Yes, I take spring training results with a grain of salt but it would certainly be much more fun to watch these guys compete and be in the lineup for Opening Day, if not at some point in 2023.

Virtually no Yankee fan wants to see the club march out Josh Donaldson, Aaron Hicks, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa on Opening Day. None of those aforementioned three should be holding back any Yankee prospect. It’s time to find out what they have with Oswald Peraza, Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Jasson Dominguez.

Aside from obtaining another lefty bat or two or three, there’s really no other way to go.

Peraza has looked smooth at shortstop this spring. He has hit at every level and has carried that into the exhibition season. I’ll take his arm up the middle too.

Easy as 4-6-3 for @oswald_peraza & @Volpe_Anthony pic.twitter.com/g7cGjh955A

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) March 9, 2023

Volpe has tried to do everything possible to force the hand of Yankee brass in spring training. He’s tearing the cover off the ball, hustling, doing, and saying all of the right things. If he’s not the shortstop, he should be playing second base. He’s fit the mold thus far of a top-five prospect.

Speaking of smooth… pic.twitter.com/AuLuz38y2O

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 6, 2023

Cabrera is versatile and an infielder by trade with a cannon arm. He can switch hit and give the team some pop from the left side. I’d take him at the hot corner for sure.

Dominguez isn’t quite as seasoned but he has shown superb plate patience and offers you speed and pop from the left side. Plus, depending on Harrison Bader’s injury, now may be the time for an audition. He’s only 20 but if you believe he’s the next Mike Trout or Juan Soto, why not find out?

Another prospect knocking on the door is Andres Chapparro.

No doubt about that one @Ch_andres07 pic.twitter.com/7CQRAEE1Sb

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) March 2, 2023

On the pitching side, while 27 doesn’t make him a baby, we’re finally going to see what Clarke Schmidt is capable of as a regular starting pitcher. He’s looked sharp this spring and it’ll be interesting to see how his stuff translates in the rotation after displaying glimpses of brilliance in the bullpen last season.

New @YankeesPodcast!

The guys discuss the exciting Spring Training appearances by Anthony Volpe and Clarke Schmidt and also preview the World Baseball Classic!

Listen here!
https://t.co/G6zaliQTn6
Watch here!
https://t.co/0JlQ2n39og pic.twitter.com/13PCWMCOdA

— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) March 1, 2023

Similarly, Michael King, 27, could still be stretched out. Yet, with the closer spot wide open and his injury limiting him to perhaps an inning per outing, why not try him in that role?

It would be exciting to see this next wave of young stars get the opportunity to shine in the Bronx.

The post Baby Bombers Part II? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Earlier this month, MLB Trade Rumors published their top 50 deadline trade candidates. Guess how many of the 50 can play shortstop? Zero! The closest is #30 Donovan Solano, a 34-year-old utility infielder who has only started 26 games at shortstop in his entire career — and none since 2020. They list José Iglesias as an honorable mention, but he really isn’t an upgrade over Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Speaking of IKF, he has done exactly what the Yankees expected him to do this season — no more and no less. He’s hitting the softest possible .271 with zero home runs, a mediocre walk rate, and an abysmal .325 slugging percentage. His 87 OPS+ is consistent with his offensive output for his entire career. Defensively, the quick-twitch athleticism that made him a Gold Glove third baseman in 2020 only translates to average range at shortstop, while his throws have become more erratic over the course of the year. He’s a useful player, but he belongs in a bench role on a championship-caliber club.

When the Yankees eschewed the stacked free-agent class of shortstops and traded for IKF as a stopgap, the idea was that he would pass the baton to their outstanding prospects. Now is the time to see what Peraza can do at the MLB level.

Meet Oswald Peraza

The Yankees signed Oswald Peraza as an amateur out of Venezuela for $175,000 in 2016. Despite a lack of fanfare, he progressed steadily through the lowest levels of the minors as a teenager. Across five levels from 2017-2019, he only amassed five home runs in 710 plate appearances.

The pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season, but he showed up in 2021 with much more physical maturity at age 21. He quickly proved that High-A Hudson Valley was no challenge for him, slashing .306/.386/.532 with 16 steals in 28 games before getting called up to Double-A Somerset. Even as the youngest player on the roster, he continued to dominate, hitting .295/.348/.466 over 79 games and earning an eight-game cup of coffee in Triple-A at the end of the year. All the while, he displayed superb defense at shortstop.

His 2021 performance caught the attention of national prospect rating services. Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and MLB Pipeline all ranked him between #55-61 overall on their 2022 preseason lists. He was sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wikes-Barre to begin the year but didn’t get off to a good start. This is understandable since he didn’t turn 22 until June 15 and is 4.5 years younger than the average player at the highest level of the minors. Through June 10, he was only hitting .189/.266/.281 in 199 plate appearances. However, he has since turned on the jets. Beginning on June 11, he’s been on a .355/.413/.587 tear.

His best tools have always been speed and defense, evident at every stop in his minor-league journey. MLB Pipeline gave a 60 grade (on the 20-80 scale) to each of his run, arm, and field tools. Baseball Prospectus called him, “a plus runner with a plus shortstop glove.” They also gave him an overall grade of 60 and called him a “first-division shortstop/occasional all-star.”

Other Options (or Lack Thereof)

As talented as Peraza may be, he isn’t the top shortstop prospect in the Yankees’ system. That would be 2019 first-round pick Anthony Volpe, who recently participated in the Futures Game. Baseball Prospectus recently ranked him the #5 overall prospect in baseball on their midseason top 50 list. He has a higher ceiling than Peraza offensively, even if he might not be as rangy on defense, but he’s more than a year younger and a level behind him. He’s putting up .253/.351/.461 numbers in Double-A this season, which is commendable, but not enough to necessitate skipping over Peraza and Triple-A.

Another shortstop prospect on the radar is the similarly-named Oswaldo Cabrera, who won the Double-A Northeast MVP in Somerset last season. He almost certainly has a future role in the majors, but it’s more likely as a utility infielder. Besides, he missed two months with an injury in Triple-A and only returned to action last week.

The only realistic options for the Yankees at shortstop this year are 1) continue with IKF, or 2) see what Oswald Peraza can do. Most likely, he wouldn’t become much of a hitter right away. He’ll strike out more than IKF and might even have a lower on-base percentage. However, he will bring more power potential into the lineup — not that it will be hard to beat IKF’s zero home runs — and convert more outs on defense. There isn’t much more for him to prove in the minors and a clear need in the majors. It’s time to see if he can be an upgrade at shortstop down the stretch and into the postseason.

The post Bring up Oswald Peraza! appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Revisiting the situation in early June, it seemed that it would remain the case that Cabrera was just a no-name prospect. He had slashed .216/.289/.375, which gave him an 81 wRC+. Cabrera was 19% worse than the league average hitter. but he’d quickly become one of the best.

As if a light bulb went on in his head, he exploded for a 129 wRC+ and 14 extra base hits in his next 19 games in June. He only hit 3 HRs in that stretch, but he’d start flexing that HR power soon enough. From July until his call up to Scranton, he uncorked 18 HRs and posted a 121 wRC+. Those monster numbers also included a .513 SLG%, making him one of the most ferocious sluggers in the minors that season. Despite this great finish, he still found himself outside of top 100 prospect lists, but in Triple-A Scranton, he’s got something to prove to the baseball world.

Switch-Hitting Power

Cabrera launched a whopping five home runs in just 9 games at AAA last season, meaning from June onwards his 2021 looked like this:

.285/.340/.570
141 wRC+
26 HRs
28 2Bs
55 XBHs
21 SBs

That was all just in 379 PAs, meaning over 600 PAs he would’ve hit 41 HRs and collected an insane 87 extra base hits. To put it simply, Cabrera mashes the baseball, and while his Raw Power (50 Grade) isn’t special, his ability to hit the ball in the air consistently is truly magnificent. He had groundball rates that hovered around 30% and with his pull rate being well above 45%, he’s going to hit an incredible amount of HRs in spite of his smaller stature.

Oswaldo Cabrera just hit a grand slam. He hit 29 HR last year after hitting 22 HR total from 2016-20. The Yankees had a lot of power breakouts like that in the system last season. pic.twitter.com/moA9Uv9XTR

— River Ave. Blues (@RiverAveBlues) March 20, 2022

This isn’t even mentioning the fact that Cabrera is doing this as a switch-hitter, further expanding his versatility. His biggest flaw is his walk rates, something that will hover around 6-7%, but that aggressiveness is fine when you have 30 HR and 30 2B power. He profiles as a modern day 5 hole hitter, someone who’s OBP isn’t going to be the greatest, but they’ll crush mistakes and keep pitchers on their toes as they navigate through the lineup. His bat remains his most impressive quality, but that doesn’t make his other tools anything to scoff at either.

