Tag: George Lombard Jr.

Yankees MILB 9/18: Will Warren Tosses 5 Strong Innings

News:

I have nothing to offer.

Scranton (85-60) (Lost to Buffalo, 7-6, in 10 innings. Worcester allowed three runs in the bottom of the 9th to lose, 4-3. Hence, they remain tied with four games left. Scranton holds the tie-breaker (better head-to-head record in the second half))

2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4, BB
Durbin is down to .285 thanks to an 8-for-43 September.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, RBI, HBP, K
1B Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 2B (4), SF, RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-2, RS, HBP, BB, K
   PR-DH-RF Duke Ellis: 0-for-1, 2 SB (3)
RF-LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, RS, SB (19), 2 BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, RBI, K
LF Jahmai Jones: 0-for-0, RS, HBP
Jones stayed in the game (and scored) after the HBP but left in the next inning.
  LF Cam Eden: 0-for-1
  PH-RF-P Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-2, SB (6), K
CF Greg Allen: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, K

RHP Will Warren: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Final Triple-A numbers: 5.91 ERA (109.2 IP, 114 H, 79 R, 72 ER, 19 HR, 39 BB, 136 K)
RHP Nick Burdi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 2 HR
RHP Scott Effross: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Oscar Gonzalez (L, 0-1): 0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
Yeah, in a game with major playoff implications, Scranton ran out of pitchers. They needed to use Gonzalez in an attempt to lock down a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the 10th. I love MILB.

Somerset (1-0)

Scheduled day off (travel day to Hartford). They resume the best-of-3 series tomorrow night.

Hudson Valley (3-3) (Lost to Bowling Green, 4-1, to lose the best-of-3 series 2-1. Bowling Green’s absurd pitching (allowed 10 hits in three games) leads them to the promised land. The Renegades had a strong season and should be proud of all they accomplished)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, 2 K
Riggio is an infield prospect without any doubt where his future lies as he didn’t play any position other than second base. I expect him to start 2025 in Somerset.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, BB, K
Including the playoffs, Lombard Jr. hit 12 doubles in his final 18 games.
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 4 K
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, 2B (2)
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 2 K
Martinez’s grand slam in Game 2 was the only mistake the Bowling Green pitching staff made in the series. The Yankees have moved him up one level per season. If that trend continues, he will be in Somerset to start 2025.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, RS
After a hot start, Jones’s numbers normalized down the stretch. I expect him to begin 2025 at this level.
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, 2 K

RHP Trent Sellers: (L, 0-1)  5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Full season (including playoffs): 2.23 ERA (92.2 IP, 50 H, 31 R, 23 ER, 42 BB, 113 K).  Sellers wasn’t asked to stretch out much in 2024 but was outstanding. Signed as an undrafted free agent last year, Sellers will be 25 in October. There is zero doubt he will begin 2025 in Somerset.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
At this level (including playoffs): 24 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 27 K.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (54-74)

Their season is over.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/10: George Lombard Jr.: 3 Doubles, 3 RBI

News:

Nothing

Scranton (79-58) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-3. Worcester swept two games against Syracuse, so this was a bad night. Worcester is 38-26. Scranton is 36-27)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4
.298/.410/.481 in 318 PA at this level.
DH Ben Rice: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 3 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, K
CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 3-for-4, 2B (20), RS, K
.271/.387/.442 in 375 PA. 
  PR Cam Eden: 0-for-0
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
LF Jahmai Jones: 1-for-2, BB

LHP Josh Maciejewski: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: (L, 4-2)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Lou Trivino: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
The rehab clock is closing in on zero…
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (71-61) (Defeated New Hampshire, 8-2. Portland lost, so the Patriots are 0.5 games out in the race for the second-half title with five games to play. No effort is made to ensure teams play an equal amount of games, so the half-game is important. By the way, New Hampshire is not having a good year. They are destined to finish in last place in both halves)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 3B (6), RBI, SB (25), BB, K
Jones has a .786 OPS. Can he get to .800? It will take a strong week. That said, his OPS in 2024 is higher than 2023 (.780). In 117 games last year, Jones swatted 29 doubles, 4 triples and 16 home runs. In 117 games this year, he has compiled 29 doubles, 6 triples, and 16 home runs. Interesting.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, RS, HBP, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-3, 2 2B (24), RBI, 2 RS, BB
.234/.347/.405 in 413 PA. Seigler’s highest SLG prior to this season was .391 in 2021.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 K
RF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 2 HR (13), 6 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Dunham picks a good night to set a personal best for RBI (he hit two 3-run home runs). It is his second multi-HR game in his career (first one was during his 2021 debut season)
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, RS, 2 SB (14), BB
Vargas is 12-for-34 in September
3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 12-7)  6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
4.76 ERA (141.2 IP, 138 H, 78 R, 75 ER, 13 HR, 44 BB, 126 K). Vrieling has been strong down the stretch (2.60 ERA in 34.2 innings over his last 6 starts). He could still start again on Sunday, so I am not labeling this as his final start.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Clayton Beeter: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Can Beeter be an MLB bullpen option this season? If he impresses, why not? It isn’t like the current MLB options are cementing their spots.

Hudson Valley (Defeated Greensboro, 6-0, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series. The final two games will be played in Greensboro (Thursday and Friday (if necessary)).

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, 2B (1), RS
SS George Lombard Jr.: 3-for-5, 3 2B (3), 3 RBI, K
Including the regular season, Lombard Jr. has 11 doubles in his last 13 games. That is what I call “impressive.”
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, BB, K
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-2, RS, 3 BB
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, BB, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS
Jasso’s 3-run homer in the 7th made a 1-0 game a 4-0 game.
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K
Sellers continues to dazzle. After allowing 5 runs in 1.2 innings on June 25th, he has allowed zero earned runs in 14 of his 15 appearances. The Yankees haven’t stetched him out beyond 4.2 innings, but that is an amazing footnote. The best part of his season is that his walk rate dipped considerably upon being placed in the rotation.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Kelly Austin: (W, 1-0) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Blane Abeyta: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Tampa (54-74)

Their season is over.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/6: Roderick Arias Homers, Steals 3

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (77-56) (Blew an 8-0 lead and eventually lost to Syracuse, 11-8. Rochester beat Worcester. Worcester is 34-26, Scranton is 34-26, and Rochester is 34-27 in the race for the second-half crown)

LF Jon Berti: 1-for-5, RS, K
It shouldn’t be much longer for Berti. He played a full game on Wednesday, took Thursday off, and played a full game tonight. That’s a sign that he is close.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-5, RS, K
Cashman was right!
DH Ben Rice: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Rice has homered in back-to-back games. That has to be good for his confidence.
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-4, HR (10), 3 RBI, 2 RS
Peraza has 44 Triple-A homers in 247 games. I think his pop, speed, and defense will translate in MLB. Will he hit for enough average? I don’t know. If he isn’t traded, expect him to be in the infield mix in 2025. He will be out of options.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, 2B (15), RS
Vivas is on a 7-game hitting streak. He has 3 doubles, a triple, and 2 homers during the streak.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, RBI, HBP
Rumfield is on a 5-game hitting streak (10-for-21, 5 RBI). He is hitting .295/.364/.454 since his promotion. While I try to read between the lines, I don’t know what the Yankees think of most of their prospects. Rumfield is rarely talked about in prospect circles. 
RF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, 2 K
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-2, HR (6), SF, 2 RBI, RS, HBP
Escarra has homered in three straight games (4 HR during the streak). He is hitting .306/.416/.540 since his promotion. Again, he is 29 years old – I am not hyping him as a catching prospect. He is hitting very well and I think that needs to be noted.
  PR Cam Eden: 0-for-0
  C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-0
3B Jahmai Jones: 0-for-3, SB (7), BB

