Yankees MILB 6/1: Jasson Dominguez Homers Again

News:

Nothing new.

Scranton (34-22) (Lost to Toledo, 3-2)

CF Brandon Lockridge2-for-4, RBI, 2 SB (20), BB, K
Lockridge is 60-for-67 stealing bases over the past two seasons. 
3B Jorbit Vivas0-for-3, RS, CI, K
2B Oswald Peraza0-for-3, BB, K
C Carlos Narvaez1-for-4, RBI, K
Narvaez has 31 RBI (44 games). His best is 44, set last year (100 games).
1B T.J. Rumfield0-for-4, K
DH Oscar Gonzalez0-for-4
LF Taylor Trammell0-for-4, K
SS Kevin Smith: 3-for-4, 2 2B (7), RS, K
RF Greg Allen1-for-4, 2B (4)

RHP Will Warren4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Warren was pitching well into the 5th, where he ran into trouble. Still, this is encouraging after a less-than-ideal May.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Matt Sauer1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Sauer’s first appearance after being returned from the Royals. I assume (never smart) that he will start soon enough. The Royals were using him in the bullpen, so it could take time to build him back up.
RHP Ron Marinaccio: (L, 0-2) 1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K


Somerset (25-25) (Defeated Bowie, 6-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, 3B (2), 4 RBI, SB (13), K
Jones has a 15-game on-base streak. The last two games have been the most encouraging. He is at .227/.318/.344 in 176 PA (2 days ago, he was at .205/.299/.295). 
DH Jasson Dominguez1-for-3, HR (4), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Dominguez has homered in back-to-back games and is making Double-A look silly during his 7-game hitting streak (12-for-28, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R). I don’t know when the Yankees will use him in MLB this season, but he will be ready.
C Ben Rice: 3-for-4, 2 2B (8), RBI, SB (8)
.260/.380/.514 in 209 PA. On May 19th, his SLG slipped to .444. He has 4 doubles and 4 HR in 11 games since. I don’t think a prospect needs to spend much time in Triple-A, but there is a benefit in facing pitchers with MLB experience. Triple-A is abundant in those types.
3B Ben Cowles1-for-4, 2 K
.317/.399/.527 in 198 PA. Position breakdown: 2B: 5 games (5 starts); 3B: 11 games (9 starts); SS: 35 games (33 starts).
LF Elijah Dunham0-for-3, BB, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner1-for-3, 2 RS, HBP, K
2B Anthony Seigler1-for-4, RS, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-3, HBP, 2 K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W, 3-5) 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, HR
RHP Danny Watson1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Watson’s first appearance since April 11th. Like Jack Neely, he is a tall (6’7″) reliever with MLB potential. Before his injury, I would have said either could get to MLB in 2024. Watson is behind now, but continue to watch him closely.
RHP Colby White1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kevin Stevens1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Hudson Valley (24-23) (Lost to Aberdeen, 3-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
Riggio has an 18-game on-base streak (15-for-72 (.208); 13 walks). 
SS Jared Serna0-for-5, K
RF Jace Avina1-for-1, RS, HBP, 2 BB
.315/.409/.524 in 171 PA (15 doubles, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 23 R, 4-for-4 SB). While some element of luck is involved (.404 BABIP), his performance is likely exceeding the Yankees’ expectations. 
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-2, SB (6), 2 BB
He left the game after an awkward dive in LF last night. This afternoon? He starts behind the plate. This kid is tough! Season: .321/.407/.494 in 194 PA (12 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 29 R, 12.4% BB, 14.4% K).
DH Tyler Hardman1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
1B Rafael Flores1-for-3, SB (2), BB, K
LF Garrett Martin0-for-3, K
CF Nelson Medina0-for-4, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer0-for-4, K

LHP Ben Shields (L, 1-2): 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Shields’ emergency start for Scranton didn’t go well. I am happy it didn’t impact his performance in his first start back here.
RHP Mason Vinyard1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.00 ERA (12 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 18 K)
RHP Cole Ayers1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
1.99 ERA (31.2 IP, 22 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 37 K). 


Tampa (19-31) (Defeated Palm Beach, 5-3, in 10 innings)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, BB, K
.213/.368/.270 in 152 PA (12-for-13 SB). I am intrigued to see how Lombard Jr. adjusts in the second half of the season.
2B Roderick Arias: 2-for-5, 3 RBI, SB (13), K
Arias is 13-for-19 stealing bases but has been successful in his last six attempts. Let’s see if this is the start of a big June…
1B Dylan Jasso0-for-5, 2 K
CF Jackson Castillo1-for-4, 2 K
DH Hans Montero0-for-4, K
RF Willy Montero0-for-4
3B Brenny Escanio2-for-4, 2 RS, SB (4), K
A decent .270/.329/.378 line in 82 PA for Escanio, who they acquired from the Brewers in 2019 for J.P. Feyereisen.
LF Daury Arias2-for-4, 2B (5), RBI, 2 RS, SB (4), 2 K
C Edinson Duran2-for-4, RBI, RS, SB (1)

RHP Gabriel Barbosa7.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 K
4.81 ERA (48.2 IP, 51 H, 26 R, 26 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 49 K). The Rule 5 draftee (minor league phase) has pitched fairly well.
RHP Cade Austin: (W, 1-2)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Montana Semmel (S, 3): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
1.44 ERA (25 IP, 16 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 21 K)


FCL (12-9) (Lost to the Phillies, 3-1)

CF Brando Mayea0-for-4, K
LF Christopher Familia2-for-3, 2 2B (3)
A predictable 10-for-16 during his rehab stint.
C Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-3
.233/.410/.483 in 78 PA.
1B Luis Ogando1-for-3, RS, SB (4)
SS Santiago Gomez1-for-2, RBI, SB (6), BB, K
.346/.485/.346 in 33 PA (6-for-8 SB)

RHP McKinley Moore1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
For Moore, results don’t matter – he can strike out FCL hitters without much effort. It is about harnessing the stuff.
RHP Eric Reyzelman2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
One has to imagine that Reyzelman will get to Tampa rather quickly, as long as he is healthy.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/31: Spencer Jones Breaks Out

News:

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

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

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

CF Brandon Lockridge1-for-3, BB
3B Oswald Peraza1-for-4, SB (4), K
For Scranton: 7-for-41 with 9 walks and 12 strikeouts.
1B Jose Rojas0-for-3, SB (2), HBP, K
C Carlos Narvaez1-for-3, 2B (11), BB, K
With Torrens gone, Narvaez is the no-doubt #3 catcher. 
DH Oscar Gonzalez1-for-4, K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, K
SS Jeter Downs1-for-4, 2B (8), 2 K
.242/.350/.470 in 161 PA.
2B Kevin Smith0-for-3
RF Greg Allen0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Josh Maciejewski4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Maciejewski was promoted to Scranton today.
RHP Art Warren2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Clayton Andrews (L, 0-3): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K


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

CF-RF Spencer Jones: 3-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 4 RS, SB (12), BB, K
Jones’ first HR since April 23 as he extends his on-base streak to 14 (his triple slash has gone down during this stretch!) But maybe, just maybe, tonight is the start of something bigger as we head into June. He is hitting .220/.314/.327 with 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts. 
DH-CF Jasson Dominguez3-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (1)
For Somerset: 11-for-33 (.333) with 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored.  He is on a 6-game hitting streak (11-for-25).
1B Ben Rice: 3-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, RS, BB, K
.249/.373/.497 in 205 PA. In his last 10 games, he is 11-for-36 with 2 doubles, 4 home runs, and 9 RBI.
C Agustin Ramirez2-for-4, 2B (9), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Ramirez’s 11th multi-hit game. This season, he is hitting .271/.376/.554 in 197 PA. 9 of his 12 home runs came in April, but 8 of his 9 doubles came in May. His BABIP, so low to start the season, now sits at .273.
SS Ben Cowles2-for-5, 2B (17), 3B (3), 2 RBI, RS, K
.319/.402/.534 in 194 PA. With all the big shots here, who would have thought that Cowles would be outshining them in OPS?  He is one double away from his season best (he hit 18 in 2022 and 2023).
RF-LF Grant Richardson0-for-4, SF, RBI, 3 K
3B Jordan Groshans1-for-4, CS (1), BB
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-4, 3 K
  P Jesus Liranzo0-for-0
2B Anthony Seigler3-for-4, 2 HR (3), 2 RBI, 3 RS, SB (7)
Seigler has 3 HR in his last 2 games. This is his first multi-HR game since July 27th, 2021.

