Tag: Trent Sellers

Yankees MILB 9/18: Will Warren Tosses 5 Strong Innings

News:

I have nothing to offer.

Scranton (85-60) (Lost to Buffalo, 7-6, in 10 innings. Worcester allowed three runs in the bottom of the 9th to lose, 4-3. Hence, they remain tied with four games left. Scranton holds the tie-breaker (better head-to-head record in the second half))

2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4, BB
Durbin is down to .285 thanks to an 8-for-43 September.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, RBI, HBP, K
1B Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 2B (4), SF, RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, K
DH T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-2, RS, HBP, BB, K
   PR-DH-RF Duke Ellis: 0-for-1, 2 SB (3)
RF-LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, RS, SB (19), 2 BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, RBI, K
LF Jahmai Jones: 0-for-0, RS, HBP
Jones stayed in the game (and scored) after the HBP but left in the next inning.
  LF Cam Eden: 0-for-1
  PH-RF-P Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-2, SB (6), K
CF Greg Allen: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, K

RHP Will Warren: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Final Triple-A numbers: 5.91 ERA (109.2 IP, 114 H, 79 R, 72 ER, 19 HR, 39 BB, 136 K)
RHP Nick Burdi: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 2 HR
RHP Scott Effross: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Oscar Gonzalez (L, 0-1): 0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
Yeah, in a game with major playoff implications, Scranton ran out of pitchers. They needed to use Gonzalez in an attempt to lock down a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the 10th. I love MILB.

Somerset (1-0)

Scheduled day off (travel day to Hartford). They resume the best-of-3 series tomorrow night.

Hudson Valley (3-3) (Lost to Bowling Green, 4-1, to lose the best-of-3 series 2-1. Bowling Green’s absurd pitching (allowed 10 hits in three games) leads them to the promised land. The Renegades had a strong season and should be proud of all they accomplished)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, 2 K
Riggio is an infield prospect without any doubt where his future lies as he didn’t play any position other than second base. I expect him to start 2025 in Somerset.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, 2B (4), RBI, BB, K
Including the playoffs, Lombard Jr. hit 12 doubles in his final 18 games.
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 4 K
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-4, 2B (2)
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 2 K
Martinez’s grand slam in Game 2 was the only mistake the Bowling Green pitching staff made in the series. The Yankees have moved him up one level per season. If that trend continues, he will be in Somerset to start 2025.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Brendan Jones: 1-for-3, RS
After a hot start, Jones’s numbers normalized down the stretch. I expect him to begin 2025 at this level.
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, 2 K

RHP Trent Sellers: (L, 0-1)  5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Full season (including playoffs): 2.23 ERA (92.2 IP, 50 H, 31 R, 23 ER, 42 BB, 113 K).  Sellers wasn’t asked to stretch out much in 2024 but was outstanding. Signed as an undrafted free agent last year, Sellers will be 25 in October. There is zero doubt he will begin 2025 in Somerset.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
At this level (including playoffs): 24 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 27 K.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Matt Keating: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
RHP Mason Vinyard: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Tampa (54-74)

Their season is over.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/10: George Lombard Jr.: 3 Doubles, 3 RBI

News:

Nothing

Scranton (79-58) (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 5-3. Worcester swept two games against Syracuse, so this was a bad night. Worcester is 38-26. Scranton is 36-27)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
2B Caleb Durbin: 0-for-4
.298/.410/.481 in 318 PA at this level.
DH Ben Rice: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 3 K
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-4, K
CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 3-for-4, 2B (20), RS, K
.271/.387/.442 in 375 PA. 
  PR Cam Eden: 0-for-0
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
LF Jahmai Jones: 1-for-2, BB

LHP Josh Maciejewski: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: (L, 4-2)  1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Lou Trivino: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
The rehab clock is closing in on zero…
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (71-61) (Defeated New Hampshire, 8-2. Portland lost, so the Patriots are 0.5 games out in the race for the second-half title with five games to play. No effort is made to ensure teams play an equal amount of games, so the half-game is important. By the way, New Hampshire is not having a good year. They are destined to finish in last place in both halves)

CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-3, 3B (6), RBI, SB (25), BB, K
Jones has a .786 OPS. Can he get to .800? It will take a strong week. That said, his OPS in 2024 is higher than 2023 (.780). In 117 games last year, Jones swatted 29 doubles, 4 triples and 16 home runs. In 117 games this year, he has compiled 29 doubles, 6 triples, and 16 home runs. Interesting.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, RS, HBP, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-3, 2 2B (24), RBI, 2 RS, BB
.234/.347/.405 in 413 PA. Seigler’s highest SLG prior to this season was .391 in 2021.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB, 2 K
RF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 2 HR (13), 6 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Dunham picks a good night to set a personal best for RBI (he hit two 3-run home runs). It is his second multi-HR game in his career (first one was during his 2021 debut season)
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, RS, 2 SB (14), BB
Vargas is 12-for-34 in September
3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 12-7)  6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
4.76 ERA (141.2 IP, 138 H, 78 R, 75 ER, 13 HR, 44 BB, 126 K). Vrieling has been strong down the stretch (2.60 ERA in 34.2 innings over his last 6 starts). He could still start again on Sunday, so I am not labeling this as his final start.
RHP Luis Velasquez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Clayton Beeter: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Can Beeter be an MLB bullpen option this season? If he impresses, why not? It isn’t like the current MLB options are cementing their spots.

Hudson Valley (Defeated Greensboro, 6-0, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series. The final two games will be played in Greensboro (Thursday and Friday (if necessary)).

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, 2B (1), RS
SS George Lombard Jr.: 3-for-5, 3 2B (3), 3 RBI, K
Including the regular season, Lombard Jr. has 11 doubles in his last 13 games. That is what I call “impressive.”
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, BB, K
RF Garrett Martin: 0-for-2, RS, 3 BB
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, BB, K
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS
Jasso’s 3-run homer in the 7th made a 1-0 game a 4-0 game.
CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K
Sellers continues to dazzle. After allowing 5 runs in 1.2 innings on June 25th, he has allowed zero earned runs in 14 of his 15 appearances. The Yankees haven’t stetched him out beyond 4.2 innings, but that is an amazing footnote. The best part of his season is that his walk rate dipped considerably upon being placed in the rotation.
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Kelly Austin: (W, 1-0) 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Blane Abeyta: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

Tampa (54-74)

Their season is over.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/22: Jasson Dominguez: 2 More Hard Hits

News:

Most of the time, roster crunches work themselves out.

In 2024, that might not be the case for the Yankees. The first move was easy, as Oswald Peraza was demoted to make room for Jazz Chisholm Jr. However, it won’t get easier from here.

Utilityman Jon Berti is about to begin a rehab stint, as is 1B Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo can replace Ben Rice, who has options and hasn’t hit much lately. Berti? Good luck with this one. From a management standpoint, the Yankees can do the easy thing:  Demote Oswaldo Cabrera and keep everyone else. Berti would, in theory, be taking most of Cabrera’s playing time and the Yankees can justify it by saying DJ LeMahieu is their only viable defensive first baseman after Rizzo. Berti has never played the position and Cabrera has 28.1 innings there.

Is that what I would do? No.

Beyond that, OF Jasson Dominguez is finding his groove. While we have to factor in a potential adjustment period, it is hard to argue that Alex Verdugo is a better option.

As messy as that is, the pitching staff could be messier. Scott Effross, Nick Burdi, Lou Trivino, Clarke Schmidt, Ian Hamilton, and Cody Poteet are potential MLB options, and Luis Gil will come off the injured list at some point. Schmidt will be promoted as soon as he is ready. The others? They will be in a logjam. The Yankees can demote Will Warren (when Schmidt is ready) and DFA Tim Mayza. Unlike Effross and Hamilton, Trivino is out of options. Once his rehab is over, a roster move must be made. It’s a situation where the Yankees bullpen hasn’t been top-notch, but some of their scrap heap pickups (Tim Hill, Michael Tonkin) have pitched well enough to keep their jobs. Jake Cousins is pitching too well (and missing bats) to send down.

My not-so-educated guess?  They will demote Warren for Schmidt and DFA Mayza for Trivino. Effross, Burdi, Hamilton, and Poteet may have to “wait their turn”. Hamilton has yet to start his rehab stint, so we don’t know what to expect. Keeping Poteet stretched out in Scranton would be prudent. Effross’ rehab ended a while ago. The Yankees aren’t convinced he is ready to contribute, but he is pitching well lately. They have the ability, through options, to keep Gil down in Scranton beyond his IL stint. They can use it as a reset and give him a few innings there to ensure he doesn’t go cold.

Yes, one position player and pitcher will be promoted on September 1st. That helps but doesn’t completely relieve the jam.