RHP Will Warren: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
Warren tossed four shutout innings before being unable to record an out in the 5th. It feels as if this has been the story of his season.
RHP Jesus Liranzo: (L, 1-1)  1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 H, 2 HR
RHP Nick Burdi: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
Burdi hasn’t dazzled down here and his velocity appears to be down. For now, he is a depth guy as Ian Hamilton takes a shot at MLB.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.80 ERA (45 IP, 33 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 24 BB, 48 K)
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (69-60) (Came back to defeat Binghamton, 9-3, in ten innings. Portland won, so Somerset is still 0.5 games out in the second-half title chase)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-5, RS, 5 K
Jones is 0-for-9 with 9 strikeouts in his last two games. Oof (the run scored was a “Manfred run”). This spikes his K% to 37.96%.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-3, HR (15), 3 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
Flores’ 2-run blast in the top of the 10th broke the 3-3 tie. He has homered in three straight games and four of his last five games.  His power surge is impressive to watch.
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-5, RS, SB (26)
LF-1B Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, RS, SB (9), BB, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-5, 2B (7), RS, K
Sometimes I have to remind myself that Vargas is only 22. It seems as if I have been writing about him forever. He is 7-for-24 with a pair of doubles in September. This follows a solid .256/.322/.402 line in August.
1B-3B Kiko Romero: 2-for-3, HR (1), 4 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Romero’s Double-A debut. His RBI single in the 9th tied the game and his home run in the 10th provided a cushion. The 23-year-old, drafted in the 7th round in the 2023 draft out of Arizona, hit .208/.349/.362 in 252 PA for Hudson Valley.
3B Max Burt: 0-for-1, RS, SB (14), BB
Burt left the game due to an injured hand.
   PH-LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, CS (5), K

LHP Ben Shields: 4.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, HR
This was a 71-pitch grind for Shields, but he kept the damage low. Since promotion: 3.23 ERA (47.1 IP, 38 H, 20 R, 17 ER, 3 HR, 20 BB, 55 K). He is up to 101.1 innings between three levels with a 127/32 K/BB in his debut campaign.
RHP Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Sauer: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
For Somerset: 3.05 ERA (20.2 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 18 K). After Kansas City returned him to the Yankees, Sauer wasn’t pitching well at all. He has picked up the pace lately.
RHP Eric Reyzelman:  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 2.11 ERA (21 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 34 K). Reyzelman has closer-type potential, but we won’t get too far ahead of ourselves.
RHP Danny Watson: (W, 2-5)  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (72-57) (Shut down Asheville, 5-0. The Renegades already clinched the second-half title)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS, SB (27), BB, K
Riggio continues his pesky ways. He is on a 6-game hitting streak (4 doubles, 10 RBI, 3 SB). I expect him to be in Somerset in 2025.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, 2B (8), RS, SB (9), BB
Lombard Jr. has eight doubles in his last 12 games (he has reached base safely in each game). He is hitting .236/.333/.309 in 126 PA since his promotion and .233/.341/.338 in 492 PA overall (25 doubles, 2 triples, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 56 R, 39-for-47 SB (82.98%), 12.4% BB, 22.8% K). The numbers may not overwhelm you but he had a tough time after being promoted to Hudson Valley. He has the ability to explode in 2025.
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, 2 2B (17), RBI, RS, K
.246/.354/.379 in 401 PA (17 doubles, 2 triples, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 51 R). 
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
LF Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 SB (10), BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 9-for-31 (1 double, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R, 10-for-10 SB, 12 BB, 13 K). Between here and Tampa, he is 15-for-15 stealing bases in 22 games.
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, 2B (4), RS, BB, K
3B Owen Cobb: 0-for-4, SB (1), 2 K
This is Cobb’s High-A debut after going 15-for-54 (.278/.365/.352; 7-for-7 SB) for Tampa. He was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford this year.

RHP Brian Hendry: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
0.48 ERA (18.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 23 K). An injury delayed his debut season. As a 24-year-old with little professional experience, he could be a candidate for the Arizona Fall League to get extra work. 
RHP Yorlin Calderon: (W, 2-0)  1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Between 3 levels (Scranton, Somerset, Hudson Valley): 2.15 ERA (58.2 IP, 44 H, 21 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 25 BB, 50 K). He has pitched well regardless of where they place him.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Blane Abeyta: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Sebastian Keane: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (54-72) (Lost two games against Dunedin)

Game 1 (Lost, 10-6)

SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-2, HR (13), 2 RBI, 3 RS, 3 SB (36), 2 BB
Arias is 36-for-49 (73.5%) stealing bases. He has converted eight consecutive attempts.
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, SB (14), BB
2B-3B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, SB (13), BB
RF Dillon Lewis: 2-for-4, RBI, SB (3), K
DH Marshall Toole: 0-for-3, SB (8), BB, 2 K
Toole is 11-for-44 (.250)  with 8 RBI, 14 walks, and 16 strikeouts. He is 8-for-10 stealing bases.
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-1, K
   2B Juan Matheus: 0-for-1, RS, SB (1), 2 BB, K
LF Joe Delossantos: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K
He increases his hitting streak to 6.
3B-1B Duncan Pastore: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Diomedes Hernandez: 1-for-2, RS, BB, K

RHP Danny Flatt: (L, 0-3)  1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Brett Phillips 0 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
This was not the organizational debut Phillips envisioned. If you don’t remember Phillips, he spent 7 years (393 games) in MLB as a position player for five clubs. He hit .187/.272/.347 with 31 homers in 971 plate appearances. He was ranked 57th on Baseball America’s Top 100 list in 2016. The Yankees signed him on July 30th and are trying him on the mound.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Game 2 (Lost, 5-1)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, K
.231/.336/.391 in 542 PA (12.5% BB, 30.996% K). There isn’t enough time to get the K% below 30%, but his improvement is noteworthy. Not long ago, I was nervous about some of his metrics. He is doing a good job alleviating those fears. It is off to Hudson Valley in 2025.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, RS, K
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, CS (4), K
RF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-2, BB, K
DH Austin Green: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Green, drafted in the 14th round out of Texas Tech, appears in his first game since August 13th.
LF Joe Delossantos: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
Delossantos’ hitting streak ends at 6.
2B Juan Matheus: 0-for-1, 2 BB, K
Matheus drew his share of walks in the FCL. He walked four times today.
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, K
1B Duncan Pastore: 0-for-2

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: (L, 5-9) 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
5.09 ERA (120.1 IP, 118 H, 73 R, 68 ER, 13 HR, 38 BB, 128 K)
RHP Alejandro Gomez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2 HR

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/5: Jasson Dominguez Goes Bananas

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (77-56) (Defeated Syracuse, 11-5. Worcester defeated Rochester. In the second-half race, Scranton and Worcester are tied at 34-25 while Rochester is 33-27. The season doesn’t end until 9/22)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, 2 K
Vivas has a 6-game hitting streak (8-for-24)
LF Jasson Dominguez: 3-for-4, HR (7), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB
What else does this kid need to do and how can he not be discouraged? The Yankees are mismanaging him to an extreme and there is no excuse. Alex Verdugo has no future with the Yankees and may not be the best LF option on the current roster, never mind adding Dominguez to the mix. The Yankees organization has a lot of explaining to do. I don’t want to hear Brian Cashman call everyone else idiots while defending “the process.” No process exists that justifies this. No analytical data, no whatever data Aaron Judge wants to use. Nothing. Enough is enough with this clown show. By the way, I don’t see Dominguez as a “savior.” They have two of the best hitters in the galaxy for that role. It’s just ridiculous that he is down here. OK, I am done with my rant.
DH Ben Rice: 1-for-2, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 3 BB
All Rice can do is put his head down and perform to get himself back to MLB.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-5, RS
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
CF Taylor Trammell: 3-for-4, 2B (19), HR (17), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (16)
Trammell has been a useful addition to the organization.
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-5, K
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
3B Jahmai Jones: 0-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, SB (6), BB