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


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

2B Roc Riggio1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
.211/.364/.358 in 154 PA. April and May were similar: .213/.356/.383 in April; .211/.368/.342 in May.
SS Jared Serna3-for-4, HR (10), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
.253/.371/.489 in 213 PA (11 doubles, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 34 R). After hitting .211/.344/.352 with 2 HR and 11 RBI in April, he hit .282/.390/.583 with 8 HR and 29 RBI in May. It isn’t easy to drive home 29 runs in one month (he played in 25 May games)
CF Jace Avina1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS, 2 BB
.310/.395/.521 in 167 PA. It wasn’t quite Serna, but Avina drove home 21 runs in May.
LF Jesus Rodriguez1-for-2
After an awkward play in the field, Rodriguez left the game.
   
PH-RF Cole Gabrielson1-for-4, 2B (8), 2 RS
DH Omar Martinez2-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, 2 BB
.244/.391/.437 in 169 PA. He hit .242/.367/.424 in April and .246/.411/.449 in May.
C Rafael Flores2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K
Flores thrived in May (.361/.474/.508; 9 doubles; current 6-game hitting streak). He hit .211/.308/.404 in April. 
3B Josh Moylan1-for-3, RS, BB, HBP, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero0-for-5, 3 K
RF Kyle Battle1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K

LHP Kyle Carr5.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Like with Vrieling, Carr left with two runners on, and both scored.
RHP Luis Arejula (W, 3-3): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Joel Valdez1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


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

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RS, BB
.220/.374/.280 in 147 PA.  A .237/.438/.271 April was followed up with a .203/.299/.288 May. There was an injury mixed in between the two months.
2B Roderick Arias1-for-4, RBI
.201/.316/.318 in 212 PA (.214/.327/.381 in April; .189/.307/.263 in May). I keep saying it because it is true: We must be patient. And that patience comes without knowing whether or not he will develop. That’s life when you track prospects.
1B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, BB, K
.263/.358/.446 in 204 PA. Jasso drove in 20 runs in May (8 in April).
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, RS
April: .200/.273/.333. May: .267/.420/.480 with 7 of his 9 doubles. Lombard Jr. and Arias are teenagers. Castillo isn’t old, but he is 21. That can make all the difference.
RF Willy Montero1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, BB, K
.187/.255/.247 in 184 PA. He was better in May, but still needs to find his groove. 
DH Coby Morales0-for-5, 3 K
C Tomas Frick1-for-4, K
3B Brenny Escanio1-for-4, K
LF Daury Arias1-for-2, RS, 2 BB

RHP Ryan Harvey: (L, 2-3) 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Bow wasn’t throwing a high-90s sinker tonight (peaked at 95.2). That said, he did not issue any walks, either. Season: 3.00 ERA (21 IP, 16 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 25 K).
RHP Osiel Rodriguez1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
1.50 ERA (24 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 26 K). Even in these short outings, he will use his 5-pitch mix. I don’t know if the Yankees still think he can start (he’s never started a professional game…), but they haven’t asked him to focus on 2-3 pitches.
RHP Steven Fulgencio2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K


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

CF Brando Mayea1-for-3, SB (5), BB, 2 K
.333/.436/.394 in 39 PA (5-for-5 SB). Mayea has an 8-game hitting streak.
DH Christopher Familia2-for-4
C Edgleen Perez1-for-3, K
LF Brian Sanchez1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
19-for-55 (.345/.446/.636; 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 13 R, 6-for-7 SB)

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


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 5/11: Brock Selvidge’s CG Effort Leads Somerset

News:

The Yankees released OF Luis Gonzalez from his minor league contract, finally getting their revenge for that game-winning hit in the 2001 World Series. Sorry, Luis, you are guilty by association even if you don’t have any association.

Gonzalez hit .282/.374/.397 in 91 plate appearances for Scranton.

Expect a report delay on Sunday due to Mother’s Day.

Scranton (26-11) (Split a doubleheader with Rochester)

Game 1 (Lost a close one, 15-3)

3B Caleb Durbin0-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
CF Everson Pereira1-for-4, RBI, 3 K
.248/.333/.519 in 150 PA. The 35.3% K is concerning.
1B T.J. Rumfield0-for-4, K
C Carlos Narvaez2-for-4, 2 2B (7), RS, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Trammell cleared waivers and was outrighted to Scranton, where the Yankees will try to tap into some of what once made him a top prospect.
RF Oscar Gonzalez0-for-1, RS, 2 BB, K
DH-P Jose Rojas0-for-2, RS, BB
SS Kevin Smith0-for-1, SF, RBI, BB
2B Josh VanMeter0-for-2, BB

LHP Edgar Barclay: (L, 3-2) 4 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 3 HR
This is a “toss it out” outing. Season: 4.86 ERA (33.1 IP, 30 H, 21 R, 18 ER, 5 HR, 19 BB, 34 K). 
RHP Cody Morris1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
LHP Clayton Andrews1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Jose Rojas1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR

Game 2 (Won, 5-3 – proving that one game rarely builds momentum to the next)

CF Greg Allen1-for-3, K
3B Caleb Durbin0-for-2, BB
.290/.414/.442 in 170 PA. He owns a 15-game on-base streak.
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB
.310/.372/.476 with 18 RBI in 94 PA since his promotion. 
DH Taylor Trammell0-for-3, K
RF Oscar Gonzalez1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS
LF Jose Rojas1-for-3, HR (7), RBI, RS, K
Pitches in Game 1, homers in Game 2 – is there anything Jose Rojas can’t do?
  LF Brandon Lockridge0-for-0
C Luis Torrens1-for-3, RS, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs1-for-1, 2B (5), 2 RS, 2 BB
.267/.358/.533 in 107 PA. This is Downs’ 4th season in Triple-A, and he didn’t do much in the first three years. 
2B Josh VanMeter1-for-3, 2B (6), RBI, K

RHP Cody Poteet (W, 3-0): 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, HR
3.68 ERA (29.1 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 4 HR, 7 BB, 34 K). One thing the Yankees don’t lack is adequate pitching depth.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (S, 3): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


Somerset (15-15) (Defeated Altoona, 7-3, in a 7-inning game. This was supposed to be a doubleheader, but Game 1 was delayed, so they postponed Game 2. They will try to play two tomorrow)

CF Spencer Jones2-for-3, 3 RBI, SB (6), BB, K
His recent slump is documented, so this is nice to see. 
SS Oswald Peraza0-for-4, 3 K
  2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-0
C Ben Rice2-for-4, HR (8), RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Rice’s first HR since April 30. He is hitting .264/.386/.509 in 133 PA.
1B Agustin Ramirez2-for-4, RS, K
HR >>>>> Singles. However, I like the fact he compiled a couple of singles today. Maybe this is the start of non-HR falling in more often. He is hitting .248/.387/.564 in 124 PA.
2B-SS Ben Cowles1-for-3, 2B (11), 2 RS, BB
.333/.416/.556 in 125 PA (11 doubles, 2 triples, 3 HR, 18 RBI, 18 R, 11.2% BB, 16% K). He is on pace to match last year’s HR total (10) while eclipsing last year’s doubles pace (18 in 453 PA).
DH Grant Richardson2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
.299/.361/.483 in 97 PA. When do we take his Double-A performance (which goes back to the second half of 2023) seriously?
3B J.C. Escarra3-for-4, 2 RS
Escarra was in a 1-for-17 slump entering today.
RF Elijah Dunham0-for-2, RBI, BB
LF Jared Wegner0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 3-1): 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR
The rare minor league complete game. Selvidge needed 93 pitches to get through this one. Season: 2.18 ERA (33 IP, 26 H, 13 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 33 K). Selvidge won’t be 22 until late August. I think he belongs on midseason Top 100 lists, but when you get towards the bottom of those lists, there are a lot of prospects for the “experts” to choose from.


