Will Warren Archives - Page 2 of 3

Yankees MILB 4/6: Omar Martinez: 4 Hits, HR

News:

No news is good news, except when it isn’t.

Scranton (3-4) (Lost a doubleheader to Syracuse)

Game 1 (Lost, 4-2)

RF Greg Allen: 1-for-1, RS, SB (3)
Allen left the game early.
RF Josh VanMeter: 0-for-3
LF Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3, RS, SB (5), BB
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, SB (1), 2 BB, K
Narvaez is 3-for-19 with eight walks. That is how you turn a .158 batting average into a .393 OBP.
DH Everson Pereira: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K
1B Luis Torrens: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K
SS Kevin Smith: 0-for-1, SF, RBI, BB, K
2B Jeter Downs: 0-for-3, K
3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-3, 2 K
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-2, 3 SB (7), BB, K

RHP Will Warren: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Warren didn’t pitch well in not-so-ideal Opening Day conditions. He bounced back tonight.
LHP Tanner Tully (L, 0-1): 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 0 BB, 3 K
Tully cleared waivers and was outrighted to Scranton, where he will eat some innings as needed.

Game 2 (Lost, 9-6, in eight innings. Remember that minor-league doubleheaders are 7-inning games. Syracuse scored five in the 7th to take the lead, only for Scranton to answer with three. However, Syracuse pulled away in the 8th).

CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 SB (9), 2 BB
Lockridge has nine stolen bases in six games. He stole 40 in 92 games in 2023.
SS Caleb Durbin: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, K
Durbin is 11-for-26 (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R, 6 BB, 2 K, 5-for-5 SB). So far this season, he has already played 2B/SS/3B/LF/DH. This kid has serious “fan favorite” ability because he can do so many things.
DH-1B Jose Rojas: 1-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
The 31-year-old depth piece has three homers in five games.
RF Everson Pereira: 1-for-4, 2 K
6-for-26 (.231) with a pair of home runs. He has four walks and 11 strikeouts.
1B-2B Luis Torrens: 1-for-3, RS, BB
LF Luis Gonzalez: 0-for-4, K
3B Jeter Downs: 1-for-2, RBI, RS, BB, K
C Josh Breaux: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K
2B-P Josh VanMeter: 0-for-2, RS, BB, K

RHP Clayton Beeter: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 5 K
As usual, Beeter was fastball/slider-heavy. He topped out at 94.5 MPH but averaged 91.8. On a good note: He generated 12 whiffs. There’s talent here – I still wonder where that talent is best utilized.
LHP Clayton Andrews: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Yerry De Los Santos (L, 0-1): 0.1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
De Los Santos is throwing hard (95.9 MPH sinkers). With the injuries happening with the big club, there will be opportunities for some of these relievers to shine. That can change once Tommy Kahnle/Scott Effross/Lou Trivino emerge from their injuries.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Josh VanMeter: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
VanMeter was forced into some relief duty. It isn’t foreign to him, as he has three games of MLB experience on the hill. Those games didn’t go much better.

Somerset (1-1) (Lost to Richmond, 13-3)

C Ben Rice: 1-for-5, RS
1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-3, 2B (1), BB, K
Rumfield’s HR spiked from four homers in 2021-2022 to 17 in 2023. If the power game continues to develop, he will become interesting.
DH Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
After his promotion last year, he hit two home runs in 31 games. This year? Two home runs in two games. You will hear about whether the 22-year-old can stick behind the plate. Remember this: We heard that about Austin Wells since day one. I like that Fangraphs said that he isn’t ready to be an MLB catcher YET instead of making a decisive prediction on his future position.
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-2, 2 K
I think many were hoping that Dunham would get some MLB at-bats last year. However, he had a tough year. I don’t know why he was pulled today.
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-2, 3B (1), RS
LF J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, 2B(1), BB, K
Typically a 1B/DH, this is Escarra’s first career game in the outfield. He was signed to a minor league contract over the winter.
3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4
CF Grant Richardson: 0-for-4, 3 K
2B Aaron Palensky: 0-for-1, 2 BB, HBP, K
Anthony Seigler at 2B yesterday…Aaron Palensky (typically an OF) today! He played one game at 2B in 2023.
SS Max Burt: 0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Bailey Dees (L, 0-1): 3.1 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 HR, 5 BB, 3 K
Dees is undergoing a role change, it appears. With that will come growing pains, as we saw tonight. He is listed at 6’8″, 255 pounds.
LHP Clay Aguilar: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K
Typically reliable, Aguilar had a tough time today in his Double-A debut (he pitched four games for Scranton last year).
RHP Kevin Stevens: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Stevens (26) was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He didn’t pitch in 2023. This is only his sixth career game.
RHP Carlos Gomez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (1-1) (Walloped Bowling Green, 14-2)

2B Jared Serna: 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, 3 RS, 2 BB
I wrote last night about his lack of home runs since joining Hudson Valley last year. It must feel good to get that first one out of the way finally.
PH-2B Beau Brewer: 0-for-1, K
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-6, RS, 2 K
C Omar Martinez: 4-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 3 RS, BB
The left-handed hitting catcher hit .291/.367/.445 with 18 HR in 105 games for Tampa last year. He was one of the few performing prospects who did not receive a promotion, but I wouldn’t read into that.
RF Garrett Martin: 2-for-5, 2B (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS, K
RF Kyle Battle: 0-for-0, HBP
LF Anthony Hall: 0-for-5, RS, BB, K
DH Rafael Flores: 3-for-5, HR (1), 3 RBI, 2 RS
The 23-year-old C/1B spent the entire season here last year, hitting .259/.346/.366 with eight home runs.
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, SB (1), HBP, 2 K
SS Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, RBI, BB
Vargas has the glove to stick at SS. However, the bat has yet to develop.
CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (1), K
Gabrielson was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023. MLB shortened the draft a few years ago, so talented kids will slip through.

LHP Kyle Carr: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K
Carr (21) is receiving a lot of buzz. This represented the professional debut for the 21-year-old, who was drafted in the third round in the 2023 draft out of Palomar College.
RHP Trent Sellers: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Professional debut for the 24-year-old Sellers, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023. In 15 starts for Oregon State, he posted a 4.86 ERA and 106/32 K/BB over 74 innings. It looks like he continued the strikeout tradition tonight.
RHP Leonardo Pestana: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
LHP Joel Valdez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Tampa (1-1) (Lost to Fort Myers, 6-4)

2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-4, 3B (1), RS, K
A homer and triple in his first two games? We’ll take it.
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, SB (1)
This looks like it will be the infield configuration early. It is smart, as Arias should play a lot at SS. It should change as players eventually move around levels. Plus, there will be off days, DH days, etc. Back to Tejeda: He stole 24 bases in 30 attempts in the FCL last year.
LF Coby Morales: 1-for-4, RS, 3 K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K
CF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-4, RS, K
DH Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RBI, SB (1), BB, K
Montero was productive last season, but only stole five bases. In 2022, he stole 16 in 53 games.
RF Daury Arias: 0-for-4, RBI, 2 K
The toolsy Arias didn’t perform well here last season (.217/.335/.318 with six home runs)
C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-3, 2B (1), RS, BB, K
The 21-year-old played ten games at this level in 2023 (11-for-35).

