Minor League & Prospects Thread

I think I have a cousin from there.

Who’s hot on the Yankees’ farm?
nyyunderground.com/whos-hot-on-the-yankees-farm/

Periodically throughout the year, I like to assess the performance of players in the Yankees farm system and see who is separating themselves from the pack. We are only a couple of weeks into the season, but the early returns are in. There are a number of players who have had a great start to the season, and they will be highlighted here. Free agent signings are held out of this discussion for the most part, as most of them are not homegrown prospects.



Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders

TJ Rumfield – Rumfield got off to such a good start in Double-A that he received a swift promotion to Triple-A. Between the two levels, he is hitting .333/.435/.385/.820 with two doubles in 11 games. He has nine strikeouts in 11 games.

Caleb Durbin – It would be difficult to improve upon Durbin’s numbers last season but so far, he’s done just that. In 16 games, he has a .298/.425/.484/.909 line with seven doubles, a triple, and a homerun. He has struck out just eight times in 17 games and has 10 stolen bases. He’s on pace for an incredible season.

Everson Pereira – Everson has come out of the gait flashing impressive power. He has hit six homeruns in 15 games and has a .255/.359/.618/.977 line. He even threw two doubles and two stolen bases in there. He’s still striking out too much with 23 on the season, but if he can get that under wraps he will be a major league talent.

Clayton Beeter – After an impressive spring training, Beeter has picked up right where he left off. Through two starts he has yet to let up an earned run and has 13 K : 5 BB in 8.1 innings. He even had a strong inning of scoreless work in the majors. Beeter came into the spring with improved velocity on his fastball and it has translated into success.

Edgar Barclay – After some trades this offseason and Luis Gil’s promotion, Barclay has been called into service as a starter in Triple-A. His first three starts have been solid. Barclay has a 2.77 ERA and 14 K : 8 BB in 13 innings. With filthy movement on all of his pitches, Barclay could carve out a role in the majors this year.

Yorlin Calderon – One of the most impressive stories at the start of the season is Calderon’s promotion to Triple-A and his subsequent performance. Through four appearances and 13 innings, Yorlin has 12 K : 3 BB and a 2.08 ERA. Calderon’s pitches dart in all directions and have left hitters perplexed.



Somerset Patriots

Benjamin Cowles – After a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, Ben Cowles is quietly crushing it in Double-A. He has a .366/.480/.561/1.041 line with six doubles and a triple in 11 games. His K:BB is 8:6. He’s done all of this while playing three different positions in the field (SS, 2B, 3B).

Aaron Palensky – Palensky has been bounced around by the Yankees since starting his minor league career. Despite that, he’s always put up solid statistics. In 2024, he already has a .304/.500/.435/.935 line with three doubles and 7 BB : 6 K in nine games.

Agustin Ramirez – Seven homeruns in 11 games! Ramirez has come out swinging this year and he’s on pace for a career year. Ramirez has hit .262/.392/.762/1.154 and has 9 K : 8 BB. What’s most impressive is Agustin’s opposite field power. He is hitting homeruns to all fields.

Jared Wegner – The Yankees aggressively started Wegner in Double-A this year after being drafted in the 9th round in 2023. Despite the unbelievable jump in competition, he has already proven capable in 11 games. So far, he is .243/.300/.541/.841 with one doubles, two triples, and two homeruns. He has 7 K : 2 BB and two stolen bases.

Trystan Vrieling – After missing all of 2023 with injuries, Vrieling has finally arrived. The Yankees assigned him straight to Double-A and slotted him as a starter. His first two starts have been outstanding. He has a 0.82 ERA and 12 K : 4 BB in 11 innings. Trystan is the early favorite to be this year’s breakout arm in the system.

Carlos Gomez – This long time Yankees farmhand has began the season with six scoreless innings. He has 6 K : 2 BB thus far.

Tanner Myatt – Myatt has always had big stuff but has had trouble controlling it. Thus far he seems to have fixed the problem. Through five innings he has 8 K : 1 BB and has yet to let up an earned run. Sitting in the upper 90’s with his fastball, Myatt could quickly become a guy to watch if he keeps up the good control.

Jack Neely – One of the best relievers in the system in 2023, Neely is off to the races in 2024. He has 10 K : 3 BB and 0 ER in 5.2 innings thus far.

Kevin Stevens – Stevens was one of my breakout candidates this year, and he’s proving me right already. With a 1.8 ERA and 7 K : 1 BB in 5 innings, Stevens could make quick work of the minor leagues at this rate.



Hudson Valley Renegades

Omar Martinez – Hitting .286/.375/.514/.889 with one triple and two homeruns, Martinez is following up his breakout campaign with more of the same in his first eight games.

Rafael Flores – Starting the season on a high note, Flores is hitting .276/.344/.483/.827 with three doubles and a homerun in eight games. Flores has some thump in his bat, so we’ll be keeping an eye on his power numbers as the season progresses.

Jesus Rodriguez – Unsurprisingly, Rodriguez is doing what he does for the first nine games. He’s hitting for average and getting on base. His quad slash so far is .316/.350/.421/.771, and he has one homerun and one double to go along with that.

Kiko Romero – Romero hit his first homerun of the season last night, and now has a quad slash of .263/.417/.421/.838. He has struck out a bit too much in the early going so that will have to be monitored.

Garrett Martin – He was an undrafted free agent signing last year, and the man can hit. He’s hitting .281/.361/.469/.830 with four doubles, a triple, and three stolen bases in nine games so far.

Brian Hendry – He’s had two starts so far and has yet to give up an earned run in 9.0 innings. Hendry has 11 K : 4 BB and batters have hit .121 against him. Hendry garnered some attention in spring training and appears to be poised for a breakout.