Hudson Valley (14-15) (Lost to Aberdeen, 6-5, in extra innings. This game started extremely late due to rain)

2B Roc Riggio1-for-5, K
SS Jared Serna0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
Serna’s 9-game hitting streak is snapped.
RF Jace Avina1-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
C-3B Jesus Rodriguez1-for-3, 2B (6), 2 RBI, RS, K
Rodriguez is hitting .321 with a .919 OPS (6 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R). 
3B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
  PR-LF Kyle Battle0-for-0, RS
1B Rafael Flores: 2-for-3, 2 2B (7), RBI, BB, K
DH Kiko Romero0-for-1, 3 BB, K
CF Nelson Medina0-for-2, 2 BB, K
LF Cole Gabrielson0-for-4, K
  C Juan Crisp0-for-0

LHP Kyle Carr4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
Carr sets a new personal best for strikeouts (only his 6th start). He owns a 5.64 ERA in 22.1 IP (26 H, 21 R, 14 ER, 1 HR, 20 BB, 19 K).
RHP Matt Keating1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
4.00 ERA (18 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 23 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Steven Fulgencio: (L, 1-1) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K


Tampa (10-22) (Lost to Clearwater, 9-4. By the way, I love it when affiliates play well and win titles. However, do I worry about a 10-22 Low-A team? No)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3, 3 K
Not the return he wanted, but at least he is back. He is hitting .226/.422/.258 in 83 PA.
  2B Brenny Escanio2-for-2
13-for-43 (.302) in limited action. 
2B-SS Roderick Arias0-for-4, RBI, BB, K
1B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, RS, 2 K
7-game hitting streak (13-for-29)
CF Jackson Castillo1-for-4, 2B (5), BB, K
RF Willy Montero1-for-4, RBI, RS
3B Hans Montero2-for-4, SB (1)
Montero’s third straight multi-hit effort jumps his average to .300 (9-for-30). When Enmanuel Tejeda returns from injury, there will be an infield crunch to sort through. Will Montero head to the FCL?
LF Coby Morales0-for-3, BB, 2 K
DH Tomas Frick2-for-4, 2B (6), RS
Frick is hitting .373 with a 1.033 OPS (6 doubles, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 9 R, 8 BB, 11 K). He has reached base safely in all 15 of his games.
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, RS

RHP Tommy Kahnle1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
It’s only a matter of time before he is activated.
RHP Josh Grosz4 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
6.66 ERA (25.2 IP, 33 H, 28 R, 19 ER, 7 HR, 12 BB, 40 K). The K rate is solid and the HR rate needs to come down (his HR/FB was 27.8% entering today, which will likely go up. Is that unlucky? Let me say this: 13% is considered “awful”)  He is 21 and in his first professional season – he deserves a load of patience.
RHP Cade Austin1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Montana Semmel1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Kris Bow0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR


FCL (4-2) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 9-3, in a 7-inning game)

(Remember, I do not list out the entire lineup for the FCL/DSL games)

C Edgleen Perez1-for-3, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
Perez went 0-for-2 with a HBP in the season opener. Since: 5-for-10, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 1 K
1B Josue Gonzalez1-for-2, RBI, RS, 3 BB, K
7-for-15 (2 doubles, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 7 BB, 4 K). When Perez is 17, Gonzalez is 20. Since the FCL starts earlier and ends earlier now, some of these kids will trickle up to Low-A once this season ends. Gonzalez already looks like a good candidate.
DH Engelth Urena: 1-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 K
Season debut for the 19-year-old who hadn’t played since 2022. Oh, in case you are wondering, he too is listed as a catcher. I would love to be in the room when the Yankees discuss all their catching prospects.
SS Juan Matheus1-for-2, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Two good signs for Matheus: They are playing him extensively at shortstop and batting him in the middle of the order. That indicates some level of trust.
3B Luis Ogando2-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
Ogando hit 6 HR in 70 DSL games.

RHP Omar Gonzalez2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Alejandro Gomez1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jose Guzman (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Rafelin Nivar1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/27: Brock Selvidge: 7 IP, 0 R, 11 K

News:

Nothing for you tonight.

Scranton (17-8) (Defeated Durham, 8-1)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K
.295/.424/.474 in 118 PA. He has three multi-hit games in his last four games played.
LF Everson Pereira1-for-5, 3 K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-5, 2 2B (5), 2 RBI, 2 RS
Rumfield has five doubles in 43 plate appearances since his promotion. He has five hits in his last two games.
C Luis Torrens0-for-5, RS, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs1-for-3, HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
.283/.371/.533 in 71 PA. He is 6-for-14 with two homers in his last four games.
DH Jose Rojas1-for-4, 2B (7), 3 RBI, 2 K
3B Kevin Smith1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Luis Gonzalez3-for-4, RS, K
CF Brandon Lockridge1-for-4, RS, 2 K

RHP Cody Poteet: (W, 2-0) 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
1.74 ERA (20.2 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 20 K)
RHP Phil Bickford1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Cody Morris1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K


Somerset (9-11) (Crushed Reading, 9-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-6, 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS
.348/.412/.587 in 51 PA (3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 5 BB, 12 K, 3-for-6 SB). He has five multi-hit games in his last seven games played. Crazy.
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, HR (9), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB, K
Ramirez is hitting .261 with a 1.060 OPS. In addition to the power, he has 14 walks and 15 strikeouts. He has homered in back-to-back games after not homering in six games (rather shocking!)
1B Ben Rice1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 BB, K
.257/.382/.500 in 89 PA (3 doubles, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 16 R, 13 BB, 22 K, 2-for-2 SB)
2B Ben Cowles3-for-5, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS
Cowles is hitting .362 with a 1.074 OPS. He has a 6-game hitting streak (10-for-25).  Both homers have come in the last three games (he also has 8 doubles and 2 triples). This is how you become noticed.
SS Jordan Groshans0-for-1
  SS Alexander Vargas1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, K
Vargas has 18 career triples in 307 games. 
3B J.C. Escarra0-for-4, HBP
LF Elijah Dunham2-for-4, 3B (2), 2 RS, BB, K
DH Jared Wegner2-for-4, 2B (2), BB, K
.263/.344/.474 in 64 PA. A 24-year-old right-handed bat showing off some pop.
RF Aaron Palensky0-for-2, SF, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K

LHP Brock Selvidge7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
Selvidge sets a new personal best for strikeouts in a game. Season: 1.71 ERA (21 IP, 17 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 26 K). This kid’s talent is real and he is only 21 (won’t be 22 until August)
RHP Yorlin Calderon1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kevin Stevens1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


Hudson Valley (11-8) (Lost to Bowling Green, 3-0)

LF Jace Avina1-for-4, K
Avina has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-19)
SS Jared Serna0-for-3, BB
.148/.304/.279 in 79 PA. His BB/K remains strong (14/10) and his BABIP is ridiculously low (.135). A correction should come, but he must be frustrated.
DH Omar Martinez0-for-4, K
C Jesus Rodriguez0-for-3
Games by position: Catcher (8), 3B (5), 2B (2), LF (1), DH (1). He also has experience at first base in his career.
3B Josh Moylan0-for-3, K
1B Kiko Romero1-for-2, BB, K
CF Nelson Medina0-for-3
2B Beau Brewer1-for-3
RF Cole Gabrielson0-for-3

