Yankees MILB 9/17: Spencer Jones Homers, Collects 3 Hits

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The Yankees recently released LHP Victor Gonzalez, who was toiling in Triple-A after mediocre results in MLB earlier this season. Seen as a potential Wandy Peralta replacement, Gonzalez was never able to get into a consistent groove. The trade with the Dodgers comes down to how the two prospects (Trey Sweeney (now with Detroit) and Jorbit Vivas) perform.


Scranton (85-59) (Defeated Buffalo, 10-5, in 12 innings. Worcester won, so the two teams remain tied with five games to play. If they finish tied, Scranton wins the tiebreaker)

2B Caleb Durbin0-for-6, RS, K
Durbin has 19 games this season with 5+ AB. He earned at least one hit in the previous 18 games.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, SB (19), 2 BB, K
Vivas has 8 extra-base hits (5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR) in 14 September games. 
1B Ben Rice: 2-for-3, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, HBP, 2 BB
Rice has 6 HR in 14 September games.
  PR-CF Cam Eden0-for-0, RS
SS Oswald Peraza1-for-4, RS, 2 SB (22), HBP, BB, K
Peraza, who will be out of options, will be a fun story to watch over the winter and into next spring (if he is still in the organization)
CF-LF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-5, 3B (2), 3 RBI, RS, HBP, 4 K
Trammell’s 3-run triple in the 12th was the big blow in the game.
DH Carlos Narvaez0-for-5, 2 K
   PR-DH Duke Ellis0-for-0, RS
   PH-DH T.J. Rumfield0-for-0, RS, BB
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-6, 2B (12), K
Escarra has 30 doubles between here and Somerset.
RF Oscar Gonzalez2-for-6, HR (8), 3 RBI, RS, 2 K
Gonzalez’s 3-run HR in the 12th was the dagger that put the game out of reach.
LF-1B Jahmai Jones2-for-5, SF, RBI, K

RHP Cody Poteet3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
RHP Alex Mauricio1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Clayton Beeter1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Beeter topped out at 95.8 MPH (94.6 average)
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Joey Gerber : 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Phil Bickford: (W, 4-4)  1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K


Somerset (1-0) (Defeated Hartford, 3-2, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series. The series shifts to Hartford, starting on Thursday)

CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-5, HR (1), RBI, RS, SB (1)
Jones has eight 3+ hit efforts during the regular season.  A lot has been written about his 200-strikeout season. Nobody denies that the strikeout rate has to come down (if they are, they are in denial). However, there is (obviously) a lot of talent to tap into. Will the Yankees be patient or cash in one of their biggest chips?
C Rafael Flores0-for-3, BB, K
2B Anthony Seigler0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
RF Elijah Dunham1-for-4, RS, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Hardman’s RBI single in the bottom of the 8th tied the game at 2.
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-2, CS (1), BB, K
DH Jared Wegner0-for-2, BB, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas2-for-4, RBI, CS (1), K
Vargas’ RBI single in the bottom of the 8th broke the 2-2 tie.
3B Max Burt1-for-4, K

RHP Bailey Dees6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, HR
Dees pitched strongly down the stretch and it continued into tonight’s playoff start. He could factor into the Yankees’ 2025 plans at some point, though he is Rule 5 eligible. It is either protect him or trade him. I cannot imagine them leaving him exposed.
RHP Danny Watson: (W, 1-0)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Watson also pitched well down the stretch (8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9 K in his last seven appearances). Like Dees, he is Rule 5 eligible this winter.
RHP Eric Reyzelman (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
I can’t guarantee that the Yankees will hold onto Reyzelman, but he has high-leverage reliever potential.


Hudson Valley (3-2) (Defeated Bowling Green, 6-2, to tie the best-of-3 series at 1-1. They will play for the title tomorrow night)

2B Roc Riggio0-for-3, RS, BB, K
Riggio is 6-for-19 (.316) with a double and homer during the postseason.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
Lombard is 5-for-18 (.278) with three doubles and three walks during the postseason.
1B Josh Moylan0-for-4, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin1-for-3, 2B (1), RS, HBP
DH Omar Martinez1-for-3, HR (1), 4 RBI, RS, BB, K
Martinez’s grand slam broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 5th.
LF Jackson Castillo0-for-3, SF, RBI
3B Dylan Jasso0-for-4, K
CF Brendan Jones0-for-1, RS, 2 BB, K
C Antonio Gomez1-for-2, RBI, RS, BB, K

RHP Josh Grosz: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Grosz was one of the best pitchers in the minors from June 28th through the end of the season. Tonight, he was in “bend, don’t break” mode. He limited the damage nicely.
RHP Indigo Diaz1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Kelly Austin2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Austin was impressive after being acquired for Caleb Ferguson


Tampa (54-74)

Their season is over.


FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.


DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.


DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 5/17: Sebastian Keane’s Big Effort

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I have nothing to offer you.

Scranton (28-13) (Lost a pitcher’s duel to Worcester, 9-8. How did these two teams play a 1-0 game earlier this week?)

