Yankees MILB 6/11: Drew Thorpe Ks 12

News:

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

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

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

RF Estevan Florial2-for-4, HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Florial extends his on-base streak to 30. He is hitting .309/.411/.617 in 224 PA (10 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 34 RBI, 40 R, 34 BB, 67 K (29.9%), 12-for-18 SB). 
DH Franchy Cordero: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
1B Andres Chaparro0-for-5, 4 K
Rip up the boxscore and never look at it again. 
LF Elijah Dunham0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
.223/.340/.332 in 238 plate appearances.
2B Jamie Westbrook2-for-3, HR (8), 4 RBI, RS, BB
There are reasons that go beyond statistics, but I am still surprised that a player who consistently hits double-digit home runs and has versatility has yet to receive a big league chance after 1,038 minor league games.
C Carlos Narvaez2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
Narvaez is hitting .281 (16-for-57) with more walks (18) than strikeouts (16) since his promotion.
CF Brandon Lockridge1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, K
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Wilmer Difo1-for-4, K, CS (3)

LHP Tanner Tully6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR
The Railriders needed some length this afternoon and got it from Tully.
RHP Tanner Myatt: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Earning a win in your debut is always a nice touch.
RHP Matt Bowman (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

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

SS Trey Sweeney2-for-5, 2B (12), RS
Sweeney is now the owner of a 9-game hitting streak (12-for-41; .293). He has four doubles in his last six games.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4, SF, 2 RBI, RS, K, SB (15)
.210/.364/.392 in 236 PA. He has 12 runs batted in so far in June (11 games)
DH Austin Wells0-for-4, BB, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Rumfield has homered in three straight games and in four of his last five games. He is hitting .235/.330/.470 in 176 plate appearances. His BABIP is only .210, so there might be more average to come.
3B Tyler Hardman1-for-5, RS, 2 K
2B Caleb Durbin: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, SB (14)
Durbin is up to 29 stolen bases between here and Hudson Valley. He is hitting .271/.346/.396 since his promotion with an 8/4 BB/K rate. 
C Anthony Seigler0-for-4
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-2, HR (8), RBI, RS, K
Rosario was ejected.
   LF Max Burt: 0-for-1, RS, BB, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 4-for-4, 2B (3), HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (4)
This is what you call production from the bottom of the order!  Palensky is hitting .241/.465/.552 in 43 PA since his promotion and .331/.441/.708 in 154 plate appearances overall (12 doubles, 2 triples, 14 HR, 38 RBI, 40 R, 14-for-14 SB)

RHP Clayton Beeter: (W, 5-2)  5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
2.13 ERA (55 IP, 41 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 29 BB, 69 K). The walks are high – though he has shown slight improvement in that category from last year. The overall results are certainly very good.
RHP Zac Houston1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Danny Watson1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Justin Wilson1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

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

SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, RS, SB (8)
Vargas needed a day like this badly.
2B Ben Cowles1-for-2, 2 BB
.281/.355/.445. He is on a 5-game hitting streak and could be seeing himself in Somerset soon enough. He can play 2B/SS/3B, so nobody is really going to “block” him.
DH Josh Breaux1-for-3, BB, K
Breaux has played 11 games down here on his “rehab” stint. He hasn’t done much but this is a bit of a longer stretch than is typical.
1B Rafael Flores1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, K
.305/.361/.372 in 180 plate appearances (8 doubles, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 15 BB, 46 K). The 25.6% K rate is certainly a bit high for a player who relies more on contact than power, but he has hit well. It is probably not a first baseman’s profile (unless he improves that power), but if he can stick behind the plate…
RF Anthony Garcia0-for-4, 4 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (11), 2 K, CS (1)
.239/.306/.348 in 175 plate appearances. Entering June, his triple slash was .205/.272/.280 after his dreadful May, so we are at least seeing some improvement.
LF Grant Richardson0-for-2, BB, K
CF Aldenis Sanchez0-for-3, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba1-for-3, K

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

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

2B Jared Serna2-for-4, 2B (11), HR (11), 3 RBI, 2 RS
This little guy continues to pack a lot of punch. He is now hitting .321/.384/.541 and is 9-for-23 with two doubles and three home runs during his 5-game hitting streak. 
CF Anthony Hall0-for-4, 2 K
Hall’s hitting streak is snapped at 9. He is hitting .272/.390/.419 in 164 plate appearances.
C Agustin Ramirez0-for-2, SF, RBI
I am not sure why Ramirez needed to leave the game.
  C Omar Martinez0-for-1, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Matt Pita0-for-4, K
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-2, RS, 2 HBP
Familia increases his hitting streak to seven (well-deserved after getting hit by two pitches!)
3B Jesus Rodriguez2-for-4, 2 2B (6), RBI, RS
Rodriguez has five straight multi-hit games and seven multi-hit games during his 9-game hitting streak. He is all the way up to .301/.372/.411 in 165 plate appearances.
RF Tayler Aguilar1-for-3, 2 K
1B Jake Palmer0-for-2, RS, BB
Palmer’s Low-A debut. At 24 years old, he wasn’t going to stay in the FCL for long!

