Tag: Alex Jackson

Yankees MILB 5/22: Griffin Herring Dazzles (6 IP, 0 H, 10 K)

Notes:

Cooper Hummel has exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and will become a free agent if the Yankees don’t add him to their 26-man roster. I find that unlikely, as his MLB career (.159/.255/.275 in 82 games) hardly inspires confidence. Furthermore, he is primarily an outfielder, which the Yankees don’t need.

I wouldn’t cry if he replaced Pablo Reyes, but that bar is hardly high.

Injury Log

Scranton (21-25) (Lost to Nashville, 7-6, in 11 innings. I just noticed that former Yankees’ prospect Anthony Seigler plays for Nashville. He is hitting .282 with a .946 OPS in 150 plate appearances. The first-round pick in the 2018 draft reached minor league free agency last winter and signed with the Brewers.)

3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-6, R, SB (7), K
Not his best effort during the streak, but Rodriguez’s hitting streak reaches 12. He has 25 hits in 16 May games.
LF Dominic Smith: 1-for-6, R, K
C Alex Jackson: 2-for-4, 2 HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 R, SB (1), BB
The alternating home run streak continues!  Jackson has homered in five of his last nine games (HR, no HR, HR, no HR, HR, no HR, HR, no HR, 2 HR). 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
   2B Braden Shewmake: 0-for-1, SB (4)
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, R, SB (3), BB
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-5, R, SB (11), 2 K
2B-1B Jake Gatewood: 0-for-3, SAC, BB, 2 K
One thing Gatewood has done well in his minor league career is hit home runs. This season, he has only two in 33 games.
CF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 K

RHP Erick Leal: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
4.26 ERA (19 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 20 K). He may be hard to hit (38 hits/98 strikeouts in 69.1 career innings), but those darn walks (47).
RHP Scott Effross: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
If I didn’t mention it, Effross is no longer on a rehab stint. The Yankees officially optioned him to Scranton.
RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-3) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Back-to-back relief outings for Messinger. He hit 95 MPH with his 4-seam fastball. A story to watch if this is a permanent move, though he was given a starter’s workload here.

Somerset (19-21)

Their game against New Hampshire was postponed. They will attempt to make it up on Saturday.

Hudson Valley (27-14) (Trounced Winston-Salem, 13-2)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, 3 R, HBP, BB, K
Riggio is scorching (.295/.456/.750; 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R in 12 games). He has homered in back-to-back games and has four home runs in his last four games.
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB, K
RF Coby Morales: 4-for-5, 2 2B (7), HR (4), 3 RBI, 3 R, BB, K
Morales earns his first career 4-hit effort. He went 3-for-19 in his brief Somerset stay. If he continues to rake here, he’ll get a longer stay.
1B Parks Harber: 3-for-6, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 R, K
Since promotion: .338/.390/.563 in 77 PA with three 3+ hit efforts. As an undrafted college bat, you won’t see Harber high on any organizational prospect lists. Nobody will care if he keeps raking as he moves up the chain.
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 2 2B (11), 2 RBI, R
Castillo continues a recent surge, collecting multiple hits for the third time in his last five games. That has increased his triple slash from .216/.328/336 to .235/.334/.360. As you know, as sample sizes get larger, brief surges don’t increase your numbers significantly.
SS Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, R, SB (5), 2 BB, K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, RBI, HBP, K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-2, R, HBP, 2 BB, K

RHP Ben Hess (W, 4-2): 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
3.28 ERA (35.2 IP, 20 H, 16 R, 13 ER, 1 HR, 20 BB, 52 K). I love the strikeouts. The walk rate needs work. That is why they have the minor leagues.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Bryce Warrecker: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
0.50 ERA (18 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 24 K). If the plan is to keep him in the bullpen permanently, a trip to Somerset may not be far off.

Tampa (22-20) (Their hot streak continues, courtesy of a 3-1 win over Dunedin. Dunedin entered this series as one of the top dogs in the division. They are now in second place. Tampa is in 4th place, but only 2.5 games behind first-place Lakeland.)

