Tag: Austin Wells

Yankees MILB 7/5: Andres Chaparro Drives Home 6

News:

Nothing to report.

Scranton (39-42; 4-2 in the second half) (Leveled Lehigh Valley, 14-0)

RF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, RS, BB, 2 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-2, 2 RS, BB, HBP, K
It was a blowout, so that can explain why he was pulled – especially since he was HBP. We will anxiously await tomorrow’s lineup. He is 5-for-13 to start July with five walks and seven runs scored.
  SS Max Burt: 0-for-0
DH Everson Pereira: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 RS
His first two Triple-A games: 4-for-9, HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
C Ben Rortvedt: 1-for-5, RS, K
3B Andres Chaparro: 3-for-4, 2B (15), HR (16), 6 RBI, 4 RS, BB
On June 24th, he set a personal best with a 5-RBI game. Tonight, he betters that mark. He is hitting .247/.331/.476 in 335 PA (15 doubles, 2 triples, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 52 R, 38 BB, 69 K). His personal best for RBI in a season is 73, set in 2021.
LF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB, CS (1)
1B Rodolfo Duran: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
2B Wilmer Difo: 2-for-4, 2B (5), HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB
A nice return from the injured list for the veteran utility player.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K, SB (5)
Since promotion: 15-for-56 (.268; 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run). Between here and Somerset, he is 22-for-25 in the stolen base department.

RHP Will Warren (W, 4-3): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Warren tossed five shutout innings in his last appearance. Since promotion: 4.37 ERA (35 IP, 32 H, 23 R, 17 ER, 7 HR, 16 BB, 38 K). This is an offensive level, so there is an adjustment period. He allowed five of those seven home runs in his first two starts here.
RHP Aaron McGarity: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Michael Feliz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (47-29; 5-3 in the second half) (Defeated Reading, 7-3)

SS Trey Sweeney: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, 2 K, CS (4)
The walks have saved his season. That’s no small thing. We just want to see more hitting.
C Austin Wells: 2-for-4, HR (11; grand slam), 4 RBI, RS
Wells is now hitting .255 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI in 48 games at this level. Just ridiculous production that goes back to last year.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, RS, K
CF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K, SB (1)
His first game since being sent back down here…
LF Jeisson Rosario: 2-for-4, 2B (4), RS
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, SB (7)
Palensky has 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts between here and Hudson Valley.
2B Delvin Perez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K, SB (7)

RHP Matt Sauer: (W, 1-1) 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HR
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 0.00 ERA (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K)
RHP Zac Houston: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: (S, 5)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.55 ERA (25.1 IP, 20 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 25 K)

Hudson Valley (44-33; 5-3 in the second half) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 9-2)

2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K
DH Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-5, RS, K
Ramirez has hit safely in all six games since his promotion (12-for-25)
RF Christopher Familia: 4-for-5, 2B (2), HR (1), RBI, 3 RS
Between here and Tampa, Familia has nine doubles and 12 home runs in 27 games. This is his second career 4-hit game.
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, 3 K
1B Spencer Henson: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB
Henson has three consecutive multi-hit games to begin July.
LF Anthony Garcia: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, 2 K
CF Aldenis Sanchez: 1-for-5, RS, 3 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 2-for-2, 2B (2), RBI, RS, 2 BB

RHP Brendan Beck: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
10.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 14 K in his first four professional starts.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Luis Velasquez: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 10.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 14 K. The walks have always been an issue.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (36-41; 5-6 in the second half) (Destroyed Dunedin, 9-2)

2B Jared Serna: 2-for-6, 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Serna’s hitting streak reaches seven. He is hitting .287/.347/.487 in 329 encouraging plate appearances.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, 2B (11), SF, RBI, 2 K, SB (11)
The dark horse for the organization’s batting crown is hitting .297/.378/.426 in 242 PA.
DH Ben Rice: 1-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, 2 K
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-5, RS, 3 K
CF Daury Arias: 2-for-4, RS, BB
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 3 BB, 2 K
LF Jake Palmer: 3-for-4, RBI, 2 RS
Palmer’s first career 3-hit game. He is 9-for-32 with eight runs scored and nine walks since his promotion.
RF Felix Negueis: 2-for-5, 2B (2), 3 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K, SB (3)
It has been a frustrating season for Negueis, so it is nice to see him put together a good night.
1B Beau Brewer: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 4-4)  6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
3.50 ERA (72 IP, 67 H, 33 R, 28 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 84 K). He is 20 and pitching in a full-season league for the first time. A very encouraging season – we will see how many innings they have allocated for him.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert:  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.34 ERA (34.2 IP, 24 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 41 K)
RHP Adam Stone: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL Yankees (12-10) 

Day off

DSL Yankees (15-5)

Day off

DSL Bombers (11-10)

Day off

Yankees MILB 7/4: Everson Pereira Homers in Triple-A Debut

News:

OF Everson Pereira is now a member of the Scranton Railriders.

Ranked as the #4 prospect in the system by Pipeline, Pereira hit well for Somerset this season. In 185 plate appearances, he hit .292/.362/.545 (143 wRC+) with ten home runs and 31 runs batted in. He plays all three outfield positions, though there is talk he is best suited at a corner. This happens to a lot of prospects as they mature. I am not sure if Pereira has completely outgrown center field, but he likely has enough bat to play a corner anyway.

The one negative in his game is a K% that sits at 29.2% this season. A high batting average and high K% typically mean a high BABIP, and that is the case with Pereira. His BABIP is .373. Also, he has a history of some annoying injuries. Last season, he set a personal best with 102 games played. An injury earlier this season likely keeps him away from breaking that record.

Can he make it to MLB in 2023? Yes. He is already on the 40-man roster, so it will be a relatively simple transaction once they deem him ready. If not, he is certainly a 2024 option if they don’t use him as trade bait.

