My Take: Yankees Acquire OF Alex Verdugo

The trade:

Yankees acquire OF Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox for RHP Greg Weissert, RHP Richard Fitts, RHP Nicholas Judice

It isn’t often that the Yankees and Red Sox make a trade. While we have seen significant swaps in the past that go beyond the purchase of Babe Ruth (Don Baylor for Mike Easler, as one example), most of their deals are minor.

This trade is far from a blockbuster, but is isn’t insignificant. Brian Cashman talked about wanting two left-handed hitting outfielders, and Verdugo fits. His position doesn’t fit quite as easily, however. Defensive metrics like Verdugo as a corner outfielder – as a center fielder, however, he is below average.

The bat is a potential fit as a complementary lineup piece more than a main lineup piece. In 2019-2020, Verdugo hit a rather impressive .300/.351/476 (117 OPS+) in 598 plate appearances with 38 doubles, 18 home runs, and 59 runs batted in.  His production has fallen off a bit in his last three seasons, however, as he owns a .278/.334/.417 (103 OPS+) line over 1,850 plate appearances. The Yankees acquired an average-ish MLB corner outfielder, which is better than what they trotted out there in 2023. However, the bar should not be the 2023 Yankees outfield as many players can clear that. The true bar is Verdugo himself when you think about it. Verdugo is pretty good, but teams should strive to acquire players better than him.

Two publicized benchings by Alex Cora during the 2023 season also raises eyebrows. One suspension was due to a lack of hustle, while the other was due to arriving late at the ballpark.

As for what the Yankees gave up, Fitts is the most intriguing of the bunch. In 27 starts for Double-A Somerset, Fitts pitched to a 3.48 ERA (3.92 FIP) over 152.2 IP with a 6.8% BB and 25.9% K. The innings were the third highest in all of minor league baseball. His ceiling is probably in the neighborhood of a modern-day innings eater. His most probable outcome, however, may be as a spot starter/long reliever type. While he has impeccable control, he lacks command which makes him vulnerable to the long ball (22 in 2023). A move to the pen can lead to an uptick in velocity, which makes it easier to get around command issues. Fitts was never linked to the Soto talks as he isn’t at the level of Drew Thorpe/Chase Hampton in prospect circles. However, that doesn’t mean he is without value. He’ll probably make it to MLB in some capacity.

We have seen Weissert in MLB over the last two seasons. Thus far, he hasn’t been able to translate minor league success to MLB success, as he owns a 4.60 ERA (4.29 FIP) over 31.1 innings with a 9.6% BB and 24.4% K. Weissert’s stuff can be mesmerizing, but he has trouble controlling it. So far, despite his funkiness, he hasn’t shown any special ability to get right-handed hitters out. To be exact, right-handed batters hit him better than left-handed ones. The sample size is still on the small size.

Judice has yet to make his professional debut. Drafted in the 8th round in the 2023 draft out of Louisiana-Monroe, it should come as no surprise that he stands at 6’8″. The Yankees love to draft tall pitchers, and Judice is that. Judice will turn 23 in April, so he is on the older side for a player who has yet to make his debut. He is older than a typical “lottery ticket” but that is still the best way to describe him. If he can start pumping out 98 MPH fastballs consistently, he has a chance. That is true of approximately 328,923 pitchers across minor league baseball.

Bottom Line:

If your first thought is that the Yankees gave up little in this trade, I will ask you this: What exactly could Boston ask for in a deal for a mid-level corner outfielder in his last year of arbitration? This move is a salary dump for the Red Sox, which lowers the prospect ask.

Verdugo is a player that Yankees fans love to hate. But we need to look past that and ask ourselves if he is a good baseball player. The answer to that is Yes. Nobody can deny that Verdugo is a capable MLB player who does many things pretty well, even if he doesn’t own a plus-plus offensive tool. However, you can fairly ask how he fits with the 2024 Yankees, especially if Juan Soto is acquired. He isn’t a center fielder (he can fake it out there a few times a week, perhaps) and it is dangerous to rely on Aaron Judge to be the everyday center fielder. An acquisition of Soto gives the Yankees three corner outfielders, no true center fielder, and Giancarlo Stanton in the designated hitter spot. Jasson Dominguez (who probably profiles as a corner outfielder himself down the road) will be back sometime in 2024. However, it is foolish to think we can rely on him to be above average once he returns. It took Bryce Harper, one of the best baseball players in the league, a few months to find his power coming off of a similar injury.

The Yankees entered this offseason with glaring holes. The squad was boring as they plodded their way through an 82-80 season. Verdugo doesn’t make the roster any more exciting, but we have to be fair and admit that he is an upgrade. If they keep him (I think they will), it is only a 1-year commitment at between $9-10M. That doesn’t seem significant enough to keep the Yankees away from Soto and/or Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

In the end, if this is the biggest move we are talking about when camp opens, the Yankees are in trouble. As of now, I am optimistic that won’t be the case.

Yankees MILB 9/21: Richard Fitts Finishes Season with a Strong Effort

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (71-74; 37-34 in the second half) (Lost to Syracuse, 5-4)

2B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K, SB (23)
3B Ben Cowles1-for-5, 4 K
Cowles’ Triple-A debut.
C Carlos Narvaez0-for-2, 3 BB
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, 3 K
Chaparro now has 87 RBI. It is the most RBI in the organization since Oswaldo Cabrera drove home 89 in 2021 (I never said it was a long time ago)
DH Josh Breaux1-for-2, K
He left the game after an “injury delay.”
  PH-DH Edinson Duran0-for-2, K
Duran’s Triple-A debut.
SS Jesus Bastidas2-for-4, HR (11), RBI, RS, 2 K
RF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K, CS (2)
Palensky’s 22nd HR between here, Somerset, and Hudson Valley. 
CF Nelson Medina0-for-3, 2 K
LF Kyle Battle: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K, SB (1)
Battle’s first Triple-A hit.

RHP Mitch Spence7 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
Spence finishes the season with a 4.47 ERA in 163 innings (the most in all of MILB – not just the Yankees organization!). He allowed 162 hits while walking 53 and striking out 153. Spence is already Rule 5 eligible – not sure if he is eligible for MILB free agency.
RHP Zach Greene: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Matt Bowman (L, 4-1) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (84-53; 42-27 in the second half) (Lost to Binghamton, 2-0. Their big season comes to an end as the Rumble Ponies sweep them in two games. Sometimes, the best team simply doesn’t win, especially in the minor leagues, where rosters fluctuate all year)

SS Trey Sweeney0-for-3, BB, K
Sweeney likely begins 2024 in Scranton. I don’t like prospects staying there for long, so we’ll see how he does in the first few months.
C Ben Rice0-for-4
Rice doesn’t really need to go to Triple-A in 2024, but the question is where he fits into the Yankees’ plan. He can catch and play first base. Furthermore, his swing looks perfect for the Yankee Stadium porch. For a team that lacks offense, you would think they could find a spot.
CF Spencer Jones0-for-4, K
Was Jones’ 2023 season a success? Between here and Hudson Valley, he hit .267/.336/.444 (113 wRC+) in 537 plate appearances with a 9.1% BB and 28.9% K. He was also 43-for-55 in the stolen base department. I would say this is an overall success with some room for improvement. That is a fair enough assessment.
DH Agustin Ramirez0-for-4, 4 K
There is no doubt that Ramirez will return to this level to start 2024. That is OK – it’s been a long season for the catcher and he likely ran into a wall late.
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-3, K
His first half HR binge was fun – he couldn’t get it back post-injury. He should be the Scranton first baseman next year.
LF Elijah Dunham0-for-3, K
I don’t know where Dunham’s future lies – he probably isn’t protected from the Rule 5 this winter. Does another organization see value in his left-handed bat and solid ability to steal bases? We’ll find out.
3B Caleb Durbin1-for-3
Durbin is a unique prospect – not much power, but can play 2B/3B (and played a few games at SS) and has strong contact skills with speed to burn. Don’t sleep on him.
2B Mickey Gasper: 1-for-2, 2B (1), BB, CS (1)
RF Jeisson Rosario0-for-2, K
  PH-RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-1

RHP Richard Fitts: (L, 0-1)  6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, HR
Fitts is one of a few top prospects who spent all season at one level (that is not a bad thing if that level is Double-A!). Between the regular season and this playoff start, he pitched to a 3.46 ERA in 158.2 IP (136 H, 62 R, 61 ER, 23 HR, 44 BB, 171 K). The home runs are a bit high, and scouting reports indicate that sometimes he can have command issues inside the strike zone. That can be worked on with experience. He should firmly be in contention for some MLB innings in 2024.
RHP Bailey Dees1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Jack Neely: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Both Dees and Neely are arms to watch for call-ups in 2024. I don’t think either will start the season in the big league pen, but the talent is there to make it at some point (the same goes for Danny Watson, who missed the last several games of the season due to a not-so-bad injury)
RHP Tanner Myatt0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (70-62; 31-35 in the second half) 

They lost to Greenville in the championship series. Their season is over.

Tampa (61-69; 30-34 in the second half) 

Their season is over.

FCL Yankees (35-22; 1-2 in the playoffs)

They lost to the Braves in the championship series. Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (33-19)

Their season is over. They missed the playoffs by a half-game.

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/15: Richard Fitts Ks 11

News:

I have nothing interesting to report.