RHP Cody Poteet: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
His first rehab start since moving here from Somerset.
RHP Joey Gerber: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Yoendrys Gomez: (W, 3-5)  4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (68-60) (Lost to Binghamton, 2-1. Portland won, so Somerset is now 0.5 games out in the second-half title chase)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 4 K
This was a tough night for the entire offense. However, this is a Jones pattern – even in the middle of a hot streak, a random 0-for-4 with four strikeouts enters the chat. What does that mean for his future? I don’t know. We have to accept that these games will happen in MLB. The question is: Can he surround that without enough offense to make these types of games tolerable?  
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, HR (14), RBI, RS, K
His solo HR with two outs in the top of the 9th tied the game. Flores has 20 HR between Hudson Valley and Somerset and has three homers in his last four games. He didn’t show much power in his first 109 games (16 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR) but now has 28 doubles and 20 HR in 113 games this season
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, 2 K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, K
Wegner broke up the no-hitter in the 8th inning.
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, SB (13), K

RHP Bailey Dees: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
4.28 ERA (132.1 IP, 114 H, 69 R, 63 R, 19 HR, 53 BB, 141 K). Last 3 starts: 21.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 9 BB, 25 K. Given it is his first season as a starter, I expected him to wear down late in the season. Instead, he is flourishing.
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Pacheco’s Double-A debut. In 11 games for Tampa (he didn’t pitch for Hudson Valley), he pitched to a 2.08 ERA in 17.1 IP with a 23/4 K/BB. He is the pitcher who didn’t pitch in an affiliated league between 2020 (no minor league season) and 2023. The Yankees signed the 25-year-old in June after he tossed 22.2 innings of 2.78 ERA ball in the Mexican League.
RHP Cole Ayers: (L, 0-2)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR

Hudson Valley (71-57) (Came back to defeat Asheville, 5-4, in ten innings. The Renegades clinched the second half title and a playoff berth last night)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, 2B (27), RBI, RS, 2 K
Riggio’s 4th double in four September games. 
SS George Lombard Jr.: 3-for-5, 2 2B (7), RBI, RS, SB (8)
Lombard Jr. has 7 doubles in his last 11 games (reached base in each game). His single with two outs in the 9th tied the game at 4 and he is hitting .226 with a .614 OPS since his promotion (as a reminder, he was hitting .036 with a .218 OPS at one point). Since that day, he is 23-for-78 (88 plate appearances; .295, 7 doubles, 7 RBI, 8 R, 7-for-10 SB, 9 BB, 16 K (18.2% K))
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-5, 2B (15), RS, 2 K
LF Garrett Martin: 1-for-5, 2B (16), 2 RBI, SB (16), K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
   PR-DH Jackson Castillo: 1-for-1, RBI, SB (5)
Castillo walked it off with an RBI single in the 10th.
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-3, SB (8), BB, 3 K
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, RS, BB
RF Coby Morales: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, RS, K

LHP Kyle Carr: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
4.76 ERA (104 IP, 97 H, 70 R, 55 ER, 5 HR, 55 BB, 95 K). Given where he was at one point (6.53 ERA on July 10th), this is a successful first season for Carr. I don’t think they will shut him down so his next start will be in the playoffs.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
At this level: 18.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 21 K. A lot goes into rehabbing a player and I don’t know all the facts. However, he finished the 2023 season in Somerset and I am surprised he isn’t there now.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.33 ERA (46 IP, 35 H, 23 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 25 BB, 59 K)
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: (W, 2-2) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
3.47 ERA (57 IP, 40 H, 26 R, 22 ER, 3 HR, 28 BB, 70 K)

Tampa (54-70) (Attempted to play two games against Dunedin)

FYI: Tuesday’s rainout was officially canceled.

Game 1 (Lost, 5-2, in 8 innings)

SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, SB (33), 3 K
.229/.333/.384 in 535 PA (19 doubles, 8 triples, 12 HR, 72 RBI, 73 R, 33-for-46 SB). I don’t think the Yankees will move him to Hudson Valley for the playoffs as he has put in a full season’s worth of work. However, it’s not impossible…
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RS, SB (13), BB, 2 K
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-4, 2 SB (2)
Wilson left the game after an “injury delay” in the 8th inning. The injury occurred on an inside-the-park home run.
  LF Marshall Toole: 0-for-0
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
DH Dillon Lewis: 0-for-4, RS
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Juan Matheus: 0-for-4, 3 K
Matheus’ Low-A debut. The 20-year-old switch-hitter hit .321/.429/.488 with more walks (29) than strikeouts (28) in 196 plate appearances in the FCL. He was 10-for-17 in the stolen base department. This is a sign that he is starting at this level in 2025.
RF Joe Delossantos: 2-for-3, RBI, SB (10), BB, K
Delossantos has five straight multi-hit games and is hitting .300/.440/.383 in 75 PA with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS
Gonzalez has homered in back-to-back games. 

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 1 K
At this level: 6.34 ERA (49.2 IP, 49 H, 36 R, 35 ER, 6 HR, 27 BB, 31 K). Overall, Warrecker will finish the season with 65.1 innings of work under his belt. We knew from the start of the season that the 6’8″ Warrecker would be a work-in-progress type.
RHP Cade Austin: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.77 ERA (45.1 IP, 33 H, 22 R, 19 ER, 7 HR, 14 BB, 49 K)
RHP Chris Kean: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
A rare misstep for Kean, who allowed his first earned run since being promoted (11.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 15 K)
RHP Kristofer Bow (L, 3-2): 1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR

Game 2 (Trail, 2-0, in the first inning. They will attempt to finish it tomorrow. Numbers are below, but they aren’t official)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-0, SB (34), BB
Arias was the only Tarpon to get an official PA before the rain started.
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-0
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-0
RF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-0
DH Marshall Toole: 0-for-0
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-0
LF Joe Delossantos: 0-for-0
3B Duncan Pastore: 0-for-0
C Diomedes Hernandez: 0-for-0

RHP Danny Flatt: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/1: Rafael Flores, Roc Riggio Go Off

News:

I could rant about today’s roster moves, but I have done enough of that.

Hence, no news today.

Scranton (74-56) (Lost to Rochester, 5-4)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-5, 3B (2), HR (7), RBI, RS, 2 K
Vivas is trying to put a tough August behind him (.191/.291/.287).  That said, he hit a double on 8/30 and a homer on 8/31. 
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, BB, K
And you wanted him called up? The Yankees are playing chess.
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (18), HBP, BB, 2 K
DH T.J. Rumfield: 4-for-5
Rumfield has four multi-hit efforts in his last 9 games. He has one 2-hit game, two 3-hit games, and one 4-hit game. Since promotion: .294/.364/.459 in 423 PA. Can he figure into the future first base picture? You don’t hear much about him and he is Rule 5 eligible this winter. Like I said with Caleb Durbin, the Yankees will show their cards during the offseason.
  PR Cam Eden: 0-for-0, CS (8)
The game ended on his CS. Why do I envision this happening with Duke Ellis at some point?
CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, SB (14), BB, K
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, 2B (18), RBI, RS, HBP
.271/.390/.445 in 356 PA (18 doubles, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 51 R, 8-for-9 SB. He is more than capable of being an MLB backup. However, my thought process is they will be willing to keep him down here as a #3 catcher in 2025.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-4
3B Jahmai Jones: 0-for-3, RS, SB (5), HBP, 2 K

