and making their debuts. A reminder that they changed the FCL schedule in 2024. Instead of a month left in the season, there’s one week. Hence, there isn’t a “get your feet wet” spot. If players sign quickly, we could see them in Tampa this season. With many college pitchers selected, Low-A is not a daunting place to start. Times have changed and organizations have adjusted.

(For a full review of the draft, check out this article from VirginiaYankee1)

The Yankees have released Jose Rojas from his minor-league contract for the second time this season. Rojas is hitting .254/.359/.561 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI in 67 games. While I haven’t read anything to indicate why, the odds are good that Rojas negotiated an opt-out when he re-signed in June and exercised it. That is what happened the first time he was released.

The Yankees have signed 30-year-old LHP Thomas Pannone to a minor league deal. Pannone, released by the Cubs on July 17th, has appeared in 50 MLB games (13 starts), going 7-7 with a 5.46 ERA (5.06 FIP) over 118.2 innings. He owns a 19.6% K, 9.0% BB, and 33.8% GB. With the Iowa Cubs this season, he went 4-8 with a 4.37 ERA (4.78 FIP) in 19 starts. He spent time in Korea in 2022 and 2023. Recently, the Yankees signed fellow left-handers Chasen Shreve and Tim Mayza, but they are relievers. Pannone can give Scranton innings as a starter or long reliever.

As we enter the post-ASB portion of the season, none of the full-season leagues won their first-half titles (the “first half” ended a while ago, but I never noted that). As of now, it looks unlikely that a full-season affiliate will make the playoffs as the second-half standings aren’t favorable. There’s still time, though.

Scranton (49-42) (Lost to Buffalo, 1-0, in ten innings)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-5, 4 K
We all have bad days…
2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, 2B (6), 2 K
It isn’t a complete loss (he spent three days on an MLB roster), but it still felt meaningless to bring him up if his playing time was going to be zero. It is interesting that Oswald Peraza didn’t play tonight in the first game after the All-Star Break.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, K
Rumfield is 7-for-24 with four walks in July.
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
3B Kevin Smith: 0-for-3, SB (11), HBP, K
DH Josh VanMeter: 0-for-4, 4 K

LHP Edgar Barclay:  5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
I have documented how he hasn’t done well in Triple-A. It is nice to see him have a strong outing here.
RHP Jack Neely:  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Yankees luckily had options to use on Effross as he continues his rehab-that-technically-isn’t-a-rehab. I assume it won’t be long until he is up with the big club.
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: (L, 2-1)  0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Hard to blame any reliever when a ghost runner scores!

Somerset (44-44) (Toss a 1-hitter against Altoona in a 2-0 win)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RS, K
Has Jones’ trade value taken a hit? Maybe, but not as much as you think it has. Teams will still be interested in the crazy ceiling. Will the Yankees move him? I think it would have to be a special trade for them to give him up. Don’t expect him to be trade bait for a swing-and-miss reliever. 
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, RS, BB
.299/.380/.474 in 358 PA. Cowles has never spent a full season at one level. I would expect the 24-year-old to finish up in Scranton (he went there briefly in 2023 before being sent to the Arizona Fall League).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, K
C Rafael Flores: 3-for-4, RBI
On a night where pitching was the story, Flores stands out. He broke a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the 8th.  Since his promotion: .229/.325/.400 in 80 PA. He had a pair of 3-hit efforts for Hudson Valley earlier this season.
RF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Dunham didn’t let the break cool him off. He is 20-for-48 (.417) in July (6 doubles, 4 HR, 13 RBI)
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, BB
3B Max Burt: 1-for-3, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Outstanding performance by Vrieling. It lowers his ERA to 5.21 (96.2 IP, 100 H, 59 R, 56 ER, 9 HR, 33 BB, 91 K). In July: 14 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 10 K. 
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP McKinley Moore: (W, 2-0) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Moore is a work in progress. If they unlock him, the dividends will be high. But he will be a tough one to unlock.
RHP Eric Reyzelman (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 2.84 ERA (6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 10 K). He is a contender for the 2025 bullpen. 