Scranton (69-71; 35-31 in the second half) (Defeated Buffalo, 4-2)

RF Franchy Cordero1-for-3, 2B (13), 3 RBI, BB, K
3B Jamie Westbrook0-for-4, 3 K
C Carlos Narvaez0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
DH Andres Chaparro0-for-4, 2 K
1B Jake Lamb2-for-4, HR (5), RBI, RS
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-2, RS, BB, HBP
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-3, RS, HBP, 3 K
Palensky’s Triple-A debut.
CF Nelson Medina0-for-4, 2 K
2B Wilmer Difo0-for-1, RS, 2 BB, K, 2 SB (22)

RHP Mitch Spence: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
4.50 ERA (156 IP, 155 H, 86 R, 78 ER, 28 HR, 50 BB, 150 K)
RHP Zac Houston: (W, 3-1) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Aaron McGarity (S, 4): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (82-53; 40-27 in the second half) (Defeated New Hampshire, 3-1)

SS Trey Sweeney0-for-4, BB, 2 K
1B Ben Rice0-for-3, 2 HBP, K, CS (3)
Rice has 11 HBP in 71 games. He is hitting .324/.396/.638 in 212 PA at this level.
C Agustin Ramirez0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
At this level: .211/.276/.309 in 30 games. I stand by what I said when he was first promoted: I am not concerned about him struggling here. 
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, K, SB (7)
Jones has 47 extra-base hits (28 doubles, 4 triples, 15 HR) and 42 stolen bases (53 attempts). Tonight’s HR was hit off of LHP Ricky Tiedemann, the top prospect in the Blue Jays system (Pipeline). No, he won’t be in the mix for the CF job in 2024 with Jasson Dominguez out – but a hot first half will get people talking.
DH Mickey Gasper0-for-3, RS, BB, K, SB (8)
LF Jeisson Rosario0-for-3, BB
3B Eduardo Torrealba1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson0-for-3, 2 K
2B Max Burt1-for-2, BB, 3 SB (21)
Burt sets personal bests for both stolen bases in a game and in a season.

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 11-5) 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Fitts sets a new personal best for strikeouts in a game (he struck out exactly ten batters three times this season). This is probably his last regular season start of 2023 unless they give him one up in Scranton. If it is, he posted a 3.48 ERA in 152.2 IP with a 163/43 K/BB. I would say that is something to build on and Fitts should be in the 2024 mix at some point.
RHP Tanner Myatt: (S, 7)  2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR

Hudson Valley (70-62; 31-35 in the second half)  (Defeated Jersey Shore, 3-2, to win the best-of-3 series. They will play Greenville (BOS) in the championship series. It starts on Sunday)

3B Ben Cowles2-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, RS, BB
A nice night for Cowles, who hit .254/.356/.393 in 444 regular-season plate appearances. He stole 23 bases in 27 attempts.
2B Jared Serna0-for-3, BB, CS (1)
LF Jesus Rodriguez0-for-3, BB
Rodriguez went 4-for-10 with two walks and only one strikeout in the series.
DH Christopher Familia0-for-4, K
1B Spencer Henson0-for-4, 3 K
C Rafael Flores2-for-3, 2 2B (2), 2 RS, K
Flores went 4-for-8 with two doubles and three walks in the series.
RF Anthony Hall1-for-3, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-2, SF, RBI
CF Cole Gabrielson0-for-1, 2 BB

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 1-0) 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Selvidge pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 127.2 IP during the regular season between Tampa and Hudson Valley (116 H, 56 R, 49 ER, 5 HR, 35 BB, 137 K). He compiled a 25.5% K and 6.5% BB. In 2022, his BB% was 9.4. He is developing the way you would want him to develop and there isn’t a long line of left-handed starting pitching prospects in the system.
RHP Cole Ayers0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: (S, 1)  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
In a key moment in the 8th, Gilbert came out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and one out. He promptly struck out back-to-back hitters.

Tampa (61-69; 30-34 in the second half) 

Their season is over.

FCL Yankees (35-22; 1-2 in the playoffs)

They lost to the Braves in the championship series. Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (33-19)

Their season is over, as they missed the playoffs by a half-game.

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/10: Estevan Florial: 2 HR, 6 RBI

News:

As I suspected, veterans Matt Bowman and Anthony Misiewicz were called up today. We’ll see if this is permanent or temporary. This is a good time to get Will Warren and Clayton Beeter some innings in MLB, even as long relievers.

Beeter may have the inside track as he needs to be protected this winter while Warren does not need to be.

Scranton (67-68; 33-28 in the second half) (Crushed Columbus, 13-2)

LF Estevan Florial3-for-5, 2 HR (28), 6 RBI, 4 RS, BB, 2 K
Florial has hit two home runs four times this season. He sets a new personal best with the six RBI and has 79 RBI this season. The 28 homers lead the organization. He is building up his resume for other teams to look at for 2024. Should he get AB instead of someone like Jake Bauers at this point? Of course. Just reward the kid for playing well while being stuck in purgatory all year.
1B Andres Chaparro2-for-5, RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Chaparro is up to 83 RBI, which continue to lead the organization.
RF Franchy Cordero2-for-6, 2 RBI, K
DH Jamie Westbrook1-for-4, SF, HBP, RBI
3B Jake Lamb1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, K
C Josh Breaux1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB
Breaux has 7 HR in 47 career Triple-A games.
CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-4, RS, BB
2B Wilmer Difo3-for-3, 4 RS, 2 BB, SB (20), CS (9)
SS Jesus Bastidas: 2-for-4, 2 RS, HBP, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: (W, 1-3)  5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
Barclay’s best performance since his promotion. He ties his personal best for strikeouts in a game (previously done on 8/13/2021)
RHP Aaron McGarity1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Michael Gomez1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Zach McAllister1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (79-52; 37-26 in the second half) (Defeated Erie, 8-5. I have said a few times that their season ends today. Nope – they still have one regular season week before the playoffs)

SS Trey Sweeney1-for-4, RS, BB, K, SB (17)
Sweeney is 2-for-15 since coming off of the injured list. Could he still get to Scranton for a week? Maybe.
C Ben Rice2-for-4, HR (15), RBI, RS, BB, K
At this level: .343/.404/.674 in 198 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 45 RBI, 35 R). Overall, Rice has 19 homers and 65 RBI in 68 games. One can only imagine what kind of season he could have had if not for injury.
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-5, 2B (13), RBI, RS, K
DH Grant Richardson: 3-for-3, HR (3), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Richardson, who hit .204/.306/.389 with 13 HR for Hudson Valley, is 12-for-35 with three homers since moving to Somerset. The 16 HR tie his personal best, set last year.
CF Elijah Dunham0-for-3, BB, K
2B Mickey Gasper1-for-4, HR (6), 3 RBI, RS
RF Jeisson Rosario1-for-4, HR (10), RBI, RS, K
.222/.360/.365 in 409 PA.
3B Max Burt1-for-4, RS, K, SB (17)
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-3, BB

RHP Richard Fitts (W, 10-5): 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
3.58 ERA (146 IP, 127 H, 59 R, 58 ER, 22 HR, 42 BB, 152 K). One could worry a bit about his HR rate as a right-handed arm trying to get to Yankee Stadium, but his overall profile in 2023 is a solid one. I think the homers come down to the reports that he sometimes loses his command inside the strike zone.
RHP Bailey Dees1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
LHP Ryan Anderson1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo (S, 1): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Hudson Valley (70-62; 31-35 in the second half)  (Lost to Jersey Shore, 10-9, in 11 innings. They begin their playoff journey on Tuesday)

RF Anthony Hall0-for-6, K
SS Alexander Vargas1-for-6, K
3B Jesus Rodriguez1-for-5, RBI, RS, BB, K, 2 SB (6)
One of the reasons why they are likely moving him around the field is because he has some athleticism. This season, he stole 21 bases in 25 attempts between here and Tampa. You will see him in Somerset in 2024.
DH Antonio Gomez3-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, K
Nice to see Gomez have a strong effort on the final day of the regular season.
  PH-DH Luis Santos0-for-0, BB
2B Ben Cowles3-for-5, 2B (18), 2 RS, SB (23)
After a big August, Cowles cooled off in September so this game is much-needed heading into the playoffs.
1B Spencer Henson2-for-6, HR (14), 3 RBI, RS, 3 K
Henson finishes the season with 17 doubles, 14 HR, and 48 RBI in 82 games.
C Rafael Flores2-for-5, RS, BB, K
Flores tapped into some power towards the end of the season. It will be interesting to see if that continues into 2024.
LF Jared Wegner1-for-3, RBI
  LF Kyle Battle: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, RS, K
  Not a bad way to end your campaign. 
CF Cole Gabrielson2-for-4, RBI, RS, HBP, CS (2)
At this level: 9-for-34 with two doubles and a home run.
  PH Marcos Cabrera0-for-1, K

LHP Brock Selvidge5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
At this level: 3.58 ERA in 50.1 IP (44 H, 22 R, 20 ER, 2 HR, 14 BB, 46 K). Overall, Selvidge compiled a 137/35 K/BB over 127.2 innings. The improvement in the walk rate is very encouraging.
RHP Shane Gray1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Leonardo Pestana1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Osiel Rodriguez2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Rodriguez’s High-A debut. He will be here for the playoffs as well.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Juan Crisp: (L, 0-1)  1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Crisp isn’t a pitcher – this is life in the minors. You aren’t going to change your pitching plans just because it is a tied-up game in extras. This is part of the reason why the minors started using ghost runners years ago.

Tampa (61-69; 30-34 in the second half) (Lost to Lakeland, 3-1. Their season is over)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-4, RS, K
It is safe to say that his first exposure to professional pitching went well. Not including the FCL playoffs, he hit .311/.466/.356 in 58 plate appearances with 13 walks and 12 strikeouts. During the playoffs, he went 3-for-11 with an RBI and two runs scored. He won’t be 19 until next June.
RF Jackson Castillo1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Castillo went 7-for-38 (.184) at this level with a homer and six runs batted in.
3B Kiko Romero0-for-4, 4 K
Romero hit .216/.350/.382 in 123 PA at this level with three home runs, 20 walks, and 38 strikeouts.
1B Josh Moylan0-for-4, 3 K
Romero and Moylan certainly hoped for a better final day of the season. It will all be forgotten tomorrow. Moylan hit .241/.386/.313 in 101 PA with two homers, 16 walks, and 28 strikeouts.
C Omar Martinez1-for-4
Martinez’s first experience in a full-season league went well. In 105 games (444 plate appearances), the 21-year-old left-handed bat hit .251/.367/.445 (16 doubles, 1 triple, 18 HR, 71 RBI, 66 R, 67 BB (15.1%), 110 K (24.8%), 8-for-9 SB). 
SS Brenny Escanio2-for-4, 3B (5), K
.224/.335/.296 in 476 PA (10 doubles, 5 triples, 3 HR, 36 RBI, 57 R, 68 BB, 119 K, 21-for-27 SB)
LF Daury Arias0-for-2, 2 BB, K
CF Tayler Aguilar0-for-3, BB, 2 K
2B Jose Colmenares0-for-3, K

RHP Jackson Fristoe4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Fristoe’s arm is tantalizing. As others have said, it may be more of a bullpen arm down the road but there is zero harm in trying to see if you can develop him into a starter. Between here and the FCL, he had a 45/28 K/BB over 36.2 IP. 
LHP Pablo Mujica2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (L, 0-1): 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

FCL Yankees (35-22; 1-2 in the playoffs)

They lost to the Braves in the championship series. Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (33-19)

Their season is over, as they missed the playoffs by a half-game.