RHP Ryan Harvey: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The 23-year-old was the Yankees 11th round pick in the 2022 draft. He pitched to a 3.94 ERA with a 48/22 K/BB ratio over 45.2 innings last year (his debut year).
LHP Allen Facundo: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Fucando threw one of his 4-seamers 96.1 MPH. His sinker? Maxed at 97.4. That will get my attention, as will the 127 strikeouts in 80.2 career innings.
RHP Jordy Luciano (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Throughout his brief career, the 22-year-old’s issue has been control.
RHP Kris Bow: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
The Yankees drafted Bow in the 14th round of the 2022 draft. He is a sinker/slider type, who threw one sinker 94.8 MPH tonight. Control has been an issue in his short career.

FCL (0-0)

The season starts on 5/4.

DSL (0-0)

It will be a while before their season starts!

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 9/23: Will Warren Finishes Strong

News:

The end is near.

Scranton (72-75; 38-35 in the second half) (Defeated Syracuse, 6-4)

RF Franchy Cordero: 3-for-5, 2B (14), 2 RBI, 2 RS
C Carlos Narvaez: 2-for-4, 2B (13), HR (10), 3 RBI, 2 RS, HBP
The Yankees have a lot of catching on the 40-man roster as is, so it is hard to imagine that they will find a 40-man slot for Narvaez this winter. That said, no team wants to allow a developed catcher (even if said catcher has a backup ceiling) to get away for nothing. I view him as a prime trade candidate prior to the 40-man roster deadline.
At this level, he is hitting .242 with a .766 OPS (13 doubles, 10 HR, 39 RBI, 40 R, 57 BB (16.1%), 91 K (25.6%))
DH Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K
1B Jake Lamb: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, 2 K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-4, BB, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-5, 2 K
2B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
3B Ben Cowles: 1-for-4, K
CF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K

RHP Frankie Montas: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Montas maxed out at 95.2 MPH (4-seamer) and averaged 94 MPH with his sinker. His Yankees’ career will be far from memorable.
RHP Will Warren: (W, 7-4) 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
For Scranton: 3.61 ERA in 99.2 IP (83 H, 50 R, 40 ER, 15 HR, 47 BB, 110 K). This followed up a solid 29.1 innings to start the season for Somerset. The home runs in Triple-A are high, but he didn’t allow any homers in September (28.2 IP, 15 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 11 BB, 36 K). Warren features a 5-pitch mix (including both a sweeper and a slider), is not afraid to use any of them, and generates a solid number of ground balls (entering tonight, his GB% for Scranton: 51.8%).
He will be a strong contender to make the team out of spring training next year. Does a 24-year-old (25 next June) really need more than 100 Triple-A innings? I would say the answer to that question should be rather obvious: NO!
RHP Aaron McGarity: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
I don’t write often about McGarity, but one has to appreciate the grind. He was drafted in the 15th round out of Virginia Tech back in 2017 and is now 28 years old. This year, he pitched in 51 games (69.2 IP), compiling a 5.17 ERA and 72/27 K/BB.
RHP Zac Houston: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (84-53; 42-27 in the second half)

They lost to Binghamton in the semi-finals. Their season is over.

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

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

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

Their season is over.

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

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

DSL Yankees (33-19)

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

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/17: 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.

Yankees MILB 9/12: Will Warren Solid Again

News:

The Yankees announced that RHP Drew Thorpe (who should be the organization’s Pitcher of the Year) has been placed on the 7-day IL. No matter how minor the injury may be, he’s done for the year. They aren’t going to push him for the Double-A playoffs.

In his first professional season, Thorpe was dominant down in Hudson Valley, pitching to a 2.81 ERA (3.30 FIP) over 109 innings with a 32.4% K and 7.7% BB. That was more than enough to earn a promotion to Somerset, where he was more dominant. In five starts for the Patriots, he pitched to a 1.48 ERA (2.15 FIP) over 30.1 IP with a 40% K and 4.5% BB. Thorpe isn’t Rule 5 eligible until after the 2025 season, but that won’t stop the Yankees from using him in 2024 once he is ready.

RHP Danny Watson, one of their best relief prospects, was also placed on the IL. In 45 games between Hudson Valley and Somerset, Watson pitched to a 1.58 ERA over 62.2 IP with a 32.7% K and 10.0% BB. He held opponents to a .138 BAA. Hopefully, the injury is minor because he should be in the 2024 bullpen mix at some point. He isn’t Rule 5 eligible until after the 2024 season.

OF Nelson Medina was promoted from Tampa all the way up to Scranton today. Don’t read a lot into that – he is not likely to be playing in Scranton to start 2024. Medina, soon to be 23, hit .276/.380/.479 in 192 PA for Tampa with six home runs and 28 runs batted in. I can’t tell you how the decision-making process works (Elijah Dunham would have been a good choice to bring back to Scranton), but this is usually a move to get a warm body onto the roster. The Railriders recently lost Estevan Florial to MLB promotion after losing Jasson Dominguez and Everson Pereira.

The Somerset Patriots received some pitching from Hudson Valley today, as LHP Clay Aguilar, RHP Harrison Cohen, RHP Zach Messinger, and RHP Anderson Munoz are now on the roster. This is a good indication that these four pitchers are scheduled to start 2024 at this level. Munoz started 2023 at Somerset before an injury sidelined him for a significant amount of time. The Yankees aren’t loaded with LHP, so there is an opportunity for Aguilar to make some noise.

With Tampa’s season over, Hudson Valley received some players for the playoffs (which started tonight):
RHP Luis Arejula
RHP Jackson Fristoe
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert
RHP Nolberto Henriquez
RHP Sebastian Keane
RHP Matt Keating

Just like with the kids promoted to Somerset, this is a good indicator that at least some of these pitchers will begin 2024 in Hudson Valley.

Scranton (68-68; 34-28 in the second half) (Defeated Buffalo, 4-1)

CF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-2, HBP, K
PR-CF Nelson Medina: 0-for-1, RS, K
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-4, 2B (11), RBI, 2 K
.252/.379/.402 in 301 plate appearances since his promotion. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees look for a trade partner before they need to submit their 40-man roster this winter.
RF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-2, RS, 2 BB, SB (7)
1B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, 2 K
3B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-4, RBI, K
DH Jake Lamb: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
LF Michael Hermosillo: 0-for-3, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-2, BB
2B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-2, RS, BB

RHP Will Warren: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
At this level: 3.91 ERA (89.2 IP, 76 H, 49 R, 39 ER, 15 HR, 43 BB, 93 K). Entering today, the league ERA was 5.53 – which should show you just how well Warren has been pitching lately.
RHP Zac Houston: (W, 2-1) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Aaron McGarity: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Gomez (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
5.40 ERA (61.2 IP, 59 H, 45 R, 37 ER, 6 HR, 40 BB, 54 K)

Somerset (80-52; 38-26 in the second half) (Defeated New Hampshire, 3-2)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-5, RS
Since coming off of the IL: 3-for-20 with three walks and four strikeouts. Overall, he is hitting .245 with a .766 OPS (18 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 63 R, 62 BB, 87 K, 17-for-24 SB)
C Ben Rice: 0-for-3, RS, BB
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, RBI, BB, K
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, 3 K
LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K
DH Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, BB, SB (7)
It is too bad that the injury bug hit Seigler so hard – he is an athletic kid who switch hits and can take a walk. The rest of his offensive game simply hasn’t been there.
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, BB, K, 2 SB (4)
Richardson is 18-for-21 stealing bases between here and Hudson Valley. He is 13-for-38 since his promotion with three home runs.
3B Max Burt: 1-for-4, RS, K, SB (18)

RHP Matt Sauer: (W, 5-4) 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, HR
3.63 ERA (62 IP, 47 H, 26 R, 25 ER, 10 HR, 27 BB, 74 K). Does he survive the Rule 5 draft again?
RHP Carlos Gomez: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Tanner Myatt: (S, 6) 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
2.80 ERA (54.2 IP, 29 H, 20 R, 17 ER, 3 HR, 38 BB, 67 K). As usual, Myatt is tough to hit but walks too many hitters.

