But what about the guys that fell victim to the shortened event that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Indiana’s Elijah Dunham was one of them. He went “undrafted” after the five mandated rounds, but no doubt would’ve been a selection in any normal situation.
Alongside Wells, Dunham has been dominating in the Arizona Fall League, which is an assortment of the best/most promising prospects in the game. How did Dunham get here?! You probably hadn’t even heard of him before last week.
Well, in his first pro season, he made it to High-A Hudson Valley on that stacked squad after spending 29 games with Single-A Tampa and hit .263 with an .825 OPS while playing every outfield position.
His debut campaign featured 93 games, during which he recorded 72 runs scored, 13 homers, 57 RBI and 28 stolen bases. Wow.
In 11 Arizona Fall League games, he’s hitting .395 with a 1.251 OPS (four doubles, two homers and 10 RBI) in addition to seven stolen bases. He’s walked 10 times and struck out just twice.
Is Elijah Dunham the Yankees’ next fast-rising prospect?
Looking at Dunham’s college stats, it’s hard to believe where the power and speed came from. He hit just nine homers and stole six bases in 94 career games at Indiana. His performance in the summer New England Collegiate Baseball League showed more of what he’s capable of. In 73 games, he hit 13 homers and stole 18 bags.
Maybe the guy just likes hot weather? He dominated for Tampa in his first 29 games, enjoyed the summer in the Hudson Valley, and is now shining in the desert.
In addition to his bat, he made just three errors in 745.2 innings playing all three outfield positions in what can be considered a transition since he began his time at Indiana as a first baseman.
The Yankees’ farm system continues to wildly impress in ways fans could’ve never imagined. It’s just a shame all of these defensively versatile sluggers who hit from the left side of the plate couldn’t contribute in 2020 or 2021 and likely won’t in 2022.
Jonathan Mayo: I take a look at a trio of hot performers at the plate for this week's @MLBPipelineBeat Report: The #Cubs Nelson Velazquez, the #Yankees Elijah Dunham and JJ Bleday from the #Marlins
The Yankees contingent in Arizona has continued to hit very well as the Fall League enters its final two weeks.
he Arizona Fall League is heading into the final two weeks of play for their short season. Several of the Yankees’ prospects playing in the desert continue to show off their skill and potential, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Also, another winter league has kicked off in Puerto Rico giving more prospects the chance to continue playing through the winter.
Yankees prospects are playing for the Surprise Saguaros alongside a mix of prospects from the Royals, Red, Rangers and Nationals. The team had a tough 1-5 record on the week and is 13-8 this season, leaving them tied for both the top spot in the AFL West division and in the AFL overall.
Elijah Dunham continues to be the story for the Yankees contingent. He is third in the league with an OPS of 1.062 after 16 games played. He also continues to be an efficient base stealer and has not been caught in nine attempts on the Fall season — he has also struck out just five times in 73 plate appearances. Those five strikeouts are well below his 13 walks this fall as he continues to own the strike zone and has posted a .493 OBP.
Infielder Andres Chaparro has found some chances to show off his power with a monster home run that hit off the scoreboard well behind the left-center field fence. Chaparro has not received the same playing time as Elijah Dunham and Austin Wells this fall, but he is hitting .323 with six extra base hits in his last 31 at-bats.
Austin Wells, the Yankees’ top ranked prospect playing in Arizona, continues to put up solid offensive numbers as he is slashing .277/.424/.489. This week he hit his second triple of the Fall — combined with his regular minor league, Wells now has seven triples on the season in 116 games, an impressive number for a catcher.
On the pitching side, right-hander Zach Greene gave up his first run in this Fall stretch, but bounced back with a scoreless inning later in the week — he now has nine strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Harold Cortijo also produced his best AFL outing so far, throwing two scoreless innings during Monday’s game. He made it through the outing without issuing a walk after struggling with his control for most of the season including the fall.