2B Caleb Durbin1-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (20)
Durbin has 56 stolen bases in 111 games since joining the organization. 
CF Everson Pereira2-for-5, 2B (8), RBI, RS, K
.261/.341/.516 in 176 PA. 
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-5, RBI, RS
Rumfield has a 6-game hitting streak.
DH Carlos Narvaez0-for-5, 2 K
LF Oscar Gonzalez3-for-4, 2B (4), 3B (1), 2 RS, BB
Gonzalez came up with a runner on second and two outs in the 9th, giving himself a shot at a dramatic cycle. It wasn’t meant to be.
RF Jose Rojas2-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
3B Jeter Downs0-for-2, 2 SF, 2 RBI
Productive Outs!
C Luis Torrens: 3-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS
SS Kevin Smith1-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, RS, 2 K

LHP Tanner Tully4 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
LHP Clayton Andrews1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Phil Bickford: (L, 2-1)  0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


Somerset (18-18) (Defeated Portland, 9-4)

DH Spencer Jones1-for-4, RS, SB (8), K
3B DJ LeMahieu1-for-2
Hopefully, he comes out of this feeling healthy.
   2B Anthony Seigler0-for-2, RS, SB (5), BB
C Ben Rice0-for-4, K
Rice is down to .238/.365/.454 in 157 PA. He is only 10-for-49 in May with a .286 SLG, his calling card. Everyone goes through slumps!
SS Ben Cowles2-for-4, 2 2B (13), RBI, 2 RS, BB
.331/.410/.545 in 144 PA (13 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R, 11.8% BB, 15.3% K, 5-for-5 SB). He is floating under the radar a bit, but what a start to 2024.
CF Grant Richardson2-for-5, 2B (11), HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Speaking of under-the-radar, Richardson is at .294/.348/.490 (11 doubles, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 16 R, 6.3% BB, 25% K). Yeah, Richardson is a bit of a free-swinging type.
1B J.C. Escarra2-for-4, RBI, RS
2B-3B Jordan Groshans1-for-3, RS, HBP
RF Elijah Dunham2-for-2, RS, SB (3), 2 BB
.273/.391/.468 in 92 PA. Dunham is 9-for-24 (.375/.531/.458) in May. He conquered this level in 2022, but struggled in Scranton in 2023.
LF Jared Wegner1-for-4, RBI, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (W, 2-2) 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
3.83 ERA (44.2 IP, 32 H, 26 R, 19 ER, 4 HR, 15 BB, 48 K). Last 4 starts: 2.08 ERA (21.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 21 K). Is he figuring things out? 
LHP Ryan Anderson1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Colby White0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Velasquez1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Hudson Valley (19-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 6-3)

2B Roc Riggio1-for-4
SS Jared Serna1-for-4, K
LF Jace Avina0-for-4, K
Avina’s 11-game hitting streak is snapped.
C Jesus Rodriguez0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB
DH Omar Martinez1-for-3, RS, BB, K
  PR-DH Kyle Battle0-for-0
1B Rafael Flores: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K
Flores is now 11-for-28 with 8 RBI in May. He plays 1B/C.
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-2, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (4), 2 BB, K
Romero has a .231 BA with a .851 OPS. He has 10 walks in 9 May games.
CF Nelson Medina0-for-4, 4 K
RF Cole Gabrielson1-for-4, RBI, 2 K

RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 2-3) 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Keane needed only 80 pitches to get 21 outs in his longest career outing. Season: 5.06 ERA (32 IP, 32 H, 18 R, 18 ER, 1 HR, 16 BB, 29 K). Remember that he was a relief pitcher in his 2023 debut season. The Yankees drafted him in 2022 out of Northeastern (he was a starter there).
RHP Steven Fulgencio1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K


Tampa (12-25) (Defeated Bradenton, 5-2)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B (4)
The double was crushed (106.4 MPH/406 feet). Lombard also lined out at 107.4 MPH.
DH Tyler Hardman1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
1B Dylan Jasso0-for-4, RS, K
CF Jackson Castillo3-for-3, 2 2B (7), RBI, RS, BB
.278/.422/.528 in 90 PA. He is 14-for-42 (.333) in May with 5 doubles, 3 HR, 6 RBI, and 12 runs scored. A switch suddenly turned on.
LF Willy Montero0-for-2, 2 BB, K
2B Hans Montero1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Montero, who is 13-for-44 (.295/.367/.455) since his promotion, hit 5 HR in 53 games during his breakout in the FCL last season.
RF Coby Morales0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
Morales has six walks in his last three games.
C Tomas Frick0-for-4, K
This is the first time he hasn’t reached base this season (17th game)

LHP Allen Facundo: (W, 1-1)  5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
2.88 ERA (25 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 27 K). A lefty who can touch 96.7 MPH (which he did tonight) is worth watching.
RHP Cade Austin2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR
RHP Montana Semmel: (S, 1) 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.40 ERA (19.1 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 16 K)


FCL (4-6) (Lost to the Phillies, 7-3, in a 7-inning game)

CF Brian Sanchez2-for-2, 2B (2), RS, SB (3), BB
3B Luis Ogando0-for-2, RS, SB (2), BB, K

RHP Jesus Liranzo1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
His rehab stint continues…
LHP Brady Rose (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Diaz compiled a 6.35 ERA in 11.1 IP for Low-A Tampa (14 BB/12 K)


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!