Extremely Well-Rounded

When I mentioned his excellence over the summer, I didn’t go in-depth into how great of a base stealer Oswaldo is. Including this season, Cabrera is 23/26 in stolen base attempts over his last 101 games played. Not only is he capable of stealing 20+ bases, he’s capable of doing so at an extremely efficient rate. Stealing at an 88.4% success rate is phenomenal, and it adds another dimension to his offensive package. His speed and athleticism would greatly help a Yankee team that could definitely use it, and it adds to his value.

Another key to his game is his versatility. Cabrera is a perfect infield utility player, playing 2B/3B/SS and doing so with solid numbers. He had a 7.9 Fielding Runs Above Average at AA in 2021, and while minor league data is much less reliable than it’s MLB counterpart, that’s still a great sign. If he can be a positive defender with his versatility he’s going to be a 3-4 WAR player at the MLB level with relative ease.

The Case To Be Great

If you weren’t excited already, Fangraphs’ Steamer Projections have Cabrera as a 96 wRC+ hitter despite only having 13 games at the Triple-A level. In those games? He’s slashed .435/.519/957 with 5 HRs and 12 total extra base hits. He’s truly becoming a player who every Yankee fan would love to add to their lineup; great athlete, great versatility, and good power. It’s not a matter of if the talent is there anymore; it’s a matter of getting the at-bats to get that one final call-up and don the pinstripes.

There aren’t many players I’m genuinely amped for when they’re prospects since they’re still pretty far away, but Cabrera is an exception. I think he is the best offensive player in the system currently not named Volpe, and he possesses all the tools to have that translate at the biggest stage. He turned 23 in March, and this could be the year Oswaldo Cabrera doesn’t just capture the attention of those in Yankee circles, but the attention of national audiences on baseball’s biggest stage.

The post Oswaldo Cabrera is on his way to stardom appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Ron Marinaccio

Ballplayers from Toms River are like vampire slayers. There must always be one, but only one. On the day Todd Frazier retired, the Yankees announced Marinaccio made the team out of Spring Training. They originally drafted the right-hander in the 19th round of the 2017 draft out of the University of Delaware, immediately converting him to full-time relief work. He spent 2017-2019 racking up plenty of strikeouts in the low minors and allowing just one home run over three years, but also fighting through injuries. He was not invited to the alternate site in 2020, but dominated Double-A and Triple-A in 2021, posting a 2.04 ERA across 66.1 innings with 105 strikeouts and just 35 hits allowed.

Prior to the 2022 season, FanGraphs ranked him the Yankees’ 20th-best prospect and Prospects 1500 ranked him 28th. The 26-year-old throws a mid-90s fastball that can touch the high-90s from a low arm slot. His best secondary pitch has always been his changeup, which can help neutralize left-handed hitters. This spring, he demonstrated an improved slider with increased horizontal movement— as did several other Yankee pitchers— which was a prominent reason why he made the team (along with the expanded 28-man rosters).

JP Sears

Do you remember Nick Rumbelow? He threw 15.2 unremarkable innings for the Yankees in 2015, then was traded to Seattle for Sears and Juan Then (still in the minors, traded back to the Mariners a year later). Sears was an 11th-round pick out of The Citadel in 2017. Seattle immediately converted him to relief where he excelled in his first professional season, but the Yankees reverted him back to a starter. Much like Marinaccio, he muddled through the low minors and did not get an invite to the alternate site, then excelled in Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, striking out 136 in 104 innings mostly as a starting pitcher.

Sears is 26 now and listed at 5’11, 180 lb. The lefty features a fastball in the 92-94 mph range. He throws a slider that dives toward the back foot of right-handed hitters and away from lefties as well as a changeup. Neither of his three offerings is particularly special, but his best feature is his ability to locate. His excellent command helps his stuff play up and placed him 25th on the FanGraphs list of Yankees prospects and 39th on Prospect 1500’s. As an undersized lefty with fringey stuff as a starter, it’s a little perplexing that they haven’t moved him to the bullpen full-time. Nevertheless, he would probably have been in the Triple-A rotation if he hadn’t made the team out of Spring Training, so he could provide multi-inning relief work in blowouts.

Expectations for Rookie Relievers

Both Marinaccio’s and Sears’s middling prospect rankings indicate that they are highly likely to stick around as middle relievers for a few years, but unlikely to ever be much more than that. That’s fine! Chad Green and Jonathan Loáisiga can’t pitch every day. The team’s greatest strength is the depth and quality of their bullpen. For a frame of reference, Marinaccio and Sears would probably be among the best relievers on the Orioles. On the Yankees, they just have to handle low-to-medium leverage innings without being a disaster. Both pitchers have the talent to do at least that.

The post Introducing Ron Marinaccio and JP Sears appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Scranton Wilkes-Barre (AAA)

SWB would play an abbreviated schedule against the Buffalo Bisons due to lousy weather in Moosic, PA, all week. They would get only four games in the books with two rainouts and a game suspended in the 4th inning. Nevertheless, they would win the final three games after losing the opener 5-3. The pitching gave up only two runs in each contest, including a doubleheader sweep on Thursday. In the nightcap, Brian Keller, Sal Romano, and Nick Goody combined to pitch the sixth one-hitter in SWB history, the last thrown by Chad Green in 2016. This was not a new experience for Keller, who threw a no-hitter in Trenton during the 2019 season.

The highlights on offense came from Hoy Park, who is the SWB Player of the Week. He went 4-12 with 2 HR, 3 RBI, and 3 BB after promotion from the Patriots. There, he hit .194/.316/.323 in ten games.

Hoy Park hit this ball a VERY LONG WAY pic.twitter.com/MiG5syWT6x

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 29, 2021

The bullpen has been the backbone of the staff, throwing 13 shutout innings over the final three games of the series and allowing only six base runners. They included two hit batters by Adam Warren, one walk from Kyle Barraclough, and three hits. Of those three hits, two were the infield variety. The bullpen ERA is down to 3.09 with 11.6 K/9.

They finish the first month of the season in first place at 16-6, with a 2.5 game lead in the division. After the Monday off, they welcome the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to town for six.

Somerset Patriots (AA)

The Somerset Patriots had another excellent week, going 3-2 against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a series also shortened by rain. The loss in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader ended their seven-game win streak. That leaves them in first place at 16-7, 1.5 games in front of the Red Sox affiliate in Portland.

As stated above, the week’s headliner was the arrival of Zack Britton to begin his rehab assignment. He would throw a scoreless inning on 18 pitches, giving up only an infield hit. The best news is that every ball in play was beaten into the turf, a great sign for his bowling ball sinker’s effectiveness.

ICYMI: Zack Britton's full 18-pitch outing earlier today in Somerset. pic.twitter.com/cOakLomTz0

— Mike Ashmore (@mashmore98) May 29, 2021

Had the chance to ask Zack Britton about his time in the minor leagues after today’s rehab outing with the Somerset Patriots. pic.twitter.com/y3nwdqFy0z

— Eli Fishman (@elijfishman) May 29, 2021

INF Dermis Garcia had his 12 game hit streak snapped during game 2 of the Thursday doubleheader. He would bat .314 (16-51) with seven home runs, 11 R, and 17 RBI during the streak.

The offense’s catalyst was OF Michael Beltre. Once 18th ranked prospect in the Reds organization is having a breakout season for the Patriots, at or near the top in almost all offensive categories. He leads in team average (.303), runs (20), hits (22), doubles (4), triples (3), and XBH (10). He is also second in RBI (13) and SB (5).

Send it, my man!

Michael Beltre's second homer of the year makes it an 8-0 Patriots lead in the third! pic.twitter.com/AvvZV9usi6

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 30, 2021

The Somerset pitching continues to be exceptional. Luis Gil is the Somerset Player of the Week and was again dominant. He would throw 6 IP, give up 2 H, 1 ER, 2BB, and hurl eight strikeouts. He has lowered his ERA to 1.69. Janson Junk (0.60), Matt Krook (1.89), and Greg Weissert (0.96) all contribute to a staff with a sub 3 ERA.

The Pats welcome the Reading Fightin Phils for six beginning Tuesday at TD Bank Ballpark.

First time through the order for @Thegil06 in game two has, uhh, not faired well for New Hampshire… pic.twitter.com/ABqIW2YtQt

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 28, 2021

Hudson Valley Renegades (A+)

After a 9-9 start, HV joined the other affiliates in playing some dominating baseball. Working through a couple of rainouts and a doubleheader, the Gades took four of five from the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. Their 13-10 record sees them in 2nd place, behind the Aberdeen Ironbirds (BAL).

The Organizational Player of the Week, Ken Waldichuk, continues a breakout season after throwing 4.1 innings with nine strikeouts on Saturday. He has yet to give up a run in 18.2 innings. Luis Medina is living up to his phenom status, throwing 4.1 innings, 1 R, 3 H, and 7 SO on Wednesday. His ERA sits at a sparkling 1.57. With an injury or two in the Bronx, it is not inconceivable that Medina or Luis Gil in Somerset make a debut in the bigs as a spot starter. They are performing at an incredibly high level, and both are on the 40 man roster. At the very least, Medina will jump to AA and Gil to AAA if they continue to dominate at their current affiliates. Gas at 100 MPH plays anywhere.