To make room for Pereira, the Yankees demoted Elijah Dunham to Somerset. Dunham hasn’t been able to get much going this year, so perhaps this will jumpstart him into a solid second half.

Scranton (38-42; 3-2 in the second half) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-4. They loaded the bases in the 9th with Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira coming up, and couldn’t get the game tied. Baseball!)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB
Last 6 games: 9-for-23 (.391; 1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 9 R, 7 BB, 4 K). Whether you think he is MLB caliber or not, there is no doubt that Florial has done everything he can to earn that shot.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
.280/.360/.543 in 186 PA.
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, K
This is what you call a successful debut. He homered in his first at-bat (an at-bat where he battled back from 0-2 to make it 3-2). The home run traveled 426 feet at 111.4 MPH. His talent is legitimate.
DH Ben Rortvedt: 1-for-2, RS, BB, HBP
Rortvedt is hitting .304/.439/.519 in 98 PA at this level.
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-2, 2 BB
Chaparro has nine walks in his last nine games. 
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-4, K
LF Franchy Cordero: 0-for-4, K
3B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-4
  PR Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0
2B Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, K

RHP Jhony Brito: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Brito’s statistics down here are meaningless. I am not just saying that because he owns a 6.39 ERA. He is down here to continue to work on things for the inevitable call-up at some point later this season.
RHP Michael Gomez: (L, 0-4) 2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Greg Weissert: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.20 ERA (25.1 IP, 19 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 39 K)
LHP D.J. Snelten: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Somerset (46-29; 4-3 in the second half) (Lost to Reading, 5-4)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-2, RS, BB, HBP, CS (4)
.246/.365/.430 in 326 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 36 RBI, 47 R, 46 BB, 61 K, 10-for-14 SB). He has started July 3-for-10 with three walks and a strikeout.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, 2 SB (22)
Since we tend to dwell on negatives, here are two positives: 22-for-25 SB (88%); 56 BB in 327 PA (17.1%).
C Austin Wells: 1-for-3, SF, 3 RBI, K
Wells has 86 RBI in 102 games at this level. 
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
They gave him a day off after his 3-HR game and he is 0-for-8 since. Don’t let the small sample size ruin my narrative.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, HBP
RF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-2, 2 BB, CS (5)
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, 2 K
Palensky is in a 4-for-34 slump. He is hitting .213/.396/.440 since his promotion.
DH Eric Wagaman: 2-for-3, 2 RS, BB, SB (13)
.333/.388/.543 in 116 PA with a surprising 13-for-14 SB rate.
2B Mickey Gasper: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, RS
Gasper’s first career appearance at a position other than P (two games)/C/1B/DH. 

RHP Richard Fitts: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
Two of the three walks were compiled in the 7th inning, where Fitts went over the 100-pitch mark. Season: 3.78 ERA (83.1 IP, 79 H, 36 R, 35 ER, 13 HR, 20 BB, 92 K)
RHP Danny Watson: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, HR
He hadn’t allowed a run since being promoted, so you can say he was due for a tough outing.
LHP Josh Maciejewski: (L, 0-1) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (43-33; 4-3 in the second half) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 4-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2B (20), RBI, RS, K
If it felt as if he was stuck on 19 doubles forever, you are correct. This is his first double since 6/14.
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, BB
Ramirez is 10-for-20 since his promotion (4 doubles, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K). 
LF Christopher Familia: 0-for-4, 2 K
Familia is 3-for-22 since his promotion. We all knew this might be a challenge – let’s see how he adjusts.
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 3 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, RS, 2 K, CS (1)
3B Marcos Cabrera: 3-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS
Cabrera’s second 3-hit game of the season. This is his first home run since May 28th.

RHP Tyrone Yulie: (W, 4-5)  5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, HR
3.99 ERA (65.1 IP, 47 H, 37 R, 29 ER, 9 HR, 38 BB, 79 K). A strong start to July after he posted a 2.35 ERA in four June starts (23 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 24 K)
RHP Bailey Dees: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
2.10 ERA (34.1 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 52 K)
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Clay Aguilar (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Aguilar’s first professional save. Congrats!

Tampa (35-39; 2-4 in the second half) (Lost to Dunedin, 4-2)

DH Jared Serna: 1-for-5, K
He isn’t on a “hot streak,” but he does own a 6-game hitting streak (7-for-27; 2 doubles, 1 home run)
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, 3 K
C Ben Rice: 1-for-3, 2 K
Rice is 1-for-6 with three walks on his rehab stint.
  C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-1, RS
Rodriguez is 34-for-95 since June 1st (.358; 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 15 R, 14 BB, 13 K)
CF Anthony Hall: 1-for-2, RS, HBP, BB, K
LF Daury Arias: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B Brett Barrera: 2-for-4, 3B (1), RBI
Barrera’s first career triple (44 career games)
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-2, K
  RF Felix Negueis: 0-for-2, K
1B Beau Brewer: 1-for-4
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-3, BB, K
Colmenares’ first game since August 9, 2021. He was signed in 2019 for an undisclosed amount. In 57 career games heading into tonight, he hit .214/.318/.326 with four home runs and 26 RBI.