Hudson Valley (70-62; 31-35 in the second half) (Lost to Jersey Shore, 2-1. They fall behind in the best-of-3 series, 1-0. The final two games will be at home)

RF Anthony Hall: 0-for-5, 2 K
SS Jared Serna: 0-for-4, 2 K
DH Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4
Of course, Rodriguez would compile a multi-hit game in Game 1. During the regular season, between here and Tampa, he finished at .310/.399/.450 in 460 PA (20 doubles, 4 triples, 9 HR, 62 RBI, 66 R, 55 BB, 70 K, 21-for-25 SB)
LF Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, 2B (1), K
A multi-hit game for Familia. It will be interesting to see what he does in 2024 after a power surge in 2023.
3B Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, BB
2B Alexander Vargas: 1-for-2, 3B (1), RS, 2 BB
Vargas had an organization-leading six triples during the regular season.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
1B Spencer Henson: 0-for-3, BB
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-4, K

RHP Yorlin Calderon: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
A sparkling performance in Game 1 for Calderon, who entered this game with two High-A starts to his name.
LHP Joel Valdez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
RHP Cole Ayers: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, HR

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

Their season is over.

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

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

DSL Yankees (33-19)

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

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/7: Will Warren: 7 Shutout Innings

News:

I have nothing important to share.

Scranton (66-66; 32-26 in the second half) (Lost to Columbus, 2-1. They tried to steal this game by compiling only one hit (a solo HR), but runs were allowed in the 8th and 9th)

CF Estevan Florial: 0-for-4, 2 K
.278/.377/.544 in 467 PA with 65 walks and 138 strikeouts (29.6%). He won’t be in this organization in 2024, so where does he go? There are plenty of small-to-mid-market teams who are looking for cheap talent. Jonathan Davis has squeezed out 454 career MLB plate appearances on defense and speed alone. I don’t take the “he passed through waivers in spring training” thing with a lot of salt because teams already settled on their 26-man and 40-man rosters. It comes as no surprise that teams wouldn’t bend over backward to find a slot for him in 2023. 2024 will be a different story, as he likely will need to settle for a MILB deal with a spring invite.
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, K
1B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-3, K
RF Franchy Cordero: 0-for-3, K
3B Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-3
DH Jake Lamb: 0-for-3, K
LF Michael Hermosillo: 1-for-3, HR (13), RBI, RS
2B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-3, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, K

RHP Will Warren:7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K
Another impressive outing for Warren, who lowered his Triple-A ERA to 4.07 (84 IP, 72 H, 48 R, 38 ER, 15 HR, 40 BB, 89 K).
Last 7 starts: 2.48 ERA (40 IP, 29 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 14 BB, 43 K)
This is the moment where he should be brought up to get some MLB innings in. He has 113.1 innings this season and 242.1 career innings. That is enough for a 24-year-old who logged 205.1 college innings + 72 innings in off-season leagues.
RHP Aaron McGarity (L, 6-3): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (77-51; 35-25 in the second half) (Lost to Erie, 4-3)

SS Trey Sweeney: 0-for-3, BB
PH Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-1
I typically say don’t worry about this when a player is rehabbing – but weird that they pulled Sweeney for a PH in the 9th.
C Ben Rice: 2-for-5, K
Rice has 24 multi-hit games (67 games)
CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-4, HBP, K, CS (1)
Jones was picked off first twice tonight (one was recorded as a caught stealing)
DH Agustin Ramirez: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
1B T.J. Rumfield: 1-for-3, 2B (12), RS, BB, 2 K
Rice has likely passed by him, but Rumfield is younger and has a 2023 power surge to fall back on. There isn’t enough room at the inn for all of them, but hopefully one of them can be a solid contributor.
2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-2, SF, RBI, BB, K
RF Grant Richardson: 0-for-2, RS, BB, HBP, K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Max Burt: 1-for-4, RBI, K

RHP Matt Sauer: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 HR
As they say, if you are going to allow HR, make them solo shots. Yeah, you probably don’t want to give up three! Anyway, Sauer owns a 3.79 ERA at this level with a 69/23 K/BB over 57 IP.
RHP Bailey Dees: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
At this level: 4.32 ERA (16.2 IP, 12 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 16 K). He is in the group with Jack Neely and Danny Watson as big RHP who have their eyes set on the 2024 MLB bullpen. I don’t *think* any of them make it to MLB out of spring training, but much stranger things have happened. I would put the odds of at least one of them making it to the MLB bullpen out of spring as better than Anthony Volpe being the everyday SS coming out of 2023 spring training.
RHP Tanner Myatt: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Hudson Valley (69-60; 30-33 in the second half) (Lost a rain-soaked game to Jersey Shore, 6-1)

CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-3, BB, K, SB (2)
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, 2 K
Serna has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games (he has reached base safely in all 16 games)
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 2 K
Rodriguez has struck out multiple times in only four of 23 games since his promotion.
DH Antonio Gomez: 0-for-3, HBP, 2 K
SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-4, K
LF Christopher Familia: 3-for-4, HR (11), RBI, RS
His 21-game sample in Tampa (.398/.474/.928) was obviously never going to be matched. He is holding his own here, however (.817 OPS with 11 homers in 46 games). Overall, he has 22 homers and 63 RBI in 67 games (291 PA).
C Rafael Flores: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-3, 2B (17), K
RF Jared Wegner: 0-for-3

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 1-10) 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
A long rain delay cuts his night short. His ERA is at 4.36 in 97 IP with a 113/53 K/BB. Yeah, his record doesn’t exactly match up to his overall performance!
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Between here and Tampa, Vinyard owns a 73/29 K/BB over 59.2 IP.
LHP Joel Valdez: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
RHP Shane Gray: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Luis Santos: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
Essentially, Hudson Valley was out of pitchers so Santaos (a utility infielder) received a turn. It is his second pitching appearance in 2023.

Tampa (60-67; 29-32 in the second half) (Lost to Lakeland, 8-6)

SS Brenny Escanio: 0-for-5, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-4, 2B (5), K
Romero has nine extra-base hits in 24 games at this level to go along with 19 walks.
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
DH Omar Martinez: 0-for-3, RS, BB
1B Josh Moylan: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
LF Nelson Medina: 1-for-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, RS, BB, K, CS (3)
Medina is hitting .276 with a .848 OPS in 48 games (lost a lot of time to injury). This is the 22-year-old’s first taste of a full-season league and he is holding his own.
RF Daury Arias: 1-for-4, 2B (14), 2 RBI, RS
I won’t say that Arias has a lot of “hype” but he is often grouped in with guys like Christopher Familia as bats to watch (Fangraphs report) – Familia has exploded a bit, so who knows what will happen with Arias?
2B Jose Colmenares: 2-for-4, HR (7), 2 RBI, RS, K
Colmenares has seven homers in 24 games (four HR in 57 games entering 2023)
C Manuel Palencia: 0-for-3, BB

RHP Luis Gil: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
If you care about the stat line for Gil, you have too much time on your hands. His FB is looking good, velocity-wise (97.8 max tonight) and he struck out a hitter with three straight sliders. Like many pitchers coming off of arm injuries, he is likely going to have some command issues (and he has never been the king of command)
RHP Ryan Harvey: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Bustamante: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Nolberto Henriquez: (L, 1-1) 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
One number that likely intrigues the organization: He averaged 95 MPH with his sinker tonight. Of his 28 pitches, 23 were sinkers.
RHP Adam Stone: 0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
3.02 ERA in 47.2 IP (35 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 26 BB, 57 K). He sits mostly in the lower 90s with both his 4-seam fastball and sinker.

