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Post by jiminy on Mar 19, 2024 14:23:15 GMT -5
Hidden gem pitching prospects shine at Yankees camp www.mlb.com/news/new-york-yankees-spring-training-prospect-report-2024?t=mlb-pipeline-coverageTAMPA, Fla. -- Pitching may be the most prized commodity in baseball and the most difficult to scout and develop. To cite just one example, teams spent 23 first-round picks on arms in the 2019 and 2020 Drafts. Just three of them (George Kirby, Reid Detmers, Bobby Miller) have established themselves as big league starters with no questions about health or performance. The Yankees stealthily have had a lot of success in the last five years drafting useful pitchers in the fifth round or later. Their efforts haven't drawn a lot of attention because most of those arms have become trade fodder, but right-handers Chase Hampton and Will Warren are on the verge of contributing in the big leagues. The run started in 2019 with fifth-rounder Ken Waldichuk and sixth-rounder Hayden Wesneski, who blossomed into Top 100 Prospects. Waldichuk was dealt to the Athletics in a package for Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino, while Wesneski was shipped to the Cubs for Scott Effross. New York only had three picks in the shortened five-round 2020 Draft, then unearthed several later-round arms in 2021. Richard Fitts (sixth round) went to the Red Sox in the Alex Verdugo trade this winter, Robbie Ahlstrom (seventh) helped land All-Star Jose Trevino from the Rangers and Chandler Champlain (ninth) was part of the package that brought Andrew Benintendi from the Royals. Warren (eighth) has added a sinker and improved his slider since signing and highlights the group of pitchers from that class whom the Yankees have retained, including Jack Neely (11th), Zach Messinger (13th) and Danny Watson (15th). Hampton was a sixth-round steal in 2022. New York also is bullish on Cade Smith (sixth round), Brian Hendry (10th) and Josh Grosz (11th) from its 2023 Draft, which also included another piece of the Verdugo trade in Nicholas Judice (eighth). The Yankees' ability to draft and develop pitchers also made them more comfortable giving up four arms in the Juan Soto deal with the Padres in December. "It's really a collaborative effort and to me, that's what's really special about it," Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer said. "It's the veteran scouting eyes we have with our area guys, and then our crossheckers: Scott Lovekamp, Mike Wagner, Jeff Patterson. Those guys are really good with pitchers. Scott spearheads a lot of this in terms of what we like and what we develop. "It's also [director of pitching] Sam Briend and the development guys. Our sports science department tests a lot of players and they can predict velocity gains, weight gains, stuff gains. It's been a hell of a collaborative effort among a lot of departments." Hampton has gone from Texas Tech to No. 92 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list in less than two years. His stock dropped when he struggled after a midseason bout with salmonella poisoning in 2022, but area scout Brian Rhees liked him and stayed on him. Assistant scouting director Scott Benecke, who specializes in analytics, appreciated how his long arm action and low release point created deception without detracting from his control. Hampton finished strong, matching or setting a career high in strikeouts in each of his final four starts and running his fastball up to 99 mph in the NCAA regionals. The Yankees signed the Draft-eligible sophomore for $497,500 and helped him add an upper-80s cutter after he turned pro. Now he has a pair of plus pitches in his fastball and slider and two more solid offerings in his curveball and the cutter, an arsenal that translated into a 145/37 K/BB ratio in 106 2/3 innings while he reached Double-A in his 2023 pro debut. |
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Post by inger on Mar 19, 2024 14:32:05 GMT -5
I don’t mind a few extra walks if a pitcher is hard enough to hit. That is mighty Blake Snell of you.  I’m think of Sid Fernandez… gentler times… |
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Post by jiminy on Mar 20, 2024 9:39:12 GMT -5
Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Luis Gil Luis Gil’s return from injury has become one of the main stories of the spring. www.pinstripealley.com/2024/3/20/24105761/yankees-2024-season-preview-luis-gil-tommy-john-injury-starting-rotationLet’s roll back the clock to August 2021 for a second, shall we? As the Yankees were in the process of trying to dig out of the sizeable first half hole they had put themselves into, the entire starting rotation decided to hit the injured list at the same time. With Corey Kluber, Domingo Germán, and Luis Severino already on the shelf, Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery found themselves on the COVID IL, forcing the Yankees to call upon a young right-hander in Luis Gil for an emergency spot start. He would not disappoint. Across his first three starts, Gil would go on to spin 15.2 scoreless frames, the longest scoreless streak to begin a career by a member of the Yankees since 1961. Although he faltered a bit down the stretch, he firmly put himself on the radar. And then, an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery cut short his 2022 campaign in May, and robbed him of almost the entirety of 2023 as well. 2023 Statistics: 2 games started, 4 IP, 11.25 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 28.6 K%, 14.3 percent BB% (Single-A) 2024 ZiPS Projections: 23 games (20 starts), 92 IP, 4.29 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 28.5 K%, 12.8 BB%, 1.1 fWAR After almost two full years recovering and rehabbing, Luis Gil entered the spring healthy. Because of that long absence, nobody knew quite what to expect from him. Although the team intended to keep him stretched out as a starter due to the need for rotation depth, many wondered if he would be better suited for a role in the bullpen. FanGraphs’ prospect rankings, in fact, treated him exclusively as a short-inning reliever, believing that his injury history and lack of control would not even work in the multi-inning role Michael King vacated last year and Jonathan Loáisiga is expected to fill this year. Whether as rotation depth or a traveler on the Scranton Shuttle, however, he was destined to begin the season at Triple-A from the beginning, and was in fact even optioned in early March. Despite being technically cut from camp, Gil continued to pitch in spring training games for the Yankees, and he began to turn heads — as Esteban discussed yesterday. In four appearances (two starts), Gil has absolutely dominated the Grapefruit League, striking out 40.9 percent of the batters he faced (behind only Manuel Rodríguez of the Tampa Bay Rays) and limiting opponents to a .125 average (tied for fifth). Facing tough Philadelphia and Toronto lineups in his last two outings, he has combined for seven shutout innings, with 12 strikeouts and, more importantly, just a pair of walks. Due to Gerrit Cole’s injury, the fifth spot in the rotation is regrettably now up for grabs, opening the door for Gil to possibly make the Opening Day roster. While he faces stiff competition for the spot in Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, Luke Weaver, and Cody Poteet, Gil has done everything he has needed to put himself in position to get the call. More importantly, even if he starts the season in Scranton, Gil has given the Yankees brass confidence that, once they need to dip into the rotation depth during the season, he’ll be ready to answer the call. |
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Post by jiminy on Mar 20, 2024 14:49:18 GMT -5
Yankees’ hard-throwing right-hander has been beyond impressive in Spring Training empiresportsmedia.com/new-york-yankees/yankees-hard-throwing-right-hander-has-been-beyond-impressive-in-spring-training/Luis Gil was considered an afterthought in the fifth starter competition for the Yankees after missing nearly all of 2023 recovering from a UCL tear he suffered in 2022. While the right-hander is going to be on an innings limit and likely can’t be a full-time starter out of the gate, he has certainly flashed the upside to be a frontline starter. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Gil has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation force, and while injuries have held him back in his career, the addition of a new changeup and his refined command could finally unlock the upside we’ve drooled over since 2021. The Yankees are going to need various arms to step up and contribute this upcoming season, and Luis Gil is looking primed to have his best season at the Major League level. Luis Gil Has a Brand-New Weapon In His Arsenal One of the biggest problems with Luis Gil has always been the lack of a third pitch, as he spent his entire career as a fastball-slider arm. This left him vulnerable to left-handed hitters, but he seems to have fixed that issue entirely as he’s throwing a refined changeup that he’s been able to reliably locate against left-handed and right-handed batters. It’s generating 6.2 inches of Induced Vertical