Tag: Drew Thorpe

Yankees MILB 6/25: Trey Sweeney’s Big Day

News:

I wrote briefly about the Yankees potentially blowing up the draft this year yesterday.

As for the draft itself, it all begins on July 9th. I question a lot of things that MLB does, but I think they did the right thing when they moved the draft to be part of the All-Star Game festivities. It is very hard for baseball to create a buzz around the draft. Unlike the NBA and NFL, you won’t see these players right away. The NHL is somewhat similar to baseball as there is a minor league system, but we see more teenagers in the NHL than we do in MLB. This past season, 11 teenagers played at least one NHL game.

Anyway, I am not really an MLB draft expert. I read about who the Yankees choose to get as informed as possible before they show up in my daily reports. If you want people who follow the draft more closely than I do on Twitter, you can look at Virginia Yankee or Bobby Milone.  Last year, Bobby correctly predicted the Spencer Jones pick.

Scranton (34-40) (Lost to Buffalo, 2-0)

RF Estevan Florial: 0-for-4, K
.288/.379/.597 in 277 PA. He is in a 3-for-27 slump.
C Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
1B Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, 2 BB
.267/.431/.422 in 116 PA since his promotion.
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, BB, K
.220/.336/.336 in 283 PA. The lack of pop in 2023 has been the biggest concern for me. We’ll see what the second half brings.
2B Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-3, BB, K
.257/.316/.411 in 237 PA. His versatility and a bat that continues to do SOMETHING could make him MLB viable.
DH Josh Breaux: 0-for-3, BB
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-2, BB, K, SB (4)
Lockridge is now 21-for-24 stealing bases. His personal best is 22, set in 2019.
SS Max Burt: 0-for-3, K

RHP Randy Vasquez: (L, 2-8)  6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
5.11 ERA (61.2 IP, 65 H, 39 R, 35 ER, 8 HR, 34 BB, 69 K). After you see a pitcher perform in MLB, you start to not care so much about minor league numbers – but you still want to see the prospects perform. Today, Vasquez did well. I should note that offense in Triple-A is souped up, even if it wasn’t today.
LHP Matt Krook: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Michael Feliz: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (42-26; they have already clinched a playoff berth courtesy of a first-half title) (Lost to New Hampshire, 8-7)

SS Trey Sweeney: 3-for-5, 2B (14), 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, K, SB (10)
Sweeney is up to .250 with 14 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 34 RBI, 43 R, and a 10-for-13 SB rate. He is 27-for-94 (.287) in June with six doubles, one triple, and seven home runs.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K, SB (17)
Dominguez has 53 walks this season, putting him in the top ten in all of MILB and second in all of Double-A. It’s something, as we await for the rest of his game to catch up.
DH Austin Wells: 1-for-5, RBI, K
CF Everson Pereira: 0-for-2, RS, BB, 2 K
As stated the other night, this is essentially his rehab stint. He will eventually play a full game if all is well.
  PH-RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K, 2 SB (7)
C Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Nice game for Seigler, who has been slumping lately and hasn’t been able to get much going this year.
RF-CF Jeisson Rosario: 2-for-4, RS, CS (4)
2B Matt Pita: 1-for-4, RBI, RS
3B Delvin Perez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, SB (4)

LHP Carlos Rodon: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Rodon is right on target to make his first MLB start of 2023 in the next week or two.
RHP Blane Abeyta: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Justin Wilson: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
4.00 ERA (27 IP, 22 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 3 HR, 17 BB, 27 K)
LHP Lisandro Santos: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Zac Houston: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (39-30; they have already clinched a playoff berth courtesy of a first-half title) (Lost to Brooklyn, 2-1. Omar De Los Santos started the bottom of the 9th with a bunt single, stole two bases, and eventually scored on a wild pitch to win the game. Old school! Old school! By the way, 33-year-old ex-Yankee Abraham Almonte is still playing ball – he is rehabbing down here for Brooklyn)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4
0-for-15 in his last four games and 1-for-22 in his last six games. Before that, he had a 10-for-20 stretch. Baseball!
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS, 2 K
Cowles’ first home run since 6/6. He is hitting .257/.343/.399 in 210 PA.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB
RF Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, 2B (9)
.208/.265/.361 in 234 PA. He is 9-for-13 in the stolen base department, but he needs to get on base more to use his wheels.
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-3, K
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K, SB (9)
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 1-for-3, 2B (7), SB (11)
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Drew Thorpe:  7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
2.49 ERA (72.1 IP, 54 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 24 BB, 86 K). This is the third time this season Thorpe went 7+ innings.  June numbers: 28.2 IP, 12 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 34 K
RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 1-1)  1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Dees came close to escaping a man on 3rd, no outs jam in the 9th but the wild pitch did him in. He owns a 2.43 ERA with a 46/11 K/BB over 29.2 IP.