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/24: Richard Fitts Tosses 6 Scoreless Innings

News:

Nothing new.

Scranton (59-61; 25-21 in the second half) 

The game against Lehigh Valley was postponed due to wet grounds.

This is a big series against Lehigh Valley, the team they are chasing for the second-half title. They are currently 3.5 games behind both Lehigh Valley and Worcester. Durham (0.5 games back), Buffalo (3 games back), and Jacksonville (3 games back) are also ahead of Scranton.

LF Estevan Florial0-for-0
.289/.385/.566 (131 wRC+) in 343 PA. Florial is staring at minor league free agency this winter. The Yankees can definitely add him to the 40-man early in the offseason and look to deal him rather than lose him for nothing. Either way, it has been quite a journey for the kid. You may not love him as a prospect, but I will maintain that he deserves a chance. 
CF Jasson Dominguez0-for-0
Dominguez is 20 – and a young 20 as he won’t turn 21 until February. This is an unusual year with the big club so anything can happen – but I would still be surprised to see him make his MLB debut. One thing Dominguez can do is put together a strong 2-3 weeks and make the Yankees think about it.
C Austin Wells0-for-0
Wells is hitting .262/.350/.458 (100 wRC+) at this level. The fact he has a .808 OPS and a 100 wRC+ tells you what you need to know about the souped-up conditions in Triple-A. There is nothing Wells can do about that – he just has to keep on hitting.
DH Andres Chaparro0-for-0
RF Franchy Cordero0-for-0
1B Carlos Narvaez0-for-0
3B Jake Lamb0-for-0
2B Jamie Westbrook0-for-0
SS Wilmer Difo0-for-0

RHP Randy Vasquez0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Personally, I give Vasquez the ball in the majors every five days and see what happens. The Yankees would rather not do that for their own reasons, so I guess I have to accept that.

Somerset (69-47; 27-21 in the second half) (Defeated Hartford, 2-1)

C Ben Rice0-for-4, K
No home run tonight? Disappointing (yes, I am kidding – sheesh)
DH Agustin Ramirez0-for-4, K
If you read this space enough, you already know that I am not concerned at all about Ramirez struggling here. They have been aggressive with him in his first taste of full-season ball and perhaps he has run into a wall. Or, maybe he has a hot month coming up to close the season. Who knows? The kid is a 21-year-old catcher – these types don’t typically fly through the minors like this. PATIENCE!
LF Elijah Dunham2-for-3, HR (9), RBI, RS, BB, SB (16)
His home run to lead off the 9th inning tied the game. Between here and Scranton, Dunham has 21 doubles, 15 homers, and 28 stolen bases.
2B Anthony Seigler0-for-3, RS, BB, K
RF Aaron Palensky1-for-3, BB, 2 K
1B Mickey Gasper1-for-3, BB, K
CF Jeisson Rosario1-for-3, RBI, K
Walk-off RBI single in the 9th.
SS Max Burt1-for-2
3B Eduardo Torrealba0-for-2

RHP Richard Fitts6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K (101 pitches)
Fitts is a bulldog. His ERA falls to 3.16 in 131 IP (110 H, 47 R, 46 ER, 18 HR, 34 BB, 139 K). His August line is insane: 24.1 IP, 14 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 BB, 21 K. He goes deep into most games, so it is also impressive that he hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a game since May 10th. After that game ended, his ERA was 6.07. A remarkable year for someone I think can be an innings-eating #3-#4 guy in MLB. The issue you hear about is that his command sometimes fails him inside the strike zone. That can certainly be developed.
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Bailey Dees: (W, 1-1) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 11.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 12 K. Overall, he owns a 71/21 K/BB over 53 innings pitched. When I say that the Yankees can afford to trade a few of their MLB relievers, it is because of relievers like Dees, Danny Watson, and Jack Neely at this level + several others at other levels. They have a pipeline of potential.

Hudson Valley (64-53; 25-26 in the second half) (Lost to Aberdeen, 2-1)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-4, K, CS (9)
Jones increases his hitting streak to five (7-for-20). 
RF Anthony Hall0-for-3, BB, K
2B Jared Serna1-for-4
Overall, between here and Tampa, he is at .281/.350/.468 in 506 plate appearances. The power hasn’t shown up yet at this level, but I think it will.
C Jesus Rodriguez0-for-4, K
SS Alexander Vargas2-for-4, 2B (15), RS
DH Antonio Gomez1-for-4, 2B (16), RBI, SB (1)
Gomez stole five bases in 2021, but that has been the extent of his base-stealing prowess. Before all these other catchers started emerging, Gomez looked like the future guy. Defensively, he may still grade better than most of them.
3B Ben Cowles0-for-2, BB, 2 K
Cowles has a 36-game on-base streak (thanks to the Hudson Valley Renegades official Twitter account – I hadn’t picked up on this). 
1B Rafael Flores1-for-3, K
LF Jared Wegner0-for-3, K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 2-1) 6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
Between here and Tampa: 3.49 ERA in 111 IP (100 H, 49 R, 43 ER, 5 HR, 30 BB, 125 K). In 2022, Selvidge walked 3.59 hitters per nine innings. This season, the number is 2.43. Major improvement there. Furthermore, he has allowed only seven home runs in 157.1 career innings. That number could go up as he moves up the chain, but it is encouraging. Oh, and he is only 20 (21 in four days)
RHP Cole Ayers1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Luis Velasquez1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 1.99 ERA (31.2 IP, 18 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 36 K). 

Tampa (57-60; 26-25 in the second half) (Defeated Palm Beach, 8-7, in ten innings)

SS Brenny Escanio1-for-5
Roc Riggio was in the original lineup but was pulled late. Hopefully, it is something minor in nature.
3B Kiko Romero0-for-5, 3 K
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
.263/.376/.471 in 396 PA with 17 homers and 69 RBI. Martinez has done enough to earn a promotion and maybe he’ll get some time up in Hudson Valley in September/playoffs.
1B Josh Moylan1-for-3, RS, 2 BB
.294/.422/.353 in 64 PA (12 walks, 14 K). Moylan is doing what you want to see college bats do in their first taste of professional ball. 
CF Cole Gabrielson1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, HBP, K, SB (2)
RF Garrett Martin1-for-5, RBI, 2 K
LF Tayler Aguilar0-for-5, 2 K
2B Jose Colmenares1-for-3, 2 RS, HBP
C Manuel Palencia2-for-4, 2 RS
I said a few weeks ago that I don’t know much about him, and that hasn’t changed. That said, he is 9-for-22 at this level with only one strikeout. He is still looking for his first extra-base hit. Maybe I should do some reading…

RHP Sean Hermann5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Between here and Hudson Valley: 5.29 ERA (98.2 IP, 110 H, 68 R, 58 ER, 9 HR, 44 BB, 83 K). Hermann is even younger than Selvidge (won’t be 21 until next June), so keep that in mind. 
RHP Alex Bustamante0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Adam Stone1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Montana Semmel: (W, 3-1) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
At this level: 15 IP, 18 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 3 HR, 4 BB, 15 K

FCL Yankees (35-22; 1-0 in the playoffs) (Defeated the Pirates, 7-6, in a sudden death game. They move on to meet the Braves in a 3-game series for the championship. The Yankees are defending their title from 2022)

2B Keiner Delgado2-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB, K
Delgado hit 12 doubles in 49 games during the regular season. I would be stunned if he doesn’t get to Tampa next week.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
No complaints about his small sample size.
1B Dylan Jasso1-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Jasso’s 2-out, 2-run HR in the bottom of the 6th turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 lead.
CF Willy Montero1-for-4, RS, BB
LF Jackson Castillo0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, HBP
DH Enmanuel Tejeda4-for-5, 2 RBI, RS
Tejeda had one 4-hit game in the regular season as well. He drove in the deciding 7th run.
RF John Cruz1-for-3, RBI, BB
3B Hans Montero0-for-4, 2 K
C Edinson Duran0-for-2, BB, HBP

RHP Luis Serna2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Serna struck out the side in the second. In the third, sloppy play (including his own error on a pickoff attempt) turned out to be his downfall.
LHP Allen Facundo: (W, 1-0)  4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Facundo did a fabulous job calming this game down.
RHP Jackson Fristoe1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
LHP Miguel Pozo (S, 1): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Pozo picks a good time to pick up his first professional save.

DSL Yankees (33-19)

Their season is over, as they missed the playoffs by a half-game.

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/17: Solid Night for Richard Fitts

News:

Estevan Florial‘s stay on the injured list was short-lived as he returned to action tonight.

Both OF Everson Pereira and C Austin Wells didn’t play tonight for Scranton, fueling speculation that one or both could be on their way to New York. There is nothing (yet) that indicates this will happen (players do get random days off in the minors, though the timing would be interesting. On Friday, the Yankees can bring them up without losing a year of control).

