Nj.com | Brendan Kuty: If you’re a Yankee, and 6-foot-7, it’s going to be impossible to avoid being compared to Aaron Judge, so you may as well lean into it. 2022 top draft pick Spencer Jones, the org’s seventh-ranked prospect by MLB.com, welcomes the comparisons to the Yankees’ superstar, and noted on a conference call how many questions he’d have for Judge around conditioning and being able to stay on the field, key to any player’s long-term projections.
Jasson Domínguez is surging and has pulled the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades into a playoff race.
Every one of the Yankees full-season affiliates is in contention for or has already clinched a playoff spot as the teams approach the home stretch of the season. Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones are among the hottest players in the organization as they are trying to lift their teams down the stretch. Let’s take a look at the Yankees’ minor league system and what players are standing out.
Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 61-55; Fifth place in the International League (East), 4.5 GB
Past Week: 3-3 vs. St. Paul Saints (Twins)
Coming Up: Away vs. Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals)
After experiencing a lot of roster shuffling early in the week, the RailRiders earned a split for the week after traveling to the mid-west for their game with St. Paul. On Tuesday, the RailRiders came back from a 9-0 deficit to win 10-9. Immediately following the game Ron Marinaccio, Estevan Florial, and Oswaldo Cabrera were called up to the major league club. Mitch Spence put together an incredibly strong outing leading to a shutout, and he has been a strong contributor since being called up from Double-A. Greg Weissert has been rock-solid out of the bullpen, and he has not given up a run in 22 straight outings dating back to June 10th. My fellow writer, Esteban, will have more on him later today.
Second-Half Record: 25-19; Second place in the Eastern League (Northeast), 0.5 GB
Overall Record: 69-44; First-Half Champion in the Eastern League (Northeast)
Past Week: 3-3 vs. Bowie BaySox (Orioles)
Coming Up: Home vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)
The Yankees have not pushed too hard on Clayton Beeter since he joined the organization following the Joey Gallo trade. Known for his electric stuff, but poor control, the team has limited him to short outing, and the results have been promising to this point. Top prospect Anthony Volpe has kept rolling along with a .261/.393/.565 triple slash and a 157 wRC+ in the past week. Andres Chaparro has returned to being an offensive force with five home runs since his return from the injured list. Overall, he has 13 home runs in 44 games at Double-A this year.
The Renegades surged into first place in the second-half standings with a strong week against the Brooklyn Cyclones. Jasson Domínguez has continued to improve as the season goes on, and currently has a 170 wRC+ for the month of August, and he has also stolen 10 bases in just 11 attempts. Richard Fitts began to put a lot of his potential into performance during the end of his run in Tampa has continued to dominate during his first few outings at the High-A level.
Edgar Barclay: 24 G; 1.84 ERA, 53.2 IP, 34 H, 18 BB, 67 K
Richard Fitts: 3 G; 0.48 ERA, 18.2 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 21 K
Low-A Tampa Tarpons
Second Half Record: 27-19; Third place in the Florida State League (West Coast), 2.0 GB
Overall Record: 54-58
Past Week: 3-3 vs. Bradenton Marauders (Pirates)
Coming Up: Away vs. Clearwater Threshers (Phillies)
Spencer Jones is doing what you would expect a first-round pick from an SEC school to do when he hits the low minors and that is crush the ball. Jones is locked in and repeatedly hitting balls over 100 mph all over the ballpark. After hitting 10 home runs in his first 144 professional games, Raimfer Salinas has started tapping into some more power as he has ripped four home runs in his last 11 games. Long-touted for his elite speed and throwing arm, Salinas has been unable to pull together his offensive game to this point, but there is a chance that his recent results are showing a player that is turning a corner.