Yankees prospect Ken Waldichuk fanned nine today for @HVRenegades and kept his ERA at a sparkling 0.00 through five starts. pic.twitter.com/2HHSzmHxMI

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 29, 2021

Offensively, 3B James Nelson and SS Oswald Peraza stood out. Nelson had a week of hitting .412 (7-for-17), with a home run and four RBI. Peraza, the 4th ranked Yankee prospect, hit .450 (9 for 20), with 3 SB and 3 RBI. He had a career-high five hits on Thursday night.

The bats finally come alive as James Nelson gives the Renegades the lead! pic.twitter.com/adJAKlWlAL

— HV Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 27, 2021

The Renegades will be on the road for six starting Tuesday against the third-place Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nats).

Tampa Tarpons (A)

Tampa was the one team not impacted by rain, playing a full slate of 6 games and going 4-2 against the Dunedin Blue Jays. Although it was a road series, they played at GMS Field because of Toronto having their games in Dunedin due to COVID travel restrictions to Canada. The wonderful week kept Tampa in first place at 17-7, with a two-game cushion on their closest follower.

First baseman Chad Bell extended his on-base streak to 20 straight and has a six-game hitting streak. The Yankees 14th ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, Josh Smith, made his 2021 debut after being activated off the seven-day IL. He hit .278 (5-19) with two home runs and 6 RBI in his five games.

Nelvin Correa led the pitching staff and is the Tampa Player of the Week. Although he gave up his first earned run on Sunday, he has now hurled 15 innings and has a 0.60 ERA.

The Tarps are home for six against the Lakeland Tigers this week.

The post ‘Zack Attack’ hits Somerset: The Farm Report appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Play at the plate and 𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄! pic.twitter.com/BSzrqoQs5y

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 23, 2021

Scranton Wilkes-Barre (AAA)

SWB once again played great baseball, going 4-2 in Rochester, and have now won 7 out of their last 10. They finished the week in first place, two games up on the Buffalo Bisons. After setting the SWB franchise record with 212 home runs in 2019, they have hit 28 home runs in their first 18 games this season. The RailRiders are tied for eighth in minor league baseball in home runs, although they have not seen an elite power performance from any one-hitter. Only Chris Gittens (t-10th, 4) ranks in the top 15 in home runs in Triple-A East.

Notable additions to the roster were three players from Double-A Somerset, all three playing significant time in the series against Rochester. INFs Hoy Park, Brandon Wagner, and OF Thomas Milone have combined to hit .339 (19-for-56) with 10 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBIs, 12 BB, 17 K, and 2 HBP. In Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Red Wings, Park and Milone drove in all three runs. Milone, the SWB Player of the Week, finished the series 9-25, 3 R, 2B, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K.

Milone comes up 𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓽𝓬𝓱 to give the RailRiders the lead! pic.twitter.com/oBv35MYW0Q

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 19, 2021

For the Florial watchers out there, he finished the week with a .172/.294/.483 slash. He also has two home runs and nine strikeouts in his two weeks in AAA.

On the pitching side, Clemson grad Brody Koerner has been a leader of the pitching staff. In his third appearance, he hurled 4.1 innings of 2 run ball on 71 pitches. He ends the week with a 2.25 ERA over three starts, 12.1 IP, and three runs.

Deivi Garcia continues his up and down season, throwing 2.1 innings, 5H, 4ER, 3BB, 2 SO on Saturday. His ERA now sits at 5.17.

SWB begins a six-game set at home against the Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday. The Jays farm team is in second place (11-7), two games behind the first-place RailRiders.

Somerset Patriots (AA)

The Somerset Patriots had a flawless week, going 6-0 against the Hartford Yard Goats. They finish the week in the same spot as SWB, in first place with a 13-5 record and two games up on Boston’s affiliate in Portland. It’s even more impressive after losing three of their better players promoted up to SWB only one week after Estevan Florial left.

INF Dermis Garcia has now hit safely in ten-straight games. During the ten-game stretch, Garcia is hitting .350 (14-for-40) with six home runs, nine runs scored, and 14 RBI, including four home runs against Hartford, and is the Somerset Player of the Week. He began the season 1-for-24 (.042) in his first seven games before beginning his current hit streak.

Dermis Garcia is destroying baseballs right now for Somerset.

The Yankees 1B prospect had four homers over the past week.

He ranks No. 2 in this week’s hot sheet

Full list: https://t.co/QTQeamNVTi

( @SOMPatriots)

pic.twitter.com/IbEKlySIN5

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 24, 2021

The Patriots pitching staff leads all of Double-A with 220 strikeouts. The pitchers have struck out double-digit batters in 15 of 18 contests this season, including 11 of their last 12 games. Prior to Sunday’s action, the Patriots pitching staff had the lowest collective WHIP in all of Double-A (1.08), second-lowest BAA (.194), and fifth-lowest ERA (3.05). Luis Gil, the Yankees’ 5th ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, continues to dominate. On Friday, he threw 4.2 innings, 0R, 2H, 1BB, and 9SO. His season stats currently sit at 0-0, 1.76ERA, 12 H, 3ER, and 28 SO in 15.1 innings. Janson Junk also continues to stand out with a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings. He tossed four innings of one-hit ball on Wednesday.

Somerset plays home against the third-place Hartford Fisher Cats (TOR) beginning Tuesday.

Hudson Valley Renegades (A+)

HV is all about the threes. In week three, they went 3-3 for the third week in a row. They remain in second place, behind the Aberdeen Ironbirds (BAL).

Yankees’ 7th ranked prospect Luis Medina dominated in his start last week and is the Organizational Player of the Week. He threw 5.2 innings, giving up one run, one hit, 11 SO, two BB, and has a sparkling 1.45 ERA. He seems to have outgrown A ball, with a season line of 2-0, 1.45 ERA, 18.2 IP, and 32 SO. Last week’s Player of the Week, Ken Waldichuk, also continues to be unhittable. The lefty gave up one hit while striking out ten over 4.1 innings on Saturday as the Hudson Valley Renegades beat the Brooklyn Cyclones, 5-3. The Yankees 27th ranked prospect has thrown 14.1 innings without giving up a run and has 29 strikeouts.

Luis Medina curveballs from his 11-K outing yesterday. Sharp hook! pic.twitter.com/gcnTYAXxwq

— Lucas (@DBITLefty) May 21, 2021

Offensively, Eduardo Torrealba is hitting .412 (7-for-17) since joining the Hudson Valley lineup on May 19. Ezequiel Duran makes a solid middle infield with SS Oswald Peraza. Duran, the Yankees’ 15th ranked prospect, is hitting .412, 11RBI, and has scored seven runs to go along with the 4th ranked Peraza.

The Renegades will be home for six starting Tuesday against the fourth-place Jersey Shore Blue Claws.

Tampa Tarpons (A)

Tampa is the third of the Yankees’ farm teams to finish the week at 13-5, a full four games up on second place Bradenton after a 4-2 week against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. They continue to rake, putting up 58 runs over the six games.

Its season run total is a MiLB-best 166 runs scored (9.22/G), 25 more than next on the list: Low-A Delmarva (141 runs). No other team in the Southeast League has scored more than 115 runs (Lakeland). Anthony Volpe (19R) and Andres Chaparro (18R) are among the league leaders in runs scored, with 23rd ranked prospect Trevor Hauver (17R), Pat DeMarco (16R), Elijah Dunham (16R), and 6th ranked prospect Austin Wells (16R) close behind.

Sean Boyle and Nelvin Correa lead the pitching staff. Boyle had two starts and gave up 0ER, and has a 0.71 ERA over 12.2 innings. He is the Tampa Player of the Week. Correa pitched in relief, giving up 0R, 1H, 1BB, and 3SO in 3 innings. He has thrown 12.2 innings and has yet to give up a run. Matt Sauer, the Yankees’ 26th ranked prospect, bounced back after a rough start of the season, throwing four innings and giving up one run.

The Tarps travel for six in Dunedin against the last-place Blue Jays this week.

Prospect Profile-Luis Medina (P)

Age: 22
Height: 6’01”
Weight: 175
B/T: R/R
Rank: Yankees’ 7th (MLB Pipeline)
Team: Hudson Valley Renegades (A+)
Scouting Grades (20-80): Fastball-75, Changeup-55, Curveball-60, Control-40, Overall-50

You learn everything you need to know about Medina with his fastball scouting score. Seventy-Five is elite status. He first threw 100 MPH at the age of 16 and at times gets as high as 102. He does all of that with movement. Mix that with an average changeup and a plus curveball, and he has a chance to be a dynamic ace-like starter. Control is the main weakness. Before this season, he has averaged .76 walks per inning during his professional career, an unsustainable rate that has resulted in a 5.51 ERA.