LHP Thomas Pannone: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
Since joining the Yankees: 2.32 ERA (44.2 IP, 42 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 5 HR, 4 BB, 36 K). He is 30, so I don’t have illusions of greatness. He has pitched well, however.
RHP Alex Mauricio: (L, 4-1)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Joey Gerber: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (65-59) (Destroyed Reading, 15-5)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, HR (15), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
In his last 8 games, Jones has 5 doubles, 1 triple, a homer, and 10 RBI.  Yes, he also has 12 strikeouts. He is hitting .258/.336/.438 in 491 PA with 25 doubles, 15 homers and 73 RBI. His K% sits at 37.1.
DH Jon Berti: 1-for-3, 3 RS, HBP, BB, K
C Rafael Flores: 4-for-5, 2 2B (11), HR (12), 4 RBI, 4 RS, SB (6)
Flores has 11 doubles, 12 HR, 27 RBI, and 33 runs scored in 53 games since his promotion (.276/.357/.513). Overall, he has 18 HR in 110 games between here and Hudson Valley. He hit 8 HR in 105 games in 2023. He has impressed.
1B Tyler Hardman: 3-for-4, 2 2B (5), RBI, 3 RS, 2 SB (12), BB
It’s been a tough season for Hardman (.189/.282/.315 at this level). Perhaps he can finish with a flourish.
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-3, HR (6), 2 SF, 3 RBI, RS, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-5, CS (9), 2 K
Since promotion: .256/.301/.395 in 209 PA.  
3B Max Burt: 2-for-4, 2 RS, SB (12), K

RHP Luis Gil: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Gil barely missed any time and should be back shortly. He threw 80 pitches today.
RHP Matt Sauer: (W, 2-0)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.32 ERA (19 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 14 K). Last 7 games: 10 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. He started slow after being returned to the franchise but has thrown well lately.
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 2.41 ERA (18.2 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 28 K)
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Colby White: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (68-57) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 6-2, to extend their lead to 3 games over the BlueClaws. This was a huge win)

2B Roc Riggio: 3-for-5, 2 2B (25), HR (11), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Riggio launched a grand slam today and has homered in back-to-back days. He is hitting .220/.345/.399 in 456 PA (25 doubles, 5 triples, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 67 R, 24-for-30 SB, 14.3% BB, 20.2% K)
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-5, RS, CS (4), K
Lombard has a 7-game hitting streak that features five multi-hit games. He is hitting .221 since his promotion (he was hitting .036 after games of August 14th). He has adjusted to this level and is still a teenager (won’t be 20 until next June). 
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, SF, RBI
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-5, 3B (2),  2 K
CF Jackson Castillo: 3-for-5, RBI, K
Since promotion: .315/.377/.537 in 61 PA with 17 RBI. Overall: .265/.385/.426 in 395 PA with 9 HR, 49 RBI, and 59 runs.
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-5, 2 K
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K

RHP Brian Hendry: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
0.57 ERA (15.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 21 K)
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.08 ERA (16.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 22 K). He needs to be in Somerset.
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
LHP Joel Valdez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
This is what we used to see in MLB every September! 

Tampa (54-69) (Destroyed Bradenton, 18-4)

SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-5, 3B (8), RBI, RS, BB
.229/.333/.385 in 531 PA (19 doubles, 8 triples, 12 HR, 72 RBI, 73 R, 12.4% BB, 30.9% K, 32-for-45 SB). Arias has certainly turned his profile into an encouraging one. Since striking out 3 times on August 20th, he has 5 strikeouts in his last ten games.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, SF, 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
.249/.311/.364 in 466 PA (23 doubles, 2 triples, 7 HR, 58 RBI, 62 R, 12-for-13 SB)
LF Tyler Wilson: 2-for-6, 3 RBI, RS
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-5, 2B (9), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Dillon Lewis: 0-for-5, 2 RS, BB, K
1B Parks Harber: 3-for-5, 2B (6), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB
.286/.407/.471 in 86 PA. This is his second 3-hit effort.
DH Joe Delossantos: 3-for-6, 2 2B (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Delossantos had 4 hits in yesterday’s doubleheader. He is hitting .281/.423/.351 in 71 PA with four doubles and 12 runs scored.
C Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-3, 2B (4), HR (2), SF, 3 RBI, 3 RS, BB
Since promotion: .250/.317/.346 in 126 PA with a pair of homers and 19 RBI. Including his time in the FCL, Gonzalez has 8 homers and 41 RBI in 74 games. He is only 20 years old.
2B Owen Cobb: 3-for-4, 2B (4), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB
I wonder if Cobb is our next Rob Refsnyder/Ben Cowles type. Unlike them, he wasn’t drafted but the profile is similar. He is hitting .278/.365/.352 in 63 PA with 10 runs batted in and 13 runs scored.

RHP Andrew Landry: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
According to Savant, Landry mixed 6 pitches, though he mainly featured a 4-seamer/slider/curve combination. When I say that “results don’t matter right now,” it means that some prospects are in “get their feet wet” mode. Landry is in that group.
RHP Alejandro Gomez: (W, 2-0)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 2.61 ERA (10.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 BB, 10 K). Gomez is a sinker/slider/change type.
RHP Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Jordy Luciano: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
At this level: 4.88 ERA (51.2 IP, 48 H, 38 R, 28 ER, 3 HR, 45 BB, 62 K). I can’t figure out what he may need to work on.
RHP Chris Kean: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 9.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 14 K. Kean features a 4-seamer/curve/slider and generated whiffs with all three today. His nine 4-seamers today sat between 91.5 – 93.5.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/30: Roderick Arias Homers, Drives Home 4

News:

Nothing fit for print.

Scranton (73-55) (Lost two games to Rochester)

Game 1 (Lost, 6-2)

2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-1, 2B (20), SB (25)
I don’t know why Durbin was pulled. As you may suspect, he didn’t play in Game 2. The game log doesn’t tell us anything—he wasn’t pulled after the double or stolen base. We’ll see if anything comes of it. As you may know, Durbin has a few injuries over the last two seasons. Last season, he suffered a non-contact injury that kept him out of action for several weeks. He missed a few months this season after being hit by a pitch.  This doesn’t make him “injury-prone”.  For all we know, Durbin will be back tomorrow. 
   2B Jahmai Jones: 1-for-3, 2B (5), RS, K
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-3, SB (14), BB, 2 K
3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, RBI, K
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-2, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-2, RS, K
CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
DH-C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-1, 2 BB, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, RBI, BB, K
  PR Duke Ellis: 0-for-0
Nothing happened to Narvaez – they just wanted to give Ellis a PR opportunity. This was Ellis’ debut as a member of the Yankees organization.
  P Scott Effross: 0-for-0
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, K

LHP Tanner Tully: (L, 2-7) 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Joey Gerber: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Lou Trivino: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Trivino’s first rehab appearance for Scranton (he was rehabbing for Somerset up until now). He used his entire arsenal, maxing out at 94.6 with his sinker. 
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
For Scranton: 3.75 ERA (24 IP, 21 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 22 K). 

Game 2 (Lost, 4-1)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-2, SF, RBI
CF Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-3
Dominguez has 8 multi-hit efforts in his last 14 games. He must be called up in September. It would be malpractice to not do it.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, K
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, K
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-2, RS, K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-2, K
2B Jahmai Jones: 0-for-1, BB

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: (L, 2-5) 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
3.93 ERA (71 IP, 51 H, 33 R, 31 ER, 10 HR, 36 BB, 75 K). I thought Gomez was going to have a bigger MLB impact this season. I don’t know what 2025 holds, but I think he will be traded this winter.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (64-58) (Lost to Reading, 2-0. Portland won to take a 2.5-game lead in the second-half race)

3B Jon Berti: 1-for-3, K
Berti is 4-for-22 with a homer during his rehab stint.
   2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1, K
1B Anthony Rizzo: 0-for-3
Rizzo is 2-for-11 with a homer during his rehab stint.
   1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-0, CS (2), BB
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, 2 K
Jones has a 6-game hitting streak. You are correct if your perception is that Jones strikes out often when he doesn’t earn a hit. During this hitting streak, he is 11-for-23 with 8 strikeouts. During August, he is 29-for-88 (.330) with 9 walks and 37 strikeouts. His BABIP this month is well over .500. His profile is, to put it bluntly, equal parts crazy and baffling. 
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, K
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, CS (8), K
2B-3B Max Burt: 1-for-3, 2 K

RHP Cody Poteet: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
During rehab: 0.96 ERA (9.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K). Since lane discussions are the rage, there might not be a lane for Poteet in September. However, there is nothing wrong with having him in the minors for depth.
RHP Colby White: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
3.81 ERA (28.1 IP, 22 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 3 HR, 21 BB, 36 K). The Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Rays back on May 9th. The Yankees designated him for assignment on May 20th but were able to keep him.
LHP Ben Shields: (L, 2-2)  4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 3.14 ERA (43 IP, 37 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 49 K). Overall, Shields is up to 97 IP (121/28 K/BB) in his debut season.

