Tag: Jared Serna

Yankees MILB 5/31: Spencer Jones Breaks Out

News:

The Mets, in their neverending quest to buy a championship, acquired C Luis Torrens from the Yankees for $100,000. This move hurts the Yankees’ catching depth, but Torrens was #4 on the depth chart behind Jose Trevino, Austin Wells, and Carlos Narvaez. They aren’t hurting in this department. The Yankees weren’t stopping a veteran toiling in the minors from an MLB opportunity. As for the minor league depth, Scranton has Narvaez and Josh Breaux. The Yankees could assign Ben Rice or Agustin Ramirez to the level and maneuver others around to fill in rosters.

As a correction to my report yesterday: RHP Cody Poteet is not starting for Scranton on Saturday. He’s heading to San Francisco to pitch for the Yankees instead. His injury was a blister, often problematic for pitchers but better than most potential ailments.

Scranton (34-21) (Lost to Toledo, 1-0)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, BB
3B Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, SB (4), K
For Scranton: 7-for-41 with 9 walks and 12 strikeouts.
1B Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, SB (2), HBP, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, 2B (11), BB, K
With Torrens gone, Narvaez is the no-doubt #3 catcher. 
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, 2B (8), 2 K
.242/.350/.470 in 161 PA.
2B Kevin Smith: 0-for-3
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Josh Maciejewski: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Maciejewski was promoted to Scranton today.
RHP Art Warren: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Clayton Andrews (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (24-25) (Crushed Bowie, 13-5)

CF-RF Spencer Jones: 3-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 4 RS, SB (12), BB, K
Jones’ first HR since April 23 as he extends his on-base streak to 14 (his triple slash has gone down during this stretch!) But maybe, just maybe, tonight is the start of something bigger as we head into June. He is hitting .220/.314/.327 with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. 
DH-CF Jasson Dominguez: 3-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (1)
For Somerset: 11-for-33 (.333) with 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored.  He is on a 6-game hitting streak (11-for-25).
1B Ben Rice: 3-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, RS, BB, K
.249/.373/.497 in 205 PA. In his last 10 games, he is 11-for-36 with 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI.
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2B (9), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Ramirez’s 11th multi-hit game. This season, he is hitting .271/.376/.554 in 197 PA. 9 of his 12 home runs came in April, but 8 of his 9 doubles came in May. His BABIP, so low to start the season, now sits at .273.
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 2B (17), 3B (3), 2 RBI, RS, K
.319/.402/.534 in 194 PA. With all the big shots here, who would have thought that Cowles would be outshining them in OPS?  He is one double away from his season best (he hit 18 in 2022 and 2023).
RF-LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, 3 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-4, CS (1), BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, 3 K
  P Jesus Liranzo: 0-for-0
2B Anthony Seigler: 3-for-4, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI, 3 RS, SB (7)
Seigler has 3 HR in his last 2 games. This is his first multi-HR game since July 27th, 2021.

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 3-4) 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR
He left with two runners on and two outs, and both scored. Such is life. Season: 4.79 ERA (56.1 IP, 52 H, 32 R, 30 ER, 3 HR, 17 BB, 56 K).
RHP Jesus Liranzo (S, 1): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (24-22) (Mauled Aberdeen, 10-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
.211/.364/.358 in 154 PA. April and May were similar: .213/.356/.383 in April; .211/.368/.342 in May.
SS Jared Serna: 3-for-4, HR (10), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
.253/.371/.489 in 213 PA (11 doubles, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 34 R). After hitting .211/.344/.352 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in April, he hit .282/.390/.583 with 8 HR and 29 RBI in May. It isn’t easy to drive home 29 runs in one month (he played in 25 May games)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS, 2 BB
.310/.395/.521 in 167 PA. It wasn’t quite Serna, but Avina drove home 21 runs in May.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-2
After an awkward play in the field, Rodriguez left the game.
   PH-RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, 2B (8), 2 RS
DH Omar Martinez: 2-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
.244/.391/.437 in 169 PA. He hit .242/.367/.424 in April and .246/.411/.449 in May.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
Flores thrived in May (.361/.474/.508; 9 doubles; current 6-game hitting streak). He hit .211/.308/.404 in April. 
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RS, BB, HBP, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-5, 3 K
RF Kyle Battle: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K

LHP Kyle Carr: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Like with Vrieling, Carr left with two runners on, and both scored.
RHP Luis Arejula (W, 3-3): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (18-31) (Lost to Palm Beach, 4-3. They loaded the bases in the top of the 9th, but couldn’t score. Oh well)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RS, BB
.220/.374/.280 in 147 PA.  A .237/.438/.271 April was followed up with a .203/.299/.288 May. There was an injury mixed in between the two months.
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, RBI
.201/.316/.318 in 212 PA (.214/.327/.381 in April; .189/.307/.263 in May). I keep saying it because it is true: We must be patient. And that patience comes without knowing whether or not he will develop. That’s life when you track prospects.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, BB, K
.263/.358/.446 in 204 PA. Jasso drove in 20 runs in May (8 in April).
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, RS
April: .200/.273/.333. May: .267/.420/.480 with 7 of his 9 doubles. Lombard Jr. and Arias are teenagers. Castillo isn’t old, but he is 21. That can make all the difference.
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, BB, K
.187/.255/.247 in 184 PA. He was better in May, but still needs to find his groove. 
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-5, 3 K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, K
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, K
LF Daury Arias: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB

RHP Ryan Harvey: (L, 2-3) 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Bow wasn’t throwing a high-90s sinker tonight (peaked at 95.2). That said, he did not issue any walks, either. Season: 3.00 ERA (21 IP, 16 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 25 K).
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.50 ERA (24 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 26 K). Even in these short outings, he will use his 5-pitch mix. I don’t know if the Yankees still think he can start (he’s never started a professional game…), but they haven’t asked him to focus on 2-3 pitches.
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

FCL (12-8) (Lost to the Tigers, 4-1. Do they get tired of playing the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Tigers all the time?)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-3, SB (5), BB, 2 K
.333/.436/.394 in 39 PA (5-for-5 SB). Mayea has an 8-game hitting streak.
DH Christopher Familia: 2-for-4
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, K
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
19-for-55 (.345/.446/.636; 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 13 R, 6-for-7 SB)

RHP Chris Kean (L, 0-1): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
6.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. He should get to Tampa soon enough.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/29: Jared Serna’s Big Night

News:

IF Kevin Smith cleared waivers. Unlike the last time, he could have declined an outright assignment but didn’t do so. He will return to Scranton.

Scranton (33-20) (Avenged last night’s 10-0 loss by crushing Toledo, 11-2)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
Vivas started 1-for-14 on his second rehab stint. He is 8-for-20 since.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-2, 3 RS, 3 BB, K
If both are still around, Vivas/Peraza could be a part of a battle for the second base job in 2025. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, HR (3), RBI, RS, CS (2), K
Rumfield’s first extra-base hit since May 7th.
DH Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Rojas’ 7th HR in May. In 2023, it would have earned him a promotion to the full-time MLB LF job.
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-5, HR (5), 3 RBI, RS
LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, K
3B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB
CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-3, 2 RS, SB (18), BB
.262/.392/.350 in 125 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 15 RBI, 20 R, 18-for-20 SB). Lockridge is 119-for-142 stealing bases in his 461-game minor league career.