Keep in mind that young pitchers, even future aces, tend to struggle with control in those first years of pro-ball. He has made strides in the right direction, walking 9 in 18.2 innings this season. In addition to being electric at Hudson Valley, he was the Puerto Rican winter league player of the year.

Medina signed with the Yankees in 2015 for $280,000 out of the Dominican Republic.

The post Gil, Medina help lead system to the best record in MiLB: The Farm Report appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Two Yankees farmhands make MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week. https://t.co/XoXsCbKpSd

— WB Tarleton (@BloodyBan) May 11, 2021

We also saw Jasson Dominguez get his first at bat, a double, in extended spring training.

Jasson Dominguez ropes a double in his first AB of his first extended spring training

(via @MarlyRiveraESPN)pic.twitter.com/vkLYeBg5OU

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 12, 2021

Scranton Wilkes-Barre (AAA)

SWB had another productive week, with a 4-2 record and finishing in a tie for first place (9-3) with Buffalo. After an awful performance in his first start, Deivi Garcia has thrown like a top prospect, not allowing an earned run in 10.0 innings, recording 16 strikeouts, two walks, and only five hits in his two starts this week. He is the SWB Player of the Week.

Deivi much better in his second start. 5IP, 0R, 3H, 1BB, with an old Yankee friend one of his 7 SO. pic.twitter.com/iPa89624NN

— WB Tarleton (@BloodyBan) May 12, 2021

The bullpen was particularly effective, giving up only three runs over 30 innings in the six-game set against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Nestor Cortes has been stellar, giving up no runs on two hits and recording 13 strikeouts in 8.2 innings on the season. They finish the week with the sixth-best ERA in the league (3.93).

Offensively,  SWB continued to put runs up at a respectable pace. They have the second-most runs in the Eastern League, tied with the Durham Bulls, outscored only by the Gwinnett Stripers. Chris Gittens had his second great week in a row, ending it at .323/.523/.774 (1.297 OPS). He has four home runs, 10 RBI, 13 runs, 12 walks, and ten hits.

A Chris Gittens home run for our @Hyundai Play of the Game! pic.twitter.com/hOucIC2JSm

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 16, 2021

Recent call-up Estevan Florial is 1-8 with a triple and three strikeouts in his two games. Have patience Yankees fans! Despite the big club’s outfield woes, he is not ready for the show. He has played only two weeks above A ball in his minor league career.

Along with Florial’s promotion to AAA, the big club promoted Miguel Andujar and Ryan LaMarre.

SWB begins a six-game set at the 2-10 Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday. The Nats’ farm team have scored the fewest runs (42) in the division after 12 games.

Somerset Patriots (AA)

After an excellent first week, the Somerset Patriots fell back to earth against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, finishing the week 2-4. It is still good enough for a first-place tie with Boston’s affiliate in Portland, matching their 7-5 record. Overall, it’s not a bad showing considering the Patriots boast only two of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects, pitchers Luis Gil and Glenn Otto, at 5 and 28, respectively. Somerset has scored the second-fewest runs in the division but has also given up the second-fewest.

Oh, yea you know just your Northeast League Pitcher of the Week striking out last year's #5 overall draft pick for his 7⃣th strikeout of the night #OTTOmatic pic.twitter.com/rkIB4B1yCo

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 15, 2021

The loss of Florial to SWB contributed to the lack of scoring.  He was the team’s leader in HR and RBI before the call-up. Thomas Milone continues his hot start at .324/.409/.649 (1.058 OPS).

Oswaldo Cabrera has reached base safely in all 12 games of the Somerset season. Saturday, Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and contributed one of the four hits and a walk-in being shutout on Sunday. The versatile infielder went 7-for-22 (.314) with a home run, three RBI, four walks in the six games against the Fisher Cats. The 22-year-old switch hitter is the Somerset Player of the Week.

Oswaldo Cabrera gets us on the board with an RBI single in the third! pic.twitter.com/cBPm0pjL1v

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 14, 2021

Luis Gil continued his strong showing on the bump. In his lone start, he threw four innings, giving up four hits, zero runs with eight strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 2.53. Ron Marinaccio still has not given up a run in 7.2 innings. As a whole, the team sports a 3.44 ERA, good for fourth in the Northeast League.

The Patriots begin their six-game series at the third place Hartford Yard Goats on Tuesday.

Hudson Valley Renegades (A+)

HV had their second consecutive 3-3 week, remaining in second place behind the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Although not as dominant as his first two starts, 7th ranked prospect Luis Medina was strong in his lone appearance last week. He threw four innings, giving up two runs, two hits, three walks, a home run, and punched out six IronBirds. Even more impressive has been the Organization Player of the Week, Ken Waldichuk. On Tuesday, the 23-year-old lefty threw 3.1 innings, giving up 0 runs, three hits, one walk while punching out 10. Yes, all of his recorded outs were by K. He followed up on Sunday throwing four innings of 2 hit ball, no runs, and seven strikeouts on 60 pitches. MLB Pipeline’s 27th ranked Yankees’ prospect has yet to give up a run in three starts (11 IP).

Offensively, 4th ranked prospect Oswald Peraza is raking. The shortstop saw two pitches and produced two home runs for four RBI on Friday night. He would follow up with a 3-4 performance on Saturday and chip in a hit and a walk as Hudson Valley evened the series on Sunday. Peraza ends his second week at A+ with a .340/.426/.702 slash (1.128 OPS). He leads the team in home runs (5), RBI (8), runs (9), hits (16), and stolen bases (9). He looks for a quick rise to AA and is the subject of the Prospect Profile below.

If you want a look at Peraza in person, the Renegades travel to the Brooklyn Cyclones for six starting Tuesday. If you are in the NYC area, take the train ride!

Ooooo mama what a pick! @oswald_peraza to Sensley pic.twitter.com/Q9UWlQtP4y

— HV Renegades (@HVRenegades) May 14, 2021

Tampa Tarpons (A)

After a 5-1 start over the first week, Tampa followed up with a 4-2 record against Lakeland Flying Tigers in week 2. Their 9-3 record is good enough for first place, two games in front of their closest competition.

Randy Vasquez and Nelvin Correa have led the pitching staff. In 10.1 innings over three games, Vazquez has a 0.87 ERA. Correa has thrown 9.2 innings and has yet to give up a run. Matt Sauer, the Yankees’ 26th ranked prospect, has thrown 9.2 innings and given up seven runs over his three starts.

After an epic first week, Trevor Hauver has come back to earth some, but Pat DeMarco and Spencer Henson have picked up the slack. The shortstop DeMarco is hitting .324/.415/.647 (1.062 OPS), 3 HR, 16 RBI, and is the Tampa Player of the Week. Spencer, the first baseman, has slashed .400/.600/1.000 for a 1.600 OPS to go along with 2 HR and 7 RBI.

The Tarps look to expand their lead in the Southeast League against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (6-6) on Tuesday.

Prospect Profile-Oswald Peraza (SS)

Age: 20

Height: 6’00”

Weight: 165

B/T: R/R

Rank: Yankees’ 4th (MLB Pipeline)

Team: Hudson Valley Renegades (A+)

Scouting Grades (20-80): Hit-55, Run-60, Field-60, Power-45, Arm-60, Overall-50

Peraza was signed out of Venezuela for $175,000 in 2016 as a possible plus hitter with potential for some pop. Over his three seasons (2017-2019) thus far, he hit 5 HR in 622 AB, although he already had some of the highest exit velo in the system. He appears to have changed his approach and matched his career total with five last week. Speed is also in his repertoire, as illustrated by his nine stolen bases this season without being caught. In his first three seasons in the system, he stole 44 of 54. His only action in 2020 was a handful of AB in the Venezuelan Winter League.

His career slash is .272/.356/.371 for an OPS of .726. He has committed 40 errors in his 156 career games, but that is not very high at his stage of development and playing on low-level minor league fields. Scouts expect Peraza to be a plus defender with a quality arm.

Oswald Peraza does it again!

The @Yankees prospect homered in three straight ABs and has 5 dingers in his last 4 games. pic.twitter.com/pi2Iy748BB

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 15, 2021

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Scranton Wilkes-Barre (AAA)

SWB headlines a great week throughout the system. After losing on opening night in Syracuse, they rolled out of town with five straight wins and scoring 52 runs against Mets’ pitching. This includes the Sunday afternoon game where they scored in every inning but the 8^th. Luke Voit was among the team leaders with a slash of  .389/.476/1.000 (3HR) and is expected to be called up to the big club for their series in Tampa on Tuesday. First Baseman “Hard Hittin’” Chris Gittens (1.581 OPS, 2HR), RF Trey Amburgey (1.476, 3HR), and SS Andrew Velazquez (1.000, 2 2B) were the other notables. On the other end of the spectrum were IF Kyle Holder (.349), 3B Armando Alvarez (.393), and LF Ryan LaMarre (.423).