RHP Leonardo Pestana: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
4.79 ERA (35.2 IP, 35 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 7 HR, 17 BB, 47 K). Injuries limited him to only three appearances between 2021-2022, so they are taking it easy with him.
RHP Kris Bow: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Matt Keating (L, 5-6): 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR

FCL Yankees (12-10) (Lost to the Phillies, 5-4)

2B Keiner Delgado: 0-for-5, K
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, BB, CS (3)
Arias is now a proud owner of a 10-game hitting streak (15-for-39). Overall, he is hitting .263/.411/.461 in 95 PA with four home runs and 16 runs batted in.
DH Hans Montero: 1-for-5, 3 K
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-4, RS, BB, K
.324/.520/.515 in 98 PA with three home runs and 15 RBI. He is also 13-for-15 stealing bases. Tejeda is only 18 years old.
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-5, 2B (5), RBI, RS, K
DSL, 2022: .262/.396/.382 in 235 PA
FCL, 2023: .291/.356/.418 in 90 PA.
Yes, the BB rate has gone down – but while the FCL isn’t the perfect league, the DSL is a crazy league. I am never alarmed by walk rates going down when a player gets away from that league.
RF John Cruz: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, RS
.227/.337/.480 in 89 PA (5 HR, 26 RBI, 10 R, 12 BB, 21 K)
LF Joel Mendez: 1-for-3, BB, K
1B Kelvin Espino: 2-for-3, 2 2B (4), RBI, BB, K

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
3.71 ERA (17 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 22 K)
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
I firmly believe that Rodriguez belongs in Tampa.
RHP Montana Semmell: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
A needed dominant performance by Semmell, who pitched well in limited action here in 2022.He was drafted in the 36th round out of high school back in 2019. The Yankees nabbed him for $125,000 – an important number because $125,000 is the max you can give a player after the 10th round without it counting against your bonus pool.

DSL Yankees (15-5)

The game was postponed due to rain.

DSL Bombers (11-10)

The game was postponed due to rain.

Yankees MILB 6/22: Brock Selvidge Ks 10

News:

C Ben Rortvedt‘s stint on the IL didn’t last long as he was in the Scranton lineup tonight. The Railriders are now carrying four catchers (Rortvedt, Rodolfo Duran, Carlos Narvaez, and Josh Breaux). They can use the 1B and DH slots to help distribute some at-bats (Rortvedt, Narvaez, and Duran all played tonight), but they also need to make sure these players get in their time behind the plate as well.

SS Oswald Peraza missed his third straight game this evening. OF Everson Pereira (Somerset) is still out of the lineup, as well.

Since they had a need for additional bodies in Scranton, UTIL Max Burt was promoted to Scranton. Drafted in the 28th round in the 2018 draft out of Northeastern, Burt is an organizational utility player. This isn’t his first stint in Scranton (played 36 games back in 2021). When I see a player like Burt, I think of someone you are going to see coaching, scouting, or whatever they wish to do in baseball some day.

Scranton (33-39) (Lost to Buffalo, 2-1, in ten innings)

LF Estevan Florial: 1-for-4, HR (19), RBI, RS, K
.296/.385/.619. After hitting 9 HR in May, he has 7 in June.  That said, he hasn’t been on top of his game in June. He is only 18-for-74 (.243) with four walks and 22 strikeouts. He walked 15 times in May, so his discipline has taken a bit of a fall. 
3B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-4
.238/.311/.457 in 289 PA with 12 doubles, 14 homers, and 43 RBI.
C Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, K
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, BB, K
CF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 3 K
1B Rodolfo Duran: 1-for-4, 2 K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-4, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, 2 K, SB (5)
RF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, K, CS (1)

LHP Tanner Tully: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
3.91 ERA (69 IP, 81 H, 33 R, 30 ER, 7 HR, 16 BB, 63 K). Doing his job eating some Triple-A innings.
LHP Matt Krook: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Gomez: (L, 0-3)  2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Somerset (40-25) (Defeated New Hampshire, 4-3, in 14 innings)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Sweeney has four home runs in his last five games. This home run tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 11th.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-5, BB, K
His average has fallen back down to .198. I think everyone should have at least SOME level of concern, right? He hasn’t shown much progress as the season has gone along. It’s not like the Yankees are loaded with upper-level OF prospects, especially if Everson Pereira is going to go down to injury every year.
DH Austin Wells: 2-for-5, 2B (9), BB, K
Wells is surprisingly hitting only .247 at this level, but you still feel confident that he has conquered Double-A. Some of that is due to the power he has shown (9 doubles, 9 HR in 38 games).
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-6
Eeeeeeek.
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-5, RS, BB, K
Palensky scored the winning run on a balk in the 14th.
C Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, 3 BB
All three walks were intentional. Whatever helps the OBP!
1B Eric Wagaman: 0-for-5, BB, K
CF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-5, BB, 2 K
2B Delvin Perez: 1-for-5, HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB, 4 K
I brought up his Top 100 status yesterday. In case you are wondering, he never lived up to it because the bat simply never developed. He can run and play multiple positions (though he is mostly a SS) and that perhaps can get him some MLB time down the road.

RHP Richard Fitts: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
3.91 ERA (71.1 IP, 68 H, 32 R, 31 ER, 10 HR, 15 BB, 80 K). Fitts has been rolling lately. This was his 13th start of 2023 – if you believe in patterns (and you should at least pay attention to them), he made 17 starts in Tampa in 2022 before being promoted to Hudson Valley for his final five starts.
RHP Zac Houston: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
9 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 17 K.
LHP Lisandro Santos: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Tanner Myatt:  2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Justin Wilson: (W, 3-1)  3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
3.86 ERA (25.2 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 16 BB, 26 K)

Hudson Valley (39-27) (Lost to Brooklyn, 5-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 2 K, SB (17)
.280/.338/.519 in 263 PA with 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts (85%). 
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, 2 K
.208/.265/.358 in 230 PA. In the FSL last season, he hit .203/.271/.311. He started the season very promising but has fallen down rather quickly. He is 7-for-62 in June with 23 strikeouts.
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2B (10), K
DH Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, HR (3), RBI, RS, K
Gomez is up to .247 as he improves his June numbers to 17-for-46 (.370) with four doubles and two home runs. A reason for optimism? I will take anything – he is still only 21 as a catcher in High-A ball. 
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, 2B (8)
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-1, BB

LHP Joel Valdez: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
5.94 ERA (47 IP, 39 H, 33 R, 31 ER, 6 HR, 35 BB, 48 K). 
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
Since promotion: 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 8 K
RHP Bailey Dees: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
2.20 ERA (28.2 IP, 15 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 44 K). It is always a bit of a crapshoot trying to figure out which of these big relief arms will become viable MLB relievers. As an organization, you want to keep churning them out. If only a few of them pan out, it’s a win.
LHP Clay Aguilar: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.93 ERA (15.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 25 K). Can’t ask for much more.