LHP Tanner Tully (W, 1-3): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
0.75 ERA (12 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 11 K)
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Phil Bickford: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.54 ERA (20.1 IP, 19 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 27 K). 

Somerset (23-24) (Walked it off against Bowie, 2-1)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
His RBI single in the bottom of the 9th won the game, and he needed that! This extends his on-base streak to 12, though as I said yesterday, the numbers aren’t eye-popping during this stretch.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-2
Dominguez’s first game in the field this season.
   PH-CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, K
The Yankees rarely, if ever, allow a rehabbing player to play a full nine innings the first time they play in the field.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2B (8)
While he hasn’t homered in a while, he is hitting .300/.389/.525 during May. There wasn’t a way he was maintaining the “9 HR a month” thing he did in April. As his HR rate has dropped, his BABIP has normalized and I think we are seeing a clearer picture of who Ramirez can be.
C Ben Rice: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
For those who clamor for Rice to play first base, let me ask you this: Anthony Rizzo has been an issue. We don’t know if he will ever be good again. Neither do the Yankees. Yet, the organization continues to put Rice behind the plate rather than giving him extensive reps at first base (14 starts this season). In my world, this tells me that Rice is not seen as a replacement at first base, even as I declared last night that he can be a 2025 option.  Catching increases trade value, but MLB crisis >>> trade value. Do they think a crisis doesn’t exist? Or, is it that Rice wouldn’t solve the crisis?  At the very least, I think it is fair to ask.
3B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, BB
2B-SS Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-2, RS, CS (2), 2 BB
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-2, RBI, SB (9), 2 BB
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3
  2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1, K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Messinger sets a new best for strikeouts in a game. Season: 3.56 ERA (55.2 IP, 45 H, 30 R, 22 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 66 K). BB/9, by year: 2022: 4.84; 2023: 4.80; 2024: 2.91.  He compiled a 1.95 ERA in 27.2 IP with a 36/8 K/BB during May.
RHP Colby White: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 0.79 ERA (11.1 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 12 K). Pestana has been with the organization since 2018, but injuries have limited him to 140.2 innings. The Yankees likely threw him into the bullpen in 2024 as a “last ditch” effort and it has worked so far. He will be 26 in July.
RHP Kevin Stevens (W, 3-0): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (22-22) (Defeated Aberdeen, 9-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-4, 2 HR (9), 7 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Serna hit a grand slam and a 3-run blast. He ties his best for RBI in a game (set last July) and has 7 HR in May (five of them in two games). Overall, he is hitting .241 with a .831 OPS in 202 PA (11 doubles, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 32 R, 14.9% BB, 17.8% K)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, BB, K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, BB
Rodriguez is hitting .329 with a .913 OPS. In his last three games, he is 8-for-12 with 3 doubles and a pair of walks.  He has 66 games played at this level over the past two seasons, hitting .339. He does all this while playing anywhere they ask him to play. 
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-4, 2 RS, K
Last 10 games: 11-for-35 (.314) with seven walks.
LF Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-2, 2 RS, HBP, BB
RF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, SF, 2 RBI, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 3-1) 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Stuart was returned here from Scranton, where he tossed a 7-inning complete game in an emergency start.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.08 ERA (30.1 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 37 K)

Tampa (18-29) (Lost two games to Palm Beach)

Game 1 (Lost, 8-7, in 11 innings. This was the conclusion of yesterday’s suspended game)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-6
Well, this improves the K%. #Positivity.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-6, RS, SB (12), 5 K
This certainly does not improve the K%. #Reality.
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-5, 2B (15), RBI, RS, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, RS
  LF Daury Arias: 1-for-2, 2B (4), RBI
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-5, 4 K
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, K
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-2, K
  C Edinson Duran: 1-for-3, 2B (3)
DH Tomas Frick: 3-for-4, RBI
  PR-DH Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1, RS

RHP Luis Serna: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
4.75 ERA (36 IP, 28 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 42 K). May: 24.2 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 26 K. Serna has allowed 3 home runs in 136.2 career innings. 
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Cade Austin: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
3.31 ERA (32.2 IP, 25 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 7 BB, 37 K). The HR rate is high, but this is a solid debut season. 
RHP Montana Semmel: 1.2, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow (L, 1-1):  0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 2 (Lost, 5-0, in a 7-inning game)

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, 2 K
Ouch. These two games didn’t go Arias’ way. He is hitting .200/.314/.320 in 207 PA (13.5% BB, 35.7% K)
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, K
.260/.341/.425 in 82 PA.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 2 K
.184/.251/.241 in 175 PA
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-3
25-for-81 (.309/.406/.383) with 16 RBI in May.
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-3
.316/.409/.434 in 88 PA (6 doubles, 1 HR, 11 RBI).  Frick isn’t an everyday presence, but he has hit well.
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-2, K
DH Edinson Duran: 0-for-2, K
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-1, CS (1), BB, K

RHP Cade Smith: (L, 2-3)  4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
He generated 14 whiffs with his slider. Season: 3.02 ERA (41.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 14 ER, 1 HR, 20 BB, 51 K). So far, his debut season is nothing to complain about.
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.61 ERA (22.1 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 12 BB, 24 K)

FCL (11-7)

Scheduled day off. This is a weird league.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/27: Jesus Rodriguez Collects 2 Hits

News:

Nothing

Scranton (32-18)

Scheduled day off.

Somerset (22-23)

Scheduled day off.

Hudson Valley (21-22) (Lost to Aberdeen, 9-4)

CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, HR (5), RBI, RS
14 doubles, 5 homers in 33 games. Last year, he hit 22 doubles and 14 homers in 99 games.
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-5, 2B (11), RS, K
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 2B (12), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Rodriguez has 6 hits in his last two games and is 29-for-82 (.354) in May with 9 doubles. His ability to play many positions leverages him well for a promotion to Somerset.
DH Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Hardman is no longer on his rehab stint and was assigned to Hudson Valley.
1B Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, K
3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, 2B (4), BB
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-4, K
2B Beau Brewer: 0-for-2, CI, BB

RHP Jackson Fristoe: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
4.70 ERA (23 IP, 18 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 28 K). He’s pitched exactly 3 innings in four of his five May starts. The Yankees have yet to push him. They will eventually.
RHP Trent Sellers: (L, 4-2)  1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
As expected, Sellers was sent back down here from Scranton.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Joel Valdez: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (18-27)

Scheduled day off.

FCL (10-7) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 2-1, in a 7-inning game)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, RS, SB (2), K
Mayea has a 5-game hitting streak.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, BB, K
.333/.529/.500 in 51 PA. 
DH Christopher Familia: 1-for-2, BB, K
The 23-year-old Familia put himself on the map in 2023 when he hit .307/.378/.617 in 68 games for Tampa/Hudson Valley. In those 68 games, he hit 22 home runs and drove home 63. While much of that damage was done in Tampa (.928 SLG!), 11 homers were hit in Hudson Valley. Anyway, he is here on a rehab stint.
LF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (1), BB, K
Sanchez has a 6-game hitting streak and is hitting .370/.463/.609.

