Yankees MILB 7/16: Jasson Dominguez: Heating Up

News:

Veteran RHP Matt Bowman has opted out of his minor league deal. The Yankees have 72 hours to add him to the MLB roster or lose him. The 32-year-old has a 3.29 ERA in 38.1 innings for Scranton with a 36/18 K/BB. He hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2019.

OF Anthony Hall, who is hitting .271/.387/.452 (131 wRC+) for Tampa, is currently on the injured list (was placed there on 7/5). Hall, who only received one plate appearance before going down to injury in 2022, was likely in line for a promotion.

The Yankees have recalled IF Oswald Peraza. You likely have read about his slump (I highlighted it myself) and his less-than-ideal metrics. While that isn’t meaningless, I think that Peraza has established that he can play in Triple-A over the last two seasons. If you don’t give him a chance now, when are you going to give him one?

Scranton (42-45; 8-5 in the second half) (Lost to Norfolk, 4-3)

DH Estevan Florial1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
Florial is 10-for-34 (.294) in July with seven walks. 
CF Everson Pereira1-for-4, 2B (3), RS
Pereira has at least one hit in all seven games since his promotion. Going back to his days in Somerset, he has a 9-game hitting streak. Between here and Somerset, he is hitting a gaudy .308/.373/.554 in 217 PA (13 doubles, 1 triple 11 HR, 40 RBI, 32 R, 20 BB, 61 K). The 28.1% K has to come down – that’s the one thing in his profile that gives you a little pause. For what it is worth, in the small Triple-A sample size, it sits at 21.9%.
C Carlos Narvaez1-for-4, 2B (3)
Since promotion: .272/.414/.464 in 157 PA.
3B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-4, 2B (17), RBI, RS, K
Chaparro is 13-for-39 (.333) in July with four doubles and 14 runs batted in. He is hitting .248/.336/.476 in 363 PA with 63 runs batted in.
1B Jake Lamb1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
RF Brandon Lockridge0-for-4
2B Jamie Westbrook0-for-3, BB
LF Michael Hermosillo1-for-4, 2B (2), RS, K

RHP Mitch Spence: (L, 7-5)  5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 3 HR
4.56 ERA (96.2 IP, 97 H, 55 R, 49 ER, 20 HR, 35 BB, 81 K)
RHP Michael Feliz1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
3.38 ERA (13.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 15 K). Don’t be surprised if the Yankees use him at some point.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Michael Gomez0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (49-33; 7-7 in the second half) (Defeated Binghamton, 9-4)

SS Trey Sweeney3-for-5, 2 RBI, RS
Entering this game, he was drawing some walks in July (eight) but was only 6-for-30. Hopefully, this will get him back on track. This is his 5th 3-hit game this season. He is hitting .246/.366/.422 in 361 PA.
CF Jasson Dominguez2-for-4, 3B (2), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Dominguez has three straight multi-hit efforts and five in his last six games. He is hitting .217/.358/.372 in 258 PA (8 doubles, 2 triples, 11 HR, 43 RBI, 57 R, 64 BB, 98 K, 25-for-29 SB)
C Austin Wells0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB
9-for-45 (.200) in July with four walks and ten strikeouts. He does have 12 RBI, so there’s that.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, 2B (10), RBI, RS, K
Rumfield has back-to-back multi-hit games and has doubled in three straight games.
3B Tyler Hardman0-for-5, 3 K
RF Elijah Dunham1-for-4, 2B (2), RS, BB
DH Mickey Gasper: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, HBP
2B Max Burt1-for-3, HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
LF Jeisson Rosario0-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 5-5)  5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
3.72 ERA (94.1 IP, 87 H, 40 R, 39 ER, 13 HR, 23 BB, 101 K). Today was a grind, but he has pitched very well for a while now (16 ER in his last 61 innings (2.36 ERA))
RHP Zac Houston1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.41 ERA ( 29 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 30 K)
RHP Danny Watson1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 16.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 6 BB, 16 K