Break with 14.9 inches of horizontal movement to the arm side, with batters whiffing over 45% of the time against it thus far. It plays well off of his four-seamer as it has over 11 inches of vertical separation to make up for the fact that the velocity separation isn’t anything to write home about. His four-seamer sets up his arsenal, as it’s a true power fastball that sits around 97 MPH with nearly 18 inches of Induced Vertical Break, making it a lot like Gerrit Cole’s four-seamer. When we compare the two pitches, we get some eerily similar properties. The velocity and vertical movement are essentially identical, and while Gerrit Cole gets a bit more horizontal break, the lower release height for Luis Gil makes his fastball move even better up in the zone. He’s flashing one of the best fastballs thus far in Spring Training, and various Stuff+ models grade it as one of the best in the game. The aforementioned changeup just takes his arsenal to the next level, and his ability to command three different pitches and generate strikeouts with all of them has boosted his profile significantly. With his changeup, he can climb the ladder with the fastball and throw the changeup low in the zone for a whiff, and that vertical deception makes for an extremely difficult matchup regardless of the hitter. Lefties in particular have struggled to do damage, mainly because they haven’t been able to make contact at all against Gil. They have a 54.5% Whiff Rate against Luis Gil thus far in Spring Training, and that’s a massive improvement that can hopefully stick during the regular season. |
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Post by jiminy on Mar 21, 2024 20:47:10 GMT -5
Four Yankees prospects lurking deep in the farm system you’ll want to watch There are some intriguing stories preparing to head to full-season ball. www.pinstripealley.com/2024/3/21/24107242/yankees-prospects-tampa-tarpons-trystan-vrieling-enmanuel-tejeda-carlos-lagrange-dylan-jassoAs much as we’d like it to be for our favorite prospects, climbing the minor league ladder is no easy feat. There is no step-by-step guide of “do this and be a major leaguer” out there either. Each stop on the rung is a time for adjustments. How quickly a player adapts is never the same from one prospect to the next. While the jump to Double-A is generally recognized as the hardest in a prospect’s development, the jump from rookie ball to full-season ball isn’t far behind. Watching players early into their professional careers take the first steps in actual affiliated professional baseball is fascinating, and the Yankees have a few names ready to graduate into the low ranks that you’ll want to keep an eye on. P Carlos Lagrange Of all the names on this list, Lagrange has had the most success thus far. Signed for a bargain-bin price of just $10,000 in the the 2022 IFA period, the Dominican-born Lagrange entered the Yankees’ system with a raw yet intriguing profile. Lagrange started his career in the Dominican Summer League in 2022. He pitched to an exact 3.00 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) in just 33 innings. He racked up 43 strikeouts compared to just 19 walks, and opponents batted just .094 against him. He was sent to the Florida Complex League for 2023 and while his 4.97 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) wasn’t pretty, he did lead the league in strikeouts with 63. Standing at a hulking 6-foot-7, Lagrange generates impressive velocity, but doesn’t always know where it’s going. Lagrange’s arsenal is full of power pitches that need plenty of work. His fastball averages around 97 mph and touches triple digits regularly. He switches between two-seam and four-seam grips, but has seen more success with the two-seamer early in his career. He has slight feel for a mid-80s slider that has more sweeper-ish tendencies when he has feel for it. Lagrange rounds out his repertoire with a low-80s changeup but hardly uses it. Lagrange’s size allows him to pack some extra oomph in his pitches, but has also been a bit of a curse so far. He has a lot of movement in his motions and has had trouble consistently repeating them. His spotty command hasn’t come back to haunt him just yet, but he will need to work on it considerably as he progresses. He might start the year back in the FCL but is on pace to move to Low-A Tampa by the end of the year. Prospect evaluators have taken notice of Lagrange’s potential, as MLB Pipeline ranked him 17th on their preseason Yankees Top 30 Prospects list. P Trystan Vrieling The Yankees have had an affinity for drafting and developing polished college