Tampa (31-35) (Swept in a doubleheader by Ft. Myers)

Game 1 (Lost, 2-0)

2B Jared Serna: 0-for-2, BB, CS (5)
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3
DH Daury Arias: 0-for-2, BB
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-3, K
His hitting streak reaches 7 (four multi-hit games)
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, K
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-2
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-2
LF Jake Palmer: 0-for-2

RHP Leonardo Pestana (L, 0-3): 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
4.50 ERA (30 IP, 29 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 39 K)
RHP Kris Bow: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
7.41 ERA (17 IP, 19 H, 15 R, 14 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 16 K).  I will keep reminding you that he gave up 11 runs (10 earned) in 2.2 innings in his first two starts.

Game 2 (Lost, 7-6, in 9 innings)

2B Jared Serna: 1-for-5, 2B (13), RBI, RS
.304/.368/.520 in 277 PA. 
CF Anthony Hall: 3-for-5, 2B (8), HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
.278/.394/.438 in 203 PA. He is now 20-for-68 (.294/.380/.500) in June after his crazy May. 
SS Brenny Escanio: 3-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
I would say that five hits in a doubleheader qualify as a good day. His hitting streak reaches 8 (five multi-hit games). Overall, he is still only hitting .230/.322/.293 in 259 PA. 
DH Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, K
LF Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, K
Familia is now 28-for-73 (.384) with six doubles, two triples, ten home runs, and 29 RBI. He has nine multi-hit games (18 games played)
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 2 K
  PR-C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-0
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Ronny Rojas: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB

LHP Brock Selvidge: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, HR
3.65 ERA (61.2 IP, 57 H, 29 R, 25 ER, 3 HR, 15 BB, 74 K). Selvidge is only 20, so they don’t really need to rush him to Hudson Valley – but he has done a solid job. His ten strikeouts tonight set a new personal high (the previous high was 8, which he accomplished in each of his three starts prior to tonight)
RHP Manny Ramirez: 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Matt Keating: (L, 5-5) 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
3.14 ERA (28.2 IP, 25 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 45 K)

FCL Yankees (8-5) (Lost to the Tigers, 5-4)

2B Keiner Delgado: 1-for-3, 2B (4), 2 BB
Rookie League disclaimer applies, but he now owns a 70/35 BB/K ratio in 301 career plate appearances.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K, 2 SB (7)
Arias is 7-for-17 in his last four games (0-for-18 in his previous five games)
RF Willy Montero: 2-for-4, 2B (4), BB, K
15-for-44 (.341) with four doubles.
DH Hans Montero: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K, SB (4)
I just love crazy lines like .298/.508/.614 in 63 PA.
C Edinson Duran: 2-for-3, RS, HBP, SB (1)
12-for-26 (.462). He is 20 years old.

RHP Ryan Harvey: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, HR
2.38 ERA (11.1 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 16 K)
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
9.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 12 K

DSL Bombers (8-5) (Lost to Rangers Blue, 12-11)

SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB (11)
Matheus’ 11 stolen bases lead the DSL.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 1-for-3, 2B (4), 2 RS, 2 BB, SB (5)
Terrero is on an 8-game hitting streak (he has hit safely in nine of his ten games)
CF Gabriel Lara: 1-for-5, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS
11-for-36 with nine walks and six strikeouts. He is 17 years old (debut season)
1B David Beckles: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
LF Abrahan Ramirez:  0-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 SB (3)
RF Luis Puello: 2-for-5, RBI, RS
The 17-year-old is 8-for-31 (.258) with six walks and seven strikeouts in his debut season

DSL Yankees (10-2) (Lost to Rangers Red, 4-3)

CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-5, 2B (3), RS, K, SB (2)
7-for-16 (.438) in his first five professional games.
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-2, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, 3 BB, K, 2 SB (2)
The 19-year-old (second year at this level) is 10-for-27 with 15 RBI in eight games. He has 12 walks and six strikeouts.
SS Santiago Gomez: 1-for-2, 2B (4), 2 BB, K, SB (7)
Also 19, Gomez is 11-for-32 with a pair of home runs and 13 RBI.

RHP Sabier Marte: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Marte is another big kid (6’5″). Unlike many of their bigger pitchers, he thus far hasn’t run into major control issues (47/7 K/BB in 38.2 career innings)

 

Yankees MILB 6/14: Trey Sweeney: 3 Hits, HR

News:

Nothing to report.

Scranton (29-34)

Their game against Rochester was postponed. They will play a pair tomorrow.

A few stat lines to hold you over:

Estevan Florial: .307/.406/.625 (150 wRC+); 14.8% BB, 30.6% K (It temporarily slipped below 30% for a day. Florial has a shot at a 30/30 minor league campaign – but I bet he would much rather be playing in MLB games)
Oswald Peraza: .306/.377/.581 (135 wRC+); 5.8% BB, 15.2% K (One has to love the ability to make contact)
Andres Chaparro: .245/.318/.441 (83 wRC+); 9.7% BB, 21.3% K (Yes, his numbers have taken a fall as the power has disappeared, for now)
Jesus Bastidas: .260/.325/.431 (85 wRC+); 7.4% BB, 26.1% K
Rodolfo Duran: .270/.333/.504 (104 wRC+); 7.3% BB, 20% K (With Ben Rortvedt out, he is in the mix for the #3 catcher job)
Carlos Narvaez: .279/.457/.410 (135 wRC+); 22.2% BB, 22.2% K (20 games. Narvaez is also in the mix for #3 catcher)
Elijah Dunham: .222/.337/.329 (74 wRC+); 12.8% BB, 27.2% K (Tough season thus far for Dunham, who simply hasn’t been able to get into a groove)

Deivi Garcia: 5.23 ERA/6.12 FIP over 31 innings with a 21.6% K and 16.2% BB.