DH Edgleen Perez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
.225/.391/.258 in 156 PA. Perez has 31 walks (19.9%). 
C Engelth Urena: 0-for-4, BB
RF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, R, 3 K
.219/.296/.425 in 162 PA (8 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 20 RBI, 25 R, 9-for-10 SB, 9.3% BB, 29% K). His power/speed combination is enticing, and he has hit better overall in May (.279/.355/.618 with five homers and 17 RBI)
SS Juan Matheus: 0-for-2, R, SB (12), 2 BB
The hitting streak is over, but he still contributed. He is hitting .302/.369/.373 in 149 PA. Scouting reports are scarce, but Fangraphs ranked him 26th in the organization, touting his versatility (shortstop should remain part of that profile) and bat-to-ball skills. Power? Not likely to be one of his strengths.
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Owen Cobb: 0-for-4, 2 K
His hitting streak comes to an end. He is hitting .417/.455/.733 in 67 PA while playing 2B/SS/3B.
CF Marshall Toole: 2-for-4, 3B (4), R
.305/.400/.453 in 110 PA. 
1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-4, K

LHP Griffin Herring (W, 4-1): 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
I said earlier this week that Bryce Cunningham has been the most impressive 2024 draftee. Given the level difference, I still believe that, but Herring has made a case. He owns a 1.21 ERA in 44.2 IP (24 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 58 K). He leads the Florida State League in strikeouts and batting average against (second in ERA and WHIP).
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Chris Veach (S, 3): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.59 ERA (17 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 29 K)

FCL (6-8) (Lost to the Tigers, 6-4)

LF Brando Mayea: 0-for-4
CF Cam Eden: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 2 SB (2), BB
The left-handed hitting outfielder (20) was drafted out of high school in the 17th round in 2023. This was only his 25th career game.
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-3, SB (3), BB, K
.297/.325/.297 in 40 plate appearances.
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, 2 R, BB, K

RHP Stanly Alcantara: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Alcantara has allowed five walks in ten innings. Before this season, he walked 56 in 38.1 innings. Progress!

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 5/18: Rafael Flores Homers Again

Notes:

RHP JT Brubaker started his latest rehab stint in Hudson Valley today. Acquired for infield prospect Keiner Delgado in April 2024, Bruaker hasn’t been able to stay healthy. He tossed only 16.2 innings in the Yankees system last year.

The difference between Brubaker and Scott Effross and Clayton Beeter is that Brubaker is out of options.  Once the rehab is up, and assuming he is healthy, decisions need to be made.

As for Delgado, reading Twitter at the time made one feel as if the Yankees relinquished the next coming of Roberto Alomar. After hitting .231/.318/.347 in Low-A in 2024, he was moved to High-A Greensboro, hitting .252/.329/.394 with a 9-for-9 stolen base rate. Prospects develop at different rates, but it seems doubtful this trade will haunt the Yankees.

Injury Log

Scranton (21-22) (Lost to Toledo, 10-8)

LF Cooper Hummel: 3-for-5, RBI, R, K
Hummel is 8-for-29 since the Yankees signed him.
CF Everson Pereira: 0-for-3, R, SB (4), BB, 2 K
Pereira was 21-for-28 stealing bases in 102 games in 2022. Since then, he is 20-for-24 in 150 games.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, 2B (10), RBI, R, SB (3), K
.305/.404/.519 in 156 PA (10 doubles, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 29 R, 3-for-4 SB, 11.5% BB, 20.5% K). 
C Alex Jackson: 2-for-5, HR (6), 3 RBI, R, K
Jackson continues to alternate games with and without a home run.  He has four home runs in his last seven games (HR, no HR, HR, no HR, HR, no HR, HR)
DH Dominic Smith: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, R, BB
Smith has five homers in 14 May games.
RF Bryan De La Cruz: 1-for-5, 2B (3), R, 2 K
3B Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, RBI, R, SB (2), 2 K
2B Jake Gatewood: 1-for-3, 2B (2), SB (1), CS (2), BB, 2 K
SS Andrew Velazquez: 1-for-4, RBI, R

RHP Carlos Carrasco: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 0 K
4.24 ERA (17 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 19 BB, 18 K). Control has always been an issue (19 BB in 38.2 IP in 2024), but it is amplified this season. Furthermore, his K% isn’t making up for the high walk total. Last year, he struck out 63 (40.9%). This season, entering today, his K% was 26.1%. 
RHP Kervin Castro: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2.18 ERA (20.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 24 K)
RHP Geoff Hartlieb: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
3.00 ERA (18 IP, 19 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 18 K)
LHP Ismael Munguia (L, 0-1): 1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Minor league baseball = sometimes bringing in a position player during an 8-8 game.  This was his first career pitching appearance.

