Tag: Spencer Jones

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 Pereira: 1-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 Torrens: 0-for-5, RS, 2 K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-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 Rojas: 1-for-4, 2B (7), 3 RBI, 2 K
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Luis Gonzalez: 3-for-4, RS, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-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 Bickford: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Cody Morris: 1 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 Rice: 1-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 Cowles: 3-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 Groshans: 0-for-1
  SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RBI, K
Vargas has 18 career triples in 307 games. 
3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, HBP
LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 3B (2), 2 RS, BB, K
DH Jared Wegner: 2-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 Palensky: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K

LHP Brock Selvidge: 7 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 Calderon: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

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

LF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, K
Avina has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-19)
SS Jared Serna: 0-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 Martinez: 0-for-4, K
C Jesus Rodriguez: 0-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 Moylan: 0-for-3, K
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-2, BB, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3
2B Beau Brewer: 1-for-3
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-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 Pestana: 2.1 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 Ayers: 2 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 Tejeda: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K, CI
Tejeda’s hitting streak is snapped at eight. 
1B Oscar Gonzalez: 1-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 Arias: 2-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 Jasso: 2-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 Morales: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RS, BB
  RF Daury Arias: 0-for-0
RF-CF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
C Tomas Frick: 3-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 Escanio: 2-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 Warren: 1 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 Gabonia: 1 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 Hendry, receiving 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 Durbin: 1-for-4, RS, CS (1), HBP, K
DH Everson Pereira: 2-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. Rumfield: 2-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 VanMeter: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
.281/.364/.491 in 67 PA. 
RF Luis Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-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 Maciejewski: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 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 Rice: 2-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 Cowles: 1-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. Escarra: 2-for-6, 3B (2), 2 RBI, 2 RS
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, BB
LF Grant Richardson: 3-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 Seigler: 1-for-5, 2B (4), RBI, RS, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-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 Myatt: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

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

CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, RBI, HBP, K
Avina is 9-for-25 with a double, home run, and 3 RBI.
SS Jared Serna: 0-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 Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, 2 K
.296/.415/.519 in 65 PA. 
2B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-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 Moylan: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
.225/.385/.300 in 52 PA with a home run, ten walks, and 16 strikeouts.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, 2B (5), RS, BB, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS
RF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3, 3 K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-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 Tejeda: 1-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 Arias: 0-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 Jasso: 0-for-5, 2 K
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-3, SB (2)
  LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-1
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Tomas Frick: 1-for-3, RS, HBP
Frick is 7-for-24 with five walks and five strikeouts.
C Edinson Duran: 2-for-4, RS, K

LHP Allen Facundo: 4.2 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 Bow: 2.1 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 Vivas: 1-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 Durbin: 0-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 Pereira: 0-for-4, 2 K
.239/.333/.577 in 81 PA with a 9.9% BB and 37% K.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 K
Rumfield is 7-for-25 since his promotion
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-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 Torrens: 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS
Torrens’ first homer as a member of the Yankees’ organization since 9/3/16.
SS Kevin Smith: 1-for-3, K
Smith cleared waivers and was outrighted back to Scranton.
3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3.1 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 Bickford: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 2 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 LeMahieu: 0-for-1, K
   SS Alexander Vargas: 0-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 Ramirez: 1-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 Rice: 0-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 Cowles: 1-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 Dunham: 0-for-3
RF Grant Richardson: 0-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 Stevens: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 0.2 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 Serna: 0-for-3, BB
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 3-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 Martinez: 0-for-4, K
LF Garrett Martin: 1-for-4, SB (5), 3 K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-2, 2 BB
.233/.425/.333 in 40 plate appearances.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-4, K
2B Beau Brewer: 0-for-3

RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-1) 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
RHP Cole Ayers: 2 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 Pestana: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1.1 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 Gonzalez: 0-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 Tejeda: 2-for-4, K
Tejeda increases his hitting streak to five (8-for-22). 
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-3, RBI, SB (4), BB, K
.203/.319/.390 in 69 PA. The numbers are starting to look more respectable.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Coby Morales: 2-for-3, SB (4), BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-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 Palencia: 1-for-3, RS

RHP Gabriel Barbosa: 6 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 Rodriguez: 1 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 Durbin: 1-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 Pereira: 2-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. Rumfield: 0-for-3, SF, 2 RBI
Rumfield is 6-for-22 with six RBI since his promotion (.300/.379/.360 in 58 PA)
1B Carlos Narvaez: 0-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 Rojas: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, BB
3B Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-4
LF Luis Gonzalez: 2-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 Andrews: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP McKinley Moore: 0 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 Maciejewski: 2 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 Misiewicz: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Tanner Tully: 1 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 Ramirez: 1-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 Rice: 0-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 Dunham: 0-for-4, 3 K
3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, 2B (7), K
Cowles has seven doubles in 15 games. Does he think he is Earl Webb or something?
1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, RS
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, RS
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, RS, CS (1), K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-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 Selvidge: 5 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 Neely: 1.1 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 Mauricio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