Clay Aguilar gave up three runs, but only one earned during his one outing of the week. The left-handed pitcher has struggled through the Fall and has a 9.53 ERA. The Yankees’ other pitching prospects in the AFL also continue to struggle as Blane Abeyta and Tanner Myatt both have ERAs of 7.36 and 10.80 respectively.
Also of note in the Arizona Fall League, former Yankees prospect Canaan Smith-Njigba was in the center of a bench clearing brawl after he was hit by a pitch up near his head. Baseball America’s Josh Norris said it is the only time in 15 years that he can remember seeing or hearing about a benches clearing incident in the AFL. Smith-Njigba was traded to Pittsburgh as part of the Jameson Taillon trade last January.
Infield prospect Robert Chirinos continues his strong play for Caribes de Anzoátegui as he had a three hit night this week and has been moved up into the middle of the batting order after starting out hitting ninth on a regular basis. Through 10 games he has a .333/.395/.485 line with three doubles and a triple.
The Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rican Winter League) kicked off this week with its first few games. Hemmanuel Rosario, a Yankees catching prospect and Puerto Rico native, is on the roster of Criollos de Caguas. Rosario played for the Yankees in the Florida Complex League this past year.
The offseason continues to be very busy for a number of Yankees prospects. With a chance to improve their stock, prospects such as Elijah Dunham and Andres Chaparro are taking advantage of the opportunity. Even as the AFL approaches its final weeks, more prospects are kicking off their winter in other areas and leagues.
Yankees: Elijah Dunham, OF (No. 24), Surprise Saguaros Dunham extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a pair of extra-base hits and scored twice during the Saguaros’ victory. The 23-year-old tripled, doubled and drew a walk, giving him consecutive multihit efforts and five during his hitting streak. The hot stretch has raised Dunham’s average to .377, third-highest in the league. Thanks to his 13 walks, the 2019 Draft pick has pushed his on-base percentage up to .500 while slugging at a .623 clip on the strength of nine extra-base hits.
One of the best things about the Arizona Fall League throughout the season is the opportunity to see future Major League stars before they get there at any given game. On Saturday at the annual Fall Stars Game, many of them will be found on one field at one time.
The 15th edition of the Fall Stars Game will be played this Saturday (Nov. 13) at 5 p.m. (local) MST (7 p.m. ET) at Salt River Fields. The two rosters were announced on Tuesday, picked by a combination of scouting and farm directors, AFL staff, and MLB.com writers. While a handful of players weren't allowed to be chosen due to developmental considerations, the rosters are full of many of the top prospects in baseball. Fans can tune in live on MLB Network and MLB.com, with Scott Braun, Yonder Alonso and Jonathan Mayo handling the call.
A total of seven players from MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list will be on the field, as of now, giving the event a Futures Game kind of feel. The East has a slight 4-3 advantage, including having three in the top 50:
East Triston Casas, 1B, Red Sox (No. 18) Gabriel Moreno, C, Blue Jays (No. 32) Brett Baty, 3B/OF, Mets (No. 45) JJ Bleday, OF, Marlins (No. 71)
West Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS, Pirates (No. 62) Bobby Miller, RHP, Dodgers (No. 78) Bryson Stott, SS, Phillies (No. 97)
Two prospects will be added via the Fall Stars Final 2 Vote. Fans will select one additional player for each Fall Stars team by voting online, with the possibility of adding an additional Top 100 player in the Giants’ Marco Luciano, the No. 5 overall prospect.
The comparison to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game isn’t far-fetched. Baty, Stott and the Rockies’ Ryan Vilade are all Futures Gamers fans will see in action this Saturday. Luciano and the Rockies’ Michael Toglia are battling it out on the East Final 2 Vote to be a fourth Futures Game alum.