Somerset (17-21) (Lost to Portland, 4-1)

3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, 2 K
.275/.329/.493 in 149 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R).  He has played 14 games at 3B, 12 at 2B, 6 at 1B, and 2 at designated hitter.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-2, CS (1), HBP, BB, K
Since promotion: .182/.378/.182 in 45 PA (3 RBI, 7 R, 3-for-4 SB, 10 BB, 9 K)
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, HR (9), RBI, R, BB, 2 K
Flores has homered in three straight games and ties Spencer Jones for the Eastern League lead. He is hitting .304/.354/.554 in 161 PA. Going back to last year, Flores has hit .285/.357/.532 in 434 Double-A plate appearances (24 doubles, 24 HR, 63 RBI, 60 R, 8.99% BB, 28.3% K)
DH Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, K
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-4, 2 K
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 3 K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-2, BB, K
2B Max Burt: 0-for-3, K

RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 1-3)  6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
4.50 ERA (34 IP, 33 H, 18 R, 17 ER, 5 HR, 16 BB, 37 K). Bees walked 13 in 18.1 April innings. That number has dropped to three in 15.2 May innings.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (26-12) (Defeated Aberdeen, 3-2)

LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, R
.297/.421/.455 in 126 PA. Avina has a pair of homers and 3 RBI in three games since returning from injury.
  RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-1, 2B (4)
DH Parks Harber: 0-for-4, 4 K
From four hits to four strikeouts. Explain baseball to me.
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-3, 2B (9), BB
Back-to-back multi-hit games as Castillo tries to get on track. He is hitting .234/.342/.355 in 146 PA and is 5-for-5 stealing bases.
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-4, K
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, 2B (4), R
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-3, K
1B Duncan Pastore: 1-for-3, RBI, R

RHP JT Brubaker: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
His climb back to MLB begins yet again…
RHP Bryce Cunningham: (W, 5-1)  5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
2.14 ERA (42 IP, 32 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 44 K). It is hard to deny that Cunningham has impressed the most (so far) amongst the 2024 draftees.
RHP Huey Morrill (S, 2): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (19-20) (Walked it off against Palm Beach, 5-4)

C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, R, K
It saddens me that I won’t be able to call him an 18-year-old much longer, as he turns 19 on 5/25. 
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-3, RBI, R, 2 BB, K
His RBI single with one out in the 9th tied the game.
LF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K
2B Juan Matheus: 2-for-3, 2B (8), RBI, 2 BB
Matheus has gone insane. He is 15-for-25 (.600) during his 7-game hitting streak. The streak has spiked his triple slash to .316/.378/.386 (.236/.321/.303 before the streak started). He ranks fifth in the Florida State League in batting average.  He is a switch-hitter who has thus far hit lefties well in a small sample (9-for-22). Last year, he was 8-for-40 against southpaws.
RF Austin Green: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (5), 2 K
Green has a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-18). 
1B Tyler Wilson: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
SS Owen Cobb: 2-for-4, R
No extra-base hits? I’m appalled! Cobb is now 21-for-47 (.447) with 11 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR). He is on a 6-game hitting streak (10-for-22) and has eight multi-hit efforts in 14 games.
CF Marshall Toole: 1-for-3, R, CS (1), BB
Toole has a 7-game hitting streak (8-for-22).  He is hitting .326/.398/.447 in 98 PA.

RHP Gage Ziehl: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Gus Hughes: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Sean Hermann: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.80 ERA (20 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 17 BB, 20 K). The walks have settled down since he walked 15 in 12.1 April innings.
RHP Cole Zaffiro: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Jackson Fristoe (W, 3-1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
5.75 ERA (20.1 IP, 24 H, 17 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 14 BB, 17 K)

FCL (5-6) 

Day off.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.

Yankees MILB 4/11: Roderick Arias: 2 Hits, BB

Notes:

“Are you ever returning to the Twitter platform for your minor league stuff?”