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

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

DSL Yankees (33-19)

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

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 9/1: Matt Sauer Ks 11

News:

Nothing.

Scranton (64-64; 30-24 in the second half) (Lost to Rochester, 2-1, in ten innings)

CF Estevan Florial: 1-for-5, 2B (20), RS, 4 K
This is a pretty typical night for Florial. Anyway, he reaches the 20/20/20 club (doubles, HR, SB).
C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
Between here and Somerset: .250/.381/.406 in 339 PA (13 doubles, 10 HR, 36 RBI, 42 R, 53 BB, 86 K, 6-for-8 SB)
1B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-4, 2B (21)
.249/.338/.459 in 518 PA (21 doubles, 2 triples, 23 HR, 79 RBI, 73 R, 59 BB, 109 K). For the second year in a row, he is hitting enough to get your attention. Will another organization give him a chance?
RF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-4
DH Jamie Westbrook: 0-for-4, K
3B Jake Lamb: 0-for-3, BB
LF Michael Hermosillo: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-4
2B Wilmer Difo: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Will Warren: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
At this level: 4.44 ERA in 77 IP (69 H, 48 R, 38 ER, 15 HR, 38 BB, 80 K). A 4.44 ERA in the offense-fest known as Triple-A is not so bad in 2023. In August, he pitched to a 3.67 ERA and 28/10 K/BB over 27 innings.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
LHP Nick Ramirez: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Michael Gomez (L, 1-5): 0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Somerset (76-47; 34-21 in the second half) (Defeated Portland, 2-1)

2B Caleb Durbin: 2-for-4, 2B (10), HBP, 2 CS (7)
Durbin has a 5-game hitting streak (including three multi-hit games). He is hitting ..290/.368/.426 in 174 PA at this level and .305/.402/.416 in 271 PA overall (15 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 44 R, 26 BB, 36 K, 36-for-44 SB). After spending most of the season at 2B/3B, Durbin has mixed in a few games at SS lately.
DH Ben Rice: 0-for-5, 4 K
I don’t care if you are Ben Rice or Don Mattingly – this game always finds a way to humble you.
CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB
Since promotion: 3-for-18 with a homer, three walks and seven strikeouts. Overall, he is hitting .263/.334/.445 in 481 PA (28 doubles, 4 triples, 14 HR, 61 RBI, 65 R, 45 BB, 140 K, 36-for-45 SB)
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
.242/.303/.352 in 99 PA since his promotion. He is now on a 7-game hitting streak (10-for-28)
RF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, 2B (12), RS, K
Scranton is playing with a short roster – I don’t know why Dunham hasn’t been promoted to fill one of those slots. He has 24 doubles, 15 HR, and 30 stolen bases between here and Scranton.
1B Mickey Gasper: 2-for-2, RBI, BB, SB (6), CS (1)
Gasper is another player who can easily fill in a slot at Triple-A. He plays C/1B and even has a few games at 2B under his belt this season.
LF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, K
3B Max Burt: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-3, K

RHP Matt Sauer: (W, 4-3) 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 11 K
Sauer’s highest strikeout output since he struck out 17 on August 22, 2022. His season for Somerset: 3.68 ERA in 51.1 IP (39 H, 22 R, 21 ER, 6 HR, 21 BB, 65 K)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: (S, 1) 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Between Hudson Valley/Somerset/Scranton: 1.93 ERA in 37.1 IP (31 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 10 BB, 42 K)

Hudson Valley (67-57; 28-30 in the second half) (Lost to Wilmington, 3-2)

DH Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
SS Jared Serna: 1-for-4, RS
Serna’s hitting streak reaches 11. He is hitting .289/.341/.373 in 91 PA since his promotion and .284/.348/.464 in 534 PA overall. His K% is 10.99 since his promotion so these pitchers are not fooling him.
LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Familia has 11 doubles, 21 HR, and 60 RBI in 63 games this season.
C Antonio Gomez: 2-for-3, SF, RBI
2B Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, BB
Cowles has a 41-game on-base streak.
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, K
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-3, HBP, K, CS (1)
RF Jared Wegner: 1-for-4, 2B (4), K
Wegner being 24 is what makes you nervous – if he continues to hit, you won’t worry about it as much. There are successful MLB careers that started late (Kevin Millar didn’t get his first extended look until he was 27, for example)
3B Marcos Cabrera: 0-for-3, K

RHP Zach Messinger: (L, 1-9) 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
4.31 ERA (96 IP, 81 H, 58 R, 46 ER, 13 HR, 52 BB, 113 K)
LHP Clay Aguilar: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
2.48 ERA (40 IP, 28 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 2 HR, 21 BB, 58 K)
RHP Shane Gray: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Tampa (59-63; 28-28 in the second half) (Defeated St. Lucie, 7-5)

SS George Lombard Jr: 0-for-2, RS, 2 BB
Lombard is only 1-for-8 at this level (very small sample size!) but has drawn five walks. He has reached base in all 11 of his professional games.
2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-4, K
CF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, RS, 2 K
Castillo’s first professional HR. He is only 20 years old.
C Omar Martinez: 0-for-4, K
3B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
1B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4
DH Nelson Medina: 2-for-3, 2 RS, BB
Medina is 4-for-11 with two triples, three RBI, and four runs scored since coming off of the IL.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-2, 2B (13), RS, 2 BB, SB (8)
LF Daury Arias: 0-for-2, RBI, RS, 2 BB, SB (11)

RHP Luis Gil: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Gil topped out at 98.5 in his first rehab appearance.
RHP Nolberto Henriquez: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Hayden Merda: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 2 K
RHP Ocean Gabonia: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
RHP Adam Stone: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Alex Bustamante (S, 3): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

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

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

DSL Yankees (33-19)

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

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/26: Jasson Dominguez…Again

News:

Two people independently contacted me tonight from Somerset, claiming that they spotted OF Spencer Jones in the dugout. Given Jones’ size, he is easy to spot, so I believe it to be true. Jones has not played the last two nights for Hudson Valley.

Assuming he isn’t there for a wedding (hey, you never know), this promotion would be earned. The strikeout rate needs to come down for him to reach his full potential, but I am not going to complain about a .268/.337/.450 (113 wRC+) line with 28 doubles, 13 homers, and 35 stolen bases. The strikeout percentage sits at 29% and he does need to get the ball in the air more (46% ground ball). To me, these numbers show that there is monster potential – look what he is doing as is. Now imagine more balls in the air and at least a slight drop in the strikeouts.