Players of Note:
Spencer Jones: 8 G; .379/.471/.552, HR, 2 2B
Raimfer Salinas: 6 G; .444/.500/1.000, 3 HR, 2B
Yon Castro: 19 G; 3.28 ERA, 79.2 IP, 63 H, 28 BB, 94 K
Christopher Familia: 11 G; .282/.349/.590, 4 HR
Florida Complex League Yankees: L, 2-5 vs. FCL Blue Jays
SS Dayro Perez 1-3, R, 2 SB, 2 K SS Osmany Fleitas 0-1 CF Daury Arias 0-2, HBP, 2 K C Agustin Ramirez 1-3, RBI, CS, E (Catcher’s Interference), 2 PB 2B Jared Serna 0-2, BB, R, K 1B Jesus Rodriguez 2-3 — .352 BA on the season 3B Beau Brewer 0-2, BB LF Alan Mejia 0-3, K RF Felix Negueis 0-3, 2 K DH Kelvin Espino 1-2, BB
Alfred Vega 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Nolberto Henriquez 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K Kris Bow 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Eric Reyzelman 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K Kevin Stevens 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Cole Ayers 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 8-5 vs. DSL Texas Blue
SS Roderick Arias 0-4, BB, R, RBI, 2 K 2B Keiner Delgado 0-4, BB, R, SB, 2 K CF Willy Montero 2-3, 2 BB, K LF Ramiro Altagracia 0-4, BB, 3 K C Manuel Palencia 1-3, BB, 2 RBI, PB 1B Gabriel Bersing 0-4, 2 K RF David Beckles 0-3, BB, R 3B Santiago Gomez 1-3, BB, R, K DH Diomedes Hernandez 1-3, BB, R
Wilfrido Bido 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Luis Urbano 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Christopher Medina 1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K Jordy Luciano 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 E
Dominican Summer League Bombers: W, 10-6 vs. DSL Cubs Blue
DH Fidel Montero 1-4, 2B, BB, R, RBI, SB, K RF John Cruz 1-3, BB, R, RBI, HBP, K DH Enger Castellano 0-4, BB, R, 4 K LF Joel Mendez 2-5, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K SS Enmanuel Tejeda 1-3, 3B, BB, R, RBI C Juan Sanchez 2-4, HR, 2B, R, RBI, K 3B Luis Ogando 3-4, 2B, R, K PR-3B Joshua Leito 0-1, K 1B Edinson Duran 1-3, 2 R, BB, HBP, K, E 2B Andry Javier 0-4, K
Geralmi Santana 5.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K Keninson Diaz 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Pedro Rodriguez 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
If Yankees fans are banking on Austin Wells as the catcher of the future, one analyst believes they will be sorely disappointed.
The Athletic’s Keith Law did not mince words in a recent scouting notebook. He said Wells, the Bombers’ first-round pick in 2020, is not equipped to catch in the big leagues and the Yankees are wasting time keeping him behind the plate at Double-A Somerset.
Austin Wells, the Yanks’ first-rounder in 2020, can hit some, but he can not catch at all, and they’re going to have to make a decision on his position at some point in the near future. He has maybe a 30 arm, although it plays a little better than that because the Yankees have improved his release; and he struggles with receiving and blocking. He missed time earlier this year with a groin injury that stemmed from his inability to catch or block a foul tip. None of this is a surprise, as amateur scouts were nearly unanimous in agreeing he wasn’t going to remain a catcher in pro ball, but it does put more pressure on his bat. He’s hitting .248/.341/.423 so far in 38 games in Double A; at age 22, probably not where he needs to be if he’s a DH, although I saw a solid approach and plus power from him. He’s close enough to the majors that I think continuing to catch him is a mistake – just put him in left or at first and tell him to worry about hitting.
Law may be right. But at this point, it would certainly seem the Yankees plan on Wells being a catcher. Jose Trevino has had a great season, but no one expects him to be a regular All-Star or the long-term option. It’s hard to imagine the Yankees will have the flexibility to make a run at the Cubs’ Willson Contreras in free agency. And it’s not like they ever cared much about Gary Sanchez’s defense.
Matt Sauer’s 17 strikeouts were the highlight of a successful week that saw three of the Yankees affiliates win their series and stay in the playoff hunt.