RHP Hansel Rosario: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 3-0): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
4 appearances/3 wins. Life as a middle reliever in the FCL, where starters rarely qualify for wins.
RHP Jesus Castellanos (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/19: Trystan Vrieling Sparkles

News:

The news section has been too quiet for my liking lately. Something big is about to happen…

Scranton (29-14) (Split a doubleheader with Worcester)

Game 1 (Won, 6-3)

3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4
.285/.402/.418 in 200 PA. Durbin has a reverse split, hitting .216/.341/.270 vs. LHP and .305/.419/.461 vs. RHP. 
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, K
Peraza was called up from Somerset to continue his rehab assignment here. 
DH Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, 2 K
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-3, 2 RS, SB (5)
1B Jose Rojas: 3-for-3, 2B (10), HR (9), RBI, 3 RS, SB (1)
LF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-3, RBI, K
Gonzalez is 14-for-43 (.326) at this level (4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR). 
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
CF Greg Allen: 1-for-2, RS, HBP
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, 2B (7), RBI, K

RHP Cody Poteet: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
4.05 ERA (33.1 IP, 26 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 38 K)
RHP Cody Morris (W, 3-0): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (S, 2): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Game 2 (Lost, 3-1)

LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-3, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB, K
.244/.392/.420 in 153 PA. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-2, BB
Rumfield has a 7-game hitting streak and is hititng .317/.385/.424 in 156 PA between here and Somerset.
DH Everson Pereira: 0-for-2, BB, K
.265/.346/.512 in 182 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 33 R, 14.6% BB, 32.4%)
RF Jose Rojas: 1-for-3, K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, 2 K
2B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-3, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: (L, 0-2)  4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
3.62 ERA (27.1 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 33 K). The Yankees have until the end of next year’s spring training to determine what they are going to do with Gomez. For now, he is depth.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
1.29 ERA (21 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 23 K)

Somerset (19-19) (Shut down Portland, 7-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, 2B (5), RS, 2 K
Jones’ first extra-base hit since May 7th (9 consecutive games without one). We’ll see if it sparks him.
3B DJ LeMahieu: 1-for-1, RBI, 2 RS, 3 BB
The Yankees will play it cautiously with LeMahieu, but this is an encouraging day. Some may wonder about how he will impact what the MLB team is doing. One hates to upset the apple cart, but a healthy LeMahieu is still a useful baseball player.
   3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-1
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB
He ends Sunday with an OPS just below 1.000 (.998). vs. LHP: .382/.463/.912.  vs. RHP: .239/.369/.489. That is acceptable, especially since he has 7 HR, 20 RBI, and 18 walks in 110 PA vs. RHP.
1B Ben Rice: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
Rice has slumped in May (.192/.317/.269), but at least he did something productive this afternoon. His bat has been too dominant in Double-A (24 HR in 84 games) for this to continue.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-2, 2B (14), 2 RBI, RS, SB (6), 2 BB
.331/.414/.543 in 152 PA (14 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 22 R, 6-for-6 SB, 12.5% BB, 15.8% K). 
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, SB (6), HBP, BB, K
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (6), 2 K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, RS, 2 SB (7), BB, K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 3-4)  5.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
4.40 ERA (45 IP, 40 H, 24 R, 22 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 44 K). Earlier in the week, against this team, Vrieling allowed 9 runs in 4.2 innings so this was a nice adjustment. 
RHP Ryan Anderson: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Kahnle has retired all 15 batters he has faced during his rehab stint (Tampa/Somerset), striking out 11. He is on his way to New York now.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Since promotion: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Hudson Valley (19-17) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 6-5, in 10 innings)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5, RS, BB, 3 K
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-3, 2B (9), RBI, RS, SB (4), 2 BB, K
.263/.388/.489 in 165 PA. He has 7 multi-hit games in his last 17 games played.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-5, 2B (12), 3 RBI, SB (4), BB, K
.310/.412/.550 in 119 PA  (12 doubles, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 17 R, 4-for-4 SB).  He has hit safely in 13 of 15 May games (18-for-61, 9 doubles, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 12 R)
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5
.308/.384/.489 in 151 PA with a 10.6% BB and 14.6% K. 
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, BB, 3 K
Martinez has a 6-game hitting streak (7-for-20; 7 walks). He is starting to get rolling.
  PR-DH Kyle Battle: 0-for-0
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
Flores has a 5-game hitting streak and is 13-for-32 (.406) in May with 5 doubles and 8 walks.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, BB, K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-4, RS, BB
RF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, RS, BB, HBP, K

LHP Ben Shields: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
3.86 ERA (25.2 IP, 22 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 4 BB, 34 K). You have to love that K/BB. He started strong in April but has struggled in May. This was only his second start.
RHP Trent Sellers: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K
2.82 ERA (22.1 IP, 14 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 16 BB, 30 K). This is the first time in his career (which only started this year) that he didn’t strike out at least one batter in an appearance.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers:  (L, 1-2) 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (14-25) (Defeated Bradenton, 3-1)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, K
  2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-0
DH Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
This is the first time Dominguez played back-to-back games this season.
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 2 K
.213/.345/.348 in 171 PA (5 doubles, 4 triples, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 21 R, 9-for-15 SB, 15.8% BB, 35.7% K). Last 12 games: 12-for-44 (.273), 10 BB, 16 K.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, 2B (13), K
.319/.360/.551 with 7 doubles, 3 HR, and 16 RBI in 17 May games.
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
3B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, 3B (2), HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Montero is 16-for-48 (.333; 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR). He was 3-for-18 in his first five games. Interestingly, we don’t know if he would be here right now if not for the injuries to George Lombard Jr. and (especially) Enmanuel Tejeda.
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-4, RBI, RS
.321/.426/.429 with 3 doubles, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, and 11 walks in 16 May games. Morales was their 18th-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Washington. He bats lefty and has an extreme split (.294/.416/.363 vs. RHP; .097/.222/.097 vs. LHP)
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, BB
LF Dayro Perez: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Ryan Harvey: (W, 1-2) 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Harvey sets a new personal best for strikeouts in a game.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The 22-year-old was called up from the FCL. In 33 appearances between the DSL/FCL since 2022, he went 4-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 51.2 IP. He walked 30 and struck out 72. Today, he threw 20 sinkers (92.3 MPH average), 7 changeups, and 3 sliders.
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Montana Semmel (S, 2): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL (5-6)

They never play on Sunday.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/18: Jasson Dominguez is Heating Up

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Scranton (28-13) 

Their game against Worcester was postponed. Instead of playing two tomorrow, they will attempt to make this up on Monday. The posted lineup is below.