Scranton (62-61; 28-21 in the second half) (Swept a doubleheader against Lehigh Valley)

This is a big series against Lehigh Valley, one of the teams they are chasing for the second-half title.
Up to the second:
Worcester: 30-19
Durham: 30-20
Lehigh Valley: 29-21
Scranton: 28-21

Game 1 (Used a 7-run first inning to cruise to a 7-4 victory)

CF Estevan Florial: 2-for-3, RS, BB
LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-3, RBI, BB
This was the appetizer…
C Austin Wells: 2-for-4, 2B (10), RS
At this level: .263/.356/.456 in 132 PA with ten doubles, four homers, and 18 RBI. Overall, he is hitting .242/.335/.443 in 415 PA (24 doubles, 16 HR, 70 RBI, 45 R, 46 BB, 94 K). Today, Aaron Boone mentioned that Wells may see some reps at first base. The Yankees have yet to play him at any other position but catcher in the minors, despite concerns that he may not be able to stick there. The main reason for this is probably value – Wells as a catcher has more market value than Wells the first baseman. That said, it doesn’t harm his value at all to give him some work at first base. Some players are able to adapt quickly when presented a new position, so we’ll see what happens.
3B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, SB (4)
DH Franchy Cordero: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-3, HR (19), 4 RBI, RS, BB
Westbrook hits a grand slam. He ties his personal best for home runs in a season, set back in 2018.
1B Jake Lamb: 1-for-2, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB
RF Michael Hermosillo: 1-for-3, HR (12), RBI, RS, 2 K
Scranton hit back-to-back-to-back homers in the first inning.
SS Wilmer Difo: 1-for-3, RS

RHP Will Warren: (W, 6-4) 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 3 HR
At this level: 4.82 ERA (71 IP, 68 H, 48 R, 38 ER, 15 HR, 36 BB, 74 K). His ERA is lower than the league average in this crazy league, so keep that in mind. Overall, Warren is 9-4 in 23 starts between here and Somerset with a 4.13 ERA in 100.1 IP (94 H, 58 R, 46 ER, 15 HR, 48 BB, 113 K)
RHP Zac Houston: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Game 2 (Won, 6-3)

DH Estevan Florial: 0-for-1, RBI, RS, 3 BB
.288/.390/.558 in 418 PA. He is only 7-for-35 in August, though he has drawn 11 walks.
CF Jasson Dominguez: 3-for-4, 2B (2), 3 RBI, 2 RS
…this was the main course. He is now 9-for-20 (.450) since his promotion with eight runs batted in and only one strikeout. This is exactly what the Yankees ordered. Overall, he is hitting .263/.374/.420 in 530 PA (21 doubles, 2 triples, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 86 R, 80 BB (15.1%), 131 K (24.7%), 38-for-46 SB).
3B Andres Chaparro: 1-for-4, RBI, K
.246/.339/.461 in 496 PA (19 doubles, 2 triples, 23 HR, 77 RI, 71 R, 59 BB (11.9%), 107 K (21.6%), 4-for-4 SB). Chaparro is in the mix for the organization’s HR and RBI crowns (he leads in RBI).
RF Franchy Cordero: 2-for-4, 2 K
C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, 2 K
.252/.380/.416 in 321 PA. A fascinating Rule 5 case this winter. It is hard to give up catching depth – every team needs it, and you don’t even want to give up a potential backup catcher for free.
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-2, 2 BB
1B Jake Lamb: 2-for-3, RS, BB
LF Brandon Lockridge: 0-for-3, RS, BB
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-1, RS, 2 BB

RHP Randy Vasquez: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
Vasquez tossed only 63 pitches. He owns a 4.59 ERA at this level with a 96/40 K/BB over 80.1 innings. As I always say, once I see some success in MLB, I don’t pay quite as much attention to MILB numbers. The probability is high that the MLB coaching staff is asking him to work on specific things in the minors.
LHP Anthony Misiewicz (W, 3-0): 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
RHP Zach McAllister: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

Somerset (71-47; 29-21 in the second half) (Defeated Hartford, 3-1)

DH Caleb Durbin: 0-for-3, RS, BB, SB (18)
Durbin is up to 33 stolen bases in 38 attempts between here and Hudson Valley. He has accomplished that in 59 games.His up-to-the-minute K% is 6.5%. That is elite-level stuff.
C Ben Rice: 3-for-4, RBI, RS, SB (5)
Rice is 30-for-90 (.333) in August (6 doubles,1 triple, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 17 R, 8 BB, 16 K, 5-for-6 SB) and has four 3+ hit games this season. He isn’t typically frisky on the basepaths, but let him have his fun.
1B Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2B (2), HR (2), 2 RBI, RS
Ramirez is 15-for-71 (.211/.606 OPS) since his promotion. Overall, he has 19 doubles, 18 homers, and 66 RBI in 100 games between here, Hudson Valley, and Tampa. There is nothing to worry about at all – he continues to make a lot of contact here and the results will follow.
RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-4, 2 K
LF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, K
2B Anthony Seigler: 1-for-3, BB
CF Jeisson Rosario: 2-for-4, K
SS Max Burt: 1-for-3, K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-3, 2 K

RHP Matt Sauer: (W, 3-3) 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K
4.03 ERA (44.2 IP, 36 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 6 HR, 21 BB, 54 K)
RHP Tanner Myatt: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
At this level: 3.21 ERA (47.2 IP, 29 H, 20 R, 17 ER, 3 HR, 32 BB, 56 K)
RHP Jack Neely (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Since promotion: 11.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 15 K. Overall, he has an 89/19 K/BB over 60.1 IP.

Hudson Valley (66-53; 27-26 in the second half) (Defeated Aberdeen, 4-2)

SS Jared Serna: 1-for-5
Serna now has a 7-game hitting streak.
CF Anthony Hall: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
Since promotion: 10-for-58 (.172) with five doubles, a homer, nine walks, and 22 strikeouts.
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 2B (4), RBI, 2 K
Rodriguez is 19-for-55 (..345/.921 OPS) in 15 games since his promotion. He has four doubles, a homer, 11 RBI, nine walks, and 12 strikeouts.
DH Alexander Vargas: 0-for-4, 4 K
2B Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
RF Christopher Familia: 2-for-4, HR (10), RBI, RS
Familia continues to rake. He has 21 HR and 58 RBI in 59 games between here and Tampa. Over the last two years, he has 32 HR and 99 RBI in 116 games. In 38 games since his promotion, he is hitting .267/.344/.500 in 163 PA (4 doubles, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 29 R, 16 BB, 34 K). He will find himself in Somerset in 2024.
C Rafael Flores: 1-for-3, HR (6), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
.262/.344/.363 in 392 PA (15 doubles, 6 HR, 35 RBI, 44 R, 43 BB, 101 K)
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
LF Kyle Battle: 0-for-3, BB, K

RHP Zach Messinger: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
4.29 ERA (92.1 IP, 78 H, 55 R, 44 ER, 13 HR, 48 BB, 111 K). The 23-year-old is doing a good enough job in his first full season of starting (he made 16 starts in his 31 appearances last year)
RHP Anderson Munoz: (W, 1-0) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Harrison Cohen: (S, 1) 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR
Following this game on GameDay, I got the feeling that Cohen (who tossed 36 pitches) was fighting his way through the 9th. Anyway, he has a 3.76 ERA in 38 IP at this level (29 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 17 BB, 48 K)

Tampa (57-62; 26-27 in the second half)

They played two games against Palm Beach on Friday. No game today.