LHP Kyle Carr:(L,0-1)  4.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
3.77 ERA (14.1 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 14 BB, 10 K). Command/control hasn’t been great, but he is 21 and learning. Give him some slack.
RHP Leonardo Pestana2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 15 K)
RHP Cole Ayers2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
1.54 ERA (11.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 16 K)


Tampa (5-15) (Destroyed Lakeland, 10-2)

3B Enmanuel Tejeda0-for-3, RS, BB, K, CI
Tejeda’s hitting streak is snapped at eight. 
1B Oscar Gonzalez1-for-4, 3B (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, BB
Gonzalez hit one ball at 110.5 MPH. Methinks he is ready to go to Scranton.
SS Roderick Arias2-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Arias extends his walk streak to eight, but that wasn’t the best thing he did tonight. He is hitting .224/.344/.408 in 90 PA (4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 13 BB, 35 K, 4-for-7 SB).  
DH Dylan Jasso2-for-5, 2 2B (6), RBI, RS, K
.234/.383/.359 in 81 PA. He has 14 walks (17.3%) and 22 strikeouts (27.2%).
LF Coby Morales0-for-4, RS, BB, K
CF Jackson Castillo1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RS, BB
  RF Daury Arias0-for-0
RF-CF Willy Montero0-for-4, K
C Tomas Frick3-for-3, 3 RBI, RS, BB
Frick’s first career 3-hit effort. He is 10-for-27 and has hit safely in seven of his eight games (reached base in all games)
2B Brenny Escanio2-for-4, K

RHP Josh Grosz: (W, 1-2) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
Grosz earns his first professional win. He has 22 strikeouts in 16 innings, which is encouraging. Like many, the 21-year-old is in his debut season and will have his share of ups, downs, and everything in between.
RHP Art Warren1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jordy Luciano: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/26: Agustin Ramirez’s Big Night

News:

2B Jorbit Vivas, who played in two games since returning from his eye injury, was placed on the 7-day injured list today.

RHP Brian Hendryreceiving buzz in prospect circles, was placed on the 7-day IL today for Hudson Valley. His outing yesterday was short. It is often hard to know if a short outing is a part of a plan or injury. In this case, it was injury.

Scranton (16-8) (Defeated Durham, 6-2)

3B Caleb Durbin1-for-4, RS, CS (1), HBP, K
DH Everson Pereira2-for-5, 2B (6), 2 RS
.256/.340/.593 in 97 PA (6 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 17 R, 9 BB, 33 K, 2-for-4 SB)
1B T.J. Rumfield2-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Since promotion: 9-for-34 (.265/.316/.353). He has yet to homer in 17 games after hitting 17 HR in 86 games last year (that was the outlier season in his short career)
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, SF, 2 RBI, RS
2B Luis Torrens: 1-for-4, HBP, K
LF Josh VanMeter0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
.281/.364/.491 in 67 PA. 
RF Luis Gonzalez1-for-4, K
CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-4, 2 K

LHP Edgar Barclay: (W, 2-1) 5.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
2.70 ERA (23.1 IP, 19 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 26 K)
LHP Josh Maciejewski2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K


Somerset (8-11) (Crushed Reading, 13-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, 2 2B (3), RBI, RS, CS (3), BB, K
Jones is 14-for-40 (3 doubles, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R, 4 BB, 12 K, 3-for-6 SB)
1B Agustin Ramirez: 3-for-4, 2B (1), HR (8), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, K
I find it funny that Ramirez had no extra-base hits other than home runs entering tonight. He is hitting .246 with a 1.011 OPS (1 double, 8 HR, 17 RBI, 13 R, 12 BB (15.2%), 13 K (16.5%))
C Ben Rice2-for-4, 2B (2), 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 K
Rice is hitting .254 with a .862 OPS (2 doubles, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 15 R, 11 BB (13.1%), 21 K (25%))
3B Ben Cowles1-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Cowles is at .344 with a 1.020 OPS (8 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 12 R, 11 BB, 14 K, 3-for-3 SB)
DH J.C. Escarra2-for-6, 3B (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS
RF Jared Wegner1-for-5, RBI, RS, BB
LF Grant Richardson3-for-6, 2B (6), HR (2), 3 RBI, RS
Richardson is at .281 with an .835 OPS (6 doubles, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R, 4 BB, 15 K). He has hit safely in seven of his last eight games.
2B Anthony Seigler1-for-5, 2B (4), RBI, RS, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas1-for-5, 2B (1), RBI, RS, 2 K

RHP Blane Abeyta: (W, 1-3) 7.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
Abeyta struck out ten and 11 in games last year.
RHP Tanner Myatt1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K


Hudson Valley (11-7) (Defeated Bowling Green, 5-1)

CF Jace Avina1-for-3, RBI, HBP, K
Avina is 9-for-25 with a double, home run, and 3 RBI.
SS Jared Serna0-for-4, SB (1), 2 K
Serna hasn’t been able to get on base enough to show off his speed. He stole 29 bases in 37 attempts in 2023.
DH Omar Martinez1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, 2 K
.296/.415/.519 in 65 PA. 
2B Jesus Rodriguez1-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, RS, BB
.306/.377/.419 in 69 PA. He continues to hit while playing all over the field.
1B Josh Moylan0-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
.225/.385/.300 in 52 PA with a home run, ten walks, and 16 strikeouts.
C Rafael Flores1-for-3, 2B (5), RS, BB, K
3B Kiko Romero1-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS
RF Nelson Medina0-for-3, 3 K
LF Cole Gabrielson1-for-2, 2B (1), RS, HBP

RHP Sebastian Keane: (W, 1-2) 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Keane sets a personal best for strikeouts in a game. Season: 5.63 ERA (16 IP, 19 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 19 K). He has two strong starts and two not-so-great starts. They are building up his innings load.
RHP Matt Keating: (S, 2) 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
11.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 14 K


Tampa (4-15) (Lost to Lakeland, 6-4, in 10 innings)

2B Enmanuel Tejeda1-for-5, RBI,K
Tejeda has a 7-game hitting streak. He is at .316/.365/.355 in 85 PA with three doubles, six walks, and 18 strikeouts.
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-5, 2B (1), 2 RBI, K
SS Roderick Arias0-for-4, BB, 3 K
Arias has drawn exactly one walk in seven straight games. He is hitting .208/.329/.361 in 85 PA with 12 walks and 34 strikeouts (40%)
3B Dylan Jasso0-for-5, 2 K
1B Coby Morales1-for-5, RS, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo2-for-3, SB (2)
  LF Tayler Aguilar0-for-1
CF Willy Montero0-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Tomas Frick1-for-3, RS, HBP
Frick is 7-for-24 with five walks and five strikeouts.
C Edinson Duran2-for-4, RS, K

LHP Allen Facundo4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
2.31 ERA (11.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 9 BB, 7 K). The 6’0″ 21-year-old reached 96.5 MPH with his 4-seamer, though none of his fastballs resulted in whiffs. Just someone to put somewhere on your “watch” list.
RHP Kris Bow2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Montana Semmel: (L, 1-2) 3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/23: Spencer Jones: 3 Hits, HR

News:

2B Jorbit Vivas made his organizational debut today, while IF DJ LeMahieu began his rehab stint (he was sent to Double-A for the stint). He didn’t last long in the game. It is impossible to count on him – if/when he comes back, you hope he can perform. Until that happens, you can’t include him as part of the 2024 puzzle.

OF Oscar Gonzalez, who impressed during spring training, started a rehab stint in Tampa tonight.

