Minor League & Prospects Thread

Scranton (32-19) (Lost to Toledo, 10-0)



2B Jorbit Vivas: 1-for-3, 3B (1), BB, K

Vivas’ rehab assignment is over and he was (predictably) assigned to Scranton.

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

1B T.J. Rumfield: 0-for-4, K

Rumfield is in a minor 2-for-21 slump. More importantly, he has an extra-base hit slump that has reached 16 games.

C Carlos Narvaez: 1-for-2, 2 BB

Narvaez owns a 17.1% BB rate. A backup catcher who flashes an offensive tool or two is valuable in MLB (Narvaez also has some pop in his bat).

DH Jose Rojas: 0-for-4, K

RF Oscar Gonzalez: 0-for-4, K

LF Taylor Trammell: 2-for-4, 2B (4), K

Trammell is 11-for-47 (.234) since joining Scranton.

3B Jeter Downs: 0-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 K

CF Greg Allen: 0-for-3, SAC, 2 K



LHP Edgar Barclay: (L, 3-3): 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

A much-needed solid evening for Barclay, who has struggled recently.

LHP Clayton Andrews: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR

RHP Art Warren: 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 3 HR

RHP Yerry De Los Santos: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K



Somerset (22-24) (Lost to Bowie, 10-2)



1B Ben Rice: 1-for-4, HR (12), RBI, RS

Last 7 games: 7-for-24 (1 double, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 5 BB, 4 K). On the season, he is hitting .242/.368/.503 in 191 PA (14.7% BB, 21.5% K). The Yankees continue to give him a lot of time behind the plate (great for value!), but he should be considered a candidate for the 2024 first base job if Anthony Rizzo is not retained.

DH Jasson Dominguez: 1-for-4, HR (2), RBI, RS, 2 K

Dominguez has homered in two of his last three games. Last 4 games: 7-for-18. The bat has predictably heated up.

C Agustin Ramirez: 1-for-4

Ramirez had a big head start in the Eastern League (and organizational) home run race, but Rice has caught him. Anyway, he is hitting .275/.383/.569 in 183 PA, so I won’t worry about a random 11-game homerless streak.

CF Spencer Jones: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K

It may be surprising to hear Jones is on an 11-game on-base streak. It hasn’t been the prettiest of streaks (6-for-41, 8 walks, 21 K), so take it for what it is worth.

SS Ben Cowles: 1-for-3, 2B (16), BB, K

.320/.408/.529 in 184 PA (16 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 29 R, 7-for-7 SB)

3B J.C. Escarra: 0-for-4

LF Grant Richardson: 2-for-4

.295/.360/.484 in 136 PA. Back-to-back multi-hit efforts and seven 2-hit games in his last 13 games played (0 hits in the other 6 games).

RF Elijah Dunham: 0-for-3, BB

2B Anthony Seigler: 0-for-3, BB



LHP Brock Selvidge: (L, 4-3) 3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Selvidge cruised through 3 innings but ran into a string of tough luck in the 4th that knocked him out of the game. Season: 3.40 ERA (47.2 IP, 36 H, 24 R, 18 ER, 3 HR, 23 BB, 49 K). After reducing his walk rate considerably in 2023, it has spiked thus far in 2024.

RHP Ryan Anderson: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

RHP Yorlin Calderon: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

RHP Jesus Liranzo: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

RHP Carlos Gomez: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR



Hudson Valley (21-22)



They played on Memorial Day, so they had today off.



Tampa (18-27) (Their game against Palm Beach was suspended, tied 5-5, in the 5th inning. They will conclude this game tomorrow, followed by the regularly scheduled game)



2B George Lombard Jr.: 0-for-3

SS Roderick Arias: 0-for-3, RS, SB (12), 3 K

1B Dylan Jasso: 1-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 K

LF Jackson Castillo: 0-for-3, RS

3B Hans Montero: 1-for-2, RS, BB, K

CF Willy Montero: 0-for-2, 2 K

RF Coby Morales: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, RS

C Manuel Palencia: 1-for-2, K

C Edinson Duran: 0-for-0

DH Tomas Frick: 1-for-2, RBI



RHP Luis Serna: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

4.75 ERA (36 IP, 28 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 1 HR, 12 BB, 42 K). May: 24.2 IP, 14 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 26 K. Serna has allowed 3 home runs in 136.2 career innings.