Hudson Valley (66-57) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 6-3. The BlueClaws are back within one game for the second-half title)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
He didn’t play last night after leaving the game early on Wednesday. He was back tonight.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 3-for-5, 2B (5), 2 RBI, K
Lombard Jr. has four straight multi-hit efforts and a 5-game hitting streak (he has one double in each game).  He started 1-for-28 at this level but is up to .209 (18-for-86). He is striking out at a lesser rate since joining Hudson Valley as well.
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-5
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, HBP, 2 K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4
LF Brendan Jones: 2-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB, K
Jones is 8-for-28 (.286) since his promotion. Many of their 2024 draftees/undrafted free agents are off to solid starts, but Jones is standing out.
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4, 3 K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB

LHP Kyle Carr: (L, 1-8) 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Record aside, Carr was pitching well recently before tonight’s effort. Season: 4.86 ERA (100 IP, 93 H, 66 R, 54 ER, 5 HR, 53 BB, 91 K)
RHP Blane Abeyta: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Sebastian Keane: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
4.73 ERA (80 IP, 73 H, 45 R, 42 ER, 7 HR, 41 BB, 81 K)

Tampa (51-69) (Defeated Bradenton, 9-6. I thought they were playing two games today, but I was mistaken. The doubleheader is scheduled for tomorrow)

SS Roderick Arias: 3-for-5, HR (12), 4 RBI, 2 RS, SB (32)
.230/.331/.385 in 517 PA (19 doubles, 7 triples, 12 HR, 71 RBI, 70 R, 32-for-45 SB, 12.2% BB, 31.3% K). There is a chance that Arias can get his K% below 30%, which would be amazing. When a player stays healthy and gets to the plate 517 times, it is easier for them to adjust. That is a part of my Baseball Prospects 101 course.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-5, 2B (23), RBI, K
Montero is 24-for-88 (.273) in August with 8 doubles, a homer, and 12 RBI.
LF Tyler Wilson: 1-for-4, RS, BB
2B-3B Hans Montero: 2-for-5, 2B (8), RS
RF Dillon Lewis: 1-for-5
1B Parks Harber: 2-for-5, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, K
Harber is 16-for-61 (.262/.375/.459; 5 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 4-for-4 SB).
DH JoJo Jackson: 2-for-4, RS, 2 K
Jackson’s first career multi-hit effort.
3B-2B Owen Cobb: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB
Cobb is 12-for-44 (3 doubles, 7 RBI, 10 R, 7-for-7 SB). The undrafted free agent signing played for Stanford, so he has big school pedigree.
C Diomedes Hernandez: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, RS, BB

RHP Bryce Warrecker: (W, 2-5)  5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
A solid performance for the 6’8″ Warrecker. 
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Arejula: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
2.81 ERA (51.1 IP, 41 H, 22 R, 16 ER, 3 HR, 24 BB, 47 K). This includes the 22-year-old’s stint for Hudson Valley, where he pitched pretty well.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Cade Austin (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
The 22-year-old earns his first career save. Season: 3.89 ERA (44 IP, 33 H, 22 R, 19 ER, 7 HR, 14 BB, 47 K)

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/29: Spencer Jones Continues to Roll

News:

Nothing fit for print.

Scranton (73-53) (Their game against Rochester was postponed. The lineup was released before the postponement and is below)

2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-0
Is his size a detriment? Maybe, but we shouldn’t downgrade him on that alone. At 5’6″, he is the same height as Jose Altuve (Hall of Fame aspirations) and Tony Kemp (not quite Hall of Fame material). We have successful 5’7″ and 5’8″ players. How much does that extra height matter?  The other question is defensive flexibility. The Yankees play him all over the field in the minors. Does a kid with his size have the arm to play anywhere other than 2B in MLB? His profile is intriguing and, while he isn’t a power hitter, his power is spiking this year. 
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-0
Will Dominguez be up in September? He should be. However, the Yankees will need to find room. Will Trent Grisham (who has minor league options) be a causality? Even though Grisham has CF ability, I find that to be more realistic than cutting Alex Verdugo. Regardless, leaving Dominguez off the roster in September would be foolish.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-0
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-0
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-0
For Scranton: .286/.355/.451 in 408 PA (24 doubles, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 62 R). 
CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-0
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-0
For Scranton: .291/.407/.437 in 123 PA (9 doubles, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 21 R)
DH Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-0
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-0

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (64-57) (Won two games against Reading. They are 1.5 games behind Portland for the second-half title)

Game 1 (Won, 5-4, in 10 innings)

3B Jon Berti: 0-for-2, RS, BB
   3B Max Burt: 0-for-1, 2 RS, SB (11), BB
1B Anthony Rizzo: 0-for-2, 2 K
   PH-1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-1, BB
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, 2B (23), RBI, RS, SB (23), HBP, 2 K
Jones follows up his 3-hit effort with a 2-hit effort. 
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, RBI, CS (4), K
DH Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, K
LF Jared Wegner: 3-for-4, 2B (14), SB (6), K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, SB (11), BB, K
At this level: .255/.303/.402 in 198 PA (5 doubles, 5 triples, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 20 R, 11-for-18 SB)

RHP Cam Schlittler: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Since promotion: 5.30 ERA (18.2 IP, 23 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 7 BB, 18 K)
LHP Ryan Anderson: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.89 ERA (28 IP, 24 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 38 K). Liranzo is a 29-year-old minor league veteran without MLB experience. He is pitching well and you never know with relief arms.
RHP Matt Sauer: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 1.56 ERA (17.1 IP, 13 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 18 K). 
RHP Sean Boyle: (W, 2-0) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Game 2 (Won, 2-1. Rizzo and Berti didn’t play in this one. Rizzo was spotted at the US Open)

DH Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 2B (24), RBI, RS, SB (24)
Jones has a 5-game hitting and RBI streak (10-for-19, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 7 RBI).  He is hitting .333/.404/.524 (28-for-84) in August and .259/.339/.435 in 478 PA (24 doubles, 4 triples, 14 HR, 70 RBI, 62 R, 24-for-32 SB, 10.3% BB, 36.8% K). He has a .774 OPS after producing a .780 OPS (.267/.336/.444) last year. It’s amazing how good players tend to eventually get to where you expect them to be. 
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-2, SB (4), BB
Since promotion: .262/.346/.487 in 211 PA. Flores compiled 24 extra-base hits in 434 PA last year. This year, he has 43 in 444 PA.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, K
.230/.341/.399 in 373 PA (25-for-28 SB). It is fair to point out that this is his second year at this level. He has played in a career-high 102 games.
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-1, SB (1), BB
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-2, RS, SB (7), K
SS Max Burt: 0-for-2, K
C Juan Crisp: 0-for-2, K

RHP Bailey Dees: (W, 6-7)  6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
4.49 ERA (126.1 IP, 110 H, 68 R, 63 ER, 19 HR, 52 BB, 133 K). Last 2 starts: 11.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 8 BB, 17 K. Dees has more than doubled last year’s innings output. I think he has pitched well for a converted reliever.
RHP Danny Watson (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
5.74 ERA (31.1 IP, 31 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 13 BB, 19 K). Watson’s injury this year hampered his development. Here’s hoping he can have a solid final few weeks.