Hudson Valley (48-36; 9-9 in the second half) (Lost to Bowling Green, 8-2)

DH Spencer Jones0-for-2, 2 BB, K, CS (8)
Jones has ten walks in his last ten games. He is hitting .264/.340/.465 in 324 PA. The strikeout today was his 100th this season. He is going to strike out – the key for him is to limit them as much as possible to make himself a viable MLB player. 
SS Ben Cowles0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2B (9), RBI, RS
Since his promotion: .420/.453/.720 in 53 PA with seven multi-hit games (three consecutive). Overall, he is hitting .282/.396/.466 in 285 PA (16 doubles, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 42 R, 45 BB (15.8%), 47 K (16.5%), 7-for-11 SB)
1B Rafael Flores2-for-4, 2B (11), RBI
.291/.363/.369 in 273 PA
LF Christopher Familia1-for-4, 2 K
.196/.212/.294 in 52 plate appearances since his promotion. We’ll see how he adjusts.
CF Grant Richardson0-for-3, K
  PH Juan Crisp0-for-1
RF Anthony Garcia0-for-4, K
3B Marcos Cabrera0-for-3, 2 K
2B Luis Santos0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Juan Carela: (L, 2-4)  4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 3 HR
As I said last night, Bowling Green can hit. Drew Thorpe was able to navigate their lineup – Carela was not. Take it as a learning opportunity. His ERA is now 3.51 (77 IP, 62 H, 36 R, 30 ER, 6 HR, 29 BB, 98 K).
LHP Clay Aguilar1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
3.38 ERA (18.2 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 29 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 3.77 ERA (14.1 IP, 14 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 15 K). 
RHP Luis Velasquez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 4.38 ERA (12.1 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 17 K)

Tampa (41-43; 10-8 in the second half) (Knocked out Lakeland, 11-5)

SS Jared Serna0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
.288/.348/.503 in 362 PA (18 doubles, 1 triple, 17 HR, 61 RBI, 59 R, 29 BB (8%), 61 K (16.9%), 16-for-21 SB). Serna has been one of the better performers in the FSL this season. 
RF Greg Allen1-for-3, 3 RS, BB, K, 2 SB (2)
  RF Felix Negueis0-for-1, K
C Ben Rice1-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, HBP, 2 K
3B Jesus Rodriguez2-for-4, 2 2B (13), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K, 2 SB (13)
.293/.372/.439 in 275 PA (13 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 40 R, 30 BB (10.9%), 42 K (15.3%), 13-for-15 SB). 
1B Omar Martinez2-for-3, HR (8), 4 RBI, RS, BB, SB (6)
.238/.363/.395 in 251 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 31 R, 38 BB, 72 K, 6-for-7 SB). Martinez has homered in three of his last four games. He is a left-handed bat who plays catcher and first base.
DH Brett Barrera1-for-4
CF Daury Arias1-for-4, 2B (11)
.232/.323/.339 in 288 PA (11 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 32 R, 32 BB, 54 K, 9-for-10 SB)
LF Jake Palmer0-for-4
2B Jose Colmenares2-for-4, 2 HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS
This is his second game of 2023 and 59th game going back to his debut in 2019 (where he played 46 of those games). In other words, Colmenares has not played much since signing

RHP Hayden Merda: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
5.32 ERA (69.1 IP, 67 H, 47 R, 41 ER, 5 HR, 33 BB, 69 K)
RHP Ocean Gabonia (W, 4-0): 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Cole Ayers2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

FCL Yankees (16-11) 

Day off.

DSL Yankees (19-9) 

Day off.

DSL Bombers (12-16) 

Day off.

Yankees MILB 7/9: Drew Thorpe is Cruising

News:

Just like their MLB counterparts, the minor leagues will be taking Monday – Thursday off. The only exception is the DSL – poor kids.

Tonight is the MLB draft. Who do I think the Yankees will select?  I couldn’t tell you who most of the prospects are. If they don’t end up with Dave Parrish 2.0, that will be a good start.