pitchers in recent years, a trend that continued with the selection of Vrieling, a third-rounder out of Gonzaga back in 2022. After 15 starts for the Bulldogs, New York gave Vrieling the summer off after drafting him, rather having him focus on building muscle in preparation for a 2023 debut. That never came to pass, as Vrieling missed the entire season with a stress fracture in his pitching elbow, although he did return to pitch 10.2 innings in the Arizona Fall League. Vrieling enters his first full campaign a year behind in his development, and the Yankees are expected to act cautiously with his starts. However, there is a lot to like within his arsenal. Vrieling packs a nasty curveball and devastating cutter that both grade well when he’s on and passable when he’s not. He also has a mid-90s fastball that grades decently at it’s best but is properly used as a decoy for his top-notch breaking pitches. Vrieling can get a bit too comfortable with his breaking pitches, and can lose feel with his fastball when he does, leading to loud contact. The biggest question for Vrieling heading into 2024 is durability, and whether or not he can tough it out as a starter. He has the potential to be an excellent middle reliever if he can’t quite cut it as a starter, but he will be given opportunities to do so. Vrieling is projected to start 2024 in the Tarpons rotation. He also has some momentum underneath his name after his AFL run, and enters 2024 ranked 19th on MLB Pipeline’s aforementioned list. IF Enmanuel Tejeda Tejeda is a newer face to the organization, signing for $40,000 during the 2022 IFA period. He is a return to old-school philosophies, a jack-of-all-trades type infielder who does a lot of things well but nothing exceptional. Or at least, he was supposed to be. Since joining the franchise, Tejeda has done nothing but rake. Getting into 46 DSL games in 2022, Tejeda slashed .289/.463/.493. Power is not a plus tool for Tejeda, as he only hit three homers, but he did add another six doubles. He showed off the wheels with seven triples and going 11-for-17 in stolen base attempts. He displayed an exceptional eye as well, as he drew 41 walks to just 25 strikeouts. A deserved promotion to the FCL led to even better results in 2023, as Tejeda slashed .307/.465/.458 with five homers and 30 RBIs across 50 games. The strikeouts did climb from 25 to 44, but he also drew 44 walks. He improved his base-stealing to 24 bags in 30 tries and played excellent defense all across the dirt before being named an FCL Postseason All-Star. Tejeda is due for some regression, as he posted a BABIP of .390 in his FCL stint, but there’s still a lot to like with his profile. The scrappy 5-foot-11 infielder plays with a ton of heart and hustle. He is a versatile defender, and is comfortable at second base, third base and shortstop. He has great natural game speed and made considerable improvements on using it. His approach was more refined than originally expected, and now profiles as a gap-to-gap slap hitter who can stretch singles into doubles and steal third while he’s at it. Still just 19 years old, Tejeda has begun to find himself on the back end of some preseason top prospect lists, including 28th on Baseball America’s rundown of the top Yankees prospects. IF Dylan Jasso You might not know Jasso’s name now, but his is definitely one to keep in the back of your head. Born in Mexico, Jasso headed stateside to continue his amateur career, landing with New Mexico Junior College for 2023. Following a monster freshman campaign in which he batted .453 with 25 homers, 21 doubles, 65 RBIs and 47 walks in 59 games for the Thunderbirds, Jasso signed with the Yankees as an undrafted free agent. Following an impressive 17 game stint in the FCL, Jasso is primed for a big jump in 2024. In his 17 game introduction to pro ball, Jasso went ballistic. He slashed a herculean .377/.487/.574 (good for a 1.060 OPS) with seven doubles (although just one homer), 20 RBIs and 11 walks. He was rewarded with an end-of-season promotion to Low-A Tampa where he collected just one hit in four games, although it should be noted he only struck out once in 16 plate appearances, so it’s not like he was totally overmatched. Jasso’s track record is hard to gauge, as junior college numbers should always be taken with a grain of salt because of the level of competition, but it’s hard to ignore Jasso’s mammoth numbers. NMJC is a noted junior college powerhouse in baseball as well, and has a long history of professional players, including current Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta, so it’s not as if Jasso