Hudson Valley (66-56) (Knocked off Jersey Shore, 7-0. They increase their lead over the BlueClaws to two games)

CF Brendan Jones: 2-for-4, HR (2, grand slam), 5 RBI, RS, BB
Jones predictably cooled off after a crazy hot start but made up for that with his grand slam tonight. In 17 games between here and Tampa, he is hitting .283/.486/.509 in 74 PA (3 doubles, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 14 R, 21 BB, 14 K, 12-for-12 SB).
SS George Lombard Jr.:  2-for-4, 2B (4), RS
Lombard has doubled in four straight games and has three consecutive multi-hit efforts. After games of 8/16, he owned a .081/.190/.081 triple slash at this level. It is now .185/.283/.235 in 92 PA with a 10.9% BB and 20.7% K. For Tampa, he owned a 12.8% BB and 24.0% K. There are encouraging signs in his profile.
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, K
LF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, BB, K
DH Omar Martinez: 3-for-4, 2B (14), SF, RBI, RS, SB (2), K
.239/.374/.410 in 398 PA. Last season for Tampa, he hit .251/.367/.445 in 444 PA. 
RF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, RS, SB (3), BB
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-5, K
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, 2B (13), 2 RS, SB (1), 2 BB
.238/.306/.448 in 162 PA (13 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 25 R). He is 22-for-72 with 9 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 12 RBI, and 18 R in August.
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-5, 5 K

RHP Trent Sellers: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Sellers continues his stellar pitching as a starter (8 starts, 0.61 ERA (29.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 31 K)). His innings-per-start isn’t high because he is converting from relief work.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: (W, 1-0)  1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.15 ERA (15.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 18 K). It is time to promote him to Somerset (where he finished 2023).
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
At this level: 3.50 ERA (43.2 IP, 34 H, 23 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 24 BB, 56 K). 

Tampa (50-69) (Defeated Bradenton, 6-3. Game 2 was postponed before Game 1 started. Hence, they converted Game 1 to a 9-inning contest. They will attempt a doubleheader tomorrow)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB
Arias owns a 12.3% BB and 31.6% K. 
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RS, SB (12), HBP, BB, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
DH Tyler Wilson: 1-for-2, 2B (5), RS, 3 BB
RF Dillon Lewis: 2-for-5, 2B (3), RBI, RS
Lewis hit a ball at 108.8 MPH. He is 8-for-20 with three doubles and a homer to begin his career.
1B Parks Harber: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 3 K
LF Joe Delossantos: 0-for-4, RS, SB (9), BB, 3 K
Delossantos, who stole home on the backend of a double steal, is 9-for-10 stealing bases (14 games)
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-5, K
2B Owen Cobb: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (6), HBP
Cobb has reached base safely in 10 of his 11 professional games.

RHP Danny Flatt: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, HR
Flatt tossed 71 pitches tonight. Last year’s 14th-round pick is only 20 years old and pitched well enough in the FCL to earn some late-season starts here.
RHP Aaron Nixon: (W, 4-3)  1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Myatt begins a rehab assignment (first appearance since April 26th). Before his injury, he pitched to a 4.15 ERA and 12/3 K/BB in 8.2 IP for Somerset.
RHP Luis Pacheco: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Pacheco dialed it up to 97 MPH tonight. That is why the Yankees took a flyer on the 25-year-old. He owns a 2.25 ERA (16 IP, 15 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 20 K)
RHP Chris Kean: (S, 2) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over. The Bombers had a good season but it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs.

Yankees MILB 8/28: Caleb Durbin Homers

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (73-53) (Defeated Rochester, 5-1. They move within a half-game of Rochester for the second-half title. Worcester is also a half-game out)

2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-3, HR (7), 2 RBI, RS, SB (24), BB
Durbin is up to .300/.417/.478 at this level with more walks (42) than strikeouts (29). SLG, by year: 2021: .304 (only 62 PA); 2022: .372; 2023: .427; 2024: .452 (includes his time on a rehab stint). Durbin is an overachiever – will his game translate to MLB? I can guarantee you this: He will get his chance to prove it can.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4
Dominguez could only muster a max exit velocity of 95.9 tonight. He’s done as a prospect, as far as I am concerned.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, K
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4
DH Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, HR (16), RBI, 2 RS, SB (13)
Trammell has 13 homers in 46 July/August games.
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, RS, BB, K
RF Jahmai Jones: 2-for-2, BB
LF Cam Eden: 1-for-3

RHP Clarke Schmidt: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Schmidt tossed 58 pitches. Looking at his Savant data tonight, everything looked good. He threw all his pitches, maxing out at 95 MPH with his sinker (his 94.4 MPH average was in line with his 94.2 average in MLB this year). I don’t know when he gets to MLB, but I assume he will make one more rehab start (?)
RHP Alex Mauricio: (W, 4-0)  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.71 ERA (42 IP, 29 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 22 BB, 45 K). I maintain that Mauricio will get his MLB chance, even if it isn’t with the Yankees.
RHP Nick Burdi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
A bit concerning: Burdi’s average velocity tonight (94.3) was well under his 97.5 MLB average.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Effross generated three ground balls to close this one out. 

Somerset (62-57) (Tied with Reading, 2-2, in the 5th, This game was suspended due to rain. It will be continued tomorrow)

3B Jon Berti: 0-for-1, RS, BB
1B Anthony Rizzo: 0-for-2, 2 K
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-2, 2B (23), RBI, RS
Jones follows up his 3-hit effort with a 2-hit effort. While not official yet, his .770 OPS is his high-water mark since May 2nd.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-2
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, RBI, K
DH Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-1
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-1, SB (11)

RHP Cam Schlittler: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Since promotion: 5.30 ERA (18.2 IP, 23 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 7 BB, 18 K)
LHP Ryan Anderson: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (65-56) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 6-0. The scorching hot BlueClaws are now within 1 game of the Renegades)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, 2 K
   PH-2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1
I am not sure why Riggio left the game.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, 2B (3), CS (3), 2 K
Lombard has back-to-back multi-hit efforts (hit a double in both games). He is now 13-for-77 since his promotion (he started 1-for-28. He is 12-for-49 (.245) since then and has three multi-hit efforts in his last eight games). Consider it a win if he can show signs of adjustment over the last few weeks of the season.
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, BB, K
Martin has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, BB, K
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-3, 2 K
3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, K
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-3, K
LF Anthony Hall: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K

RHP Josh Grosz: (L, 3-2) 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
This is the first time Grosz has allowed 2+ ER since June 23rd (9th straight start with two or fewer earned runs allowed). In those 9 starts: 0.87 ERA (52 IP, 27 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 44 K). At this level: 2.67 ERA (27 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 17 BB, 18 K). These numbers are skewed (in a bad way) by a 3.1 IP/5 ER/6 BB/1 K emergency start on May 25th.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 0 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
He came into a mess and allowed only one inherited runner to score.

Tampa (49-69)

Their game against Bradenton was postponed. They will try to play a doubleheader tomorrow.

Unlike the other full-season league affiliates, Tampa has little chance to win the second-half title. They are 8.5 behind Fort Myers.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over. The Bombers had a good season but it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs.