Scranton (69-52) (Lost to St. Paul, 8-7)

3B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2 RS, BB
The pesky Durbin is 15-for-55 (.273) in August with more walks (13) than strikeouts (8).
DH Jasson Dominguez: 2-for-5, RS, SB (10), CS (1)
Dominguez’s two singles were hit at 108.3 and 108.2 MPH and he has four multi-hit efforts in his last 7 games. By the way, Dominguez is now 97-for-116 (83.6%) stealing bases in his minor league career. I have written a lot about his stats since his latest comeback without mentioning his overall season for Scranton: He is hitting .304 with a .786 OPS in 125 PA.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-4, 2 2B (24), RBI, 2 RS, BB
Rumfield has six doubles in his last 10 games. 
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-5, 3B (1), 3 RBI, RS
Trammell has 20 RBI in 18 August games.
C J.C. Escarra: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, K
Escarra has a 7-game hitting streak (10-for-27 with four doubles)
LF Jahmai Jones: 2-for-5, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K
RF Greg Allen: 0-for-2, HBP, 2 BB
SS Kevin Smith: 1-for-5, 3 K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 3 HR
RHP Ron Marinaccio: (L, 1-3)  1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Last 6 games: 8.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K

Somerset (59-56) (Lost to Portland, 3-1. They are now 4.5 games out. Before this series started, I said the Patriots needed to take 5 out of 6 to make the race interesting. So far, they are 2-1. 4 out of 6 would be acceptable, but the calendar is starting to run out (22 games left))

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 3 K
.248/.329/.419 in 453 PA (20 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 59 R, 21-for-29 SB, 10.4% BB, 37.1% K).
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, SB (9), K
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 2 K
CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, 2 2B (20), SB (21)
.217/.328/.395 in 349 PA (20 doubles, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 47 R, 21-for-24 SB, 13.8% BB, 18.1% K; .240 BABIP).  Moving Seigler to 2B is doing the job to keep him healthy, at least.  He is four games away from his first 100-game campaign.
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-4, 3 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 2-for-3, 2B (5), SB (7), HBP
Vargas is 17-for-58 (.293/.359/.500; 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR) in August. Entering tonight, he was hitting .301/.347/.504 (138 wRC+) in 121 PA since June 7th (yes, he missed time due to injury)
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, 3 K

RHP Zach Messinger: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Messinger had to push himself through 90 pitches tonight. Season: 3.40 ERA (132.1 IP, 107 H, 67 R, 50 ER, 8 HR, 44 BB, 123 K). In his last 6 starts: 1.98 ERA (36.1 IP, 27 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 13 BB, 23 K). No, it isn’t lost on me that his hot stretch comes with a reduced K%.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Danny Watson: (L, 1-5) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 2.87 ERA (15.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 HR, 9 BB, 24 K)

Hudson Valley (62-54) (Swept a doubleheader against Wilmington)

Game 1 (Won, 7-6)

CF Brendan Jones: 1-for-4, SB (4), K
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4, RS, K
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RS, BB
LF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, HR (10), 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
This was the appetizer (scroll down to Game 2 for more)…
RF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, 2 RS, SB (3)
DH Dylan Jasso: 2-for-3, 2B (5), RBI, RS
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-2, BB, K
C Edison Vivas: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, K
With Omar Martinez on the IL, Hudson Valley needed another catcher. Enter the 18-year-old Vivas, who entered this game with 27 games of professional experience (26 in the DSL, 1 in the FCL). He hit .217/.333/.253 with no homers and 8 RBI in those games. So, naturally, he is promoted to High-A and has a solid debut. I have zero information on him. His signing bonus isn’t listed, so they signed him for a small number. Additionally, I searched my website for his name and this is the first time I have typed it. In other words, I won’t pretend to know who he is. 
2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, BB, K

RHP Brian Hendry: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
If you forgot about the 24-year-old, it is understandable. This was his first appearance since April 25th. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in his professional career (12 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 7 BB, 17 K). He was the Yankees’ 10th-round pick in the 2023 draft out of Oklahoma State.
RHP Sebastian Keane: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Matt Keating (W, 4-3): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Blane Abeyta: 2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Won, 6-0. Three pitchers combined on a 7-inning no-hitter)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-2, RS, SB (24), BB, 2 K
Riggio didn’t finish the game last night and missed Game 1 today. However, he was back out there in Game 2. 
LF Brandon Jones: 0-for-2, RS, SB (5), BB
With Tampa/Hudson Valley: 12-for-38 (.316/.544/.553; 3 doubles, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, 10-for-10 SB, 19 BB, 11 K). This is how you make an early impression.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3
CF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, 2 HR (12), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Martin has a 3-HR, 7 RBI day. It pushes his season to .210/.310/.436 in 289 PA (13 doubles, 3 triples, 12 HR, 41 RBI, 45 R, 13-for-15 SB, 9.7% BB, 28.0% K). 
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K
DH Coby Morales: 2-for-3, 2B (1), RS, CS (1)
Morales is 6-for-14 since his promotion and is hitting .256/.362/.326 in 398 PA overall (10 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 50 RBI, 56 R, 34-for-42 SB (80.95%), 12.6% BB, 28.9% K). He is 22 years old, so there is room for growth. He spends time at 1B/LF/RF. 
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, RBI, K
Gomez has a 7-game hitting streak (8-for-23) and a 17-game on-base streak (21-for-56 (.375); 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 6 BB)
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-2, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2

RHP Trent Sellers: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
At this level: 2.28 ERA (75 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 3 HR, 34 BB, 88 K). As a starter: 0.69 ERA (26 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 29 K). The walk rate has fallen considerably as a starter.
RHP Mason Vinyard: (W, 6-2)  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.07 ERA (41 IP, 29 H, 20 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 55 K). I told you to pay attention to Cole Ayers last night because, amongst a group of potential Somerset call-ups, the Yankees chose him. That is nothing against Vinyard, Keating, or whoever you think of. 
RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
If you are going to finish off a no-hitter, you may as well do so in style. With Enyel De Los Santos‘ stint being among the quickest in history, Balboni is left carrying the torch for the deadline deal with the Padres (for Brandon Lockridge).

Tampa (48-66)

Their game against Ft. Myers was canceled due to inclement weather. It won’t be made up.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-36)

Their season is over.

DSL Bombers (30-25) 

Their season is over. The Bombers had a good season but it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs.

Yankees MILB 8/16: Carlos Lagrange Impresses

News:

After an outfield collision the other night, CF Jackson Castillo was placed on the injured list for Hudson Valley. Castillo hit .256/.386/.404 (133 wRC+) in 334 plate appearances for Tampa, earning his promotion to Hudson Valley. He has played seven games for the Renegades, going 8-for-23 with a pair of home runs and 11 RBI. His combined 137 wRC+ ranks 4th amongst full-season prospects in the entire organization (third if you eliminate Ben Cowles, who was traded at the deadline).

Scranton (68-48) (Defeated Buffalo, 3-2)

3B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, RBI
SS Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Durbin owns a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-18, 1 double, 2 HR, 2 SB). He has one RBI in each game. Additionally, he is playing all over the field. In these five games, he has 2 starts at 2B, 1 start at SS, 1 start at 3B, and 1 start in LF. This could be the Yankees’ vision.
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-4, K
Since there isn’t a developmental reason for Taylor Trammell to play CF, I think it is notable when the Yankees give Dominguez reps in LF. Since returning from his latest injury: 12-for-61 (.197) with a pair of doubles and a homer.
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-4, 2B (21), RS
Rumfield has three 2-hit performances in his last six games. He is hitting .284/.353/.455 in 374 PA since his promotion.
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-2, RBI, BB
2B Jahmai Jones: 0-for-3, 2 K
DH Greg Allen: 0-for-3
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, RS, K
RF Cam Eden: 1-for-3, RS

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
The Yankees have used him as a 3-5 inning guy all year, which hints at how they view him. He owns a 3.88 ERA (65 IP, 45 H, 29 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 35 BB, 67 K). If you have forgotten, he is out of options in 2025.
RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
4.17 ERA (45.1 IP, 52 H, 29 R, 21 ER, 8 HR, 18 BB, 43 K)
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Scott Effross: (W, 3-1)  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The fact that the Yankees went through the steps to add Tim Mayza to the 40-man/26-man rosters tells you that the Yankees are not comfortable with Effross’ progress. From a statistical standpoint, his last six games show progress (9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K).
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (S, 6): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (56-55) (Lost to Hartford, 7-0)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, K
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
Flores is 15-for-44 (.341) with 4 doubles, 5 homers, and 9 RBI in August.
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, K
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, 3B (2), 2 K
Richardson has a 5-game hitting streak (7-for-17, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR). 
DH Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-3, SB (20), BB
Seigler, always seen as an athletic catcher before his conversion to 2B, is 20-for-22 stealing bases this year (he stole 16 as a catcher in 2022).
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, K

RHP Cam Schlittler: (L, 0-2)  5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
Since promotion: 11 IP, 12 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 7 K
RHP Colby White: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Hudson Valley (58-52) (Walked it off against Hickory, 3-2. The Renegades are right in the middle of the second-half division title race)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, 2 2B (22), 2 RBI
.216/.338/.376 in 403 PA. This is his second multi-hit effort in his last three games, and we hope his BABIP continues to normalize (.256).
SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K
RF Jace Avina: 1-for-4, 2B (24), K
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-4, SB (1)
He is more about walks and power than speed, but he did steal 8 bases in 2023 (the only season that he compiled more than one)
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-4, 3 K
CF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, HR (9), RBI, RS, SB (12)
Martin walks it off in the 9th. He has homered in two of his last four games.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-3, RS, K
LF Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
2.43 ERA (70.1 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 3 HR, 33 BB, 83 K). As a starter: 21.1 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 24 K. His walk rate dropped considerably since he was moved to the rotation. 
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Blane Abeyta (W, 2-2): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (45-64) (Lost to Clearwater, 5-3, in 10 innings)