Scranton (56-58; 22-18 in the second half) (Defeated Worcester, 2-1)

CF Estevan Florial0-for-5
His stay on the IL wasn’t a long one.
2B Oswald Peraza1-for-4
1B Andres Chaparro1-for-4, HR (21), RBI, RS, K
Chaparro sets a new personal best for home runs in a season. He has 41 HR in 749 plate appearances over the last two seasons.
C Carlos Narvaez0-for-2, BB, HBP, K
3B Jamie Westbrook1-for-4, RS
DH Rodolfo Duran2-for-2, 2 BB
.249/.323/.447 in 220 plate appearances. 
RF Michael Hermosillo1-for-4, RBI, K
LF Brandon Lockridge1-for-3, SAC
And we were told that the Yankees don’t “teach baseball”…
SS Wilmer Difo1-for-3, 2B (7), BB, K

RHP Mitch Spence6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
4.63 ERA (126.1 IP, 125 H, 72 R, 65 ER, 24 HR, 43 BB, 115 K). Spence is doing a solid job eating innings down here and perhaps can earn himself a big-league shot. I don’t think that will happen with the Yankees, though.
RHP Michael Gomez0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (W, 1-1): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Zach Greene (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (65-45; 23-19 in the second half) (Lost to Reading, 5-4)

CF Jasson Dominguez1-for-4, 2B (16), 2 RBI, BB, 3 K
Yes, he struck out three times. You still can’t ignore how much better Dominguez has played in recent weeks. I would end his season in Scranton, personally.
C Ben Rice1-for-4, RS, BB
You know you are having a good season when a single and a walk are a “ho-hum” night for you.
DH Agustin Ramirez1-for-5, 2 K
Ramirez is 7-for-39 with a double since his promotion. I will continue to tell anyone who reads his stat line during this adjustment period to have some patience.
RF Elijah Dunham1-for-2, 2 BB, K
2B Caleb Durbin0-for-3, K
    2B Eduardo Torrealba1-for-1, RBI
1B Mickey Gasper0-for-4, K
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-4, RS, SB (9)
Between Hudson Valley and Somerset, Palensky has 19 doubles, 19 homers, and 20 stolen bases.
SS Jesus Bastidas1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Bastidas has 11 home runs between Scranton and Somerset. 
3B Max Burt1-for-4, K

RHP Richard Fitts5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
It was a battle for Fitts tonight, who needed 102 pitches to earn the 16 outs. The impressive thing is that he was able to keep runs off the board, allowing only a solo HR in the first inning. He owns a 3.31 ERA in 125 IP (105 H, 47 R, 46 ER, 18 HR, 32 BB, 135 K). August: 18.1 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 17 K. It is all a matter of preference when it comes to their Double-A arms. I think Chase Hampton has the most upside as a potential top-of-the-rotation guy, but Fitts and Drew Thorpe both appear to be legitimate. 
RHP Bailey Dees1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
Since promotion: 1.55 ERA (29 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 33 K)
RHP Jack Neely: (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
We expect Dees-Watson-Neely to shut it down every night – sometimes, the baseball gods just tell us no.

Hudson Valley (62-49; 23-22 in the second half) (Pulled off a nice comeback against Brooklyn, 6-5. They were down 5-0 entering the top of the 5th)

CF Spencer Jones0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K, SB (33)
DH Anthony Hall2-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, 2 BB
Hall is up to .258/.361/.419 in 37 PA since his promotion and .267/.380/.446 in 309 PA overall.
2B Jared Serna0-for-5, K
3B Jesus Rodriguez3-for-5, RBI, RS
Rodriguez’s big season continues. He has two 3-hit games in eight games played since his promotion (11-for-28). 
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-5, K
1B Spencer Henson0-for-4
C Rafael Flores1-for-4, 2B (15), RBI, RS, K
RF Grant Richardson3-for-4, 2B (6), HR (13), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
Richardson has been hovering around .200 for most of the season (currently at .199). There is power and speed in his game – can they develop his hit tool?
LF Jared Wegner2-for-3, RS, BB, K
At this level: 4-for-11 with a pair of doubles.

LHP Brock Selvidge3.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
The strikeouts are nice, but it was a tough night for Selvidge. Given how well he is pitching in 2023, we can toss this one aside. Since his promotion: 3.95 ERA (27.1 IP, 23 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 28 K). Overall, Selvidge is up to 104.2 innings (he tossed 42.2 innings in 2022)
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 2.22 ERA (28.1 IP, 16 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 31 K)
LHP Clay Aguilar2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
3.13 ERA (31.2 IP, 27 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 2 HR, 14 BB, 47 K). Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 (shortened COVID draft), Aguilar has pitched well. He did miss all of 2022 due to injury.
RHP Shane Gray: (W, 2-1) 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
A much-needed performance for Gray, who struggled in his first seven appearances at this level.

Tampa (54-57; 23-22 in the second half) (Destroyed Daytona, 10-1)

2B Roc Riggio0-for-4, RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Riggio has 11 walks in seven games since his promotion.
1B Josh Moylan0-for-3, SF, RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Omar Martinez1-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
.267/.377/.485 in 363 solid plate appearances (14 doubles, 1 triple, 17 HR, 62 RBI, 57 R, 52 BB, 95 K)
LF Garrett Martin1-for-5, 2B (4), RBI, 2 K
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RS, BB, 3 K
CF Cole Gabrielson1-for-5, 3B (1), RBI, RS, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, 3 RS, BB
Palencia is 7-for-16 with four RBI and five runs scored at this level. He hit .271/.354/.314 in 79 FCL plate appearances.
3B Beau Brewer2-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 3 BB
Brewer continues his hot August (15-for-37; 11 BB, 4 K). He has walked six times in his last two games.
SS Jose Colmenares1-for-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
The 21-year-old has five HR in 15 games. He hit four homers in 57 games in 2021-2022.

RHP Hayden Merda4.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K
RHP Montana Semmel: (W, 2-0)  2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Impressive night for the 21-year-old. He owns a 13/2 K/BB ratio in 12.1 IP at this level (3.65 ERA)
RHP Luis Arejula2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Low-A debut for the 21-year-old. He pitched to a 2.84 ERA in seven games down in the FCL.

FCL Yankees (30-21) (Lost a big game to the Phillies, 9-5. A win today and tomorrow would have resulted in a division title. A win tomorrow will still reduce the magic number to 1)

2B Keiner Delgado0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
.283/.400/.473 in 220 PA with more walks (31) than strikeouts (29). He is 28-for-33 stealing bases.
CF Jackson Castillo0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
RF Willy Montero1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB
.343/.395/.453 in 190 PA with 42 runs batted in. 
1B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, RBI, BB
17-for-45 (.378) with a 10/4 BB/K ratio. Jasso has reached base in 12 of his 13 games.
LF John Cruz0-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
DH Enmanuel Tejeda1-for-4, K
Tejeda is on a 6-game hitting streak and is hitting .310/.465/.471 in 202 PA. He has 22 stolen bases in 28 attempts.
SS Hans Montero1-for-3, 3B (3), RS, BB
3B Dayro Perez1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS
C Edinson Duran1-for-4, RBI, K

RHP Jackson Fristoe (L, 1-3): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
5.27 ERA (27.1 IP, 20 H, 16 R, 16 ER, 3 HR, 24 BB, 31 K)
LHP Allen Facundo2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
2.37 ERA (30.1 IP, 20 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 0 HR, 13 BB, 40 K). Facundo hasn’t allowed a home run in 79 career innings.
RHP Sebastian Keane1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
1.85 ERA (24.1 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 34 K). I will continue to hope that he will spend the last month of the season up in Tampa.
RHP Donys Garcia1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

DSL Yankees (31-17) (Lost to the 39-12 Pirates Gold squad, 10-0)

CF Andres Lacruz and LF Andry Javier (double) are the only two players to compile a hit this afternoon. Javier (19) is hitting .324/.495/.465 with 23 walks and 11 strikeouts. Lacruz (who added two walks to his single) is hitting .250/.432/.340 with 19 stolen bases in 21 attempts.

LHP Franyer Herrera2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
This is the first career start for Herrera (following ten relief appearances)

DSL Bombers (24-26) (Lost to DSL Colorado, 4-2)

2B Gabriel Terrero1-for-3, HR (7), 2 RBI, RS, BB
.300/.405/.538 in 153 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 30 R, 20 BB, 33 K, 14-for-18 SB). A solid debut season for the 17-year-old.
CF Gabriel Lara0-for-3, BB, SB (17), CS (7)
We won’t worry about the SB% right now – I 100% agree with having Lara try to steal as often as possible while in the minors. If he makes it, stealing bases will be a part of his value. 

RHP Mariano Salomon (L, 3-3): 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
An impressive debut season includes a 3.13 ERA and 60/9 K/BB ratio over 46 innings. He is 21 years old.
RHP Christopher Medina2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K

Yankees MILB 8/10: Ben Rice: 4 Hits, HR, 3 RBI

News:

There will be no report on Friday, August 11th. Please hold back your tears.

That was fast: RHP Deivi Garcia was claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were among the first teams to get a crack at him. That ends his frustrating Yankees tenure, a tenure that included a start (for one inning) in an important playoff game and a complete collapse in 2022 that makes no sense to this day.

In the regular season, Garcia posted a 4.84 ERA (90 ERA+) over 48.1 IP with a 43/14 K/BB ratio. Good luck, and don’t fall asleep in the bullpen.

Baseball America updated its Top 100 Prospects list today, with seven Yankees prospects making the list. All of them are in the lower 50, but that makes sense as the system is more about its strong depth than having that one stud player who is about to invade MLB. That doesn’t mean we have a bunch of quality players and no future superstars. You never know when someone will surge and become a consistent MLB All-Star. The important thing, for now, is seeing the recognition.