Scranton (13-8) (Lost to Durham, 3-2)

2B Jorbit Vivas1-for-4, K
Vivas finally makes his Yankees’ organizational debut. Late in spring training, he suffered an orbital fracture. The Yankees acquired him (along with Victor Gonzalez) from the Dodgers for Trey Sweeney during the off-season. His ceiling? Your 2025 second baseman.  But that’s a long time away and a lot will happen between now and then.
LF Caleb Durbin0-for-4
Vivas can play some third, but it isn’t recommended. Durbin will still get reps at second base but his versatility will help him get his plate appearances.
RF Everson Pereira0-for-4, 2 K
.239/.333/.577 in 81 PA with a 9.9% BB and 37% K.
1B T.J. Rumfield1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 K
Rumfield is 7-for-25 since his promotion
C Carlos Narvaez0-for-3, 2 K
Narvaez, who would be the likely call-up if they decided to send Austin Wells down, is hitting .197/.378/.295 in 82 PA.
DH Luis Torrens1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS
Torrens’ first homer as a member of the Yankees’ organization since 9/3/16.
SS Kevin Smith1-for-3, K
Smith cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Scranton.
3B Jeter Downs0-for-3, 2 K
CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Gomez threw 60 pitches today and hasn’t been asked to go deep into games. He owns a 2.92 ERA in four starts (only 12.1 innings) with 11 hits allowed and a 15/5 K/BB.
RHP Phil Bickford1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos (L, 1-1): 1.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K


Somerset (7-9) (Lost to Reading, 10-4. It is unusual to see Somerset struggle in the wins column!)

3B DJ LeMahieu0-for-1, K
   SS Alexander Vargas0-for-4, K
CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-5, HR (2), RBI, RS, CS (2), K
Jones is 11-for-26 (.423). He has three straight multi-hit efforts (including back-to-back 3-hit games).
C Agustin Ramirez1-for-4, 2 SB (4), BB
Catchers who steal bases in the minors typically don’t steal many in the majors (Gary Sanchez stole 15 bases in 2012 and has six in his MLB career). So, enjoy them while you can!
DH Ben Rice0-for-4, 2 K
2B Jordan Groshans: 2-for-4, RS, 2 K
He was sent down here from Scranton likely due to playing time reasons (Vivas coming off the IL being the biggest culprit)
1B J.C. Escarra: 2-for-4, 2B (4), 3B (1), RS
SS-3B Ben Cowles1-for-2, 2B (8), SF, RBI, BB, K
Cowles has eight doubles in 16 games (43 doubles in 237 games before 2024, which wasn’t so bad either).  He is hitting an impressive .345 with a 1.003 OPS.
LF Elijah Dunham0-for-3
RF Grant Richardson0-for-2, RS, SB (4), BB, HBP, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-2)  6 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 9 K
Messinger ties his personal best for strikeouts in a game. He has a 5.48 ERA in 23 IP (20 H, 20 R, 14 ER, 4 HR, 8 BB, 27 K)
RHP Kevin Stevens1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Calderon has made appearances for Hudson Valley, Somerset, and Scranton this year.


Hudson Valley (9-6) (Lost to Bowling Green, 7-0)

CF Jace Avina 1-for-4
5-for-18 with a double, four walks, and four strikeouts. By the way, I am certain that Roc Riggio was in the original lineup, so I don’t know what happened there.
SS Jared Serna0-for-3, BB
3B Jesus Rodriguez3-for-4
Rodriguez records his first 3-hit game this season (eight 3-hit games in 2023). He is hitting .308/.357/.404 (2 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 10 K (17.9%)). In High-A, Rodriguez is hitting .330/.429/.486 in 168 PA since his promotion last year.
DH Omar Martinez0-for-4, K
LF Garrett Martin1-for-4, SB (5), 3 K
1B Josh Moylan1-for-2, 2 BB
.233/.425/.333 in 40 plate appearances.
C Rafael Flores0-for-4, 2 K
RF Anthony Hall0-for-4, K
2B Beau Brewer0-for-3

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
RHP Cole Ayers2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 14 K)
RHP Leonardo Pestana1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. Nothing to complain about here!


Tampa (4-12) (Lost to Lakeland, 2-1)

SS George Lombard Jr.:  1-for-4, SB (9), K
DH Oscar Gonzalez0-for-3, BB, 2 K
Rehab stint for the 26-year-old. The Yankees signed him out of the Cleveland organization before this season. He missed the first several weeks due to an orbital fracture.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda2-for-4, K
Tejeda increases his hitting streak to five (8-for-22). 
2B Roderick Arias1-for-3, RBI, SB (4), BB, K
.203/.319/.390 in 69 PA. The numbers are starting to look more respectable.
1B Dylan Jasso0-for-4, 2 K
RF Coby Morales2-for-3, SB (4), BB, K
CF Willy Montero0-for-4, K
LF Jackson Castillo0-for-2, K
Castillo’s first game since 4/9, so no need to be concerned about him leaving the game early.
  LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-1
C Manuel Palencia1-for-3, RS

RHP Gabriel Barbosa6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K
His 80-pitch effort included: 20% curveballs, 19% 4-seamers, 18% sinkers, 16% changeups, 16% sliders, and 11% cutters. That is what you call a true 6-pitch mix. The Yankees grabbed him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 and this is his best of his three 2024 starts.
RHP Montana Semmel: (L, 1-1) 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Osiel Rodriguez1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
8.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 9 K


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/21: Spencer Jones’ Big Day

News:

I wish I had something to report. I may need to start making things up (it works for some people on Twitter!)

Scranton (13-7) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 7-4)

2B Caleb Durbin1-for-5, 2B (8), RS, K
.284/.419/.459 in 93 PA (8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 15 R, 17 BB, 9 K, 10-for-10 SB). He has scored a run in six straight games.
CF Everson Pereira2-for-5, 2B (4), 3B (1), RBI, 2 RS, K
Pereira’s contact tends to be loud. The double was hit 101.6 MPH while the triple was scorched (108.6). He is hitting .254/.351/.612 in 77 PA (4 doubles, 1 triple, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 13 R, 8 BB, 28 K, 2-for-4 SB)
DH T.J. Rumfield0-for-3, SF, 2 RBI
Rumfield is 6-for-22 with six RBI since his promotion (.300/.379/.360 in 58 PA)
1B Carlos Narvaez0-for-3, BB, K
.207/.392/.310 in 79 PA. He has 11 games at catcher, four at first base, three at DH, and one at third base (only three innings)
RF Jose Rojas0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
C Luis Torrens1-for-3, BB
3B Josh VanMeter1-for-3, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs0-for-4
LF Luis Gonzalez2-for-4, 2B (3), RS, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: (L, 1-1) 4.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 K
3.06 ERA (17.2 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 11 BB, 19 K)
LHP Clayton Andrews0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP McKinley Moore0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
He also hit a batter. Trying to unlock Moore is going to be a challenge. 
LHP Josh Maciejewski2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
He was close to escaping Moore’s bases loaded, nobody out jam but allowed a 2-out run on a HBP.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Tanner Tully1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Somerset (7-8) (Knocked off Hartford, 8-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-4, HR (1), RBI, 3 RS, 2 SB (3), K
Jones has done a lot in six games: 8-for-21 (.381; 1 double, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 R, 3-for-4 SB, 3 BB, 5 K)
C Agustin Ramirez1-for-4, RBI, K
.245/.362/.673 in 58 PA (7 HR, 15 RBI, 11 R, 8 BB, 12 K, 2-for-2 SB). This is the first game this year where he drove home a run in a game where he didn’t homer.
DH Ben Rice0-for-3, RBI, HBP, K
.271/.338/.542 in 65 PA (1 double, 5 HR). He has six games at C, six at DH, and two at 1B. 
RF Elijah Dunham0-for-4, 3 K
3B Ben Cowles1-for-4, 2B (7), K
Cowles has seven doubles in 15 games. Does he think he is Earl Webb or something?
1B J.C. Escarra1-for-4, RS
LF Grant Richardson1-for-4, RS
2B Anthony Seigler2-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, RS, CS (1), K
SS Alexander Vargas2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 RS
After starting 0-for-11 at this level, he has back-to-back multi-hit games. If he shows any life with the bat, trade value will follow. His defense reportedly is elite-level.