CF Brendan Jones: 0-for-2, RS, SB (5), 2 BB, K
Jones has drawn 10 walks in 7 games and has yet to be caught stealing.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-3, 2B (18), RBI, RS, BB
.253/.310/.371 in 403 PA. He is 15-for-45 (.333) in August.
LF Marshall Toole: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, CS (2)
Toole is 8-for-24 with 7 RBI, 7 walks, and 6 stolen bases in 8 attempts.
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-4, 3 K
DH Joe Delossantos: 0-for-3, CS (1), BB, K
1B Parks Harber: 0-for-3, BB, K
  PR-1B Coby Morales: 0-for-0
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
3B Owen Cobb: 0-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K

RHP Carlos Lagrange: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
He allowed a leadoff single in the 5th, which eventually came around to score. Lagrange was humming again (maxed out at 98.3, averaged 97.1). The Yankees aren’t a system of extreme velocity, but Lagrange brings it. If he can harness his control (he’s only walked one hitter in 6.1 innings at this level), watch out.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Pacheco: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Pacheco threw a 96.5 MPH sinker tonight. I am seeing signs as to why the Yankees signed the 25-year-old. He owns a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 IP with a 12/2 K/BB at this level.
RHP Jordy Luciano: (L, 2-4)  0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (17-35) (Lost to DSL Rockies, 4-2)

SS Dexters Peralta: 1-for-1
I don’t know why he was pulled, but he was lifted for a pinch-runner after his leadoff single. That likely isn’t good.
  PR-SS Ovandy Frias: 1-for-1, CS (2), 2 BB
CF Louis Pierre: 1-for-4, 3B (2), RS, K
2B Jelson Coca: 2-for-4, RBI, K

DSL Bombers (29-23) (Lost to DSL Tigers 1, 3-2. With little margin for error, this is a big loss in their quest to earn a playoff berth)

2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-3, RS, SB (24)
.270/.442/.405 in 147 PA. He is 24-for-29 in the stolen base department.
C Carlos Villarroel: 2-for-3, RBI
.286/.382/.400 in 123 PA. As I said yesterday, I don’t get excited over 17-year-old’s in the DSL. However, this is another young catcher having a solid season down here.

RHP Enixon Sanchez (L, 3-1): 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Only 17 (he started the season at age 16!), Sanchez owns a 2.79 ERA in 29 IP (14 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 16 BB, 29 K)
RHP Rafael Arias: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
13 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 18 K. Arias is a 20-year-old in his debut season.

Yankees MILB 8/4: Spencer Jones Homers, Doubles Twice

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (60-47) (Defeated Louisville, 5-2. Scranton is having a season where their overall record is good, but they didn’t win the first half and are currently behind in the second half).

DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, SB (4), K
For Scranton: .302/.343/.460 in 67 PA. Since his most recent comeback from injury: 5-for-27 (.185) with one extra-base hit (double). Patience.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, BB
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-4, 2 HR (7), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K
.243/.348/.376 in 265 PA (9 doubles, 7 HR, 32 RBI, 38 R, 16-for-20 SB). Peraza has 6 HR in his last 12 games. Before this stretch, his triple slash was .229/.344/.279. 
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-1, HBP, 2 BB
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, RBI, CS (3), BB, K
RF Jahmai Jones: 0-for-4, 2 K
Jones cleared waivers and was outrighted to Scranton.
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, RS, BB
Since promotion: .356/.482/.511 in 56 PA with more walks (9) than strikeouts (6).
3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K
LF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3, 2 K

LHP Edgar Barclay: (W, 5-8)  7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
6.22 ERA (102.2 IP, 109 H, 76 R, 71 ER, 22 HR, 50 BB, 91 K). Last 4 starts: 23 IP, 11 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 21 K
LHP Tim Mayza: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Somerset (52-50) (Swept a doubleheader against Bowie. The Patriots are 20-13 in the second half as they make a push for the playoffs (1 game out))

Game 1 (Won, 4-1. Because this was the conclusion of a suspended game from last night, it went the full nine innings)

DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3, 2 BB
Durbin is only 3-for-24 since being placed here but has six walks and only three strikeouts.
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, BB, K
1B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2 K
Since promotion: 9-for-45 (.200) with three home runs. He missed a month due to injury.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2B (17), 2 RBI, RS, K
LF Grant Richardson: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-2, HR (9), RBI, RS, 2 BB
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, K

RHP Colby White: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Ben Shields: (W, 2-1)  6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, HR
Since promotion: 1.95 ERA (27.2 IP, 22 H, 9 R, 6 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 30 K). Overall, he owns a 3.20 ERA in 81.2 IP (65 H, 37 R, 29 ER, 7 HR, 22 BB, 102 K). His ERA was hurt by an emergency appearance in Scranton, where he allowed 9 runs in 1.2 IP.
RHP Joey Gerber (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Game 2 (Won, 6-1. This was a 7-inning game)

CF Spencer Jones: 3-for-4, 2 2B (19), HR (13), 4 RBI, RS
Jones is hitting .245 with a .758 OPS in 402 PA (19 doubles, 3 triples, 13 HR, 58 RBI, 55 R, 21-for-27 SB, 10.9% BB, 36.6% K). This is the 5th time this season he has compiled 6+ total bases. His high is 11, set on June 30th.
1B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, RS
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, K
Flores has brought a power game with him to Somerset. He has 6 doubles and 7 HR in 32 games (17 singles).
DH Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, RS
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-4, 2B (22), SB (12)
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4, K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-2, RS, BB, K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-2, RS, BB
3B Max Burt: 1-for-2, RS, BB

RHP Trystan Vrieling: (W, 8-7)  5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
5.22 ERA (112 IP, 116 H, 68 R, 65 ER, 10 HR, 37 BB, 103 K)
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 10.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 16 K. The Yankees set their bullpen for 2024 at the deadline (Reyzelman was a long-shot candidate regardless), but he should be in the mix sometime in 2025.
RHP Kevin Stevens: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Stevens allows his second career HR (43.2 IP). 

Hudson Valley (52-48) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 7-5)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
.217/.342/.382 in 364 PA (18 doubles, 4 triples, 8 HR, 30 RBI, 56 R, 14.0% BB, 17.3% K, 17-for-22 SB). His BABIP hasn’t normalized much this season (.248). 
CF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, RS, HBP
.250/.329/.403 in 365 PA (22 doubles, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 43 R, 8.8% BB, 26.3% K). Last season, he owned a 29.6% K in Low-A (for the Brewers’ organization)
1B Omar Martinez: 2-for-4, 2 HR (13), 4 RBI, 2 RS
Martinez’s third career multi-HR game (he had a 3-HR effort on August 1, 2023). He is hitting .236/.367/.419 in 346 PA. 
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-4, 2B (8), RS, K
Gomez has three multi-hit efforts in his last five games and has doubled in five straight contests. 
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-4, RS, K
3B Kiko Romero: 0-for-4, 2 K
RF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-1, RS, SB (12), 2 BB, HBP
DH Anthony Hall: 0-for-4, 2 K
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-4, SB (5)

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
12 up, 12 down. His ERA is now 2.40 (63.2 IP, 34 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 30 BB, 74 K). He has four no-hit performances in his last five games (17.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 18 K). That’s an impressive run.
RHP Mason Vinyard: (W, 5-2) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.60 ERA (35 IP, 28 H, 20 R, 14 ER, 2 HR, 20 BB, 48 K)
LHP Joel Valdez: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
It has been a rehab year for Cohen. Will he get to Somerset this year? He did get there briefly in 2023.
RHP Huey Morrill: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.53 ERA (35.2 IP, 32 H, 19 R, 14 ER, 6 HR, 11 BB, 39 K)
RHP Sebastian Keane (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
4.84 ERA (70.2 IP, 64 H, 39 R, 38 ER, 6 HR, 35 BB, 69 K). Keane started most of the season. They could be limiting his innings down the stretch.

Tampa (43-56)

Their game against Lakeland was canceled due to Tropical Storm Debby. It will not be made up.

FCL (35-22)

Their season is over.

DSL Yankees (15-27) 

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (23-21) 

Scheduled day off.

Yankees MILB 7/30: Spencer Jones Homers, Steals 2 Bases

News:

The Yankees released IF Jeter Downs today, allowing him to sign in Japan.  Downs hit .264/.360/.498 (117 wRC+) in 274 plate appearances for Scranton.

The Yankees signed Brett Phillips to a minor-league deal. They signed him as a pitcher, which could be fun. Phillips’ best attribute as a position player was his Immaculate Grid game, as he appeared in 393 games for five different clubs. He recently threw 97 MPH in an NBC World Series game, whatever that is (Update: The NBC World Series is an annual event going back to 1935! I never heard of it).