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

SS Roc Riggio: 0-for-5, CS (1), 2 K
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, K
Avina’s first extra-base hit as a member of the Yankees’ organization.
C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K
DH Omar Martinez: 1-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 Martin: 0-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 Flores: 0-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 Romero: 0-for-4, 3 K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Cam Schlittler: 4 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 Sellers: 1 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 Tejeda: 1-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 Arias: 1-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 Jasso: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
.250/.443/.364 in 61 PA. 
1B Coby Morales: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 1-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 Arias: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-3, BB
LF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
2B Brenny Escanio: 1-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 Nixon: 1.2 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 Morrill: 2 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 Lockridge: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K
SS Caleb Durbin: 0-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 Pereira: 1-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. Rumfield: 0-for-4, RBI, K
1B Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-3, SF, RBI
.218/.400/.327 in 75 PA (3 doubles, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 15 BB, 16 K)
C Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, 2B (2), BB, K
Torrens’ first game since 4/12.
LF Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, RS, BB
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-2, RS, BB, K
2B Josh VanMeter: 2-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 Mosqueda: 1.2 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 Santos: 1 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. Escarra: 0-for-4, HBP, 2 K
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, BB, K
LF Grant Richardson: 1-for-5, SB (3), CS (1), K
2B Aaron Palensky: 1-for-4, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-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 Velasquez: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Ryan Anderson: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

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

2B Roc Riggio: 1-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 Avina: 0-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 Rodriguez: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Omar Martinez: 2-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 Martin: 0-for-1, 3 BB, K
.250/.386/.417 in 45 PA
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-2, 2 BB
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-3
LF Kyle Battle: 1-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 Carr: 4 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 Tejeda: 2-for-6, RBI, K
Tejeda is hitting .309 (17-for-55) with a pair of doubles and 9 RBI.  
SS Roderick Arias: 2-for-5, 2B (4), CS (3), BB, K
Six of Arias’ ten hits have gone for extra bases. 
1B-3B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-2, 2B (3), 2 RS, 2 BB, HBP
3B-1B Coby Morales: 0-for-4, RS, SB (3), BB, 2 K
CF Willy Montero: 2-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 Arias: 1-for-3, RS, SB (2), 2 BB, K
C Edinson Duran: 1-for-4, RS, HBP, 2 K
LF Dayro Perez: 1-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 Austin: 2.1 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 Lockridge: 0-for-4, K
SS Caleb Durbin: 0-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 Narvaez: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
LF Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RS, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 2-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 Breaux: 0-for-4, K
RF Luis Gonzalez: 0-for-3

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3 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 Santos: 1.2 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 Jones: 1-for-3, RBI
Jones was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double – and was immediately ejected by the umpire.
  RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RS
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-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 Cowles: 1-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 Palensky: 0-for-2, RBI, SB (2), CS (1), 2 BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, 2 K
Double-A debut for the 22-year-old switch-hitter. The bat has yet to develop.
RF-CF Grant Richardson: 1-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 Givin: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

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

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, BB
SS Jared Serna: 0-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 Avina: 0-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 Romero: 0-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 Moylan: 1-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 Medina: 1-for-1, RBI
Game-winning RBI single in the 11th.
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-2, 2 BB
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K
His RBI walk in the 9th tied the game.
LF Kyle Battle: 0-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 Sellers: 2.1 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 Keating: 2.2 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 Tejeda: 0-for-5, K
.300/.341/.300 in 44 PA.
Position distribution: 3B: 5 games; 2B: 3; DH: 2
2B Roderick Arias: 0-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 Jasso: 1-for-3, RS, BB
.276/.463/.379 in 41 PA. 10/8 BB/K.
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
CF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Daury Arias: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
C Manuel Palencia: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS
DH Brenny Escanio: 2-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 Lockridge: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4
Durbin has run into a little slump (2-for-16).  His strikeout rate has fallen below 5% (4.9).
LF Everson Pereira: 0-for-4, 4 K
Pereira has been hitting better lately but has an unsightly 36.2% K.
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K
Power and walks define his offensive game.
1B Jose Rojas: 1-for-2, 2 BB, K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
11-for-34 (.324). 
RF Luis Gonzalez: 1-for-4, 3 K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4
2B Josh VanMeter: 1-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. Rumfield: 2-for-4, RBI, RS
7-for-23 (.304) with a double, six walks, and four strikeouts.
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-2, SF, 2 RBI, BB
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, HR (2), 3 RBI, RS, K
Back-to-back games with a home run.
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-4, RS, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 2-for-3, 2 2B (3), RS, BB, K
5-for-17 with three doubles, five walks, and five strikeouts.
3B Max Burt: 1-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 Dees: 4.1 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 Rice: 1-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 Ramirez: 2-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 Cowles: 2-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. Escarra: 1-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 Richardson: 0-for-4, 4 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-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 Henson: 0-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 Burt: 0-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 Serna: 1-for-5, RS, K
.263/.391/.579 in 23 PA with four walks and three strikeouts. 
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 0-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 Martinez: 1-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 Martin: 1-for-3, RS, SB (1), HBP
Martin’s first professional stolen base.
C Rafael Flores: 2-for-4, RS, K
7-for-20 with two doubles and a homer. He will split time between catching and first base.
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, RBI, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-4, 4 K
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Sebastian Keane: 4.1 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 Jasso: 1-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 Morales: 0-for-4, BB, K
CF Willy Montero: 1-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 Arias: 0-for-4, RS, BB, 2 K
C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RBI, RS, BB, K
  PR Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-0, RS
LF Tayler Aguilar: 1-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 Escanio: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K