FCL Yankees (35-22; 1-2 in the playoffs) (Lost to the Braves, 9-1. The Braves take the championship series, 2-0, as the Yankees season comes to an end. Overall, this was a successful season in the FCL as many prospects performed more than well enough to earn a shot in Tampa. That could come next week or next season. I assume it will be next week for a few of them)

2B Keiner Delgado: 1-for-4
Delgado followed up his .293/.414/.485 regular season with a 4-for-12 (including two doubles) postseason.
SS George Lombard Jr.: 1-for-4
Lombard hit safely in every game he played in (four regular season games, and three playoff games). Combined, he went 8-for-23 (.348) with a double, seven walks, and four strikeouts.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, RS, BB
In 20 regular season/postseason games, Jasso went 26-for-72 with two home runs and 23 runs batted in. He walked 12 times and struck out six times. A candidate to go to Tampa next week.
CF Willy Montero: 2-for-4
Montero burst onto the scene last year and did not disappoint this year, hitting .331/.389/.436 in 203 PA while spending a lot of time in CF (27 starts in CF, 18 starts in RF). He followed that up with a 4-for-12 postseason.
LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, BB
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 0-for-4
Tejeda was one of the most consistent players at this level. After hitting .307/.465/.458 in the regular season, he went 5-for-13 with three RBI in the postseason.
RF John Cruz: 0-for-4, K
Cruz went 1-for-9 in the postseason, but that doesn’t lessen his productive regular season.
DH Wilson Rodriguez: 0-for-3, 2 K
PH Joel Mendez: 0-for-1, K
C Edinson Duran: 0-for-4

RHP Carlos Lagrange (L, 0-1): 3.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
The 6’7″ 20-year-old did enough in the rookie leagues this year to earn his shot at Low-A in 2024.
LHP Edwar Polimir: 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
The 22-year-old Polimir made his Low-A debut already (8/10) but it was only for a game.
RHP Jordy Luciano: 0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
LHP Pablo Mujica: 2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

DSL Yankees (33-19)

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

DSL Bombers (27-26)

Their season is over.

Yankees MILB 8/15: Austin Wells Hits First Triple-A Homer

News:

RHP Justin Lange was promoted from Tampa to Hudson Valley today.

The 21-year-old, acquired from the Padres for Luke Voit, pitched to a 4.58 ERA (4.80 FIP) over 72.2 innings for Tampa. He struck out a whopping 34.3% of hitters but walked 16.4%. Lange is the ultimate lottery ticket as the stuff is there for him to be a top pitching prospect. However, harnessing that stuff is a challenge.

I see Lange as a future power reliever, as I can see him taking a Dellin Betances path over the next several years. This isn’t me predicting he will be as good as Betances, who was among the top relievers in baseball during his prime.

Scranton (55-57; 21-17 in the second half) (Used a 4-run 9th to shock Worcester, 6-5)

SS Oswald Peraza: 2-for-5, 2B (9), RBI, 2 K, SB (13)
Peraza’s RBI double with two outs in the top of the 9th was the game-winning hit.
C Austin Wells: 1-for-5, HR (1), RBI, RS, 2 K
Wells hits his first Triple-A home run (13th overall).
LF Everson Pereira: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
Pereira is at .311/.368/.533 here and .300/.364/.540 overall.
3B Andres Chaparro: 0-for-2, BB, 2 K
I am not sure why Chaparro left the game.
3B Wilmer Difo: 1-for-1, RS
RF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-4, HR (13), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Cordero’s 2-run home run started the rally in the 9th as it brought Scranton within one run.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-4, 2B (7), RBI, 2 K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-4
1B Jake Lamb: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, K
Lamb’s solo HR with two outs in the 9th tied the game.
CF Brandon Lockridge: 2-for-4, 2B (6), RS, K, SB (16)
Lockridge has 33 stolen bases in 37 attempts between here and Somerset. This stolen base was especially important as it preceded Peraza’s ground rule double.

RHP Will Warren: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, HR
Warren tossed five scoreless innings before allowing a 3-run HR in the 6th. At this level: 5.10 ERA (60 IP, 59 H, 44 R, 34 ER, 12 HR, 33 BB, 65 K)
RHP Zac Houston: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR
RHP Zach McAllister: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Since signing: 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
RHP Greg Weissert: (W, 4-3) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Ron Marinaccio (S, 1): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Somerset (64-44; 22-18 in the second half) (Split two games against Reading)

Game 1 (Lost, 6-5, in ten innings. This game was the conclusion of a game that started on July 9th (suspended in the 9th inning) – that is why you see all the substitutions below. I am not going to make any notes because the vast majority of the stats are over a month old)

SS Trey Sweeney: 1-for-4, RS
PH Ben Rice: 0-for-1, K
LF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-5, RS, 2 K
C Austin Wells: 1-for-3, 2B (14)
C Mickey Gasper: 1-for-2
3B Tyler Hardman: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-0, SF, RBI
1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-3, HBP
SS Max Burt: 0-for-1
CF Elijah Dunham: 3-for-5, HR (1), RBI, RS, K
RF Aaron Palensky: 0-for-4, K
DH Josh Breaux: 2-for-4, RS
2B Matt Pita: 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, K
PH-2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1, K

RHP Richard Fitts: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LHP Lisandro Santos: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Bailey Dees: (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Game 2 (Won, 4-3)

CF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-3, SF, RBI, RS, BB, K
.240/.358/.383 in 480 PA (14 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 59 RBI, 76 R, 75 BB, 123 K, 36-for-43 SB)
1B Ben Rice: 1-for-5, HR (8), 2 RBI, RS, 2 K
Rice has 8 HR (and five doubles) in 22 games since his promotion and 12 HR in 47 games overall. He is on a mini five-game hitting streak.
C Agustin Ramirez: 2-for-4, RS, HBP
Ramirez was 4-for-25 since his promotion entering tonight, so it is nice to see him compile a multi-hit game. This is not an easy jump, so we’ll see how he adjusts over the next month.
LF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-5, 2 K
2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-2, 2B (5), RBI, HBP
Durbin’s first game since June 17th. He was amongst the minor league stolen base leaders (with 29) at the time of his injury. That number held up in this organization until Jasson Dominguez and Brandon Lockridge recently surpassed it.
2B Max Burt: 0-for-2
No worries – Durbin was not going to play a full game on his first day back. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is the designated hitter tomorrow.
DH Anthony Seigler: 0-for-4, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, HBP
RF Jeisson Rosario: 1-for-1, 2B (15), RS, 3 BB
Rosario leads the organization (amongst those in full-season leagues) in BB% (18.1%). He has four 3+ walk games this season.
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 0-for-2, SAC, 2 K

RHP Chase Hampton: (W, 2-2) 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HR
Since promotion: 4.77 ERA (54.2 IP, 50 H, 33 R, 29 ER, 8 HR, 20 BB, 62 K). For those worried about him “struggling” since his promotion: This level will humble you. I don’t think it is anything to be concerned about, especially since this is his first professional season.
RHP Jack Neely: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Since promotion: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 6 K. Neely has 80 strikeouts in 53.2 innings between here and Hudson Valley.
RHP Danny Watson (S, 5): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Since promotion: 1.29 ERA (28 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 13 BB, 32 K). Watson has allowed 72 hits in 113.1 career innings.

