Yankees MILB 5/8: Everson Pereira Walks it Off

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (24-10) (Walked it off against Rochester, 5-3. Scranton compiled ten walks but couldn’t do much with the baserunners. In the end, however, it didn’t matter)

2B Caleb Durbin2-for-5, 2B (13), RBI, 2 RS, K
His double in the 9th tied the game. Slugging percentage, by year: 2021: .304 (17 games); 2022: .372; 2023: .427; 2024: .461.  
RF Everson Pereira1-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
Pereira hit a walk-off 2-run homer with one out in the 9th. He has 17 homers in 66 Triple-A games and 61 in 263 games from 2021-2024.
1B Carlos Narvaez0-for-0, 4 BB
Narvaez compiles his second career 4-BB game. Drawing walks is a part of his game (.362 career OBP)
DH Oscar Gonzalez0-for-2, K
  PH-DH T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-2
It’s too early to tell, but maybe his 17 HR in 86 games last year will not be the norm. That said, he hit .222 while hitting those home runs while he is hitting .314 in 2024 – an interesting storyline to follow.
C Luis Torrens: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, RBI, BB
CF Greg Allen0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
SS Kevin Smith0-for-3, BB
LF Brandon Lockridge1-for-3, 2 RS, SB (14), BB, K
.213/.352/.280 in 91 PA (5 doubles, 10 RBI, 15 R, 14-for-15 SB).

RHP Clayton Beeter5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR
2.89 ERA (28 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 41 K)
RHP Cody Morris1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.50 ERA (18 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 23 K)
RHP Phil Bickford (W, 2-0): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.92 ERA (12.1 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 16 K). With Nick Burdi and Tommy Kahnle on rehab stints, slots in the Yankees’ bullpen are about to become tight. They do have nice veteran depth to tap into whenever needed.


Somerset (13-15) (Fell asleep against Altoona, 3-0)

CF Spencer Jones0-for-4, 2 K
Jones is 2-for-26 with 11 strikeouts in May and his slugging percentage has dipped under .400 (.395). I am not concerned but, if you listened to some of the “experts,” they said Jones needs time. He’ll get it going again.
1B Ben Rice0-for-3, SB (5), BB
Rice has “sneaky” stolen base ability (21-for-25 in his career) but that won’t be his calling card!
DH Agustin Ramirez0-for-4, 2 K
SS Ben Cowles2-for-3, BB
.337/.414/.564 in 116 PA with an 11.2% BB and 16.4% K. His .388 BABIP is high, but his career mark is .368 in 1,046 PA.
C J.C. Escarra0-for-4, K
3B Jordan Groshans0-for-2, BB
LF Elijah Dunham0-for-2, CS (3), BB, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler1-for-3, 2B (6), SB (3)
RF Aaron Palensky0-f0r-3, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (L, 2-3): 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
3.34 ERA (35 IP, 26 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 35 K). This is your reminder that Vrieling was shipped straight to Double-A to make his professional debut. Sometimes, you want to give an advanced kid some time in the lower minors to get his feet wet. The Yankees didn’t deem that necessary. It seems like the correct call.
RHP Leonardo Pestana1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
In 14 innings between here and Hudson Valley, Pestana has allowed two hits with a 19/6 K/BB. Is the move to the bullpen unlocking something? So far, the results are encouraging.
RHP Luis Velasquez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


Hudson Valley (14-12) (Lost to Aberdeen, 6-5)

2B Roc Riggio1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Riggio led off the game with a home run.
SS Jared Serna1-for-5, 2 RBI, K
Serna increases his hitting streak to 7.
RF Jace Avina1-for-4, 2B (6), RS, K
Avina has eight extra-base hits in 16 games. 76 of his 153 career hits have gone for extra bases. Having nearly 50% of your hits go for extra bases seems like a high rate, no?
3B Jesus Rodriguez1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI
Rodriguez is hitting .328 with a .948 OPS. He is hitting .316 in 209 career games while playing several positions, including catcher. I will once again say that performance matters.
C Omar Martinez0-for-2, 2 BB, K
DH Josh Moylan0-for-2, 2 BB, K
CF Nelson Medina0-for-4, 3 K
1B Kiko Romero1-for-2, HR (3), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
LF Kyle Battle1-for-4, 2 K

RHP Baron Stuart4.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
4.50 ERA (18 IP, 20 H, 10 R, 9 ER,0 HR, 10 BB, 12 K). 
RHP Trent Sellers: (L, 3-1)  0.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R,0 ER, 4 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
4.32 ERA (16.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 20 K)
RHP Cole Ayers1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.69 ERA (16 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 21 K)


Tampa (10-20) (Outlasted Clearwater, 9-8)

2B-SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 SB (7), 2 BB
Arias has holes in his game but can impact games. Can we remember that he is only 19 and nobody knows exactly where his career is going?
SS Oswald Peraza0-for-2, RS, BB, K
I wouldn’t worry about him being pulled – it is his second rehab game (first in the field). It is how the Yankees typically do things.
   2B Dayro Perez0-for-2, K
DH Tyler Hardman3-for-5, 2 2B (2), HR (1), 4 RBI, 2 RS, CS (1), K
If you kept Hardman down here for 50 games, he might just hit 35 home runs. That said, he is swinging the bat well in the early days of his rehab stint.
1B Dylan Jasso: 3-for-5, 2B (10), RBI, RS, 2 K
Jasso has 13 RBI in eight May games and is hitting .292 with a .911 OPS.  Furthermore, he has a 5-game hitting streak that features three multi-hit efforts. Would they consider an early promotion to Hudson Valley? If he keeps this up, do they have a choice?
CF Willy Montero1-for-5, RS, K
3B Hans Montero2-for-4, 2B (1), 3B (1), RS, BB, 2 K
Montero’s first career multi-extra-base hit game.
RF Coby Morales: 3-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (7), K
Morales has five multi-hit games and 10 RBI in May (eight games played). During this stretch, he has improved his triple slash from .195/.333/.208 to .269/.375/.324.
C Tomas Frick: 2-for-4, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, RS, K
Frick increases his season-long on-base streak to 14 (12 games feature at least one hit)
LF Tayler Aguilar0-for-3, BB, 3 K

RHP Tommy Kahnle1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Kahnle maxed out at 95.5 MPH. His signature changeup resulted in two whiffs (as did his slider)
RHP Cade Smith4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
I wonder if a starter being asked to follow a rehabbing pitcher throws them off. I have no data to support any theory, and Smith’s first inning of work was scoreless so it could just be a tough night. Season: 2.77 ERA (26 IP, 16 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 38 K)
RHP Aaron Nixon: (W, 1-0) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Nixon’s first professional win – congrats!
RHP Ocean Gabonia: (S, 1) 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K


FCL (1-2)

Scheduled day off.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 6/10: Fitts, Hampton Dominate

News:

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

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

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

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

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

Game 1 (Lost, 4-2)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For the Bombers:

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

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