RHP Ryan Harvey: 1 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 Bow: 2.2 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 Nixon: 2.1 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!

Yankees MILB: Top 30 Prospects

Notes:

  1. I tend to rank prospects who have yet to make it to a full-season league lower than most. The attrition rate is too high, and that is true even for the best of the best.
  2. I try to keep the list simple. Other publications that are readily available will get into in-depth discussion. I don’t feel that repeating a scouting report adds much to my writing.
  3. I am constantly reading about prospects and looking at lists. That said, I rank based on how I feel about a prospect while recognizing the bias in knowing where others rank them.

With that said, here is my list of 30:

1. Jasson Dominguez, 22, CF
When you play as well as he did at Double-A, you can’t ignore it. He isn’t the blend of every HOF player that some were making him out to be – but that isn’t his fault.
2. Spencer Jones, 22, CF
Is he the lefty version of Aaron Judge? Is he a more athletic, lefty version of Richie Sexson? One should be satisfied with either outcome as his prospect volatility is high and neither outcome is guaranteed.
3. Chase Hampton, 22, RHP
The Yankees hung onto Hampton as they depleted their depth. Hampton is more about the total package than radar gun readings, but that package includes the potential for four plus MLB pitches. He wasn’t as dominant in Double-A as he was in High-A, so that should be monitored.
4. Austin Wells, 24, C
Were the Yankees right in keeping him behind the plate? He likely isn’t filling his trophy case with Gold Gloves, but he has Silver Slugger finalist potential.
5. Will Warren, 24, RHP
He is more about polish than upside at this point – but what’s wrong with that? He will make some starts for the Yankees in 2024.
6. Everson Pereira, 22, OF
Even his biggest supporters likely weren’t surprised by his less-than-stellar MLB debut. He screams of a prospect who needs time to marinate.
7. Roderick Arias, 19, SS
Questions about the hit tool have arisen, which scares you given what has happened with Alexander Vargas. That said, are we just going to ignore the 10.6% reduction in his K% between the DSL and FCL?
8. George Lombard Jr, 18, SS
His small sample in Low-A Tampa was encouraging. How far can he leap in 2024?
9. Agustin Ramirez, 22, C
He stalled in Double-A but moved through the system quickly for a catcher. Earned his 40-man roster slot.
10. Jared Serna, 21, 2B
I will keep him at 2B rather than labeling him as a UTIL, but the Yankees are starting to move him around. Serna has surprising pop in a smaller package but didn’t homer in 27 games after his promotion to High-A.
11. Brock Selvidge, 21, LHP
There could be some Jordan Montgomery in Selvidge once he puts the entire package together. He reduced his BB rate in 2023.
12. Jorbit Vivas, 23, 2B
Acquired in a deal with the Dodgers, the possibility exists that he will be in the 2B mix in 2025 if Gleyber Torres isn’t retained. One way to keep Juan Soto is by going with cheap youth elsewhere on the field. 2B may offer that opportunity in 2025.
13. Brando Mayea, 18, OF
Bonus baby OF hit well in his first taste of professional ball in 2023. All you ask for in a rookie league prospect is that they do enough to deserve a chance in a full-season league down the line.
14. Henry Lalane, 19, LHP
Unusual hype for a pitcher who hasn’t reached a full-season league yet. That both scares and intrigues me. My skepticism over rookie league pitchers deflates my ranking.
15. Luis Gil, 25, RHP
His arm is gold when he is healthy. I am being bullish here because I think his ceiling as an overpowering relief pitcher is still attainable.
16. Yoendrys Gomez, 24, RHP
The Yankees love Gomez so much that they have him on the 40-man despite a long injury history. His mileage is low and his upside remains tantalizing. This is his prove-it year.
17. Ben Rice, 25, C/1B/DH
Rice will have to hit as his future position is in question. I find myself constantly wondering where he fits in the Yankees’ puzzle despite his sweet left-handed power swing. With Anthony Rizzo, a potential free agent (the Yankees hold an option), can Rice factor into the 2025 lineup equation? Could that be another opportunity to go cheaper at one position to help retain Soto?
18. Carlos Lagrange, 20, RHP
He doesn’t get the hype Lalane does but don’t sleep on him. He is no longer a teenager, so it’s time to start moving.