Tampa (33-36) (Lost to Ft. Myers, 9-1)

2B Jared Serna: 0-for-4, K
One of my favorite facts this season is that Serna has yet to go three straight games without earning a hit. He is up to two after this game!  He is hitting .294/.359/.504 in 290 PA (14 doubles, 1 triple, 13 HR, 45 RBI, 47 R, 25 BB (8.6%), 46 K (15.9%), 16-for-21 SB)
3B-C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3
DH Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3
.245/.384/.397 in 232 PA.
RF Christopher Familia: 1-for-3, K
Familia has hit safely in 19 of his 21 games played. He is hitting .398/.474/.928 in 95 PA.
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, K
CF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, K
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, K
I am not sure why Martinez had to leave the game.
  3B Ronny Rojas: 1-for-1, 2B (6), RS
LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-3
1B Beau Brewer: 0-for-3, RBI

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 1-5)  4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
5.59 ERA (38.2 IP, 39 H, 31 R, 24 ER, 6 HR, 20 BB, 39 K). Stuart is a sinker/slider type of pitcher. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
These are the types of appearances that kill a reliever’s stat line for an entire season.
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
4.76 ERA (28.1 IP, 31 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 34 K)
RHP Manny Ramirez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.03 ERA (29.2 IP, 25 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 47 K). Keating seems to be a fastball/slider guy – his fastball isn’t thrown hard (91-93), so I wonder if his slider is a really good one, given the strikeout rates.

FCL Yankees (9-6) 

Day off.

DSL Bombers (8-7) 

Day off.

DSL Yankees (11-3) 

Day off.

Yankees MILB 6/21: Brendan Beck’s High-A Debut

News:

RHP Brendan Beck will start his journey in Hudson Valley. He made only one rehab appearance for the FCL before this assignment.

Drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 2021 draft, Beck underwent Tommy John surgery soon thereafter. Before the injury, he was considered a “quick rise” type of prospect. Just like Chase Hampton and Drew Thorpe (both from the 2022 draft class), he will skip Low-A, which makes sense.

At the very least, the Yankees are once again building up impressive pitching depth after trading a lot of pitching away over the last few years.

Scranton (33-37) (Defeated Buffalo, 4-1)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-4, 2 K
Florial’s OPS is now at 1.000 (a little 1-for-13 slump)
LF-2B Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-for-3, BB
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, HR (14), RBI, RS
Chaparro has three home runs in his last two games to raise his triple slash from .238/.314/.430 to .242/.316/.464. His season is a season of streaks, so let’s see if this one lasts.
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, BB
Dunham increases his on-base streak to 13.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
.272/.433/.444 in 104 PA since his promotion (.258/.402/.447 overall)
C Rodolfo Duran: 2-for-4, 2B (12), RS, 2 K
.263/.325/.480 in 166 PA. It is just interesting to follow Narvaez/Duran since the #3 catching job is up for grabs.
3B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-3, RBI
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, K
2B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-1, 2B (4), RS
  LF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-2, K

RHP Colten Brewer: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
1.37 ERA (19.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 18 K). Brewer pitched in three games earlier this season for the Yankees (in case you forget) before being DFA (he passed through waivers – obviously)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: (W, 1-0) 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Blas Castano: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Castano’s Triple-A debut. It looks like his big weapon is a 93-95 MPH sinker that topped out at 96.1 MPH tonight. For Somerset, he pitched to a 4.79 ERA in 35.2 IP with a 33/18 K/BB ratio. It should be noted that it is very possible that this is a one-off since they had to use Brewer to start this game.
RHP Michael Feliz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K. The Yankees are just trying to catch some lightning in a bottle with Feliz – zero risk.
RHP Greg Weissert (S, 6): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (39-25) (Lost to New Hampshire, 2-1)

SS Trey Sweeney: 0-for-3, BB, K
CF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, 3 K
Dominguez is back down to .203 and has 76 strikeouts in 270 PA (28.1%). He is only 14-for-70 (.200) in June with 12 walks and 28 strikeouts. He has his share of moments this season – in my opinion, his streaks just aren’t lasting long enough. He is very young so I am not giving up – I just want to see progress as the second half of the season gets started.
C Austin Wells: 1-for-4, K
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, BB, K, HBP
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, K
Since his massive home run binge: 1-for-16.  Baseball! Baseball! BASEBALL!
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, BB, K
RF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, K
2B Delvin Perez: 0-for-3, 2 K
The former Top 100 prospect (2017, Cardinals) plays in his first game since 4/20. He has 460 minor league games and has yet to reach MLB. You just never know with prospects…
DH Mickey Gasper: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, K
Gasper’s playing time has been limited this season but he is 11-for-37 at this level (.297). He went 13-for-68 with a home run for Scranton.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
1.32 ERA (13.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 10 BB, 13 K). He has been able to cut down on the walk rate as his career has moved on. I wouldn’t worry about it much right now.
LHP Edgar Barclay: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
11.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 15 K. He allowed 7 HR in 77.1 IP in 2021. He didn’t allow any HR in 2019 (26 IP), 2021 (67.1 IP) or this season (11.1 IP)
RHP Ian Hamilton: (L, 1-1)  0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Hamilton’s second rehab appearance. I don’t worry much about results during rehab stints – just that the player is healthy and that their velocity is OK, etc.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.60 ERA (20 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 18 K). Mauricio allowed five runs in his first 6.2 IP this season and three runs in 13.1 IP since.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

