DotF: Kelley begins rehab assignment, Refsnyder picks up two more hits

June 7, 2014 by Mike Axisa 44 Comments

C/OF Peter O’Brien took ground balls at ~~third~~ first base today and will play there tomorrow according to Double-A Trenton manager Tony Franklin, says Nick Peruffo. It was only a matter of time.

Triple-A Scranton (2-1 win over Toledo)

1B Jose Pirela: 0-4, 1 K — they’ve got him trying out first base too, and not because they’re bored either
RF Adonis Garcia & LF Zoilo Almonte: both 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI — Zoilo struck out
DH Kyle Roller: 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K
C Austin Romine: 0-3
RHP Brian Gordon: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 7/5 GB/FB — 60 of 101 pitches were strikes (60%)
RHP Preston Claiborne: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/0 GB/FB — six of seven pitches were strikes … pretty amazing he jammed all that into seven pitches

Double-A Trenton (4-1 win over Altoona)

CF Mason Williams & LF Ben Gamel: both 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B — Gamel struck out
C Gary Sanchez: 1-4, 3 K
DH Peter O’Brien: 0-4, 1 K
3B Tyler Austin: 0-3, 1 R, 1 K
2B Rob Refsnyder: 2-3, 1 R, 1 K — nine multi-hit games in his last ten games
RHP Shawn Kelley: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K — 11 of 19 pitches were strikes (58%) … depending on how he feels after this, he’ll either make another rehab appearance or join the MLB team in the coming days
LHP Matt Tracy: 3.1 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 13/0 GB/FB — 52 of 80 pitches were strikes (65%)
LHP Tyler Webb: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HB — 15 of 19 pitches were strikes (79%) … 42/11 K/BB in 30.1 innings

High-A Tampa (4-1 loss to Charlotte) they faced a rehabbing Jeremy Hellickson

CF Jake Cave: 0-4, 1 R — stuck in a 7-for-40 (.175)
SS Cito Culver: 1-3, 1 2B
1B Greg Bird & 3B Dante Bichette Jr.: both 0-2, 2 BB — Bird struck out and committed a fielding error
RHP Jaron Long: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 8/2 GB/FB — allowed two homers in his Triple-A debut after allowing no homers in 49.1 innings at Low-A

Low-A Charleston (4-0 loss to Savannah)

LF Michael O’Neill & 3B Miguel Andujar: both 0-4 — O’Neill struck out once, Andujar twice
SS Tyler Wade: 0-3, 1 BB
RF Aaron Judge: 1-4, 1 2B, 2 K — 13-for-37 (.351) with four doubles, one triple, and three homers in his last ten games
DH Dustin Fowler: 0-3
2B Gosuke Katoh: 2-3, 1 2B
RHP Brady Lail: 5 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 4/4 GB/FB — 57 of 82 pitches were strikes (70%) … back-to-back rough outings
LHP Omar Luis: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 4/0 GB/FB — only 23 of 47 pitches were strikes (49%) … 10/15 K/BB in 16 innings

nycsportzfan

Mason Williams is getting hot baby! God, I want that guy to be what he will be if he develops to perfection. A speedster who can hit for avg and has some power and is a plus defender will be huge.
- Rob
  
  You already had that player and you traded him. His name was Austin Jackson.
  - nycsportzfan
    
    Ajax is having a terrible season. He woulden’t be helping much right now. Mason Williams has a chance to be consistent 280-310BA hitter and hes a lefty which I like. I’m just happy Mason is getting it going and back on prospect watch. We need our prospects to shine and hes one with the most complete arsenal if he develops as hoped.
    - Tim
      
      Lol .310 hitter? Like so many of those exist in MLB these days
  - 2009
    
    And hopefully nycsportzfan would trade Mason Williams for a 40-HR hitting OFer again, as the he did (according to you) while also keeping the better player in Brett Gardner. Or perhaps you’re in love with Williams’ .240/.300/.370 line.
    - 2009
      
      I meant Jackson’s .240/.300/.370 line.
      
      A-Jax has done well, but he is not a strong hitter, he’s cut down on his K’s, but still has not progressed as a hitter, and also seems to be on the downside defensively. The Yankees kept the right player in Gardner and cashed in A-Jax for a lefty, power-hitting OFer.
      