19. Clayton Beeter, 25, RHP
My viewpoint that he is a mid-to-late inning reliever over a starter pulls his ranking down. Not as bullish as I am with Gil.
20. Roc Riggio, 21, 2B
If you want a prospect with some swagger, Riggio has it in spades. He’s going to be fun to watch as he marches up the system. His draft day story is a fun read for anyone who wishes to dig into it: The Yankees called him, offered him a slot bonus, he said “No,” and the Yankees drafted him anyway. He ended up getting an overslot bonus. That’s confidence, folks.
21. Kyle Carr, 21, LHP
Yankees fans have a weak spot for left-handed pitching prospects. I know this because I am included on that list. Supposedly has touched as high as 97 on the radar gun – and that was before entering the Yankees Pitching Factory.
22. Keiner Delgado, 20, 2B
Delgado should be done with posting video game numbers in the rookie leagues. In 101 rookie league games, he has 70 stolen bases, 104 runs scored, and a higher BB% than K%.
23. Enmanuel Tejeda, 19, 2B/SS
Raked in the DSL in 2022. Followed that up by raking in the FCL in 2023. How will he do in his first taste of a full-season league?
24. Brendan Beck, 25, RHP
If you want my “who isn’t being talked about that can make his debut in 2024?” candidate, it is Beck. He has to prove his polish is still there, however, as he is already Rule 5 eligible after 2024. Pitching injuries suck.
25. Luis Serna, 19, RHP
It’s harder for a Serna-type prospect to get noticed, as he isn’t going to overwhelm you on the radar gun. His floor intrigues me, even without the extreme ceiling. Essentially, he is a younger version of Beck.
26. Caleb Durbin, 24, 2B
A sneaky pickup from Atlanta in the Lucas Luetge deal, Durbin is all about contact and his ability to steal some bags. He seemed to be on his way to 50+ SB before his injury. Another kid to potentially put into the future 2B mix, though he isn’t your prototypical Yankees prospect.
27. Danny Watson/Jack Neely, 23, RHP
I figured I would lump these two tall relievers together. Either of them can make their big league debut in 2024, though Watson intrigues the most. He doesn’t throw hard, but his funky motion and size seem to befuddle minor-league bats. They weren’t on the spring training invite list, but they could still make spring training appearances, especially early on.
28. Christopher Familia, 23, OF
Familia has developed a cult following due to his 22 HR performance in only 68 games. Can he keep it up as he gets to Double-A?
29. Zach Messinger, 24, RHP
A product of the Yankees’ pitching factory, Messinger is a tall (6’6″) converted reliever with good strikeout results.
30. Jesus Rodriguez, 21, C/1B/3B/LF
One of my favorite 2023 prospects, Rodriguez was the only player in the system (amongst players with at least 300 plate appearances) to hit .300+ (.310/.399/.450; 134 wRC+). He struck out only 15.2% of the time. Most impressively to me is that he was able to sustain this performance despite being asked to play several positions, including catcher.

“Who isn’t here?”

Catchers:

Antonio Gomez was once, in my opinion, the best overall catching prospect in the system. His stock has fallen.
The Yankees added C Carlos Narvaez to the 40-man roster to prevent him from leaving as he was scheduled to be a minor league free agent. Never ignore when an organization does that, but I still don’t think he is quite Top 30 material. He could elevate to the important role as the third catcher, though Ben Rortvedt is currently in that spot.
Rafael Flores may be our next Kyle Higashioka. He needs plenty of time and will need to overachieve, but it’s not out of the question that he will someday carve out a career as an MLB backup.
Anthony Seigler and Josh Breaux look like fillers at this point. Seigler, a switch-hitter with athleticism, has a slightly higher upside. However, staying healthy has been a major issue.
Omar Martinez is a lost-in-the-shuffle prospect who put up impressive numbers in Low-A. The 22-year-old surprisingly wasn’t promoted at any point last season, but there was a logjam in front of him.
Edgleen Perez has enough prospect shine where Fangraphs has him ranked 14th in the system. He wasn’t even mentioned on the Prospects 1500 Top 50 list. So, where do I stand with him? Nowhere. You may expect someone who writes about an organization’s prospects to know everything, but I do not. I will just monitor him as he may not even make it to a full-season league until 2025.