Luke Voit doing Luke Voit things. So far in 1+ games: 3-5, 2B, HR, 2BB pic.twitter.com/3CQGJ008kI

— WB Tarleton (@BloodyBan) May 5, 2021

On the mound was not so stellar. Opening night starter Mike Montgomery gave up 7 runs in only 7.2 innings over two starts for an 8.22 ERA. Fortunately, he has played several seasons in the majors, most recently with Kansas City, and is mere pitching depth. Slightly more concerning was Deivi Garcia, who had no control in his only start. He pitched 3.1 innings, 3 hits, 5 ER, 7 BB, 1 HR, for a 13.50 ERA. He was spared the loss only because the RailRiders put up 17 runs in support. The staff gave up 32 ER in 6 games for a 5.33 ERA.

The RailRiders concluded the week with a 5-1 record, tied for first place with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. The two teams will face each other for a six game series in Scranton beginning Tuesday.

SWB Player of the week-Trey Amburgey

Trey Amburgey completed the first week of the season like he started it, on fire. After sitting opening day, he hit a HR the next night and never stopped hitting. The right fielder finished the week near the top of almost every offensive category, slashing .450/.476/1.000, with 3 HR, 2 2B, 10 RBI, and 6 R. The 2015 13^th rounder is not a top 30 Yankees prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline.

Trey Amburgey keeps the runs coming! pic.twitter.com/PDMrGiWneJ

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) May 9, 2021

Somerset Patriots (AA)

The first week of the inaugural season of Yankees baseball in Somerset played out beautifully. They finished with a 5-1 record. Pitching was their strength, giving up only 13 runs over the 6 games. Fifth ranked Yankees prospect Luis Gil threw 3.2 scoreless innings, 2 H, 6 SO, and only 1 walk on opening night. He was relieved by Ron Marinaccio who hurled 3.1 innings more of scoreless ball. The 19^th round 2017 pick finished the week throwing 5.1 inning, 1 hit ball, with 9 SO.

Offensively, the Patriots scored 29 runs, 4.83 per game. Two unranked prospects, LF Thomas Malone and 3B Diego Castillo were two of the offensive stars.  Malone slashed .357/.474/.714 with 1 HR and 5RBI. Castillo contributed .348/.360/.522 with 1HR and 4RBI.

The Patriots finish the week tied for first with the Portland Sea Dogs and play six at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats beginning Tuesday.

Somerset Player of the week-Estevan Florial

This is a name we have been hearing forever, but he is only 23. Injuries, personal problems and his approach at the plate have made for some disappointment, yet he is still the 10^th ranked Yankees prospect. He was a monster last week, slashing .318/.400/.955. Florial launched 4 home runs, had 6 RBI, and scored 5 runs. However, he will not be a complete player until he gets his strikeout rate down consistently. He whiffed 6 times in 22 AB, which is still a little high even at that rate of production.

Florial doing his Rickey Henderson impersonation leading off games. pic.twitter.com/Vf93qJ7o5F

— WB Tarleton (@BloodyBan) May 10, 2021

Hudson Valley Renegades (A+)

HV concluded the week 3-3 against the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, with pitching being the strength of the team. They would give up only 16 runs over the 6 games. Jhony Brito and Zach Greene were two of the headliners. The 23 year old Brito pitched a scoreless 5 innings, 1H, 2 SO, and 1 BB in his one start. Greene pitched 4.2 innings in 2 games, giving up no runs, 1 hit, and had a whopping 11 SO.

The Renegades were led offensively by LF Pablo Olivares and 20^th ranked prospect OF Brandon Lockridge. They slashed .286/.545/.571 and .333/.417/.619 respectively.

HV finishes the week in second place, 2 games behind the Aberdeen IronBirds, who they face at home the coming week.

Hudson Valley Player of the Week- Luis Medina

It is shocking to not name him the system PoW, but a guy at Tampa has eclipsed even Medina’s performance.

The 22 year old Dominican righty and Yankees’ 7^th ranked prospect was stellar in two starts. On opening night, he threw 4 innings of shutout baseball, with 1 hit, 8 SO, and 2 BB. 41 off his 67 pitches were thrown for strikes, with his upper 90’s fastball and knee bending breaking ball both on the mark. He followed that performance up on Sunday with 5.0 innings (64 pitches), 0 R, 1 hit, 7 SO, and 2 BB. Like all young pitchers, command has been an issue but seems to have improved on it, at least early in the season.

What happens to a hitter and catcher when you first threw 100mph at 16 and have an off the table curveball.

#7 ranked Yankees prospect Luis Medina:

4IP, 0R, 8K, 4BB, 68 pitches pic.twitter.com/BD0gqXWx5a

— WB Tarleton (@BloodyBan) May 5, 2021

Tampa Tarpons (A)

Tampa may be the most exciting team to follow this season, as it is filled with young talent. They are also likely to be the first stop of Jasson Dominguez’s ride to the Bronx. Disappointingly, there have been no televised games to watch these prospects. They finished the week 5-1 against the Dunedin Blue Jays.

Matt Sauer, the 26^th ranked Yankees prospect, threw 3.1 scoreless innings on opening night but there was little to like about the pitching staff. Sauer would also pitch on Mother’s Day, giving up 4 ER in 3.2 innings. They would finish the week with an ERA of 7.00, after giving up 42 ER.

Their success rode on the offense which scored 77 runs, including 25 on Friday night. The 2019 first round pick and 11^th ranked prospect SS Anthony Volpe excelled in his first games above rookie ball, with a .319/.483/.591 slash line. The 2020 first rounder and 6^th ranked prospect, C Austin Wells, also had a nice week in his first professional action. He slashed .227/.370/.500 and had 1 HR, although overshadowed by his teammates.

Tampa finds itself in first place and will play 6 at the Lakeland Flying Tigers this week.

Organizational Player of the Week

As great as Medina was, it has to be 2B Trevor Hauver. The 2020 Yankee 3^rd rounder had an epic week. He slashed .556/.654/1.611. He led all of MiLB with 6 home runs and also contributed 13 RBI, especially incredible for for a middle infielder. However, plate discipline was a problem, with 5 SO in his 18 AB. This will need to improve before moving up from the 23^rd ranked Yankees prospect.

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Major changes to the minors

The year 2020 brought changes to virtually everyone, including the minor league baseball system (MiLB). The result is a lost season for nearly all prospects and communities lost teams to create a MiLB landscape far different than it was in 2019. What’s in store for May 2021 when the minor league seasons kick-off?

Aftershock

The “Astros’ Plan” obliterates the MiLB structure. As a result, legendary leagues such as the 80-year-old NY-Penn, where I saw Doc Gooden, Don Mattingly, John Elway, and Larry Walker are gone. When I was 18, I even came close to a fistfight with Oneonta Yankee Pat Kelly (a story for a different day) after a game! Leagues with memorable and quaint names (yes, that is sarcasm!) such as “Triple-A East” and “Double A South” take their spots. However, time marches on and does not stop for nostalgia and griping, as MLB is a business and they want to cut costs and have more control over their affiliates. The MLB “Professional Development League (PDL)” is now the governing entity.

Changes to the Yankees’ system

The plan reduced Yankees’ minor league affiliates from 9 to 6. Five US-based teams and the Dominican Summer League Yankees remain. They are:

AAA: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre remains, playing in the AAA East League, Midwest Division

AA: Somerset Patriots of the Northeast League will play in Bridgewater Township, NJ and replace the Trenton Thunder

A+: Hudson Falls Renegades of the High A East League, will play in Fishkill, NY, and replace the Staten Island Yankees and short-season A baseball

A: Tampa Tarpons go from High A to Low A in the Southeast League, and will play at George M. Steinbrenner Field

Rookie League: The changes chopped the Pulaski Yankees and the entire Rookie League

GCL: Remains the same, continuing to play at the Yankees Player Development Complex near George M. Steinbrenner Field

DSL: Remains the same, continuing to play at the Yankees Latin Beisbol Academy in Boca Chica

Reactions from teams not making the cut

Staten Island Yankees owner Will Smith is “shocked” and calls the move “unacceptable.”

Trenton Thunder owner Joseph Plumeri says he was “betrayed” and the Yankees “despicable.”

If you have any questions about the upcoming MiLB season or have ideas for the column, come on over to the Bronx Pinstripe Show FB page and give me an earful!

See you in May!

The post Introducing Yankees minor league weekly feature appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

The Yankees seem to develop velocity as well as any organization and have used it to great effect for their own system and for packaging unheralded prospects into bigger trades, while largely hanging on to their own high-dollar guys from the draft and the international market. Because they’ve drafted so low in recent years, their top 20 reflects more of the high-upside talent they’ve found internationally than draft products, although they do have a few recent draftees whose industry value might rise quickly once they get to play this year. They have some depth up the middle, especially at catcher, and even with trades like the Jameson Taillon deal they still have a lot of power arms.