      I would love for them to do the same again with Williams as part of a package.
nycsportzfan

Katoh needs more games like that. Would love for him to get going and end season on hot streak. Tyler Austin has been picking it up for us as well. Guys like that are what take a solid farm system to a deep one.
http://www.staggeringbeauty.com/ ALZ

Really not sure why they waited until he was at AA to try and find a position for O’brien. It’s been pretty out there for awhile that he wouldn’t catch. I wonder if they realized his lack of speed didn’t work in the outfield. If he can play 3B he should be able to advance in time.
- Need Pitching & Hitting
  
  It’s actually 1B, not 3B.
  - lightSABR
    
    I have this vague memory of them trying him at 3B last year and concluding that it didn’t work. Winter league, maybe? Anybody remember?
    - vicki
      
      you remember right; he played 38 games at third. i thought it was considered a failed experiment.
- nycsportzfan
  
  1B/DH seems O’Briens likely pro career.
  Either way, that young power will be greatly appreciated. I’m still waiting for Roller to get his shot. Walked twice tonight. Hes pretty developed offesivley, and would be huge boost with that power.
- YankeeGrunt
  
  He’s not lead-footed and he has a huge arm. That’s why.
- 2009
  
  As a college draft player, O’Brien hasn’t been around that long. The reason to keep him at catcher made sense as he had no obvious position. If he could handle it even on a below-average defensive level, he still would have more value than if they immediately put him at first.
  
  His defense, however, behind the plate really hasn’t improved, so now they are trying to find some position for him. Third didn’t work. They’re looking at the OF. If all else fails, there is first. They wouldn’t have gained anything if they put him at first full time a year or so back. He’s still getting his ABs.
yankeemax

I believe you meant C/OF Peter O’Brien took ground balls at first base today instead of C/OF Peter O’Brien took ground balls at third base today. Why did the Yankees wait so long to do that?
- YankeeGrunt
  
  To repeat my comment from above, he is not lead-footed (just big) and he has a huge arm. That’s why.
Paisa

Do we have a timetable for Jagielo? Seems like he’s been out for a while.
Casey

When do the Yankees pull the trigger to promote Refsnyder? He is hitting too well for them not to be considering it
- Wolfgang’s Fault
  
  Jose Pirela’s hitting .330 at Scranton. Played him in LF two days ago and 1B last night, so they’re moving the furniture around to see what might fit. Gotta believe Refsnyder will be promoted soon. Question is, what do they do w/Pirela?
  
  What’s the story w/Slade Heatchcott? I know he’s on the D/L, but any word on what’s up and when (or if) he’s expected back?
  - 2009
    
    Probably looking to see if he could be a multi-position player like Solarte. He has played SS and the OF in the past, maybe others too.
Pro

Pro says:
June 2, 2014 at 10:31 pm
When is o’brien going to start getting some time at first base. He doesn’t have a true position right now and he cant be worse than anybody else we have thrown out there to back up tex.

Took them a few days to read my comment from DotF June 2
nycsportzfan

Man, if the Yanks manage to get Cave and DeCarr signed, with there top college draft picks, they’ll be able to do massive damage in the international pool. Heres to hoping were seeing the flip from mid class farm system to near the top of the heap system.
IRememberCelerinoSanchez

AAA stats are not, alone, an indication of MLB ability. Look at the International League OPS leaders:

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=l_bat&lid=117

Three of the top five are AAAA guys (like old friend Chris Dickerson) who mash in AAA but can’t translate it to MLB. The scouts say Roller is one of these guys. He is a lefty Shelly Duncan.

Not to mention, even if Roller was an actual prospect, how would he fit into the Yankee lineup? Girardi is going to play Teixeira and Beltran nearly every day. Who gets cut for Roller to come up? If they DFA Soriano and promote Roller, they have three real OFs on the roster.
- IRememberCelerinoSanchez
  
  Sorry, reply fail. This was supposed to go under the comment above about promoting Roller.
- Wolfgang’s Fault
  
  We don’t know that Beltran is healthy enough to play through the rest of the summer. Is his elbow healed, or is he shot up w/pain killers? Time will tell. Tex looks like he’ll be in and out of the lineup the rest of the way. Roller and a few others fates are tied up w/ how this plays out. I suppose the same applies to Soriano & whether he hits or not. Meanwhile, for the time being, they’re competing on the big league level while they’re trying to accumulate the pitching (last 3 days) and every day pieces (Jul. 2nd Int’l signings) that give them a shot at moving into a successful post Jeter era. Pretty interesting stuff all around.
  
  As for Dickerson, he’d be a very solid left-hand half of an outfield platoon. Unbelievable he’s still stuck in the minor leagues.
nycsportzfan

The Yanks drafted 5 of MLB’s top 200. Lindgren(51st), DeCarr(70th), Foley(95th), Montgomery(160th), and Cave(169th).. Not bad considering we didn’t even have a 1st rd pick.