Three of the Yankees four affiliates won their weekly series and remained in contention for a playoff spot. In addition the Florida Complex League Yankees won the league championship series two games to one over the FCL Rays. Let’s take a look at how the Yankees minor league teams did and who stood out inside the organization.
Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 64-58 T-Fourth place in the International League (East) 3.5 GB
Despite losing a number of players at the start of the trade deadline and seeing another batch of their best players called up in the last few weeks, the Railriders have continued to play solid baseball. Armando Alvarez hit .438/.526/1.125 over the last week and is building on his best season as a professional. Oswald Peraza and Estevan Florial also had big moments this week to continue their extended stretch of good play.
Second Half Record: 29-21 Second place in the Eastern League (Northeast) 0.5 GB
Overall Record: 73-46 First half Champion in the Eastern League (Northeast)
Past Week: 4-2 vs. New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays)
Coming Up: Away vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets)
Drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft, Matt Sauer has battled injuries on his climb through the Yankees system. He found the type of stuff this past week that has enticed the Yankees organization for several years as he struck out 17 batters in an eight inning performance. It is the most strikeouts by any pitcher in an affiliated game since 2019 and earned him league pitcher of the week honors. He will be Rule-5 eligible, and with 28 strikeouts over his last 13.2 innings pitched he is making a strong case to be added to the 40-man roster in November.
Second Half Record: 32-21 First place in the South Atlantic League (North) 0.5 GA
Overall Record: 66-53
Past Week: 5-1 vs. Hickory Crawdads (Rangers)
Coming Up: Home vs. Jersey Shore Blue Claws (Phillies)
The Renegades only lost one game over the last week and still managed to lose a game on their second half division lead. Jasson Domínguez, Grant Richardson, and Tyler Hardman have been offensive forces for the team lately. On Saturday night the Renegades had a 24-hit outburst as a team, with four players collecting four hits on the night. Not to be outdone, pitcher Richard Fitts became the first South Atlantic League pitcher to complete eight inning in a game this season as he carried a perfect game into the eighth inning. It earned Fitts his second pitcher of the week award, as he previously won the honor for his work in the Florida State League back in June.
Second Half Record: 31-21 Third place in the Florida State League (West Coast), 1.5 GB
Overall Record: 58-60
Past Week: 4-2 vs. Clearwater Threshers (Phillies)
Coming Up: Away vs. Dunedin Blue Jays
The Tarpons continued their late season run towards a playoff spot as they remain within striking distance of first place with six games scheduled against first place Dunedin this week. Spencer Jones continues to hit rockets all over the field, routinely hitting balls well over 100 mph. The team’s eighth round pick Brett Barrera has found his stride. On the pitching side the team saw Zack Britton make a pair of rehab appearances, while they received very strong outings from Joel Valdez and Zach Messinger.
Yankees star shortstop Anthony Volpe earns huge promotion after Peraza call up t.co/f1FPIl16Wt
The talk of the town on Thursday was Oswald Peraza getting called up to the New York Yankees’ top team from Triple-A Scranton, but another promotion went under the radar following the big news.
Taking Peraza’s spot in Scranton will be star shortstop Anthony Volpe, who seems to be the Yankees’ long-term solution at the position. Volpe is making fantastic progress at just 21 years old. The New Jersey native started the 2022 season in Double-A with Somerset, playing 110 total games, with 106 featuring at shortstop.
During that time span, Volpe posted a .251 average with a 35% on base rate and a .472 slugging percentage. He’s tallied 18 homers on the season with 60 RBIs and 44 stolen bases, an unbelievable number that showcases his athleticism and speed.
The Yankees had no choice but to promote Anthony Volpe:
However, Volpe has really ramped up over the past few weeks, hitting .280 with a 37% on-base rate, 12 homers, and 36 RBIs over his last 90 days. He’s grounded into zero double plays during that time frame, providing yet another shortstop that elevates the ball with great power.