The Fall Stars Game is often a predictor of things to come. The 2019 exhibition, the last time the game was played, included the Phillies’ Alec Bohm, who finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting the following year, as well as 2021 rookie contributors like Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh, Royals lefty Daniel Lynch, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and a trio of Rays -- Shane Baz, Vidal Brujan and Josh Lowe -- who all helped Tampa reach the postseason. The 2018 game featured Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who hit 53 homers the following year and won NL Rookie of the Year honors, as well as Blue Jays young star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among others. The game has been a showcase for future All-Stars like Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Corey Seager.
Final 2 Vote Marco Luciano, SS, Giants (No. 1, MLB No. 5) Jeter Downs, 2B, Red Sox (No. 5) Michael Toglia 1B, Rockies (No. 6)
Selected for Fall Stars Game but cannot participate: Nolan Gorman (STL), Mike Siani (CIN), James Marinan (CIN), Joey Wiemer (MIL), Spencer Torkelson (DET)
A trio of Yankees prospects -- OF Elijah Dunham, C Austin Wells and RHP Zach Greene -- played Saturday in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) Fall Stars Game.
Among the three, Dunham made most of an impact despite AFL West's 6-5 loss to AFL East at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Playing left field, Dunham's diving catch on a shallow fly ball by JJ Bleday robbed the eventual Fall Stars Game MVP and top Miami Marlins prospect of a leadoff single in the third inning.
A highlight-reel grab by Dunham -- the Yankees' No. 24 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline -- stood out from an 0-for-2 night at the plate.
Wells, meanwhile -- the Yankees' No. 6 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline -- suffered a strikeout in his lone plate appearance. He entered for a pinch-hit situation in the sixth.
Greene struck out Chicago Cubs prospect Andy Weber to record AFL West's final out in the ninth inning.
The Yankees’ prospects have the Surprise Saguaros on the verge of a division title with one week to play.
The Arizona Fall League enters its final week and the Yankees’ prospects hold a slight lead in their division race. With the AFL “Fall Stars” game in the rearview mirror, the Yankees’ prospects are heading down the home stretch with strong performances and the chance to help their team win the AFL Championship.
Yankees prospects are playing for the Surprise Saguaros alongside a mix of prospects from the Royals, Red, Rangers and Nationals. The team went 2-1-1 on the week and has a 15-9-1 record this season, one game ahead of Glendale for both the West division lead and the best record in the entire league. The Saguaros have just five regular-season games remaining with the AFL championship game scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m.
The highlight of the week in the Arizona Fall League was the annual “Fall Stars” game that was broadcast live on MLB Network Saturday night. Yankees prospects Elijah Dunham and Austin Wells were selected for the event, and reliever Zach Greene was added to the roster as a late replacement player.
While neither Dunham or Wells recorded a hit in their three combined at-bats, Dunham was a starter and made an outstanding diving catch in the outfield, adding to his AFL highlights.
Outside of the “Fall Stars” setting, Elijah Dunham continued his strong AFL campaign. He went 2-for-3 on Monday with a double and a triple, and also stole his 10th base of the season without getting caught once. His OPS sits at 1.036 after 19 games played this fall.
Infielder Andres Chaparro hit his third home run of the fall on Thursday, leading the Yankees contingent in that statistic. His latest home run traveled 421 feet with a 110 mph exit velocity.
Austin Wells remains a solid performer in the Fall League as he registered a hit and an RBI in each of the games he played over the past week. He has posted a .852 OPS out in Arizona.
Clay Aguilar and Harold Cortijo put together strong outings on the pitching side for the Saguaros this past week. Aguilar threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to close out Monday’s victory, earning his first save in the process. Cortijo pitched a scoreless inning on Friday, surrendering just one walk to the opposition.
The other Yankees pitchers in action had a tough week, beginning when Zach Greene gave up two runs without retiring a batter as he earned the loss on Tuesday. Blane Abeyta also allowed two runs in one inning of work when he pitched this past week.