Somerset (36-22) (Squeaked past Altoona, 5-4)

SS Trey Sweeney: 3-for-4, 2B (13), HR (5), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Sweeney’s hitting streak is up to 11 (17-for-50 (.340)). This is his third 3-hit game this season and he has his triple slash up to .250/.371/.385. Before the streak, his triple slash was .222/.362/.329.
CF Harrison Bader: 0-for-4, 2 K
  RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-1, K
LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-5, 2 K
C Austin Wells: 3-for-4, HR (9), RBI, 2 RS, K
Enough is enough – he has no business being here. That said, despite the fact that they are treating Oswald Peraza as if he is a Quadruple-A veteran who should languish in Triple-A, top prospects don’t typically need a lot of time in Triple-A. If the plan is to get him to Triple-A for a week or so before promoting him to MLB, fine. I don’t think that will happen, but it would at least explain this insanity.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, HR (12), 2 RBI, RS, K
Rumfield has homered in five straight games (6 HR in last 7 games). He is now hitting .242/.332/.503 in 184 PA (5 doubles, 12 HR, 34 RBI, 28 R, 21 BB, 26 K). You have to like that his power is surging while he is maintaining a low K% (14.1)
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (7)
DH Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K, CS (4)
RF-CF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
2B Max Burt: 1-for-4

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W, 5-3)   6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
6.04 ERA (56.2 IP, 58 H, 39 R, 38 ER, 8 HR, 27 BB, 57 K). He left the game with two runners on base – and both scored.
RHP Blas Castano: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Danny Watson (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Watson hasn’t allowed a run in six innings since his promotion (2 H, 2 BB, 3 K). He stands 6’7″ and has produced a lot of strikeouts on his journey through the minors – Double-A is an adjustment. For now, we will take the zeroes.

Hudson Valley (34-25) (Defeated Rome, 4-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 2B (19), RS, BB, SB (15)
Jones with his second consecutive multi-hit game as he tries to break out of his extended slump.
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, BB
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, RS, K
RF Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, RBI, HBP
Gomez is now 12-for-29 in June. 
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, RS, K
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-3, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, HBP, 2 K
Henson is hitting .283 with 10 doubles, 9 HR, and 29 RBI.  His personal best for HR is 10, which he did in 71 games last year (tonight was his 43rd game this year)
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, BB
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-2

RHP Tyrone Yulie: (W, 2-4)  5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
4.69 ERA (48 IP, 40 H, 33 R, 25 ER, 30 BB, 57 K)
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jack Neely: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
1.80 ERA (25 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 36 K)
RHP Bailey Dees (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.59 ERA (24.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 35 K)

Tampa (26-32) (Defeated Clearwater, 11-6. The Thrashers are really good (41-17) so this is a quality win)

SS Jared Serna: 2-for-5, HR (12), RBI, 2 RS, BB, SB (14)
Serna now owns a 7-game hitting streak. He is hitting .320/.383/.543 in 243 PA (11 doubles, 1 triple, 12 HR, 37 RBI, 40 R, 21 BB, 40 K, 14-for-18 SB). After games of 6/7, his SLG dropped below .500 (.495). Since that game, he is 11-for-29 with two doubles and four home runs. He has a realistic chance at a 25/25 type of season.
CF Daury Arias: 0-for-5, RS, BB, 3 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB, K, CS (3)
.258/.402/.411 in 194 PA (5 doubles, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 32 R, 38 BB, 33 K, 6-for-9 SB). When you can maintain a BB/K over 1.00, you are doing something notable in the modern game. Ramirez is a catching prospect you need to pay attention to. 
DH Anthony Hall: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 3 K
.277/.391/.418 in 169 PA. If not for his injury in his first AB last season, he likely is already up in Hudson Valley.
2B Brenny Escanio: 2-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K, SB (13)
Escanio has struggled this season but does have four multi-hit games in his last eight games played.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 2B (7), RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
.294/.370/.405 in 174 PA (7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 27 R, 18 BB, 26 K (14.9%)). Rodriguez is 19-for-44 (.432) in June.
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-3, 2B (5), 3 RBI, BB
Familia has 18 RBI in 12 games. That is a testament to how well the offense is flowing right now, but also a testament to how well he is hitting (.396/.482/.875; 9-game hitting streak). Correct – that .875 is his SLG, not his OPS.
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
.237/.369/.396 in 168 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 18 R, 27 BB, 51 K, 3-for-4 SB). Just like Ramirez and Rodriguez, Martinez is a catcher by trade. 
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K, SB (4)

RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
4.78 ERA (26.1 IP, 27 H, 14 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 36 K). Health has been an issue for him – hopefully he can get through the rest of 2023 unscathed.
RHP Kris Bow (W, 2-1): 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
It takes a while for your numbers to recover when you allow 10 ER in your first 2.2 innings. In his last 11 innings, he has allowed 4 runs and has an 11/6 K/BB ratio.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL Yankees (4-3)

Day off.

DSL Yankees (7-0)

Day off.

DSL Bombers (6-1)

Day off.

 

Yankees MILB 6/7: Austin Wells Drives Home 2

News:

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

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

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

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

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

Scranton (27-30)

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

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

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

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

Hudson Valley (30-22) 

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

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

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

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

FCL Yankees (1-1)

Day off.