Late update: MLB Pipeline wasn’t as favorable to Yankees prospects, listing only three prospects – all of whom are in the 79-81 range (Spencer Jones, Jasson Dominguez, Everson Pereira)

Scranton (51-57; 17-17 in the second half) (Lost to Syracuse, 10-1)

SS Oswald Peraza0-for-4
C Austin Wells1-for-3, 2B (7), K
Wells has seven doubles in 17 games since his promotion.
  C Rodolfo Duran1-for-1, 2B (13)
I am not sure why Wells left the game – it was 9-0, so that hopefully explains it.
LF Everson Pereira0-for-4, 2 K
.324/.372/.559 in 111 PA since his promotion. I get it: Triple-A is souped up. What is Pereira supposed to do about that, exactly? All he can do is hit under the conditions before him. And he is doing that.
3B Andres Chaparro1-for-4, K
RF Franchy Cordero1-for-4
DH Carlos Narvaez0-for-3, BB, 2 K
2B Jamie Westbrook2-for-4, HR (16), RBI, RS, K
1B Jake Lamb1-for-4, 2B (3)
CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Clayton Beeter: (L, 1-3) 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 2 HR
Since promotion: 6.25 ERA (31.2 IP, 32 H, 23 R, 22 ER, 9 HR, 16 BB, 37 K). There is no sugarcoating how rough of a line that is – Triple-A is souped up big time and we are seeing some pitchers having trouble adjusting (Will Warren also fits in that category)
RHP Michael Gomez2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Zach Greene1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Zac Houston0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Wilmer Difo1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
The utility guy gets on the hill.

Somerset (61-42; 19-16 in the second half) (Destroyed Binghamton, 14-0)

LF Jasson Dominguez2-for-5, 2 RS, SB (36)
Dominguez has a 9-game hitting streak (17-for-39, 8 stolen bases) and has multiple hits in five straight games. He was on the verge of reaching.250 tonight but settles in at .247/.365/.396.
C Ben Rice: 4-for-5, 2B (3), HR (6), 3 RBI, 4 RS
Rice, who has a pair of 4-hit games this season (both of which were a triple away from the cycle), has a 1.049 OPS in 78 PA since his promotion (3 doubles, 1 triple, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 15 R, 8 BB, 12 K, 4-for-5 SB). Overall, he has 41 RBI and 37 runs scored in 42 games. At 24, I can see the Yankees giving him a late-season taste of Triple-A. He is likely a hit-first type of prospect, and the bar goes up if he is more of a first baseman than a catcher. We’ll see.
1B Agustin Ramirez2-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, K
His first multi-hit game since his promotion. I can’t emphasize enough how big of a season this kid is having. Anyway, tonight was his first career start at first base. It doesn’t hurt to get him experience there.
CF Elijah Dunham: 3-for-5, HR (6), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (14), CS (3)
Personally, I would get Dunham back up to Scranton. If the idea to send him back down to Somerset was to allow him to regain some confidence, it has worked. He has 6 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 27 games. Overall, he has 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 32 attempts.
DH Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, 2 SF, 2 RBI, K
The master of productive outs.
SS Jesus Bastidas1-for-5, RBI, K
RF Jeisson Rosario1-for-4, SF, RBI, RS, K
2B Max Burt1-for-4, 2B (10), RBI, RS, K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 9-5) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
3.38 ERA (119.2 IP, 101 H, 46 R, 45 ER, 17 HR, 30 BB, 130 K). Tremendous season and I hope he gets to Scranton before too long.
RHP Tanner Myatt1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (57-46; 18-18 in the second half) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 2-1)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-3, RS, BB
I am going to be fascinated to see what he does when he gets to the Double-A level. His season has been a tad uneven – but the end results are still encouraging. He is a big kid and goes through the stuff big kids go through. Patience will be key.
2B Jared Serna1-for-4, RBI
Serna’s first RBI since his promotion and 72nd overall.
3B Ben Cowles: 2-for-3, 2B (16), BB
.261/.352/.409 in 355 PA, He has hit safely in every August game (8; 11-for-28, 3 doubles)
1B Rafael Flores0-for-4, 3 K
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-4, 2 K
DH Anthony Hall0-for-4, 2 K
C Antonio Gomez1-for-4, K
LF Grant Richardson0-for-2, BB, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Tyrone Yulie: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Yulie’s stay on the IL wasn’t too long. He owns a 4.86 ERA in 82.2 IP with a 91/45 K/BB ratio.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 2.59 ERA (24.1 IP, 15 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 29 K). You may think that all organizations are filled with big-arm relief prospects. That isn’t really true – the Yankees are above average in this category. You don’t need too many of them to pan out.
LHP Clay Aguilar: (L, 3-2): 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Tampa (49-56; 18-21 in the second half) (Lost a doubleheader to Clearwater)

Game 1 (Lost, 12-4)

2B Roc Riggio1-for-4, 2B (1), K
Riggio’s first career extra-base hit.
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, BB
DH Josh Moylan0-for-3, 3 K
LF Daury Arias0-for-3, 2 K
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS
.216/.335/.285 in 404 PA.
RF Cole Gabrielson1-for-3, RS, K
Gabrielson’s first Low-A hit.
CF Tayler Aguilar: 2-for-3, 2 HR (7), 3 RBI, 2 RS
Aguilar has two career 2-HR games – on 8/10/22 and 8/10/23. 
C Manuel Palencia0-for-3
1B Beau Brewer1-for-3, K

RHP Hayden Merda: (L, 2-6) 3.2 IP, 7 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 0 K, 2 HR
LHP Edwar Polimir1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
The Low-A debut for the 22-year-old. He pitched to a 4.43 ERA in 20.1 FCL innings with a 26/10 K/BB ratio.
RHP Nolberto Henriquez2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Low-A debut for the 23-year-old. These promotions are likely doubleheader related.

Game 2 (Lost, 3-1)

DH Roc Riggio0-for-2, BB, K
LF Coby Morales0-for-3, 2 K
C Omar Martinez1-for-3, 2B (12), 2 K
.263/.376/.478 in 343 PA.
1B Josh Moylan0-for-2, BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio1-for-3, K
RF Garrett Martin1-for-3, 2B (3), RS
5-for-22 with three doubles and three runs batted in
CF Daury Arias0-for-2, BB, K
3B Beau Brewer0-for-3
2B Jose Colmenares0-for-2, K

RHP Kris Bow: (L, 2-5)  1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
3.45 ERA (62.2 IP, 57 H, 27 R, 24 ER, 5 HR, 18 BB, 77 K)
RHP Alex Bustamante1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.35 ERA (48.1 IP, 34 H, 22 R, 18 ER, 1 HR, 31 BB, 53 K)
RHP Matt Keating1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
3.53 ERA (51 IP, 48 H, 26 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 27 BB, 72 K)

FCL Yankees (26-19) (Doubled up the Phillies, 6-3)

SS Keiner Delgado0-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
.277/.385/.452 in 195 PA. Delgado has more career walks (84) than strikeouts (54) and has stolen 60 bases in 73 tries (82.2%).
2B Enmanuel Tejeda2-for-4, 2B (4), RS, SB (21)
.311/.475/.452 (21-for-27 SB) in 179 PA after hitting .289/.463/.493 (11-for-17 SB) in 188 PA down in the DSL in 2022. This is exactly what you want to see.
RF Willy Montero3-for-4, 3B (2), 3 RBI, SB (5)
.325/.373/.435 in 169 PA. Montero hit .262/.396/.382 in 235 PA down in the DSL in 2022.
3B Hans Montero1-for-4, 2 K
DH John Cruz0-for-4, K
1B Dylan Jasso2-for-4, 2B (4), RS
8-for-18 with four doubles and three runs batted in.
CF Wilson Rodriguez2-for-3, 2 HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Since top pick George Lombard Jr. has yet to make an appearance, Rodriguez is taking over as the high school draftee to drool over (8-for-20, 2 doubles, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB)

RHP Jackson Fristoe4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
4.88 ERA (24 IP, 17 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 3 HR, 22 BB, 26 K). Last year’s 12th-round pick hasn’t allowed a run in his last three appearances (9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 9 K). Five of those six walks occurred in one of the starts.
LHP Allen Facundo (W, 5-0): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
If you want to win a lot of games, find a job as a middle-inning reliever in the rookie leagues. The starters don’t typically get to five innings, which opens the door!  Facundo has a 1.91 ERA in 28.1 IP with a 37/12 K/BB

DSL Yankees (27-15) (Lost to Phillies White, 6-0)

CF Brando Mayea0-for-4
RF Jose Castro1-for-4, K, SB (15)
19 RBI, 19 R, 15-for-16 SB in 27 games in his debut season.
C Josue Gonzalez2-for-3, 2B (12), BB
It just feels as if hitting is contagious amongst many of the organization’s catchers in 2023. Gonzalez (who is 19 and repeating the level, which is important to note) is hitting .367/.556/.620 in 117 PA

RHP Jerson Alejandro4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
4.32 ERA in 33.1 IP (28 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 3 HR, 15 BB, 31 K). He is 17 so the goal is to get his feet wet and hope he can stay healthy.
LHP Pedro Rodriguez2.1 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
The pure definition of a DSL pitching line.

DSL Bombers (21-23-1) (Defeated Mets Blue, 7-6)

CF Gabriel Lara3-for-5, 2B (6), RS
Lara’s fourth 3-hit game this season. The most impressive thing for me is the hit tool he is showing, as he is at .269/.401/.423 in 162 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 28 R, 15-for-21 SB). The immense speed is there. The defense will benefit from the immense speed. If there is a bat to tap into, he can be a top prospect in the system within a few years. We will not get ahead of ourselves, though.
LF Abrahan Ramirez1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Ramirez has 27 walks and 16 strikeouts in 116 PA.
2B Geyber Blanco2-for-4, SF, RBI, RS
.344/.418/.479 in 110 PA for the 17-year-old.
3B Adrian Gonzalez2-for-5, 2B (3), 2 RBI

RHP Mariano Salomon4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, HR
The 21-year-old has three 8-strikeout games this season (58 in 42 IP to go along with his 3.43 ERA)
RHP Jose Julian Rodriguez1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Only the second career appearance for the 19-year-old.