In prospect action outside of Arizona, Yankees infield prospect Roberto Chirinos had a pair of strong performances this week for Caribes de Anzoátegui. After going 2-for-3 with a double and a triple on Friday night, Chirinos connected for his first home run of the winter league season on Saturday, giving him a .915 OPS through 14 games. Chirinos has been playing right field in recent games after playing exclusively on the infield during his time with the Yankees.
Yankees catching prospect Hemmanuel Rosario connected for a home run in one of his two at-bats this past week while playing for Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican native made the most of his limited playing time in the early going to the league.
After a season that saw the Yankees win three division titles from their four full-season minor league affiliates, a group of their prospects has the chance to win even more. The Surprise Sagauros are leading the AFL with just one week to play and Yankees prospects have played a big role in the success. The next week will show if they and their teammates from other organizations can close out the AFL and head into the offseason on a positive note.
The New York Yankees announced today that they have acquired minor leaguers INF T.J. Rumfield and LHP Joel Valdez from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for RHP Nick Nelson and C Donny Sands.
Rumfield, 21, made his professional debut this season with Low-A Clearwater, batting .250 (19-for-76) with 13 R, 1 double, 7 RBI and 21 BB in 27 games. The Richmond, Va., native was originally selected by the Phillies in the 12th round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft.
Valdez, 21, went 1-1 with a 1.63 ERA (55.1 IP, 43H, 12 R/10 ER, 16 BB, 54 K, 0 HR) in 15 starts for the DSL Phillies Red in 2021. In two minor league seasons (2019, ’21), the left-hander has gone 2-2 with one save and a 2.62 ERA (75.2 IP, 68 H, 29 R/22 ER, 32 BB, 70 K, 0 HR) in 26 appearances (19 starts). The El Seibo, D.R., native was originally signed by the Phillies as a non-drafted free agent on September 22, 2018.
Nelson, 25, went 0-2 with an 8.79 ERA (14.1 IP, 14 ER) and 22K in 11 appearances (two starts) with the Yankees over six stints (4/1-25, 5/27, 5/30-6/4, 7/6-23, 8/7-8, 8/9-18) in 2021. Additionally, he went 3-4 with a 3.81 ERA (52.0 IP, 50 H, 31 R/22 ER, 29 BB, 62 K, 6 HR) in 29 appearances (five starts) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Panama City, Fla., native saw his first Major League action in 2020, making 11 relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 4.79 ERA (20.2 IP, 11 ER). Over his two Major League seasons, he has a 1-2 record with a 6.43 ERA (35.0 IP, 25 ER) and 40 K in 22 appearances (two starts). He was originally drafted by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
Sands, 25, split the 2021 season with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, combining to hit .261/.326/.466 (89-for-341) with 47R, 16 doubles, 18 HR, 56 RBI and 32 BB in 94 games. Over six minor league seasons (2015-19, ’21), the right-handed batter has hit .268/.331/.382 (351-for-1,310) with 156 R, 69 doubles, 1 triple, 26 HR, 183 RBI and 115 BB in 368 minor league games. The Tucson, Ariz., native was originally selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft.
Yankees Make Flurry Of Roster Moves Ahead Of Rule 5 Protection Deadline
There had been tons of anticipation surrounding the Yankees over the last 48 hours. The hot stove has been steaming in the early part of the offseason and knowing that the November 19 Rule 5 protection deadline was looming, a lot of focus has been centered around the organization. The Bombers had a full roster and a slew of talented prospects that they needed to add to shield them from exposure.
As the 6 P.M. deadline came and went on Friday evening, the Yankees announced that they had traded catcher Donny Sands and pitcher Nick Nelson to Philadelphia in exchange for two low-level prospects. Shortly thereafter, the team announced that they designated Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade and Rougned Odor for assignment and added Oswaldo Cabrera, Ron Marinaccio, Everson Pereira, Stephen Ridings and JP Sears to the 40-man roster.