While Peraza can help the Yankees now with playoff expansion rosters providing them with two extra spots to fill, it might be hard for him to earn playing time. The Yankees needed to support multiple positions with Oswald Cabrera, but the only way Peraza can make an impact is if they bench Isiah Kiner-Falefa or transition him to third base and move Josh Donaldson out of the lineup.
The latter option seems like a positive strategy, allowing Peraza to get reps at shortstop while keeping IKF‘s defense on the field. Seemingly, manager Aaron Boone believes that IKF is one of the best defensive infielders in baseball, despite the stats saying otherwise.
However, Peraza does feature a .971 fielding percentage at the Triple-A level. Defensively, Volpe has also had a solid season for Somerset, recording a .971 fielding percentage with 51 double plays turned over 922.2 innings. He’s committed 11 errors in that time span, a decent number that he will look to improve moving forward.
Thursday was a big day for the Yankees’ top prospects, but the transition to another level can be difficult. While most are already coining Peraza is the savior, it is more likely he struggles out of the gate and ramps up over the next few weeks.
The Yankees’ High-A and Low-A affiliates will be playing meaningful games over the last week of the season. Both the Hudson Valley Renegades and Tampa Tarpons are in second place in their divisions, but within striking distance of the first-place teams down the stretch. At the higher levels, the franchise’s top prospect Anthony Volpe has reached Triple-A and is thriving out of the gate.
Let’s take a look around the Yankees’ minor league system and see how the teams are faring and who is catching fire in the final month of the season. Scranton also played yesterday, so we’ll review their game as well.
Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 69-59; T-Fourth place in the International League (East), 3.5 GB
Scranton is 50-25 dating back to the start of play on June 7th. They have made up over 12 games in the standings in that time, but were unable to close too much ground even with a great week against the Syracuse Mets. They began a series with first-place Durham yesterday, and it could be a make-or-break week for the team.
The team’s most notable players continue to be called up to the Bronx to support the major league team, but Anthony Volpe has arrived and is off to a good start recording a hit in every Triple-A game to this point. MLB veteran Ronald Guzmán has been with Scranton all season but may be opening the door to an opportunity, as he has been crushing the ball down the stretch for the RailRiders (as John will discuss later today).
As previously noted, Scranton played yesterday for Labor Day, beginning their series against Durham with a loss. The details are accounted below.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:L, 3-4 (10) at Durham Bulls
SS Anthony Volpe 3-5, RBI — 8-for-17 since promotion (though one was lucky) CF Blake Perkins 1-4, RBI, SF, K LF Miguel Andújar 0-5, 3 K DH Josh Breaux 0-4, 2 K C Rob Brantly 1-4, K 2B Phillip Evans 0-4, K 3B Armando Alvarez 1-4 1B Chad Bell 0-3, BB, 2 K 1B Ronald Guzmán 0-0 RF Ryan LaMarre 1-3, 2B, BB
Sean Boyle 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 4 K Tyler Duffey 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, HBP Emmanuel Ramirez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K Jimmy Cordero 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Jacob Barnes 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 BB (IBB), 1 K — blew lead in walk-off 10th
Double-A Somerset Patriots
Second-Half Record: 32-23; Second place in the Eastern League (Northeast), 3.0 GB
Overall Record: 76-48 First-Half Champion in the Eastern League (Northeast)
Past Week: 3-2 vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Mets)
Coming Up: Away vs. Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies)
The Patriots know that they are heading to the postseason after winning the first-half title, but they are also in contention to have the best overall record on the season in the Eastern League. With the No. 1 prospect Volpe now up in Triple-A Scranton, Everson Pereira, Austin Wells, and Andres Chaparro have picked up the slack and pounded the ball over the last few weeks. Eric Wagaman does not play every day, but he has also found his groove and has been crushing it since moving up to Double-A last month. The Yankees are handling the pitcher from the Joey Gallo trade, Clayton Beeter, in short stints, and he has thrived to this point.