Yankees MILB 8/4: Richard Fitts: 7 Shutout Innings

News:

The Yankees have released LHP Tanner Tully, who is on his way to Korea.

Tully was signed to a minor league contract this past winter after spending time in the Cleveland organization. Down in Scranton his season, he pitched to a 5.64 ERA in 91 innings with a 77/26 K/BB. He did his job as a Triple-A innings eater and found employment overseas. Good luck to him.

SS Trey Sweeney is on the injured list down in Somerset. While I didn’t see the play, someone informed me that he injured himself stealing a base the other night. In 429 plate appearances this season, he is hitting .250/.366/.419 (119 wRC+) with 13 home runs, 49 RBI, 62 runs, and 16 stolen bases. Let’s hope he can get back before the season ends (September – so plenty of time)

Scranton (49-54; 15-14  in the second half) (Lost to Rochester, 5-3)

2B Oswald Peraza1-for-4, BB, 2 K, CS (4)
LF Everson Pereira2-for-4, RS
Pereira has four straight 2-hit games and has multiple hits (including a 3-hit game) in six of his last seven games. He has been a dominant performer at this level, hitting .347 with a .955 OPS
C Austin Wells2-for-3, 2B (4), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Wells is hitting .279 at this level with four doubles in 12 games. He might be starting to get more comforable.
1B Andres Chaparro0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Franchy Cordero1-for-4, RBI, K
RF Michael Hermosillo1-for-4
CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-4, 2 K
SS Wilmer Difo1-for-3, RS, BB, K

RHP Clayton Beeter6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, HR
Last outing: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 11 R, 3 BB, 5 K. I love when kids can toss out a bad outing and come back strong.
RHP Jonathan Loaisiga1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
He was throwing the sinker as hard as ever, reaching as high as 97.4 MPH. All the damage came in his second inning of work, so I am not going to read too much into that – as long as he is healthy.
RHP Zach Greene1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (L, 0-1): 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
I really don’t have much of an explanation for Marinaccio’s 2023 struggles.

Somerset (59-39; 17-13 in the second half) (Shut down Akron, 5-0)

CF Jasson Dominguez1-for-5, 2 K
C Ben Rice1-for-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K, SB (1), CS (1)
This kind of game will soon be refered to as a “Rice” – other than the stolen base part. He shouldn’t be doing much of that.
RF Elijah Dunham0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 K, SB (12)
Dunham is 24-for-30 stealing bases between here and Scranton.
1B Josh Breaux1-for-5, K
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-4, BB, 2 K, SB (8)
DH Anthony Seigler0-for-2, RBI, 3 BB, K, SB (5)
Seigler has six walks in his last three games.
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-4, 3 K
2B Max Burt2-for-4, 2B (9), HR (9), RBI, 2 RS, K
Burt’s personal HR best is 11 – set last season.
3B Eduardo Torrealba1-for-4, RS, K

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 8-5)  7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
3.56 ERA (113.2 IP, 99 H, 46 R, 45 ER, 17 HR, 28 BB, 123 K). I said it last week: He gives me bulldog vibes. 
LHP Ryan Anderson2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
At this level: 12.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 14 K

Hudson Valley (56-43; 17-15 in the second half) (Knocked off Wilmington, 6-2)

3B Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 3B (1), 2 RBI, K
A nice 6-for-15 start to August has raised his triple slash to .255/.348/.403. 
LF Christopher Familia: 2-for-5, HR (7), RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Familia has homered in back-to-back games and has six homers in his last nine games. I just have to keep repeating his HR totals because it is amazing: Familia is up to 18 HR and 47 RBI in 45 games between here and Tampa.
DH Agustin Ramirez2-for-5, HR (9), 2 RBI, RS, K
Ramirez has homered in back-to-back games and seven times in his last 12 games. When he was promoted, he was hitting .245/.384/.397 in Tampa. The numbers didn’t jump out at you – but it goes beyond that sometimes. For Hudson Valley, the line is .380/.427/.722. Nuts.
1B Rafael Flores1-for-4, RS
RF Anthony Garcia1-for-4
SS Alexander Vargas1-for-4, 3B (6), K
Vargas isn’t having a great year, but at least he can say that his six triples lead the way within the organization.
C Antonio Gomez1-for-4, K
CF Grant Richardson0-for-1, RS, 3 BB
2B Luis Santos0-for-3, RS, BB, K

RHP Drew Thorpe5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, HR
A nice bounceback after a tough outing last time out (4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 3 HR). Thorpe has five 10+ strikeout games this season and owns a 2.81 ERA in 103.1 IP (78 H, 35 R, 31 ER, 9 HR, 32 BB, 128 K)
RHP Carlos Gomez (W, 3-3): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Luis Velasquez (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (47-52; 16-17 in the second half) (Lost to Bradenton, 6-3)

2B Jared Serna1-for-5
LF Jesus Rodriguez0-for-5, 2 K
C Omar Martinez1-for-4, 2 RBI, K
Martinez has a rather incredible 15 RBI in his last four games. He is hitting .273/.379/.498 in 319 PA (11 doubles, 1 triple, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 47 R, 44 BB, 84 K, 8-for-9 SB)
DH Anthony Hall0-for-3, BB
CF Coby Morales0-for-3, BB, 3 K
RF Jared Wegner1-for-4, RS, 2 K
Wegner’s first Low-A hit. Congrats!
1B Josh Moylan1-for-3, RS, BB
Moylan’s first professional hit. Congrats!
SS Brenny Escanio0-for-3, RS, BB
3B Beau Brewer3-for-4, RBI
Brewer has a pair of 3-hit games in his last four games.

RHP Kris Bow: (L, 2-4)  3.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Cole Ayers2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
4.08 ERA (46.1 IP, 47 H, 25 R, 21 ER, 3 HR, 17 BB, 64 K). Ayers’ ERA is elevated when compared to many of his relief peers in this system, but they are giving him the “multi inning” treatment. 

FCL Yankees (25-17) (Lost a doubleheader to the Blue Jays)

Game 1 (Lost, 7-6)

2B Roc Riggio0-for-4, K
SS Hans Montero1-for-4, RS, K
CF Cole Gabrielson1-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, 2 RS
The first triple in his (very short) debut season.
3B Dylan Jasso2-for-4, 2 2B (2), 3 RBI, RS, K
The find out of a junior college in New Mexico has a strong Game 1.
DH Juan Sanchez1-for-4, RBI, RS, K
LF Joel Mendez1-for-4, 2 K
C Manuel Palencia4-for-4, RBI
This is his second career 4-hit game. 
RF Dayro Perez0-for-3, BB, K
1B Enger Castellano2-for-4, RS, K, SB (4)

LHP Henry Lalane3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
The 6’7″ LHP has an impressive 22/3 K/BB ratio over 14 innings. He owns a 4.50 ERA, even though his WHIP is 0.93 and he has allowed only one home run.

Game 2 (Lost, 2-1)

SS Keiner Delgado0-for-4
A slow 0-for-11 start to August (he was hitting well in the last several days in July)
3B Enmanuel Tejeda2-for-3, BB, K
.315/.479/.452 in 165 PA (2 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 30 R, 34 BB, 35 K, 18-for-23 SB)
2B Hans Montero1-for-4, K
.257/.425/.414 in 181 PA.
LF Joel Mendez2-for-4, RS, K
.330/.390/.477 in 100 PA. 
CF Wilson Rodriguez2-for-3, BB, K
4-for-10 in his first three professional games.
C Edinson Duran1-for-4
1B Kelvin Espino0-for-2, K
  PH-1B Dylan Jasso0-for-1, BB
RF Mauro Bonifacio0-for-2, 2 K
  PH-RF Cole Gabrielson0-for-0, RBI, BB

LHP Edwar Polimir4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
4.43 ERA (20.1 IP, 21 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 26 K)
LHP Miguel Pozo1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
2.55 ERA (17.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 20 K)

DSL Yankees (26-14) (Defeated Rangers Blue, 1-0, in a rain-shortened 5-inning game)

LF Luis Ogando1-for-2, 2B (11), RS, K
SS Anthony Pena0-for-1, RBI

RHP Sabier Marte5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
A rare DSL complete game shutout. The 19-year-old owns a 2.81 ERA in 32 IP (29 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 0 HR, 10 BB, 33 K)

DSL Bombers (19-22) (Lost to Rangers Red, 1-0, in a rain-shortened 5-inning game)

DH Gabriel Terrero0-for-2, K
CF Gabriel Lara1-for-2, K, CS (5)

RHP Mariano Salomon (L, 3-2): 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
Another DSL complete game today. He owns a 3.08 ERA in 38 IP with a 50/7 K/BB

Yankees MILB 7/29: Everson Pereira Homers

News:

Two debuts today down in the FCL today. You will see what they did below (one hit a home run in his first game – always fun to see).