Hudson Valley (39-26) (Defeated Brooklyn, 8-3)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-3, 3B (4), 2 BB, K
Last 9 games: 14-for-35 (.400; 2 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 6 BB, 10 K)
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-5, 3B (1), RBI, RS, 2 K
Flores compiles his first career triple.
RF Anthony Garcia: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
DH Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
15-for-42 (.357) in June. The defensive reputation is already there – developing some offense is the key.
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-4, RS, HBP, K
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-3, RS, BB, HBP
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 2-for-3, 3B (4), 3 RBI, BB, HBP, K, CS (3)
It hasn’t been a fun season for Sanchez (.199) so it is nice to see him have a good night. 
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-4, RBI, BB, K

RHP Brendan Beck: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Don’t expect Beck to throw a ton of innings this season. I am sure they want to build him all the way back up heading into 2024, but the main focus is to get him through his first professional season while bouncing back from surgery.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Since his promotion: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 3 K. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in August, 2022.
RHP Jack Neely: (W, 3-1) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Neely has struck out at least one batter in 17 of his 19 appearances. Tonight’s results aren’t what he wanted and he now sports a 2.51 ERA in 28.2 IP (16 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 14 BB, 41 K)
RHP Nick Paciorek (S, 3): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.53 ERA (21.1 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 25 K)

Tampa (31-33) 

The game against Ft. Myers was postponed. They posted the lineup – so it is below with some notes.

2B Jared Serna: 0-for-0
.309/.372/.527 in 269 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 44 R, 8.6% BB, 16.7% K, 16-for-20 SB). Serna has not had a stretch of three straight hitless games this season.  FSL ranks: HR: 1st; RBI: 1st; Runs: 2nd; Hits: 1st; BA: 5th; SLG: 2nd. 
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-0
.273/.395/.416 in 195 PA (7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 31 R, 16.4% BB, 20% K). He hit .121/.237/.242 in April but has hit very well since. A definite candidate to move to Hudson Valley.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-0
.255/.404/.406 in 213 PA. He owns a 20.2% BB and 17.8% K. Walks are up compared to his time in the FCL, while his power is down. He is a catcher who is constantly hitting at the top of this lineup – pay attention.
DH Daury Arias: 0-for-0
Arias (21) is one of those “toolsy” types that you hope can put a package together. He is hitting .227/.306/.340 in 216 PA with a 10.2% BB and 20.4% K.
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-0
Escanio was acquired from the Brewers before he ever stepped foot on a professional diamond (signed by the Brewers on 7/2/19; traded to the Yankees on 9/1/19 for J.P. Feyereisen). He is hitting .214/.308/.265 in 251 plate appearances with a 12% BB and 28.3% K. Additionally, he has 14 stolen bases. A lottery ticket middle infielder.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-0
.310/.395/.458 in 196 PA with a 11.7% BB and 14.8% K. I have said it a few times: He’s not a big prospect but he has hit well since the day he signed his contract.
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-0
.240/.364/.383 in 184 PA with a 15.2% BB and 29.9% K.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-0
LF Jake Palmer: 0-for-0

RHP Leonardo Pestana: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL Yankees (8-4) (Lost to the Blue Jays, 13-8. The game was called with one out in the 9th)

Day off.

DSL Bombers (8-4) (Defeated Arizona Black, 7-4)

Day off.

DSL Yankees (10-1)

Day off.

 

Yankees MILB 6/18: Chase Hampton’s Impressive Double-A Debut

News:

Nothing to report.

Scranton (31-37) (Lost to Rochester, 3-0)

CF Estevan Florial: 0-for-5, 2 K
5 PA is a 3-0 game. Anyway, this snaps his 35-game on-base streak.
2B Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, SB (11)
.292/.360/.563 in 161 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 24 RBI, 25 R, 10 BB, 24 K, 11-for-13 SB)
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-2, 2 BB, K, 3 SB (11)
.227/.341/.351 in 264 PA. We are at the point of the season where the climb to get back up to where you need to be is harder. Dunham is certainly hitting better in the last week or so, though. The three stolen bases tie his personal best (did it once in 2021 and 2022)
3B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-3, BB
.238/.314/.430 in 277 PA (25 straight games without a home run and 10-for-56 (.179) in June)
1B Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-4, K
C Rodolfo Duran: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Expect Narvaez and Duran to continue to get plenty of AB as they may need either one in the big leagues if anything happens to Jose Trevino or Kyle Higashioka.
DH Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-3, BB
RF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, K
He doesn’t get the attention Chaparro does – but he is outhitting him (.267/.327/.436 in 217 PA)

RHP Mitch Spence: (L, 4-4)  5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Michael Gomez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Michael Feliz: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (39-23) (Defeated Altoona, 4-3)