Second-Half Record: 35-24; Second place in the South Atlantic League (North), 0.5 GB
Overall Record: 69-56
Past Week: 3-3 vs. Jersey Shore Blue Claws (Phillies)
Coming Up: Away vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
The Renegades have played great baseball in the second half of the year and their season will come down to their final series. They are half a game back of the Brooklyn Cyclones, who will be playing the last place Winston-Salem Dash from the SAL South this week. The team is not short of hot hitters as Jasson Domínguez, Trey Sweeney, Tyler Hardman, and Aaron Palensky have all put together extended hot streaks. Richard Fitts continued his recent surge with another strong outing this week and he has held opponents to a .399 OPS over his last five outings.
Second Half Record: 33-24; Third place in the Florida State League (West Coast), 2.5 GB
Overall Record: 60-63
Past Week: 2-3 vs. Dunedin Blue Jays
Coming Up: Away vs. Daytona Tortugas (Reds)
The Tarpons closed the division lead to just half a game earlier in the week, before losing both ends of a doubleheader on Sunday and dropping back in a playoff race. The team will have seven games scheduled this week to both try and make up the ground in a playoff push and also try to get to .500 for the season. On the field, the team benefited from Luis Severino and Zack Britton making rehab appearances. Spencer Jones has continued to make loud contact and is giving the Yankees everything they could have hoped for from a first-round draft pick.
All the hype might be revolving around New York Yankees star shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe, but they have another top player climbing the farm system at an astronomical pace. Five-tool outfielder Jasson Dominguez has begun his rise this season, being elevated to High-A Hudson Valley this year from Low-A Tampa.
Dominguez has put himself in a position to be elevated to Somerset in Double-A next year at just 20 years old, coming off a phenomenal season with both minor-league affiliates.
The Yankees are extremely excited about Jasson Dominguez:
He finished his tenure with Tampa hitting .266 with a 37.4% on-base rate and .440 slugging. He played in 75 games, tallying nine homers and 36 RBIs with 19 stolen bases.
However, his statistics for Hudson Valley in A+ ball were even more impressive. Over 40 games, Dominguez hit .306 with a 40% on-base rate and .510 slugging rate. He tallied six homers with 22 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, showcasing speed and athleticism.
In fact, against the Wilmington Blue Rocks in the team’s season finale, Dominguez tallied four hits on five plate appearances. He smashed two homers with three RBIs and a strikeout.
His four knocks on Saturday tied a season high that he set on Aug. 27 against Hickory. Domínguez has hit safely in his past four games and is sporting a .306/.397/.510 slash line 16 extra-base hits, 33 runs scored, 22 RBIs and is 17-for-18 in stolen base attempts over 40 games with the Renegades.
The Yankees continue to churn out high-level talent from their minor-league system, and Dominguez is just another player climbing through the ranks. Volpe has already reached Triple-A and is dominating with Scranton, showcasing he’s nearly ready to make the jump to the majors, potentially during the 2023 season.
If Dominguez keeps playing at this rate, he could find himself in Triple-A next year as well, putting him one year out from a potential call-up to the bigs. The Yankees are extremely excited about the growth of their young talent, who are undoubtedly going to play a significant role in the future.
When you think of the Yankees’ top prospects down in the minors, a lot of names come up. At the forefront is future star shortstop Anthony Volpe, who’s had an OPS over 1.000 in his first stint at Triple-A with Scranton.
Jasson Dominguez has continued to impress with Hudson Valley at High-A, Trey Sweeney recently got promoted to Double-A with the Somerset Patriots, and the tandem of Everson Pereria and Austin Wells have posted great numbers with Somerset.
Under the radar, 3B Andres Chaparro has crushed with the Somerset Patriots, putting up video game numbers and showing he’s one of the most formidable young bats in the Yankees’ farm system. He wasn’t even ranked in the top 30 among Yankee prospects coming into the season, but he’s forcing his way to a Triple-A promotion and eventually reps with the Major League team in 2023.
