Andrew Bailey– RP- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)- Remember him? The Yankees happen to have a former AL Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star reliever in their minor league system in Bailey (the picture above is of Bailey pitching in the 2010 All-Star Game when he was with the Athletics.) The New Jersey native and Wagner College product has spent the better part of three seasons coming back from multiple injuries to his shoulder, but has been impressive across three levels in the Yankees system. Bailey has a 1.75 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings and 22 appearances for the GCL Yankees, Tampa, Trenton, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, and has made three appearances in AAA so far and generally looked good in each of them. The Yankees were reportedly looking to acquire some of the best closers in baseball prior to the July 31 trade deadline, but they already have an All-Star reliever on the way. Bailey has reportedly been the subject of previous call-up rumors earlier this season, so now that he’s in AAA it would definitely be reasonable, even likely, for the Yankees to call up Bailey when rosters expand in September.
Ben Gamel– OF- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)- The 23 year-old Gamel has been on fire as of late, batting .378 with 2 HR’s and 7 RBI in his last ten games prior to Sunday’s contest. He has put up a pretty good stat line overall with the RailRiders in 2015, batting .296 with a .355 OBP, 7 HR’s, 50 RBI, 60 R, and 9 SB’s. entering Sunday Gamel has also improved his walk rate in 2015, having already drawn 37 walks after drawing just 36 all of last season in nearly 150 more plate appearances. The Yankees gave Gamel a bit of a challenge this season by putting him in AAA, and he has responded with a respectable season. Despite his good numbers this season, it’s difficult to see Gamel being anything more than a fourth outfielder with the Yankees considering that Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury are there to stay and Aaron Judge will likely be taking the third full-time outfield spot in the long run. But at 23 years old, Gamel still has some time to improve and maybe play his way into at least a part-time role with the Yankees draw some good value in a trade.
Carlos Vidal– OF- Pulaski (Advanced Rookie)- Vidal is only 19 years old but has impressed down in the Appalachian League with Pulaski. In 168 at bats entering Sunday, Vidal has hit .315 with a .398 OBP to go with 6 HR’s, 31 RBI, 30 R and 14 SB’s in 17 attempts. The left-handed hitting Colombian also has 18 extra base hits, a disciplined 33:19 K:BB ratio and fairly even platoon splits, as he’s been batting .333 vs. lefties and .308 vs. righties. He has also made only two errors so far while playing center field full-time and profiles to stay in center as he moves up the Yankees system. Vidal has impressed enough that there are rumors that he may be moved up the minor league ladder before the year is out, although he is still unlikely to make it to the Bronx for a full season before 2019. Still, Vidal is someone worth noting and keeping an eye on, as he has shown the potential to be a major leaguer, which is rare to see at this low of a level.
It has also been just over one month since Yankees minor league updates have returned to being a weekly feature on Bronx Pinstripes, so let’s check back on a couple of guys who were profiled early on in the series.
Rookie Davis– SP- Trenton (AA)- Since being profiled on July 8th, Davis allowed two runs or fewer in three of his next four starts for Tampa, including a tough-luck loss on July 17th in which the 22 year-old went eight innings, allowing only four hits and two runs while striking out nine. Davis, recently named the 12th best prospect in the Yankees system as part of MLB.com’s midseason prospect rankings, was called up to Trenton this past week and made his debut Saturday, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out five to earn the win. Given his velocity, improved command (only two walks in his last five starts), and strikeout stuff (24 strikeouts in his last 27 2/3 innings), expect big things from Davis ahead.
Jorge Mateo– SS- Tampa (A-Advanced)- In 78 at bats since being profiled on July 13th, Mateo has batted .282 with 7 extra base hits and 18 stolen bases while earning a call-up to High-A Tampa and also coming up in trade talks with the San Diego Padres. Mateo is proving why the Yankees turned down the Padres’ offer to trade Craig Kimbrel for him. In just four games with Tampa, Mateo already has six hits (including a triple) and is a perfect 3-3 on stolen base opportunities. The 20 year-old Dominican is well on his way to showing us what the Reds could have had if Billy Hamilton continued to hit and play shortstop. The best part? He’s probably going to do it sooner rather than later in pinstripes.