Yankees MILB 8/3: Oswald Peraza Homers Again

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (59-47) (Lost to Louisville, 8-2)

CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-5, 2B (4), RS, 2 K
When the big club plays well, there is less pressure to move Dominguez quickly. Let him get in as many plate appearances as he needs to get back into a groove. By the way, one of Dominguez’s outs was hit 407 feet at 106.2 MPH.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, BB, K
.246/.383/.377 in 271 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 31 R, 12.9% BB, 15.9% K, 12-for-17 SB)
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, RS, HBP
A 394-foot/104 MPH HR for Peraza, who is hitting .239/.346/.347 in 261 PA for Scranton and has three home runs in his last seven games.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
DH Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, HR (10), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
Trammell has four home runs in his last six games. He is hitting .244/.366/.488 in 246 PA with 10 homers and 10 stolen bases.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-4, 2B (15), 2 RS, K
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
2B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, 2B (12), RBI, RS, 2 K
LF Josh VanMeter: 1-for-2, 2B (10), SF, 2 RBI, BB

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.03 ERA (58 IP, 41 H, 27 R, 26 ER, 7 HR, 34 BB, 64 K). It’s been a weird season for Gomez, who I expect the Yankees trade at some point before Opening Day, 2025.
RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (W, 3-1): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Nick Burdi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Burdi’s fastball maxed out at 96.3.
RHP Scott Effross: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
A much-needed clean effort. For Scranton: 14.2 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 12 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Somerset (50-50) (Lead Bowie, 1-0, in the third inning. The game was suspended due to rain)

DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-1
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-1
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-1
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-1
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-1, K
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-1
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-1, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-1, HR (9), RBI, RS
Seigler will have two HR in his last four games once this becomes official.
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-0

RHP Colby White: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (51-48) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 8-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5, 2 K
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
1B Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
C Antonio Gomez: 3-for-4, 2B (7), HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Gomez is 7-for-14 in his last four games.
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
DH Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS, K
LF Anthony Hall: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 2-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, RS, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 6-3)  5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
4.02 ERA (80.2 IP, 74 H, 37 R, 36 ER, 4 HR, 29 BB, 71 K)
RHP Sean Boyle: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Balboni’s organizational debut. The 24-year-old was the “other guy” in the Enyel De Los Santos – Brandon Lockridge transaction.

Tampa (43-56) (Split a doubleheader against Lakeland. They are now 18-15 in the second half)

Game 1 (Won, 4-3)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, RS
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-2, RS, BB
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, RS
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-3
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, RBI
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3
Since promotion: .255/.317/.314 in 60 PA.
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-2, RS, SB (24), BB, 2 K
LF Joe Delossantos: 1-for-3, 2 K
Delossantos, their 10th-round pick out of William & Mary, earns his first professional hit. 

RHP Josh Grosz: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
For Tampa: 4.00 ERA (78.2 IP, 73 H, 50 R, 35 ER, 9 HR, 29 BB, 95 K). He made emergency starts for Hudson Valley and Somerset earlier this year which didn’t go well. He wasn’t ready for it. Since returning from the start for Somerset, he’s been dominant.
RHP Chris Kean: (W, 1-0)  0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
His Low-A debut wasn’t a long one, but he earned the win. He threw 24 pitches, maxing out at 94.4. He mixed in a slider and curve.
RHP Aaron Nixon (S, 4): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
4.09 ERA (50.2 IP, 31 H, 27 R, 23 ER, 2 HR, 38 BB, 53 K)

Game 2 (Lost, 6-5)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, SB (30)
.232/.344/.348 in 366 PA (17 doubles, 2 triples, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 46 R, 30-for-34 SB, 12.8% BB, 24.0% K)
DH Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 3 K
.226/.321/.370 in 424 PA (15 doubles, 7 triples, 8 HR, 55 RBI, 58 R, 27-for-38 SB, 11.6% BB, 32.5% K). Lombard and Arias are within one point of each other in OPS. 
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, RS, BB
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, RBI
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-3, RBI, RS
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-1, RS, 2 SB (26), 2 BB
Your reminder that Morales stole one base in 104 college games.
C Diomedes Hernandez: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Owen Cobb: 0-for-2, SB (1), BB, 2 K
The 23-year-old Cobb was drafted by the Padres in 2019 but did not sign (39th round, which no longer exists). After attending Stanford, the Yankees signed him as an undrafted free agent this year. In 55 games for the Cardinal, he hit .320/.363/.500 with 7 homers and 33 RBI. In his five years, he hit .306/.353/.458 in 546 PA with 13 homers and 69 RBI. While he played other positions in his college career, he spent his entire 5th year at second base.

RHP Cade Smith: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
3.47 ERA (85.2 IP, 59 H, 39 R, 33 ER, 5 HR, 40 BB, 111 K). I am always nervous when a pitcher is pulled, but this is his debut season so they might be controlling his innings. Anyway, Smith is trying to build off a strong July (1.35 ERA; 20 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 8 BB, 28 K)
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
2.49 ERA (50.2 IP, 27 H, 15 R, 14 ER, 26 BB, 59 K). Rodriguez wasn’t picked in the 2023 Rule 5 draft and it seems doubtful he will be picked in 2024, but you never know.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: (L, 1-1)  0.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Matt Givin : 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (15-27) (Lost to DSL Mets Orange, 6-2)

SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
3B Richard Matic: 1-for-4, RS, SB (4)
CF Isael Arias: 1-for-3, RBI
2B Jelson Coca: 1-for-2, 3B (2), RS, SB (3), BB

RHP Jorge Luna: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
2.04 ERA (35.1 IP, 23 H, 13 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 17 BB, 43 K)
RHP Oscar Vasquez: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K

DSL Bombers (23-21) (Lost to DSL Mets Blue, 2-1)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-3, HBP, K
LF Richard Meran: 2-for-2, CS (2), HBP
RF David Carrera: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Only 17, Carrera is hitting .266/.404/.405 in 99 PA (debut season)

RHP Jerson Alejandro: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K
The 6’6″ RHP puts together a dominating performance. He owns a 4.45 ERA (30.1 IP, 17 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 0 HR, 28 BB, 50 K)

Yankees MILB 7/27: Josh Grosz Dominates

News:

Nothing to report.

Just kidding.

The Yankees acquired IF/OF Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins today for three prospects – C/1B Agustin Ramirez, 2B/SS Jared Serna, and IF Abrahan Ramirez.

The most significant prospect is Agustin Ramirez, who blossomed into arguably the best Yankees minor league bat over the past two seasons. Between Somerset and Scranton this season, he hit .269/.358/.504 (136 wRC+) with 17 doubles, 20 home runs, and 69 RBI over 386 plate appearances. His numbers were suppressed by a tough start after his promotion, but he is on an 8-game hitting streak that improved his Triple-A triple slash to .224/.328/.364. His profile points to a player who could be an above-average MLB bat. His future position (Catcher? First base? DH?) remains a question. If you are a 1B/DH long-term, the offensive bar increases accordingly.

The Yankees like to target smallish infielders who require smallish bonuses on the international market. That description fits Serna, who stands only 5’7″. He packs a punch in his frame, given his .253/.341/.444 (120 wRC+) line in 393 plate appearances for High-A Hudson Valley this season. Like Ramirez, he doesn’t strike out much (15.3%). Serna’s future position is clearly defined. While he has played a lot of shortstop with the Yankees, most experts point to him as a second baseman long-term.

Most of these trades usually include a lottery ticket. That is where Abrahan Ramirez comes in. Only 19 years old, the infielder hit .348/.447/.513 (161 wRC+) in 189 plate appearances for the FCL squad this season. It was his first taste of the level after spending 60 games in the DSL between 2022 and 2023. While his stats are impressive, there is a long way to go before he is a viable prospect, never mind a viable MLB player.

By the way, Agustin Ramirez was on the 40-man roster while Serna is Rule 5 eligible for the second straight winter.

As for Chisholm, he isn’t a “perfect” player. However, any notion that he doesn’t improve a team is wrong. For Miami, he hit .249/.323/.407 (104 wRC+) with 13 home runs and 22 stolen bases. His 24.9% K rate is above the MLB average but shows improvement over previous seasons. While the Marlins have forced him into CF duty the past two seasons, his versatility should be useful. If he can handle CF, he should be able to handle the corners along with his experience at 2B. I wouldn’t be shocked if he is playable at SS and 3B. The Yankees must be creative in their usage if no other moves are made.