It will be fun to follow his progress.

Trades:

LHP Caleb Ferguson was traded to Houston for international bonus pool money and RHP Kelly Austin

The Yankees acquired a pair of left-handed relievers from the Dodgers over the winter, and neither panned out. Ferguson pitched to a 5.13 ERA (4.27 FIP) over 33.1 IP with a 26.5% K, 10.3% BB, and 1.35 HR/9. The Yankees acquired him because of his ability to miss bats, and his strikeout rate was his highest since 2020. However, he didn’t impress overall. The Yankees acquired him for LHP Matt Gage and RHP Christian Zazueta. The Dodgers traded Gage to the Mets (he was called up yesterday) while Zazueta owns a 7.10 ERA in 41.1 innings for the Dodgers’ Rookie League/Low-A affiliates.

Austin (23) was signed by the Astros as an undrafted free agent in 2023. The UCLA product owns a 2.21 ERA (3.60 FIP) over 36.2 IP between Low-A/High-A with impressive strikeout (31.1%) and walk (4.7%) rates.

IF Ben Cowles and RHP Jack Neely were traded to the Chicago Cubs for RHP Mark Leiter Jr.

Cowles and Neely have raised their stock in 2024, and the Yankees cashed in the chips. I sound like a broken record, but if you are a Yankees fan, your reality has to be that most prospects are built up as trade chips.

Leiter Jr. doesn’t throw hard, but he generates a ton of strikeouts, a need for the Yankees’ bullpen. A starter in the minors (he made some starts for the Phillies in 2017), Leiter has found a groove as a relief pitcher. Over the past three seasons, he owns a 3.85 ERA (3.62 FIP) over 168.1 innings with a 28.8% K and 8.8% BB. While his ERA is up in 2024 (4.21), his FIP (2.11) is the best of his career.  This season, he abandoned his 4-seam fastball while increasing his slider/sweeper usage. When pitchers move to the bullpen, they dump most of their pitches and concentrate on two or three. That isn’t the case with Leiter, who continues to throw a 5-pitch mix. In back-to-back games in late May, he allowed 7 runs while recording only three outs. Beyond that and a hiccup in mid-June, he has pitched well.

Cowles is hitting .294/.376/.472 (141 wRC+) in 378 plate appearances in Double-A. The University of Maryland product has played second, short, and third base. He could have been in the 2025 mix at second base/utility, but players of his ilk don’t typically make it to the Bronx. He will have an opportunity in Chicago.

Neely was the Yankees’ top relief prospect. The 24-year-old owns a 2.81 ERA in 41.2 IP between Double-A and Triple-A with a 63/16 K/BB. He stands an impressive 6’8″ and will likely debut for the Cubs this season.

While I label Neely as their top relief prospect, the Yankees are good at building up relief prospects. As I stated the other day, the Yankees likely would have considered Neely if they couldn’t find someone on the market.

OF Brandon Lockridge was traded to the San Diego Padres for RHP Enyel De Los Santos and RHP Thomas Balboni Jr.

De Los Santos is a 28-year-old who misses bats (28.2% K). He also allows an insane number of home runs (2.45/9 this season). However, his home run rates were fine in 2022 and 2023. Unlike Leiter, he is traditional as he comes at hitters with a mid-90s fastball, a slider, and an occasional change-up. His profile doesn’t “wow” me, but the Yankees had an obvious objective to acquire relievers who can strike hitters out. If they feel his HR rate will normalize (20.9% HR/FB is ridiculous), maybe they have a diamond in the rough.

Balboni Jr. (it doesn’t appear that he has a relation to former Yankees’ first baseman Steve Balboni) was drafted by the Padres in the 15th round of the 2022 draft out of Northeastern. The 23-year-old pitched for Low-A Lake Eisinore this season, compiling a 4.46 ERA in 34.1 IP with a ridiculous 38.2% strikeout rate. However, he walks batters at a 12.7% clip.

Lockridge is a speedy grinder (34-for-38 stealing bases this year) with a 4th/5th outfielder profile. He hit .295/.405/.383 for Scranton this season. He is 27 years old and might be approaching minor league free agency.

Overall Deadline Thoughts:

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the headline move. How you think about this deadline is how you evaluate him (so far, so good). The Yankees did not add to their rotation but added a pair of strikeout arms to their bullpen (an obvious need).

The Dodgers pulled off a deal for RHP Jack Flaherty. The return included former Yankees’ farmhand Trey Sweeney. In theory, the Yankees could have beat the Dodgers offer.  However, it is hard to know how organizations value prospects. Hence, when people tweet “comparable packages” on Twitter, that is based on prospect rankings and values that may not (probably don’t) match the Tigers’ internal evaluations.

It wasn’t a bad deadline. I tend to agree that it feels incomplete.

Scranton (57-45) (Squeaked past Louisville, 2-1)

CF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-2, SB (3), BB
When Dominguez starts playing full games in the field, the “call-up” clock starts. They won’t do it unless there is a clear path to playing time.
  LF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-1
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-2, 2 BB
For Scranton: .244/.385/.381 in 221 PA. He owns a 14.9% BB rate at this level.
SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
Peraza has a 13.1% BB rate for Scranton (9.7% in 2023)
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, RS
DH Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, 2 K
C J.C. Escarra: 0-for-3
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-3, HR (3), 2 RBI, RS
Smith’s 2-run HR in the 7th won the game.
RF-CF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, K
LF-RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, K

LHP Edgar Barclay: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
6.59 ERA (95.2 IP, 106 H, 75 R, 70 ER, 21 HR, 49 BB, 84 K). Last 3 starts: 16 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 6 BB, 14 K.
LHP Chasen Shreve (W, 2-1): 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Phil Bickford (S, 5): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (48-49) (Lost to Bowie, 7-6)

DH Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, RS, CS (1), BB, K
Durbin was CS in the top of the 9th, down by a run with no outs and Spencer Jones at the plate. Tsk, tsk.
CF Spencer Jones: 2-for-4, HR (12), 2 RBI, RS, 2 SB (21), BB, K
When he has nights like this, you become excited. I believe the Yankees were willing to deal Jones, but not for a rental starter. That would have taken him off the table for Jack Flaherty.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-5, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, 3 K
Rodriguez is 6-for-31 (.194) since his promotion. He missed a month due to injury.
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, K
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, RS, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 2-for-4, HR (8), RBI, RS
Seigler had a home run binge earlier this season. This is his first since June 20th.
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Vargas is hitting a respectable .252 with a .676 OPS at this level.

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
5.47 ERA (107 IP, 115 H, 68 R, 65 ER, 10 HR, 35 BB, 97 K). This season has been a learning experience for Vrieling. Here’s hoping he finishes strongly.
RHP Danny Watson: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
With Neely leaving the nest, Watson moves up the list of relief prospects. An injury delayed his progress in 2024, but six of his last seven appearances have been scoreless. 
RHP Luis Velasquez (L, 3-3): 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR

Hudson Valley (47-48) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 6-1)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-5, K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 3 K
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-3, 3 RS, 2B (4), HBP
1B Josh Moylan: 2-for-2, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
.248/.368/.366 in 296 PA. Last 6 games: 8-for-23 (1 double, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 4 K).
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-4, 2B (11), RS, 2 K
LF Christopher Familia: 2-for-3, 2B (4), 3 RBI, BB
.191/.277/.303 in 101 PA. Familia has struggled somewhat in High-A (.240/.313/.416) after annihilating Low-A pitching (.290/.368/.611).
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
SS Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
2.56 ERA (59.2 IP, 34 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 30 BB, 73 K). As a starter (3 starts): 10.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 14 K. 
RHP Sean Boyle (W, 1-0): 2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Sebastian Keane: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
4.91 ERA (69.2 IP, 64 H, 39 R, 38 ER, 6 HR, 34 BB, 67 K). Keane was a starter until recently. I assume they are controlling his innings down the stretch.
RHP Harrison Cohen: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (39-54) 

Their game against Lakeland was postponed.

FCL (35-22)

I was wrong. Will wonders never cease? When the FCL squad lost to the Pirates on Saturday, their season ended. The semi-finals are single elimination.