RHP Ocean Gabonia: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K



FCL (11-7) (Defeated the Blue Jays, 10-4, in a 9-inning game)



CF Brando Mayea: 2-for-4, 3B (1), 2 RS, SB (3), 2 BB, K

.346/.433/.423 in 30 PA. He has a 6-game hitting streak.

LF Christopher Familia: 1-for-2, 2B (1), RS, BB, K

For Familia, the FCL must feel like Little League to a high schooler.

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

7-game hitting streak. Imagine a world where the Yankees received two interesting prospects for Jake Bauers. By the way, Bauers is hitting .217/.308/.426 for the Brewers entering Tuesday’s action.

DH Edgleen Perez: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, RS, BB, K

6-game hitting streak and .350/.536/.500 in 56 PA overall.

C Josue Gonzalez: 0-for-5, 3 K

While his teammates are heating up, Gonzalez has cooled off. That’s how it goes. He is hitting .204/.418/.510 in 67 PA.

2B Abrahan Ramirez: 2-for-3, RBI, RS, 2 BB, K

.318/.455/.477 in 56 PA. He plays mostly 2B/3B though he did get time in LF in 2023.

3B Luis Ogando: 1-for-4, HR (2; grand slam), 4 RBI, 2 RS, SB (3), 2 K

.226/.306/.452 in 36 PA.

SS Santiago Gomez: 2-for-3, RS, 3 SB (5), CS (2), 2 HBP, K

47-for-57 (82.5%) stealing bases in his career.

RF Fidel Montero: 1-for-4, SB (6), BB, 3 K



RHP Eric Reyzelman: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

The 5th-round pick in the 2022 draft is here on a rehab assignment. He is known for his elite fastball (reaches 100 MPH).

RHP Angel Benitez: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

LHP Rafelin Nivar (W, 1-0): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, HR

RHP Alejandro Gomez: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

LHP Michael Peres: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

RHP Juan Sanchez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Or… maybe it’s a matter of time before he gets it all smoothed out and starts hitting… His goal was to level out his swing a bit and to hit for average, reduce his K’s. A noble one for sure…

Yankees prospect Brock Selvidge is maturing as a pitcher at Double-A
The left-hander is impressing with the Somerset Patriots. What might his future hold?
www.pinstripealley.com/2024/5/30/24167590/yankees-analysis-brock-selvidge-prospect-pitching-somerset-aa-fastball-slider-gyro-cutter-arsenal

The Yankees have perhaps baseball’s best rotation and ace Gerrit Cole is on his way back to join them. As if that’s not exciting enough, they also have multiple pitching prospects worth following closely, too. One of them is left-hander Brock Selvidge, who has been very impressive in his first taste of high-minors baseball at Double-A Somerset.

First, before diving in on his stuff and outlook, it’s worth running through his background for those who are not that familiar with the 21-year-old. Selvidge was selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, so there is still some early-round appeal here. The Yankees gave him their second-highest bonus that year to convince the Arizona high schooler to sign and forgo his commitment to LSU. It all means that his raw tools match the stats to some extent.

Even acknowledging that Selvidge scuffled a bit on Tuesday in a short three-run, 3.2 inning outing, the stats as a whole speak highly of what he’s done thus far in 2024. He has a 3.40 ERA in his first 47.2 innings with the Patriots, with a 3.66 FIP and a 1.24 WHIP across 9 starts. Selvidge can certainly miss bats (49 K’s and a 24.6 percent strikeout rate) but is also experience something of a spike in his walk rate, which stands at 11.6 percent.