Hudson Valley (60-49; 21-22 in the second half) (Defeated Brooklyn, 4-2)

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-4, CI, 2 K
RF Anthony Hall: 2-for-4, 2 2B (3), RS, K
Hall is 5-for-15 after starting 0-for-10 at this level.
2B Jared Serna: 1-for-4, K
Serna now has a 10-game hitting streak (7 games here, 3 games for Tampa). He is 9-for-28 since his promotion with three walks and three strikeouts.
LF Jesus Rodriguez: 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, RS, HBP
Rodriguez is hitting .303 between Tampa and Hudson Valley and is 8-for-20 with six RBI since his promotion.
SS Alexander Vargas: 1-for-4, RS, 3 K
C Antonio Gomez: 1-for-4, K
3B Ben Cowles: 2-for-4, HR (10), 2 RBI, RS, K
I don’t think Cowles belongs at this level any longer. He is 23 (drafted in the 10th round out of Maryland in 2021). Cowles played 23 games here in 2022 and is up to 87 games in 2023.
DH Christopher Familia: 0-for-4, K
1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-4, K

RHP Baron Stuart: (W, 2-1) 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 1 K
The ultimate bend-don’t-break.
RHP Mason Vinyard: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Vinyard strands two Stuart runners in the 6th. He drops his ERA at this level to 3.00 (24 IP, 17 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 15 BB, 27 K)
RHP Carlos Gomez: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, HR
LHP Joel Valdez (S, 1): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Tampa (52-57; 21-22 in the second half) (Lost a tough one to Daytona Beach, 8-7. They had a 7-2 lead entering the bottom of the 8th)

SS Roc Riggio: 1-for-3, 2 RS, BB, 2 K
Riggio is 4-for-16 at this level.
1B Kiko Romero: 1-for-3, 3B (1), RBI, 2 BB
Romero’s first professional triple.
C Omar Martinez: 1-for-5, HR (17), RBI, 2 RS
Martinez’s first bomb since hitting five in three games back in late July/early August. Baseball is such a funny game. That said, he is 6-for-16 with three doubles, a home run, and six runs scored in his last four games.
LF Coby Morales: 3-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, K, CS (1)
Morales has seven doubles and a homer in ten games (12-for-41)
DH Josh Moylan: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 BB, K
Moylan is 8-for-29 with nine walks and 11 strikeouts.
RF Tayler Aguilar: 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 K, CS (2)
CF Cole Gabrielson: 1-for-5, RS, 2 K
2B Beau Brewer: 2-for-4, RS, K
Brewer is up to .260 thanks to a 12-for-33 August.
3B Jose Colmenares: 2-for-4, 2 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS, K, SB (1)
In his small sample size, he is hitting .237 – but it comes with a 1.040 OPS.

RHP Yorlin Calderon: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
3.46 ERA (65 IP, 62 H, 28 R, 25 ER, 5 HR, 21 BB, 82 K). Calderon has starting experience (including throwing a no-hitter last year), but this was his first start this season.
RHP Alex Bustamante: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Matt Keating: 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, HR
RHP Huey Morrill: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
LHP Geoffrey Gilbert: (L, 5-2) 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Gilbert’s first appearance since 7/27.

FCL Yankees (30-20) (Lost to the Tigers, 3-2)

DH Keiner Delgado: 2-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS
In 2022, the league leader in home runs hit six. In other words, hitting seven in 44 games is no small feat. Delgado is hitting .287/.400/.481 with 28 stolen bases in 33 attempts. He is 19 years old, so I think a trip to Tampa before the season ends would be wise.
CF Jackson Castillo: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Willy Montero: 1-for-4, RBI
Montero is hitting .345/.395/.458 and his 41 RBI (43 games) rank him second in the FCL.
3B Dylan Jasso: 0-for-4, K
This snaps Jasso’s 6-game hitting streak. He is searching for that first professional home run but does have seven doubles in 12 games.
LF John Cruz: 0-for-2, 2 BB, K, SB (8)
.289/.367/.535 in 180 PA (5 doubles, 2 triples, 10 HR, 44 RBI, 27 R, 18 BB, 41 K, 8-for-11 SB). Cruz leads the league in RBI and is second in home runs (to a kid who is old enough to be his grandfather – OK, I am exaggerating). Cruz was signed for $75,000 in 2022 and thus far is making the Yankees look wise for that investment.
2B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-3, BB, 2 K, SB (22)
.311/.470/.477 in 198 PA. The one thing I like about the 18-year-old is that he is mostly hitting just like he did in the DSL, while doubling his stolen base total.
SS Hans Montero: 0-for-3, BB, K
.256/.410/.405 in 212 PA with a perfect 15-for-15 stolen base rate. After a red-hot start, he has fallen down. The overall line remains encouraging and I hope he can close his season on a hot streak.
C Juan Sanchez: 1-for-4, 2B (2), K
1B Enger Castellano: 0-for-4, K

RHP Luis Serna (L, 0-1): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
4.19 ERA (19.1 IP, 17 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 2 HR, 8 BB, 23 K)
LHP Edwar Polimir: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kris Bow: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Bow was having trouble up in Low-A. Sometimes, a prospect just needs a reset.
RHP Yoljeldriz Diaz: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

DSL Yankees (31-15) (Shut down the Cardinals, 6-0)

CF Jose Castro: 1-for-4, K, SB (18), CS (2)
DH Josue Gonzalez: 1-for-3, 2 RS, BB, SB (7)
.360/.553/.584 in a crazy 132 PA sample (he has 12 doubles, 36 walks, and 19 strikeouts)
SS Luis Suarez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K, SB (19)
3B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-1, RS, BB, 2 HBP, SB (15)
.298/.473/.427 in 169 PA with 31 RBI and 35 runs scored. The 19-year-old is repeating the level.
C Gabriel Bersing: 1-for-4, HR (4), RBI, RS, 3 K

RHP Christian Zazueta (W, 3-2): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
3.47 ERA (46.2 IP, 37 H, 20 R, 18 ER, 6 HR, 15 BB, 47 K)
LHP Pedro Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Yordanny Sosa: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

DSL Bombers (23-25) (Knocked off Mets Blue, 13-6)

CF Gabriel Lara: 2-for-5, RBI, 3 RS, BB
.271/.399/.421 in 173 PA (7 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 32 R, 26 BB, 30 K, 16-for-22 SB). A disruptive force.
C Edgleen Perez: 0-for-4, 3 RBI, BB
How often does a player go 0-for-4 with three RBI and zero sac flies?
SS Kevin Verde: 1-for-4, RBI, RS
LF Abrahan Ramirez: 1-for-4, RS, BB, SB (11)
.305/.464/.379 in 125 PA. He performed well at this level as a 17-year-old in 2022, so he is likely earning his way to the FCL.
RF David Beckles: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 RS, 3 BB
DH Luis Puello: 1-for-4, 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS
2B Rafael Martinez: 1-for-2, RBI, 2 RS, 2 BB
The 17-year-old is hitting .227/.327/.284 in 104 PA. This is his debut season.

LHP Rafelin Nivar (W, 2-0): 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
When a pitcher is in his 20s and down at this level, almost impossible to get a true read. He definitely strikes out his share of hitters (65 in 45.1 career innings)
RHP Angel Sanchez: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Sanchez is 22, but this is his debut season. He has yet to allow a run in 7.2 innings.
RHP Keninson Diaz: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
The 19-year-old has shown impressive improvement from 2022 (8.68 ERA in 18.2 IP) to 2023 (2.83 ERA in 28.2 IP)
LHP Luis Urbano: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Yankees MILB 8/3: Brock Selvidge Tosses a Masterpiece

News:

Nothing to report.

