Minor League & Prospects Thread

After quick debut, Beeter looks ready for more of The Show
www.mlb.com/yankees/news/clayton-beeter-developing-after-major-league-debut

ST. PETERSBURG -- Clayton Beeter secured a piece of history with a blink-and-you-missed-it Major League debut on March 29 in Houston, providing a brief glimpse of the talent that figures to soon stamp a return trip to The Show.

Summoned for the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 7-1 victory over the Astros at Minute Maid Park, Beeter became the 10th pitcher in franchise history to record a three-pitch inning. He was the first since Mariano Rivera on June 15, 2003.

“I feel like I’m here because my stuff is good enough to face those kind of guys, and I like the challenge of seeing how it plays,” Beeter said that night. “I think I broke more of a sweat getting ready in the bullpen than in the game.”

The Yankees optioned the 25-year-old Beeter to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the next day, with manager Aaron Boone explaining that Beeter would report to the Minors to continue building up as a starter.

However, the Yankees see big things ahead for the hard-throwing Beeter, who is rated as the club’s No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline and was acquired from the Dodgers as the return in the August 2022 trade that sent Joey Gallo to L.A.

“We’re really excited about him, and I know he’s going to help us a lot this year,” Boone said of Beeter.

In six starts at Triple-A, Beeter has posted a 3-1 record with a 2.89 ERA. Across 28 innings, Beeter has held opponents to 17 hits, walking 16 while striking out 41. He has also permitted only one home run, notching a 1.69 ERA thus far in two May starts.

Beeter’s workload included a showdown against Gallo’s Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday in Moosic, Pa. Beeter struck out Gallo twice (once swinging and once looking), while Gallo reached base once on an error.

“I know I have good stuff,” Beeter said. “It’s just kind of getting into the mindset of believing that my stuff is going to play, even in the zone. It just allows me to go out there and attack. Obviously, when I do that, I end up having good results.”

MLB Pipeline’s writeup on Beeter notes that he shows flashes of plus pitches. His best offering is an 82-86 mph slider with two-plane depth that hitters can’t barrel or lay off. His fastball sits 92-94 mph and peaks at 97, with more carry up in the zone than true life.

Beeter also features a curveball and a changeup, though it has been suggested that he could find success out of the bullpen by primarily focusing on the fastball/slider combination.

“His fastball is really good,” catcher Jose Trevino said this spring. “I think his offspeed pitches are really good. He gets to good locations. Just having conversations with him, he’s a smart kid. He understands what his arsenal is and what he can do with it.”

Minor League roundup
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: Infielder Caleb Durbin is riding a 17-game on-base streak (since April 24 at Durham), during which he is batting .328/.442/.453 (21-for-64) with five doubles, one homer, 12 RBIs and seven steals. Durbin leads the RailRiders in runs (28), hits (42), doubles (13), RBIs (28), walks (27) and steals (17).

Double-A Somerset: Left-hander Brock Selvidge picked up a complete-game victory on Saturday at Altoona, permitting three runs on five hits and three walks over seven innings for his third straight winning effort. Over his past four starts, Selvidge has allowed only seven runs (four earned) on 14 hits and nine walks over 24 innings, with 22 strikeouts. He’s the Yanks’ No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

High-A Hudson Valley: Right-hander Cam Schittler has enjoyed a terrific start to the season, permitting just seven runs (three earned) across 26 innings. Last Tuesday at Aberdeen, he struck out seven across five hitless innings. Schittler’s 0.73 WHIP is the best in the South Atlantic League among regular starting pitchers.

Single-A Tampa: Infielder Dylan Jasso was named the Florida State League’s Player of the Week for April 29-May 5. Jasso batted .346 (9-for-22) with three doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs over that stretch, and he is batting .378 (17-for-45) in 11 May contests.

OF Jasson Dominguez and IF Jorbit Vivas began their rehab stints in Tampa today. RHP Tommy Kahnle‘s rehab was moved up to Somerset today.



The unfortunate side of the minors is that players must be cut occasionally. The Yankees cut Tayler Aguilar, Kelvin Espino and Spencer Henson. Aguilar, their 15th-round pick in 2022, couldn’t find his bat in 117 games. Like many prospects, Espino couldn’t get past the rookie league hurdle. Henson showed some pop (32 HR in 750 career plate appearances) but dealt with some injuries.



Here is hoping that they all find jobs in other organizations.



Scranton (27-12) (Lost to Worcester, 8-4)



2B Caleb Durbin: 1-for-5, 2B (14), RBI, 2 K

Durbin has only two 2-K games this season (he had one last year). He has 14 doubles in 39 games (17 in 69 games last year)

RF Everson Pereira: 3-for-5, HR (10), RBI, RS, K

Pereira’s second 3-hit game this season. He is hitting .266/.344/.538.