Prior to 2024, Selvidge’s walk rate used to park steadily in the 6-7 percent range. The most likely explanation behind it is the increase in difficulty there is between A-ball and the high minors. Aside from the jump from Triple-A to The Show, this is generally considered to be the most difficult level to climb in Minor League Baseball. There are more polished hitters bound for the big leagues, and even some minor-league veterans who aren’t easily fooled by young guns.

MLB Pipeline ranked Selvidge as their 10th-best prospect in the Yankees system. They said nothing but good things about him:

“His athleticism helps him repeat his clean delivery easily, giving him solid control and at least average command. He’s a tough competitor who could begin to move quickly and develop into a mid-rotation starter.”

They weren’t alone in this general assessment, as Baseball America ranked him 11th, though they noted that he would need to improve his changeup and cutter to make it as a starter (plus some other mechanical tweaks).

Over at FanGraphs, Eric Longenhagen ranked Selvidge 18th. He called him “a very tough at-bat for lefties because of his deceptive arm swing and the length of his slider,” and thinks “he could be a deceptive long man or fifth starter.”

But what about Selvidge’s stuff? Well, there have been mixed reviews. For example, PSA’s Smith Brickner saw him back in the Spring Breakout and while he was impressed by his sweeper, he didn’t think too highly of his fastball, which sat in the 90-92 range and topped out at 95 mph back then. (Smith stood by his uncertainty about Selvidge when he checked in on his preseason top prospects a couple weeks ago.)

The heater has some late life, but it will likely define Selvidge’s MLB future. If the Yankees can get him to throw harder consistently or improve the pitch’s shape and utility, his ceiling will be higher. With his current fastball, however, Selvidge will have less room for error and could just be a reliever.

The Yankees have actually already helped Selvidge add some velocity, since he was throwing in the 87-91 mph range in 2022. With the velo spike, his stock has improved in the last two seasons, particularly after he aced Single-A and High-A last year.

A pitcher needs his fastball, at least to some extent, and Selvidge’s isn’t disastrous either. Yankees legend Andy Pettitte, who knows a thing or two about pitching, certainly encouraged him to throw it and trust it when they chatted in spring training. From Matt Kardos’ story at MiLB.com:

“[Pettitte] said just trust your fastball, you’ve got to establish the fastball and everything else is just going to play better than it would be. I said let’s put it in play, so I started throwing the fastball more just to get ahead in the count and get deep into the count in my favor, and it worked. A guy like that isn’t going to steer you wrong.”

Let’s get back to the sweeper, though. It is actually a variation of his slider, since he also throws a “gyro” one that is harder and with less horizontal break (called a cutter by Baseball America, FanGraphs, and other publications). To complete his arsenal, the lefty uses a somewhat inconsistent changeup that Longenhagen liked.

You can actually see why Longenhagen that “aspects of Selvidge’s delivery look a little strange.” He loses his balance almost completely after delivering the pitch, which is not exactly ideal.

Selvidge is still young enough to keep improving his stuff, command and control. Given the number of pitchers ahead of him in the organizational depth chart (including injured Double-A teammate Chase Hampton, a top prospect), however, it might take a trade for him to get an opportunity. If he continues on his developmental path, an early-2025 debut is possible, if not in the Bronx, then somewhere else.

Make no mistake: Selvidge is a rock-solid prospect. When he is on, he is capable of racking up the whiffs and strikeouts in bunches, like he did on April 27th when he fanned 11 hitters and accumulated a whopping 21 swings and misses. But he remains a bit hit-or-miss and still has to show he can dominate Double-A hitters on a consistent basis in order to move forward.

If the Yankees go hard after a trade piece or two ahead of the deadline, he may well switch teams because he has value to other teams and is very much blocked in New York, at least for now. If he remains with the organization, look for him to finish the year in Triple-A Scranton if he keeps making progress.