was playing against far lesser competition. Jasso is a bat-first corner infielder. He is best suited at first base but New York gave him five games at third base in his introductory season, indicating a longer look at the hot corner could be in the cards. Jasso brings passable defense and rounds out with a true slugger’s profile; he makes an impact with the bat, but plays well enough to not be a full-time DH. Don’t let the lack of home runs in pro ball fool you, Jasso has exceptional raw power. His overall swing pattern needs refinement to consistently drive the ball in pro ball, but early returns have been promising. His late season promotion to the Tarpons also provides an avenue for a full season of affiliated ball as well. You would have to look deep to find Jasso on Yankees prospects lists, but he has the opportunity to hit his way onto the back end of some by early 2025. As these prospects prepare for an important stage in their professional careers, it’s important to note that these four players aren’t the only ones who fit in this category. Low-A teams across the country are filled with similar stories, including a bunch more in Tampa, making them a great, consistent source of fun games to check in on as the year progresses. We are still years away from these prospects making an impact in the big leagues, if they even make it at all, so it’s important to not go buck wild on what these players could become. But, for all of the intrigue players like Spencer Jones (rightfully) generate, there are plenty of similar stories lurking deep in the farm system. |
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Post by jiminy on Mar 22, 2024 9:29:26 GMT -5
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Post by jiminy on Mar 25, 2024 9:20:48 GMT -5
Yankees 2024 Season Preview: Will Warren This young arm has positioned himself to eat some quality innings in the Bronx this year. www.pinstripealley.com/2024/3/25/24110546/yankees-2024-season-preview-will-warren-prospect-pitcher-new-york-mlb-starting-rotationIn recent years, the Yankees have excelled at finding and developing polished college pitchers in the draft. A lot of these pitchers have been used as part of trades in recent years, but a few have stayed and continued their development in the organization. Will Warren is one such example. Drafted in the eighth round out of Southeastern Louisiana in 2021, Warren has continually exceeded expectations at every level he’s pitched at so far, and is primed to make his MLB debut in 2024. 2023 Stats (Double-A): 6 G (6 GS), 3-0, 29.1 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.84 FIP, 11.97 K/9, 3.68 BB/9, 0.00 HR/9 2023 Stats (Triple-A): 21 G (19 GS), 7-4, 99.2 IP, 3.61 ERA, 4.89 FIP, 9.93 K/9, 4.24 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 2024 ZiPS statistics: 25 G (23 GS), 7-7, 118.7 IP, 4.55 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 7.81 K/9, 3.49 BB/9, 1.21 HR/9 Following an excellent start with Double-A Somerset, the Yankees moved Warren up to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and inserted him into the RailRiders’ rotation for the remainder of the season. It was a tale of two Triple-A halves for Warren. He initially struggled with the automated balls and strikes system that Triple-A has adopted, and posted a 5.52 ERA in his first 11 starts. He pitched much better afterwards, putting up a 3.67 ERA in five August starts and finished the season strong by allowing just two runs in 28.2 September innings (good for a 0.63 ERA) en route to collecting the International League Pitcher of the Month award. New York has moved to a philosophy as of late of finding pitchers who keep the ball on the ground. It was the key for transforming Ian Hamilton into a legit bullpen weapon, it was one of the main reasons behind the Marcus Stroman signing, and it is the name of Warren’s game. Warren entered the organization with stuff that was built to generate weak contact, but with a mindset of trying to miss bats with a fastball that wasn’t good enough to do so. Prior to being drafted, Warren toyed around with a slider in college but never really used it that much. The Yankees saw potential in the pitch when scouting him and quickly got to work on refining the pitch and changing Warren’s goals on the mound. Thanks to the team’s pitching plans, Warren’s slider has now transformed into a devastating sweeper with over 3,000 RPM. Couple that with a tumbling sinker that the team has added to his repertoire, and you get the new and improved Warren. His ground-ball rates since joining the organization have never been below 50 percent