Scranton (46-52; 12-12 in the second half) (Lost to Buffalo, 14-7. They lost 12-2 last night. Time for a colon cleanse)

CF Estevan Florial0-for-5, 3 K
Florial’s 8-game hitting streak is snapped.
SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 2-for-5, 2B (1), HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Nice night for Cabrera….
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, 2B (5), HR (5), 3 RBI, RS, 2 K
Since promotion: .347/.390/.625 in 77 PA (5 doubles, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 14 R, 3 BB, 22 K). Overall: .308/.370/.570 in 262 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 51 RBI, 38 R, 22 BB, 76 K, 7-for-9 SB).  Where should Pereira be right now? It is easy to say to give the kid a chance in the big leagues. I don’t think the Yankees are doing that after 77 PA – but he is displaying a lot of pop in his first taste of Triple-A after showing more than enough pop in Double-A. One part of your brain is screaming at you to be patient while the other one screams “I WANT TO SEE THIS KID, DARNIT!”
C Austin Wells1-for-5, 3 K
Wells is hitting .267 (8-for-30) since his promotion. The issue is the 13 K in 35 PA (37.1%). It’s a small early sample size, of course.
3B Andres Chaparro0-for-3, BB
.249/.343/.476 in 405 PA. 
LF Franchy Cordero0-for-2, HBP
   LF Brandon Lockridge1-for-1, RS
Lockridge is at .295/.362/.400 in 105 PA at this level. He has a 6-game hitting streak.
DH Carlos Narvaez0-for-3, BB, K
1B Jake Lamb1-for-4, RBI, K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 2-for-3, 2 RS, 2 BB

RHP Clayton Beeter: (L, 1-2) 3.2 IP, 8 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 3 HR
Beeter entered tonight with a 3.26 ERA since his promotion. It is now 7.04 (23 IP, 23 H, 19 R, 18 ER, 6 HR, 13 BB, 25 K). What can you do? Sometimes, it simply isn’t your night. It is always important to note that, in an MLB setting, Beeter isn’t giving up 11 runs tonight. They would have pulled him at some point. In MILB, they want him to get his pitches in and evaluate. It doesn’t excuse the poor outing – it is just a different mindset sometimes when it comes to player development.
RHP Aaron McGarity2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Deivi Garcia2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR
5.36 ERA (43.2 IP, 47 H, 28 R, 26 ER, 9 HR, 29 BB, 43 K). The baseball gods gave the Yankees a free extra year to evaluate him and it hasn’t gone well. He’s earned some extra service time at least – and will get a fresh start in 2024.

Somerset (57-36; 15-10 in the second half) (Defeated Bowie, 10-3)

SS Trey Sweeney0-for-5, 2 K
Sweeney’s 11-game hitting streak is snapped.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 3-for-5, 2 2B (10), 2 RBI, RS
Dominguez is 30-for-94 (.319) in July. You can pick any prospect you wish in this system – Dominguez remains the one you want to see explode a bit. Even if he isn’t a Juan Soto-level unicorn, he can still become a top-of-the-order force for years to come. Nobody in the system has the combination of upside + closeness to MLB that he does. 
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, HBP, K
C Ben Rice1-for-5, HR (4), 2 RBI, RS, K
Since promotion: .379 (11-for-29; 1 double, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R, 3 BB, 3 K). Rice has 8 HR and 32 RBI in 32 games overall in 2023 and still has more walks (26) than strikeouts (23)
LF Elijah Dunham2-for-4, HR (5), RBI, 2 RS, 2 K, SB (11)
Dunham has certainly not pouted since his demotion, given he has five home runs and 11 stolen bases in 17 games.
1B Mickey Gasper1-for-2, RS, BB, HBP, K, 2 SB (4)
2B Max Burt0-for-3, RS, BB,3  K
RF Aaron Palensky0-for-2, SF, RBI, RS, HBP, K
DH Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-2, 2B (12), 3 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
Rosario has eight doubles in his last 11 games.

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 7-5)  6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 2 HR
Fitts’ third 10-K game this season. He owns a 3.80 ERA in 106.2 IP (96 H, 46 R, 45 ER, 17 HR, 26 BB, 118 K). You have to love his ability to pound the strike zone though it can get him in trouble when he catches too much of the plate. He has a good upside as a bulldog starting pitcher – which sometimes feels like a lost art in the modern game.
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.97 ERA (34 IP, 35 H, 16 R, 15 ER, 12 BB, 35 K)

Hudson Valley (53-42; 14-14 in the second half) (Lost to Hickory, 8-6, in a 5-inning game. They battled back from a 6-0 deficit but the rain got in the way)

DH Spencer Jones1-for-4, 2 RBI, K, SB (25)
.270/.340/.474 in 371 PA (24 doubles, 4 triples, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 50 R, 34 BB, 110 K, 25-for-33 SB)
2B Ben Cowles1-for-4, 2B (13), RBI, K
.251/.340/.399 in 315 PA with a 12-for-13 SB rate.
1B Rafael Flores0-for-1, 2 BB
.290/.370/.386 in 312 PA.
LF Christopher Familia0-for-1, 2 BB, K
Since promotion: .259/.302/.481 in 86 PA. After the games of July 20th, he was hitting .190/.217/.276 at this level. I would say an adjustment was made, eh?  Overall, Familia is hitting .329/.392/.707 in 181 PA with 16 HR and 45 RBI. So, where does he fit in the prospect puzzle? I would be surprised if the midseason MLB Pipeline list doesn’t have him somewhere on the Yankees’ midseason list. He has shown enough bat to get attention. 
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-3, 2 K
RF Anthony Garcia1-for-2, HR (7), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K, SB (3)
Garcia has homered in three straight games. He is hitting .197/.317/.364 in 205 PA with 31 walks (15.1%) and 75 strikeouts (36.6%). He is known as a three outcomes prospect – but he has been unable to get the K% down to any kind of reasonable rate (plus, you need at least a bit of a hit tool in the lower minors even if one projects it won’t be there in the majors)
C Antonio Gomez1-for-2, RS, BB, K
CF Grant Richardson1-for-3, RS, 2 K, SB (12)
3B Eduardo Torrealba1-for-1, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, SB (7)
Torrealba has a little 5-game hitting streak going and is hitting .280/.376/.344 at this level. 

RHP Drew Thorpe: (L, 10-2)  4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3 HR
This was bound to happen at some point, right? He was on the kind of roll that hardly anyone can sustain forever. Anyway, this jumps his ERA from 2.08 to 2.70 (103.1 IP, 78 H, 35 R, 31 ER, 9 HR, 32 BB, 128 K). He allowed eight total runs in his last nine starts entering tonight (four runs in his last eight starts). One start doesn’t kill a prospect’s value if indeed Thorpe is being discussed in trades. It is simply bad timing.
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (45-50; 14-15 in the second half) (Swept in a doubleheader by Dunedin)

Game 1 (Lost, 13-1. We shall just put this one in the shredder, eh?)

SS Jared Serna0-for-3, 2 K
C Jesus Rodriguez0-for-2, BB, K
.295/.368/.431 in 319 PA. He doesn’t have the “prospect pedigree” of others so it is hard to find a good, detailed scouting report. If he continues to hit, we’ll start seeing those scouting reports. The best I can find is from Fangraphs back in 2021 when he was on their list of “other guys we like” with a mention of liking his defense behind the plate. For Tampa, as I have mentioned, he has played C/1B/3B/LF.
1B Omar Martinez0-for-3, K
CF Daury Arias0-for-3, 2 K
DH Tayler Aguilar0-for-3, 3 K
2B Brett Barrera0-for-2, BB
LF Jake Palmer0-for-3
3B Ronny Rojas: 1-for-2, HR (8), RBI, RS, K
Tampa’s only hit goes over the fence. Rojas has four home runs in July (.244/.273/.537)
RF Felix Negueis0-for-1, BB, K

RHP Leonardo Pestana: (L, 0-5)  0.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
As I said last week, the Yankees are not likely to give up on a kid throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s. Today just wasn’t his day.
RHP Alex Bustamante2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Kris Bow2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Bow is struggling, but you have to keep throwing him out there. You just never know when things will click.
RHP Cole Ayers1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Game 2 (Lost, 6-3. They loaded up the bases in the 9th but could only muster one run)

DH Jared Serna0-for-3, BB, K
.278/.348/.478 in 411 PA. His average hasn’t been this low since he was hitting .267 after games of April 25th. Whenever something like this happens with Serna, he seems to bounce right back. I do worry a little about a “full season wall” – he compiled 204 PA in 2022.
SS Brenny Escanio0-for-4, K
C Omar Martinez2-for-3, 2B (11), 2 RS, BB
.251/.366/.434 (.800 OPS) in 298 PA. He is 24-for-80 (.300/.380/.588) in July with 5 doubles, 6 HR, and 21 RBI. Nice.
CF Anthony Hall0-for-1, 2 BB
.267/.385/.446 in 244 PA. Injuries suck – but I still hope he gets to Hudson Valley soon enough.
   CF Daury Arias0-for-0, BB
Hall is still essentially rehabbing – no need to read into Arias entering the game.
3B Ronny Rojas1-for-3, RBI, BB
LF Jake Palmer0-for-2, 2 BB
1B Beau Brewer0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
2B Jose Colmenares1-for-4, HR (3), RBI, RS, K
RF Felix Negueis0-for-2, BB, 2 K

RHP Hayden Merda: (L, 1-5)  4 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
RHP Matt Keating3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
3.68 ERA (44 IP, 43 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 23 BB, 63 K). Keating threw five different pitches tonight but focused mainly on his slider and 4-seam fastball. He maxed out at 94.3.

FCL Yankees (22-14) (Beat up on the Tigers, 11-4. I say “beat up,” but it was close for a while. The Yankees scored four runs in the 8th and 9th)

SS Keiner Delgado2-for-3, RS, BB, K, SB (22), CS (5)
Delgado was pulled early – not sure why. He is on a 10-game hitting streak (14-for-38; .368). His 22 stolen bases are at the top of the league, four ahead of Jhonson Pena (PIT).
  PH-SS Hans Montero1-for-2, 2B (6), K
While it isn’t likely, it is possible that they wanted to split this game between Delgado and Montero. I would be able to wager that Montero was scheduled to get a full day and something (hopefully minor) happened with Delgado.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
CF Willy Montero1-for-5, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero2-for-4, 2B (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
The professional debut for the 22-year-old left-handed bat. He was the Yankees’ 7th-round pick in this year’s draft out of Arizona. While it appears he played a little outfield for Central Arizona College, Arizona anchored him at first base. The offensive bar is already raised.
RF John Cruz2-for-4, HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
At 17 years old, Cruz already has eight home runs in 33 FCL games. That is serious power production at that level.
LF Jared Wegner1-for-5, HR (1), RBI, RS
Wegner, the Yankees’ 9th-round pick out of Arkansas, homers in his professional debut. The good news is that Wegner hit 15 home runs in 43 games for Arkansas this year. The bad news is that he is already 24 years old.
2B Dayro Perez1-for-4, RS, BB, K
C Edinson Duran: 2-for-4, RS, BB
DH Juan Sanchez2-for-5, 3B (1), HR (2), 5 RBI, 2 RS
This is what you call production from the #9 hole. The 20-year-old left-handed bat is listed as a catcher. He has appeared in only four games this season.

