Tag: Ben Cowles

Yankees MILB 5/2: Cade Smith: 6 IP, 0 R, 11 K

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (19-9) (Defeated Jacksonville, 2-0. It is their second straight shutout)

2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2B (11), SAC
Durbin has a sneaky .459 SLG (his 11 doubles are second in the International League). As for the SAC, it is rare for me to type that nowadays. It isn’t a common occurrence within the organization.
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-4
Pereira’s hitting streak is up to 7.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, RS, 3 K
Between here and Somerset: .301/.372/.410 in 94 PA. He does have a 33.3% K rate since his promotion, so that needs to come down.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-3, BB, K
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, RS, BB
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-4, RBI, K
3B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, BB
LF Luis Gonzalez: 1-for-3, BB, K

LHP Tanner Tully: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: (W, 1-0) 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.13 ERA (12.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 16 K). Mauricio walked 19 batters in 48.2 innings last season.  The 27-year-old is making a push to make his MLB debut in 2024. 
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (S, 2): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.76 ERA (15.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 7 BB, 21 K)

Somerset (10-14) (Lost to New Hampshire, 10-9)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-6, RBI, SB (4), 2 K
He had a chance to be the hero with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th, but it just wasn’t meant to be.
3B Jon Berti: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
He missed last night’s game due to some back stiffness. I guess it wasn’t a big deal (says the person who has trouble moving for days when he has “back stiffness”)
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-2, 3 RS, 3 BB
Ramirez’s second 3-BB effort this season.
1B Ben Rice: 2-for-4, RS, HBP, K
Rice is hitting .274 with a .941 OPS.  He is on a 6-game hitting streak (8-for-21). 
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 2 2B (10), 2 RBI, RS, K
As of this writing, Cowles’ ten doubles is at the top of the Eastern League leaderboard.
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, RS, SB (3), BB, 2 K
Wegner’s 13-game hitting streak is snapped.
LF Grant Richardson: 4-for-4, 2 2B (8), 4 RBI, 2 RS, SB (5), BB
Richardson’s third career 4-hit effort. He is hitting .294 with a .855 OPS (8 doubles, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R, 5 BB, 17 K, 5-for-6 SB)
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, 2 RBI, BB, K

RHP Blane Abeyta: 5 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: (L, 0-1) 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Kevin Stevens: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

Hudson Valley (14-9) (Lost to Wilmington, 4-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, K
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, CS (3)
His streak of 3-hit efforts ends at three (the streak seemed sustainable to me!)  
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-2, 2B (4), 2 BB
.304/.439/.522 in 57 PA. Quite a start to his career in the organization. While he has primarily played CF (smart), he also has a pair of games in LF and RF.
3B-C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4, K
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-1
He left the game after he hit a single…
  PR-3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, K
DH Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, BB, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
LF Kyle Battle: 1-for-3, 2 K

RHP Sebastian Keane: (L, 1-3) 4.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, HR
It’s all a process. He is alternating good and not-so-good performances, so I expect a big effort next time out!
LHP Joel Valdez: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
1.80 ERA (15 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 19 K)

Tampa (7-17) (Defeated Dunedin, 10-4)

3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 4-for-5, 2B (4), RBI, 3 RS, 2 SB (10)
Tejeda has back-to-back 4-hit efforts. He is hitting .330/.374/.402 in 108 PA (4 doubles, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 15 R, 6.5% BB, 22.2% K, 10-for-13 SB). As of this writing, he is 5th in the league in batting average
LF Coby Morales: 2-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, 3 RS, BB
.209/.340/.244 in 103 PA. 
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, 2 RS, BB, HBP, 2 K
.200/.327/.356 in 107 PA. 
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-5, 2B (8), HR (2), 4 RBI, RS, 2 K
Jasso ties his best for RBI and has five multi-hit games in his last seven games played. He is up to .263/.388/.403 in 98 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 11 R, 15.3% BB, 27.6% K)
DH Jackson Castillo: 0-for-5, 3 K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-5, 2B (4), 3 RBI, K
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-4, 3 K
C Edinson Duran: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Dayro Perez: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RS, 2 K

RHP Cade Smith: (W, 1-1) 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K
Smith earns his first professional win. Congrats!  He threw 43% 4-seamers, 40% sliders (12 whiffs), 9% curves, and 8% changeups.  Season: 2.11 ERA (21.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 10 BB, 33 K).
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
2.70 ERA (13.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 15 K)

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/28: Cam Schlittler: 6 IP, 2 R, 7 K

News:

As expected, RHP McKinley Moore cleared waivers and was outrighted to Scranton. The arm is tempting, but it is hard for organizations to carry it on a 40-man roster.

This is why the outright rule exists. A player can only be outrighted once in their career. After that, they can refuse the outright and become a free agent. This is different from player options. An “outright” happens when you are removed from the 40-man roster and sent through waivers. If you have less than three years of service time, a team can send you to the minors without your permission. However, they can only do that once, regardless of your service time.