in a given season, something that is desperately needed for consistent success in the Bronx. MLB Pipelines’s eighth-ranked Yankees prospect, Warren entered camp with a good shot to make the team as the fifth starter following the Gerrit Cole injury. While the job is now Luis Gil’s, Warren certainly made it a battle. The former eighth-round pick has put up respectable numbers across 15.1 spring training innings, but perhaps his best argument for making the team is not one you would expect. On March 17th, Warren started the Yankees’ 12-6 loss to Boston and promptly got shelled right out of the gate, giving up six runs (albeit just two earned) before getting pulled without even getting out of the inning. Thanks to spring training rules, Warren re-entered the game and settled down, striking out a pair of batters in the second inning before finishing with five strikeouts across 2.2 innings. Warren’s poise and aura on the mound was definitely noticed, including by manager Aaron Boone. “I’m overstating it, but I sometimes feel like when I meet a young player that’s maybe not there yet — and it can look a lot of different ways — it’s like: ‘That guy’s a big leaguer.’ Without even watching him,” Boone said to MLB.com’s Molly Burkhardt. “Certainly a struggle, but kind of showed us who he was, I thought he was pretty sharp the rest of the way, unfettered. In fact it’s times like this where you learn even more about a guy. I think he’s really good. I think he’s really good right now. [Just] obviously had a tough first inning.” Even if he ends up back in Triple-A to start the season, Warren should be at the top of the depth chart. As the prospect with the most Triple-A success and experience, Warren would naturally be one of the first to get a call-up. His ceiling is a return to older pitching philosophies; a durable arm who keeps the ball in the park and can rack up six-to-eight strikeouts per outing. In a day in age where high velocity and racking up strikeouts is celebrated, Warren’s profile is a breath of fresh air. He is quite similar to old friend Jordan Montgomery in the sense that you’ll never be surprised with Warren’s results on the mound. He’s a guy who consistently takes the ball every fifth day, keeps the ball in the park and always keeps his team in the game. He has all the tools to be a quality major league starter, and now he just needs the chance. |
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Post by jiminy on Mar 25, 2024 12:48:40 GMT -5
Bryan Hoch: Spencer Jones has won the James P. Dawson Award, which is given annually to the top rookie in Yankees Spring Training.
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Post by rizzuto on Mar 25, 2024 13:46:38 GMT -5
Bryan Hoch: Spencer Jones has won the James P. Dawson Award, which is given annually to the top rookie in Yankees Spring Training. Duly deserved. Spencer Jones looked liked he belonged, much like Jasson Dominguez did in spring training last year. I wonder how soon a team like Tampa Bay would take to pull him up? The Rays don't have the reticence to promote minor leaguers, as they aren't going to sign them long term anyway. |
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Post by jiminy on Mar 29, 2024 9:31:40 GMT -5
Yankees 2024 Minor League Preview: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Familiar friends and former foes head up the RailRiders roster www.pinstripealley.com/2024/3/29/24115129/yankees-2024-minor-league-preview-railriders-will-warren-everson-pereira-prospects-veteransJuggling minor league rosters is always a challenge for any MLB team. Trying to decide roster spots between top prospects and league veterans is a tricky tightrope to walk. The term “Scranton Shuttle” has been thrown out a lot in recent years due to the Yankees consistent need to shuffle depth players back and forth from Scranton. Expect that term to continue to garner heavy usage, as the RailRiders’ expected roster is loaded with lots of former MLB experience, along with some prospects looking to ascend to the majors at some point this season. The Yankees’ depth was already being tested across the diamond even before some untimely spring injuries, but thanks to some savvy minor league deals throughout the offseason, the RailRiders are ready to provide. With a healthy mix of veterans and youth, SWB is no pushover either, and can make a deep run in the Triple-A playoffs. With the season opener against the Buffalo Bisons just a few hours away, here’s a positional breakdown of how the RailRiders currently stand. Catchers It’s no secret how much the Yankees covet catchers. Prior to the