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Yankees minor league update- Trenton Thunder edition

Thunder pic

In this edition of the Yankees minor league update, the focus is entirely on the Yankees’ AA-level Trenton Thunder affiliate. In advance of this edition, we were able to secure a media credential and catch the Thunder in action in their game against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, San Francisco’s AA affiliate while also interviewing members of the team. The Thunder cruised to an 8-2 victory in the game and all nine hitters in the Thunder lineup reached base at least once. Some players put up particularly noteworthy performances and serve as the subjects of this week’s profiles.

Cale Coshow– SP- Trenton (AA)- A converted former reliever, the 23 year-old looked good in the start on Saturday night. He pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and two walks while striking out four. The big righty (6’5”, 260 lbs) was a bit inefficient early, putting up nearly 20 pitches in each of his first two innings, but settled into a groove afterward in which he was more efficient. He offers a fastball that regularly sat at 94-95 mph, but occasionally touched 96 and 97 according to the stadium radar gun. His secondary pitches include a non-specific pitch that appears to resemble a cutter that sits around 87-89 mph, as well as a change that was measured in the low 80’s. Thunder manager Al Pedrique was impressed with Coshow’s makeup and stuff, saying that “when he goes on the mound, he’s a bulldog. He means all business.” Pedrique was pleased with Coshow’s fastball, praising him for establishing it early and throwing it with good life. He had some criticism about his secondary offerings, however, saying “I thought he struggled a little bit with his second pitch and the changeup, but he made some adjustments when he needed to.” The adjustments showed, as while Coshow got his first strikeout of the game on a fastball, his next three strikeouts came via his secondary pitches. In 11 starts for Tampa and Trenton since being stretched out as a starter, Coshow has gone 5-3 with a 2.41 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, 51 K’s, and 13 BB’s in 56 innings. Coshow’s stats have generally been backed up by a similar FIP, which means that the 2013 13th rounder’s success has been more than just good fortune. The long-term plan appears to be to develop him as a starter, allowing him to take advantage of his easy velocity while trying to develop his off-speed pitches. If he can do that, he has a good chance to stick as a starter and move up the system, but if he cannot develop his other offerings, he may be relegated to relief duty.

Tyler Wade– SS- Trenton (AA)- The 20 year-old Wade, previously profiled in the July 27th Yankees minor league update, has quickly developed into a top-tier prospect for the Yankees and is currently the 4th youngest player in the Eastern League. The lefty-hitting shortstop tore up High-A with Tampa, hitting .280 with a .349 OBP to go along with 2 HR’s, 28 RBI, 51 runs, and 31 steals in 46 attempts. His time in Trenton, however, has been a struggle, as he has only 6 hits in 53 at bats (.113 batting average) through Saturday to go with only two extra base hits, one RBI, two walks, and 10 strikeouts at the plate. At the plate, Wade continued his struggles on Saturday night, striking out once and reaching base on a double that was originally ruled a two-base error. Although that ball was not very well hit, Wade did have one hard-hit ball in the second inning that was hit right at the first baseman for a fielder’s choice. Despite Wade’s struggles, his manager is not worried. “He was was trying to do too much, swinging too hard, pulling off. His head was pulling off the strike zone,” said Pedrique. He added that he and Wade had a conversation in which he reminded the young shortstop to have fun and just get his feet wet at AA. Wade himself was optimistic about his struggles at the plate, observing, “I feel really comfortable at the plate. I’ve been hitting balls hard, right at people… they’re gonna start to fall.” Pedrique added that he also told Wade to “worry about (his) defense, because that’s what’s going to get (him) to the big leagues.” So far, Pedrique has been pleased with Wade’s defense, saying “I know he struggled a little bit down in Tampa with his defense, but I think he’s been playing well up here.” Wade concurs with his manager’s assessment. “I just tried to press a little bit down at the lower levels, tried to do too much,” said the shortstop about his defense. “But ever since I got here I feel like I cleaned it up.” Even at his young age, Wade already shows great flashes on the base paths and is working on getting his defense to be major-league ready. Despite 29 errors so far (including 5 since his call-up to Trenton), the organization seems pleased with his development at shortstop, and if he can put up a good average and get on base, Wade should have a future at the major league level.

Mark Payton– OF- Trenton (AA)- The 23 year-old Payton has moved quickly since being selected in the 7th round in last year’s draft out of the University of Texas, earning a promotion to Trenton in June. Prior to his call-up, Payton hit .291 with a .390 OBP, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 33 runs, and a 32:26 K:BB ratio in 182 at bats for Tampa. His numbers have fallen off a bit with Trenton as he’s hitting .260 with a .316 OBP to go with 4 HR’s, 28 RBI, 24 runs, and a worse 50:19 K:BB ratio in 223 at bats with the Thunder through Saturday. Payton had lost nearly 20 points off his batting average over the three games prior to Saturday’s contest, but broke out in a big way in the game, going 3-4 with two runs scored. Payton showed great hustle on the base paths and in the outfield, including one play where he scored from first base on a double down the left field line and smoothly made a difficult running catch. Payton demonstrated a good approach hitting the ball, making solid contact on each of his three hits. In an interview after the game, Payton attributed his slump to a stretch where he sat for back-to-back games. In his words, he was “just pressing to get hits instead of keeping my approach and finding good pitches to hit.” Payton profiles as the kind of hitter who you would put near the top of the lineup, but hit in the cleanup spot on Saturday. At 5’7” and 180 lbs, Payton resembles a smaller version of Brett Gardner, but with less speed and raw athleticism. Still, Payton is a solid hitter who can use the whole field and he seems to have a great makeup and intangibles. The Yankees outfield is crowded now and should be down the road with Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury likely to stay for the long term and other prospects like Aaron Judge and Mason Williams competing for the third long-term outfield spot. This means that Payton may be squeezed out and forced to play a backup outfielder role, but nothing is set in stone just yet, so Payton may be able to play his way to success somewhere.

Tony Renda– 2B- Trenton (AA)- Renda arrived in the Yankees organization from the Nationals in the deal that sent reliever David Carpenter to Washington and has adjusted nicely, hitting .292 in his last 33 games entering Saturday. The California native had two hits vs. Richmond on Saturday that came on a pair of line drives that ended up driving in runs. That gave him a modest three game hitting streak and hits in eight of his previous eleven games. Renda saw it as part of the natural flow of the game, attributing his good performance at the plate to “just getting good pitches to hit” and “not trying to do too much with it.” The former 2012 second round pick brings some speed to the table, having stolen 22 bases on 24 attempts in 2015 and has a disciplined approach at the plate, with 40 walks and only 36 strikeouts this season. But Renda’s best shot at success lies with his defense, which has struggled lately. Renda has only 7 errors in 52 games at second base with Trenton (compared to 17 errors in 51 games at second with Harrisburg) and an impressive .972 fielding percentage, but has had recent issues making throws. Renda has been working on his throws on a daily basis, however, and it appears to be paying off. Renda played an error-free game on defense, although he and shortstop Tyler Wade allowed catcher Francisco Arcia’s throw to fly into center field on a delayed steal attempt. After the game, Renda described it as a miscommunication. “It was Wade’s coverage and we broke at the same time,” said Renda, calling it a “tough play to anticipate.” The 24 year-old profiles long-term as a defensive-oriented middle infielder who could hit for contact and steal bases at higher levels. If he makes it to the majors, he has the potential to be a versatile utility-type infielder. Think Eduardo Nunez with Ramiro Pena’s defense. If he can do that, he will make the Yankees look smart for making that trade.