RHP Cam Schlittler2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
2.95 ERA in 21.1 IP (17 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 24 K). The 22-year-old, part of last year’s draft class, is a 6’6″ kid out of Northeastern.
LHP Edwar Polimir2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz (W, 1-0): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

DSL Yankees (22-14)

Day off.

DSL Bombers (18-19)

Day off.

 

Yankees MILB 7/22: Drew Thorpe Ks 13

News:

UTIL Oswaldo Cabrera is on his way back to Scranton. The Yankees have tried to send him down a few times before, only for injuries to interfere with their plans. Hence, he has played only two games at Triple-A, going 1-for-6 with a walk.

Scranton (44-48; 10-7 in the second half) (Split two games with Worcester)

Game 1 (Won, 8-3. This was the conclusion of last night’s suspended game, so they played out the entire nine innings)

CF Greg Allen0-for-1, RS, HBP
  RF Michael Hermosillo0-for-2, RBI, HBP, K
DH Jake Bauers: 2-for-2, 2B (7), RS
    DH Estevan Florial1-for-3, 2 K
LF Everson Pereira1-for-5, 2 RBI, K
He has hit safely in all 11 games since his promotion.
C Austin Wells1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Triple-A debut.
3B Andres Chaparro1-for-3, HR (19), RBI, RS, BB
1B Carlos Narvaez1-for-3, HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB,  K
2B Jamie Westbrook0-for-1, RBI, RS, 2 BB, CI, CS (4)
RF Brandon Lockridge1-for-4, K, 2 SB (9)
Between here and Somerset, Lockridge is 26-for-29 in the stolen base department. I doubt he gets through the Rule 5 draft again. Some team out there will like the speed and ability to play CF.
SS Wilmer Difo0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K

RHP Will Warren3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Warren was throwing well, but his outing will be cut short. At this level: 4.39 ERA (41 IP, 36 H, 26 R, 20 ER, 8 HR, 20 BB, 44 K)
RHP Clayton Beeter: (W, 1-1) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Since promotion: 3.26 ERA (19.1 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 20 K). Overall, he possesses a 96/41 K/BB over 80 IP.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Aaron McGarity0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

Game 2 (Lost, 10-2)

CF Greg Allen1-for-4, K
LF Jake Bauers3-for-4, HR (11), RBI, RS
Who wouldn’t take a 5-for-6 in two games?  Between here and the Yankees, Bauers has 18 home runs in 73 games.
RF Everson Pereira0-for-3, K
His first hitless game since his promotion. Pereria is hitting .333 (17-for-51) since his promotion with three walks and 14 strikeouts.
DH Austin Wells1-for-3, 2 K
Wells collects a hit in his first two Triple-A games.
3B Andres Chaparro0-for-2, BB, K
.252/.341/.489 in 384 PA (18 doubles, 2 triples, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 58 R, 44 BB, 84 K, 3-for-3 SB)
1B Jake Lamb0-for-3, K
C Rodolfo Duran1-for-3, 3B (1), RS
SS Jesus Bastidas0-for-1, 2 BB
2B Wilmer Difo0-for-3

RHP Deivi Garcia: (L, 2-2) 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
4.76 ERA (39.2 IP, 39 H, 23 R, 21 ER, 6 HR, 28 BB, 40 K)
RHP Michael Gomez: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Zac Houston1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP D.J. Snelten: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Somerset (52-35; 10-9 in the second half) (Crushed Hartford, 9-3)

SS Trey Sweeney1-for-2, 3 RS, 3 BB
Sweeney has 12 walks this month and is hitting .248/.367/.424 in 382 PA (17 doubles, 2 triples, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 55 R, 52 BB (13.6%), 73 K)
RF Willie Calhoun1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS
  RF Aaron Palensky0-for-2
LF Jasson Dominguez1-for-5, RS, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, HR (16), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
.224/.324/.457 in 299 PA. He has 16 HR in 299 PA this year after hitting four in 344 PA prior to this season.
C Ben Rice: 4-for-5, 2B (1), 2 HR (2), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Rice is 8-for-15 in three games since his promotion. He has ten multi-hit efforts this season (28 games). Overall, he is hitting .351 (33-for-94; 6 doubles, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 26 R, 23 BB, 21 K, 4-for-4 SB). You can’t just assume that a hitter would stay hot if they stayed healthy but it is too bad Rice missed so much time.
2B Mickey Gasper0-for-3, 2 BB
DH Josh Breaux0-for-5, 2 K
3B Max Burt0-for-5, K
CF Jeisson Rosario1-for-4, 2B (8)

RHP Richard Fitts: (W, 6-5) 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 2 HR
3.75 ERA (100.2 IP, 93 H, 43 R, 42 ER, 24 BB, 108 K, 15 HR). Fitts had a 6.21 ERA in his first seven starts. In 11 starts since: 2.54 ERA (67.1 IP, 55 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 14 BB, 72 K)
RHP Alex Mauricio: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
4.02 ERA (31.1 IP, 31 H, 15 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 33 K)
LHP Lisandro Santos1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (50-38; 11-11 in the second half) (Shut down Brooklyn, 3-0)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-4, 2B (22), 2 RBI, 3 K
.272/.344/.485 in 346 PA (22 doubles, 4 triples, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 47 R, 33 BB, 105 K, 22-for-30 SB). His K% is 30.3. He will need to cut that down, but we have to accept that a kid with his size is going to strike out. Don’t just focus on that, though. He is showing off solid power and can be a sneaky base stealer. 
3B Ben Cowles1-for-3, HBP, 2 K, 2 SB (10), CS (1)
DH Agustin Ramirez0-for-3, BB, SB (1)
This snaps his 8-game hitting streak though he still has a 9-game on-base streak. Ramirez is 26-for-64 (.406) since his promotion.
1B Rafael Flores0-for-3, 2 K
LF Christopher Familia1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS
Familia follows up his 3-hit effort last night with a home run tonight. Adjusting?
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-3
C Antonio Gomez0-for-3, 2 K
RF Aldenis Sanchez1-for-3, RS, 2 K
2B Luis Santos1-for-2, RS, HBP, K, SB (6)

RHP Drew Thorpe: (W, 10-1)  8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 13 K
2.08 ERA (99.1 IP, 69 H, 27 R, 23 ER, 6 HR, 31 BB, 124 K). The conspiracy theorist could say that the Yankees are keeping him here to keep his value up. While I can see that happening, an opposing thought could be that he would be worth even more if he went to Double-A and put together a strong effort. Whatever the case is, this is the reality: He does not belong here. These hitters have no chance against him and everyone needs to see how he can do against more advanced competition.
RHP Jack Neely (S, 5): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Neely is also in line for a promotion. He owns a 2.61 ERA in 41.1 IP (25 H, 14 R, 12 ER, 4 HR, 14 BB, 66 K)

Tampa (42-46; 11-11 in the second half) 

Their game against Clearwater was postponed.

FCL Yankees (18-14) (Lost to the Phillies, 3-2)

3B Keiner Delgado2-for-5, RS
.291/.404/.504 in 151 plate appearances (20-for-24 SB). He has 19 games at second base, three games at third base, and eight games at designated hitter.
SS Hans Montero0-for-3, BB
RF Willy Montero3-for-4, 2 RBI, K, 2 SB (4)
.322/.379/.449 in 132 plate appearances. He is 4-for-7 stealing bases this year after a 16-for-20 rate in 2022.
DH Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-3, BB

LHP Henry Lalane2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
The 6’7″ 19-year-old has a 4.70 ERA in only 7.2 IP (6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)
RHP Edward Sanchez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The 22-year-old, listed as a shortstop, makes his professional debut on the hill.
LHP Allen Facundo3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
2.00 ERA (18 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 25 K)
RHP Sebastian Keane0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.59 ERA (17 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 25 K). Hopefully, they get his feet wet in Tampa before the season ends.

DSL Yankees (21-11) (Shut down the DSL Twins, 3-0. This was mundane for a DSL game)

CF Jose Castro0-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 HBP, K
DH Luis Suarez1-for-3, RS, 2 K, SB (13)
The 18-year-old has flashed his speed in his 59-game career (29-for-34 SB) but hasn’t yet shown off a hit tool.
C Josue Gonzalez0-for-2, BB, K
.393/.576/.714 in 85 PA (10 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 19 R, 23 BB, 10 K)
3B Anthony Pena1-for-3, K
.319/.407/.532 in 54 PA
SS Jelson Coca1-for-3, 2B (3), RS

RHP Joshua Quezada (W, 4-0): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
4.39 ERA (26.2 IP, 26 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 28 K). This is the 19-year-old’s debut season.
RHP Stanly Alcantara (S, 2): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
2.03 ERA (13.1 IP, 11 H, 11 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 19 BB, 6 K). If any line can define a DSL pitcher, this might be it!

DSL Bombers (16-17) (Defeated the Cardinals, 9-2)

CF Richard Meran: 0-for-0, 2 RS, 2 BB, SB (1)
Meran’s first career stolen base is of home plate. He left the game early – not sure why.
2B Gabriel Terrero0-for-4, RS, BB, K
C Edgleen Perez2-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 BB
RF-CF Gabriel Lara2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
.287/.415/.489 in 118 plate appearances (5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 21 R, 20 BB, 18 K, 12-for-16 SB). This is a successful debut season for the 17-year-old.
DH Ramiro Altagracia2-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
SS Kevin Verde1-for-5, 2B (7), 3 RBI, CS (1)
.258/.319/.371 in 69 plate appearances in his debut season.

RHP Alejandro Gomez (W, 3-1): 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
3.62 ERA (32.1 IP, 27 H, 18 R, 13 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 25 K)
RHP Dari Brito1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K