Jon Berti/Ben Rortvedt trade, New York had five catchers on the 40-man roster. Scranton is stacked there too, also carrying five catchers, and 2018 second-round selection Josh Breaux headlines the notable names behind the plate. Breaux has monster power and can punish a baseball, there’s no doubt about it. He brings a cannon of an arm with him behind the plate as well. The rest of his game does raise a lot of questions. His contact skills were a concern coming into the draft, as were his blocking and receiving skills behind the dish, although he has steadily improved those numbers as his seasoning has progressed. The biggest question mark is health, as Breaux has never topped more than 94 games in a given season and played in just 50 last year. His health will continue to be a primary factor in his development. Elsewhere, organizational fan favorite Carlos Narvaez and one-time top-prospect-turned-Rule 5 selection Luis Torrens also figure to get some work in. Torrens had a nice spring after returning to the organization and is the only catcher with major league experience of the group. Narvaez has occupied a 40-man roster spot for the second season in a row despite generally not being considered one of the team’s top prospects, showing how much the team has faith in him. J.C. Escarra and Edinson Duran round out the group. Infielders The depth here was looking like it was being challenged early following DJ LeMahieu’s injury, but was remedied with the aforementioned Berti trade. Nevertheless, New York is prepared here, as five of the seven listed infielders come with major league experience. Of those five infielders, it is a loaded group of former top prospects. Jeter Downs has bounced around several organizations now, but is most notable for being Boston’s main return in the ill-fated Mookie Betts trade. Kevin Smith has 114 major league games under his belt, mostly with Oakland after being used as one of the headliners in the Matt Chapman trade. Jordan Groshans is a one-time Blue Jays first round pick who got a 17-game major league cup of coffee with the 2022 Marlins. Josh VanMeter brings the most experience of the bunch, with 300 major league games under his belt, including 112 with the 2021 Diamondbacks. Jose Rojas brings 83 games of major league experience with the 2021-2022 Angels, but joined the organization following a great 2023 season in the KBO. In terms of potential call-ups, it’s tough to say, as no one player currently stands out from the rest. Groshans and Rojas look to man the corners, Downs and Smith are positioned to be the middle infielders, while VanMeter plays all around the diamond as a rover utility type. Any one of their call-ups is likely to be determined by whoever needs replacing at the big league level. Should Anthony Rizzo go down, then Groshans or Rojas could get the call. If Gleyber Torres fell, then one of Downs or Smith might head up. Prospects wise, Jorbit Vivas leads the way. Coming over from the Dodgers along with Victor Gonzalez earlier in the winter, Vivas slotted in the upper part of Yankees prospects lists thanks to his great eye at the plate and sneaky power for a middle infielder. He will unfortunately get a late start to the season after fracturing his orbital socket in a minor league spring training contest. He will look to show off some more of that sneaky pop he displayed in spring when he returns. 2021 10th-round utility man Benjamin Cowles rounds out the group. Outfielders The outfield is where things start to get interesting. Two notable names stand out above the rest. Current top prospect Everson Pereira heads back to Scranton despite making his MLB debut last season, as there is no room for him now and he likely needs a bit more development. Former Guardians postseason foe Oscar González joined the team via waiver claim earlier in the offseason, and looked primed to make the team following an excellent spring training, but unfortunately also fractured his orbital socket against Diablos Rojos late in camp. Like Vivas, he will get a late start to the season. Should he regain where he left off in the spring with Scranton, González would join Pereira as the two most likely outfielders to head to the Bronx first. They aren’t the only notable names however. Old friend Greg Allen continues to hang around the organization as a valuable defense and speed contributor. He’s joined by Luis González (no, not that Luis González), a former White Sox prospect who has played 107 games in the majors, including 98 with the 2022 Giants. They are joined by an intriguing prospect, 2018 fifth-round pick Brandon Lockridge. Lockridge