Trent Sellers – Sellers has a 1.04 ERA and 15 K : 4 BB in 8.2 innings over three relief appearances thus far. Sellers was an undrafted free agent last season. The Yankees have had a lot of success recently in that arena.

Cam Schlittler – Two starts, 11 innings, no earned runs, 12 K : 5 BB. He has just a .083 average against in these two starts. Like Vrieling, Schlitter has some potential to emerge as a breakout starter this year.

Cole Ayers – Ayers has yet to let up a run in 5.1 innings of relief and has 9 K with just two walks. One of many relievers off to a fantastic start.

Ben Shields – Shields is a big lefty undrafted free agent from last year. He’s done well in long relief so far, with a 1.08 ERA, .111 average against, and 9 K : 0 BB.

Geoffrey Gilbert – The lefty reliever has 0 ER and 6 K : 1 BB in 4.2 innings so far. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Double-A on short notice.

Joel Valdez – 5.1 innings, 6 K : 1 BB, 1.69 ERA. Nice start so far

Kyle Carr – Yankees are taking it slow with some of their college draftees this year, Carr being one. He has a 1.59 ERA and 3 K : 8 BB in 5.2 innings over two starts. He’ll have to cut down on those walks, but he’s still shaking off the rust.

Baron Stuart – He’ had just one start so far, but it was a good one. It was 5.1 innings, 3 K : 2 BB, and just one earned run with a .118 average against.



Tampa Tarpons

Enmanuel Tejeda – One of our breakout candidates this year, Tejeda is hitting .289/.320/.311/.631 with seven stolen bases in 12 games so far.

Dylan Jasso – Jasso has a .265/.447/.382/.829 line with two doubles, a triple, and a stolen base in 11 games. He’s another undrafted free agent who could surprise everyone this year.

Tomas Frick – Frick is hitting .308/.500/.385/.885 with a double. His performance is not surprising as he was drafted in 2023 as a polished college bat.

Cade Smith – Begins the season with a 2.89 ERA and 15 K : 8 BB in 9.1 innings over three starts. Batters have hit .176 against him. He needs to cut back on the walks, but that should come with more minor league experience.

Brady Rose – The Yankees 12th round pick last year, this big lefty has one piggy back start and had 5 K : 1 BB with no earned runs. Rose is someone to keep an eye on and was profiled as a possible breakout by NYYU.

Montana Semmel – He may finally be coming into his own in his sixth season in the Yankees’ system. Semmel has 8 K : 1 BB in 7.0 innings and a 1.29 ERA. His fastball has been hitting the mid-90’s.

Hueston Morrill – Another reliever hitting the mid-90’s with regularity, Morrill is off to a nice start. He has 7 K : 2 BB and a 2.57 ERA in 7.0 innings of relief. Morrill has intense movement on his fastball too.

Dynasty Performance Report: Minor League Outfielders 1.0
Martin takes an early look at MiLB outfielders in his Dynasty Report.

pitcherlist.com/dynasty-performance-report-minor-league-outfielders-1-0/
Spencer Jones, NYY (Level: AA)

I’ll bite on the low-hanging fruit. Spencer Jones is a rocket ship and will blast off in 2024. The Yankees grabbed Jones with the 25th pick in the 2022 Draft after his collegiate career finished at Vanderbilt. As a Commodore, Jones was an All-American and finished his Junior season with 12 homers and 14 steals with a .370 average. As a first-year professional, Jones climbed two levels last season. Playing mainly for High-A Hudson Valley before finishing at Double-A Somerset, he slashed .267/.336/.444 with 16 homers, 49 extra-base hits, and 43 steals.

Let’s start by debunking the comparisons to Aaron Judge. Yes, both players are 6’7″, play outfield in the Yankees organization, and have immense raw power. But that’s where it stops for me. Spencer Jones hits from the left side of the plate and features an elongated, upper-cut swing. Despite his large frame, Jones is a freakish athlete. In my opinion, Jones is much more athletic than Judge and can provide more impact on the bases. Jones’ in-game power likely settles into the 25-30 homer range at his peak, although he may push higher. Even still, with his athleticism and outstanding instincts, Jones has the potential to reach 20 steals.

My main concern with Jones is his strikeout rate. The combination of a long swing path and enlarged zone, produced a 29% K-rate last season for him. As we’ve seen with taller prospects (Elly De La Cruz and Oneil Cruz), the adjustment period can be painful. Jones will likely continue to produce higher-than-normal strikeout rates, even if he tweaks his swing. It will be interesting to see how Jones handles left-handed pitching as well. In a limited sample last season, Jones hit .297 against LHP with a .804 OPS.

Currently, Jones is at No. 23 overall, but I feel he’s undervalued on most boards, including mine. As I work through my prospect rankings, I’m aggressively ranking Jones. Not only do I think Jones is a Top-20 prospect right now, but I’ve also considered moving him ahead of James Wood of the Nationals. Assuming he does not graduate this season (I don’t think he will), Jones will likely enter 2025 inside the Top 10.

Friday's farm report from Tom Kosensky as Ben Rice hits a home run for the the third straight game, Beeter gets whacked around and Trystan Vrieling throws seven no-hit innings.

tomkosensky.com/2024/04/19/yankees-milb-4-19-trystan-vrieling-7-2-hitless-innings/

Saturday's farm report from Tom Kosensky. Ben Rice homers for the fourth game in a row, George Lombard JR has 4 RBI, Roc Riggio hits his first professional home run and Cody Poteet throws 6 strong innings.

tomkosensky.com/2024/04/20/yankees-milb-4-20-ben-rice-homers-in-4th-straight-game/