Scranton (17-9) (Lost to Durham, 6-2)

CF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, BB
Allen’s first game since April 6th.
  CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0
2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, BB, K
.296/.426/.469 in 122 PA (9 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 19 R, 17.2% BB, 11.5% K, 12-for-13 SB). As of this writing, he is tied for 6th in the International League in RBI and second in stolen bases.
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, 3 K
At this level: .279/.319/.395 in 47 PA. Overall: .296/.370/.380 in 81 PA (6 doubles, 11 RBI, 11 R, 11.1% BB, 23.5% K)
1B Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, 2 K
.211/.376/.342 in 101 PA. 
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, 2B (2), RS
.281/.365/.531 in 75 PA. As long as he keeps hitting, he will get playing time. He is on a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-18 with a double and two homers)
RF Jose Rojas: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
C Josh Breaux: 0-for-3, 2 K
LF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
4.60 ERA (15.2 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 HR, 7 BB, 20 K). He has thrown 15.2 innings in five starts. The Yankees are probably building him up as a multi-inning relief type over a true starter (but if true, why is he on a starter’s schedule rather than coming out of the bullpen every 3-4 days?). Yes, I find his development plan for 2024 (his final option year) a little strange.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.03 ERA (13.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 16 K). The three runs allowed are all solo homers. 
RHP Alex Mauricio: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2.79 ERA at this level (9.2 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 14 K)
LHP Clayton Andrews: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Somerset (9-12) (Lost to Reading, 6-3)

C Ben Rice: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, RS, 2 K
Rice led off the game with a homer. His 25.8% K rate is a tad high (it was 18.9% at this level last year) but the production has been high as well (22 HR, 57 RBI in 68 games)
3B Jon Berti: 0-for-3, 2 K
Berti began his rehab stint today.
  SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-1, K
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2 K
He is hitting .260 with a 1.030 OPS (15.9% BB; 19.3% K)
SS-3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, RS, K
Cowles has homered in back-to-back games and has three in his last four games. He is on a 7-game hitting streak (11-for-29, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 7 RBI). He is hitting .356 with a 1.086 OPS.  As of this writing, he leads the Eastern League in average and OBP. He is third (just ahead of Ramirez) in OPS. 
1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, K
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB, K
Wegner is on a 12-game hitting streak (14-for-45 (.311), 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR)
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, 2 K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, 2 SB (4), HBP

RHP Zach Messinger: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
5.14 ERA (28 IP, 25 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 10 BB, 30 K)
RHP Luis Velasquez: (L, 1-1) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Jack Neely: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
0.82 ERA (11 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 17 K). A 2024 debut is not out of the question, but there can be a logjam if Tommy Kahnle, Scott Effross, and Lou Trivino return. It would be a nice problem to have.

Hudson Valley (12-8) (Doubled up Bowling Green, 6-3)

CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
.303/.439/.424 in 41 PA. I suspect they will keep the 20-year-old here all season, but a player can always force the issue.
SS Jared Serna: 3-for-4, 2B (3), RBI
Serna’s first 3-hit game of the season. He had 11 3+ hit games in 2023 (including four 4-hit games)
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, 2 BB
.262/.392/.459 in 74 PA. 
2B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2B (3), RS, 2 SB (2), K
Rodriguez was 21-for-25 stealing bases in 2023, so it isn’t a foreign concept to him. He is hitting .304/.368/.420 in 76 PA and is at .314/.402/.464 in 911 career plate appearances. Rodriguez is only 22 (won’t be 23 until next April)
DH Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, RBI
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, RS, HBP, BB, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-4, 2B (2), 2 RS, K
LF Kyle Battle: 2-for-2, HR (1), SF, 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Battle’s 7th career HR (99 games)

RHP Cam Schlittler: (W, 3-0) 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
Schlittler allowed solo homers in the first and second, and that was it. Season: 1.29 ERA (21 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 3 HR, 9 BB, 26 K). He has struck out seven batters four times in his brief career, his personal best.
RHP Huey Morrill: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Joel Valdez (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (5-16) (Lost to Lakeland, 9-3)

DH Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-4, 2 K
.289/.344/.325 in 94 PA (3 doubles, 10 RBI, 10 R, 7.4% BB, 22.3% K, 7-for-9 SB). He hit 8 home runs in 96 DSL/FCL games, but home run power is not likely to be a part of his game. Versatility, contact, and speed will be his route to MLB if he makes it.
1B Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS
Gonzalez is 6-for-20 with a triple and two homers during his rehab stint.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4
Arias has reached base safely in nine straight games. The single was hit at 107.5 MPH, his hardest-hit ball of the season. He is at .225/.340/.400 in 94 PA (4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 13.8% BB, 37.2% K, 4-for-7 SB). The strikeout rate continues to fall.
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Jasso’s second career HR (he hit a homer and drove home 20 runs in 17 FCL games in 2023). He is hitting .254/.400/.418 in 85 PA with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 17.6% BB, and 25.9% K.
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-2, BB, HBP
CF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-4, K
C Edinson Duran: 0-for-2, BB,HBP,  K
RF Daury Arias: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-4, K

RHP Ryan Harvey: (L, 0-1)  1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Toss it out and move on to the next.
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
4.00 ERA (9 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 10 K). 
LHP Brady Rose: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
3.00 ERA (12 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 14 K). Many Yankees’ farmhands are sinker/slider-curve/change types – Nixon is your old-fashioned 4-seamer/slider type. He maxed out at 95 MPH today.
RHP Cade Austin: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/27: Brock Selvidge: 7 IP, 0 R, 11 K

News:

Nothing for you tonight.