Brian Cashman has done a nice job over the last several years of using his prospects in trades without completely bottoming out the farm, and Law’s perception mirrors what most Yankees have noticed as a strategy to prioritize high-velocity pitchers and international draft pool money. The former sets up a steady stream of attractive trade bait for a team that’s consistently looking to win now and the ladder being understandably key with a consistent lack of frontline draft positioning. That tends to happen after 28-straight winning seasons.

Most impressive however might be the fact that the Yanks have never really been burned by trading a prospect that blossoms into one of the game’s top talents somewhere else. Justus Sheffield is probably the best one out there who could be that guy after posting a 3.58 ERA in a short 2020 season, but even in hindsight, it was the right move to make for a team that was trying to put itself in the best position to win a championship.

The biggest takeaways from Law’s assessment might be him slotting Tampa Bay No. 1 and Toronto No. 3. Put as much or little stock into these rankings as you want, but it’s safe to assume that Tampa will continue to cause the Yankees issues in the A.L. East. Their system is led by the game’s consensus top prospect in Wander Franco and is bolstered by seven others ranked in the top-100 (no other team has more than six). And Toronto’s appearance at No. 3 reaffirms what we already know – they’re going to be a PROBLEM for the foreseeable future.

By the way, coming in at No. 4, the Marlins. This Jeter guy seems to know what he’s doing…

The post Keith Law ranks Yankees farm system 14th appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Austin Wells, U. of Arizona C, signs with Yankees. $2.5M. 28th pick. @JackCurryYES 1st

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 26, 2020

Wells was previously drafted in the 35th round by the 2018 Yankees, but decided to pass on the contract and honor his commitment to University of Arizona. Wells was named PAC-12 freshman of the year after his first season and ended his one and a half years of play with 99 hits, 74 RBI’s and 7 home runs.

Impressive rookie campaign for @wellsius16.

The @ArizonaBaseball catcher led the league AND all Division I freshmen with 72 runs scored, and his .353 BA ranked highest among Power 5 conference freshmen.

Wells is the #Pac12BSB Freshman of the Year. https://t.co/D3pjcfSC7V pic.twitter.com/VXjoT3ODIb

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 29, 2019

Scouts seem to love Wells for his offensive power and patience. Wells hits lefty, making the short porch at Yankee stadium a perfect place for him to hit some long shots. His catching profile, on the other hand, is iffy but it looks like he is perfectly capable of shifting to the outfield. Wells could also potentially end up at first base, filling a hole the Yankees seem to constantly have.

Wells broke the news of his signing with a twitter post late Thursday night. He posted pictures of himself decked out in all pinstripes looking ready to go.

Officially a Yankee! #GoYanks pic.twitter.com/7JLtqZ29mr

— Austin Wells (@wellsius16) June 26, 2020

Normally, Austin would be expected to make a his Yankee debut within the minor league system either with the Staten Island Yankees or the Charleston River Dogs but that’s not the case this year. Since the minor league system completely shut down, it’s hard to tell where we will see Wells next, although I wouldn’t be shocked to see him on the Yankees practice squad.

The post Yankees sign 2020 draft pick Austin Wells appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Wells is a power-hitting lefty  from the University of Arizona who they previously drafted out of high school in 2017. Wells dominated college pitching lately – hitting .308/.389/.526 in the Cape Cod League last summer and .375/.527/.589 in limited action this year.

I wrote an in-depth profile of Wells earlier today (thank you Brian Cashman for drafting someone I wrote about!) which you can find here. I’ll re-purpose what I wrote earlier about Wells:

Wells is exactly the kind of catcher the Yankees look for. Sanchez and recent draftees Pete O’Brien and Josh Breaux are all offensive-first catchers with questions over their defensive abilities. Catcher offense around the league is putrid, which is what makes Sanchez such a competitive advantage. Two other signs the Yankees like Wells are, they drafted him before and he performed well in the Cape Cod League. Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer has said some of the team’s late-round selections are strategic to build relationships, and Wells could be an example of that. They are also known to favor hitters who played in the Cape Cod League or other wood-bat leagues to see how their skills will translate to MLB. The biggest risk factor with Wells right now is that he has leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore. He can return to school and enter the draft again next year if teams aren’t willing to meet his price, and in this crazy year, the Yankees may not want that risk or be willing to meet Wells’ number. Personally I’m all about the upside and would be ecstatic with Wells as the first-round pick tonight.

And to get you excited about the pick, here’s some video…

 You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

The post Yankees draft catcher Austin Wells appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Background

Wells is a catcher from the University of Arizona. He is a draft-eligible sophomore who the Yankees selected in the 35^th round out of high school two years ago. Obviously he did not sign and went on to mash in college. He’s a 6’2” 220 lbs catcher who bats lefty.

Performance

Wells’ calling card is his offense. In the Cape Cod League last summer he hit .308/.389/.526 which is even more impressive considering it is a wood-bat league. In limited time this spring he continued to mash slashing .375/.527/.589 in 15 games.

Scouts Take

MLB Pipeline ranked Wells as the 27^th best prospect in the draft class and Baseball America has him at 21^st.  Keith Law of The Athletic is lower on Wells and ranked him 44^th overall. Those rankings are all over the place because there is a debate over whether Wells can remain a catcher or even a viable defensive player. As a bigger guy – Wells is 6’2” 220 lbs and Gary Sanchez is 6’2” 230 lbs for reference – many scouts, including Law, doubt he can remain a catcher which lowers his overall value. BA notes Wells has seen time at 1B and all three outfield spots and could be athletic enough to profile in one of those positions. The bat is great. Wells is a power hitter with a good eye and he walked more than he struck out in college which is a tell-tale sign of a great approach at the plate. In recent mock drafts, Wells has gone anywhere from  26^th to out of the first round. Furthermore, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline mocked Wells to the Yankees. Here is a video:

My Take

Wells is exactly the kind of catcher the Yankees look for. Sanchez and recent draftees Pete O’Brien and Josh Breaux are all offensive-first catchers with questions over their defensive abilities. Catcher offense around the league is putrid, which is what makes Sanchez such a competitive advantage. Two other signs the Yankees like Wells are, they drafted him before and he performed well in the Cape Cod League. Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer has said some of the team’s late-round selections are strategic to build relationships, and Wells could be an example of that. They are also known to favor hitters who played in the Cape Cod League or other wood-bat leagues to see how their skills will translate to MLB. The biggest risk factor with Wells right now is that he has leverage as a draft-eligible sophomore. He can return to school and enter the draft again next year if teams aren’t willing to meet his price, and in this crazy year, the Yankees may not want that risk or be willing to meet Wells’ number. Personally I’m all about the upside and would be ecstatic with Wells as the first-round pick tonight.

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

The post Prospect profile: Austin Wells appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Background

Miller is a RHP from Louisville. He was drafted out of high school by the Orioles in the 38^th round but followed through on his commitment to Louisville instead. He initially worked out of the Cardinals bullpen before moving into the rotation midway through his sophomore season. During the super-regionals last year, he had a no-hitter through eight innings against East Carolina which showed he can perform on a big stage against tough competition.

Performance

Miller carried his momentum from last year’s playoffs and strong fall showings into this junior season. In four starts, he pitched to a 2.31 ERA with 34 K and 9 BB.

Scouts Take

MLB Pipeline ranked Miller as the 26^th best prospect in the draft class and Baseball America has him at 28^th.  Keith Law of The Athletic is lower on Miller and ranked him 51^st overall. Those rankings are all over the place because there is a debate over whether Miller profiles best as a starter or reliever. He has tantalizing stuff and a 6’5” frame which bode well for him as a starter, however, he does not have a strong 3^rd pitch and his control can be lacking – which lead some to think he is a reliever longterm.

Like most top pitching prospects, Miller has an electric fastball that reaches the upper 90’s and remains in the mid 90’s throughout his starts. He also has a decent slider that has plus potential. His 3^rd pitch is a changeup that is still developing. He gets good movement on the fastball which helps carry it through the zone despite average spin rates. Keith Law also notes his delivery is not the smoothest which adds to the reliever risk. In recent mock drafts, Miller has gone anywhere from  27^th to 33^rd which is a really narrow range. Furthermore, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs, and Keith Law have all mocked Miller to the Yankees with McDaniel and Law both noting the Yankees have been tied to him.

Miller is the only player I have seen multiple outlets mock to the Yankees in the past week. Here is video:

My Take

Miller fits the bill of a Yankee pitching prospect – big, strong fastball, good performance, and upside. Whoever drafts Miller will want to focus on his secondary pitches to give him a true swing and miss offering. If the Yankees are high on his slider, he could be the pick here. Personally, I prefer to stay away from reliever-risk pitching prospects so early, but Miller has exciting upside.