2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-0
.286/.405/.422 in 196 PA (14 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 30 R, 20-for-22 SB, 14.8% BB, 10.7% K). His SLG has, predictably, slipped (only four extra-base hits (all doubles) in May), but the rest of his profile has motored along. Starts, by position: 2B: 17; 3B: 10; SS: 7; LF: 4; CF: 1. 
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-0
Peraza’s rehab stint was moved here from Somerset.
RF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-0
1B Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-0
After a .215/.384/.354 April, Narvaez is hitting .275/.396/.475 in May.
DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-0
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-0
.265/.358/.510 in 124 PA.  How souped up is this league? A .510 SLG is strong on paper. In the International League, it is good enough to be ranked 33rd. In the Double-A Eastern League (where Somerset plays), the 33rd-best slugging percentage is .394.
C Luis Torrens: 0-for-0
LF Greg Allen: 0-for-0
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0

RHP Cody Poteet: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (18-19) (Lost to Portland, 2-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
.222/.298/.333 in 121 PA. He hasn’t homered since April 23rd (20 straight games without one). Eventually, you figure someone is going to pay.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
.285/.395/.618 in 147 PA. His hitting streak is at 7 (12-for-26).
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, 2 K
.328/.405/.536 in 148 PA. 
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, K
DH Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, RS, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 2-3) 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
I was concerned when he only pitched three innings last time, but he is fine, it appears. Season: 3.99 ERA (38.1 IP, 33 H, 18 R, 17 ER, 17 BB, 41 K). His first 8 professional starts have gone as well as you can hope for.
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
In his last five appearances: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 13 K. Overall, he has a 1.45 ERA and 30/6 K/BB over 18.2 IP. In his career, he has 222 strikeouts in 137.1 innings. He is a legitimate high-leverage relief prospect.

Hudson Valley (19-16) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 14-8)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, RS, BB, HBP, K
His BB% (16.3) continues to be higher than his K% (15.4). I expect the bat to eventually get going.
SS Luis Serna: 1-for-5, HR (7), RBI, RS, SB (3), BB
Serna has homered in two of his last three games and is hitting .305/.406/.627 in May (4 doubles, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 12 R).  While many see him as a 2B long-term, he has started 26 games at SS and 8 at 2B.
RF Jace Avina: 3-for-4, 2B (11), HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (3), BB
.305/.407/.547 in 113 PA (11 doubles, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 17 R, 11.5% BB, 28.3% K). 
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
.313/.390/.500 in 146 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 24 R, 10.96% BB, 15.1% K). He owns a 12-game on-base streak.
C Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 2 RS, BB, K
Martinez has a 5-game hitting streak. He is at .240/.406/.413 in 133 PA (21.1% BB and 21.1% K).
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, 2B (10), 2 RBI, BB, K
Flores is up to .281/.387/.461 in 106 PA (10 doubles, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 10 R, 14.2% BB, 23.6% K). He has five multi-hit efforts in his last seven games (12-for-24; 5 doubles, 10 RBI – he has at least one RBI in seven straight games). Before this streak, he was hitting .200/.307/.369.
3B Josh Moylan: 3-for-5, 2B (3), 2 RBI, CS (1)
In his last four games, Moylan is 6-for-15 with five RBI. It has lifted his triple slash from .205/.344/.295 to .237/.368/.323. It’s a start!
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-5, 2 K
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-4, RS, SB (4), BB, K

LHP Kyle Carr: 4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
6.49 ERA (26.1 IP, 32 H, 27 R, 18 ER, 2 HR, 23 BB, 22 K). I won’t try to trick you into thinking that is a good line. I will say that this is his debut season and everyone develops at a different pace. How does he adjust? That is the question you want answered.
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Arejula: (L, 1-3) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (13-25) (Defeated Bradenton, 10-9, in ten innings)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-3, 2 RS, BB, HBP, K
Vivas is 1-for-7 since he restarted his rehab stint (he went 1-for-7 for Scranton during his first rehab stint)
   2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1, RS
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Dominguez’s double was hit 106.5 MPH. On his rehab stint: 5-for-11 (1 double, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K).
   PH Hans Montero: 1-for-1
Again, they probably told Dominguez his night was over after his 5th plate appearance, which is why he didn’t hit in the 10th inning.
3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, HBP, K
He is hitting .210 with a .644 OPS.
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 3B (4), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
Arias walked it off in the bottom of the 10th with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. 
1B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, 2 2B (12), BB, 2 K
Jasso has 20 doubles in 57 career games.
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, SF, 3 RBI, K
All 9 of Castillo’s RBI have come in his last ten games. In those ten games, he is 14-for-31 with four doubles and three homers.
LF Willy Montero: 2-for-5, 2 K
For a moment, he lifted his average over .200. At he end of the night, he settled in at .198.
RF Coby Morales: 0-for-4, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, RS, BB

RHP Josh Grosz: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, HR
7.06 ERA (29.1 IP, 37 H, 32 R, 23 ER, 8 HR, 13 BB, 48 K). That line shows off his raw ability and things he needs to work on. His rate numbers show bad luck: Entering tonight, he had a .413 BABIP and 35% HR/FB. A 35% HR/FB is insane – something like that can’t be sustained. 
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.96 ERA (18.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 9 BB, 18 K). Rodriguez hit 96.3 with his 4-seamer and 95.1 with his sinker.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
2.14 ERA (21 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 17 BB, 22 K)
RHP Kris Bow: (W, 1-0)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
He just comes at you with hard sinkers and sliders. They don’t always hit the zone, but there is no way Bow is a comfortable AB. Season: 3.94 ERA (16 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 19 K)

FCL (5-6) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 6-2)

1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, HBP, K
8-for-29 (2 doubles, 3 HR, 10 BB, 8 K, 2-for-2 SB)
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, 2 RS, BB, HBP, K
My thick skull finally figured it out: They send Hardman to the FCL for rehab on days Jasson Dominguez plays for Tampa. For now, both are only playing DH.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, 2B (3), 2 RBI, BB
7-for-22 (3 doubles, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 11 BB, 4 K). The 17-year-old (for one more week) is making an early impression.
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, SF, 2 RBI
7-for-30 (1 triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2-for-5 SB)
3B Luis Ogando: 2-for-4, RS

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Last year’s 20th-round pick stands 6’8″. His ERA wasn’t great at Cal Poly, but he kept the walks in check, which is unusual for a kid this big.
RHP Omar Gonzalez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Sabier Marte (W, 2-0): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
9.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 9 K
RHP Chris Kean: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. I doubt he will be in the FCL for long.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/16: Jasson Dominguez: 2 Hits

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I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-13) (Lost a pitcher’s duel to Worcester, 13-12)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, SB (19), BB
.288/.411/.429 in 191 PA. He has 14 multi-hit games this season (41 games)
CF Everson Pereira: 1-for-5, 3 RS, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-6, RBI, RS, K
Rumfield has a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-22). He is at .317/.368/.452 since his promotion.
C Carlos Narvaez: 3-for-5, 2B (9), 2 RBI, RS, HBP, K
.243/.396/.405 in 144 PA. He has four doubles in his last five games (walks and power have always been his offensive trademark – and it’s proving to be the case in 2024 as well)
LF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, 2B (2), 3 RBI, RS, SB (1), 2 BB, 2 K
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS
RF Jose Rojas: 2-for-4, 2B (9), HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
The veteran depth piece is hitting .221/.376/.538 in 133 PA. If this was 2023, he would be in the MLB lineup.
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
3B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 3 BB, 3 K
Back-to-back rough starts (14 R in 7.2 IP) have spiked his ERA to 5.84 in 37 IP. 
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
Yikes.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Art Warren: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (L, 0-1): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Allowed a walk-off HR with two outs in the 9th.