Scranton (41-43; 7-3 in the second half. They will need to win the second half in order to make it to the playoffs)

Their game against Lehigh Valley was postponed, so they will get an early start to their vacation. Here are some notes:

Estevan Florial.294/.389/.596 (138 wRC+; 14% BB, 28.7% K) – His 21 home runs are good for second in the International League (Luken Baker (STL) has 22).

Oswald Peraza.267/.354/.506 (111 wRC+; 8.7% BB, 17.5% K) – The numbers may not scream at you (the International League is an offensive league), but Peraza seriously has nothing to prove here.

Everson Pereira: 9-for-17 (.529) with a home run and seven runs batted in since his promotion. Can a hot July get him to the Bronx in early August? The organization needs a left fielder and could determine that Pereira can do just as much as a trade option. We have a few weeks to figure all that out.

Andres Chaparro.242/.334/.464 (93 wRC+; 11.7% BB, 20.9% K) – He leads the organization with 60 runs batted in. The fact that a .798 OPS is good for only a 93 wRC+ emphasizes how offensive this league is. Brent Rooker (Oakland) has a .797 OPS in MLB and his wRC+ is 125.

Ben Rortvedt.298/.416/.543 (141 wRC+; 14.2% BB, 23% K) – He just has to stay healthy.

Carlos Narvaez.271/.416/.441 (121 wRC+; 18.1% BB, 20.8% K) – Don’t be surprised if you see his name come up in trade talks in the next few weeks. No, he cannot headline a trade. However, he is an upper-level catcher who is having success with the bat. That has value.

Somerset (47-32; 5-6 in the second half) (The game against Reading was suspended in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied at 4-4. They will finish it on August 15th)

SS Trey Sweeney1-for-4, RS
LF Jasson Dominguez0-for-4, K
C Austin Wells1-for-3, 2B (14)
Don’t worry about why Wells was pulled – he was ejected from the game. Anyway, he is now up to 107 Double-A games over the last two seasons. In those games (482 PA), he is hitting .255 with 22 doubles, 1 triple, 23 homers, 91 RBI, 61 R, 57 BB (11.8%), and 112 K (23.2%). He is also 11-for-11 SB. 
   C Mickey Gasper0-for-1
3B Tyler Hardman0-for-3, BB, 2 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, HBP
CF Elijah Dunham3-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, K
This is a welcome sight for Dunham. He had four 3-hit efforts for Scranton this year, though two of them came in April. Hopefully, he gets a nice confidence boost and gets back up there quickly.
RF Aaron Palensky0-for-4, K
Palensky is down to .202 since his promotion (17-for-84; 5 doubles, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 20 R, 21 BB, 21 K, 7-for-8 SB). The walks have kept him afloat at this level after his .352/.434/.744 insanity with Hudson Valley.
DH Josh Breaux2-for-4, RS
2B Matt Pita1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
Pita also hit a pair of home runs down in Tampa during his rehab stint.

RHP Richard Fitts: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
3.63 ERA (89.1 IP, 82 H, 37 R, 36 ER, 13 HR, 21 BB, 96 K). His last 9 starts: 2.09 ERA (56 IP, 44 H, 14 R, 13 ER, 11 BB, 60 K)
RHP Jesus Liranzo1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Lisandro Santos: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (47-34; 8-7 in the second half) (Shut out Jersey Shore, 2-0. The Renegades already clinched a playoff berth with their first-half title)

