This week’s Yankees minor league update features three Yankees minor leaguers who have put up impressive performances in the last week, as well as details on the Yankees’ newest call-up.
Nick Goody– RP- The Yankees made news Saturday by calling up the 24 year-old LSU product. The club’s 6th round pick in 2012 draft made five appearances for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after being called up to AAA before the ASG break. In 6 2/3 innings he only allowed 6 hits and no walks while striking out 11. Before that, he put up a 1.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 59 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings (29 appearances) for Trenton. Goody is undersized at 5’11” and 195 lbs, but he has a low-mid 90’s fastball with good control and late-breaking slider. Supposedly he has also been working on developing a changeup. He had 14 walks with Trenton so may need to cut down a little bit, but considering that he went walk-free in AAA, he appears to have proven that he’s at least ready for a test in the major leagues. The righty should add further depth to an already-stacked Yankees bullpen.
Brady Lail– SP- Trenton (AA) Lail shined Saturday night, throwing a complete game 2-hit shutout while walking one batter and striking out four. Lail has gone 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 105 1/3 innings for Trenton, and his performance has been justified by the fact that his FIP is sitting at 3.02 and his BABIP is at .258. It may look concerning that Lail is striking out only six batters per nine innings, but the 21 year-old Utah native makes up for it with his stuff. Lail has four solid pitches, a four seamer that can reach 94 mph, a sinker that sits around 90 mph, a plus changeup, and a knuckle curve. Considering the way that ground ball pitchers like Houston’s Dallas Keuchel have found success in the majors, it would not be surprising to see a strike-throwing, ground ball-generating pitcher like Lail carve out some role with the Yankees, at least in the middle or the back of the rotation.
Mike Ford– 1B/DH- Tampa (A-Advanced) Ford put in a nice game Wednesday, going 1-2 with 2 BB, and 2 R. In his last ten games, Ford has strung together an 11-35 stretch with 5 RBI. Ford has only 1 HR this year with Tampa after hitting 13 last year over two levels, but he still has 16 extra base hits. His average has taken a step back as well, with Ford hitting only .241 this season compared to .292 last year. Fortunately, the plate discipline has remained, as his walk rate is over 10%. Don’t write off the 23 year-old Princeton product just yet, however, as his .273 average in the last month may be a sign that Ford has turned it around. To have a shot at the major leagues, however, Ford will need to revive his power or find another position where his current lack of power would be more valuable.
Tyler Wade– SS/2B- Tampa (A-Advanced) In an earlier Yankees minor league update, we profiled Jorge Mateo, who profiles as a great, table-setting 20 year-old shortstop. But as it turns out, the Yankees have another one in their system with Wade. The Yankees selected Wade in the 4th round in 2013 after he came out of nowhere to put up impressive numbers in his senior year of high school in California. Since then, Wade has consistently put up a good average and OBP and he is continuing that by hitting .293 this year with a .354 OBP. He also put up a four game hit streak last week. Wade has very little power, having hit only 3 home runs as a professional, but makes up for it by stealing bases. He has 31 steals so far in 46 attempts, so the only improvement he may need to make on the base paths is with his efficiency. In the long run, Wade may have room to at least develop doubles power as he fills out. If he does that, he would become a more complete player and solidify his spot as one of the Yankees’ top position player prospects for 2016 and beyond.
Photo courtesy of milb.com.