I don’t know how many times Yankees fans have complained about the Yankees needing versatility, athleticism, and speed. Chisholm provides that. Again, he’s not a perfect player. Not many are. Does he fit with the Yankees? I think so.

Bottom Line:

I am not giving this trade five stars out of five. It’s not an obvious, no-brainer. Not many trades are.

However, the Yankees acquired a good player with breakout potential and 2.5 years of control to reach that potential. I don’t think you can say “No” to that. Will it work? Time will tell.

As for the Marlins, I like their return. They received three legitimate prospects, one of whom has a Top 100 level bat. That’s the cost of doing business.

If I was the Yankees’ GM and this deal was offered to me, I would say “Yes.” That is how I have to judge it.

Scranton (56-44) (Defeated Worcester, 9-7, in 11 innings)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 4-for-6, RBI, 3 RS, SB (31), K
.298/.401/.386 in 254 PA (15 doubles, 2 triples, 0 HR, 32 RBI, 37 R, 31-for-35 SB). He is 11-for-22 during his 5-game hitting streak.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-6, 2B (7), RBI, 3 RS, SB (12), K
Vivas is 5-for-14 with a double, 4 RBI, 5 runs, and 3 stolen bases in his last three games. He was slumping for a while but is back on track.
3B Oswald Peraza: 3-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, RS, SB (14), HBP
Peraza walked it off with a 2-run homer. He is hitting .239/.345/.318 in 236 PA. He is 21-for-76 (.276) in July with two home runs. He has three 3-hit games this month.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, 2B (17), 2 RBI
Rumfield is 16-for-61 (.262) in July with 3 doubles, 3 HR, and 10 RBI this month.
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, HBP, 2 K
SS Kevin Smith: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
RF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, 2B (14), BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, SAC, 3 K
Palensky’s first Triple-A game this season (played 9 games here in 2023)
DH Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, RS, SB (3), 2 BB, K

RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Scranton went with a bullpen game tonight. That is an understatement.
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
3.81 ERA (49.2 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 5 HR, 27 BB, 62 K). This ends his 10-game scoreless streak.
RHP Phil Bickford: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
For Scranton: 11.1 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 10 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez (W, 3-0): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Somerset (48-47) (Lost to Portland, 3-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, CS (5), BB, K
.234/.317/.400 in 369 PA. He is 11-for-67 (.164) in July with 8 walks and 34 strikeouts. He has at least one strikeout in ten straight games.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-2, 2 BB
Taking walks is a part of Flores’ game (12 in 109 PA since his promotion (11%) and 14.6% overall)
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, BB, K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, CS (5), HBP, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 2-8) 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
3.76 ERA (107.2 IP, 88 H, 62 R, 45 ER, 7 HR, 36 BB, 106 K). Messinger might be the most snakebit pitcher in professional baseball history. He carries a decent 4.12 minor league ERA over 73 games (55 starts). His record? 4-26.
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Last 7 appearances: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
RHP Joey Gerber: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Colby White: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
White can strike hitters out (190 in 129.2 career IP). Walks have been an issue, including 27 in 26 IP this season.

Hudson Valley (45-48) (Lost to Wilmington, 2-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (17)
.226/.356/.394 in 332 PA (17 doubles, 4 triples, 7 HR, 28 RBI, 52 R, 17-for-22 SB). 
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, BB, K
.235/.370/.408 in 319 PA (17.2% BB, 22.9% K)
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RS, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, K
LF Christopher Familia: 0-for-2, SF, RBI
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-3, K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cam Schlittler (L, 5-4): 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
2.64 ERA (81.2 IP, 54 H, 33 R, 24 ER, 7 HR, 37 BB, 99 K). This is the longest outing in his brief professional career.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.97 ERA (39.1 IP, 33 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 37 K)

Tampa (39-54) (Swept a doubleheader against Clearwater. They are playing better in the second half, as they are 15-12 and in the playoff race)

Game 1 (Won, 4-3, in 9 innings. They walked it off on a combination of events, none of which were pretty)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, RS
LF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 K
It is a big 2-run single for Castillo, who continues his impressive campaign.
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, K
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-3, RS, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 2-for-3, 2B (11)
   PH Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-0, BB
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, RS, K

RHP Josh Grosz: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
4.19 ERA (73 IP, 69 H, 47 R, 34 ER, 9 HR, 27 BB, 93 K). He had a tough time in an emergency start for Somerset on 6/23. Since coming back: 0.397 ERA (22.2 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 25 K). That is dominance. Grosz throws primarily 4-seamers and sliders while mixing in a change.
RHP Matt Givin: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Givin (25) has missed most of the season due to injury. He is not technically here on a rehab stint, but that is what it is.
RHP Ocean Gabonia (W, 3-2): 1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
3.88 ERA (48.2 IP, 46 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 4 HR, 12 BB, 55 K)

Game 2 (Won, 2-1)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-2, 2B (17), RS, HBP
Lombard Jr. has a .237/.708 OPS line. He owns a pair of 2-hit efforts in his last three games (five in his last ten games).
DH Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
Arias is at .223 with a .687 OPS.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2, BB
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 3B (2), RS, K
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-2, RBI, BB, K
Montero brings in Montero for the winning run in the bottom of the 6th.
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-1, CS (3), 2 BB
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cade Smith: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
3.48 ERA (82.2 IP, 56 H, 38 R, 32 ER, 38 BB, 109 K). Smith, their 2023 6th-round pick out of Mississippi State, is one of their most consistent 2024 performers. He is more of a mix guy than an overpowering type, but that is fine. We’ll see how it translates as he moves up.
RHP Aaron Nixon: (W, 3-2)  1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (35-22) (Lost Game 1 to the Pirates, 4-3. The semi-finals are best-of-3)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Mayea took his share of walks and hit .281 in 35 games. He didn’t homer but don’t read into that. The power can come later. For example, Oswald Peraza hit one home run in 94 rookie league games. Three years later, he hit 18 as a 21-year-old in full-season leagues.
1B Engelth Urena: 2-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, BB
It wouldn’t surprise me if the Marlins asked about Urena as the “lottery ticket”. Urena is impressive – he might be the next Agustin Ramirez-like riser. 
RF Joel Mendez: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RS, BB
3B-SS Santiago Gomez: 2-for-3, K

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Making the playoffs allowed Lagrange to add to his innings total. He needs more, given the late start to his campaign.
RHP Chris Kean: 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
I expect Kean to go to Tampa once the FCL squad is done. He’s 22 years old and dominated during the regular season (1.31 ERA in 20.2 IP with a 27/3 K/BB).

DSL Yankees (13-25) (Defeated the DSL Bombers, 6-3. They are playing playoff spoiler against their own organization mates!)

SS Dexters Peralta: 2-for-3, 3B (1), RS, 2 SB (18), CS (3), K
.226/.299/.304 with 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts. The triple slash may not jump out at you, but he just turned 17 years old.
3B Richard Matic: 0-for-0, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB
C Justin Capellan: 1-for-3, 2B (4), 4 RBI
Capellan’s first career multi-RBI game.
RF Louis Pierre: 0-for-1, RS, 2 SB (10), CS (2), 2 BB, K

RHP Jorge Luna: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
1.65 ERA (32.2 IP, 21 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 37 K)
LHP Ronald Tejada (W, 3-0): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.42 ERA (19 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 16 K). It is the 17-year-old’s debut season.

DSL Bombers (22-17) (Lost to the DSL Yankees, 6-3)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Kevin Verde: 1-for-2, 2B (7), 2 RS, SB (9), BB
The 18-year-old has 16 doubles and 17 stolen bases in 55 DSL games.

LHP Jose Ledesma: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K