LHP Brock Selvidge5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
2.57 ERA (14 IP, 15 H, 8 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 15 K). It’s far from a terrible line but it just feels as if he hasn’t yet been able to get into a groove. It’s only three starts.
RHP Carlos Gomez: (W, 1-0)  1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Jack Neely1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 10 K. This is his first non-strikeout game this season (four in 42 games in 2023).
RHP Alex Mauricio1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K


Hudson Valley (9-5) (Lost to Aberdeen, 6-3)

SS Roc Riggio0-for-5, CS (1), 2 K
2B Jared Serna1-for-3, RS, BB, K
CF Jace Avina1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, K
Avina’s first extra-base hit as a member of the Yankees’ organization.
C Jesus Rodriguez1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Omar Martinez1-for-1, RBI, 3 BB
Martinez has nine walks and nine strikeouts (18.8%) in 48 PA. As I stated multiple times last year, Martinez was one of the few high-performing prospects (.251/.367/.445 with 18 HR for Tampa) who didn’t receive a promotion. Is the goal to go one level at a time? Was it a catcher crunch? We’ll find out.
RF Garrett Martin0-for-4, SB (4), K
Martin is being frisky on the basepaths! In college, his best for stolen bases in a season was seven.
1B Rafael Flores0-for-3, SB (1), BB, K
Not surprising that his SB was on the backside of a double steal. He only has four in 119 games.
3B Kiko Romero0-for-4, 3 K
LF Cole Gabrielson0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Cam Schlittler4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K
0.60 ERA (15 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 19 K)
RHP Matt Keating: (L, 0-1)  3 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
They tried extending his outing to four innings and it didn’t work well. Season: 8.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 6 BB, 11 K
RHP Trent Sellers1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
1.86 ERA (9.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 17 K)
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K


Tampa (4-11) (Lost to St. Lucie, 8-4)

DH Enmanuel Tejeda1-for-3, RS, 2 BB
Tejeda walked over 20% of the time in the rookie leagues. Life is a little harder in a full-season league, as he is currently at 7.7%. That can improve as he gets more comfortable and nobody complains over a .310 start.
SS Roderick Arias1-for-4, 3B (2), RBI, BB
His K% is down to 41.5%. That may seem like something I shouldn’t brag about, but he was at 50% after Wednesday’s game. This is also the first game he hasn’t struck out in this season. He is hitting .196/.308/.393 in 65 plate appearances with seven extra-base hits (4 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run). While Tejeda is flashing solid contact skills and Lombard Jr. is showing outstanding patience, Arias’ extra-base hits are his calling card thus far.
3B Dylan Jasso1-for-4, BB, 2 K
.250/.443/.364 in 61 PA. 
1B Coby Morales1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
CF Willy Montero1-for-5, RS, K
.160/.204/.180 in 54 PA. They say the jump to Double-A is the hardest but rookie league to a full-season league has its share of challenges.
RF Daury Arias0-for-4, 2 K
C Tomas Frick0-for-3, BB
LF Tayler Aguilar0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
2B Brenny Escanio1-for-3, 2B (2), SF, 2 RBI
Escanio has two doubles and two triples in eight games.

LHP Brady Rose: (L, 0-1)  1.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Rose was exceptional in his professional debut – his second appearance wasn’t quite as good. It happens.
RHP Aaron Nixon1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
9.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 11 BB, 11 K
RHP Kris Bow: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Bow does a great job covering some innings. Like many prospects in the Yankees system, he is sinker-heavy (71% today).
RHP Huey Morrill2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
This could have been a disaster game for the pitching staff. Good job by the three who settled the game down. Morrill reached 95.4 with his sinker. 


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/20: Ben Rice Homers in 4th Straight Game

News:

Nothing new.

Scranton (13-6) (Defeated Lehigh Valley, 5-2)

CF Brandon Lockridge1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
SS Caleb Durbin0-for-3, RS, BB
In 210 career games, Durbin has a 98/79 BB/K. Starts by position: SS: 6 (7 total games); 2B: 6; 3B: 2; LF: 2 (3 total games); CF: 1
RF Everson Pereira1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, CS (2), BB, K
Pereira continues to swat extra-base hits and his career SLG is over .500 (.505). He will require consistent MLB at-bats to see how his game translates. I am not sure if the Yankees will be the team that offers him that.
DH T.J. Rumfield0-for-4, RBI, K
1B Carlos Narvaez2-for-3, SF, RBI
.218/.400/.327 in 75 PA (3 doubles, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 15 BB, 16 K)
C Luis Torrens1-for-3, 2B (2), BB, K
Torrens’ first game since 4/12.
LF Jose Rojas0-for-3, RS, BB
3B Jordan Groshans0-for-2, RS, BB, K
2B Josh VanMeter2-for-2, 2B (3), RBI, RS, SB (1), CS (1), BB
VanMeter is doing his job as a depth piece (10-for-38, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 8 R)

RHP Cody Poteet (W,1-0): 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
I assume we will see Poteet again at some point this season. He throws his 4-seam fastball just hard enough to keep hitters honest.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
10.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 14 K. 
RHP Yerry De Los Santos1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K


Somerset (6-8) (Lost to Hartford, 10-7)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, RS, SB (1), BB, K
Your reminder that Jones stole 43 bases in 55 attempts (78.2%) in 2023. You hope he puts the entire puzzle together because he is a unicorn. He is now 5-for-17 with three walks.
C Ben Rice: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB, K
Rice has homered in four straight games (this is also his 4th straight multi-hit game (9-for-17)). Your reminder that he hit .327/.401/.648 with 16 HR in 48 games at this level in 2023. He now has 21 HR in 61 games here. The Yankees likely kept him here to get reps behind the plate. However, the bat will make or break Ben Rice and should be the focus. Get him to Triple-A.
DH Elijah Dunham: 2-for-5, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS
9-for-31 (2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R)
3B Ben Cowles: 2-for-5, 3B (2), RS, 2 K
Cowles is hitting .347 with an annoying .999 OPS. This is his 5th multi-hit game (14th game played)
1B J.C. Escarra0-for-4, HBP, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, BB, K
LF Grant Richardson1-for-5, SB (3), CS (1), K
2B Aaron Palensky1-for-4, K
SS Alexander Vargas2-for-4, RS, SB (1), CS (1)
Vargas earns his first two Double-A hits.

RHP Blane Abeyta:(L, 0-3)  6 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Luis Velasquez2.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Ryan Anderson0.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Hudson Valley (9-4) (Defeated Aberdeen, 4-3)

2B Roc Riggio1-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Riggio’s first professional home run. He hit 18 homers in 59 games for Oklahoma State in 2023.
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-3, 2B (1), SF, RBI, K
.146/.296/.317 in 54 PA. On the encouraging side: 7 K (12.96%) and his BABIP is .114. His numbers should start to tick up.
RF Jace Avina0-for-1, 3 BB, K
He is only 20, so we’ll see how he does in his first exposure to High-A pitching. 
3B Jesus Rodriguez0-for-4, 2 K
C Omar Martinez2-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB, K
.316/.409/.605 in 44 PA (1 triple, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 9 K). 
DH Garrett Martin0-for-1, 3 BB, K
.250/.386/.417 in 45 PA
1B Josh Moylan0-for-2, 2 BB
CF Nelson Medina0-for-3
LF Kyle Battle1-for-2, 2B (1), 2 RS, SB (1), BB
Battle hasn’t been able to get into any groove, but he is 30-for-34 stealing bases in his career.