Sands was just added to the 40-man roster a few weeks ago, which prevented him from hitting the minor league free-agent market and signing with a team of his choosing. Instead, the Yankees added him with the understanding that there would be value for an upper-level backstop in a package to potentially clear multiple 40-man roster spots. They did just that by including him with Nelson in a deal that netted them infielder T.J. Rumfield and left-hander Joel Valdez from the Phillies.
Cabrera was the Double-A Northeast League MVP. The 22-year old switch-hitting infielder led the league in hits (112), RBI (78), extra base hits (54), and total bases (215). Cabrera was also among the leaders in home runs (24, 3rd), slugging percentage (.492, 10th), doubles (29, T-3rd), and stolen bases (20, T-5th). Cabrera said throughout the season that he worked extensively during the cancelled 2020 minor league campaign tweaking his approach and refining his swing path to generate better and more consistent contact. After getting to work with hitting coach Joe Migliaccio this season, Cabrera brought the “hit strikes hard” approach to the box with him and it propelled him to the most success season of his career. Cabrera was action at second, third and shortstop and should be able to provide versatility at those positions much like Wade and Odor were able to do previously.
Marinaccio, a Toms River, NJ native (I think you have heard of another big leaguer from there), fanned 105 batters in 66.1 innings of work between Somerset and SWB. The 26-year old right-hander sits in the high-90’s with his heater and has touched 100 MPH on the gun. He also has arguably the best slider in the Yankees entire system to go along with a really good change-up. The University of Delaware product walked just 27 and held the opposition to a .153 batting average against.
Like Marinaccio, JP Sears was Rule 5 eligible for the second straight season, but this time, the southpaw’s 2021 campaign between Double and Triple-A made him far too valuable for the Bombers to risk losing. Acquired from Seattle with Juan Then for Nick Rumbelow in 2017, Sears split his season between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton and was used as a starter, reliever and in a piggy-back role behind a starter. The 25-year old Citadel product fanned 136 and walked just 29 in 104 innings of work. Sears has a good feel for the strike zone and could be used as a versatile guy much how they deployed Nick Nelson previously, only Sears can come at you from the left side.
You all know Stephen Ridings by now. If you were interested to read this far, you saw the big, imposing righty and his 100 MPH-plus heater in the bigs for a short time this summer. Before the season began, the Yankees Director of Player Development Kevin Reese met with media to discuss the impeding season. Reese pointed to Ridings as a name to look out for in Somerset and in 2021, the 26-year old reliever has stood out for more than just his 6’8″, 220 pound frame.
At this time a year ago, Ridings was unemployed and contemplating his baseball future altogether. “After Kansas City released me, I didn’t know what was going to happen this spring,” admitted Ridings earlier this season. “The Yankees came and saw me, and I had that big velo jump, I had a good feeling that as long as I could throw strikes, command the ball well and throw a couple off-speed pitches here and there, I thought that I was going to put myself in a good spot for success. Clearly, they liked what they saw to put me here, and I haven’t looked back since.”
In his first season in the Yankees system, Ridings fanned 44 and walked just 4 in 29 innings between Somerset and SWB. Depending on how the remainder of the Yankees offseason shakes out, Ridings could be a candidate for a bullpen spot in the Bronx when camp breaks from Tampa this spring.
At the ripe, young age of just 20, outfielder Everson Pereira now finds himself on the 40-man roster. Not quite how I remember spending my early-20’s, but life comes at you fast in pro-ball. Pereira has maxed out in High-A and has only spent a short amount of time there. Why did the Yankees add him? Well, the Venezuelan-product crushed 20 homers and drove in 59 runs with a slash line of .303/.398/1.084 in 49 games between the FCL and the two A-ball levels in 2021. Pereira will turn 21 next season and should get his first taste of the upper-levels, among other things. Should his bat continue to play-up the way that it has in limited action, Pereira has the potential to move very quickly.