DSL Yankees (14-25) (Destroyed Arizona Black, 12-1)

SS Dexters Peralta: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (20), 2 BB, 2 K
While strong stolen base rates are common at this level, it impresses me that he is 20-for-23 given his inexperience.
DH Richard Matic: 1-for-4, 2B (6), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
C Justin Capellan: 1-for-4, 2B (9), 3 RBI, RS, SB (7), 2 BB
CF Gabriel Lara: 2-for-5, RS, SB (12), BB, K
2B Jelson Coca: 2-for-5, 2B (2), 3B (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS
Coca entered the game 4-for-58. This was likely a relief for him!
1B Niurby Asigen: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K

RHP Edinzo Marquez (W, 1-0): 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
The 19-year-old owns a 1.99 ERA (31.2 IP, 24 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 36 K). Goal 1 for an international signee: Get off the island and come stateside. Marquez is likely earning that for 2025.
RHP Jesus Mejia: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The 18-year-old owns a 1.88 ERA (14.1 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 11 K)

DSL Bombers (23-19) (Split a doubleheader against the DSL Rangers Red)

Game 1 (Won, 3-0)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 0-for-4, 2 K
C Queni Pineda: 1-for-3, RS, 2 K
SS Christofer Reyes: 1-for-3, RS, SB (13)
Still 16, Reyes is hitting .200/.313/.227 in 128 PA.
2B Luis Escudero: 2-for-2, 3B (4), RBI, RS, SB (23), BB
1B Carlos Villarroel: 2-for-3, RBI, SB (2), CS (3)

RHP Franyer Herrera (W, 2-1): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
2.34 ERA (34.2 IP, 29 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 0 HR, 13 BB, 44 K). Herrera hasn’t allowed an HR in 55 career IP.
LHP Jose Ledesma (S, 6): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
1.10 ERA (16.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 20 K)

Game 2 (Lost, 6-5)

CF Browm Martinez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RS, SB (17), 2 K
17-for-23 SB in 29 games.
DH Carlos Villarroel: 1-for-1, 2B (3), RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
  PR-DH Luis Escudero: 0-for-1
.303/.479/.472 in 121 PA with a 23-for-28 stolen base rate. He has 28 walks and 11 strikeouts.

Yankees MILB 7/24: Rafael Flores Walks it Off

News:

The Yankees are signing their draftees. As always, some required extra money to sign while others required less. You can find a full list in many places. I don’t need to rehash it. New talent is coming to try to break their 18-year World Series drought in 2027.

Scranton (53-44) (Split a doubleheader against Worcester)

Game 1 (Won, 8-1)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, 2B (14), RBI, RS
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, BB
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RBI, RS, K
SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, HR (11), RBI, RS, K
DH Taylor Trammell: 0-for-2, RS, BB, 2 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 2-for-2, 2B (13), 2 RS
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-2, 2B (17), RS, BB, K
LF Josh VanMeter: 2-for-3, 2B (9), 3 RBI

LHP Edgar Barclay: (W, 4-8) 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Last 2 outings: 10 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 10 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.78 ERA (47.2 IP, 31 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 27 BB, 61 K). He extends his scoreless streak to ten games.
RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 2 (Lost, 7-4)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-3, CS (4), BB, 2 K
Lockridge is 7-for-20 with a pair of walks in his last five games.
2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-4, 2 K
Vivas, who didn’t play for a week because the Yankees brought him up only to not use him, is 3-for-24 since the All-Star Break. Smart move, geniuses.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, BB
Ramirez has his Triple-A batting average over .200 (.214) thanks to a 6-game hitting streak (8-for-25, 6 RBI).
SS Oswald Peraza: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RS, 2 K
July: 17-for-62 (.274; 4 doubles, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 11 R, 5-for-7 SB). Over a smaller sample (last five games): 9-for-20 with three walks. He started the month with a .592 OPS. It is now .653.
DH T.J. Rumfield: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, RS
Rumfield, who has five 3+ hit games since his promotion, is 5-for-10 in his last three games with a double, homer, and 3 RBI. While his average is down in July, he has homered three times in his last nine games.
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, RS, K
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-3, 2B (9), RBI
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3

RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Scranton went with a bullpen game in Game 2. Underwood has a history of starting, but not in recent years. Season: 2.50 ERA (36 IP, 26 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 5 HR, 23 BB, 35 K)
RHP Phil Bickford: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
LHP Tim Mayza: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Mayza’s organizational debut isn’t a memorable one.
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Scott Effross: (L, 1-1)  0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR
Supposedly, the Yankees aren’t comfortable with where Effross’ stuff is. This would seem to confirm that discomfort. He missed a lot of time, so that is understandable. You hope it isn’t permanent.
LHP Chasen Shreve: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (48-44) (Defeated Portland, 6-4, in 12 innings. Last week, I said it looked doubtful that any full-season affiliate would make the playoffs. I guess the Patriots want to prove me wrong. They are now 16-7 in the second half (including five wins in a row), giving them the division lead by 2.5 games)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-2, RS, 4 BB (1 intentional), K
Jones’ first career 4 BB game. He is hitting .240/.323/.409 in 356 PA (36.8% K; 10.4% BB). 
C Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-2
It’s his second game back from injury, so don’t be concerned that he was pulled.
  PH-C Juan Crisp: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
Crisp is a seldom-used (heck, seldom-active) organizational catcher with 182 plate appearances from 2019 to 2024 (140 of those were compiled in 2019). It is fun when players like him earn professional hits.
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-6, RBI
.294/.372/.472 in 376 PA. He is 19-for-68 (.279) in July (4 doubles, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB, 11 K).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-6, 4 K
It’s all forgotten when your team wins!
DH Rafael Flores: 2-for-6, HR (4), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
Flores swats a walk-off 2-run HR with two outs in the 12th. Since promotion: .221/.309/.395 in 97 PA. Overall (including time with Hudson Valley): .265/.376/.444 in 330 PA with 20 doubles, 10 homers, and 46 RBI.
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-5, K
LF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, RS, HBP, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, SAC, BB, K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-4, SF, RBI, 2 K

RHP Luis Velasquez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 K
Velasquez has made a few starts recently, but I don’t think that indicates a role change (he tossed only one inning in his previous start).
RHP Danny Watson: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Joey Gerber: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Eric Reyzelman: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 3.68 ERA (7.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 11 K)
RHP Matt Sauer: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Sauer needed this. Hopefully, he can finish the season strong.
RHP Kevin Stevens: (W, 4-0)  2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
2.55 ERA (35.1 IP, 27 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 1 HR, 15 BB, 50 K). Stevens was masterful at pitching around the ghost runner in extra innings.

Hudson Valley (44-46) (Lost to Wilmington, 4-1. An offensive spectacle, this was not)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, RBI, CS (6), K
Riggio increases his hitting streak to 6 (8-for-22; 1 triple, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB)
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, K
Avina is in a 0-for-19 slump (6-for-53 in July). He is hitting a respectable .257/.339/.417 in 330 PA.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, K
.235/.368/.402 in 307 PA. While he hit .282 in the FCL (2022), most of his performance indicates a kid who isn’t going to hit for much average but draws walks and has some pop. As a left-handed hitting catcher, you hope he can develop into something.
3B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3
DH Garrett Martin: 0-for-3, K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, K
Hall is 3-for-41 at this level. High-A has given him trouble (as have injuries)
LF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-3, RS
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, K

RHP Trent Sellers: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Sellers tossed 51 pitches as he retired all 11 batters he faced. He owns a 2.75 ERA (55.2 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 29 BB, 67 K). As for the short outing, he’s been a multi-inning reliever most of the season. This is only his second start. 
RHP Sebastian Keane: (L, 6-7) 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
They may be trying to control Keane’s innings the rest of the way, as this is his first relief appearance. He owns a 5.05 ERA (67.2 IP, 64 H, 39 R, 38 ER, 6 HR, 34 BB, 62 K).
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
4.73 ERA (53.1 IP, 40 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 8 HR, 23 BB, 63 K)
RHP Indigo Diaz: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Diaz’s brief rehab assignment is over.

Tampa (35-53) (They tried to play two games against Clearwater, but it wasn’t meant to be)

Game 1 (They trail, 6-0, in the 3rd inning. This game was suspended and will be resumed tomorrow)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-1
2B Roderick Arias: 1-for-1, 2B (14)
Arias has struggled mightily as a right-handed hitter, so it is worth noting that he hit this double batting right-handed.
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-1
DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-1
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-0
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-0
3B Hans Montero: 0-for-0
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-0
C Tomas Frick: 0-for-0

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, HR

Game 2 (This game was postponed due to rain. I do not see a makeup date)

FCL (35-22)

Scheduled day off. The season ends tomorrow. If they beat the Tigers, they clinch the division. If they lose, I believe the Tigers have the tie-breaker.

If they lose, they need either the Pirates or Rays to lose to earn the Wild Card berth.

DSL Yankees (11-23)

Scheduled day off.

DSL Bombers (22-15) (Destroyed DSL Colorado, 15-1. This was the conclusion of a game started on July 22nd)

C Queni Pineda: 2-for-3, 2 RS, BB
SS Christofer Reyes: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 RS
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (21), BB, HBP
.286/.477/.429 in 107 PA. He has 21 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
LF-CF Angel Ventura: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
RF David Carrera: 3-for-4, 2 2B (8), 3 RBI, 2 RS, SB (7), BB
The 17-year-old is hitting .270/.427/.429 in 82 PA.

RHP Carlos Almonte (W, 1-0): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Almonte’s first professional win. Congrats!

Yankees MILB 7/19: Hudson Valley’s No-Hitter

News

The draft was interesting for the Yankees. Everyone assumed the Yankees had an “all pitching” mentality but that doesn’t appear to be the case. I applaud the Yankees for not “reaching” for a position player just because they had already drafted many pitchers. The draft fell in a way where the most valuable thing on their board was pitching.

Will this cause a glut of pitching? Potentially, but that’s a concern for 2025 and beyond. As college arms, you want them to move up the chain quickly. However, not all of them will. A lot will happen between July 19, 2024, and the beginning of the 2025 season. I am not worrying about a logjam now.