has a similar profile to Allen, a contact, defense and speed guy who has slowly climbed the minor league ladder. His speed is the key to cracking the majors, as Lockridge is a true burner on the basepaths, evidenced by his 40 stolen bases in just 92 games last season. Should New York have the need for some speed in the outfield, perhaps Lockridge gets the call. Organizational depth pieces Kyle Battle, Nelson Medina and Aaron Palensky finish off the outfielders. Overall, the outfield brings a lot more thump to the table for Scranton than the infield does, but the infielders with Scranton come with more major league readiness should the need arise. Pitchers It has not been a secret that the Yankees desperately needed pitching depth, especially following the Juan Soto trade. That need did not fall on deaf ears, as while the team made few major league signings, there was a large heap of minor league signings. In fact, of the 22 pitchers on the RailRiders roster, a whopping 14 come with major league experience. Going through them all would have in depth us here for awhile, so instead, here are some highlights. Each of Ron Marinaccio, Anthony Misiewicz and Nick Ramirez all pitched in the Bronx at various points last season. Duane Underwood Jr. has pitched in parts of every season since 2018, including 51 games with the 2022 Pirates. Cody Poteet signed a major league contract with the team in the offseason after pitching 19 games with the Marlins over the last two seasons. Cody Morris was acquired from Cleveland in exchange for Estevan Florial after pitching in 13 games over the last two seasons. Yoendrys Gómez is a prospect who is still valued highly by the organization and pitched his first two innings in the bigs last season. All of Clayton Andrews, Kervin Castro, Yerry De Los Santos, Joey Gerber, Dennis Santana, Tanner Tully, and Art Warren have all pitched in the majors over the last few seasons. A couple notable prospects join the staff, including top prospect Will Warren, who I profiled earlier this week. After just narrowly missing out on the fifth starter job to Luis Gil, Warren heads back to Scranton to build up innings and stay ready for a potential call. Warren ran into some trouble adjusting to Triple-A following his promotion in 2023, but righted the ship quick and finished strong. Warren kept that momentum going with a great spring, and he looks to have cemented himself as a potential building block of the future. He might not be the first to get a call for a spot start, but he should be one of the first up for a longer stay in the bigs should the need arise. Edgar Barclay has found himself on the back end of a few top prospects lists over the years as he continues to make the climb. He has a fifth starter’s ceiling, but has been durable as a swingman throughout his career and could make an impact in the Bronx this year. Depth pieces Clay Aguilar, Gabriel Barbosa, Sean Boyle, Zach Greene, Josh Maciejewski, and Oddainer Mosqueda make up the rest of the staff. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre enters 2024 with a long list of notable veterans and some top prospects sprinkled in. The team is well prepared to serve as the Yankees in-house revolving door. While the hope is that most of these guys won’t have to come up out of necessity and rather force the issue, that hasn’t been the case in recent years. Regardless, the RailRiders are poised to continue their ways as a Triple-A powerhouse while continuing to serve its valuable role within the Yankees organization. |
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Post by maizeyanks on Mar 29, 2024 15:46:09 GMT -5
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Post by inger on Mar 29, 2024 16:01:41 GMT -5
Everson PerariAAAA? Or just still young young?… |
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Post by maizeyanks on Mar 29, 2024 21:45:07 GMT -5
I Everson PerariAAAA? Or just still young young?… As long as he is productive in SWB, he'd be a solid chip to move for pitching in July. |
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Post by rizzuto on Mar 29, 2024 22:38:32 GMT -5
I Everson PerariAAAA? Or just still young young?… As long as he is productive in SWB, he'd be a solid chip to move for pitching in July. I hope he's Jimmie Foxx at AAA! |
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Post by qwik3457bb on Mar 29, 2024 22:52:26 GMT -5
Railriders did a lot of hitting today, but Warren was terrible.
I hope he's not out of it emotionally after just missing out on the 5th starter's job in New York.
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