Scranton (17-8) (Defeated Durham, 8-1)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K
.295/.424/.474 in 118 PA. He has three multi-hit games in his last four games played.
LF Everson Pereira: 1-for-5, 3 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-5, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS
Rumfield has five doubles in 43 plate appearances since his promotion. He has five hits in his last two games.
C Luis Torrens: 0-for-5, RS, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
.283/.371/.533 in 71 PA. He is 6-for-14 with two homers in his last four games.
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, 2B (7), 3 RBI, 2 K
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Luis Gonzalez: 3-for-4, RS, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K

RHP Cody Poteet: (W, 2-0) 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
1.74 ERA (20.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 20 K)
RHP Phil Bickford: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Cody Morris: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Somerset (9-11) (Crushed Reading, 9-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-6, 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS
.348/.412/.587 in 51 PA (3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 5 BB, 12 K, 3-for-6 SB). He has five multi-hit games in his last seven games played. Crazy.
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB, K
Ramirez is hitting .261 with a 1.060 OPS. In addition to the power, he has 14 walks and 15 strikeouts. He has homered in back-to-back games after not homering in six games (rather shocking!)
1B Ben Rice: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 BB, K
.257/.382/.500 in 89 PA (3 doubles, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 16 R, 13 BB, 22 K, 2-for-2 SB)
2B Ben Cowles: 3-for-5, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS
Cowles is hitting .362 with a 1.074 OPS. He has a 6-game hitting streak (10-for-25).  Both homers have come in the last three games (he also has 8 doubles and 2 triples). This is how you become noticed.
SS Jordan Groshans: 0-for-1
  SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, K
Vargas has 18 career triples in 307 games. 
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, HBP
LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 3B (2), 2 RS, BB, K
DH Jared Wegner: 2-for-4, 2B (2), BB, K
.263/.344/.474 in 64 PA. A 24-year-old right-handed bat showing off some pop.
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K

LHP Brock Selvidge: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
Selvidge sets a new personal best for strikeouts in a game. Season: 1.71 ERA (21 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 26 K). This kid’s talent is real and he is only 21 (won’t be 22 until August)
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (11-8) (Lost to Bowling Green, 3-0)

LF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, K
Avina has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-19)
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3, BB
.148/.304/.279 in 79 PA. His BB/K remains strong (14/10) and his BABIP is ridiculously low (.135). A correction should come, but he must be frustrated.
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3
Games by position: Catcher (8), 3B (5), 2B (2), LF (1), DH (1). He also has experience at first base in his career.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, K
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-2, BB, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3
2B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3

LHP Kyle Carr:(L,0-1)  4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
3.77 ERA (14.1 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 10 K). Command/control hasn’t been great, but he is 21 and learning. Give him some slack.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 15 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.54 ERA (11.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 16 K)

Tampa (5-15) (Destroyed Lakeland, 10-2)

3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K, CI
Tejeda’s hitting streak is snapped at eight. 
1B Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, 3B (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Gonzalez hit one ball at 110.5 MPH. Methinks he is ready to go to Scranton.
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Arias extends his walk streak to eight, but that wasn’t the best thing he did tonight. He is hitting .224/.344/.408 in 90 PA (4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 13 BB, 35 K, 4-for-7 SB).  
DH Dylan Jasso: 2-for-5, 2 2B (6), RBI, RS, K
.234/.383/.359 in 81 PA. He has 14 walks (17.3%) and 22 strikeouts (27.2%).
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RS, BB
  RF Daury Arias: 0-for-0
RF-CF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
C Tomas Frick: 3-for-3, 3 RBI, RS, BB
Frick’s first career 3-hit effort. He is 10-for-27 and has hit safely in seven of his eight games (reached base in all games)
2B Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, K

RHP Josh Grosz: (W, 1-2) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
Grosz earns his first professional win. He has 22 strikeouts in 16 innings, which is encouraging. Like many, the 21-year-old is in his debut season and will have his share of ups, downs, and everything in between.
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/14: Josh Breaux: 2 HR, 5 RBI

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (10-4) (Held off Norfolk, 6-5, to complete the 6-game sweep. Even without Jackson Holliday, this lineup is dangerous. Scranton has held them to 17 runs in six games)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, 2B (4), BB, K
.310/.524/.448 in 42 PA (4 doubles, 6 RBI, 9 R, 13 BB, 7 K, 11-for-12 SB)
SS-LF Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, SB (9), K
.340/.455/.547 in 66 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 8 R, 11 BB, 4 K, 9-for-9 SB)
LF Everson Pereira: 0-for-2, 2 K
  PH-3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
I am not sure why Pereira was pulled from the game.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-5, 4 K
1B Jose Rojas: 0-for-2, RS, 3 BB
2B-SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
RF Luis Gonzalez: 2-for-5, RS, SB (2), K
C Josh Breaux: 3-for-5, 2 HR (2), 5 RBI, 2 RS
One of his HR traveled 430 feet at 109.5 MPH. The five RBI ties his personal best (July 10th, 2021). This is the fifth multi-HR game in his career.
3B-2B Josh VanMeter: 2-for-4, RS, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
One of the quirks of the 6-game series they have in the minors is that sometimes a starter has to face the same team twice. That happened with Barclay, who was also the Tuesday starter.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: (W, 2-0)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Calderon is holding his own at this level.
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (S, 2): 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (4-5) (Lost a crazy one to New Hampshire, 13-9. They were down 13-4 and tried to mount a comeback but it was too steep of a climb)