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

The post Prospect profile: Bobby Miller appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Background

Howard is a high school shortstop out of Mount Carmel high school in Chicago. He was part of the Chicago little league team that made the Little League World Series in 2014. Howard is 6’2” and 185 lbs which gives him room to put on some muscle while remaining agile enough to stick at shortstop. That development is what intrigues scouts and makes Howard a potential first round talent.

Performance

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Howard did not see any game action this year. Last year, teams were impressed with his showing in the summer circuits.

Scouts Take

MLB Pipeline ranked Howard as the 15^th best prospect in the draft class and Baseball America has him at 20^th.  Keith Law of The Athletic also has Howard at 15^th overall. Those rankings would appear to put Howard out of the Yankees range at 28^th overall, but because of everything going, some believe high school players will be less desirable in the draft this year because of increased risk. Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline mocked Howard to the Yankees in an earlier mock, and has reported they have interest in him.

Right now, Howard is most known for his outstanding defense and ability to slow the game down. Both of those are integral qualities for any starting shortstop. Law notes Howard has excellent bat speed and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs is also optimistic about Howard’s offensive skillset. The future projection is what you bet on with any high school player, and especially one like Howard. The upside is there, but Howard will be a project on the offensive side. The good news is he has his defense to fall back on no matter what. Recent mock drafts have Howard going anywhere from 13^th to 26^th, so if other teams are risk averse, he could be on the board for the Yankees at 28. Here is video:

My Take

There is a lot to like about Howard. The defense is already there, and he could project well offensively as well. This is a weak class overall for high school infielders, and Howard is easily the best of the bunch. The Yankees drafted a high school shortstop in the first round last year with Anthony Volpe, but that doesn’t mean much when thinking about how they should draft this year. With his ability to stick at short and potential offensive upside, Howard might very well be the best player the Yankees could select. If they’re willing to take a risk on a high school player, Howard is the upside pick. And, performance aside, with everything going on in the country and in MLB right now, baseball and the Yankees need more Black stars. As a POC, I would love for the Yankees to draft Howard and help him develop into the next great Yankee shortstop.

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

The post Prospect profile: Ed Howard appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Background

Cecconi is a RHP out of Miami. He was drafted out of high school by the Orioles in the 38^th round, but stayed firm in his commitment to attend college. Now, he is a draft-eligible sophomore. There are questions over whether Cecconi can be signed this year because he can return to school and have a (hopefully) full season to show teams what he can do, and anytime that drafts him will make sure he is signable before doing so. Cecconi has an ideal pitchers’ build at 6’4” and 220 lbs with a strong fastball-slider combination.

Performance

In limited time this season, Cecconi pitched to a 3.80 ERA with 30 K and 7 BB in 21 innings. Cecconi is a clear example of a “stuff over performance” guy, and whoever drafts him will hope they can develop him further since is still only 20 and has tantalizing potential.

Scouts Take

MLB Pipeline ranked Cecconi as the 31^st best prospect in the draft class and Baseball America has him at 32^nd.  Meanwhile, Keith Law of The Athletic is lower on Cecconi and has him 49^th overall. BA notes “in terms of pure stuff, Cecconi…stacks up with the better starters in the 2020 class.” He has four pitches that all could be plus pitches, but he struggles to consistently put them together. He has good control, but needs to improve his command to reduce hittability. He has some reliever risk if his secondary pitches do not develop. Recent mock drafts have Cecconi going anywhere from 22^nd to out of the first round. In their latest mock, BA has Cecconi going to the Yankees, and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports the Yankees have been connected to Cecconi recently. Here is video:

My Take

Cecconi is a pure upside pick with a lot of risk. He has great stuff which gives him a floor as a solid reliever, but he might very well end up not being able to make it as a starter. Although he has better pure stuff than someone like Bryce Jarvis, the reliever risk makes him less exciting for me. If you’re going to draft a pitcher in the first round, the most important quality for me is ability to stick as a starter because you can find effective relievers anywhere. If the Yankees believe Cecconi can make it in the rotation, he could be a great pick. Plus, he has a great name that we’ll all enjoy saying.

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

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Background

Jarvis is RHP out of Duke University. The Yankees actually selected Jarvis last year in the 37^th round as a draft-eligible sophomore, but he did not sign. Instead of pitching in the Cape Cod League last summer, Jarvis opted to train at Driveline and at Cressey Sports Performance. The result: he gained 20 lbs and reportedly 5mph on his fastball velocity. It’s worth noting the Yankees have recently hired former Driveline and Cressey employees in prominent roles. Sam Briend is the new pitching coordinator for the organization, and he used to work at Driveline. New pitching coach Matt Blake used to work at Cressey, and of course Eric Cressey himself joined the Yankees this offseason. That combination means the Yankees likely have more information on Jarvis than other teams do, especially with such a shortened season.

Performance

Jarvis split his time between the rotation and bullpen his first two years at Duke before moving into the rotation full-time this spring. In 27 innings, Jarvis had an incredible stat line of 11 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, and 40 K. Those results plus the increase in stuff are why Jarvis is considered a first round talent this year. Jarvis actually threw a perfect game this year and has a chance to join Marcus Stroman as the only first rounders out of Duke.

Scouts Take

MLB Pipeline ranked Jarvis as the 25^th best prospect in the draft class and Baseball America has him at 37^th. BA notes Jarvis was able to maintain 93-96mph on his fastball throughout his starts this year, but that the shortened season hurt teams’ ability to see if he can sustain it throughout the year. Jarvis throws a slider in the mid-80s and a changeup that are both considered potential plus pitches. Keith Law notes Jarvis is a “fierce competitor” and that he now has a “starter’s arsenal” which is what you want to hear about a first round pitching prospect. Recent mock drafts have Jarvis going anywhere from 21^st – 29^th overall which is right in the Yankees range at 28. Here is video of Jarvis:

My Take

Jarvis might be my favorite player the Yankees could draft this year. Unlike most pitching prospects, there isn’t a real risk that he’ll end up in the bullpen. With three solid pitches plus a developing curveball, Jarvis can stay a starter. The only question is if the work he put in over the summer can last over a full season. Previously drafting a player means the Yankees like him, and his work at Driveline and Cressey means he shares the Yankees’ analytic and developmental philosophy. If available, Jarvis would be a great pick for the Yankees.

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

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J.T. Ginn

Ginn is a RHP from Mississippi State. He was drafted out of high school in the first round by the Dodgers in 2018 but turned them down. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Ginn because he is a draft-eligible sophomore who had Tommy John surgery this spring. Based on recovery times, he won’t pitch next year at all which could factor into his decision to sign or stay in school. He has a strong fastball-slider combination with decent control. He is, however, an injury and signability risk which could have him fall in this draft with teams likely to stay conservative rather than go for upside.

Austin Wells

I wrote about Wells last time, so I’ll repurpose that here: Wells is a catcher from the University of Arizona and Callis notes he has “hittability, power, and plate discipline, though he may wind up at first base or in left field.” Wells is a bat-first catcher which fits the Yankees mold. Axisa and Law do not have Wells going in the first round of the draft. MLB Pipeline grades Wells as a 55 hit and power prospect which speaks to his hitting ability. The Yankees actually drafted Wells in the 35^th round in 2018 so you know they like him.

Crucially, Mike Axisa of CBS is projecting Wells to the Yankees after not having him go in the first round at all before. That means Wells might be rising up teams draft boards.

Ed Howard

Howard is a shortstop out of Mount Carmel HS in Chicago. Callis notes the Yankees are likely to go for a position player in the first round before stocking up on pitchers later, and Howard is “the best true shortstop” in his view. MLB Pipeline notes Howard will definitely be able to remain and shortstop and has a high baseball IQ. He is their No. 15 ranked overall prospect, and if he falls to the Yankees, he could be a great target.

Cole Wilcox

Wilcox is a RHP from Georgia with a huge fastball that can get up to 100 mph. His offspeed pitches show promise, however, some are concerned he will be a reliever longterm. He is also a draft-eligible sophomore, and I wonder if those guys will prefer to sign or go back to school next year with a chance to show their stuff in a full season.

Thoughts

There is no real consensus yet on who the Yankees will take. I am inclined to agree with Jim Callis that the Yankees will look for a position player in the first round before looking at pitchers later on because this class is deep on pitching. The mocks so far have been all over the place for all teams, not just the Yankees, and that leads me to believe it may be more a matter of who the top player available is.

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

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Baseball has more than its share of busts, though.  Here are some of the Yankees’ biggest busts, in no particular order.

Brien Taylor

OK, OK. I said no order, but Taylor has to be first on any list. The first overall pick in 1991, one can only daydream of the “Core Four” becoming the “Fab Five” (Derek Jeter was his roommate). Alexis Brudnicki, over at MLB News, provided the following quote from scout Ron Rizzi, who has spent 53 years in the game. “The best pitcher I ever scouted was Brien Taylor. He would have been one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball.” That entire article is worth the read.