Somerset (17-18) (Lost to Portland, 5-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, K
Jones is 7-for-50 (.140) in May. There was a time in May 2023, when Jasson Dominguez was hitting .125/.367/.304. You never know when a top prospect will start to break out. Hopefully, Jones does soon.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, SB (1), BB, 3 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, RS
Ramirez has a 6-game hitting streak (11-for-23, 3 doubles, 2 homers). He is 22 (23 in September) and dominating Double-A (1.024 OPS). Yes, he should be considered one of the better offensive prospects in baseball.
DH Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RBI
.246/.371/.468 in 152 PA. The bar is high for a 1B/DH. The bar lowers if he can be a backup catcher as well. 
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, K
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, BB, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-3, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3

LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 3-2)  6 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 2 HR
This is Selvidge’s second time he has allowed multiple home runs in a game (45th game; 41st start). Season: 3.00 ERA (39 IP, 30 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 41 K)
RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
He is toying with minor-league hitters, retiring all 12 he has faced. For Somerset, he has faced six batters and struck them all out. In Tampa, he faced six batters and struck out three.
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.53 ERA (17.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 27 K). It may be time to send him to Scranton.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Pestana has tossed 6.1 scoreless innings since his promotion and owns a 1.13 ERA in 16 IP overall. This is his first full season in the bullpen and he is seemingly throwing well.

Hudson Valley (18-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 8-5)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, 2B (6), 2 RS, BB
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-5, HR (6), RBI, 2 RS, K
He is hitting .256 with a .847 OPS. After games of 4/27, his OPS was .583. An incredible run (22-for-60, 6 doubles, 4 HR, 9 BB) has turned around his fortunes. We have seen this throughout his brief career: When he gets hot, he is special.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-5, 2B (10), HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 RS
11-game hitting streak. He is up to .299 with a .921 OPS and has 13 extra-base hits in 23 games (50% of his hits have gone for extra bases).
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, 2 K
I have written a lot about him. So, why isn’t he prominently on Yankees prospect lists? It is possible he doesn’t have the “loud” tools that prospect watchers love. However, he continues hitting well while playing anywhere the Yankees ask him to. It’s an interesting package regardless of what the rankings say.
1B Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
C Rafael Flores: 3-for-4, 2B (9), RBI
Flores has four multi-hit games in his last five games, increasing his triple slash from .200/.307/.369 to .265/.361/.446.
DH Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, RBI, SB (6)
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Jackson Fristoe: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
It is hard to get a good read on Fristoe, as the Yankees have protected him thus far (17 IP in six starts this season). He throws as hard as anyone in the system. The question is whether he can put the entire intriguing package together.
RHP Trent Sellers: (W, 4-1)  1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR
3.00 ERA (21 IP, 12 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 30 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: (S, 2) 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.33 ERA (19.1 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 23 K). After allowing 10 HR in 78.2 innings in 2023, he hasn’t allowed any in 2024.

Tampa (11-25) (Lost to Bradenton, 3-1)

2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, K
  2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-1
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-4
Dominguez’s first hit was smoked (111 MPH). His second hit was exactly half that. They both count the same in the boxscore. By the way, I am 100% for officially placing him in Scranton after rehab. The Yankees don’t care about “burning” options. He has three left and you hope they don’t need to use all of them. He will essentially become the team’s 4th outfielder – unlike most 4th outfielders, he will be in Triple-A as an insurance policy in case of injury instead of playing once a week while riding the pine the other days. 
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS
.246/.395/.478 in 86 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 14 R, 6-for-7 SB, 19.8% BB, 22.1% K). He is 11-for-32 in his last ten games with three doubles and three home runs.
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-3, K
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-2, 2B (4), BB
16-for-46 (.348) in May.
C Edinson Duran: 0-for-3
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-3, K

RHP Cade Smith: (L, 1-2)  4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
2.97 ERA (30.1 IP, 21 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 41 K). 
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Kris Bow: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Bow hit 98.3 MPH with his sinker, which he threw 82% of the time. If I threw a 98.3 MPH sinker, I’d use it 100% of the time. While he didn’t walk anyone tonight, walks have been his issue (12 in 15 IP this year, 36 in 36.2 innings last year). He has a legitimate chance if he can harness that (he doesn’t need to become a control specialist to be effective). 

FCL (4-5) (Lost to the Phillies, 19-1, in a 7-inning (thankfully) game)

1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-1, 2 BB
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-2, SB (2), CS (3), BB, K
CF Fidel Montero: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB, K
Montero hit 11 homers in 108 DSL games (to go along with the 59 stolen bases in 72 attempts)

RHP Angel Benitez (L, 1-1): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/15: It’s Serna Day!

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I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-12) (Squeaked past Worcester, 1-0)

3B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4, SB (18), BB, K
Durbin is second in the International League in SB (Steward Berroa (Buffalo) has 20)
LF Everson Pereira: 0-for-4, BB, K
.259/.339/.524 (8.5% BB; 33.9% K) in 165 PA. It’s an interesting profile that shows off his power (7 doubles, 10 HR) and swing-and-miss. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-5, SB (2)
Rumfield has hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games (13-for-34; .382). 
DH Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, 2B (1), BB, K
Trammell is 4-for-16 with a double since joining the Railriders. 
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
C Luis Torrens: 0-for-3, BB, K
2B Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, SB (2), BB, K
SS Kevin Smith: 2-for-4, 2 2B (4), RS, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (2), 2 BB
.229/.373/.325 in 102 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 0 HR, 12 RBI, 15-for-17 SB). Lockridge hit 39 HR between 2019-2022 (there wasn’t a season in 2020) but has only three in 2023-2024. I still think he can carve out an MLB career.

RHP Clayton Beeter: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 3 K
2.53 ERA (32 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 21 BB, 44 K). Is the wildness what makes him tough to hit? Or would he still be tough to hit if he curtailed the wildness?  
RHP Cody Morris: (W, 2-0) 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
1.40 ERA (19.1 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 26 K)
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Phil Bickford (S, 4): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
2.40 ERA (15 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 18 K). In MLB, Bickford has been a “meh” reliever with a high K rate (26.6%). This is mostly due to walks and fly balls. Whether the Yankees can find a way to work with this remains to be seen – but if you are a pitcher looking to find new ways to be effective, signing with the Yankees should be near the top of your list.