As for my favorite pick, just based on what I am reading it is RHP Bryce Cunningham, their second-round pick. He seemingly can move fast with Keith Law claiming that he zoom up to Double-A next season. The arm that jumps out at you is RHP Greysen Carter, who has dialed it up to 103. An arm like his would be a no-doubt first-round pick if not for that thing called control. I like pitchers who come into the system with a plus pitch in their arsenal. Cunningham’s changeup and Carter’s fastball will play in professional ball, though Carter needs work.

Anyway, I will give more background as the players start filtering into levels and making their debuts. A reminder that they changed the FCL schedule in 2024. Instead of a month left in the season, there’s one week. Hence, there isn’t a “get your feet wet” spot. If players sign quickly, we could see them in Tampa this season. With many college pitchers selected, Low-A is not a daunting place to start. Times have changed and organizations have adjusted.

(For a full review of the draft, check out this article from VirginiaYankee1)

The Yankees have released Jose Rojas from his minor-league contract for the second time this season. Rojas is hitting .254/.359/.561 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI in 67 games. While I haven’t read anything to indicate why, the odds are good that Rojas negotiated an opt-out when he re-signed in June and exercised it. That is what happened the first time he was released.

The Yankees have signed 30-year-old LHP Thomas Pannone to a minor league deal. Pannone, released by the Cubs on July 17th, has appeared in 50 MLB games (13 starts), going 7-7 with a 5.46 ERA (5.06 FIP) over 118.2 innings. He owns a 19.6% K, 9.0% BB, and 33.8% GB. With the Iowa Cubs this season, he went 4-8 with a 4.37 ERA (4.78 FIP) in 19 starts. He spent time in Korea in 2022 and 2023. Recently, the Yankees signed fellow left-handers Chasen Shreve and Tim Mayza, but they are relievers. Pannone can give Scranton innings as a starter or long reliever.

As we enter the post-ASB portion of the season, none of the full-season leagues won their first-half titles (the “first half” ended a while ago, but I never noted that). As of now, it looks unlikely that a full-season affiliate will make the playoffs as the second-half standings aren’t favorable. There’s still time, though.

Scranton (49-42) (Lost to Buffalo, 1-0, in ten innings)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-5, 4 K
We all have bad days…
2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-4, 2B (6), 2 K
It isn’t a complete loss (he spent three days on an MLB roster), but it still felt meaningless to bring him up if his playing time was going to be zero. It is interesting that Oswald Peraza didn’t play tonight in the first game after the All-Star Break.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-3, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, K
Rumfield is 7-for-24 with four walks in July.
SS Jeter Downs: 0-for-4, 3 K
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Taylor Trammell: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
3B Kevin Smith: 0-for-3, SB (11), HBP, K
DH Josh VanMeter: 0-for-4, 4 K

LHP Edgar Barclay:  5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K
I have documented how he hasn’t done well in Triple-A. It is nice to see him have a strong outing here.
RHP Jack Neely:  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Yankees luckily had options to use on Effross as he continues his rehab-that-technically-isn’t-a-rehab. I assume it won’t be long until he is up with the big club.
RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Victor Gonzalez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr.: (L, 2-1)  0.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
Hard to blame any reliever when a ghost runner scores!

Somerset (44-44) (Toss a 1-hitter against Altoona in a 2-0 win)

DH Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, RS, K
Has Jones’ trade value taken a hit? Maybe, but not as much as you think it has. Teams will still be interested in the crazy ceiling. Will the Yankees move him? I think it would have to be a special trade for them to give him up. Don’t expect him to be trade bait for a swing-and-miss reliever. 
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, RS, BB
.299/.380/.474 in 358 PA. Cowles has never spent a full season at one level. I would expect the 24-year-old to finish up in Scranton (he went there briefly in 2023 before being sent to the Arizona Fall League).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, K
C Rafael Flores: 3-for-4, RBI
On a night where pitching was the story, Flores stands out. He broke a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the 8th.  Since his promotion: .229/.325/.400 in 80 PA. He had a pair of 3-hit efforts for Hudson Valley earlier this season.
RF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, RBI, 2 K
Dunham didn’t let the break cool him off. He is 20-for-48 (.417) in July (6 doubles, 4 HR, 13 RBI)
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, BB
3B Max Burt: 1-for-3, 2 K

RHP Trystan Vrieling: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
Outstanding performance by Vrieling. It lowers his ERA to 5.21 (96.2 IP, 100 H, 59 R, 56 ER, 9 HR, 33 BB, 91 K). In July: 14 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 10 K. 
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP McKinley Moore: (W, 2-0) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Moore is a work in progress. If they unlock him, the dividends will be high. But he will be a tough one to unlock.
RHP Eric Reyzelman (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 2.84 ERA (6.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 3 BB, 10 K). He is a contender for the 2025 bullpen. 

Hudson Valley (43-43) (No-hit Rome, 1-0)

2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS, CS (4)
Riggio walks it off in the bottom of the 9th, earning the Renegades a combined no-hitter!  He is hitting .222/.356/.393 in 307 PA and has homered in back-to-back games.
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3
.252/.344/.437 in 369 PA. He is only 9-for-46 (.196) in July.
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-3, K
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, K
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, K
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-3, 2 K
RF Garrett Martin: 1-for-3, SB (9)
Martin is 9-for-10 in the stolen base category.
LF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, 2 K
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, K

LHP Kyle Carr: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K
A much-needed outing for last year’s 3rd round pick. It lowers his ERA to 6.04 (67 IP, 70 H, 54 R, 45 ER, 5 HR, 43 BB, 58 K). Last time out, he allowed 7 runs (6 earned) over 3 IP. Can he get into a second-half groove?
RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
2.94 ERA (53.2 IP, 33 H, 27 R, 19 ER, 2 HR, 32 BB, 65 K). He started his last time out, but they moved him back to the bullpen tonight. He tossed three innings, so is there a major difference?
RHP Huey Morrill: (W, 2-2)  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
3.52 ERA (30.2 IP, 28 H, 17 R, 12 ER, 6 HR, 9 BB, 33 K). The 24-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2022. The plot twist? He played shortstop for Oklahoma State (though he did make 17 appearances on the hill in college). 

Tampa (32-53) (Tied with Bradenton, 0-0, in the 5th. The game is in a delay. I will update this if they conclude the game tonight)

3B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-2, K
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-1, SB (25), BB
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-2, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-2
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-2
2B Hans Montero: 0-for-2, 2 K
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-1
C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-1
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-1

RHP Chase Hampton: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Hampton retired 11 of the 12 batters he faced (hit a batter) and averaged 92 MPH (94 max). He threw 45 pitches (30 strikes) and should be on his way to Somerset shortly.
RHP Aaron Nixon: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Nixon was used as a “bridge” between Hampton and Serna.
RHP Luis Serna: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
That bridge will be meaningless, as Serna will not return to this game.

FCL (33-20) (Lost to the Tigers, 4-0. With five games left, they own a 1.5-game lead over the Tigers. The two squads play a doubleheader tomorrow and have another matchup beyond that. There is a wild card in this league. The Tigers are currently in that position, but there’s a 3-team race in the South. The two teams that lose that race will be in the wild-card race. Those teams will undoubtedly play games against each other, so the Yankees are in good shape. The FCL squad and one of the DSL teams could be the only playoff representatives we get in 2024)

CF Brando Mayea: 1-for-4, K
Mayea is hitting .288 (good) though the power has yet to show up. At 18 years old, there’s time for the power to shine.
C Edgleen Perez: 1-for-3, BB
1B Engelth Urena: 2-for-3, K
His magical season continues (.308/.421/.575 in 145 PA with 7 homers and 29 RBI). In July, he is an incredible 23-for-49 (.469/.587/.959) with nine doubles and five home runs. Is the 19-year-old (20 on August 17th) ready for a full-season test?

RHP Chalniel Arias (L, 0-1): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
RHP Indigo Diaz: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
His rehab continues.
RHP Sabier Marte: 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR
Marte is getting his work in (he leads the league with 49 IP). In those 49 IP, he owns a 2.76 ERA and 44/16 K/BB.

DSL Yankees (11-22) (Their game against the DSL Mets Orange was suspended. They own a 6-1 lead in the 5th)

So far, SS Dexters Peralta is 2-for-3, while CF Gabriel Lara (1 hit) and LF Isael Arias (2 hits, SB) have an RBI and run scored.

RHP Jorge Luna: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

DSL Bombers (20-14) (Defeated the DSL Giants Orange, 5-4)

CF Francisco Vilorio: 1-for-3, 2B (5), K
.200/.278/.325 in 90 PA (5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 13 RBI)
SS Christofer Reyes: 1-for-3, RS, SB (12)
2B Luis Escudero: 0-for-2, RS, BB
DH Angel Ventura: 1-for-3, 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
I haven’t said much about Ventura, but the 18-year-old is hitting .276/.382/.328 in 68 PA.
LF Browm Martinez: 1-for-3, 2B (2), 2 RBI, RS, SB (16), K
.271/.369/.300 in 84 PA with 16 stolen bases in 20 tries.