C Ben Rice: 0-for-5, 2 K
The start of the season has been a slog for Rice, who is 7-for-35 (only one extra-base hit (HR)) with a 28.2% K. 
DH Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-1, 3 RS, 2 SB (2), 3 BB, HBP
A productive day in a different way. His flyout in the 8th cost him his 7-game hitting streak.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 RS
CF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-5, 2B (2), RBI, 2 K
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-4, 3B (1), 3 RBI, RS, BB
.419/.514/.613 in 37 PA. He has hit safely in eight of nine games (two walks in the hitless game)
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-5, 3B (2), RBI, RS, K
Four of Wegner’s seven hits have gone for extra bases (2 triples, 2 HR). In his debut season last year, 11 of his 22 hits went for extra bases (7 doubles, 4 HR).
RF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2 2B (4), RBI, RS, SB (1), HBP
The 24-year-old continues to display the raw power. He also can steal bases, as evidenced by his 46-for-52 (88.5%) rate.
2B Aaron Palensky: 2-for-4, RBI
3B Max Burt: 0-for-2
  3B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-1, RS, HBP

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 0-2) 4 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Clay Aguilar: 2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

Hudson Valley (5-3) (Split a doubleheader with Rome)

Game 1 (Lost, 5-4, in eight (extra) innings)

SS Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, RS
2B Jared Serna: 0-for-4, RS, K
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, RBI
His 2-run throwing error was costly but his offense keeps ticking (three multi-hit games in six games played)
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, RBI, K
5-for-18.
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Anthony Hall: 1-for-2, RS, BB, K
3B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, RS
Vargas hit seven triples in 2019 and six triples in 2023.
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Kyle Carr: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
Both runs scored on a pickoff attempt error by Rodriguez. Anyway, Carr played with fire all day and eventually, an error burned him (the error occurred when Valdez was in the game). He kept the runs off the board by inducing grounders. 
LHP Jose Valdez: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Valdez pitched here last year and struggled, so we’ll see if he can right the ship and get to Somerset in 2024.
RHP Luis Arejula (L, 0-1): 0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Arejula’s 2024 debut comes with the built-in runner at second base. The 22-year-old has mostly been in the rookie leagues since 2021, though he did make seven appearances with Low-A Tampa last season. 

Game 2 (Won, 6-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-2, 3B (1), RBI, RS, SB (1), 2 BB
5-for-17 (2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 RBI, 3 R, 5 BB, 3 K, 1-for-1 SB). He has 29 walks in 122 career PA (23.8%)
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-2, 2 SF, 2 RBI
Productive outs!
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS
9-for-29 (.310/.941 OPS) with a triple and two home runs.
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, RS, BB
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, BB, K
LF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, SB (2), HBP
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, RS, BB, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, RBI, RS
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Cam Schlittler: (W, 2-0)  5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 5 K
11 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 12 K
RHP Cole Ayers: (S, 1)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Tampa (2-7) (Lost to Dunedin, 11-4)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, BB
Lombard has reached base safely in all nine games this season (at least one walk in eight games). In his short career, he has reached base safely in 21 of his 22 games (24 of 25 if I include the 2023 playoffs).
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, RS, SB (1), BB, K
.194/.293/.417 in 41 PA (3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 20 K, 1-for-2 SB). There is a lot of “raw ability” in that stat line. You love the extra-base hits while not loving the 48.8% K rate. We must be patient and not be so quick in placing him in the 2026 Yankees lineup.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-3, RS, 2 SB (5), BB, K
Tejeda is 9-for-30 with five RBI and five stolen bases in seven attempts.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K
LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, K

RHP Josh Grosz (L, 0-2): 2.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Grosz goes after hitters with a sinker/slider combo. His first two starts haven’t been great but this is just the beginning, not the end.
LHP Brady Rose: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Professional debut for the 23-year-old. He was their 12th-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Dallas Baptist. Today, he featured a 4-pitch mix (4-seamer (38%), slider (30%), sinker (21%), and change (11%). 
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Dayro Perez: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Brenny Escanio: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Tampa was out of pitchers, which is why Perez/Escanio were used (they are typically infielders)

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/7: Caleb Durbin is on Fire!

News:

Spencer Jones continues to be out of action with his stiff neck. Get that man a sleep number bed and memory foam pillow.