LHP Kyle Carr4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 2 K
So far, command and control have issues for Carr. He owns a 3.72 ERA in 9.2 IP (8 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 5 K)
LHP Ben Shields: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
11.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 14 K. This is a good start to the 25-year-old’s career.
RHP Luis Arejula: (W, 1-1) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K


Tampa (4-10) (Lost a tough one to St. Lucie, 9-8)

DH George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-5, 2B (2), 4 RBI, RS, BB, K
Lombard Jr. sets a personal best for RBI in a game. He reached base three times tonight after reaching base six times on Thursday. Crazy. There is plenty for the 18-year-old to work on but how can you not be encouraged by the start to his career?
2B Enmanuel Tejeda2-for-6, RBI, K
Tejeda is hitting .309 (17-for-55) with a pair of doubles and 9 RBI.  
SS Roderick Arias2-for-5, 2B (4), CS (3), BB, K
Six of Arias’ ten hits have gone for extra bases. 
1B-3B Dylan Jasso1-for-2, 2B (3), 2 RS, 2 BB, HBP
3B-1B Coby Morales0-for-4, RS, SB (3), BB, 2 K
CF Willy Montero2-for-4, SF, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (4)
While he isn’t in the Lombard/Arias category, Montero is an up-the-middle prospect with talent.
RF Daury Arias1-for-3, RS, SB (2), 2 BB, K
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-4, RS, HBP, 2 K
LF Dayro Perez1-for-5, 2 SB (3), 3 K

RHP Josh Grosz:  5 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K
One of Grosz’s sinkers reached 96.3 MPH (70% of his pitches were sinkers). This is his most encouraging start thus far this year.
RHP Cade Austin2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Art Warren: (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Essentially, there is a “rehab goal” for Warren right now and they were unlikely to sway from that regardless of the game situation.


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/17: Agustin Ramirez Hits 7th HR

News:

Nothing

Scranton (11-5) (Defeated Lehigh Valley, 5-4. Five double plays helped the pitchers)

CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-4, K
SS Caleb Durbin0-for-2, 2 RS, SB (10), 2 BB, K
Durbin has an 18.7% BB/8% K in 75 PA. He is 89-for-103 (86.4%) stealing bases in his career.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-4, 2B (1), 2 RBI
Rumfield extends his hitting streak to seven (between here and Somerset). He has reached base safely in all ten games he has played.
C Carlos Narvaez1-for-4, RS, 2 K
LF Jose Rojas1-for-4, 2B (5), RS, K
3B Jordan Groshans2-for-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS
Groshan’s 2-run HR in the bottom of the 8th gave Scranton the lead.
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
DH Josh Breaux0-for-4, K
RF Luis Gonzalez0-for-3

RHP Yoendrys Gomez3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
9 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 9 K.  He is averaging three innings per start and not throwing many pitches (49 in his first start, 49 in his second start, and 57 tonight)
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K
9 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 13 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Jake Cousins(W, 1-0) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (S, 2): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
9.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 11 K


Somerset (4-7) (Lost to Hartford, 6-5)

CF Spencer Jones1-for-3, RBI
Jones was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double – and was immediately ejected by the umpire.
  RF Jared Wegner1-for-2, 2B (1), RS
DH Agustin Ramirez1-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS, BB
Ramirez has seven homers in ten games. He also has seven walks (14.9%) and eight strikeouts (17.0%). 
C Ben Rice: 3-for-5, 2B (1), HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, K
Rice was struggling to enter tonight. He certainly didn’t struggle tonight. You may think of him as a first base option, but he has yet to play the position in 2024 (6 games behind the plate, 5 games as the designated hitter).  This doesn’t mean he won’t play first base, but they aren’t forcing it on him this season. 
2B Ben Cowles1-for-5, 2B (6), RS, SB (3), K
Cowles has six doubles in 11 games. Nobody knows how the Yankees will approach second base in 2025 and beyond. 
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3, BB, K
LF Aaron Palensky0-for-2, RBI, SB (2), CS (1), 2 BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-4, 2 K
Double-A debut for the 22-year-old switch-hitter. The bat has yet to develop.
RF-CF Grant Richardson1-for-3, 2B (5), RS, BB
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 0-1) 5 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
17 IP, 16 H, 15 R, 10 ER, 3 HR, 6 BB, 18 K
RHP Matt Givin3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
RHP Carlos Gomez1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Hudson Valley (7-3) (Defeated Aberdeen, 5-4, in 11 innings)

2B Roc Riggio0-for-4, BB
SS Jared Serna0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
Serna is off to a slow start (5-for-32) though he does have six walks and only five strikeouts. 
CF Jace Avina0-for-4, K
The 20-year-old Avina was acquired (along with OF Brian Sanchez) from the Brewers for Jake Bauers in November. He is ranked 29th on the MLB Pipeline list, which notes his right-handed raw power. Last year, in Low-A, he hit .233/.373/.442 in 99 games with 14 homers and 50 RBI. As for Sanchez, the 19-year-old is currently assigned to the DSL.
  
1B Kiko Romero0-for-1, RS, K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-5, RBI, RS, CS (1), K
Rodriguez has five multi-hit games (9 games played)
DH Josh Moylan1-for-2, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB, HBP, K
6-for-23 (.261) . The homer was his first extra-base hit this season.
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, K
  PR-CF Nelson Medina1-for-1, RBI
Game-winning RBI single in the 11th.
RF Anthony Hall1-for-2, 2 BB
3B Beau Brewer0-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
His RBI walk in the 9th tied the game.
LF Kyle Battle0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Jackson Fristoe: (L, 0-1) 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K
Move on to the next one. This will soon be forgotten.
RHP Trent Sellers2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
8.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 15 K. Sellers is 24, so they won’t likely hold him down here for long if he continues to perform. 
RHP Matt Keating2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 4 BB, 8 K
RHP Luis Arejula: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The 13th-round pick in 2022 (Clemson) has pitched well since being drafted (2.67 ERA; 54 IP, 35 H, 1 HR, 29 BB, 64 K)
RHP Cole Ayers: (W, 1-1)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K


Tampa (3-8) (Defeated St. Lucie, 5-1)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-5
Lombard Jr. has reached base safely in all 11 of his games. He is at .205/.436/.205 (he only has two career extra-base hits (doubles) in 24 games. He is only 18, so no need to be worried).
Position distribution:  SS: 6 games; 2B: 2; 3B: 2; DH: 1
3B Enmanuel Tejeda0-for-5, K
.300/.341/.300 in 44 PA.
Position distribution: 3B: 5 games; 2B: 3; DH: 2

2B Roderick Arias0-for-4, 3 K
.182/.280/.364 in 50 PA. His early-season K% sits at 50%. Development takes time.
Position distribution: SS: 5 games; 2B: 5; DH: 1
1B Dylan Jasso1-for-3, RS, BB
.276/.463/.379 in 41 PA. 10/8 BB/K.
LF Coby Morales0-for-3, BB, 3 K
CF Willy Montero1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Daury Arias1-for-3, RS, BB, K
C Manuel Palencia2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS
DH Brenny Escanio2-for-4, 3B (2), RBI, RS, CS (1), K
Escanio was acquired from the Brewers for J.P. Feyereisen in 2019. 

RHP Luis Serna: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
Serna ties his personal best for strikeouts in a game. He has been talked about for a while (he made his debut in 2021) but won’t be 20 until July. He doesn’t rely on power (he only threw one 4-seamer today, and who knows if that is accurate) and is more of a sinker/slider/curve/change guy.
RHP Montana Semmel (W, 1-0): 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 HR, 1 BB, 8 K
RHP Huey Morrill (S, 1): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 7 K


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

Yankees MILB 4/13: Agustin Ramirez: 6th HR in 7 Games

News:

LHP Josh Maciejewski was designated for assignment by the Yankees. He threw a scoreless inning in his MLB debut a few nights ago.

