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CHARLESTON, SC - JULY 02: Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankess strikes out during an at bat in his game for the Charleston RiverDogs at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park on July 2, 2013 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Yankees minor league update- Charleston RiverDogs edition

As usual, the Yankees made their share of moves in the “Scranton Shuttle” this past week. This week saw a few Yankees prospects of note, including infielder Rob Refsnyder and relievers James Pazos and Luis Cessa make their way up to the big club. Chad Green and Conor Mullee were sent down in corresponding moves. The Yankees also signed veteran lefty reliever Neal Cotts to a minor-league deal, likely to provide for another potential call-up to the major league bullpen. Cotts will start out in AAA.

Down in the minors, Yankees teams continue to succeed on the field. Entering Monday, the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders lead the North Division of the International League with a 26-19 record. In AA, the Trenton Thunder are four games back in the Eastern League Eastern Division standings, but still have a 22-18 record. In the High-A Florida State League, the Tampa Yankees lead in the North Division, putting up an impressive record of 27-17.

But this week, we will be focusing on the furthest club from the majors that is currently playing, the Charleston RiverDogs of the A-ball South Atlantic League. They are on fire this season, putting up a 26-15 record through Sunday. The RiverDogs feature a mix of younger prospects and recent draft picks, and while none of these guys will have virtually no shot of making the Bronx this season or next, they will be names you may want to keep in mind for down the road. Previous Yankees minor league updates have covered a few current RiverDogs, including pitcher Domingo Acevedo and infielder Thairo Estrada. But here are profiles on a few more current players with the potential to rise through the Yankees minor league system.

Kyle Holder– SS- Charleston (A)- Holder came to the Yankees as a supplemental 1st-round pick in last year’s draft and has been proving his worth at the plate and in the field this season. He’s hitting .290 in 93 at-bats this season and although he has no home runs and only six RBI, he has a ten-game hitting streak through Sunday. Holder also has five extra-base hits and has stolen four bases in seven attempts. In the field, he has four errors this season between shortstop and second base (for comparison’s sake, three infielders on his own team have more errors than he does). Holder struggled at the plate last year, likely due to fatigue as he had played almost continuously between college and pro ball from February to August. This year, he will need to continue to refine his glove and work on patience at the plate, as he has drawn only four walks this season. As the 21 year-old continues to grow into his frame, he may be able to hit at least a couple of home runs down the road too.

Nestor Cortes– P- Charleston (A)- Cortes, a 2013 36th round draft pick out of a Florida high school, has worked his way through the Yankees system by racking up the strikeouts and keeping walks down. In 130 1/3 career minor league innings, he has a sparkling 147:23 K:BB ratio. In 2015, his first full season as a starter, that ratio was 66:10 in 63 2/3 innings. So far in 2016, in just 16 2/3 innings, that ratio has been 23:3 and it has gone with a 1.08 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP. In his last start on Thursday, Cortes went six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while fanning 12 hitters. Cortes is fairly undersized at 5’11” and 190 lbs, but he gets by with a low-90s fastball, a solid mid-70s changeup, a curveball, and pinpoint control. While he still has an issue with the long ball (he allowed seven last season), he will be able to do better if he can induce weaker contact or keep the ball down in the zone.

Hoy Jun Park– SS- Charleston (A)- Park, a summer 2014 international free agent, has shown flashes of promise as a professional, but has struggled to hit for average. The 20 year-old is hitting .243 this season, with no home runs and five RBI in 136 at-bats. Despite the consistently low .240 average in 358 total professional at-bats, Park has shown an ability to still reach base, putting up a .344 on-base percentage this year and a .351 mark in 2015. In addition, he has also scored 23 runs, drawn 17 walks, and converted all ten of his stolen base attempts. His defense is still a work in progress, as he has made six errors already this season after making 14 in 54 games last season. Nevertheless, Park profiles as a high upside prospect, as he has a sweet swing and should gain some power as he fills out. He hit five home runs in 222 at-bats last season, so double-digit home run totals may be in his future.

Chris Gittens– 1B- Charleston (A)- Gittens already looks like he could be a “three true outcomes” player, as he displays strong power along with a high walk rate and a high strikeout rate. In 152 plate appearances, he has struck out 43 times, walked 25 times, and homered five times. That means that on 73 occasions, just over 48% of his plate appearances, he has homered, walked, or struck out. During spring training, Gittens was reportedly crushing balls over the center field batter’s eye, and his prodigious power has translated to games. He has 13 home runs in just 93 minor league games. Also of note is that he can also steal bases, as he has already stolen three so far this season. Not bad for a 6’4” 260-pound first baseman. In his last ten games entering Saturday, Gittens has three home runs, 15 RBI, 14 strikeouts, and six walks in just 35 at-bats. That has helped him lift his average up to .256, but as high strikeout rates lead to streaks, he will be prone to slumps as he develops.