Scranton (4-4) (Defeated Syracuse, 7-2)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-2, 2 2B (4), SF, 4 RBI, RS, 2 SB (7), 2 BB
The Yankees received a player with legitimate MLB potential (perhaps as a super-utility type) for Lucas Luetge. Luetge is someone they revived after years of not pitching in MLB. He is now 13-for-28 (4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 6 R, 8 BB, 2 K, 7-for-7 SB)
CF Everson Pereira: 0-for-4, SB (1), HBP, 4 K
Pereira is 6-for-30 with a whopping 15 strikeouts.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-1, 3 BB
Narvaez is 3-for-20 but has 11 walks.
LF Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, K
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-3, 2 RS, HBP, K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, RS, HBP, K
6-for-19 with a triple and a homer.
RF Luis Gonzalez: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
1B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, BB

RHP Cody Poteet: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB,7 K
The 29-year-old is on the 40-man roster. If you like “kitchen sink” types, you will like him. He featured six pitches today, averaging 93 with his 4-seamer and 92.1 with his sinker. He allowed two homers in the fifth inning.
RHP Phil Bickford: (W, 1-0) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Mauricio was cutter-heavy today (57% of his 37 pitches). He also featured a 4-seamer and a slider.  The 27-year-old pitched to a 3.14 ERA and 45/19 K/BB in 48.2 innings for Somerset in 2023.
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: (S, 1)  1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (2-1) (Shut down Richmond, 8-0)

DH Ben Rice: 2-for-4, RS, SB (1), BB, 2 K
Rice is 4-for-14 with a homer.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, RS, 2 K
Ramirez has homered in three straight games to start his campaign. He is 4-for-14 with six RBI.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-1, RS, SB (1), 3 BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, RS, SB (1), BB
He has the athleticism to play an up-the-middle position. Can he stay healthy and hit a little? We’ll see.
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, RS, K
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
SS Ben Cowles: 3-for-4, 2B (2), 3 RBI
Cowles was their 10th-round pick in the 2021 draft (Maryland). The Yankees have played him at 2B/SS/3B (plus two outs in left field)
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, RS, BB, HBP
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
This is his professional debut (yes, he was thrown right into the Double-A fire). He was drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft but missed the 2023 season. He did make five starts (10.2 innings) in the Arizona Fall League.
RHP Tanner Myatt: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Health and control have been issues for the 6’7″ Myatt, who has 232 strikeouts in 194 innings. 
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The 6’6″ lefty pitched well last season (2.17 ERA in 37 games).
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Watson could make his MLB debut in 2024, even though he isn’t on the 40-man roster. He is a tall kid with a funky motion who pitched to a 1.58 ERA in 62.2 IP with an 82/25 K/BB in 2023.

Hudson Valley (2-1) (Shut down Bowling Green, 3-0)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, 2B (1), K
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
After going 28 games without a home run at this level, he has homered in back-to-back games. 
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, BB, K
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, K
3B Alexander Vargas: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-4, SB (1), 2 K

RHP Cam Schlittler: (W, 1-0) 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
The 6’6″ 23-year-old was drafted in the 7th round of the 2022 draft (Northeastern). He pitched to a 4.11 ERA and 50/21 K/BB over 46 innings last year (FCL/Tampa/Hudson Valley)
LHP Ben Shields: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Signed as a non-drafted free agent, this is the 25-year-old’s professional debut. I know nothing about him beyond the fact that he pitched for George Mason in 2023. The baseball-reference linker will take you to a pitcher from the early 1900s. That Shields went 4-0 with an 8.27 ERA in his brief career.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Gilbert was their 13th-round pick in the 2022 draft.

Tampa (1-2) (Lost to Fort Myers, 5-2)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, RS, SB (2), 2 BB
The 18-year-old is 1-for-11 but has drawn four walks and stolen a pair of bases. This is his first 2024 start at shortstop, as they switched Lombard and Arias today. We’ll see more of that.
2B Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 3 K
Nobody said baseball is easy, teenager! He is 3-for-13 with a triple, a homer, and seven strikeouts. You should expect a mixed bag from a teenager making his full-season debut. The goal is for the good to outweigh the bad.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, SB (2), K
Speaking of teenagers, Tejeda will play this entire year as a 19-year-old. He is 4-for-12 with four runs batted in.
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-4
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2, SB (1), 2 BB, K
DH Willy Montero: 0-for-3, SB (2), BB, K
The 19-year-old is 2-for-10 with a double, two walks, and two stolen bases.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-3, 2B (1), SB (1), BB, K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-3, BB
Drafted in the 15th round in the 2023 draft out of North Carolina, this represents his professional debut.

RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 0-1) 3.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 6 K
This is Grosz’s professional debut. The 21-year-old was drafted in the 11th round out of East Carolina. He throws a sinker/slider/change, a mix the Yankees like to work with.
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
According to Savant, Gabonia used a 5-pitch mix among his 11 pitches. There could be an error in the tracking, of course. His fastball/sinker was in the lower 90s.
RHP Montana Semmel: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Semmell maxed out at 94.4 MPH, equally mixing his 4-seamer and slider. He had some long-term buzz about him when he was drafted out of high school in 2019 and is still young enough (22) to tap into that potential.

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 9/22: Edgar Barclay Ks 8

News:

The Yankees have promoted RHP Yoendrys Gomez from Somerset to the big league roster. He is the first player to ever be promoted directly from Somerset to the big leagues. Keep in mind that Somerset didn’t become an MLB affiliate until 2021.

Gomez, who has been on the 40-man roster since 2020, has dealt with injuries in his career. He has logged only 275 innings since his debut season (2017), and this year’s 65.1 innings are his personal best.  In those innings, he has a 3.58 ERA (3.83 FIP) with a 28.5% K and 13.5% BB.

According to Fangraphs, this is Gomez’s last option year. That said, we thought 2022 was Deivi Garcia‘s last option year – only to discover that MLB granted the Yankees an additional option for 2023. That isn’t done out of the goodness of their hearts – criteria need to be met and all that jazz.