SS Trey Sweeney: 2-for-3, HR (7), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
.249/.364/.400 in 269 PA (13 doubles, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 38 R, 39 BB, 54 K, 9-for-12 SB). He is hitting .296/.359/.535 in June with five doubles and four home runs.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RS, 2 K
.210/.355/.390 in 262 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 44 R, 48 BB, 70 K, 16-for-19 SB). I am patient with prospects. It is just obvious that Dominguez isn’t one of those prodigies who destroy minor-league pitching at every turn. 
DH Austin Wells: 0-for-3, RBI, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
.234/.327/.479 in 196 PA (5 doubles, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 28 R, 23 BB, 29 K, 5-for-7 SB). The BABIP is at .208. He isn’t striking out and is hitting for power – hopefully, the average does catch up as the season goes into the second half.
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4
.240/.318/.520 in 201 PA (6 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 32 RBI, 31 R, 21 BB, 61 K)
C Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, BB, K
Palensky continues to hit. Someone asked me if he is an organizational guy. At this point, the answer is No. We have to consider him above that at this point because he just keeps hitting.
RF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Max Burt: 1-for-3, RS, HBP, SB (9)

RHP Chase Hampton: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
A strong debut for Hampton. Between here and Hudson Valley: 2.72 ERA (53 IP, 35 H, 21 R, 16 ER, 5 HR, 16 BB, 85 K). Incredible performance.
RHP Ian Hamilton (W, 1-0): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Hamilton begins his rehab stint.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Since promotion: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Overall: 1.15 ERA (31.1 IP, 15 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 42 K)
RHP Tanner Myatt (S, 4): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (37-26) (Rocked Rome, 10-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-3, HR (10), 4 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, SB (16)
During his 7-game hitting streak: 13-for-28 (2 doubles, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 7 R, 4 BB, 7 K). So far, Jones has shown to be streaky – and that is fine – he will get to Somerset at a young enough age (he just turned 22). Overall, he is hitting .289 in 250 PA (19 doubles, 3 triples, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 37 R, 19 BB, 82 K, 16-for-21 SB)
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-5, RS, 2 K
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, RS, K
Flores is hitting .299. He is only 11-for-50 in June, so maybe this game will get him going again.
DH Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, RBI (Ejected)
  PH-DH Luis Santos: 1-for-1, 2B (3)
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
3B Ben Cowles: 2-for-3, RS, BB, HBP, SB (5)
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (6)
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 2-for-5, 2B (6), RBI, RS, K
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-4, RBI, RS

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 6-1)  6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
Thorpe in June: 0.00 ERA (21 IP, 9 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 27 K). Overall: 2.64 ERA (64.2 IP, 51 H, 23 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 22 BB, 79 K). Does he belong in Somerset? Probably. But who am I to say that?
RHP Bailey Dees: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
2.39 ERA (26.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 10 BB, 40 K)
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Tampa (30-33) (Defeated Clearwater, 13-11, in ten innings)

SS Jared Serna: 1-for-5, HR (13), 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB
All 13 of Serna’s home runs have come in his last 40 games. Serna is hitting .311/.375/.534 in 264 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 44 R, 23 BB, 45 K, 15-for-19 SB). He is turning into quite a fun prospect to follow.
CF Anthony Hall: 2-for-6, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
.274/.395/.420 in 190 PA. After a .338/.477/.471 May, he is hitting .286/.379/.464 in June. Not quite as good but he is showing us that he likely doesn’t belong here anymore.
LF Daury Arias: 2-for-6, 2B (9), 3B (2), RS, K
Last 6 games: 9-for-28 (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR)
DH Christopher Familia: 0-for-5, BB
One of the hottest hitters in the organization goes 0-for-5 in a 13-11 game. Baseball!
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-5, 2 RS, BB, K
.240/.367/.387 in 180 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 21 R, 28 BB, 53 K)
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
.313/.398/.464 in 192 PA. He is 26-for-57 (.456/.537/.754) with ten multi-hit games in June. That is beyond ridiculous.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 2-for-5, 2B (10), HR (4), 3 RBI, 3 RS, SB (5)
Aguilar needed this. He is hitting .180/.286/.346 in 154 PA.
2B Beau Brewer: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, RS, 3 BB
1B Ronny Rojas: 3-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Always nice to see an unheralded kid have a good day.

RHP Baron Stuart: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
2.89 ERA (28 IP, 23 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 13 BB, 32 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: 0.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Adam Stone: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Matt Keating (W, 5-4): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
3.25 ERA (27.2 IP, 24 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 44 K)
RHP Alex Bustamante (S, 2): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL Yankees (7-3) 

Day off.

DSL Bombers (7-3)

Day off.

DSL Yankees (9-1)

Day off.