Other position players

Double-A sluggers Tyler Hardman and T.J. Rumfield have MLB upside, but aren’t the types of prospects I would typically rank. I don’t think they have the tantalizing bat that Rice possesses, which is why Rice makes it and they don’t. Hardman strikes out too much but has 52 home runs and a .491 slugging percentage in 916 career plate appearances. Rumfield had a power surge in 2023.
SS Alexander Vargas is a frustrating prospect. He won’t need to be moved off of shortstop, but the bat is not developing.
SS Hans Montero bounced back in 2023, but he gets lost in the shuffle in this system. He may have to add some versatility to his game.
IF Ben Cowles was sent to the Arizona Fall League in 2023 and performed well. He should find himself in Somerset/Scranton for all of 2024.
OF John Cruz and Willy Montero finished 1-2 in the FCL in runs batted in. Cruz generated some buzz by being one of only three FCL players to hit double-digit home runs.
OF Anthony Hall played well in Tampa after he came back from his injury. His stint in Hudson Valley didn’t go well.
OF Jace Avina is a right-handed bat acquired from the Brewers in a trade for Jake Bauers this winter. I don’t know much about him, but his 2023 season suggests he has power to tap into though he needs to cut down on the strikeouts. He hit .233/.373/.442 in 99 games with 14 home runs, a 14% BB, and 29.6% K.
OF Elijah Dunham may be kicking himself. As the Yankees struggled to find outfielders in 2023, the door was open for Dunham to make his case for some at-bats. He had trouble getting anything going, however, and will once again look the part of a depth outfielder.
OF Brandon Lockridge has a 4th/5th outfielder profile, given his speed and ability to play defense. While he has shown off a little pop in his minor league career, one doesn’t expect the bat to carry him to become an MLB regular. He has been invited to spring training.
OF Aaron Palensky couldn’t sustain his insane numbers once he reached the upper minors. That said, he still drew plenty of walks and hit ten home runs in 71 Double-A/Triple-A games.
OF Gabriel Lara is light years away but I think he deserves a shoutout. One of the fastest players in professional baseball, Lara’s bat was better than I expected in his first professional season: .267/.401/.411 with a 15.4% BB and 16.5% K. He is a deep-deep-deep sleeper.

Pitchers

The next wave of pitchers down in the rookie leagues is promising, but it is still the rookie leagues. Included on that list are Jerson Alejandro (who, at 17, is 6’6″/255 pounds), Chalniel Arias, Sabier Marte, Jordarlin Mendoza, Angel Benitez, and Joshawn Lampson. It’s a fascinating array of arms, but please remember that if one of them becomes an MLB starter, that’s a win. That is how attrition works at the lowest levels in the minors. I tend to pay closer attention to pitchers like these once they get to a full-season league – that is if they get there.

RHP Justin Lange shows flashes of brilliance and flashes of frustration. Many pitchers wish they had his arm talent – but wouldn’t want to inherit his command. I would be intrigued to see what he can do as an “air it out” reliever.
LHP Edgar Barclay has a chance to make his MLB debut in 2024. I expected a team to grab him in the Rule 5 to at least give him a long spring training look. His ability to go multiple innings gives him value as a 27th man during a doubleheader or as someone you bring up when the bullpen is exhausted.
LHP Matt Krook continues to hang onto his 40-man roster spot. If he continues to stick through spring training, you will see him in 2024. Matt Blake loves his sinker ballers, and Krook generates a lot of ground balls. His first MLB audition didn’t go as planned.
RHP Bailey Dees could have been lumped in with Watson/Neely above, but I think they have more upside.
RHP Sean Hermann is only 20 and has a game of High-A experience. His 57.2% GB rate ranked 6th amongst all minor leaguers with 100+ IP.
RHP Trystan Vrieling has yet to make his organizational debut but was able to start five games (only 10.2 IP) in the Arizona Fall League.
RHP Sean Boyle is 27 years old. His 2023 season was a lost one, as he made only nine starts. He could factor in as depth if he is good in 2024. I have no idea.

Other relief-type prospects to watch include LHP Lisandro Santos, RHP Harrison Cohen, LHP Ryan Anderson, RHP Alex Mauricio, RHP Luis Velasquez, LHP Clay Aguilar, and RHP Justin Wilson

“Where are X, Y, Z?”

I try to be comprehensive with my minor league reporting but that doesn’t mean I am perfect (far from it, if you want me to be honest). If a favorite prospect of yours isn’t listed, you can chalk it up to me not being able to write about everyone. Feel free to bookmark this and call me a fool if a pitcher I didn’t list strikes out 35% of the batters he faces this year or a position player swats 25 home runs.

The Bottom Line

The Yankees are consistently amongst the top ten minor league systems in baseball according to the “experts,” despite trading away a load of upper-level depth in recent times.