RHP Jerson Alejandro: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K
4.07 ERA (24.1 IP, 14 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 0 HR, 23 BB, 38 K). The eight strikeouts are a personal best.
LHP Jose Ledesma (S, 5): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Yankees MILB 7/14: George Lombard Jr.: 2 Doubles

News

RHP JT Brubaker has an oblique injury, which will temporarily shut down his rehab stint.

As for where the system is at the midway point, it is a mixed bag that leans slightly towards disappointment. Some of that is due to injuries. Some of it is because we don’t have Drew Thorpe throwing 7 shutout innings every five days. Some of it is underperformance by upper-tier prospects.

It isn’t all negative – Ben Rice ascended to the majors, Agustin Ramirez has raked since Day 1 (despite a bumpy road in Scranton), and George Lombard Jr. is showing signs of adjusting to Low-A pitching. RHP Cade Smith has pitched well in Tampa.

Many depth prospects have played above expectations. Whether that is attractive to trade partners remains to be seen. When a system isn’t performing, it lessens your trade capital. The Yankees have routinely moved pitchers up the chain and used them in trades. This year? In my opinion, that supply isn’t as robust. However, one of my favorite mantras is that you never know how other organizations view your system.

There are still several weeks left in the season for the kids to end on a good note.

Tonight is the MLB Draft. Judging by social media and general buzz, you may not even know about it. I am not a draft expert. I will watch the draft and read everything I can about the Yankees’ selections. That way, I can give you a general idea about who they are when they begin playing. On Twitter, you can look up VirginiaYankee1 and BobbyMilone29 for analysis. VirginiaYankee1 writes up a post-draft report which I will retweet.

As you may suspect, writing these things every night can be a little tiring by the time we get to mid-July. I cherish the next four days off. Maybe I will write quick blurbs (like usual) for the FCL and DSL, but that’s it. I did a “midseason Top 30” a few years ago. It drove me crazy. Never again.

Scranton (49-42) (Defeated Syracuse, 3-2, in a thriller)

2B Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, K
.210/.325/.251 in 198 PA. Peraza hasn’t earned a promotion but I don’t know why they chose Jorbit Vivas for bench-riding purposes. 
DH T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-4, K
Rumfield is 7-for-24 in July with a double and a pair of homers.
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, K
His full profile at the break (including his time with Somerset): .262/.355/.518 in 349 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 20 HR, 61 RBI, 55 R, 11.5% BB, 17.5% K, 17-for-18 SB). Offensively, he is a legitimate MLB prospect. Where does he fit defensively? We’ll see.
1B Jose Rojas: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Jeter Downs: 1-for-4, 2B (16), RS, K
.266/.364/.505 in 262 PA (16 doubles, 3 triples, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 42 R, 15-for-21 SB)
CF Taylor Trammell: 1-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, RS, SB (9)
Trammell hit a game-winning 2-run HR in the top of the 9th (it followed Downs’ double)
   CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-0
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-4, K
3B Kevin Smith: 2-for-4, CS (2), K
LF Josh VanMeter: 1-for-3, 2B (8), BB

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
4.20 ERA (55.2 IP, 39 H, 27 R, 26 ER, 7 HR, 34 BB, 61 K). I wouldn’t be surprised to see him included in a deadline deal, but he won’t be a headliner.
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
0.98 ERA (27.2 IP, 19 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 32 K)
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Back-to-back scoreless outings as he works his way back to MLB. His rehab clock doesn’t have much time left, but they can ask for an extension if need be.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (W, 1-2): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
3.94 ERA (45.2 IP, 30 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 4 HR, 27 BB, 60 K). He has eight consecutive scoreless outings (10.1 IP).

Somerset (43-44) (Lost to Erie, 6-1. The Patriots have teetered around .500 all season).

SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-2, 2 BB
.298 with a .854 OPS (24 doubles, 3 triples, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 50 R, 10.5% BB, 17.8% K, 14-for-16 SB). You are impossible to please if you find fault in Cowles’ profile this season. He has played 2B (10 games)/SS (60)/3B (19).
1B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4, 2 K
Hardman is hitting .240 with a .696 OPS for Somerset (107 PA).
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-4, 2 K
Since promotion: 13-for-66 (.197; 3 doubles, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 11 R, 9 BB, 24 K). His 31.6% K rate for Somerset is high but he didn’t get here long ago.
CF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-3, HR (10), RBI, RS, BB
July: 18-for-44 (.409; 6 doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R). He has hit safely in 19 of his last 20 games (9 multi-hit efforts).
3B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, 2B (18)
DH Grant Richardson: 0-for-4
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
Seigler has a 13.8% BB (9/6 BB/K in July). He has played his entire season at second base.
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, BB

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 2-7) 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR
3.94 ERA (96 IP, 80 H, 57 R, 42 ER, 7 HR, 31 BB, 100 K). Messinger is the first to record 100 strikeouts in the system (he leads the Eastern League). I think other organizations would have an interest in trade talks. He is 6’6″ and durability hasn’t been a concern (he has never been on the injured list).
RHP Colby White: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Danny Watson: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Watson has three consecutive scoreless outings (four of his last five). Before the season started, you could have placed him in the same realm as Jack Neely. An injury left him behind.
RHP Matt Sauer: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Hudson Valley (42-43) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 5-3)

2B Roc Riggio: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, 2 RS
Riggio’s HR was a lead-off blast. He enters the break at .218/.354/.379 in 303 PA (16 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 48 R, 15-for-18 SB, 15.2% BB, 18.2% K). The average hasn’t shown up consistently yet but I think it will. 
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-2, RBI, CS (7), HBP, BB
.254/.347/.441 in 366 PA (23 doubles, 12 HR, 53 RBI, 49 R, 10-for-17 SB, 10.7% BB, 16.1% K). Serna played 107 games at Low-A Tampa and has 108 games at High-A Hudson Valley. I expect him to be called up soon.
LF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, 2 K
.271/.356/.440 in 315 PA. He has performed well in his first taste of High-A and should stay here for the season (he is only 21)
DH Omar Martinez: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
.240/.378/.403 in 288 PA (9 doubles, 1 triple, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 34 R, 17.7% BB, 22.6% K). Statistically, a similar profile to 2023. The “under the hood” stuff shows a kid hitting more balls in the air. 
C Antonio Gomez: 0-for-4, K
RF Christopher Familia: 0-for-4, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-3, SB (6), BB, 2 K
3B Beau Brewer: 0-for-4
CF Nelson Medina: 1-for-3, 2B (3), RS, 2 K

RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Sellers, a starter for Oregon State last year, makes his first professional start. He struck out the side in his final inning. Season: 3.12 ERA (49 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 29 BB, 60 K)
RHP Matt Keating: (L, 3-3)  1.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
4.93 ERA (49.1 IP, 38 H, 29 R, 27 ER, 7 HR, 21 BB, 61 K). Some players don’t want a 4-day break, while others welcome it. Keating can use the rest.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
3.24 ERA (41.2 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 15 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 48 K). His BB rate still needs work but it is down considerably from 2023.

Tampa (32-53) (Defeated Dunedin, 9-5)

SS George Lombard Jr.: 2-for-6, 2 2B (15), 2 RS, SB (25), 3 K
.234/.350/.352 in 311 PA (15 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 38 R, 25-for-29 SB, 14.1% BB, 23.5% K). April: 2 extra-base hits (both doubles); May: 4 extra-base hits (3 doubles, 1 triple); June: 9 extra-base hits (7 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR); July: 6 extra-base hits (3 doubles, 3 HR). It is fun to watch a prospect adjust to a level.
DH Roderick Arias: 2-for-4, 3 RS, SB (24), 2 BB, K
.220/.320/.360 in 372 PA (13 doubles, 7 triples, 6 HR, 44 RBI, 50 R, 24-for-35 SB, 11.8% BB, 33.6% K). He owns a .423 OBP in July.  As I keep saying, you look for positive signs as he tries to iron out the rest of his game.
3B Dylan Jasso: 2-for-4, HR (9), SF, 3 RBI, RS, BB, K
Jasso doesn’t want the All-Star Break, as he is 6-for-8 in his last two games. 
LF Jackson Castillo: 3-for-4, 2B (15), 2 RBI, 2 RS, HBP, BB, K
Castillo ends the first half on a 5-game hitting streak (8-for-19) and is 12-for-40 (.300/.440/.450) in July. Overall, he is hitting .264/.393/.429 in 285 PA (15 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 46 R, 13-for-17 SB, 17.5% BB, 18.9% K)
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-6, HR (6), 3 RBI, RS, K
Montero has 6 RBI in his last two games. He is hitting .243/.293/.363 in 317 PA.
2B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, BB, 2 K
You don’t want anyone to get hurt, and Montero would have received playing time regardless of Enmanuel Tejeda‘s status. That said, he is 12-for-38 (.316/.435/.579) in July with a pair of triples and homers.
1B Coby Morales: 0-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K
C Diomedes Hernandez: 0-for-3, 2 BB

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Warrecker tossed 61 pitches today. They are understandably taking it easy with him (11 starts, 32 IP) in his first professional season.
RHP Harrison Cohen: (W, 2-0) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
I will assume that Cohen’s rehab is nearing completion and a trip to Somerset is upcoming.
LHP Rafelin Nivar: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Aaron Nixon: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Montana Semmell: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
4.40 ERA (43 IP, 44 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 49 K). He entered June with a 6.14 ERA and has steadily brought it down.