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 1-4)  5.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
RHP Ocean Gabonia1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Adam Stone: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Stone cranked it up to just under 96 MPH. He threw a lot of cutters today, mixing in his 4-seamer, curve, and slider. 

FCL Yankees (3-2) 

Day off.

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

Both had the day off.

Yankees MILB 6/10: Fitts, Hampton Dominate

News:

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

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

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

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

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

Game 1 (Lost, 4-2)

LF Estevan Florial1-for-4, HR (13), 2 RBI, RS, K
Florial extends his on-base streak to 28. He is four home runs shy of his season-best, set in 2021.
CF Brandon Lockridge1-for-3, BB, 2 K
It is always nice to get that first hit out of the way when you join a new level.
C Rodolfo Duran0-for-2, 2 BB
.270/.333/.504 in 150 PA.
3B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-3, 2B (10)
Chaparro’s hitting streak reaches 7 (this is his first multi-hit game during the streak)
DH Franchy Cordero0-for-2, BB, K
1B Carlos Narvaez0-for-2, BB, 2 K
2B Jamie Westbrook2-for-3, K
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-3, 2 K
RF Michael Hermosillo2-for-3, RS
Hermosillo’s first game since 5/20.

RHP Will Warren: (L, 2-3) 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Since promotion: 7.08 ERA (20.1 IP, 23 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 6 HR, 10 BB, 21 K)
RHP Aaron McGarity2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
4.91 ERA (29.1 IP, 17 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 6 HR, 12 BB, 40 K)

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

CF Estevan Florial1-for-5, RS, K
Florial extends his on-base streak to 29.
LF Elijah Dunham1-for-5, RS, 2 K, SB (8)
Dunham is 8-for-31 in June. He stole 37 bases in 2022, so he has the ability to run. He simply hasn’t been able to consistently get on base.
C Ben Rortvedt1-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, K, SB (2)
1B-3B Andres Chaparro0-for-4, RS, BB, K
Chaparro’s 7-game hitting streak is snapped.
RF-1B Franchy Cordero2-for-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB
3B-2B Jamie Westbrook2-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, BB
DH Carlos Narvaez1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
  PR-RF Michael Hermosillo0-for-1
SS Jesus Bastidas1-for-5, RBI
Walk-off RBI single in the 11th.
2B-P Wilmer Difo0-for-4

RHP Colten Brewer1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
They had to go with a bullpen game in Game 2.
RHP James Norwood2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Gomez2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP D.J. Snelten: 2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
RHP Greg Weissert1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Wilmer Difo: (W, 1-0)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Railriders ran out of pitchers, so Difo had to do double duty!

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

SS Trey Sweeney1-for-3, BB, K
Sweeney now has an 8-game hitting streak.
LF Jasson Dominguez0-for-4
.203/.364/.390 in 231 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 39 R, 46 BB, 58 K, 14-for-17 SB). He has a .239 BABIP, which is impacting his bottom line. Overall, his season has been fine – not overwhelming, but fine.
C Austin Wells1-for-4, RS, K
.259/.358/.526 in 134 PA (7 doubles, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 18 R, 18 BB, 29 K). 
3B Tyler Hardman1-for-3, RS, BB, K, CS (2)
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, K
.234/.327/.455 in 171 PA. He has homered in back-to-back games and in three of his last four games. His power surge is an under-the-radar story.
DH Anthony Seigler1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Seigler is 6-for-21 in June with a pair of doubles and a home run. 
CF Jeisson Rosario1-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K, 2 SB (7)
Rosario is on a little 5-game hitting streak (6-for-17; HR, 3 SB). Maybe this will get him going.
2B Max Burt0-for-3, HBP, K, SB (8)
RF Aaron Palensky0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 3-4): 8 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, HR
Fitts is starting to cruise along. This is his 4th straight strong start and second time he struck out 10 during this stretch. Overall: 4.25 ERA (59.1 IP, 59 H, 28 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 15 BB, 65 K)
RHP Alex Mauricio1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