“It’s the Yankees, so of course they will be overhyped!” Maybe there is some truth to this at some level. However, where is the incentive to do that? Why would Keith Law, who doesn’t even have Spencer Jones in his Top 100, place the Yankees in his top ten for hype reasons alone? It makes no sense. I would argue that it is equally appealing to rank the Yankees low on a list, as that will drive major discussion and engagement. In other words, stop overanalyzing everything and accept that you are a fan of an organization that has a desirable farm system.

Yankees: A Look at the Non-Roster Invitees

A quick look at the players invited to spring training.

Quick reminder: Players on the 40-man roster will not be included in spring training invites. One doesn’t need to ask where Agustin Ramirez is, for example.

RHP Nick Burdi – The 31-year-old Burdi has 19 games of MLB experience with the Pirates and Cubs, pitching to a 9.39 ERA (3.34 FIP). His very small sample size shows an incredible strikeout rate (36%) to go along with an elevated walk (13.3%) and flyball rate (55.3%).
RHP Yerry De Los Santos – Out of the Pirates organization, the 26-year-old pitched to a 3.33 ERA (4.04 FIP) in 22 games in 2023. The Yankees will love his groundball rate (54.9%/0.37 HR/9) though he doesn’t miss many bats. He throws his 95 MPH sinker often, but I bet Matt Blake will ask him to throw it even more.
RHP Joey Gerber – An 8th round pick out of Illinois back in 2018, Gerber has dealt with various injuries and has pitched in only one organized game since making his MLB debut in 2020. The Yankees signed Gerber to a 3-year minor league deal in 2022, as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.
RHP Chase Hampton – Likely the top pitching prospect in the system, Hampton dazzled in High-A Hudson Valley in 2023 (2.68 ERA (2.86 FIP) with a 40.5% K rate). His numbers predictably dipped for Somerset (4.37 ERA/3.80 FIP/27.4% K). He won’t make the team this spring, but a mid-season debut shouldn’t be ruled out.
RHP Dennis Santana – Santana has made MLB appearances in each of the last six seasons, most recently with the Mets in 2023. His velocity is what allows him to keep cashing paychecks, but the results are far from spectacular (5.17 career ERA/4.26 FIP). I wouldn’t be surprised if people are dazzled by him in spring training, but his best role will be as Triple-A emergency depth.
RHP Duane Underwood Jr. – Like Santana, Underwood has appeared in games from 2018-2023. Between 2021-2022, he appeared in 94 games with the Pirates, compiling a 4.36 ERA (3.68 FIP), 45.7% GB, and 21.1% K. He was a second round pick in 2012 and had some prospect pedigree once upon a time.
RHP Art Warren – Like Gerber, Warren was signed to a multi-year minor league deal as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He appeared in 39 games for the 2022 Reds, compiling a 6.50 ERA (5.06 FIP) over 36 innings.
RHP Will Warren – The more familiar Warren should make his MLB debut in 2024, perhaps as early as Opening Day (though I wouldn’t count on that). The 8th round pick in 2021 surged down the stretch for Triple-A Scranton to finish with a 3.61 ERA over 99.2 innings with a 25.6% K and 52.7% GB. If there was ever a modern Yankees pitcher profile, that would be it.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz – Misiewicz pitched for three teams in 2023, ending his season with the Yankees. He re-signed this winter to a minor league deal and figures to provide Triple-A depth.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda – Mosqueda (Bob Sheppard would have had a blast pronouncing his name) has yet to appear in an MLB game. A long-time Red Sox prospect, he pitched in 196 games as a member of the organization, compiling a 4.21 ERA over 331.2 IP with a 410/167 K/BB. He will be the left-handed Garrett Whitlock. OK, maybe not.
LHP Tanner Tully – Tully figures to have the same role he had last year. He made 19 starts for Scranton, compiling a 5.64 ERA over 91 innings. Every minor league system needs a veteran to eat some innings. Tully did fulfill his MLB dream when he had a cup of coffee for the 2022 Guardians.
C Josh Breaux – The power prospect has 67 homers and a .461 SLG in 315 minor league games. The rest of his game has not developed, however.
C J.C. Escarra – The 28-year-old hasn’t played an inning of affiliated ball since 2021. The long-time Orioles prospect toiled around in the Independent leagues in 2023, hitting .267/.362/.422 in 93 games.
C Ben Rice – Rice has certainly turned heads with his left-handed power swing that appears to be perfect for Yankee Stadium. His future position is the big question mark. For those who have been around for a while, there could be some Brian Daubach in his profile. Daubach didn’t break into the big leagues until he was 26. From 1999-2002 (ages 27-30), he hit .266/.342/.492 (111 OPS+) as a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox.