It hurts even to read that because it never came close to happening.

Taylor’s professional career did begin with a lot of promise. In 1992, he would pitch to a 2.58 ERA in 27 starts for A+ Fort Lauderdale. It included giving up only three home runs in 161 innings and 187 strikeouts. The Yankees promoted him to AA Albany-Colonie for 1993, and he still represented well. A to AA is considered a big jump in MiLB, and he hurled to a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts and 163 innings. Once again, he kept the ball in the park, giving up only seven home runs.

His success all ended during the off-season. Andrew Marchand in a 2014 article, provided this account from Taylor’s agent, Scott Boras:

“Brien was stellar, dominant, on his way. He was going to the big leagues and was going to be all we thought he was going to be, then there was that unfortunate evening in North Carolina in 1993 that he got a call that his brother was getting beat up at a bar.

He was home in bed. He gets out of his bed. He goes over to find his brother and protect him. A guy takes a swing at him, and he puts his left arm up, his hand and arm take the force of the swing. It pushes his arm back behind his head.

“I take him to Dr. Frank Jobe. He looks at me. ‘This is the worst rotator cuff tear I’ve ever seen. It is completely off the bone.’ So he had to have that surgery.”

Taylor would never be the same, his knee-buckling power curve all but gone along with his once 98-100 mph fastball velocity. He missed 1994 from his surgery and never played again above A ball. The best ERA he would post after surgery was 6.08 and the Yankees would release him after the 2000 season.

Unfortunately, the sad tale does not end there.  In 2012, Taylor was sentenced to 38 months in prison for selling crack.

Dennis Sherrill

The 12th overall pick in 1974 never lived up to the promise of his draft position. Instead of being part of the bridge between Bucky Dent and Jeter, the shortstop from Miami would play in only five MLB games total during the 1978 and 1980 seasons. Instead of Sherrill, the likes of Alvaro Espinoza and Bobby Meachum would play the position. Sherrill would slash .234/.293/.322 in seven minor league seasons.

Drew Henson

It’s interesting how careers can intersect and have a later impact. Henson’s draft bust status led the Yankees to acquire Aaron Boone at the 2003 trade deadline, and we all know what happened in the playoff game seven against the Red Sox later that season.

One doesn’t usually consider a third-round draft choice a bust, but Drew is an exception. His status as a QB at Michigan who was battling Tom Brady for a starting spot led to uncertainty about his intentions and devotion to baseball, but he was a first-round talent.

After the 1998 draft, he would sign a six-year $17 million contract to play baseball exclusively. He played well in the minors, including early 2000 for AA Norwich. He was batting .333 when the Yankees sent him to Cincinnati as part of the Denny Neagle trade. The Yankees still coveted him even after the deal and received him back in 2001 for Wily Mo Pena. From 2001-2003, he would never hit above .240 for Columbus and played a total of eight games at the Major League level and get one hit in eight at-bats. After realizing that he was not going to be Boone’s replacement in 2004, he announced he was leaving the Yankees.

Henson went back to football and threw a total of 18 passes for the Dallas Cowboys. On March 24, 2020, the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame announced Henson’s coming induction.

Andrew Brackman

Brackman was the 2007 first-round draft pick out of NC State. A big guy at 6’10” with a smoking fastball and plus breaking ball, the Yankees gave him a four year, $4.55 million contract. Elbow issues for the 30th overall pick dropped his draft status. After his signing, the team sent him to Dr. James Andrews to look at lingering concerns, who determined he needed Tommy John surgery. Even after surgery, Keith Law had him in the Top 100 prospects, while Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus had him as in the list of top ten Yankee prospects.

He would pitch to a 5.38 ERA over five minor league seasons, but had a steady 2010 and was called up to the Yankees in 2011 to pitch in three games, 2 1/3 innings, and give up no runs. The Yankees had an option after 2011 that would have boosted his original contract to $13 million, and the team declined to exercise it. He would go on to pitch 75 innings in the Reds and White Sox organizations until the end of his career in 2013.

Eric Duncan

Duncan was the 27th overall pick in 2003 out of Northern New Jersey. Although blocked by A-Rod at third base, the Yankees saw him as a future piece, even if they would need to find him a new position at first base. Before 2005, Baseball America had him as the Yankees top prospect and 36th best prospect in all of baseball.

He did well in the lower minors but hit the wall in AAA. The Yankees would release him after 2009, and he would move on to play in the minor leagues for the Braves, Rockies, Royals, and Cardinals organizations. His minor league career resulted in a .249/.320/.411 slash line. Duncan never played in the major leagues, but would become the hitting coach for the Staten Island Yankees in 2016 and then Tampa during 2017-2018. He then joined the Marlins organization for 2019 and was promoted to batting coach for the 2020 season.

Dave Parrish

With excellent bloodlines as the son of Lance Parrish, the Yankees had high hopes for their 28th choice in the 2000 draft. He would hit for a .241/.321/.349 slash line and 38 home runs over eight minor league seasons, and never make it past AA in the minors. He was also not a great defensive catcher, limiting his value.

In May of 2004, while the Angels were turning a double play, Jorge Posada was struck in the face and broke his nose. While missing a few games, Parrish was called up to the majors to backup John Flaherty but saw no action.

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Instead of Jordan Montgomery being the obvious fifth starter candidate, he is now the obvious fourth starter which leaves the team needing an additional arm. In that earlier post, other options mentioned were Deivi Garcia, Michael King, Luis Cessa, and Jonathan Loaisiga.

Let’s run through how those guys are all faring and if they are likely to get that fifth starter job.

Deivi Garcia

Garcia has only appeared in two games this spring, pitching a total of four innings. At this point in spring training, I doubt he is an option for that last starter role with such limited appearances. Interestingly, he has started both games he has appeared in which is more likely to get him acclimated to a starter’s routine to finish his development in AAA before hopefully a late-season promotion.

Michael King

Podcast guest Michael King has appeared in four spring training games pitching to a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 innings. Averaging more than two innings per appearance means the team is stretching him out a bit, possibly with the goal of seeing what he can do as a starter for the big league club. However, King has not started a game yet which means he has mostly faced lower-level hitters. If King is a strong candidate for the job, look for him to get a start sometime this week. In a mailbag at The Athletic, Lindsey Adler (subs req’d) posited King as the frontrunner for the job in her opinion.

Luis Cessa

Cessa has appeared in four games this spring but only thrown 5.2 innings total. We haven’t heard anything about him, so I think he is ticketed to resume his longman role out of the bullpen.

Jonathan Loaisiga

Jonny Lasagna was the guy I was most excited about with this competition because of his pure stuff as seen here:

Loaisiga making good use of his four pitches.

Two-seam (96)
Four-seam (97)
Curveball (83)
Changeup (88)

I still haven't seen any sliders from him this spring, which he's supposedly working on incorporating. pic.twitter.com/tewT1cSUUH

— Lucas Apostoleris (@DBITLefty) March 3, 2020

Having four pitches is definitely starter stuff, however, Loaisiga has been used in relief lately which makes me think he will be used out of the bullpen to start the year. He made 2 starts in spring training, but his last outing was from the bullpen which isn’t a good sign for him to have a starter’s job.

Clarke Schmidt

Schmidt has looked great this spring and got the start for the split-squad game against Baltimore yesterday. With the other guys in this competition, they have been trending down in terms of assignments whereas Schmidt is trending up. Schmidt was so under the radar I didn’t even include him in my last look at fifth starter options. His stuff has looked great:

And a power-changeup, too. pic.twitter.com/FaFKg5TgNN

— Lucas Apostoleris (@DBITLefty) February 27, 2020

Schmidt has never thrown above 90 innings in a season or pitched above AAA which would likely put him at a disadvantage in this competition, yet he has arguably impressed the most this spring. I could envision the team having him start the year as the fifth starter with the plan to send him down when Paxton returns from his back injury.

At this point, we can’t definitively say who has a leg up on the fifth starter competition and Aaron Boone hasn’t given an indication in any direction. With opening day just 16 days away, it sounds like the team either doesn’t know what they’re going to do or is going to put the plan in place soon. I am curious to watch who gets starting assignments over the next week and which guys start to get stretched out. If one guy starts going 4+ innings, he is likely to be the fifth starter.

There is always the possibility the team decides to use the opener or some sort of tandem starter. Maybe Loaisiga goes through the order once before giving way to Cessa or the other way around. Maybe there’s an opener used for one of these guys. We don’t know yet and that is the biggest storyline to watch over the next two weeks. Except of course the Bronx Pinstripes Spring Training Trip!

PARTY ALERT

We’ve partnered with @SailorJerry to throw a party next Saturday at @YardofAleSoHo after the #Yankees Spring Training Game.

Come out 4-7pm for drink specials (maybe some free drinks ) and we’re bringing a batting cage to the parking lot! #BPCrew pic.twitter.com/gzgdf4y61n

— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) March 6, 2020

You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20

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