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

Both teams had the day off.

Yankees MILB 6/4: Drew Thorpe Dominates

News:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yankees MILB 5/28: Estevan Florial is Scorching

News:

Mason Vinyard is now a member of the Hudson Valley Renegades, as he was promoted from the Tampa Tarpons according to the Hudson Valley Twitter feed.

Vinyard, a 23-year-old RHP, was signed as an undrafted free agent last year (Western Kentucky). For Tampa, he pitched to a 3.33 ERA in 24.1 innings with a 32/10 K/BB ratio.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez is back from the injured list. He is a 40-man roster guy with one minor league option left. We are nearing the “now or never” part of his career. The talent is there – the health hasn’t been.

Scranton (25-26) (Mauled Worcester, 11-4)

CF Estevan Florial: 3-for-5, 2B (6), HR (12), 2 RBI, 3 RS, K
Florial now has an 8-game hitting streak (15-for-38; 2 doubles, 6 home runs). He is hitting .322/.437/.643. He is the new organizational HR leader.
3B Josh Donaldson: 2-for-3, 2B (1), HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB
Once a rehabbing player starts playing full games in the field, you know the return is imminent.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, RS, HBP, K
.329/.380/.576 in 92 plate appearances. 
LF Kole Calhoun: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-3, SF, 2 RBI, K
Chaparro is starting to feel it again. He is now hitting .263/.332/.492 with 11 home runs, 34 RBI, and 32 runs scored. His K% is a reasonable 20.8.
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2B (10), RS, 3 K
C Rodolfo Duran: 1-for-4, RBI, RS
.295/.347/.571 in 121 plate appearances. He continues to maintain that batting average.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, SB (1)
7-for-32 with ten walks since his promotion.
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-4, RBI, 3 K

RHP Will Warren: (W, 2-1)  6 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
A Donaldson error helped bring home a couple of runs. Warren allowed five HR in his first two Triple-A starts but kept the ball in the park today. He hit the mid-90s with his sinker today and sits just a bit below that. A legit prospect who I would say is nearly ready, but not quite there yet. Ask me again later in the year.
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
See you soon!
RHP Colten Brewer: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (25-19) (Defeated Erie, 3-2. A nice rebound from the 17-3 loss last night. As they say, the way to take care of momentum in baseball is with the next day’s pitching)

SS Trey Sweeney: 0-for-5, 3 K
Tough day – shake it off.  Sweeney is hitting .230/.366/.324 in 183 PA (8 doubles, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 27 R, 31 BB (16.9%), 41 K (22.4%), 7-for-10 SB)
LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, 2 K
.207/.369/.400. I would love to see him go on a streak that will put the Mendoza line firmly in the rearview mirror.
CF Everson Pereira: 2-for-4, 2B (10), 2 K
.280/.346/.510 in 159 PA. He is 26-for-86 (.302/.365/.570) in May.
DH Austin Wells: 2-for-3, RS, BB
For Somerset (I don’t care about his rehab stint in Tampa): .272/.359/.580 in 92 plate appearances.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-0
He was listed in the first lineup I saw – but isn’t listed at all in the boxscore. It could have been a GameDay error – but I will just leave it here anyway. Hardman is hitting .226/.300/.492 in 140 plate appearances. 
  PH-3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, RS, BB
.241/.331/.440 in 136 PA. His K% is currently 13.97%.
2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, RS, K
He is now up to two strikeouts in 64 plate appearances since his promotion! His hitting streak is now at five (8-for-20 with two doubles and a triple)
RF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-4, 3 K
C Mickey Gasper: 1-for-3, 2B (1), 3 RBI, BB, SB (2)
Gasper obviously had the big knock of the day – a bases-clearing double with one out in the 6th.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
An impressive performance for Gomez in his first appearance of 2023.
LHP Michael Giacone: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
2.21 ERA (20.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 25 K). As I keep saying, this system isn’t loaded with LHP, so pay close attention to the ones they do have.
RHP Justin Wilson: (W, 1-1)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
4.86 ERA (16.2 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 16 K). A nice outing after giving up four runs in one inning the last time out.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: (S, 1)  1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (27-18) (Defeated Wilmington, 8-4)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, 2B (13), 2 RS, BB, SB (11)
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Vargas’ third straight multi-hit game (4th in his last five games). He is 10-for-24 during this stretch.
C Josh Breaux: 0-for-4, K
Breaux played seven defensive innings tonight.
  C Juan Crisp: 0-for-0, BB
DH Antonio Gomez: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, K
Gomez has driven home at least one run in four straight games.
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-5, 3 K
Henson is the proud owner of a 6-game hitting streak (12-for-29)
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-5, RS
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, RS
Richardson is on a 9-game on-base streak (eight of those games feature at least one hit)
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-3, RS, BB
3B Marcos Cabrera: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Cabrera didn’t have a good season for Tampa last year, but he did hit 14 home runs. His issue is the strikeouts – a whopping 37.9% rate last year and a 36.2% rate this year.