2B Ben Cowles1-for-4, 2B (11), RS, K
Cowles has doubled in three straight games and 9-for-27 (.333) in July.
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-4, K
Vargas, who got off to a very encouraging start, enters the break at .215/.264/.348 in 277 PA (10 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 33 RBI, 33 R, 10-for-15 SB)
C Agustin Ramirez1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, K
Since promotion: 14-for-38 (.368; 5 doubles, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K)
DH Christopher Familia0-for-4, 4 K
Since promotion: 8-for-40 (.200; 2 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 7 R, 1 BB, 16 K). The Yankees needed to challenge him and he certainly is being challenged.
1B Spencer Henson0-for-3, 2 K
RF Anthony Garcia1-for-3, HR (4), RBI, RS, 2 K
.197/.301/.322 in 176 PA. 
LF Aldenis Sanchez1-for-3, K
Sanchez is now the proud owner of a 9-game hitting streak.
3B Marcos Cabrera0-for-3, 2 K
CF Grant Richardson0-for-3

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 8-1) 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K
Thorpe has allowed one run in his last 40.2 innings. Overall, he owns a 2.13 ERA in 84.1 IP (61 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 28 BB, 101 K). It is hard to believe his ERA was 4.26 at one point. Yes, he has earned a promotion – that goes without saying.
RHP Jack Neely: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
2.41 ERA (37.1 IP, 19 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 14 BB, 59 K). Kids like Neely should overpower this level, and he is.
RHP Luis Velasquez (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Tampa (40-41; 9-6 in the second half) (Defeated Dunedin, 6-1. They didn’t get off to a great start to 2023 but now they are on the brink of reaching .500)

2B Jared Serna0-for-3, RS, BB, K
He goes into the break hitting .285/.346/.481 in 347 PA (18 doubles, 1 triple, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 55 R, 28 BB (8.1%), 59 K (17%), 16-for-21 SB). There isn’t much to complain about with Serna – he has been everything you would want him to be. From the leadoff spot, he leads the FSL in home runs and RBI, while ranking third in runs scored. 
3B Jesus Rodriguez0-for-3, BB
DH Ben Rice2-for-3, 2B (3), RS, BB
Rice was having no issues with High-A pitching before his injury – did we expect him to have any trouble here during his rehab stint? The rust is seemingly shaken off.
C Omar Martinez: 3-for-4, HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 RS
.237/.366/.374 in 238 PA (7 doubles,1 triple, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 29 R, 37 BB (15.5%), 72 K (30.3%), 5-for-6 SB). I love the walks – the strikeouts need improvement.
SS Brenny Escanio0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
CF Daury Arias1-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, BB
The toolsy outfielder is hitting .232/.320/.337 in 278 PA. 
LF Jake Palmer1-for-3, RBI, HBP
Palmer is 13-for-40 (.325) with three doubles and an 11/2 BB/K since his promotion.
1B Ronny Rojas0-for-4, 3 K
RF Felix Negueis0-for-4

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 2-5) 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Back-to-back strong efforts. Season: 4.59 ERA (51 IP, 47 H, 33 R, 26 ER, 7 HR, 23 BB, 49 K)
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 2.1 IP,  0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Ayers1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

FCL Yankees (13-11) 

Day off.

DSL Yankees (16-8) 

Day off.

DSL Bombers (11-13) 

Day off.

Yankees MILB 5/3: Jared Serna: 3 Hits, HR

News:

Nothing new to report.

Scranton (11-17) 

The game against Rochester was postponed. They will play a doubleheader tomorrow.

The lineup is posted below for entertainment purposes. Also because, typically speaking, they just put the same lineup in place for Game 1 of the doubleheader. Time saver!

CF Estevan Florial0-for-0
.242/.405/.468 in 79 PA with a 21.5% BB and 31.6% K.
2B Jamie Westbrook0-for-0
RF Franchy Cordero0-for-0
In an ideal world, he is Triple-A depth for the rest of the season.
3B Andres Chaparro0-for-0
Chaparro has a reverse split thing going.
vs. RHP: .280/.349/.653 (all eight home runs)
vs. LHP: 2-for-28 with a walk
LF Kole Calhoun0-for-0
DH Ben Rortvedt0-for-0
C Rodolfo Duran0-for-0
.276/.323/.569 in 62 PA (5 doubles, 4 home runs). 
1B Billy McKinney0-for-0
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-0

RHP Mitch Spence0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (13-9) (Lost to Binghamton, 5-1)