Let’s go organizational All-Star hunting (part one)
www.pinstripealley.com/2024/5/24/24163151/yankees-top-pitching-prospects-all-stars-selvidge-smith-beeter-messinger-neely-schlittler-calderon

Starting Pitchers (5)
RHP Cam Schlittler, Hudson Valley: Schlittler is the lower minors breakout pitcher of the season so far, sporting an ERA just north of 2.00 through seven High-A starts. He’s 6-foot-6 — no shocker there, given the Yankees’ propensity for big dudes — but he generates arguably the best extension of any pitcher in the system. His fastball sits in the low-mid 90s but appears faster to the hitter since his release point significantly shrinks the pitch’s distance to home plate. Schlittler’s secondaries are good albeit not elite and he’s had occasional inconsistencies with throwing strikes, but his super-optimized fastball is doing him wonders against low-minors hitters. It’s a matter of time until he’s in Somerset; that’ll be a good test for the rest of his arsenal.

LHP Brock Selvidge, Somerset: Selvidge made a statement by dominating an admittedly bad Blue Jays Spring Breakout lineup in March. That spring dominance has carried over into the Double-A season, as the southpaw now sports a 3.07 ERA across his eight starts. We’ve talked ad nauseum about how Selvidge can manipulate the shape of his slider — one acting more firm with downward action and the other being slower and emphasizing horizontal bite — but his fastball has gotten better as the season’s progressed. That’ll be key to monitor moving forward, as I’ve always wondered how the rest of his arsenal will play against big-league pitching.

RHP Cade Smith, Tampa: Smith was one of my two pitching picks to click in the spring alongside Trystan Vrieling, who just missed my cut. Smith got off to a so-so start his first few times out, with command being his biggest bugaboo. His next few starts were far more promising, getting ahead in counts and causing Low-A hitters to expand the zone with his sharp slider. Smith was an SEC pitcher and frankly should be performing well against younger batters in a pitching-friendly environment, but the stuff is loud. Will his command prohibit him from starting, though? We’re not going to find out in Tampa, but rather as he ascends the minor-league ladder. Perhaps Smith will replace Schlittler in Hudson Valley’s rotation when he’s inevitably promoted(?)

RHP Clayton Beeter, Scranton-Wilkes Barre: I was tempted to mark Beeter as a reliever for this piece, but his strong results thus far have come in the rotation. I’ve never questioned Beeter’s stuff and how his overhand release point gives the illusion that his fastball is rising, but that release point also causes him to completely lose the strike zone at times. While Beeter’s results in Triple-A speak for themselves, he won’t get away with this strike-throwing ability in the bigs. Joe Boyle is a fair comp for Beeter, and Boyle struggled mightily with making his even louder stuff work amidst bad command before succumbing to injury. Like Boyle, I think Beeter will ultimately end up as an awesome reliever with very loud stuff. Still, he gets a placement as a starter here because he’s been excellent in that capacity in 2024. (Hopefully his recent shoulder discomfort is nothing major.)

RHP Zach Messinger, Somerset: I went back and forth in my head over whether I should put Messinger or Vrieling as the fifth starter on this roster, but I went with Messinger solely off his better numbers. After all, this is an All-Star team, not my prospect rankings. Messinger’s 3.83 ERA at Double-A would look even better had he made a couple fewer mistake pitches in his first several starts. He’s been marvelous, especially in May. His 1.62 ERA in 16.2 May innings better represents how he’s pitched, as compared to his 5.14 April ERA. He has the worst stuff of the starters listed, but he also has the second-best command of this group behind Selvidge. Messinger profiles as a fifth starter who’s Rule 5-eligible in the winter. I don’t expect him to be protected on the 40-man with this trajectory, but I imagine he’ll be a priority selection for a team seeking starting options in spring training.
Honorable Mentions/Injury Replacements
Trystan Vrieling (SOM), Edgar Barclay (SWB), Brian Hendry (HV), Bailey Dees (SOM), Allen Facundo (TAM)

Relievers (8)
RHP Jack Neely, Somerset: Neely has been the best reliever in the Yankees’ org by a country mile. His strikeout rate is approaching 40 percent at Double-A, making me wonder when he’s headed to Scranton and why he isn’t already there. Another tall pitcher, he generates great extension to go along with above-average rise, making his 94-96 far more lethal. I also love his gyro slider.