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 3-1) 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR
Thorpe allowed three runs in the first inning but was able to settle in from there. He owns a 3.92 ERA (43.2 IP, 42 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 52 K)
LHP Clay Aguilar: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.65 ERA (12.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 9 BB, 18 K)
RHP Jack Neely: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
2.00 ERA (18 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 29 K). Neely’s last eight outs have been via the strikeout.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
1.48 ERA (24.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 39 K)

Tampa (18-27) (Defeated Palm Beach, 3-1)

2B Jared Serna: 1-for-5, 2 K, SB (10)
Serna is now the owner of a 9-game hitting streak (11-for-37; .297). It isn’t one of those “can’t get this guy out” streaks but it is allowing him to maintain his impressive triple slash: .318/.382/.539 in 170 plate appearances. 
CF Daury Arias: 1-for-5, 3 K, SB (6)
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K, SB (4)
Of the three catcher types down here (Ramirez, Omar Martinez, Jesus Rodriguez), it is Ramirez who is typically hitting the highest in the lineup. He is hitting .248/.359/.410 in 142 plate appearances.
RF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
Medina continues to hit well while floating under the radar: .282/.380/.462. He is 22 and plays every outfield position.
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
DH Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), RBI
.238/.370/.410 in 127 PA. Martinez has been slumping lately so he needed this.
LF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-3, BB
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2 K
.239/.323/.312 in 125 PA. Of the three catcher types, Rodriguez is the one they use in more of a multi-position role (C, 1B, 3B, LF)
1B Ronny Rojas: 0-for-4, 3 K

RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Pestana’s first appearance since 5/10. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia (W, 2-0): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Baron Stuart: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K
Stuart pitches well in a “bulk” role today. In his two bulk role appearances: 7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 8 K. Too many walks, but he was struggling as a starter. Perhaps this role gets him on track.
RHP Alex Bustamante (S, 1): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Yankees MILB 5/24: Oswald Peraza Homers

News:

Nothing new to report.

Scranton (22-25) (Walloped Worcester, 15-2)

LF Estevan Florial: 2-for-5, 2 RS, BB, 2 K, SB (10)
His HR streak ends at four if you want one negative thing. Florial is up to .318/.440/.612 in 159 plate appearances (4 doubles, 2 triples, 10 HR, 21 RBI, 29 R, 10-for-15 SB, 29 BB (18.2%), 51 K (32.1%)). He is an incredible 26-for-70 (.371) in May with seven home runs (.714 SLG). 
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-5, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
Yawn. We all know he doesn’t belong here.
DH Kole Calhoun: 2-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB, 2 K
Calhoun is mashing the way you expect a veteran like him to mash.
1B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 RS
.253/.326/.494 in 190 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 31 RBI, 32 R, 19 BB, 40 K). It has been a season of streaks for Chaparro – hopefully, he is starting to heat up again.
RF Franchy Cordero: 3-for-4, 2 2B (9), HR (2), 4 RBI, 4 RS, BB, K, SB (2)
He is in his element…
C Rodolfo Duran: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, RS
.286/.330/.571 in 112 plate appearances. For Somerset in 2022, he hit .222/.266/.414. This is why I say he has always shown some pop – if he is starting to show he can do more offensively, he is at least a high-level backup.
3B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-2, 2B (5), RBI, 2 BB, HBP, K
CF Billy McKinney: 1-for-3, HR (6), 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
2B Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-5, K

LHP Tanner Tully (W, 4-1): 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
3.83 ERA (40 IP, 53 H, 20 R, 17 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 39 K). He is a veteran stabilizer.
LHP Matt Krook: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
1.04 ERA (17.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 34 K). Walks have always been an issue. The Yankees added him to the 40-man this past winter, and we all know that those slots are precious.
RHP Matt Bowman: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (24-16) (Defeated Erie, 3-1)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, 2 K
.244/.380/.344 in 163 PA. As long as he is drawing those walks, I am fine with his start to the season. I do think power will come (he hit 16 HR in 2021)
CF Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), RS, BB, SB (14)
A much-needed slump buster of a game for Dominguez, who is at .198/.356/.389 in 160 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 30 R, 14-for-16 SB, 31 BB (19.4%), 40 K (25%)). 
C Austin Wells: 2-for-3, BB
Offensively, he has nothing to prove here. Everyone, including the Yankees, knows this. That only leaves the possibility that they are holding him here to work on defense. In his 72 games at Double-A between last year and this year, he is hitting .264/.360/.514 (11 doubles, 1 triple, 19 HR, 63 RBI, 47 R, 9-for-9 SB, 38 BB, 76 K)
RF Everson Pereira: 0-for-0
Pulled from the lineup in the top of the first inning. I don’t know why.
 PH-RF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-4, RBI
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, K
Rumfield is 15-for-48 (.313/.433/.625) in May (3 doubles, 4 HR, 11/8 BB/K)
3B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, RS
Since his promotion, Durbin is hitting .227/.346/.273 in 52 plate appearances. His .233 BABIP should improve. The most impressive number remains the 1 strikeout in those 52 plate appearances.
LF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-2
I am not sure why Lockridge was pulled.
  LF Eric Wagaman: 0-for-2
2B Max Burt: 2-for-4, RBI, RS
DH Mickey Gasper: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K

RHP Richard Fitts (W, 2-3): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
5.26 ERA (39.1 IP, 43 H, 23 R, 23 ER, 7 HR, 11 BB, 41 K). I use the term “much-needed” very often – and that term applies to Richard Fitts’ start today.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
4.50 ERA (10 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 9 K).
RHP Steven Jennings (S, 1): 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (24-17) (Blew a 7-0 lead. They eventually lost to Wilmington, 10-9, in ten innings)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, RS, HBP, 2 K
Jones has one hit in each of his last three games as he tries to break out of a bit of a slump. He has struck out multiple times in six of his last seven games.
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-6, RS
.234/.290/.445 in 138 PA (3 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 19 R, 7-for-10 SB, 9 BB (6.5%), 35 K (25.4%)). His K% was 28.5 last season.
LF Aaron Palensky: 3-for-4, HR (11), RBI, 4 RS, 2 BB
.321/.406/.679 in 128 PA. This may just all be a “second taste of the level” fluke, but I think the Yankees need to see if there is more to it than that. His 11 HR are tied for the organizational lead with Andres Chaparro.
1B Spencer Henson: 4-for-6, 2 2B (8), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Henson’s first career 4-hit game. He is hitting .263/.351/.518 in 134 plate appearances. Like with Palensky, you at least have to think about moving him up at some point to see what is real and what isn’t.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
CF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB
A 6-game hitting streak has raised Richardson’s triple slash from .110/.198/.205 to .172/.267/.280. Hey, it’s a start.
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-5, RBI, 2 K
2B Luis Santos: 0-for-5, 2 K

RHP Tyrone Yulie: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, HR
6.00 ERA (33 IP, 29 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 5 HR, 21 BB, 41 K(
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Nick Paciorek: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Harrison Cohen (L, 0-1): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Tampa (15-25)

The game against Palm Beach was postponed.