Yankees MILB 6/11: Drew Thorpe Ks 12

News:

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

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

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

RF Estevan Florial: 2-for-4, HR (14), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Florial extends his on-base streak to 30. He is hitting .309/.411/.617 in 224 PA (10 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 34 RBI, 40 R, 34 BB, 67 K (29.9%), 12-for-18 SB). 
DH Franchy Cordero: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
1B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-5, 4 K
Rip up the boxscore and never look at it again. 
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
.223/.340/.332 in 238 plate appearances.
2B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-3, HR (8), 4 RBI, RS, BB
There are reasons that go beyond statistics, but I am still surprised that a player who consistently hits double-digit home runs and has versatility has yet to receive a big league chance after 1,038 minor league games.
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
Narvaez is hitting .281 (16-for-57) with more walks (18) than strikeouts (16) since his promotion.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-4, K, CS (3)

LHP Tanner Tully: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, HR
The Railriders needed some length this afternoon and got it from Tully.
RHP Tanner Myatt: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Earning a win in your debut is always a nice touch.
RHP Matt Bowman (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

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

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

RHP Clayton Beeter: (W, 5-2)  5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
2.13 ERA (55 IP, 41 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 29 BB, 69 K). The walks are high – though he has shown slight improvement in that category from last year. The overall results are certainly very good.
RHP Zac Houston: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Danny Watson: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Justin Wilson: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

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

SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, RS, SB (8)
Vargas needed a day like this badly.
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-2, 2 BB
.281/.355/.445. He is on a 5-game hitting streak and could be seeing himself in Somerset soon enough. He can play 2B/SS/3B, so nobody is really going to “block” him.
DH Josh Breaux: 1-for-3, BB, K
Breaux has played 11 games down here on his “rehab” stint. He hasn’t done much but this is a bit of a longer stretch than is typical.
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, K
.305/.361/.372 in 180 plate appearances (8 doubles, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 15 BB, 46 K). The 25.6% K rate is certainly a bit high for a player who relies more on contact than power, but he has hit well. It is probably not a first baseman’s profile (unless he improves that power), but if he can stick behind the plate…
RF Anthony Garcia: 0-for-4, 4 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (11), 2 K, CS (1)
.239/.306/.348 in 175 plate appearances. Entering June, his triple slash was .205/.272/.280 after his dreadful May, so we are at least seeing some improvement.
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, BB, K
CF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-3, K

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

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

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

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 1-4)  5.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Adam Stone: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Stone cranked it up to just under 96 MPH. He threw a lot of cutters today, mixing in his 4-seamer, curve, and slider. 

FCL Yankees (3-2) 

Day off.

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

Both had the day off.

Yankees MILB 6/4: 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 5/21: Drew Thorpe: 6 Scoreless Innings

News:

Nothing new to report.

Scranton (21-24) (Lost to Charlotte, 4-2)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-4, HR (9), RBI, RS, BB
Florial has homered in three straight games (6 HR in the last 7 games). He is up to .311/.439/.605.
DH Kole Calhoun:  1-for-5, 3B (1), RS
3B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-5, RBI, K
Chaparro’s first multi-hit game since his 5-for-5 night on 5/9.
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
Dunham has ten walks in his last ten games.
RF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-5, 2 2B (7)
He has seven doubles in 15 games since his demotion.
C Rodolfo Duran: 1-for-4, K
1B Billy McKinney: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
2B Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, 2 K, CS (4)
Bastidas’ hitting streak reaches five and he has reached base at least once in all 14 May contests.
SS Wilmer Difo: 1-for-3, HBP, SB (11)
Difo has six stolen bases in his last four games.

RHP Sean Boyle: (L, 2-3) 2.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
RHP Deivi Garcia: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
4.24 ERA (23.1 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 17 BB, 21 K)
RHP Matt Bowman: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Matt Krook: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.17 ERA (15.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 12 BB, 29 K). He should make his MLB debut at some point this season.
RHP Colten Brewer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Greg Weissert: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (23-15) (Lost to Reading, 3-1)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, RS, 3 K
A little 2-for-23 slump has dropped his line to .246/.386/.352. I think some power will show up as the season goes along.
LF Jasson Dominguez:  1-for-5, 2 K, CS (2)
A little 3-for-21 slump has dropped his line to .197/.360/.393. 
DH Austin Wells: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
In addition to his 7 HR in 14 games at this level, he has also driven home 19 runs and scored 13 runs.
CF Everson Pereira: 3-for-4, SB (6)
Pereira has two 3-hit games in his last six games played. He is 21-for-67 (.313) in May with four doubles and five home runs. On the season, he is up to .282/.331/.508 in 137 plate appearances. After games of 5/4, he was at .232/.303/.391.
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, 2 K
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3, BB
Durbin has struck out once in 44 plate appearances since his promotion (2.3%)
RF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, BB
Lockridge is on a 7-game hitting streak (8-for-21; 7 BB)
C Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Eric Wagaman: 1-for-4, K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-2)  5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
5.79 ERA (32.2 IP, 29 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 30 K). Last 3 starts: 3.57 ERA (17.2 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 18 K)
LHP Michael Giacone: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
1.96 ERA (18.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 23 K)
RHP Justin Wilson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.65 ERA (16.1 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 14 BB, 23 K)

Hudson Valley (23-16) (Split a doubleheader with Brooklyn)

