Center fielders Estevan Florial, Everson Pereira, and Jasson Dominguez are all producing big numbers and helping their teams play the best ball that they have all season long.
After a tough start to the season, both the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades and the Low-A Tampa Tarpons have jumped out to an early lead in the second half of their seasons. The wave of offensive production across the Yankees system is matching the pitching that has been strong from the start. With the MLB draft and trade deadline approaching it is clear that the makeup of many of these teams could change very soon. Let’s take a look at how the Yankees minor league system fared over the last week.
Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 40-44; Eighth place in the International League (East), 5 GB
After a slow start to the season, the RailRiders are now 21-8 in dating back to a June 9th win in Syracuse. The team has made up 10.5 games in the standings in just over a month, and while they remain in eighth place, they are back in the playoff hunt in a crowded International League Eastern Division. Estevan Florial continues to lead the way with his bat, and he has a 158 wRC+ dating back to April 27th.
Josh Breaux was 6-for-8 with a triple and a pair of walks in his first week of Triple-A action providing a future lift to the offense. Ken Waldichuk, the top pitching prospect on the team, hit a speed bump in his most recent start, but the team saw great performances from Hayden Wesneski and Jhony Brito. Brito worked in relief behind Domingo Germán, who is close to returning to the major league roster after tossing four innings of one hit, no run baseball.
Second Half Record: 6-6, T-Third place in the Eastern League (Northeast); 4 GB
Overall Record: 50-31; Eastern League (Northeast) First-half Champions
Past Week: 3-3 vs. Bowie Baysox (Orioles)
Coming Up: Away vs. Portland SeaDogs (Red Sox)
When Jesus Bastidas was called up to Double-A Somerset in 2021 he excelled in limited playing time. After a slower start to this season, Bastidas has turned up the offense over the last month and has a 150 wRC+ over his last 20 games. He has tied his career high for home runs in a season with nine, and overall he has hit 14 home runs in his 81 career games at the Double-A level. Will Warren has also continued to excel as he won the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week award after throwing seven innings of three hit ball.
Second Half Record: 10-5; First place in the South Atlantic League (North), 1 GA
Overall Record: 44-37
Past Week: 6-0 vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)
Coming Up: Home vs. Greenville Drive (Red Sox)
Some of the big-name bats on the Hudson Valley Renegades have come alive over the last few weeks. Trey Sweeney has really picked things up, making a lot of contact and slugging .643 over this last two weeks of actions. On the pitching side, T.J. Sikkema recorded 11 straight hitless innings over the span of three outings as he continues to build up his workload after an early season injury. Another pitcher working his way back from injury is Yoendrys Gómez, and the talented right-hander has been extremely impressive so far this season as he gradually increases his workload.
Edgar Barclay: 15 G; 1.29 ERA, 35 IP, 23 H, 11 BB, 43 K
T.J. Sikkema: 10 G; 2.32 ERA, 31 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 44 K
Low-A Tampa Tarpons
Second Half Record: 10-4; First place in the Florida State League (West Coast), 0.5 GA
Overall Record: 37-43
Past Week: 4-1 vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Twins)
Coming Up: Home vs. Daytona Tortugas (Reds)
Like the other Yankees affiliates, the Tarpons are playing their best baseball of the season right now. Jasson Dominguez has posted a 156 wRC+ over his last 60 games, with a 25 percent strikeout rate and 16 percent walk rate in that stretch. The Yankees are also seeing one of last season’s draft picks heat up, as Ben Cowles has crushed it over the last 23 games — the middle infielder who led the Big-10 conference in home runs during the 2021 season looks like he has found his stroke at the professional level. Antonio Gomez’s bat has come alive recently, and the catching prospect who has been known more for his elite throwing arm than his offense has been putting up bigger numbers over the last couple of series.