Somerset (17-17) (Win a pitching duel over Portland, 1-0. This follows a 11-10 loss last night. Baseball!)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 4 K
.237/.306/.361 in 108 PA. There was a point early last year where people were wondering about Jasson Dominguez. We all know how that story ended up. So, we’ll see if Jones can build a similar story in 2024 (not that I expect him to march up to MLB regardless)
DH Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
His home run in the 4th held up.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-3, 3 K
.246/.374/.467 in 148 PA (14.9% BB; 24.3% K). He is 9-for-41 (.220) in May (1 HR, 8 BB, 8 K).
1B Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B (5), SB (8), K
.284/.403/.638 (15.8% BB; 18.7% K) in 139 PA. His BABIP, which I referenced last night, has normalized (.269). You can disparage “advanced” (not that BABIP is all that advanced) metrics all day – the data showed that a correction was coming for Ramirez and here it is. The Yankees need to decide whether his projected bat is too good to worry about catcher development, even if that development increases trade value.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-2, SB (5)
Cowles left the game after the stolen base.
   PR-3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-1, K
3B-SS Jordan Groshans: 0-for-3
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, SB (4), BB, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-2, SB (5), BB, 2 K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W,2-3) 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
4.86 ERA (37 IP, 45 H, 29 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 8 BB, 28 K)
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Between Scranton/Somerset/Hudson Valley: 2.18 ERA (20.2 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 19 K)
RHP Kevin Stevens (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (17-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 9-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-5, 2B (5), SB (6), K
.213/.343/.382 in 108 PA. Riggio is hitting .204 in his first 45 professional games, which is something to monitor. He makes a lot of contact and it is nice to see some extra-base hits in 2024.
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-1, 3 RS, 4 BB
Serna’s first career 4 BB game (not that it should be common). He is hitting .250/.375/.448 (15.97% BB; 13.9% K) in 144 PA. Going back to 4/28, he is 20-for-55 (.364) with 9 walks and 10 strikeouts. Interestingly, the only three homers he has during this streak were hit on the same day (5/1). Baseball!
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2B (9), RS, 2 BB, K
Avina now owns a 10-game hitting streak and is hitting .293/.404/.476 in 99 PA. This is the 20-year-old’s first taste of High-A, and he is holding his own. Last year, in A ball for the Brewers’ organization, he hit .233/.373/.442.  Avina’s .440 BABIP will come down, so we’ll have to see where he settles in. 
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, 3 RS, 2 BB
.322/.386/.517 (9.1% BB; 14.4% K) in 132 PA. He is second in the Sally League in average and 6th in slugging percentage. It is easy to see him in Somerset this season. Last year, the Yankees played him in 84 Low-A games before promoting him here. He is at 55 games at this level (his triple slash is a ridiculous .337/.422/.524).
DH Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, 2B (8), 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
Flores has three multi-hit games in his last four games played. 
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, K
There’s a hot streak in Moylan somewhere…it hasn’t come out yet.
LF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, 2B (2), 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-4, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, BB, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 1-1)  6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
4.13 ERA (24 IP, 23 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 16 K)
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
3.60 ERA (20 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 24 K). Keating (23) struck out 93 in 65.1 IP for Low-A Tampa last year.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (11-24) (Defeated Bradenton, 5-0)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, K
Hardman started his rehab here, went to the FCL for one game, and is now back. It makes sense to somebody, and that is all that matters.
3B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, 2B (5), 2 RS, 2 SB (9), BB, K
I am asked what my honest assessment of Arias is. The answer? I don’t have one. We have to see how he progresses as the season goes along. Earlier in 2024, he was generating some power without the walks. Now, he is walking more but the power has drifted away (only two extra-base hits in May after compiling eight in April). It’s all a part of a process that will take a while to play out.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K
Jasso has 16 RBI in 13 May games.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
Castillo is 10-for-36 with 14 walks in May. As is the case with Jasso, he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Montero has hit safely in eight of his last nine games.
2B Hans Montero: 2-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, BB, K
13-for-37 (.351). Last 6 games: 9-for-19. He has four multi-hit games in his last five starts.
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-4, K
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-3

RHP Luis Serna: (W, 2-2)  6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Brilliance. Season: 5.40 ERA (26.2 IP, 23 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 31 K). Three May starts: 15.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 15 K.  Don’t forget that Serna is only 19 years old.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: (S, 2) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
2.33 ERA (19.1 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 16 BB, 21 K)

FCL (4-4) 

Scheduled day off.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/12: Agustin Ramirez: 3 Extra-Base Hits

News:

Happy Mother’s Day!

Scranton (27-11) (Defeated Rochester, 6-4)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, 2 RS, 2 SB (17), BB
Durbin continues his big season: .296/.420/.444 in 175 PA (13 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 28 RBI, 28 R, 15.4% BB, 10.3% K, 17-for-19 SB).
DH Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, RS, SB (4), K
10-for-43 (.233) in May with a double and two homers. He also has a whopping 15 strikeouts.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, SB (1)
14-for-40 (.350) in May and .318/.378/.477 since his promotion.
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, 2B (8), RBI, RS, 2 SB (4), 2 BB, K
Narvaez has three doubles in his last two games. His career best for stolen bases is 6, set last year.
RF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-4, RBI, K
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, BB, K
LF Greg Allen: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-4, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, 3B (1), K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
3.47 ERA (23.1 IP, 17 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3 HR, 16 BB, 28 K). Too many walks.
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
1.50 ERA (18 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 21 K). A tremendous start to his 2024 campaign.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (W, 3-0): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
1.42 ERA (19 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 26 K).
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Phil Bickford (S, 3): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (16-16) (Split a doubleheader with Altoona)

Game 1 (Won, 5-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
DH Oswald Peraza: 1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2B (3), HR (11), 2 RBI, RS
1B Ben Rice: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, RS, BB
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, BB
3B J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, RS
LF Jared Wegner: 2-for-2, 2B (3), SF, RBI, BB
.256/.344/.462 in 90 PA (10% BB, 23.3% K)
2B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Zach Messinger (W, 1-2): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
4.19 ERA (38.2 IP, 28 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 45 K). Last 3 starts: 15.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 6 BB, 18 K.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Pestana has 5.1 scoreless innings since his promotion (3 H, 1 BB, 6 K)
RHP Kevin Stevens (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Lost, 3-1)

CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-3, RS, K
.250/.323/.386 in 99 PA (10.1% BB, 29.3% K)
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, 2B (4)
.259/.389/.602 in 131 PA (4 doubles, 11 HR, 24 RBI, 24 R, 16.8% BB, 18.3% K). Eastern League ranks: OPS – 3; SLG – 2; HR – 1; RBI – 2. The questions about his catching will continue but the bat alone could make him a Top 50 prospect or better.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-2, BB
.252/.381/.487 in 140 PA. He has 14 starts at catcher, 9 at first base, and 8 at designated hitter.
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, 2 K
.327/.409/.540 in 132 PA. He is fifth in the Eastern League in batting average and second in doubles.
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, CS (2), BB
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-2
LF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, K

RHP Bailey Dees: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
I am not sure why he was pulled after 47 pitches. He owns a 4.41 ERA in 32.2 IP (28 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 5 HR, 15 BB, 33 K). The ERA is skewed high by his tough first start (3.1 IP, 8 ER)
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.62 ERA (16.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 25 K). Neely has the look of a high leverage relief pitcher.