C Luis Torrens – Welcome back! Torrens was a hot catching prospect years ago for the Yankees, until a shoulder injury knocked him out of commission for a year. In 2016, he returned to hit .230/.348/.317 in 40 High-A games. The Yankees felt safe in not protecting him in the Rule 5, only for the Padres to gobble him up. His best MLB season was back in 2021, when he hit .243/.299/.431 (101 wRC+) with 15 home runs for the Seattle Mariners. Depending on further transactions, Torrens could be as high as the #3 catcher on the depth chart, though Ben Rortvedt and Carlos Narvaez both occupy 40-man roster spots.
INF Jeter Downs – A story made for Hollywood (or at least an afterschool special), Downs was one of the prospects sent to the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade. Once a Top 100 prospect in all of baseball, Downs has not lived up to his potential and figures to only be depth for the 2024 Yankees.
IF Caleb Durbin – Acquired from the Braves for Lucas Luetge, Durbin became a bit of a prospect celebrity early in 2023 (before an injury robbed him of several weeks of playing time). His ability to make contact (6.2% K) and steal bases (36) likely appealed to old men like me who once watched a sport that was once abundant in low strikeout rates and base stealers. Not your prototypical Yankees prospect (there is not going to be power to tap into), Durbin has the ability to make it to MLB in 2024.
IF Jose Rojas – And you thought the Yankees didn’t sign KBO players! Rojas spent 2023 in Korea, where he hit .253/.345/.474 (126 wRC+) over 464 plate appearances. The 30-year-old has 83 games of MLB experience, all with the Dodgers in 2021-2022. He has experience at every position other than catcher, shortstop, and center field (the three most important ones!)
IF T.J. Rumfield – Acquired from the Phillies before the 2022 season, Rumfield experienced a power surge in 2023 for Somerset. Before 2023, he hit four home runs in 84 career games. In 2023, he hit 17 in 82 games while in Somerset. As a left-handed bat, that grabs the attention of Yankees fans.
IF Kevin Smith – If you want playing time, signing with Oakland is not a bad idea. Smith appeared in 96 games for the 2022-2023 Athletics, hitting a meager .182/.218/.314 with seven homers. He plays shortstop and third base.
IF Josh VanMeter – VanMeter has a decent MLB sample size, appearing in 300 games with three different teams between 2019-2022. In those games, he has compiled a .206/.293/.347 line with 19 homers, 79 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. Positional versatility is where he shines, though he doesn’t play shortstop or center field.
OF Greg Allen – The Yankees seemingly love Allen. He made MLB appearances for them in 2022 and 2023. The Yankees went as far as sending a prospect to the Red Sox last year to reacquire his services. Allen’s entire game revolves around speed and his ability to play CF, which is why he will continue to sign contracts.
OF Luis Gonzalez – No, not that Luis Gonzalez. This Luis Gonzalez is a 28-year-old lefthanded bat with 107 games of MLB experience (Giants, White Sox). His MLB stat line isn’t so bad for a backup: .255/.328/.363 (99 wRC+) and  he can handle all three outfield positions though you likely wouldn’t want to overexpose him in center field.
OF Oscar Gonzalez – Claimed off waivers, earlier this winter, Gonzalez was sent back through waivers by the Yankees only to be unclaimed. Gonzalez looked like a legitimate MLB outfielder in 2022, when he hit .296/.327/.461 in 91 games for the Guardians. He didn’t come close to repeating that in 2023 (49 wRC+ in 54 games!). The Yankees are hoping for some magic.
OF Spencer Jones – Jones is one of the Yankees most highly-regarded prospects – a few sites even have him ranked first overall in the system. A big kid with big potential power, Jones will need to tap into that power while continuing to reduce his strikeout rates. Simply put, there is a lot of volatility in his profile. One can see a future All-Star while others may see someone who won’t be able to put the entire package together. His 2024 season will be fascinating.
OF Brandon Lockridge – If it feels as if Lockridge has been around forever, you aren’t wrong. He has appeared in 422 minor league games for the Yankees, sporting a .263/.334/.420 line with 43 homers and 101 stolen bases. Known for his speed and ability to play center field, I think Lockridge has some Tim Locastro in his profile. If that makes you laugh, remember that Locastro has played in 290 major league games.

Yankees MILB 9/17: Will Warren Ks 10

News:

I have nothing interesting to report.