Richard Fitts: 4 G; 1.93 ERA, 23.1 IP, 18 H, 3 BB, 29 K
Florida Complex League Yankees: Postponed vs. FCL Tigers; will make up game on Wednesday (was previously an off-day)
Jared Serna was the FCL Player of the Week – 4 G; .571/.667/1.214, 2 HR, 1 3B, 1 2B
Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 8-7 (10) vs. DSL Angels
SS Roderick Arias 0-6, 2 K, 2 E 2B Keiner Delgado 2-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 CS 2B Santiago Gomez 0-1, 1 R, 1 K CF Willy Montero 2-6, 1 R, 1 K RF Ramiro Altagracia 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K 1B Johan Ferreira 1-1, 1 R C Manuel Palencia 1-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, PB — walk-off single in 10th 2B Juan Matheus 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, SB, 2 K, E LF-RF David Beckles 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB, 1 K 1B-LF Jhon Imbert 0-1, 4 BB, 1 K DH Abrahan Ramirez 1-5, 2B, 1 RBI
Henry Lalane 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Sabier Marte 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR Jordy Luciano 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (win)
Dominican Summer League Bombers: L, 0-13 vs. DSL Pirates Gold
SS Hans Montero 0-4, 2 K CF Fidel Montero 0-4, 2 K 3B Enger Castellano 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K RF Joel Mendez 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K CF John Cruz 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K, CS, PO 2B Enmanuel Tejeda 1-4 LF Juan Rosa 0-4, 3 K C Oscar Silverio 1-3, 1 K 1B Edinson Duran 1-3, 1 K, 1 E
Edwar Polimir 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 1 HR (loss) Gerardo Abrego 0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K Keninson Diaz 0.1 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 0 K Ruben Castillo 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Ronald Roman 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K Pedro Rodriguez 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
The Yankees have been blessed with phenomenal bullpen depths over the last half-decade. From Dellin Betances to Ron Marinaccio, they just know how to build a good bullpen. This ability to acquire relievers who can become great arms or develop pitchers in their farm has made them a playoff contender every year. They’re always near or at the top in bullpen metrics.
On a team that already has the incredible Clay Holmes to shut the door in tight games, the Yankees may have another dominant reliever on the way. Down with the Somerset Patriots, RHP Carson Coleman has been on fire and one of the more exciting arms the Yankees have in the minors. Despite dominant numbers, he’s flown under the radar, and it’s time to put him on the map.
Mastering the Three Outcomes
As we understand more about what creates stable success for pitchers, it’s changed how to differentiate good outings from bad outings. Looking at just earned runs is an outdated concept in the industry, as it doesn’t truly let us capture just how good a pitcher was. FIP stands for Fielding Independent Pitching, and while it isn’t perfect, the core of the stat is to look at how many Home Runs, Walks, and Strikeouts a pitcher has. Why those three stats? Well, pitchers tend to have the most control over those outcomes, as once a ball is in play, they have no control of what happens after.
Yea, that’ll play. Carson Coleman prevents HRs, stays in the strike zone, and gets a ton of swings and misses. This is incredibly impressive at an MiLB level as advanced as Double-A, where you finally get your first crack at near MLB-level talent. Stats are great, but for pitchers, their stuff is just as important, but Coleman’s got you covered there too.
With riding action and great velocity, it’s easy to see how batters are underneath the ball and struggle to make consistent contact. What makes it unique is it also gets a lot of run when he throws it. Typically, fastballs fall under the back-spinning or side-spinning categories, but Coleman’s fastball has blended both into this hybrid fastball that gives it a two-seam/four-seam mix to dominate batters.
There are always flaws with every prospect, and Coleman is no exception. His slider and changeup leave a lot to be desired in command and usage. Neither pitch have been polished yet, but with his velocity and arm slot, you figure the comfort level is all that will prevent him from having a good secondary pitch. The Yankees love sweeping sliders, and Coleman could definitely see benefit from such a devastating strikeout pitch.
Where Does Carson Coleman in the Yankees Bullpen?
Miguel Castro, Chad Green, Zack Britton, and Aroldis Chapman are all free agents at the end of the season. Lucas Luetge is a solid reliever, but he is getting older. The Yankees are stacked with young arms that can come up and contribute in one way or another next year, but I can’t imagine they just overlook Coleman if he keeps throwing the way he’s throwing. I hope next year we get an extended look of him at Spring Training so we can get a feel for his velocity and movement since they have Trackman in those stadiums to give us pitch data.
I think 2023 is the big test for Coleman; he’ll get a shot at Triple-A with Scranton, or perhaps he impresses a lot and gets a shot in the Bronx from the get-go. He’s someone that many Yankee fans currently don’t know, but he’s someone I imagine many Yankee fans end up knowing in a year or two. Watching Minor League Baseball in the middle of a pennant chase seems a little ridiculous, but if you want to find hidden gems that’ll be a part of the MLB roster soon, check out the Somerset Patriots and watch Carson Coleman close out games. Who knows, maybe he’s closing games for the Yankees in October sometime soon.