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

CF Spencer Jones1-for-4, 2B (18), RS, BB, 2 K
Jones hasn’t homered in 21 games. He does have 7 doubles during this timeframe, so that’s something.
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-5, 3 K
Vargas is 1-for-27 in June and 1-for-32 if you include the last game in May. Eek. 
C Josh Breaux1-for-5, RS, 2 K
RF Anthony Garcia0-for-4, RBI, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2 2B (10), RBI, RS, 2 K
Gomez is 8-for-19 with three doubles and a home run in June. By the way, he hit exactly 10 doubles in both 2021 and 2022. Hopefully, for his sake, he surpasses that number this year.
1B Spencer Henson2-for-3, 2B (10), RBI, BB
.282/.358/.500 in 179 PA (10 doubles, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 32 R, 16 BB, 44 K)
LF Aldenis Sanchez0-for-3, BB, K
3B Marcos Cabrera2-for-4, 2B (7), 3B (2), RS
Cabrera is 6-for-19 in June with four doubles and a triple.
2B Luis Santos: 3-for-4, RBI, K, CS (2)

RHP Chase Hampton: (W, 2-1)  5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
The only negative is that it took him 92 pitches, which may be surprising given the lack of hits and walks. Regardless, that is the smallest of nitpicks as he continues his dominant run. Season: 2.68 ERA (47 IP, 31 H, 18 R, 14 ER, 5 HR, 16 BB, 77 K). 77 strikeouts in 47 innings for a pitcher in his first professional season. The Yankees challenged him from the start and he has responded. I am not comparing him to the rise of Joba Chamberlain as every prospect is different – what I will say is that the Yankees were very aggressive with Chamberlain in 2007. He pitched in High-A, Double-A, Triple-A, and New York in his first year. I am putting the cart before the horse – let’s get him to Double-A first.
RHP Luis Velasquez1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
A strong High-A debut for Velasquez, who pitched to a 1.05 ERA in 25.2 IP for Tampa (33/15 K/BB ratio)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

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

2B Jared Serna1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, HBP, K
.317/.382/.522 in 228 PA (10 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 36 R, 20 BB, 39 K, 13-for-17 SB)
CF Daury Arias2-for-6, 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Daury did all of his damage in the 9-run first inning. 
DH Agustin Ramirez1-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
.253/.398/.390 in 186 PA. 
SS Brenny Escanio0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
RF Matt Pita1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, HBP
Pita (26) is on a rehab stint (this is his first game of the season).
  
RF Felix Negueis1-for-1, RS, BB, SB (2)
LF Christopher Familia1-for-5, RS, 4 K
Familia has a 6-game hitting streak going. He homered in the first five games of the streak.
C Omar Martinez1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
Martinez has hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games (11-for-34; .324)
3B Ronny Rojas2-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, 3 RS, BB, K
1B Beau Brewer2-for-3, SF, 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Last year’s 19th-round pick has a 10/4 BB/K ratio (nice) but is still looking for his first extra-base hit in 2023.

RHP Justin Lange: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 7 K, HR
This kind of stat line should just be dubbed the “Lange”.  Season: 4.30 ERA (37.2 IP, 20 H, 22 R, 18 ER, 2 HR, 30 BB, 65 K)
RHP Matt Keating (W, 4-4): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Bustamante2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.16 ERA (25.2 IP, 14 H, 12 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 17 BB, 25 K)
RHP Manny Ramirez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

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

2B Keiner Delgado2-for-4, 2 RS, BB, 2 SB (4)
I talked a bit about Roderick Arias‘ chances to make it to Tampa this year – I wouldn’t count out Delgado, either. He is now 6-for-18 with eight walks and a 4-for-6 SB rate.
SS Roderick Arias0-for-5, 3 K
The prospect with all the hype didn’t join the party today.
CF Willy Montero3-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 RS
Montero is now 8-for-15 with a pair of doubles.
DH Hans Montero: 2-for-4, HR (2; grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
His DSL experience wasn’t the best but he has started strong here. You never know when (if?) something will click with a bonus baby.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda4-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS, 2 SB (4)
7-for-16 with five runs batted in and a perfect 4-for-4 stealing bases.
LF Dayro Perez0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
After a few games in RF, Perez makes his debut in LF. I have no quarrels with trying to develop him as more of a super-utility type. The up-the-middle field of prospects is a crowded one.
1B Kelvin Espino2-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB

RHP Matt Sauer: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
One has to assume he won’t linger down here much longer.
RHP Jackson Fristoe: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K
Fristoe’s professional debut. He is listed at 6’4″ and comes out of Mississippi State.
LHP Edwar Polimir2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
The 22-year-old struck out 59 hitters in 38.1 innings for the DSL squad last year.
RHP Montana Semmel0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Semmel has tossed 32.2 innings at this level, compiling a 3.03 ERA and 31/11 K/BB ratio. If he is healthy, they will get him to Tampa soon enough.

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

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

For the Bombers:

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

RHP Joshawn Lampson2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alejandro Gomez4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K.
Gomez is 20 and this is his third year down here.