Scranton (70-72; 36-32 in the second half) (Defeated Buffalo, 7-6, in 12 innings. They still have one week left in the season)

C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-4, 2 BB
RF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 BB, K, SB (8)
3B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-5, SF, RBI, RS, 2 K
Chaparro is up to 85 RBI. 15 RBI in six games is a tall task if he wants to reach 100, but his season will go down as a productive one.
1B Josh Breaux: 2-for-5, RS
DH Jake Lamb: 1-for-4, RS, BB, 3 K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 3-for-5, 2 2B (13), RBI, RS, 2 K
I like utility types that show some pop, which is why I have bullish tendencies with Bastidas. He won’t be a star – he may be nothing more than an up-and-down guy. But I do think he makes MLB.
LF Aaron Palensky: 1-for-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, 2 BB
Palensky’s HR in the top of the 9th tied the score at 4. He has 21 home runs between here, Somerset, and Hudson Valley.
2B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-5, K
CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-4, 2 RS, BB, K, CS (1)

RHP Frankie Montas: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Montas featured all four of his pitches, maxing out at 96.1 MPH. While he is intriguing and you can never have enough pitching, I think they move on from Montas this winter. They have young arms who are ready to contribute + they will seemingly be heavily involved in negotiations for Japanese RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
RHP Will Warren: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
Sometimes, I worry when a starter follows up a rehabbing player – but it certainly didn’t impact Warren today. This is his first career double-digit strikeout performance. In September, the 24-year-old is dominating, pitching to a 0.38 ERA in 23.2 IP (10 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 9 BB, 29 K). Overall, for Scranton, he owns a 3.71 ERA in 94.2 IP (78 H, 49 R, 39 ER, 45 BB, 103 K). Unless they bring him up to the big leagues now, he is in line for one more start this season.
RHP Michael Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Matt Bowman: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Zach Greene : 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Aaron McGarity: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
LHP Clay Aguilar (W, 1-1): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Aguilar appears to be a slider/change-up heavy reliever.

Somerset (84-53; 42-27 in the second half) (Closed out their regular season with a 7-1 win over New Hampshire. Their playoff journey starts on Tuesday against Binghamton)

SS Trey Sweeney: 2-for-5, 2B (20), 2 RS, K
.252/.367/.411 in 472 PA (20 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 67 R, 65 BB, 90 K, 20-for-27 SB). The injury sucked but 472 plate appearances is more than enough for evaluation.
DH Ben Rice: 2-for-4, HR (16), 3 RBI, RS, BB
Between all levels, Rice finishes (assuming he doesn’t go to Scranton) his regular season with 20 homers, 68 RBI, and 62 runs scored in only 73 games.
CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-5, HR (3), 2 RBI, RS, K
Jones compiles three straight multi-hit games to close out his regular season. In his last ten games, he went 15-for-42 (.357) to help him finish his Somerset campaign at .261 with a .739 OPS.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-5, 2B (7), K
Why don’t I worry much about Ramirez’s slump after coming to this level? He struck out 19.4% of the time after his promotion. Overall, he struck out 17.3% of the time this season. Yes, it spiked a bit for Somerset but it is not outrageous – he seemingly was not overwhelmed here. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, 2B (14), 2 K
  1B Mickey Gasper:  0-for-1, K
2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-5, RS
Durbin hit .304/.395/.427 with 36 stolen bases in 69 games between here and Hudson Valley.
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2B (13), RBI, RS, K, SB (23)
Dunham has 25 doubles and 35 stolen bases between here and Scranton. It has to be at least somewhat frustrating that he wasn’t able to get off to a strong start in 2023, as the Yankees could have deployed him in their much-depleted OF at some point.
3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, K
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K

RHP Matt Sauer: (W, 6-4)  6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, HR
For Somerset: 3.42 ERA in 68.1 IP (49 H, 27 R, 26 ER, 11 HR, 29 BB, 83 K). He had a strong finish and I don’t know if he will slip through the Rule 5 again. 
RHP Jack Neely: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
For Somerset: 2.55 ERA in 17.2 IP (12 H, 9 R, 5 ER, 4 HR, 3 BB, 26 K). Overall, Neely put together a 100/20 in 66.1 IP between here and Hudson Valley. 
LHP Ryan Anderson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (70-62; 31-35 in the second half)  (Lost to Greenville, 2-0, in Game 1. They will once again need to sweep two games. The difference this time is that they are going on the road instead of heading home. In Game 1, a bout of wildness by a pair of relievers cost them – Greenville scored two runs without the benefit of a hit in the 6th)

3B Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, HBP, K
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4
DH Christopher Familia: 1-for-4, K
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 0-for-4
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-3, 3 K
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-2, BB
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-1, 2 BB, K
As you can see, offense was a big issue today…

RHP Jackson Fristoe: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
A nice High-A debut for Fristoe. Yes, the minor league playoffs are built differently (LOL) – a youngster making his level debut in Game 1 of the championship series is likely not all that uncommon. Anyway, Fristoe’s calling card is his ability to throw the baseball fast. We don’t have Savant data for today, but one has to be impressed with the stat line.
RHP Baron Stuart: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Sebastian Keane: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Rodriguez is throwing well as the season comes to a close…
RHP Luis Arejula: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Arejula’s High-A debut. 

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.