Many of the AL's top prospects have already been called up to The Show, including Red Sox pitcher Brayan Bello, who is on the roster. Adley Rutschman, Riley Greene, and Julio Rodriguez have all made their MLB debuts, and Rodriguez is on a Rookie of the Year pace after playing in last year's Futures Game.
Several of the top prospects can be found in Yankees organization, including infielder Anthony Volpe and outfielder Jasson Dominguez. The Orioles' Gunnar Henderson is also making an appearance.
MLB.com | David Venn: After a slow start, some prospect analysts were starting to wonder if Jasson Domínguez was more hype than anything else. However, he rebounded nicely and earned himself a promotion from Low-A Tampa to High-A Hudson Valley on Saturday. Tampa skipper Rachel Balkovec surprised him with the news as part of another promotion for teammate Grant Richardson.
Domínguez, who hit an impressive home run yesterday at the MLB Futures Game, slashed .265/.373/.440 in 75 games, with 17 doubles, nine home runs, 36 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 324 plate appearances in Tampa.
NJ Advance Media | Randy Miller: Left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk is not as famous a prospect as Volpe, but he’s raised his profile a lot this season, including by closing out the Futures Game on Saturday. Waldichuk’s stuff has been playing up because his fastball velocity has increased markedly, which he attributes to a training program he’s participating in and work on his mechanics. He’s now ranked as the team’s top pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and within the top 100 overall. A role like the ones that JP Sears or Clarke Schmidt have played this year isn’t out of the question for Waldichuk in 2023.
With seven total farm teams in the New York Yankees organization spanning from Boca Chica to Scranton it’s easy for players to fly under the radar, especially at Low-A, where box scores may fail to tell the full story. So I asked Tampa Tarpons pitching coach Grayson Crawford and hitting coach Kevin Martir each to name one player who they believed may not be garnering the attention they deserve.
Zach Messinger – RHP
“Messinger is probably the biggest sleeper right now,” Crawford said. “That’s not a name being talked about as much. At this point next year, a lot more people will know who he is.”
The Yankees 13th round draft pick after leading the University of Virginia to a College World Series berth in 2021, Messinger has seen an uptick in velocity over the past few months, touching 97 MPH on the radar gun for the Tarpons. Making his professional debut in 2022, the Indiana native has pitched to a 4.78 ERA this season with 59 strikeouts in 43.1 IP.
The 6-foot-6 220 lb right-hander entered professional baseball with a fastball and curveball mix, and has added a changeup and slider to his repertoire, while making the transition from the bullpen to the Tarpons starting rotation.
“He’s gone from a two pitch guy to a four pitch guy, moved from the bullpen to a starter, so there’s some pieces he’s trying to get comfortable with and we’ve made a few adjustments,” Crawford added.
Ben Rice – C
Rice missed out on both his junior and senior seasons at Dartmouth due to the pandemic, finishing his collegiate career with only 30 games under his belt. He spent a majority of 2021 working out on his own, even spending time in a recreational men’s league, before playing for the Cape Cod League’s Cotuit Kettleers. He caught the Yankees eye, who selected him in the 12th round of the 2021 draft. Rice spent time with the rookie level FCL Yankees and Low-A Tampa Tarpons at the end of the minor league season, racking up 12 RBI’s and three homers in 20 games with Tampa.
The left-handed hitting backstop was assigned to extended spring training in 2022, before being promoted to Tampa a month into the season. He’s hitting .275/.359/.475 on the year with four home runs and 15 RBI’s in 28 games. The 6-foot-2, 205 lb Rice has also put up some serious exit velocity numbers, reaching 111 MPH off the bat.
“He’s been flying under the radar but when he gets his opportunities he definitely takes advantage of them,” Martir said. “He’s a physical lefty that has elite bat speed, a guy who can really hit.”
One reason Rice has been flying under the radar is a lack of consistent playing time. In an organization crowded with top tier catching depth, everyday at-bats are a dime a dozen as Rice splits time with Antonio Gomez, one of the Yankees top prospects.
“It definitely makes it harder and it adds a chip on his shoulder too. He’s trying to prove himself, and he’s been doing that,” added Martir. “He’s 100% proving himself and that he can impact the baseball…In the near future he’ll probably be getting some more at-bats.”