1B T.J. Rumfield: 2-for-5, RBI

Back-to-back multi-hit games. Since his promotion, he continues to pile up the hits and is hitting .323/.379/.473. This is the type of prospect he was before last year’s home run surge. Can he combine the high average with home runs? Who knows?

C Carlos Narvaez: 0-for-5, 3 K

LF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-3, RS, BB, K

SS Jeter Downs: 2-for-4, 2B (6), K

.268/.360/.526 in 115 PA. I won’t try to make you think he is suddenly a prospect again – but this is fun to follow!

DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, RBI, K

3B Kevin Smith: 1-for-4, 2B (2), RS, 3 K

CF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, RS, HBP, 2 K



RHP Will Warren: (L, 3-2) 4 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR

6.27 ERA (37.1 IP, 37 H, 28 R, 26 ER, 10 HR, 12 BB, 42 K). Triple-A is a high-octane offensive environment, but ten HR in 37.1 innings is a concerning number. After he seemed to figure things out after his first start of the season, Warren has allowed 15 runs in 10 IP in his last two starts.

LHP Clayton Andrews: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

RHP Art Warren: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

He is the latest veteran the Yankees are going to try to unlock. He didn’t pitch well in his initial rehab appearances (rust!) but pitched well tonight.

RHP Ron Marinaccio: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Did he deserve the demotion? No. Did it make sense from the Yankees perspective? Yes.



Somerset (16-17) (Lost to Portland, 11-10)



CF Spencer Jones: 1-for-5, RBI, RS, SB (7)

SS Oswald Peraza: 0-for-3, RS, BB

2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-1, K

DH Ben Rice: 1-for-4, 3 RS, BB

C Agustin Ramirez: 4-for-5, HR (12), 5 RBI, 2 RS, SB (7), K

For the first several weeks, I kept bringing up his mediocre BABIP. Well, those batted balls are starting to fall in. He is hitting .283/.404/.637 with 12 HR and 29 RBI.

2B-SS Ben Cowles: 0-for-3, SF, RBI, BB

3B Jordan Groshans: 0-for-4, BB, K

1B J.C. Escarra: 1-for-4, RS, BB, K

RF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4, 2 RS, 2 K

Richardson’s magic carpet ride continues, as he is up to .301 with a .832 OPS in 103 PA. He is 12-for-32 in May.

LF Elijah Dunham: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, K



RHP Trystan Vrieling: (L, 2-4) 4.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR

Sometimes, games don’t go your way. This spikes his ERA to 4.99 in 39.2 IP (it was 3.34 entering tonight). He has been off his game after a strong start to the season, but I will remind you (again) that he never pitched an inning in a level lower than this one.

RHP Colby White: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR

The Yankees claimed White off of waivers (Tampa Bay) on May 9th. He has never appeared in MLB. Entering tonight, he owned a 2.83 ERA in 91 minor league games with a 167/58 K/BB over 111.1 IP. He was Tampa’s 6th-round pick in 2019 out of Mississippi State.

RHP Tommy Kahnle: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Between here and Tampa, Kahnle has retired all nine batters he has faced with six strikeouts. Yes, he is close.

LHP Josh Maciejewski: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K



Hudson Valley (16-15) (Defeated Jersey Shore, 8-5)



2B Roc Riggio: 2-for-5, RBI, K

.214/.350/.381 in 103 PA. He has more walks (18) than strikeouts (17).

SS Jared Serna: 1-for-3, CS (5), BB

Serna is 2-for-7 in the stolen base department (70-for-87 (80.5%) entering this season)

RF Jace Avina: 1-for-3, 2B (7), SF, RBI, RS, 2 K

Avina has a 9-game hitting streak.

LF Jesus Rodriguez: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K

Back-to-back multi-hit games and 13th this season (29 games). Starts by position: Catcher: 12 (14 games overall), 2B: 3, 3B: 9 (10 games overall), LF: 4. Rodriguez has first base experience but hasn’t played there in 2024.

C Omar Martinez: 1-for-2, 2B (3), 2 RS, 2 BB, K

.223/.392/.404 in 120 PA. He has 25 walks in 27 games (67 in 105 games in 2023).

3B Josh Moylan: 1-for-2, 2 RS, 2 BB

.213/.360/.300 in 100 PA (18% BB, 23% K).

1B Rafael Flores: 0-for-2, RBI, RS, BB, K

DH Kiko Romero: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K

CF Nelson Medina: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, 2 K



RHP Cam Schlittler: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR

2.03 ERA (31 IP, 13 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 4 HR, 12 BB, 37 K). It isn’t easy to maintain a hit rate like Schlittler had to enter tonight – eventually, the BABIP gods allow some of those balls to fall in. Entering tonight, his BABIP was a ridiculous .098.