Showing Off Big Time Power:
Andres Chaparro has been one of the best power hitters at the Double-A level in 2022, an approach change that came post-pandemic. He hit just 17 HRs and slugged just .357 in 213 games between his debut in 2016 and the 2019 season. He looked like a prospect who’d fade away and struggle to reach the higher levels of the minors, but then in 2021, as he began his season with the Tampa Tarpons in Single-A, he posted a strong .812 OPS and slugged a modest .435. One promotion to High-A later, and he became one of the most powerful hitters in Minor League Baseball.
Since that promotion to High-A, Chaparro has slugged a whopping .561 with 25 HRs and 21 2Bs in 102 games, a pace of over 35 HRs if he had played 150 games. The power has only improved since going to Double-A Somerset, as he’s putting on a show with towering blasts and video game numbers:
(Among Double-A Players with 250 Plate Appearances and no older than 25)
154 wRC+ (9th)
.579 SLG% (6th)
.947 OPS (9th)
.290 ISO (7th)
16 HRs
16 2Bs
With a 40 HR and 40 2B pace over 150 games, Chaparro’s been on a roll crushing the competition. He leads the Somerset Patriots in a lot of offensive categories, and that’s a team that has Austin Wells and Everson Pereria and also rostered Anthony Volpe for most of the season. He even has this 117 MPH scorched line drive from the Arizona Fall League last season, which would be the 10th highest Max Exit Velocity this season.
The power is off the charts, but is Chaparro, just a power-hungry bat with not much else to provide? Well, the numbers dictate otherwise.
Strong Presence in the Box With Steady Defense:
Andres Chaparro’s plate discipline has gone overlooked at the Double-A level. Most power hitters tend to struggle with making consistent contact, and yet Chaparro doesn’t share this same issue with a lot of extremely powerful hitters.
10.8% Swinging Strike% (Top 68%)
20.0% K% (Top 73%)
0.46 BB/K (Top 56%)
While this is limited data that doesn’t detail how often Chaparro expands the zone and chases at balls, it does show us that Chaparro does not swing and miss nearly as much as one would anticipate a big slugger to whiff.
While he isn’t going to run a K% that’s almost under 20% at the MLB level, he could keep the K% at roughly league average, which would mean he makes a lot of contact without sacrificing the high-quality of his contact. This presence in the box means his approach is strong and gives him that “hitterish” quality. Hopefully, it translates to the Major League level, but the projections support it definitely could (more on that later).
His defense has also been surprisingly strong at Double-A, as he’s posted 2 Davenport Defensive Runs. While the Yankees have better defensive 3Bs at the MLB level (Donaldson, IKF, LeMahieu), Chaparro can provide a solid glove that should allow him to stay at the position and not be a butcher with the glove that can’t be left at the position. The defensive aspect of his game is difficult to grasp considering how limited MiLB data is defensively and the lack of public scouting reports that talk about his glove, but he has the ability to provide positive value defensively and be a well-rounded corner infielder.
Projecting Andres Chaparro Going Forward:
The projections for Andres Chaparro look great, especially considering he hasn’t played at the AAA level yet. Steamer has him putting up strong MLB numbers, numbers that rank very well among position players on the Yankees. When you extrapolate those numbers over 600 PAs (450 PAs for Catchers), it has him as one of the Yankees best position player options right now:
3.3 fWAR (5th)
115 wRC+ (8th)
26 HRs (5th)
.443 SLG% (6th)
While projections need to be taken with the grain of salt that rookies tend to have less predictable results than established MLB players with larger data sets, but this is still wildly impressive. Anthony Volpe has a projected 115 wRC+ and 3.9 fWAR/600, and he’s considered a slam-dunk top 10 prospect in all of baseball. Chaparro should not be left out of the discussion and the group with prospects like Austin Wells, Everson Pereria, Oswald Peraza, Trey Sweeney, and Jasson Dominguez. He’s put up the numbers, he has the talent, and he’s proving to the prospect world that he deserves to have his name out there.
Jasson Domínguez wrapped up his first full season in the minors with a flourish, while other Yankees prospects continued their hot hitting across the system.