I don’t know. However, I rather enjoy not being on that platform at the moment. Why try to play Whack-a-Mole with a bunch of dumb blue-check takes when I can ignore it altogether?  I miss some aspects of interacting with other minor league fans, families of the players, and even the prospects themselves. But I am enjoying what feels like going back to my roots of providing minor league content at my pace with no stress attached.

Scranton (7-5) (Defeated Rochester, 8-7, in 11 innings, on a 2-out, pinch-hit walk-off home run!)

RF Ismael Munguia: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, SAC
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, CI, 2 BB
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-6, 2B (1), R, 3 K
10-for-37 (1 double, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 2-for-2 SB, 5 BB, 15 K). One thing I don’t worry about with Pereira is power – it will come.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, 2B (4), RBI, 2 R, BB
14-for-48 (4 doubles, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 8 BB, 7 K).  He owns a .967 OPS.
DH-P Cooper Hummel: 0-for-4, R, 2 BB, 2 K
LF Dominic Smith: 0-for-2, R, 3 BB, K
   PR-LF Duke Ellis: 0-for-1
C Alex Jackson: 2-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, R, BB, K
   PH Ronaldo Hernandez: 1-for-1, HR (2), 2 RBI, R
Walk-off HR for Hernandez with two outs in the 11th!
3B Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, BB, K
   3B Andrew Velazquez: 0-for-1
SS Braden Shewmake: 0-for-3, R, SB (1), BB, HBP
Shewmake is an impressive 54-for-61 (88.5%) stealing bases in his minor league career (5-for-6 in his MLB career)

RHP Jake Woodford: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Woodford, a sinker/sweeper type, maxed at 92.3 with his sinker and 92.7 with his 4-seamer. He needs to be watched because he has MLB experience and is somewhere on the depth chart.
RHP Colten Brewer: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Brewer maxed at 94.1 with his sinker.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman:  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Reyzelman threw 18 4-seamers and six sweepers. He maxed at 96 MPH (good) and averaged 93.5.
LHP Rob Zastryzny: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Kervin Castro: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Castro walked in the tying run (9th) but got out of quite a pickle. He then struck out two to strand the ghost runner in the 10th, but Hummel allowed his ghost runner in the 11th. The Yankees signed the 26-year-old last year, but he missed the season due to injury.
RHP Cooper Hummel: (W, 1-0)  0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Hummel’s 5th career minor league pitching appearance results in a win!

Somerset (2-4)

Their game against Reading was postponed due to rain. They will attempt to play two tomorrow.

Hudson Valley (4-2) 

Their game against Brooklyn was postponed due to rain. They will attempt to play two tomorrow.

Tampa (4-3) (Lost to Fort Myers, 6-3)

3B-SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, RBI, R, BB
Arias’s first start away from SS this season (third career start at 3B).  After a horrible start to his campaign, Arias has back-to-back multi-hit efforts.
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-5, 4 K
It has been a struggle (3-for-20, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 9 K). Why shouldn’t we worry? He is an 18-year-old catcher getting his first taste of full-season ball.  He deserves a LOT of rope.
1B-3B Parks Harber: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
DH Tyler Wilson: 1-for-4, R, 2 K
LF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, SB (2)
RF Austin Green: 0-for-2
  1B Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-2, 2B (1), RBI
No better feeling than earning a pair of hits on a night when you don’t start.
2B-RF Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Marshall Toole: 1-for-3, R, 2 SB (3), BB
It is never wise to walk Toole. The 22-year-old is 11-for-13 stealing bases in his brief 21-game career.
SS-2B Juan Matheus: 1-for-4, 2B (1), K
The 20-year-old had a big season in the FCL last year (.321/.429/.488 with five homers and 40 RBI in 49 games). He is off to a slow start here (2-for-12), but it’s early. By the way, he has more career walks (91) than strikeouts (84).

LHP Tanner Bauman: (L, 0-1)  2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
After a successful first start, Bauman struggles in his second. He tossed 75 pitches tonight, mixing a slider (35%), sinker (29%), curve (20%), and change (16%). He maxed out at 93.2 with the sinker.
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Fristoe was cutter-heavy tonight (57%). He maxed at 94.9 with his 4-seam fastball (27%). It is nice to see the zero walks, as control has eluded him in his career.
RHP Cade Austin: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Nice bounceback after a tough 2025 debut.

FCL (0-0)

Their season starts on May 3rd.

DSL (0-0)

Their season starts in June.