Yankees MILB 5/20: Austin Wells Homers

News:

The Yankees have signed RHP Michael Feliz to a minor league deal.

Feliz, soon to be 30, has 228 games of MLB experience, recording a 17-9 record with one save and an ugly 5.29 ERA over 250 innings. His calling card is his ability to miss bats, given his 29.9% career strikeout rate. However, he also owns a 1.5 HR/9 and walks batters at a 9.9% rate. He had enough talent for the Pirates to take him as a part of the package from the Astros for Gerrit Cole. While he was never ranked on a Top 100 Prospects list, he did make it to the Futures Game in 2014.

This season, he pitched down in the Mexican League, where he allowed one run in 8.1 innings with a 13/2 K/BB ratio. For now, Feliz is depth, but he has the type of arm that could tantalize the Yankees enough to give him a chance if a need arises.

Scranton (21-23) (Lost to Charlotte, 7-5)

LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-5, 2B (3), RS
Peraza has a 10-game Triple-A hitting streak and is 10-for-20 in his last five games. He is hitting .362/.413/.569 in 14 games.
1B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-4, BB, K, SB (3)
First 7 games:  0-for-27
Next 25 games: 34-for-94 (.362), 10 HR
Latest 9 games:  4-for-36 (.111), 1 HR
RF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, K
3B Jesus Bastidas: 2-for-3, 2 BB, CS (3)
Bastidas has at least one hit in ten of his last 11 games (he drew a walk in the other game)
C Carlos Narvaez: 3-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Narvaez was 0-for-15 since his promotion entering tonight. If you are going to break out, this is how you do it.
  PR Wilmer Difo: 0-for-1, RS, SB (10)
Difo has five stolen bases in his last three games.
CF Billy McKinney: 1-for-3, BB, K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
DH Michael Hermosillo: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, K

RHP Mitch Spence: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR
Spence did a nice job settling in after a 4-run second inning. Season: 5.28 ERA (44.1 IP, 45 H, 31 R, 26 ER, 10 HR, 17 BB, 39 K). In May: 3.00 ERA (24 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 20 K)
RHP Barrett Loseke: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.50 ERA (18 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 10 BB, 18 K). Loseke is already Rule 5 eligible and is auditioning for a job here – both for the Yankees’ system and elsewhere.
RHP James Norwood (L, 0-2): 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Somerset (23-14) (Lost to Reading, 6-5)

SS Trey Sweeney: 0-for-5
CF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
C Austin Wells: 2-for-5, HR (7), RBI, RS, K
Wells is up to 19 HR in 69 games at the Double-A level. Complete dominance.
RF Everson Pereira: 1-for-3, 2B (9), SF, RBI, K
He now owns a 5-game hitting streak. In his last seven games: 11-for-24 with two doubles and three home runs. He is hitting .267/.331/.508.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, K
.219/.322/.438 in 115 plate appearances. His BABIP is .200 and his strikeout rate is only 15.7%.
3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, BB, 2 SB (9)
If this kid makes it to MLB, he has “fan favorite” kind of potential. He makes a lot of contact (7.3% K between here and Hudson Valley), steals bases (24), and can play multiple positions. 
LF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, BB, K
He hit 12 HR in 2019, 13 HR in 2021, and 14 HR in 2022. He will need to get on a hot streak in the power department to keep the pattern going (remember, there wasn’t a season in 2020)
2B Max Burt: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Mickey Gasper: 0-for-3, HBP, K

RHP Gray Fenter: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
3.96 ERA (25 IP, 18 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 31 K)
RHP Justin Maese: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Steven Jennings: (L, 2-2) 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
5.63 ERA (8 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 9 K)

Hudson Valley (22-15) 

The game against Brooklyn was postponed. They posted the lineup prior to the postponement, so I will throw a few notes in below.

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-0
At some point, the Yankees will determine that Jones needs to be moved to Somerset regardless of his less-than-ideal strikeout rate. I continue to think they will do so once he cuts down the strikeout rate (33.6%) to a more reasonable level. In case you are wondering, Aaron Judge compiled a 25.3% K rate in 66 High-A games back in 2014 and never saw the level again (.283/.411/.442).
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-0
His 95 wRC+ is a vast improvement over 68 wRC+ from last year. I just need to see him break out of his recent slump. 
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-0
Gomez’s glove has never been an issue. Last season, he gunned down 30.6% of base stealers. In 2023, the number is 27.8%. In 2023, the MLB average is 21%, which happens to be the rate that Yankees’ catchers are at. So, defense shouldn’t be an issue. The offense is where Gomez must find an above-average trait. Last season, he compiled a 103 wRC+, a number that would be fine as a defense-first MLB catcher. Of course, Gomez did that in the low minors and hasn’t been able to get into any kind of groove in 2023 (57 wRC+)
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-0
Flores catches and plays first base. He is off to a .333/.389/.422 start in 102 plate appearances.
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-0
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-0
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-0
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-0
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-0

RHP Chase Hampton: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Hampton’s first professional season has been successful, thus far. In 23.2 innings, he has posted a 3.04 ERA (2.53 FIP) with a 41.6% K rate and 8.9% BB rate. I wouldn’t rush him up to Double-A, but sometimes players force the issue.

Tampa (13-25)

They had this afternoon off (which is why they played a doubleheader yesterday)