The minor league season came to a close for two more of the Yankees affiliates this past week. Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley were both eliminated from playoff contention late in the week after strong second halves of the season. Triple-A Scranton is making an incredible run at a division crown after falling to a big deficit early in the season, while Double-A Somerset received some big-name cameos this week from rehabbing major leaguers. Let’s take a look around the Yankees system to see how the teams fared and who stood out.
Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 73-61; T-Second place in the International League (East), 1.5 GB
Scranton is 54-27 dating back to early June and has made up 14 games in the standings in that time. They now sit just 1.5 games back of the International League East division lead with 16 games to go. Armando Alvarez is putting together his best season by far since being the Yankees 17th-round pick in 2016. He has been especially hot over his last 53 games, posting a .988 OPS while only striking out around 17 percent of the time. On the pitching side the team has received strong efforts from a number of players including a resurgent Deivi García, who has been working out of the bullpen recently and seems to have rediscovered some of his magic that once made him one of the team’s top prospects.
Players of Note:
Anthony Volpe: 89 G; .285/.372/.526, 16 HR, 3 3B, 30 2B (Double-A and Triple-A)
Second-Half Record: 37-24; Second place in the Eastern League (Northeast), 3.0 GB
Overall Record: 81-49 First-Half Champion in the Eastern League (Northeast)
Past Week: 5-1 vs. Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies)
Coming Up: Home vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox)
The Patriots received some high-profile help over the last week as they hosted rehab appearances from Luis Severino, Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Miguel Castro, and Harrison Bader in their series against Hartford. The team’s bats continued to hum along, as Andres Chaparro had another big week posting a 1.575 OPS across five games. The hard-hitting corner infielder has put together a very strong Double-A campaign and enters the final week of the regular season with a .947 OPS in 59 games at the level. The Patriots already have a playoff berth locked up but can go for the clean sweep of the first and second titles if they can take down first place Portland this week at home.
Second Half Record: 37-27; Second place in the South Atlantic League (North), 2.0 GB
Overall Record: 71-59
Past Week: 2-3 vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals)
Coming Up: Season Complete
Jasson Domínguez’s first full season is in the books and the results have to be incredibly optimistic for Yankees fans. The team’s second-best prospect according to MLB.com started out slow this year before showing the first positive signs in late April. After a few weeks of solid play, Domínguez took it to another level over his last 87 games, posting a .911 OPS across Low- A and High-A.
He finishes the season as the South-Atlantic League player of the week as he hit .400 in the last series and had a game where he homered from both sides of the plate. On the pitching side, Richard Fitts concluded an amazing late-season run with another strong outing for the Renegades. He will be a pitcher to watch early next season and could move quickly to the upper levels of the system.
Edgar Barclay: 28 G; 1.74 ERA, 67.1 IP, 41 H, 20 BB, 86 K
Low-A Tampa Tarpons
Second Half Record: 34-28; Third place in the Florida State League (West Coast), 3.5 GB
Overall Record: 61-67
Past Week: 1-4 vs. Daytona Tortugas (Reds)
Coming Up: Season Complete
The Tarpons and manager Rachel Balkovec’s run towards the playoffs fell a few games short after a tough week in Daytona. The second half saw a number of promising developments for the Tarpons, especially on the offensive side of things. Spencer Jones did everything the organization could have hoped for from their most recent first-round pick. He will almost certainly start next season in High-A, and could be fast tracked to Double-A by mid-season if his play remains strong. The catching combination of Ben Rice and Antonio Gomez finished strong with their bats, and gives the Yankees more depth at a key position in the system.
Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees (1st round, Vanderbilt) Jones led all first-rounders (minimum 100 plate appearances) in hitting and posted a .344/.425/.538 line with 10 extra-bases hits and 12 steals in 12 tries in 25 games, mostly in Single-A. A quality athlete for a 6-foot-7, 225-pounder, he also adapted well to center field after playing right field at Vanderbilt.