Game 1 (Lost, 6-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, 3 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, SB (7)
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, K
.208/.286/.274 in 121 plate appearances (4 doubles, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 10 R, 11 BB (9.1%), 41 K (33.9%))
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-3, K
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-2, BB, SB (5)
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-3, SB (3)
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-2, K

RHP Chase Hampton: (L, 1-1) 5.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, HR
3.10 ERA (29 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 11 BB, 49 K). A 15.21 K/9 works (as does the 40%+ K rate). 
RHP Nick Paciorek: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
2.92 ERA (12.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 15 K)
RHP Jack Neely: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
2.30 ERA (15.2 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 22 K)
RHP Harold Cortijo: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.20 ERA (19.2 IP, 17 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 25 K)

Game 2  (Won, 3-2, in 9 innings)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RS
Jones is hitting .285 with a .882 OPS
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-4, RBI, RS
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, K
He broke up the perfect game in the 5th inning.
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, K
CF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
Walk-off RBI single.
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-3, RS, K, SB (9)
3B Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
2B Luis Santos: 1-for-3, 2B (1), K

RHP Drew Thorpe:  6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
3.55 ERA (38 IP, 36 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 45 K)
RHP Danny Watson:  1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
1.69 ERA (21.1 IP, 11 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 35 K). He is having one of the best seasons amongst relievers in the Yankees’ system.
RHP Carlos Gomez: (W, 2-1)  1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (14-25) (Defeated Dunedin, 9-1)

2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, RS, BB
.331/.406/.559 in 143 PA. He is 24-for-69 (.348) in May with all seven of his home runs. 
CF Daury Arias: 1-for-5, 2 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
.240/.363/.390 in 124 plate appearances.
DH Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
.253/.367/.398 in 98 plate appearances. He is 17-for-50 in May with nine walks. I expect him to get to Hudson Valley at some point this season.
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2B (4), SF, RBI, K
RF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
LF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RS, 2 K
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, 3 RS, BB
.256/.333/.344 in 103 plate appearances. He now has 7 games at catcher, 10 games at first base, 7 games at third base, and 2 games in left field.
1B Ronny Rojas: 2-for-4, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS

RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Kahnle hit 96.6 on the gun.
RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 1-2)  3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Stuart’s first professional win – congrats!
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.29 ERA (21 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 22 K). Batters are hitting .101 against him and he owns a 3.56 GO/AO.
RHP Manny Ramirez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Bustamante: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.50 ERA (18 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 22 K). He has yet to allow a home run in 23 professional innings.

Yankees MILB 5/14: Spencer Jones Continues to Mash

News:

Oswald Peraza is officially on a rehab assignment down in Scranton. I tend to doubt they will activate him back on to the MLB roster when the assignment is over with, as long as everyone is healthy. We’ll see.

Scranton (17-22) (Lost to Omaha, 6-3)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, 3 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS
Peraza homered in his first rehab at-bat. I know I sound like a broken record but people get nervous when top prospects are pulled: For as long as I can remember, the Yankees never have players play full games on their first day back from injury. Don’t worry about it unless they tell us otherwise.
  SS Wilmer Difo: 0-for-1, K
DH Ben Rortvedt: 0-for-5, K
3B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, BB, K
By trade, Chaparro is a masher. However, he does own an 11.5% BB rate this season. In the majors, that would be considered above league average. He is hitting .268/.353/.543 in 156 PA.
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 3 K, SB (7)
.218/.359/.336 in 145 plate appearances. There is no doubt that it has been a struggle for Dunham (other than showing off some plate discipline). I still believe he will break out of it.
RF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-4, 2B (5), RS, 2 K
C Rodolfo Duran: 2-for-4, K, SB (1)
.295/.345/.551 in 84 plate appearances. This is his first stolen base since 8/27/18. He has never stolen two bases in a season.
1B Billy McKinney: 2-for-3, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB
2B Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-4, RBI, BB, K

RHP Mitch Spence: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
5.17 ERA (38.1 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 22 ER, 16 BB, 34 K, 9 HR). Last three starts: 18 IP, 15 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 15 K
LHP Matt Krook: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Krook’s first appearance since 4/26 is an impressive one. On the season, he owns a 1.42 ERA in 12.2 IP (4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 9 BB, 26 K)
RHP Colten Brewer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Deivi Garcia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.29 ERA (21 IP, 18 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 19 K)
LHP D.J. Snelten: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Barrett Loseke: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (20-12) (Lost to Portland, 3-1)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-4, RBI
.268/.410/.392 in 122 plate appearances (6 doubles, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 18 R, 22 BB, 24 K, 6-for-8 SB)
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, 2 K
vs. RHP: 13-for-74 (.176) with 23 walks and 23 strikeouts. All eight of his extra-base hits are off RHP.
vs. LHP: 4-for-16 (.250) with five walks and five strikeouts. 
DH Everson Pereira: 0-for-4, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-3, BB, K
.210/.320/.407 in 97 PA. 
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, K
.230/.324/.471 in 102 PA. Both Rumfield and Hardman are corner infield college bats who can have some use either to the Yankees or in a trade scenario. But both need to hit because the defensive value is limited.
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4
RF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-3, BB, K
C Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, BB, K
Seigler has nine walks in eight May games.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-2, 2B (4), RS, BB, SB (14)
.300/.366/.457 in 82 plate appearances. Lockridge is 14-for-16 in the stolen base department.