RHP Huey Morrill: (W, 1-1) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

RHP Cole Ayers: (S, 2) 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Now that is what you call a save! Ayers has a 2.29 ERA in 19.2 IP (13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 28 K). He struck out 86 in 64.1 innings in 2023.



Tampa (10-24) (Lost to Bradenton, 4-3)



2B Jorbit Vivas: 0-for-1, SB (1), 2 BB

The last time he started a rehab stint, it lasted two games for Scranton. Let’s hope that is his final setback this season.

2B Brenny Escanio: 0-for-2, K

DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-3, BB, K

The journey back begins. I think he will be the designated hitter for a while.

PH-DH Manuel Palencia: 1-for-1, RBI

Palencia pinch-hit for Dominguez with the bases loaded and two outs in the 8th (Dominguez wasn’t likely available – told he was done after his 4th plate appearance). It is a part of the rehab process.

SS George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-4, K

3B Hans Montero: 0-for-1, K

3B-SS Roderick Arias: 1-for-5, 2 K

1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-4, RS, BB

PR Dayro Perez: 0-for-0, 2 SB (5)

LF Jackson Castillo: 2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, BB

Castillo is up to .250 with a .845 OPS (5 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 12 R, 7-for-8 SB). He has four multi-hit efforts in his last six games. He has bounced back nicely after a tough start (he had a .532 OPS after games of 5/2).

CF Willy Montero: 0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K

RF Coby Morales: 0-for-2, 3 BB, K

C Tomas Frick: 1-for-4, RBI, HBP, K

Frick increases his season-long on-base streak to 16 (at least one hit in 14 of those games)



RHP Gabriel Barbosa: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, HR

5.46 ERA (31.1 IP, 34 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 7 BB, 36 K). The ERA isn’t great but some of the underlying numbers are strong (one home run allowed, more than a strikeout an inning…)

RHP Osiel Rodriguez: 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

2.25 ERA (16 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 9 BB, 16 K)

RHP Cade Austin: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

RHP Montana Semmel: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Semmel has 5.1 scoreless innings in May.



FCL (4-4) (Lost to the Tigers, 7-4)



1B Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-2, RBI, BB, HBP, 2 K

DH Tyler Hardman: 0-for-4

His rehab was moved here from Tampa.

3B Abrahan Ramirez; 1-for-3, 2 RS, SB (2), BB

LF Brian Sanchez: 2-for-4, 2B (1), 3B (1), 2 RBI, RS, K

Sanchez was the other prospect acquired (along with Jace Avina) for Jake Bauers.

2B Santiago Gomez: 1-for-4, RBI, K



RHP Danny Flatt: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

8 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 9 K

Wednesday's farm report from Tom Kosensky and it's mostly about the pitching. Clayton "Wild Thing" Beeter, gives up no hits in 4 innings, but issues 5 BB's, Blaine Abeyta throws shutout innings for Somerset and 19-year-old Luis Serna tosses 6 shutout innings for Tampa, allowing 3 hits, no walks and 7 k's.

tomkosensky.com/2024/05/15/yankees-milb-5-15-its-serna-day/

The Athletic ($) | Brendan Kuty and Chris Kirschner: With the minor league season in full swing, Kuty and Kirschner provided a check-in on some of the more well-known prospects in the Yankees’ minor league system. Ben Rice, Agustin Ramirez, and Caleb Durbin have been off to scorching hot starts. Ramirez and Rice likely have call-ups in their future if they continue tearing up Double-A pitching, while Durbin may start forcing his name into the conversation for a big league call-up.

On the flip side, Roderick Arias hasn’t looked great so far in Tampa. His strikeout rate has blown up from 2023 and he is hitting a ton of groundballs. The groundballs aren’t as much of a concern as the strikeouts, though. He is a young player and is bound for growing pains, but it’s important that these pains are only temporary and aren’t big holes in his profile. This is something to keep an eye on as the season continues.

Thursdays farm report from Tom Kosensky. Jared Serna and Jace Avina homer for Hudson Valley, The Martian has two hits and Tommy Kahnle throws a shutout inning with 3 K's.

tomkosensky.com/2024/05/16/yankees-milb-5-16-jasson-dominguez-2-hits/

The other option is to wait until Stanton goes on the IL and then have a 4 man outfield with one guy slotting as DH. 

Pinstripes Alley: Henry Lalane is dealing with some sort of shoulder injury, but the fact he was only placed on the short-term injured list implies that he should return relatively soon. I would expect him to get an outing or two at the complex level before making his much-anticipated jump to affiliated ball with Tampa.