If it is his final year, a big winter/spring is coming up. Let’s get this out of the way: Gomez is not going to be in the 2024 Opening Day rotation. Cross that thought out of your mind – if he isn’t traded, his best bet to make the squad in 2024 would be out of the bullpen. He has the stuff that would carry well in the bullpen. There are questions about whether he can handle a starter’s workload anyway.

The AFL rosters were announced today. The Yankees will be playing for Mesa but you aren’t going to see any of their top names playing. It is good to see that RHP Trystan Vrieling (#17 prospect according to Pipeline) will get some work in. He was drafted in 2022 but was unable to make his debut in 2023 due to injury.. The other players on the list aren’t going to jump out at you, though IF Caleb Durbin had a standout 2023 season that was marred by an injury. RHP Kevin Stevens got his feet wet in 2022 but didn’t appear in 2023. He was an undrafted free agent signing. UTIL Ben Cowles played mostly at Hudson Valley in 2023, promoted to Scranton after the Renegades were eliminated. While there isn’t much buzz around RHP Nolberto Henriquez, I checked out Savant after he was promoted to Tampa. He was throwing hard sinkers, which is something the current Yankees’ regime seems to like. It doesn’t shock me that they want to give him more innings after he tossed only 30.2 in 2023 with mixed results. OF Nelson Medina dealt with injuries for most of the season. He is getting some extra at-bats in Scranton as their season comes to a close – perhaps the promotions to Scranton should have hinted to us who was going to Arizona. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Cowles and Medina were promoted and are now on their way to Arizona. RHP Baron Stuart was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Pitt. Unlike others on the list, he threw a good number of innings (100.2) in his debut professional season. I guess it is a good sign for him that they want him to throw more before he shuts down for the year.

Scranton (71-75; 37-35 in the second half) (Lost to Syracuse, 4-3, in ten innings). As for the last two games of the season, the weather up in Syracuse is actually not forecasted to be bad this weekend. There could be some rain on Sunday evening/night, but hopefully, it stays away during the afternoon.

C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-4, BB, K
RF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-5, RS, K
3B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-4, 2B (20), BB, 2 K
The minor league veteran reaches 20 doubles/20 home runs for the first time in his career.
DH Andres Chaparro: 1-for-5, 2B (24), RBI, 3 K
Chaparro is up to 88 RBI. The last Yankees’ prospect to reach 90 RBI was Peter O’Brien, who drove home 96 runs back in 2013. O’Brien would eventually play in 72 MLB games (most recently with the Marlins in 2019), hitting .209/.275/.434 with 11 home runs in 200 plate appearances.
1B Mike Lamb: 1-for-4, RS
SS Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-3, HR (12), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
Bastidas’ 2023 numbers are pretty much right in line with his 2022 numbers. Between here and Somerset, he has 15 homers, 44 RBI, 64 runs, 40 walks, and 105 strikeouts in 445 plate appearances, Last year, playing only for Somerset, he hit .240/.323/.427 in 453 plate appearances (18 HR, 55 RBI, 56 R, 38 BB, 115 K, 11-for-18 SB)
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, 2 K
  LF Ben Cowles: 0-for-0
I think Cowles was brought into the game in the 10th inning to give Scranton an extra infielder when the winning run was on third with nobody out.
2B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Nelson Medina: 2-for-4
Medina is 5-for-36 since his promotion. He started off 0-for-19, so it is nice to see him get some hits before the season comes to a close.

LHP Edgar Barclay: 5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
A solid final effort for Barclay, who is pitching to a 5.89 ERA in 44.1 IP since his promotion to Scranton. Prior to that, he compiled a 1.32 ERA in 34 IP for Somerset. All of his games (11) were relief appearances for Somerset, while his ten appearances for Scranton are all starts. He doesn’t throw hard (max fastball was 90.7 tonight, and he averaged 88.7), but he has solid secondary offerings that allow him to be a tantalizing MLB prospect. I don’t expect him to be a starter, but there is no harm in developing him as a Swiss-army knife type of pitcher. 
LHP Matt Krook: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Michael Gomez: (L, 2-6)  1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Somerset (84-53; 42-27 in the second half)

They lost to Binghamton in the semi-finals. Their season is over.

Hudson Valley (70-62; 31-35 in the second half) 

They lost to Greenville in the championship series. Their season is over.

Tampa (61-69; 30-34 in the second half) 

Their season is over.

FCL Yankees (35-22; 1-2 in the playoffs)

They lost to the Braves in the championship series. Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (33-19)

Their season is over. They missed the playoffs by a half-game.

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 5/5: Clayton Beeter Ks 11

News:

Nothing new to report.