Does anyone know what pick we would of had in the 1st rd, had we still had it? Just curious to see what guy we might of had.
- http://www.staggeringbeauty.com/ ALZ
  
  14th.
  - http://www.staggeringbeauty.com/ ALZ
    
    scratch, 16th I believe.
    - nycsportzfan
      
      I’d of been hoping Grant Holmes if that were the case. Man, if we were 14th, i’d of been giddy over getting Tyler Beede who was one of my fave players in the draft. Giants get another one. But Grant Holmes or Brandon Finnegan would of been nice consolation at pick 16. Yanks would of probably taken Mike Papi or something.lol(love Papi but reach at 16).
      - Looser trader droids FotD™
        
        Your over enthusiasm is wonderful but please for the love of all that is good and holy it’s would have. Would HAVE. Would ‘of’ is dumb people for would’ve.
    - nycsportzfan
      
      Been meaning to ask you ALZ. Had Lindgren been gone when we picked, who would you personally have liked the Yanks to take at pick 55?
      
      You know i’d of wanted Ti’Quan Forbes(he made it to us!), but for fun, assuming he wasen’t there, i’d of hoped for Brent Honeywell RHP Walters ST CC(drafted by Rays). Rays stole a guy I liked but didn’t talk much about. He throws a array of pitches , and almost all are usable as well as a Screw-Ball. A righty that throws a screw ball well is rare. Hes got a solid heater that has gotten as high as 95 but sits in the low 90’s, and hes very athletic. I think hes a get for the Rays and also a fun player to watch.
      - nycsportzfan
        
        Whoops, I meant for Honeywell in the 3rd rd. Not the 2nd rd, which is where we snagged Lindgren. And of course he went in the middle rd(between 2-3), so he woulden’t be on the board when we picked(sorry, fucked it all up.lol) But yeah, in the 3rd with Honeywell, who like the Rays, I think is a sleeper,or i’m just sucker for a good screw-ball, I like Honeywell..
        
        As for who i’d take if Lindgren was off the board at 55(not including Forbes), it’d be Andrew Suarez LHP Miami who I talked a ton about leading into the start of the draft. I told people he was on the rise. Watch this kid, hes gonna be another Gio Gonzalez type with better control. He’s gonna fly through the Nats system.
        
        CS Yankee
        
        Anyone that throws a screwball is unlikely to be around for long. When you throw one you have to finish it by having the hand turn to the outside of your arm, which is unnatural…just do that without a ball real slow and you can feel what’s going on with your tendons that connect in your elbow.
        
        Washed up pitchers will do it as the batter is surprised and confused, and keeps them around for a little longer. Tug McGraw was maybe the best known pitcher to throw it.
yankeepankee

Start moving people up to AAA Scranton and take a chance.
What position retreads and never-will-be’s at AAA. We have the Cubans the island did not want back.
I would push top pitchers at Tampa A (Camarena..)up to AAA. Other teams do it.
The Yanks mishandle starter arms so much that strong genetics will prevail if a pitcher has the goods anyway. Think the less time the Yanks handle them in minors, the better! Skip AA for a few.
nycsportzfan

2006 Yankees draft was crazy. Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlin, Zach McCallister, Dellin Betances, Mark Melancon, and David Robertson. Pretty impressive.
- viridiana
  
  Nice recall, nyc. Farm bashers conveniently forget what a oood draft that was in 06. Would be nice if we could come even come close with subsequent year. Not likely, though.
nycsportzfan

Can we please get Judge to Tampa? Whats there to prove at this point? You get em a good chunk of the season at Tampa, and if he rakes, you can possibly start em out at Trenton next yr. Hes a college kid who all ready has the ML Body and arm. This offense needs Refsnyder, O’Brien, and Judge to get up there and help.
- viridiana
  
  We’re gonna need Judge. Of all the impressive power hitters in the system he may be the only one who is above-average defensively. Promotion overdue, as you say, but he will have to prove he can make at least reasonable contact at higher levels.
nycsportzfan

The Yanks drafted Foley in 2010 and came back and drafted em in 2014. I wonder if thats how they spotted Dietrich Enns, by keeping tabs on Foley? Both Central Mich players.
nycsportzfan

What ever happened to Matthew Duran and Robert Lyerly?
- nycsportzfan
  
  Shaffer Hall
  - Jorge Steinbrenner
    
    I vividly remember Shaeffer Hall getting released at least a year ago.
Wayne

Mariano Rivera JR. Is only legit starter we drafted.
- The Other Matt
  
  Austin DeCarr?