RHP Blane Abeyta: (L, 2-1)  6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Abeyta’s first career 10+ strikeout effort.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (21-12) (Defeated Aberdeen, 8-3)

CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-5, 2 2B (11), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (9)
Jones has eight hits in three games after missing three games for reasons unknown. He has 20 extra-base hits in 120 plate appearances. He hasn’t drawn a ton of walks, but when you mash like this, why do you have to? I don’t think it is due to a lack of plate discipline.
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-5, HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, 3 K
Vargas is two away from matching his personal best for HR in a season (8 in 100 games last season)
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, HBP
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, BB
Flores increases his hitting streak to five (8-for-21)
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
Palensky is in a little 2-for-19 slump.
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Ben Cowles: 2-for-4, 2B (4), K
Cowles was hitting .188 after games of 4/28. He is 14-for-36 (.389) since and is now hitting .274.
RF Aldenis Sanchez: 1-for-4, 3B (3), RS, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 3-for-4, RBI, 2 RS
Cabrera’s first 3-hit game since 8/24/19.

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 2-1) 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
4.26 ERA (31.2 IP, 31 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 3 HR, 14 BB, 37 K). Strong comeback after a 3.2 IP, 6 R outing last time out.
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
5.40 ERA (16.2 IP, 15 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 26 K)
RHP Harrison Cohen: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR

Tampa (11-21) (No-hit by Ft. Myers, 3-0. The Tarpons allowed a pair of unearned runs in addition to their offensive ineptitude. A game you just want to forget about)

DH Jared Serna: 0-for-4
A bit of a slump (3-for-22) has dropped his line to .327/.407/.519 in 118 plate appearances. Given that triple slash even after this recent slide, you can safely say that he was never going to be able to maintain his early pace. 
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, 2 K
Hall’s 10-game hitting streak is snapped.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3
.222/.369/.370 in 103 plate appearances. In his first two years, he had a 27/67 BB/K ratio in 289 plate appearances. In his last two years, the ratio is 42/45 in 300 plate appearances.
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, 2 K
Arias broke up the perfect game in the 8th inning by reaching first base on a third strike wild pitch. 
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, K
Medina is 22 and this is his first taste of full-season ball. Ideally, you want to get him to start moving up. Yes, I recognize how the canceled 2020 season impacted the progression of many prospects.
While his triple slash is excellent (.291/.386/.488), you do want to see the 30.7% K rate come down somewhat before you move him along.
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, K
The 21-year-old has a solid batting average in his minor league career (.309 in 116 games) and is excellent in the BB/K ratio category (57 walks, 62 strikeouts). Power? He only has seven career home runs but does have 31 doubles.
2B Brett Barrera: 0-for-3, K
3B Ronny Rojas: 0-for-3

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-2)  4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.40 ERA (15 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 20 K). I don’t know if his permanent role is that of a reliever, but he is doing a solid job this year.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
2.25 ERA (16 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 11 BB, 23 K). 
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
It is hard to imagine Keating being here for long. His ERA drops to 1.23 with a 23/8 K/BB ratio over 14.2 innings. The walks are high, but seven of them were compiled in April (he walked at least one batter in all six April appearances)

 

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.

 

Yankees MILB 4/23: Drew Thorpe Ks 10

Anthony Seigler was officially placed on the injured list by Somerset on 4/21. His injury history remains scary – even as his play improved in 2022.

Scranton (8-13) (Lost to St. Paul, 8-5)

RF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, 3B (1), K
6-game hitting streak
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-4, BB
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, K
3B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
It’s a shame that Chaparro is a corner infielder/DH who can’t play the outfield. 
DH Jake Bauers: 2-for-4, 2 HR (8), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Once a Top 100 prospect, Bauers hasn’t had much success at the big league level. This is his third multi-HR game this season (including a 3-HR game)
1B Billy McKinney: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 1-for-4, RS, K
C Mickey Gasper: 1-for-4
Gasper can catch and play first base. He is a left-handed bat who hit .266/.407/,453 in 70 games for Somerset last season. The downside? He is 27.
CF Michael Hermosillo: 1-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Hermosillo has MLB experience but hasn’t hit much when given an opportunity.