Scranton (12-19) (Lost to Rochester, 4-1)

SS Wilmer Difo: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, CS (2)
LF Kole Calhoun: 2-for-4, 2B (1), K
CF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
.232/.360/.347 in 114 plate appearances. He is drawing his walks but hasn’t been able to get into a consistent hitting groove (yet)
RF Franchy Cordero: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
DH Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-4, K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-4
1B Billy McKinney: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
McKinney, brought here for veteran depth, is hitting .194/.275/.319.
C Rodolfo Duran: 1-for-3, 2B (7), BB
Duran continues to show off the extra-base hit power: 7 doubles and 4 home runs in 70 plate appearances (.585 SLG)
3B Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, 3 K

RHP Randy Vasquez: (L, 0-4)  5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
5.97 ERA (31.2 IP, 36 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 5 HR, 19 BB, 41 K). The strikeouts are nice – the rest of it needs plenty of work. 
RHP Barrett Loseke: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
12.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 14 K
RHP Aaron McGarity: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
17 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 5 BB, 23 K. Strong season so far.

Somerset (15-9) (Shut out Binghamton, 2-0)

CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, RS, K
Set up the big hit in the bottom of the 8th…
C Austin Wells: 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
…which was a home run for Wells!  I seriously don’t think he should be here long. 
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, BB, K, CS (1)
It would be nice to see Hardman get it going, as he is only hitting .180 with a .344 SLG.
LF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, K
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, K
Lockridge’s hitting streak reaches five.
1B Eric Wagaman: 1-for-3, K, 2 SB (7)
Wagaman was 3-for-3 stealing bases in 2022. He is being rather frisky this season while hitting .325/.349/.525 in 43 plate appearances.
SS Max Burt: 0-for-3, K
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-2, BB

RHP Clayton Beeter:  6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K
Beeter sets a new personal best for Ks in a game. He is now the owner of a 1.35 ERA in 26.2 IP (19 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 34 K). The Yankees seem committed to him as a rotation arm (for now) and he is rewarding them.
RHP Steven Jennings (W, 2-1): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Tanner Myatt (S, 3): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
0.79 ERA (11.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 15 K). Cheap relief help is always in demand – if the hard-throwing (but injury prone) Myatt keeps this up, teams may look at him in this winter’s Rule 5.

Hudson Valley (17-8) (Defeated Wilmington, 3-2, on a walk-off wild pitch)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2 K
.289/.327/.600 in 98 plate appearances. His K% sits at 33.7%, which needs to come down (it should) but there isn’t mich to complain about here.
DH Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-4, K
This drops his triple slash all the way down to .397/.478/.897 over 67 plate appearances. 
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, 2 RS, K, SB (1)
Henson scored on the walk-off wild pitch. I should note that he stole third base prior to that wild pitch. 
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, BB
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-2, BB, K
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, HR (5), RBI, RS, K
.233/.303/.517 in 66 plate appearances. He hit 7 home runs in 355 plate appearances last season. He is a 23-year-old infielder out of the University of Maryland.
2B Luis Santos: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
2.08 ERA (26 IP, 17 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 31 K)
RHP Juan Carela: (W, 1-1) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
4.79 ERA (20.2 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 28 K). Carela is typically a starter – this appears to be a “piggyback” game for him.

Tampa (9-16) (Lost to Bradenton, 7-6)

CF Daury Arias: 1-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, K
  CF Alan Mejia: 0-for-1, BB
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-3, 2B (5), HR (2), RBI, RS, 2 BB
Serna is on a ridiculous run. He is hitting .375/.477/.528 in 86 plate appearances (5 doubles, 2 home runs, 12 RBI, 8 runs, 13 BB, 6 K, 7-for-10 SB). Sheesh – how can one have a .477 OBP and only score eight runs in 20 games? If anything tells you how much “runs” and “RBI” are team dependent, that number should.
Anyway, Serna has nine hits in his last three games and 21 hits in his last 11 games.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-5, 2B (2), RS, K
LF Anthony Hall: 1-for-2, 2B (3), RS, BB, HBP
He has hit safely in five of his last six games with a pair of doubles. As a college bat, you have to expect him to eventually dominate this level.
2B Dayro Perez: 2-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, K
DH Nelson Medina: 0-for-4
1B Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB, K
.288/.420/.500 in 81 plate appearances. He is a 21-year-old left-handed bat who hit well in the GCL last year, so he is worth monitoring.
3B Ronny Rojas: 0-for-4, K
RF Felix Negueis: 0-for-3, RS, HBP, K

RHP Sean Hermann: (L, 1-3)  4.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 HR
5.47 ERA (24.2 IP, 28 H, 15 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 7 BB, 19 K), His last few outings have been rough, but remember he is only 19 years old.
RHP Shane Gray: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Gray owns an impressive 20/4 K/BB over 13.2 innings but has also allowed ten runs. His outings have been mixed – a few rough ones, a few dominant ones, etc. 
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
2.25 ERA (12 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 16 K)

Yankees MILB 4/30: A Clinic in Hudson Valley

News:

Not much to report. I wish I could tell you that the second coming of Barry Bonds was ready to come up and save the Yankees, but sorry – not happening.

