The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Yankees minor league system has remained almost entirely intact. The Yankees have chosen to not sacrifice the strong farm system they have in the name of a more aggressive “win-now” strategy. With that in mind, here are a few minor league players the Yankees kept who are working their way through the minors.
Miguel Andujar- 3B- Tampa (A-Advanced): The 20 year-old Andjuar, pictured above while playing for low-A Charleston, has been on a tear entering Sunday, having hit .400 since July 21st, with 5 multi-hit games over that span. On Friday, Andujar went 3-3 with a double and an RBI. He has only struck out 4 times in that span, and only has 70 total in 371 AB’s entering Sunday. Andjuar is heating up after a slow start this year, as he is still only hitting .232 with 5 HR’s, 40 RBI, and 5 SB’s, but the Dominican may finally be putting it together at the plate. Defense is still a concern for Andujar, as he has committed 21 errors and has a .906 fielding % at the hot corner in 87 games. Even if Andjuar keeps up his hot streak, he will need to improve his defense if he wants to be considered a top Yankees prospect.
Jordan Foley- SP- Charleston (A): In a start last Monday for Charleston, Foley went 6 innings, giving up 1 run on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 4. On the season, Foley has pitched 57 1/3 innings for Tampa, with 60 K’s, a 3.14 ERA, and a 1.29 WHIP. His 3.30 FIP shows that his performance has not been a fluke and his .322 BABIP by opposing hitters shows that there’s room for some good luck. The 22 year-old righty, a 5th round pick in the 2014 draft, has had a K-rate above 1 per inning at all levels (not counting 2 appearances in AAA earlier this season,) but he has struggled with control so far, walking 23 batters with the RiverDogs. Foley only had a 4.46 ERA last season with SI, but still had a 3.15 FIP. His delivery is hard to repeat, which hurts his control, but he can touch 97 mph with his fastball, and also adds a mid-80s splitter changeup and a low-80’s slider. His velocity and control issues seem to indicate he could work out of the bullpen, but if he can harness his control, he has the stuff to be a mid-rotation starter.
Jhalan Jackson- OF- Staten Island (Short-Season A): A 2015 7th rounder out of Florida Southern, Jackson strikes out a bunch right now (34 in 101 AB’s) is hitting .267 with 4 HR’s, 20 R, and 21 RBI. Jackson had a nice game on Friday, going 2-4 with 2 RBI, a run, and a steal. Jackson has good tools, including the potential for 20 HR power, decent plate discipline, and a little bit of speed as well. It’s very early to project a player like Jackson, but at this pace he could at least end up as a three true outcomes player if he does not bring his strikeouts down. But it looks like he has the potential to adjust and if he does, he will be a prospect to watch in the next few years.
And now, a bit of a bonus detail on the Yankees’ newest call-up:
Luis Severino- SP- New York (MLB): If you have been following the Yankees minor league system, you probably know Severino by now. It has been announced that Severino’s next start will be for the Yankees on Wednesday, so here are some brief details on Severino (and you can also read our in-depth primer on Severino here.) In 99 1/3 innings this season for Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Severino struck out 98 batters with a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. In his last start on Wednesday before his call-up, he went 6 innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 10. At both AA and AAA, Severino had a FIP that backed up his performance or showed that he still had room to improve. The 21 year-old Dominican offers a mid-90’s fastball with movement, a sinking changeup, and a still-improving slider. Severino is young, but he should be ready to contribute to the Yankees as a fill-in while Michael Pineda is sidelined.
Photo above courtesy of Newsday.com