LHP Ben Shields, Hudson Valley: Shields has recently been getting run in Hudson Valley’s rotation with the injury to Brian Hendry, but his work as a reliever was largely marvelous. He isn’t overpowering with his arsenal whatsoever, but he knows where each of his pitches work best inside and outside the zone. Shields fits the mantra of “he’s a pitcher,” as these guys tend to overperform what their stuff would suggest is possible.

RHP Cole Ayers, Hudson Valley: Ayers has a slider that’s okay, but he’s introduced a 12/6 curveball to his repertoire in 2024 and it’s done wonders for him. The pitch gets excellent late-breaking, downward action that High-A hitters can’t hit. He utilizes both a four-seamer and sinker, neither of which is a difference-maker but all the while effective in Hudson Valley. I tend to shy away from relievers who are reliant on a breaking pitch to get outs, but they can be effective middle innings relievers if it breaks right (no pun intended).

RHP Cody Morris, Scranton-Wilkes Barre: Acquired in the offseason for Estevan Florial, Morris has always flashed loud stuff but has dealt with injuries virtually his entire career (though he did make it into 13 MLB games between 2022-23). He was brought up in the Guardians' system as a starter, but he’s shifted to a multi-inning relief role in Scranton. Morris’ fastball and changeup present two plus offerings, with his slider not too far behind. The command, however, has regressed from where it used to be in his starting days. Even so, Morris looks like a capable big league reliever who could be a slightly better iteration of Ron Marinaccio.

LHP Joel Valdez, Hudson Valley: For as interesting as the Yankees’ farm system is, they do seem a little short in the southpaw department. Valdez was a starter last year, but he struggled in that capacity and quickly shifted to Hudson Valley’s bullpen. Since then, the results have been impressive. His 2.29 ERA and 24 punchouts across 19.2 innings hint that his stuff has jumped as he can air out over an inning or two. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, making him an interesting Rule 5 target for teams looking for cheap ways of adding lefties to their bullpens.

RHP Trent Sellers, Hudson Valley: Notice how a large chunk of the All-Star bullpen comes from Hudson Valley, where their collective 3.23 ERA sits atop the South Atlantic League. Sellers has been a big reason for that pristine figure as the team’s multi-inning fireman, providing 22.1 innings of 2.82 ERA ball. Anything that the Yankees get from the Oregon State product is a bonus, as the 24-year-old went undrafted last year. While infielder Dylan Jasso looks like the best undrafted player signed by the Yankees last year, Sellers isn’t far behind. He’s had a couple of iffy outings of late, but his pitchability-over-stuff approach has done wonders in High-A.

RHP Yorlin Calderon, Somerset: Calderon has evenly split his time with Hudson Valley, Somerset, and Scranton and has been productive at each stop. He had some run as a starter last year, but he’s settled into a multi-inning option. His fastball isn’t overwhelming and that can be problematic at times since he’s a flyball pitcher, but he has a slurvy offering that leans more curve than slider (I wouldn’t fault you if you thought it was a slider). No matter, as that pitch has been his bread & butter and was one of the key reasons why Calderon was invited to the 2022 Fall League (it didn’t go well). I’m not sure if he’s a future big-league contributor given that his stuff isn’t the loudest, but he’s never had the command issues that other relievers on this list have.

RHP Leonardo Pestana, Somerset: Pestana was a starter for the first four and a half years of his minor-league career, but he began a transition to the bullpen last season after persistent issues commanding the ball. He has a cutting fastball and slider, and his role switch means he doesn’t need to worry about incorporating other pitches across multiple innings. He had little feel for the other pitches in his arsenal, and the improved walk rate while emphasizing his two primary pitches speaks for itself. He’s already 25, so expect him to be in SWB in the not-so-distant future.

Honorable Mentions/Injury Replacements
Montana Semmel (TAM), Osiel Rodriguez (TAM), Kris Bow (TAM)

Hopefully this leads to a hot stretch.

I can never find anything my size.