Scranton (10-17) (Shut down by Worcester (featuring James Paxton), 5-0)

CF Estevan Florial: 0-for-4, K
.254/.413/.492 in 75 plate appearances.
DH Harrison Bader: 0-for-4, K
1B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-4, 3 K
I was intrigued to see what he would do against James Paxton, a left-hander who we know has MLB success on his resume. Chaparro didn’t do well, but it’s one game in a sea of several good ones lately.
LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-3, 2B (8), BB, K
.247/.373/.376 in 102 plate appearances. His minor-league approach has allowed him to compile his share of doubles. 
2B Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-4
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Michael Hermosillo: 0-for-3, 2 K
C Mickey Gasper: 2-for-3
7-game hitting streak (9-for-26)
3B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-3, K

RHP Ryan Weber: (L, 2-3) 5.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Barrett Loseke: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.61 ERA (10.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 11 K). The Yankees bullpen is doing well so there isn’t much room for a guy like Loseke, but he can at least get himself on the radar.
RHP Michael Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (12-8) (Game with Harrisburg was canceled due to rain. It will not be made up)

Some early season numbers:

OF Jasson Dominguez is hitting .140/.380/.340 (114 wRC+) in 71 plate appearances with a 28.2% BB rate and 25.4% K rate. His .161 BABIP will eventually normalize (and you expect the strikeout rate to start to drop somewhat)…OF Everson Pereira (on the 40-man roster) is hitting .246/.317/.421 (109 wRC+) in 51 plate appearances. The triple slash is OK but he will need to normalize the 36.5% K rate…OF Brandon Lockridge is trying to bounce back from a tough 2022. This season, he is hitting .289/.333/.444 (114 wRC+) with ten stolen bases and a nice 19.6% K rate. The defense and speed will play in MLB. It is all about the bat…SS Trey Sweeney is at .234/.342/.344 (101 wRC+) in 76 plate appearances. He is in a bit of a slump recently…C Carlos Narvaez has impressed, hitting .256/.373/.488 in 51 plate appearances. Narvaez didn’t hit for any average last year (.194) but still walked at a 15% clip. If he can even hit in the .230-.240 range with that discipline and some pop, he will make MLB…Veteran utility player Max Burt has a 235 wRC+.

RHP Will Warren owns a 4.15 ERA, thanks mostly to an insane .462 BABIP. His FIP is 1.01 with a 38.7% K and 9.3% BB. He has yet to allow a home run…RHP Richard Fitts is also pitching in some bad luck, as his 5.23 ERA is accompanied by a 3.24 FIP. He owns a 31% K and 6% BB…On the reverse side of the spectrum, RHP Clayton Beeter is the owner of a 1.74 ERA/3.58 FIP (which isn’t exactly bad). I think there are simply a lot of sample size issues going on with these pitchers…

Hudson Valley (14-7) (Destroyed Greenville, 15-2)

SS Alexander Vargas: 3-for-6, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI, 3 RS
First career multi-HR game. Prospects develop at different rates – that said, if Vargas suddenly has things click, it would be quite a nice surprise. While he did set a career-high with eight home runs in 2022, it came with a .203/.271/.311 triple slash. Let’s see how this season evolves.
LF Aaron Palensky: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (7), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
Palensky has homered in four straight games (five HR in those four games) and has six HR in his last six games. Yeah, he will be all over tomorrow’s leaderboard data dump on Twitter.
3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
  PH-3B Luis Santos: 1-for-2, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, K
Santos has hit exactly 2 home runs per season between 2019-2022 (remember, 2020 didn’t exist in MILB)
CF Grant Richardson: 1-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB, 3 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Gomez has hit safely in 13 of his 15 games this season. There isn’t much power sprinkled in (three doubles) + only three of the games are multi-hit efforts, but we’ll what we can get from a prospect who is trying to regain some shine.
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS
Flores is hitting .404 (19-for-47) with five doubles and ten runs batted in. He is 25-for-61 (.410) in his brief career.
DH Anthony Garcia: 0-for-5, 2 K
2B Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 2 HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Cowles’ first career multi-HR game. 
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 1-0) 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
2.86 ERA (22 IP, 20 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 29 K). First professional win.
RHP Danny Watson: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, HR
11 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 20 K, 1 HR

Tampa (8-13) (Lost to Jupiter, 8-6)

2B Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K, SB (7)
.250/.358/.309 in 82 plate appearances. Escanio, who was acquired from the Brewers as a part of the J.P. Feyereisen trade, doesn’t show up anywhere on prospect lists. However, the Yankees continue to lead him off which could be a sign of some faith that there is something to tap into.
C Austin Wells: 0-for-4, K
3-for-17 during his rehab stint (the numbers don’t even matter – it is all about getting his swings in)
 C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-1, RBI
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-5, K
DH Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS, BB, 3 K, SB (2)
.296/.371/.537 in 16 gqmes. I have no information about what his signing bonus was back in 2017, so just assume it was small.
SS Dayro Perez: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
The average has jumped from .078 to .156 over the last three games – hey, you have to start somewhere.
LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-4, K
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS
Rodriguez isn’t a big kid (5’9″) but he has shown off some versatility (including the ability to catch). Offensively, he is hitting .283/.371/.358 in 15 games. He has always hit for average in the short-season leagues.
3B Ronny Rojas: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
Rojas has homered in three straight games.
RF Felix Negueis: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-1) 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Staurt’s professional debut. The Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent (out if Pitt) last season. His college numbers don’t jump out at you (he did have a strikeout boost last year), which is something that fascinates me about scouting. They look beyond the raw numbers to see if there is something interesting about the kid – someone liked him, and here he is.
RHP Shane Gray: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
10.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 15 K. This is his debut season and he throws left-handed – which automatically puts him on the radar.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
12.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 14 K. This is the 21-year-old’s first taste of full-season ball.