SS Trey Sweeney1-for-4, 2 K
CF Jasson Dominguez0-for-4, 3 K
Don’t read into stuff you see on Twitter: Dominguez is not ready regardless of his walk rate.
C Austin Wells1-for-3, K
  C Carlos Narvaez1-for-1, 2B (5), CS (2)
LF Everson Pereira0-for-4
DH Anthony Seigler0-for-2, 2 BB, K
Seigler has eight walks in 48 plate appearances (16.7%). Last season, he compiled a 21.8% rate at Tampa/Hudson Valley.
RF Brandon Lockridge1-for-4, K
1B Eric Wagaman2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS
2B Max Burt0-for-4, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba2-for-4

RHP Richard Fitts: (L, 1-3)  7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, HR
He allowed all four runs in the first inning. Impressive recovery, though the offense couldn’t quite make a game of it. He owns a 5.20 ERA in 27.2 IP (27 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 6 BB, 33 K). Solid enough peripherals.
RHP Justin Wilson1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Tanner Myatt1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
0.87 ERA (10.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 13 K)

Hudson Valley (15-8) (Knocked down Wilmington, 9-4)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-5, 2B (7), 2 RBI, RS
He has broken out of his 4-for-33 slump nicely. He is 11-for-31 (.355) since with two doubles, three triples, and two home runs.
SS Alexander Vargas1-for-4, 2B (3), RS, HBP
Vargas started the season 1-for-13. He is 16-for-51 (.314) since with all nine of his extra-base hits.
3B Caleb Durbin: 3-for-5, 2 2B (5), RBI, 2 RS, CS (1)
Durbin is now 14-for-15 in the stolen base department. He is 23 and played 32 games at this level (for the Braves organization) in 2022. Hence, I assume he will be on the promotion list early if he keeps this up. 
DH Antonio Gomez0-for-3, BB
RF Anthony Garcia0-for-0, BB
  RF Grant Richardson1-for-3, RBI, K
C Rafael Flores0-for-3, BB
1B Spencer Henson1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, BB
2B Ben Cowles2-for-4, RS, K
LF Aldenis Sanchez2-for-3, 2 3B (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Triples are a lot of fun! Sanchez had two all of last year, which brings up another point: Triples are so unpredictable!

LHP Clay Aguilar2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
In his 2021 debut season (he missed all of 2022), Aguilar made five starts among his 22 appearances. We’ll see if they are attempting to stretch him out again.
RHP Harold Cortijo2.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Ryan Anderson: (W, 1-1) 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Enrique Santana: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
9 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 9 K

Tampa (9-14) (Defeated Bradenton, 6-2)

SS Brenny Escanio0-for-5, 4 K
DH Daury Arias2-for-4, 3B (1), RS, K
C Agustin Ramirez0-for-3, BB
2B Jared Serna: 3-for-4, 2B (4), HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, SB (7)
.323/.421/.431 in 76 plate appearances. Serna did pop six home runs in 49 games last season, showing that there could be some pop in his smallish frame. He is a fun prospect to follow, given his ability to make a lot of contact (Only 6 strikeouts in 76 plate appearances (7.9%))
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-4, RS, K
CF Nelson Medina0-for-3, RS, BB, K
LF Tayler Aguilar1-for-2, 2B (4), RS, SB (2)
   LF Felix Negueis: 0-for-1, RS, BB
1B Omar Martinez2-for-4, 3B (1), 4 RBI
Martinez has four straight multi-hit games. This is not a personal best for RBI, as he drove home six in a game back on 8/19/21, when he was down in the DSL.
3B Ronny Rojas0-for-3, BB, 3 K

RHP Leonardo Pestana4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K
4.32 ERA (16.1 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 6 BB, 24 K)
RHP Ocean Gabonia1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: (W, 1-1) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Vinyard’s first professional win. Congrats!
RHP Matt Keating2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
1.46 ERA (12.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 7 BB, 17 K)