Hudson Valley (15-15) (Defeated Aberdeen, 4-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Jared Serna: 3-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, RS
.252/.358/.459 in 134 PA (8 doubles, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 20 R, 13.4% BB, 14.2% K). He is 13-for-40 (.325/.386/.650) in May with 12 RBI.
CF Jace Avina: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB
.289/.400/.461 in 90 PA.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, RBI
Rodriguez doesn’t stop hitting. He is hitting .324/.382/.532 in 123 PA. In May, he is 14-for-36 (.389) and he leads the South Atlantic League in hits, is second in batting average, fifth in slugging percentage, and third in OPS. 
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (2), BB, K
.217/.379/.391 in 116 PA (19.8% BB, 21.6% K)
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, BB, K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, K
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-2, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB, 2 K

LHP Ben Shields: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
Shields’ first professional start. One has to love the strikeouts!
RHP Trent Sellers: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.86 ERA (19.1 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 26 K)
LHP Joel Valdez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Mason Vinyard (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Tampa (10-23) (Lost to Clearwater, 8-2)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-2, 2B (3), 2 RS, SB (10), BB
This certainly screams “I’m Back!”
  2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2
2B-SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, CS (6), 2 K
.212/.354/.347 in 144 PA. Arias is 7-for-21 (.333) in his last six games. On the season, he owns a 16.7% BB and 35.4% K. His entire stat line suggests the raw talent that he is.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, SF, RBI
.293/.391/.500 in 138 PA with 10 doubles, 4 homers, and 23 RBI. He has 15 RBI in 11 May games.
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, RBI
Castillo hit .200/.273/.333 in April. In May, he is hitting .267/.463/.467 with more walks (11) than strikeouts (10) and a 5-for-6 SB rate. He turned 21 in early May.
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, CS (1)
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-3, BB
Montero is hitting .303 (10-for-33) since his promotion.
LF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 K
DH Manuel Palencia: 0-for-4, K
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-4, K

RHP Ryan Harvey (L, 0-2): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

FCL (4-2)

Scheduled day off.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/10: Edgleen Perez Homers in FCL Win

News:

Expect report delays on Saturday and Sunday due to Mother’s Day weekend.

Scranton (25-10)

Their game against Rochester was postponed. They will try to play two on Saturday.

Somerset (14-15) 

Their game against Altoona was postponed. They will try to play two on Saturday.

The lineup was posted before the postponement.

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-0
His first 19 games this season (10.2% BB; 29.5% K, 105 wRC+) are close to his 17 Somerset games last season (9% BB; 28.2% K; 104 wRC+). I expect his bat to take off at some point.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-0
Peraza’s rehab moves to Somerset for the weekend. A reminder that Peraza has one option year remaining so he can be assigned to a minor league team once his rehab is over.
C Ben Rice: 0-for-0
The Yankees remain somewhat committed to him behind the plate, as he has 12 starts (8 each at first base and designated hitter). If opposing scouts like what he does behind the plate, they see power at a premium position. That may not be the goal here, but one has to consider it. If it weren’t for the catching, he would have no reason to be here (.301/.394/.589 in 351 Double-A plate appearances).
1B Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-0
139 PA for Somerset in 2023: .211/.273/.313.  In 120 PA in 2024:  .237/.383/.567.  His 2024 average is being impacted by a low BABIP (.203). Imagine if the number was league average.
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-0
What can Cowles be? I don’t know the answer to that. A Rob Refsnyder outcome would be a win (Refsnyder has carved out a 392-game career with a .758 OPS vs. LHP). That outcome likely doesn’t keep him in the Yankees organization, but maybe the higher-ups see a potential second base option. Who knows?  If he keeps up his current hitting, he won’t have to worry about making it to MLB.
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-0
For Hudson Valley last year, Richardson hit .204/.306/.389 (92 wRC+) with an 11.2% BB and 31.3% K.  The Yankees decided to promote him. As one would expect to happen (sarcasm), he is hitting .309/.383/.544 with an 8.4% BB and 25.97% K since that promotion. Don’t question it – go with it.
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-0
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-0
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-0
Wegner is one of those prospects that hardly anyone pays attention to…then, he suddenly gets called up to make his MLB debut. 

LHP Brock Selvidge: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
A 51.5% GB and 25.9% K is a formula for success. He has allowed 7 HR in 200 career innings. The number of teams who would use him in MLB in 2024 is not zero.

Hudson Valley (14-14) (Lost to Aberdeen, 5-3)

SS Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, 2B (4), RS, CS (2), BB, K
Riggio is hitting .214 with a .778 OPS. He has an eye (19.3% BB) and pop (.414 SLG). His BABIP is low.
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, 2B (7), BB, K
Serna extends his hitting streak to 9 (15-for-42; 5 doubles, 3 HR)
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, SB (2), 4 K
With the extra-base power comes the high strikeout rate. The Yankees weren’t getting a polished prospect for Jake Bauers – they accepted a worthwhile lottery ticket.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB, K
Games by position: C: 13 (11 starts); 3B: 8; 2B: 3; LF: 3; DH: 1
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-2, 3 BB, K
Martinez is 3-for-22 in May but has 9 walks. Taking it back further, he is in a 3-for-34 slump.
   PR Kyle Battle: 0-for-0, SB (2)
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-5, 2 K
DH Rafael Flores: 0-for-3, BB, K
Thankfully, his stay on the IL wasn’t a long one (first game since 5/2)
RF Nelson Medina: 1-for-3, RS, SB (5), BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-2, 2 BB, K

RHP Sebastian Keane:  4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
6.12 ERA (25 IP, 29 H, 17 R, 17 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 25 K). 
RHP Luis Arejula: (L, 1-2) 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR

Tampa (10-21)

Scheduled day off (they played a scheduled doubleheader earlier this week)

FCL (3-2) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 6-1, in a 7-inning game)

“Why are so many games seven innings?”

Firstly, this is a manager’s decision before the game starts. They have the option to play 7 innings or 9 innings.

The reason why the number of 7-inning games has gone up comes down to:
1. The earlier start to the season (no new draftees filtering onto the roster);
2. “Domestic roster limits” – Teams can only carry 165 players between the FCL/A/A+/AA/AAA (this is down 15 players from 2023);
3. Related to the above: Lack of pitching. Starters aren’t asked to go deep often (especially early on), so teams need enough pitchers to get through a game. It is easier to do that in seven innings than in nine innings.

For example, seven FCL games were played today – four went nine innings while three went seven.

(Remember, I do not list out the entire lineup for the FCL/DSL games. However, since today was light on action, I will do it)

RF Wilson Rodriguez: 1-for-2, 2 RS, BB, K
In 17 FCL games, Rodriguez is hitting .218/.377/.382 in 69 PA (18.8% BB, 28.99% K). He is a long-range 19-year-old prospect.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
4-for-9 (2 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB)
DH Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 2B (2), SB (2), 2 K
6-for-13 (2 doubles, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SB)
SS Juan Matheus: 1-for-3, CS (2), K
The 20-year-old is 3-for-15.
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, RS
5-for-13 with a homer and 5 RBI.
CF Fidel Montero: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RS, BB, K
3-for-11 with a double and three stolen bases. Montero hit 11 homers and stole 59 bases in 108 DSL games.
1B Luis Ogando: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, K
Now 20, Ogando hit .352/.446/.541 in 148 DSL plate appearances in 2023. He played a pair of games at SS in his 2022 debut season but has been 1B/3B with a sprinkle of LF the last two seasons.
LF Ramiro Altagracia: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Season debut for the 20-year-old. He spent 2021-2023 in the DSL and didn’t show much at the plate until last year.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 0-for-2, BB, K
Terrero will play the entire 2024 season at 18 years of age.

RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
This is a rehab appearance for the 29-year-old. He compiled a 7.09 ERA in 20 games for Somerset last season. Liranzo is a lifer who started his professional journey in 2013 but has yet to make a big league appearance.
RHP Angel Benitez (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
This is the second appearance of 2024 for the 6’7″ Benitez. He didn’t pitch in 2023 due to the elbow surgery he needed in mid-2022. He is an intriguing 20-year-old lottery ticket.
LHP Brady Rose (S, 1): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
If the name looks familiar, it is because he pitched in four games for Tampa earlier this year. Having a stretched-out arm is beneficial down here, though I would guess that Rose preferred the full-season league experience.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/3: Ben Rice Reaches Base 4 Times

News:

C Josh Breaux has been added to the Development List. Essentially, the Development List is…what you think it is. A place where organizations place players for help in their development. Breaux is no longer a young prospect, so you can wonder what they are trying to develop (could be as simple as first base reps outside of doing it during a game). Breaux can do everything he typically does and continues to get paid. However, he cannot play in games.

Players on the Development List do not count towards Scranton’s roster. They do count against the organization’s overall roster.  An organization is “only” allowed to have 180 players in their minor league systems (this does not include the Dominican Summer League (DSL)). Breaux still counts against that while not counting against Scranton’s roster limit.

There will be a quiz on this topic next week.

IF Enmanuel Tejeda, hitting .330 after back-to-back 4-hit nights, was placed on the 7-day injured list for Tampa. They replaced him on the roster with IF Hans Montero, a $1.7 million bonus baby signed in 2021. At ages 17-18. Montero struggled in the DSL. At 19, he had a good year in the FCL, hitting .257/.419/.404 (127 wRC+) in 234 plate appearances with 5 HR, 23 RBI, 41 runs, and 17 stolen bases.

Scranton (21-9) (Defeated Jacksonville, 7-2)

SS Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2B (12), 2 RS, HBP
Durbin is on a 9-game hitting streak (12-for-37; .324) and is up to .287/.411/.461 in 142 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 22 R, 22 BB (15.5%), 14 K (9.9%), 13-for-14 SB (92.9%).
DH Everson Pereira: 0-for-5, 4 K
.257/.331/.523 in 121 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 20 R, 9 BB, 46 K (38.0%), 3-for-5 SB). He owned a 27.8% K rate for Scranton in 2023. A 10.2% increase is not what anyone wants to see, including trade partners.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, 2B (6), HR (2), RBI, RS, K
Rumfield is at .300/.338/.500 in 65 PA since his promotion (6 doubles, 2 HR, 12 RBI).
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 3 RBI, BB, K
Narvaez got a taste of MLB life (and now has their health insurance plan).
3B Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, HR (4), RBI, RS
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, 2B (5), RS, BB, K
LF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, RS, SB (4), BB, 2 K
RF Luis Gonzalez: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (3), BB
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, K

LHP Edgar Barclay (W, 3-1): 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Barclay allowed a pair of runs in the first inning but settled in from there. Season: 3.07 ERA (29.1 IP, 24 H, 13 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 32 K)
LHP Clayton Andrews: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (11-14) (Defeated New Hampshire, 4-3)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-5, 4 K
Jones’ strikeout rate has ticked above 30% (31.4) thanks to ten strikeouts in his last 19 plate appearances. He will have swing-and-miss in his game – it’s just the nature of the beast. This also shows you to calm down a bit – there’s still development time needed. He is hitting .266/.329/.438 in 70 plate appearances.
1B Ben Rice: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (3), 2 BB
Rice’s hitting streak reaches 7 (10-for-27; 2 doubles, 2 HR, 8 walks). He is hitting .286/.414/.549 and does not belong here. 
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-2, SB (5), 2 BB, K
Ramirez has five walks in his last two games and 19 walks in 23 games. He is hitting .233/.377/.558 in 106 PA.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, RBI
.337/.417/.596 in 103 PA (10 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 15 R, 12 BB, 17 K, 3-for-3 SB). He hasn’t run much this season but he was 23-for-27 in that category in 2023.
3B Jordan Groshans: 1-for-3, RS, BB
DH J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, BB, K
Richardson is up to .296/.363/.453 in 80 PA (8 doubles, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 10 R, 6 BB, 18 K, 5-for-6 SB). He has ability – whether it becomes MLB viable is the question.
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-1, RBI, RS, SB (2), 2 BB, HBP
2B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-1, RBI
Vargas left the game due to injury after his RBI single (he was thrown out trying to go to second)
   2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 2-1) 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
This game was a slog for Selvidge (including his error), but he used the power of the ground ball to fight through it. Season: 1.73 ERA (26 IP, 21 H, 10 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 28 K).  Selvidge has allowed seven homers in 200 career innings. He should be a contender for the 2025 rotation, though we have seen Brian Cashman flip plenty of upper-level pitchers over the last few years.
RHP Carlos Gomez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
0.73 ERA (12.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 HR, 8 BB, 9 K). Throughout his career, walks have been the problem.
RHP Luis Velasquez: (S, 1) 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (14-10) (Lost to Wilmington, 13-8. GameCast had issues with this game. I know that Juan Crisp came into this game to pitch in the 9th, for example – GameCast doesn’t yet show it. UPDATE: GameCast is fixed)

RF Jace Avina: 1-for-6, 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-4, 2B (5), 2 RBI, BB, 2 K
Serna has 12 hits in his last five games. He has turned around his season quickly and is up to .244 with a .835 OPS. 
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB
Rodriguez is hitting .310 with a .864 OPS. 
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, 2B (2), RS, BB
DH Kiko Romero: 1-for-5, RS, 3 K
CF Nelson Medina: 3-for-5, 3 RBI, RS, SB (3), K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
2B Beau Brewer: 2-for-4, RS, BB

LHP Kyle Carr: (L, 0-2)  4 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
This is one of those starts you toss into the wastebasket.
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
1.80 ERA (15 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 20 K)
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Juan Crisp: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Crisp was activated today – he isn’t a pitcher, however. He is a catcher who was sitting on the Development List. He replaced C Ramon Flores on the roster, who was placed on the injured list today.

Tampa (7-18) (Lost to Dunedin, 5-2)

DH Coby Morales: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, SB (6), BB, K
Morales was the offense tonight and is now hitting .225/.355/.258 thanks to a solid start to May (5-for-12)
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 3 K
Arias is in a 0-for-14 slump that includes eight strikeouts. I have a feeling that this is going to be a streaky season, which is fine as long as he is showing progress.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, K
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Edinson Duran: 0-for-2, HBP
LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-2, RS, BB, 2 K
2B Dayro Perez: 0-for-2, BB, K

LHP Allen Facundo: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, HR
He maxed out at 96.4 MPH (averaged 93.9) and threw mainly sliders (54%) and 4-seamers (34%) with some sinkers and change-ups mixed in. Season: 2.76 ERA (16.1 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 15 K). Before tonight, Facundo hadn’t allowed a home run in 90.1 career innings. In his debut season (2021), Facundo struck out 84 hitters in 48.2 IP (40.6% K rate) in the DSL. He missed all of 2022 before tossing 30.1 innings in 2023.
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.97 ERA (11.1 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 12 K)
RHP Ocean Gabonia: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!