The MLB Draft is complete and over the coming days, the Yankees will start announcing the signings of many of the players who they selected during the 3-day, 20-round process. As these players come in, there will be movement in the Yankees’ prospect rankings, as three or four players from this class may be able to crack the organizational Top 30.
Rumored for several weeks, the Yankees loved Vanderbilt University’s Spencer Jones and selected him 25th overall, near the end of the first round. The 6-foot-7 Jones is a former two-way player who gave up pitching after Tommy John surgery derailed his pitching career early in college.
Some scouts believe that Jones can play center field, but he played 62 games in right this year for the Commodores. If the Yankees view Jones as a center fielder, then he will likely be the team’s second-ranked prospect at the position behind Jasson Domínguez. Both players are at similar points in their development, as they have tremendous power with elite exit velocities, but it doesn’t always translate into home runs and the type of impact that you would expect in games.
Everson Pereira is also likely to be ranked similarly to Jones. The 21-year-old is just over a month older than the newcomer to the organization and was recently promoted to Double-A. Pereira found his power stroke midseason produced a terrific hot streak from June to early July. Like Jones, some scouts believe that both Domínguez and Pereira will be corner outfielders at some point in their career, but unlike Jones, both players in the organization have been primarily center fielders so far this year.
If the Yankees play Jones in a corner, however, he will be the team’s top corner-outfield prospect the moment that he signs. The only other corner outfielder among the Yankees’ top 30 prospects right now is Elijah Dunham. The 24-year-old in Double-A went unselected during the shortened five-round draft in 2020, but has been a strong performer since joining the system and especially turned heads during his time in the Arizona Fall League.
If Jones is indeed the Yankees’ top corner-outfield prospect, then the team’s fourth-round pick, Anthony Hall, is in the mix to be in the top three or four. Ranked as the 144th-best draft prospect by MLB.com, it is unclear if Hall will crack the Yankees’ Top 30 when draft picks are added to the ranks in the coming weeks, but his overall profile compares similarly to Dunham. Hall almost certainly will start playing for Low-A Tampa in the near future, especially with the recent promotions of both Domínguez and Grant Richardson, who had been regularly manning the outfield at that level.
With the 61st overall pick, the Yankees selected right-handed pitcher Drew Thorpe. The Cal Poly product was a strong performer for a number of years in college and will be expected to move quickly through the lower parts of the organization.
After throwing 104 innings this season in college, it is possible that Thorpe will make his professional debut this year but it’s unlikely that he will see extended action. When he takes the mound, he could be expected to start as advanced as the High-A level and will likely be ranked ahead of the second and third-round picks from 2021, Brendan Beck and Brock Selvidge (the latter is currently 13th in the system).
Thorpe and the Yankees’ third round pick, Trystan Vrieling, were both rated higher in pre-draft rankings than either Beck or Selvidge was in 2021. It is not a perfect science to compare draft classes, but it does give an indication of where the scouting community thinks they ranked.
Once added to the Yankees’ top prospects, it is likely that Vrieling will rank in the same neighborhood as a pitcher such as Beck Way, who is currently No. 20, or possibly higher.
After the fourth round, the Yankees bet big on college pitching the rest of the way. Word is coming out that a number of the prospects selected have the type of analytical traits to their pitches that the Yankees have been able to capitalize on to improve performance on the field with other prospects. It is hard to predict right now, but maybe there is another Will Warren in this class who will take a major step forward and become a major prospect within a year of the draft.
The MLB Draft is complete, and the Yankees have added some new and exciting players to their minor league system. The players who will be among the top prospects in the system immediately are balanced between hitters and pitchers. We will now start to find out who can maximize their potential and climb the organizational ladder all the way to the major leagues.
Two of the Yankees’ four affiliates have jumped out to a second half division lead, while many of their top prospects continue to put up big numbers.
Two of the Yankees’ full season affiliates have jumped out in the second half of the season to lead their divisions for the second half playoff spot. After a tough first half, both High-A Hudson Valley and Low-A Tampa have found their footing and are starting strong. The pitching has remained strong across the system, while the bats have picked up steam as the season has entered late July.
Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 45-48 Seventh place in the International League (East) 6.0 GB
Past Week: 1-2 vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Phillies)
Coming Up: Away vs. Rochester Red Wings (Nationals)
The RailRiders saw their hot streak get slightly disrupted out of the break as they lost their abbreviated series to Lehigh Valley. The RailRiders’ hot streak has largely coincided with Oswald Peraza’s incredible play dating back to mid-June. He appears to have cracked the code on Triple-A pitching and has been putting up big numbers for over a month now. It is not a one man show as Miguel Andújar, Estevan Florial and Oswaldo Cabrera have also made significant contributions.
Second Half Record: 12-9 Third place in the Eastern League (Northeast) 2.0 GB
Overall Record: 56-34 First half Champion in the Eastern League (Northeast)
Past Week: 3-0 vs. Reading Fighting Phils
Coming Up: Away vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)
After a slow start to the second half of the season, Somerset picked it up in their most recent three game series. On Saturday night, Anthony Volpe tied the game with a three-run home run in the eighth inning and Jesus Bastidas finished with game with a walk off home run in the ninth for the win. Recent additions Austin Wells and Everson Pereira both had their first Double-A home runs on Sunday and seem to be finding their stride at the Double-A level.
Jasson Dominguez has arrived in the Northeast and is playing the best baseball of his professional career by far. His arrival at High-A is matched with 2021 first round pick Trey Sweeney’s recent hot streak that has seen his strikeout rate crater, while he is hitting for more power and getting on base at a consistent rate. T.J. Sikkema continues to impress — he recently tossed 11 straight hitless innings across three outings, and after giving up two hits to lose the streak, he rebounded with five hitless innings to start the next game. Now that he is routinely working into the fifth and sixth inning, he is a strong candidate to be moved up to the next level in the near future.
T.J. Sikkema: 11 G; 2.48 ERA, 36.1 IP, 21 H, 9 BB, 54 K
Low-A Tampa Tarpons
Second Half Record: 14-7 First place in the Florida State League (West Coast) 0.5 GA
Overall Record: 41-46
Past Week: 1-1 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers
Coming Up: Away vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Twins)
Ben Cowles was a late riser in college but put together a big season during his last year at the University of Maryland, leading the Big-10 in home runs before being selected by the Yankees in 2021. After a bit of a slow start to his professional career, Cowles seems to have found his stroke and has been an offensive force for over a month. His production over the last 29 games is good for a 188 wRC+. Juan Carela continues to make a strong case for promotion to High-A as he has been the Tarpons most consistent pitcher for most of the season. With a number of the Yankees draft picks officially signing their professional contracts this week, it is likely that the Tarpons will see a few of those players join the team in the next week or two.
SS Dayro Perez 2-2, 2 BB, R, CS, PO DH Andres Chaparro 1-4, RBI, 2 K C Omar Martinez 0-3, BB, RBI, K RF Alan Mejia 0-3, RBI, SF 1B Alex Guerrero 0-4, 3 K, E CF Nelson Medina 2-3, 2B, K, E 3B Sincere Smith 0-3, E LF Mauro Bonifacio 0-3, 2 K 2B Alex Garcia 01-, 2 BB, 2 R, K
Luis Serna 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP Montana Semmel 3.0 IP, 0 H 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Leam Mendez 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (win)
FCL Yankees: vs. FCL Phillies GM 2, Suspended due to weather tied 1-1 in the sixth inning.
SS Roderick Arias 2-4, 2B, BB, 2 K CF Willy Montero 1-4, BB, SB RF Ramiro Altagracia 0-4, BB, K C Manuel Palencia 0-4 RF David Beckles 2-3, CS, PO 1B Johan Ferreira 0-1 2B Santiago Gomez 2-4, K 3B Juan Matheus 0-4, 2 K 1B-RF Jhon Imbert 0-3, BB, 2 K LF Andres Lacruz 1-4, 3B, R, K
DH Fidel Montero 0-2, 3 BB, 2 SB, K CF John Cruz 0-4, BB, 3 K 1B Enger Castellano 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 R, K LF Joel Mendez 0-3, 2 BB, 3 K SS Enmanuel Tejeda 2-3, 2 BB, 2B, CS, PO 3B Luis Ogando 1-4, BB, K LF Juan Rosa 0-5, 5 K C Oscar Silverio 0-5, K, PB 2B Andry Javier 0-4
Edwar Polimir 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K Gerardo Abrego 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K Ruben Castillo 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