FCL (31-18)

Scheduled day off. Unlike the full-season leagues, the FCL does not go on break.

DSL Yankees (11-17)

Scheduled day off. Unlike the full-season leagues, the DSL does not go on break.

DSL Bombers (18-11)

Scheduled day off. Unlike the full-season leagues, the DSL does not go on break.

Yankees MILB 7/9: George Lombard Jr. Goes Yard

News:

Brian Cashman said today that RHP Clayton Beeter could be out for the season with a shoulder injury. Beeter appeared in one game for the Yankees (second game of the season) before being sent down to Scranton. For Scranton, he pitched to a 2.53 ERA in 7 starts (32 IP) with a 32.8% K and 15.7% BB. He is on the minor league 7-day injured list. If the Yankees need a 40-man roster spot, a move to the MLB 60-day injured list will be a consideration. While he would rather pitch than do that, he would accrue MLB service time if the Yankees made that move.

Scranton (48-38)  (Defeated Syracuse, 8-6, in ten innings. They were down 4-0 entering the top of the 7th and 5-4 entering the top of the 9th).

SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-5, 2B (4), RS, SB (9), BB, 2 K
Peraza smoked a leadoff double against the rehabbing Kodai Senga. He is hitting .217 with a .596 OPS.
3B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-3, 2 BB, K
C Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-4, BB, K
1B Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, SB (7), 2 K
47 RBI and 45 runs scored in 69 games. I see him as a Kyle Higashioka-type backup, which would be a solid outcome. And perhaps there is more…
2B Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-5, RS, SB (28), K
Lockridge’s 4th start at second base (no games in the infield before 2024)
LF Jose Rojas: 3-for-5, 2B (14), 2 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
CF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, RS, BB
RF Oscar Gonzalez: 1-for-5, 2B (10), 2 RBI, RS
DH Jeter Downs: 1-for-5, HR (10), RBI, RS, K
Downs’ HR in the 9th tied the game at 5-5. He once hit 24 home runs (2019).

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Gomez needed 60 pitches to complete two innings. He has a 4.21 ERA in 51.1 IP (35 H, 25 R, 24 ER, 6 HR, 33 BB, 59 K). He hasn’t pitched terribly but his season has been uneven. As for trade value, his uneven season + lack of options after 2024 will reduce his value.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Mauricio: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Chasen Shreve: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Shreve has tossed 6.1 scoreless innings since joining the organization.
RHP Scott Effross: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Effross has allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 5.1 innings since joining Scranton. No need to be concerned. I expect him back shortly after the All-Star Break, as long as he is healthy.
RHP Cody Morris: (W, 6-0)  2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Duane Underwood Jr. (S, 3): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Somerset (41-41) (Lost to Erie, 5-4)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-5
Jones made contact all night after a recent strikeout spree. We have to look at the little things to see if he can build off of them.
SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, RBI, BB, 2 K
Cowles has already set personal bests for doubles (22) and RBI (44).
3B Tyler Hardman: 1-for-4, BB, 3 K
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-5, K
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-5, RS, K
Dunham increases his hitting streak to 16.
1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, HR (4), RBI, RS, K
.231/.326/.374 in 273 PA. The 29-year-old did some catching in college and the independent leagues but never in an affiliated league before the Yankees signed him last winter. He has caught 20 games this year in addition to his work at first base, third base, left field, and right field (1 game).
LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, RS, K
.260/.319/.407 in 254 PA. Richardson hit double digits in HR and SB in 2022 and 2023. He needs five more home runs to do it in 2024.
DH Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-1, 2B (16), RS, SB (17), 3 BB
.226/.329/.404 in 240 PA. He set a new personal best for stolen bases in a season. In July, he is 8-for-18 with four doubles, six walks, and four stolen bases.

RHP Zach Messinger:  (L, 2-6) 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
The line doesn’t tell you how well he pitched. He allowed three runs in the first before putting up five zeroes. They let him start the 7th inning, he allowed a few baserunners, and both ended up scoring. This is a development setting – in an MLB game, they might pull him after the 6th inning. He owns a 3.86 ERA in 91 IP (75 H, 54 R, 39 ER, 6 HR, 30 BB, 97 K).
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (41-39) (Lost a tough one to Jersey Shore, 3-2)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-5, RBI, K
His on-base streak ends at 21, but he did drive in a run.
SS Jared Serna: 2-for-5, K
Back-to-back multi-hit efforts. When Serna gets hot, it tends to last. 
CF Jace Avina: 0-for-4, K
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, 2 K
1B Josh Moylan: 0-for-2, CS (3), HBP, BB
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-3, 2B (10), RS, 2 SB (8), BB
.220/.324/.453 in 180 PA. 
LF Cole Gabrielson: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, K
3B Brenny Escanio: 1-for-3, SB (3), BB
The 21-year-old is 13-for-45 (.289) with 6 doubles at this level.

RHP Sebastian Keane: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The dreaded “Injury Delay” followed by the pitcher being pulled. Let’s hope it is nothing serious.
RHP Trent Sellers: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
3.33 ERA (46 IP, 32 H, 25 R, 17 ER, 2 HR, 29 BB, 56 K). A nice job after being forced into duty earlier than he thought. 
RHP Luis Arejula: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Arejula followed up Sellers with a strong outing of his own. He owns a 3.22 ERA in 36.1 IP (32 H, 17 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 19 BB, 34 K)
RHP Mason Vinyard (L, 2-2): 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (29-51) (Lost to Dunedin, 5-4)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
Lombard Jr. crushed the homer (404 feet at 105.8 MPH).  He has three home runs in his last 16 games (0 HR in his first 59 professional games (62 if you include last year’s playoffs)). He had a .271 SLG in April, .288 in May, .370 in June, and .542 in July.
SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, CS (10), BB, 2 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, BB, K
RF Willy Montero: 0-for-4, 2 K
3B Hans Montero: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, RS
Montero has a triple and two home runs in his last three games. He set a new personal best for home runs in a season tonight.
C Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-4, 2B (1), RS, CS (1), K
Gonzalez has hit safely in all six games since his promotion (8-game hitting streak overall). “Is he a legitimate prospect?” Yes. Just like many catchers in this organization. Kids like Gonzalez aren’t package headliners, but don’t be surprised if teams ask about Yankees’ catching prospects as deal sweeteners.
DH Coby Morales: 0-for-2, BB, K
LF Daury Arias: 2-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, CS (2)
Once an intriguing prospect in the DSL (he drove in 49 runs in 49 games in his debut season), Arias has struggled to get his footing since moving to a full-season league.

RHP Bryce Warrecker: 4 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR
The 6’8″ Warrecker will take some time to develop. Tonight, he featured a 4-pitch mix, throwing 66% 4-seamers and sinkers along with his slider (28%) and change (6%).
RHP Steven Fulgencio: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Osiel Rodriguez: (L, 0-2)  2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
2.43 ERA (40.2 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 5 HR, 21 BB, 48 K). His development is fascinating. Signed for $600,000 in 2018, Rodriguez features a 4-5 pitch mix but has yet to start a game (66 career appearances). As you may suspect, injuries are a part of his story.

FCL (29-17) (Knocked off the Blue Jays, 8-6. The FCL Tigers have won six in a row to pull within one game of the Yankees (2 in the loss column). The two teams square off on Thursday and Friday)

CF Brian Sanchez: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, 2 SB (14), 2 K
.305/.395/.532 in 162 PA (14 doubles, 3 triples, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 33 R, 14-for-17 SB). It will be interesting to see who gets to Low-A once the FCL season ends. Sanchez has made his case.
C Engelth Urena: 1-for-2, HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 RS, SB (4), 2 BB, K
Urena has homered three times in the last two games and is 12-for-19 in his last six games (6 doubles, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 9 R, 6 BB, 2 K). He has raised his triple slash from .205/.315/.308 to .289/.407/.557. I would say that is a hot streak.
RF Anthony Hall: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 4 K
3B Abrahan Ramirez: 1-for-4, BB, K
A little downturn (8-for-28 in July, which most players would gladly take) has lowered his triple slash to .370/.472/.541. Ramirez is another Low-A possibility.
2B Gabriel Terrero: 2-for-4, 2B (5), HR (1), RBI, 2 RS, SB (12), K
The 18-year-old hit 7 HR in 37 games in the DSL last year
1B Luis Ogando: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, SB (10), BB

DSL Yankees (9-16) (Lead the DSL Nationals, 5-2, in the third inning. This game was suspended due to rain. There is no make-up date listed)

DSL Bombers (16-10) (They defeated the DSL Rangers Blue, 6-1, in the conclusion of their suspended game on Opening Day. Today’s regularly scheduled game was postponed. The Bombers hold a half-game lead over the 14-9 DSL Rangers Blue for the division lead. The DSL playoffs include 8 teams – 6 division winners + 2 wild cards)