Unfortunately, this is how baseball works. However, it isn’t all bad for him. If someone claims him, he sticks to a 40-man roster. If not, he goes to Scranton for depth.

The Yankees added Kevin Smith to the MLB roster today. Smith, who replaces the injured Jon Berti, is a .173/.215/.301 career hitter in 333 plate appearances. He is mostly a shortstop/third baseman.

So far this season, the Yankees haven’t shown much faith in Oswaldo Cabrera against LHP. That will need to change as they can’t count on Smith or Jahmai Jones to provide anything offensively. While there is talk that DJ LeMahieu may be back soon, we’ll believe that when he is on the field.

Scranton (9-4) (Defeated Norfolk, 3-0. Even without Jackson Holliday, this lineup is dangerous. Scranton has held them to 12 runs in five games. The Railriders are 5-0 in those games)

CF Brandon Lockridge0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
DH Caleb Durbin0-for-4
Durbin has run into a little slump (2-for-16).  His strikeout rate has fallen below 5% (4.9).
LF Everson Pereira0-for-4, 4 K
Pereira has been hitting better lately but has an unsightly 36.2% K.
C Carlos Narvaez1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Power and walks define his offensive game.
1B Jose Rojas1-for-2, 2 BB, K
SS Jeter Downs1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
11-for-34 (.324). 
RF Luis Gonzalez1-for-4, 3 K
3B Jordan Groshans0-for-4
2B Josh VanMeter1-for-3, HR (2), RBI, RS, 2 K

RHP Clayton Beeter: (W, 1-0)  5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
An impressive night for Beeter. The Yankees could have gone with him over Cody Poteet but they likely want Beeter to work down here. There is nothing wrong with that. Once again, he was primarily 4-seam (66%)-slider (28%) while mixing in a handful of changeups. He peaked at 95.7 MPH.
RHP Matt Givin: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
The Yankees signed Givin to a minor league contract last August. This is the 24-year-old’s organizational debut (he never pitched above High-A while in the Marlins organization).
RHP Jake Cousins (S, 2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Somerset (4-4) (Swept a doubleheader up in New Hampshire)

Game 1 (Won, 10-2)

DH Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 2B (1), RBI, 3 RS, BB
Jones finally makes his 2024 debut. One of the Yankees’ top prospects (he could be #1 based on who you ask), Jones went 8-for-18 with two doubles and a homer during spring training.
1B T.J. Rumfield2-for-4, RBI, RS
7-for-23 (.304) with a double, six walks, and four strikeouts.
SS Ben Cowles0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
C J.C. Escarra0-for-2, SF, 2 RBI, BB
CF Grant Richardson0-for-4
RF Jared Wegner1-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS, K
Back-to-back games with a home run.
2B Anthony Seigler1-for-4, RS, K
LF Aaron Palensky2-for-3, 2 2B (3), RS, BB, K
5-for-17 with three doubles, five walks, and five strikeouts.
3B Max Burt1-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (1), K
Burt reached double digits in home runs and stolen bases in 2022 and 2023.

RHP Bailey Dees4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 6 K
Bees tosses 81 pitches in his second start of the season. He is converting from the bullpen, so it’s a process.
RHP Kevin Stevens (W, 1-0): 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Game 2 (Won, 3-1)

DH Ben Rice1-for-4
.233/.324/.333 in 34 PA. He hit a leadoff HR on Opening Day and hasn’t homered since. Is that a problem? No. It’s the quirks of baseball.
C Agustin Ramirez2-for-4, HR (6), RBI, RS
He has homered in six of his seven games this season (and has a 7-game hitting streak that is eight if you go back to 2023). He is hitting .290/.333/.871 in 33 PA.
3B Ben Cowles2-for-3, 2B (4), 2 RS, HBP
Cowles is hitting .407/.500/.556 in 32 PA. He has hit safely in seven of his eight games.
RF J.C. Escarra1-for-4, 2B (2), RBI, K
Catcher in Game 1, RF in Game 2. That is how a player can keep himself employed.
CF Grant Richardson0-for-4, 4 K
2B Anthony Seigler1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
LF Jared Wegner1-for-3, SB (2)
Wegner had a solid senior season for Arkansas (.312/.457/.674 with 15 home runs), enough for the Yankees to draft him. While he did play a little CF in college, he likely sticks to the corner OF spots in the pros.
1B Spencer Henson0-for-3
Like Jones, this is Henson’s 2024 debut. Last season, for Hudson Valley, the 26-year-old hit .252/.327/.453 with 14 home runs in 339 plate appearances. 
SS Max Burt0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 2-0) 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
First two professional starts: 11 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 12 K. Is he this year’s Drew Thorpe? Way too early for that, but you have to be encouraged when a kid is thrown straight into the Double-A fire without any other minor league experience and performs.
RHP Carlos Gomez (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K


Hudson Valley (4-2) (Defeated Rome, 3-0)

2B Jared Serna1-for-5, RS, K
.263/.391/.579 in 23 PA with four walks and three strikeouts. 
3B Jesus Rodriguez0-for-4
I have mentioned his versatility in the past. In his six starts this year, he has played third base three times, catcher twice, and left field once. Last year, he played the same positions along with time at first base.
DH Omar Martinez1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, K
7-for-21 with a triple, home run, two walks, and four strikeouts. There is nice catching depth in the system.
RF Garrett Martin1-for-3, RS, SB (1), HBP
Martin’s first professional stolen base.
C Rafael Flores2-for-4, RS, K
7-for-20 with two doubles and a homer. He will split time between catching and first base.
1B Kiko Romero0-for-2, 2 BB, 2K
SS Alexander Vargas0-for-4, RBI, K
CF Nelson Medina0-for-4, 4 K
LF Cole Gabrielson0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Sebastian Keane4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Keane was used primarily as a reliever during his 2023 debut season. However, he had plenty of experience as a starter in college. They didn’t push him beyond 72 pitches, but this effort was impressive.
RHP Trent Sellers (W, 2-0): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 12 K. I would consider this a nice start to his career.
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert (S, 2): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K


Tampa (2-6) (Defeated Dunedin, 8-7, in ten innings)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 SB (5), 2 BB, 3 K
Lombard Jr. has a silly 35% BB rate. Small sample sizes rule. The single was a 107.2 MPH bullet that brought in the winning run in the 10th.
DH Roderick Arias: 2-for-5, 2 2B (3), RS, CS (2), 2 K
Arias is hitting .212 with a .752 OPS. Five of his seven hits have gone for extra bases (3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR). 
3B Dylan Jasso1-for-2, RS, 3 BB
7-for-21 with six walks. Many undrafted free agents are on the older side, but Jasso is only 21.
1B Coby Morales0-for-4, BB, K
CF Willy Montero1-for-5, RBI, 2 K
Montero was second to teammate John Cruz (no longer in the system) with his 43 RBI in the FCL last year. He is off to a slow start here (3-for-26).
RF Daury Arias0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
C Tomas Frick1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB, K
  PR Enmanuel Tejeda0-for-0, RS
LF Tayler Aguilar1-for-2, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (2), 3 BB, K
It has been a frustrating few years for Aguilar, so it’s nice to see him put up this effort.
2B Brenny Escanio0-for-4, RS, BB, K

RHP Ryan Harvey1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Harvey spent time on the injured list late last season, so I assume they are bringing him back slowly.
RHP Kris Bow2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
The results aren’t what he wants, but he did touch 97 MPH (he averaged 94). He has control issues (understatement) that he will need to clean up.
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 4 K
You can work with someone who flashes mid-90s 4-seamers and sinkers (he featured a 5-pitch mix tonight).
RHP Aaron Nixon2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Huey Morrill: (W, 2-0)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K


FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.


DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!