RHP Randy Vasquez: (L, 0-3) 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 6 K, HR
It has been a bit of a bumpy ride for Vasquez, but this start is at least somewhat encouraging. Season: 7.48 ERA (21.2 IP, 27 H, 21 R, 18 ER, 5 HR, 16 BB, 28 K)
RHP Barrett Loseke: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Michael Gomez: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (8-7) (Defeated New Hampshire, 7-3)

LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-1, RS, 3 BB, K, SB (9)
15 walks in 55 plate appearances (27.3%). He is showing off his patience and perhaps Double-A pitchers are being extra careful despite his 3-for-39 start. Hopefully, he gets hot soon enough.
CF Harrison Bader: 0-for-3
See you soon! Hopefully you bring your playoff bat with you.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0, SF, RBI
RF Jeisson Rosario: 3-for-4, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Rosario’s first career multi-HR game. Last year, he finished with 11 home runs after hitting ten total in his first four seasons.
3B Tyler Hardman: 2-for-4, SB (3)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, HBP
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, HBP
DH Eric Wagaman: 0-for-4
SS Max Burt: 1-for-3, HR (4), RBI, 2 RS, HBP, K, 2 SB (6)
Burt is one of those guys you root for to make an MLB appearance some day – he just grinds it out every year.  He is off to a 13-for-30 start (.433)
2B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-2, RS, HBP, K, SB (1)

RHP Blas Castano: (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR
He allowed a 3-run HR in the first but settled in nicely.He pitched well for Hudson Valley in 2022.
LHP Lisandro Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
8.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 10 K. Santos is one of those big-armed guys who doesn’t always know where it is going. He was signed this off-season out of the Braves’ organization.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Diaz was acquired from the Braves as a part of the Lucas Luetge transaction. This season: 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
RHP Steven Jennings: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Zac Houston: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
This is the 28-year-old’s organizational debut. He was an 11th round pick by the Tigers all the way back in 2016 and has shown off the strikeout touch in the minors (394 in 264 career innings). His control, however, has not been good.

Hudson Valley (10-5) (Doubled up Rome, 10-5)

CF Spencer Jones 0-for-6, 4 K
22 K in 62 plate appearances (35.5%). 
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-4, 3B (2), 3 RS, 2 BB, K, SB (2)
Vargas has tripled in back-to-back games (hit 2 triples in 100 games in 2022)
C Ben Rice: 2-for-2, RBI, 2 RS, 4 BB, SB (3)
Rice is hitting .357 and has 13 walks (7 strikeouts) in 46 plate appearances. The walk rate is an absurd 28.3%. He can catch and play first base and bats left-handed.
RF Anthony Garcia: 2-for-3, SF, 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-6, 2B (3), RBI, RS
LF Aaron Palensky: 2-for-5, HR (3), RBI, 2 RS, K, 2 SB (5)
12-for-35 (.343) to start off his 2023 campaign.
DH Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB, K
3B Marcos Cabrera: 1-for-5
2B Luis Santos: 1-for-4, SF, RBI

RHP Drew Thorpe: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
3.52 ERA (15.1 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 6 ER, 7 BB, 25 K). He has shown the ability to miss bats in what is his first professional season, which is encouraging. He can move quickly.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Watson, who stands at 6’7″, threw to a 4.01 ERA for Tampa last season. Walks were the issue (36 in 58.1 IP)
RHP Harold Cortijo: (W, 4-0) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Four wins? It is nice to be a middle reliever in the minors, where pitch counts rule the day. 8.2 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 13 K. Cortijo became a full-time reliever in 2022 – we’ll see what that means for him going forward.
RHP Enrique Santana: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Tampa (6-9) (Lost to Clearwater, 12-3, in an ejection-filled mess. I don’t have every detail, but a bit of a brawl broke up after a Tampa pitcher hit a Clearwater batter. Whatever)

2B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
DH Ben Rortvedt: 3-for-4, 2 2B (2), 2 RS
Remember that Rortvedt missed spring training. He is still a while away from being where he needs to be – but this is an encouraging game.
PR/DH Nelson Medina: 0-for-1
RF Daury Arias: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
.225/.326/350 in 46 plate appearance for the “other Arias.” (Roderick Arias is one of the organization’s most promising lower-level prospects – you will see him in the rookie leagues this summer)
CF Anthony Hall: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
Hall’s first career game in CF (only his fifth career game). He played all three OF positions in college.
SS Dayro Perez: 0-for-1, K (Ejected)
SS Roberto Chirinos: 0-for-3, BB, K
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-1, K (Ejected)
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, K
LF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-3, 2B (2), BB, 2 K
4-for-16 with a pair of doubles. Last year’s 15th-round pick struggled with the bat in his pro debut (.167/.286/.346 in 23 games)
3B Jose Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 2 BB
1B Ronny Rojas: 0-for-4

RHP Justin Lange: (L, 0-2)  1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Lange cruised through the first…only to start the second with five straight walks. He throws hard (reached 97 today) and is young (21) but he has some rawness to his game. This game skews the ERA as it jumps to 5.73 with a 20/6 K/BB over 11 innings. 
RHP Alex Bustamante: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K (Ejected)
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Luis Velasquez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
10.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K. He is 21 years old, and this is his first taste of a full-season league. He hit 97.6 on the gun today.
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The Yankees aren’t loaded with left-handed relief prospects, so there is room for a kid like Gilbert to stand out. He was their 13th round pick in 2022 out of Clemson.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K