Hudson Valley (43-43) (No-hit Rome, 1-0)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS, CS (4)
Riggio walks it off in the bottom of the 9th, earning the Renegades a combined no-hitter!  He is hitting .222/.356/.393 in 307 PA and has homered in back-to-back games.
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3
.252/.344/.437 in 369 PA. He is only 9-for-46 (.196) in July.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, K
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, K
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, SB (9)
Martin is 9-for-10 in the stolen base category.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, K

LHP Kyle Carr: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
A much-needed outing for last year’s 3rd round pick. It lowers his ERA to 6.04 (67 IP, 70 H, 54 R, 45 ER, 5 HR, 43 BB, 58 K). Last time out, he allowed 7 runs (6 earned) over 3 IP. Can he get into a second-half groove?
RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.94 ERA (53.2 IP, 33 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 2 HR, 32 BB, 65 K). He started his last time out, but they moved him back to the bullpen tonight. He tossed three innings, so is there a major difference?
RHP Huey Morrill: (W, 2-2)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.52 ERA (30.2 IP, 28 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 6 HR, 9 BB, 33 K). The 24-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2022. The plot twist? He played shortstop for Oklahoma State (though he did make 17 appearances on the hill in college). 

Tampa (32-53) (Tied with Bradenton, 0-0, in the 5th. The game is in a delay. I will update this if they conclude the game tonight)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-2, K
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-1, SB (25), BB
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-2, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-2
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-2, 2 K
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-1
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-1
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-1

RHP Chase Hampton: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Hampton retired 11 of the 12 batters he faced (hit a batter) and averaged 92 MPH (94 max). He threw 45 pitches (30 strikes) and should be on his way to Somerset shortly.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Nixon was used as a “bridge” between Hampton and Serna.
RHP Luis Serna: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
That bridge will be meaningless, as Serna will not return to this game.

FCL (33-20) (Lost to the Tigers, 4-0. With five games left, they own a 1.5-game lead over the Tigers. The two squads play a doubleheader tomorrow and have another matchup beyond that. There is a wild card in this league. The Tigers are currently in that position, but there’s a 3-team race in the South. The two teams that lose that race will be in the wild-card race. Those teams will undoubtedly play games against each other, so the Yankees are in good shape. The FCL squad and one of the DSL teams could be the only playoff representatives we get in 2024)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, K
Mayea is hitting .288 (good) though the power has yet to show up. At 18 years old, there’s time for the power to shine.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, BB
1B Engelth Urena: 2-for-3, K
His magical season continues (.308/.421/.575 in 145 PA with 7 homers and 29 RBI). In July, he is an incredible 23-for-49 (.469/.587/.959) with nine doubles and five home runs. Is the 19-year-old (20 on August 17th) ready for a full-season test?

RHP Chalniel Arias (L, 0-1): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
RHP Indigo Diaz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
His rehab continues.
RHP Sabier Marte: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
Marte is getting his work in (he leads the league with 49 IP). In those 49 IP, he owns a 2.76 ERA and 44/16 K/BB.

DSL Yankees (11-22) (Their game against the DSL Mets Orange was suspended. They own a 6-1 lead in the 5th)

So far, SS Dexters Peralta is 2-for-3, while CF Gabriel Lara (1 hit) and LF Isael Arias (2 hits, SB) have an RBI and run scored.

RHP Jorge Luna: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

DSL Bombers (20-14) (Defeated the DSL Giants Orange, 5-4)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-3, 2B (5), K
.200/.278/.325 in 90 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 13 RBI)
SS Christofer Reyes: 1-for-3, RS, SB (12)
2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-2, RS, BB
DH Angel Ventura: 1-for-3, 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
I haven’t said much about Ventura, but the 18-year-old is hitting .276/.382/.328 in 68 PA.
LF Browm Martinez: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, RS, SB (16), K
.271/.369/.300 in 84 PA with 16 stolen bases in 20 tries.

RHP Jerson Alejandro: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
4.07 ERA (24.1 IP, 14 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 0 HR, 23 BB, 38 K). The eight strikeouts are a personal best.
LHP Jose Ledesma (S, 5): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K