Scranton (49-53; 15-13 in the second half) (Defeated Rochester, 6-5)

3B Oswald Peraza: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, K
5-for-12 with 4 RBI in August.
RF Everson Pereira: 2-for-5, 2 K
Pereira is hitting .341/.371/.582 since his promotion. He has compiled three straight 2-hit games (five multi-hit games in his last six games played). When does he get to the Bronx? It may just be by the end of August. The strikeouts are still too high, but I don’t think getting his feet wet for a month or so is going to kill him.
C Austin Wells: 1-for-4, 2B (3), RS
Wells has hit safely in six of his last seven games. He is taking his walks (.367 OBP) but the power has yet to show up in Scranton.
1B Andres Chaparro: 2-for-4, HR (20), RBI, RS
Chaparro joins Tyler Hardman and Estevan Florial in the organization’s 20 HR club and ties his personal best for HR in a season. He is hitting .253/.345/.481 in 417 PA.
DH Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-3, 2B (6), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K
LF Franchy Cordero: 1-for-3, RS, BB, K
2B Jamie Westbrook: 1-for-2 RS, 2 BB
CF Brandon Lockridge: 1-for-4, RS
Lockridge has hit safely in eight of his last nine games. His ability to play CF and steal bases makes him a prime Rule 5 choice (even if he was passed over in 2022)
SS Wilmer Difo: 1-for-4, RBI, CS (4)

RHP Will Warren: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 2 HR
Since promotion: 5.22 ERA (50 IP, 48 H, 37 R, 29 ER, 10 HR, 27 BB, 52 K). He didn’t allow a HR in 29.1 IP for Somerset. Triple-A is just souped up for offense – that doesn’t mean Warren has been great. It just means that it is not an easy level to pitch in.
RHP Deivi Garcia: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 K
RHP Aaron McGarity (W, 5-2): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
RHP Matt Bowman (S, 5): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Somerset (58-39; 16-13 in the second half) (Lost to Akron, 8-2)

LF Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, BB
.230/.357/.371 in 431 PA. He is off to a 4-for-11 start in August (3 walks)
DH Ben Rice: 0-for-4, K
CF Elijah Dunham: 1-for-4, RS
1B Mickey Gasper: 0-for-3, RS, BB, K
SS Jesus Bastidas: 0-for-3, BB, K
With Trey Sweeney hurt last night, Bastidas was demoted down here to get some playing time in.
C Anthony Seigler: 1-for-2, 2 BB
2B Max Burt: 1-for-4, 2B (8), RBI, 2 K
RF Jeisson Rosario: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
3B Eduardo Torrealba: 1-for-4, 2 K
Torrealba was promoted back up here. Somerset had an infield shortage before tonight.

RHP Yoendrys Gomez: 3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
2.62 ERA (34.1 IP, 21 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 2 HR, 24 BB, 38 K)
LHP Josh Maciejewski: 1.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, HR
RHP Bailey Dees: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Since promotion: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K

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

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-5, 3 K
SS Ben Cowles: 2-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 SB (15), CS (3)
.253/.347/.396 in 334 PA. He has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games.
C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-5, HR (8), 3 RBI, RS, 2 K
If you are going to have one hit, may as well make it a 3-run bomb. Ramirez is hitting .379 with a 1.138 OPS in 112 PA since his promotion (10 doubles, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 20 R). Overall, in 344 PA, he has 17 doubles, 15 HR, 56 RBI, and 55 runs scored. An outstanding season for the 21-year-old catcher.
DH Christopher Familia: 1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, RS
Familia have five home runs in his last eight games. Between here and Tampa, he is hitting an incredible .322/.392/.695 with 17 home runs and 46 RBI in 194 PA. He is 23 years old and should be in Somerset for 2024.
1B Spencer Henson: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K
RF Grant Richardson: 1-for-3, HR (12), 2 RBI, RS, BB
Richardson has homered in three straight games.
LF Aldenis Sanchez: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K
2B Luis Santos: 1-for-4, SB (8)
3B Marcos Cabrera: 1-for-4, RS, 2 K

LHP Brock Selvidge: (W, 2-0) 7.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, HR
They stretched him into the 8th inning, where a hit he allowed eventually came around to score. Whatever – another brilliant effort from Selvidge. He has two straight 7+ inning efforts (14.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 12 K). Overall, including his time with Tampa, he is 6-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 96 IP (85 H, 38 R, 33 ER, 4 HR, 25 BB, 106 K). Selvidge has been mostly brilliant from the start and is one of very few left-handed starters in the system.
LHP Clay Aguilar: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
While he did allow one of Selvidge’s runners to score, it was on a ground ball with the runner on third base.

Tampa (47-51; 16-16 in the second half) (Defeated Bradenton, 7-4)

SS Jared Serna: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K
3B Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 2 BB, CS (3)
.302/.382/.434 in 339 strong plate appearances. He has hit safely in nine of his last ten games (14-for-38; .368).
C Omar Martinez: 4-for-5, HR (16), 3 RBI, RS
Back-to-back 4-hit efforts for Martinez. The other night, he went 4-for-6 with 3 HR so he is 8-for-11 with 4 HR and 8 RBI in his last two games.
CF Anthony Hall: 0-for-5, RBI, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero: 0-for-4, BB, 3 K
LF Coby Morales: 0-for-5, K
DH Brenny Escanio: 2-for-5, RS
RF Tayler Aguilar: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K
2B Jose Colmenares: 0-for-1, 3 RS, 3 BB, K

RHP Cam Schlittler: 3 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR
Schlittler’s Low-A debut. He is a tall kid (6’6″) who was their 7th round pick in the 2022 draft out of Northeastern.
RHP Yorlin Calderon: (W, 5-2) 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
3.43 ERA (57.2 IP, 51 H, 25 R, 22 ER, 4 HR, 16 BB, 72 K)
RHP Montana Semmel: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
RHP Hueston Morrill (S, 1): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
His Low-A debut is a strong one. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

FCL Yankees (25-15) (Squeaked past the Blue Jays, 2-0)

2B Roc Riggio: 0-for-3, BB, K
2-for-9 with three walks to start his career.
SS Hans Montero: 0-for-4
.258/.434/.424 in 173 PA with a perfect 15-for-15 SB rate. He is hoping to have a strong finish after a .194/.351/.242 July.
RF Willy Montero: 2-for-3
.322/.369/.425 in 160 PA.
PH-LF Joel Mendez: 1-for-1, RS
3B Enmanuel Tejeda: 1-for-3, RS, HBP
.306/.472/.446 in 161 PA.
CF Cole Gabrielson: 0-for-2, RBI, 2 HBP
The painful way to drive in a run.
1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, HBP

LHP Allen Facundo: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
1.44 ERA (25 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 12 BB, 33 K)
RHP Jordarlin Mendoza (W, 4-0): 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
It wasn’t 15 up/15 down, since there was an error behind him. Anyway, Mendoza (19) owns a 4.30 ERA in 23 IP (12 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 2 HR, 19 BB, 31 K)
RHP Sebastian Keane (S, 1): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Keane’s first professional save. He owns a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 IP (9 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 10 BB, 29 K)

DSL Yankees (25-14) – Defeated the DSL Bombers (19-21), 10-1

Yankees:

CF Brando Mayea: 3-for-4, RBI, 2 RS, BB, CS (4)
Mayea’s first career 3-hit game. After going through a bit of a slump, he has back-to-back multi-hit games and is 8-for-23 in his last five games.
C Josue Gonzalez: 2-for-3, RS, 2 BB
.371/.562/.629 in 105 strong plate appearances. As gaudy as those numbers are they were even crazier as this snaps an 0-for-11 stretch.
2B Santiago Gomez: 2-for-5, 2 RBI, RS, K
1B Jhon Imbert: 2-for-4, 2 RS, BB, 2 SB (15)
3B Anthony Pena: 1-for-4, 2B (5), RS, 2 K, SB (2)
LF Andres Lacruz: 3-for-5, RBI, 2 RS, 2 K
Lacruz has two 3-hit games this season.

RHP Jerson Alejandro (W, 1-3): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Alejandro is only 17. He owns a 4.34 ERA in 29 IP (24 H, 15 R, 14 ER, 3 HR, 14 BB, 26 K)

Bombers:

2B Gabriel Terrero: 1-for-4, 2B (8)
.311/.402/.575 in 122 PA. An impressive debut season.
SS Kevin Verde: 1-for-4, SB (3)

RHP Angel Sanchez: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K