DotF: Torrens homers in Staten Island’s win

August 10, 2014 by Mike Axisa 45 Comments

Some notes:

C John Ryan Murphy was placed on the Triple-A Scranton DL, according to Donn ie Col lins. Collins notes Murphy left last night’s game an inning after taking a foul pitch to the face mask, though it’s unclear if that’s why he was put on the DL. With Murphy out and Brian McCann landing on the 7-day concussion disabled list, the Yankees are suddenly a bit thin behind the plate.
RHP Luis Severino was placed on the Double-A Trenton DL with an oblique strain, the team announced. He’s been out for roughly two weeks now and they needed a roster spot. VP of Baseball Ops Mark Newman called it a “very slight” strain but I wouldn’t be surprised if Severino is done for the year. Trenton’s season ends in three weeks and Newman always downplays injuries.
LHP Caleb Smith has been promoted from High-A Tampa to Double-A Trenton, according to Nicholas Flammia. I assume he’s replacing Severino. Smith started for Tampa yesterday, faced one batter, gave up a hit, and was pulled. That was weird, but I guess the promotion kinda explains hit.
The Yankees have re-signed IF Scott Sizemore to a minor league contract, says Bryan Hoch. They released him last month. He’s been out with some kind of injury for a few weeks now and has been placed on Scranton’s DL.
C Luis Torrens, 1B Connor Spencer, IF Ty McFarland, and DH Isaias Tejeda have all been selected for the Short Season NY-Penn League All-Star Game. The game is in Brooklyn next Tuesday (Aug. 19th), if you’re interested in attending.

Triple-A Scranton (5-1 win over Columbus)

SS Jose Pirela: 0-3, 1 BB
2B Rob Refsnyder: 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 K
LF Zoilo Almonte: 0-4
DH Kyle Roller: 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K — 23rd homer of the year leads the system now that Peter O’Brien has been traded away
LHP Nik Turley: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 1 HB, 9/1 GB/FB — 51 of 85 pitches were strikes (60%) … 35/31 K/BB in 45 innings after missing the start of the year with an unknown arm injury
RHP Nick Rumbelow: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1/3 GB/FB — only 12 of 26 pitches were strikes (46%) … 68/16 K/BB in 47.1 innings
LHP Tyler Webb: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 1/0 GB/FB — ten pitches, six strikes … 86/19 K/BB in 60.1 innings

Double-A Trenton (4-1 loss to Bowie)

CF Jake Cave: 1-2, 1 BB
LF Ben Gamel & C Gary Sanchez: both 1-4 — Sanchez drove in a run, struck out, and committed a throwing error
DH Tyler Austin: 1-3, 1 BB
1B Greg Bird: 0-3, 1 BB, 2 K
3B Dante Bichette Jr.: 0-2, 2 BB — 52 walks in 113 games this year after 43 in 113 last year
RF Mason Williams: 0-4, 1 K
RHP Jaron Long: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 10/6 GB/FB — 66 of 104 pitches were strikes (63%) … tough luck loss
RHP Danny Burawa: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP — nine of 14 pitches were strikes (64%)
RHP Mark Montgomery: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 2/0 GB/FB — seven of 13 pitches were strikes (54%) … 44/25 K/BB in 44 innings this year … he has a 99/22 K/BB in 64.1 innings during his big 2012 season

High-A Tampa was rained out. They’ll play a doubleheader tomorrow.

Low-A Charleston (6-5 loss to Rome in eleven innings, walk-off style)

RF Michael O’Neill: 0-6, 2 K
2B Tyler Wade: 2-6, 1 R, 3 K
3B Miguel Andujar: 3-6, 1 R — 12-for-37 (.324)
SS Abi Avelino: 1-5, 1 K
LHP Justin Kamplain: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3/0 GB/FB — this year’s 18th rounder had allowed one run and two walks in 25 pro innings before this game
RHP Conor Mullee: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 5/2 GB/FB — 31/8 K/BB in 28 innings

Short Season Staten Island (8-0 win over Mahoney Valley)

CF Collin Slaybaugh: 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
2B Ty McFarland: 2-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
1B Connor Spencer: 2-4, 1 CS, 1 HBP
C Luis Torrens: 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K — third homer in 95 pro games for the 18-year-old
RF Austin Aune: 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 K — 38.8% strikeout rate this year, which is better than last year’s 43.6% strikeout rate
RHP David Palladino: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 9/3 GB/FB — 50/22 K/BB in 51.2 innings
LHP Rony Bautista: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 1/2 GB/FB — 50/26 K/BB in 38 innings

Both Rookie GCL Yanks teams had their regular Sunday off-day.

Maas Knuckle

Caleb Smith was hit with a line drive and came out after that. The severity of that injury is not clear.
- YakaTanaka
  
  If he was promoted I can’t imagine it was that severe. Unless there’s some reason to put him on the AA DL instead of the High A DL.
Jorge Steinbrenner

Perhaps Turley finishes up strong. Not super-sold on him but, as a lefty who beat some pretty big odds to make it to AAA, I’d love to see him get every chance he earns.
- Go Win
  
  Turley has been pretty consistent, though not flashy in the minors. He has always Kd a hitter per inning and allowed less than a hit per IP (opposing batters avg .226 last year). I think the slow start is explained by the rustiness after the injuries. He is an interesting prospect as a back end starter, specially if he lowers his walk rate. He is Rule 5 eligible. Do you think he is gping to be protected?
  - Angelo
    
    I know you’re not asking me, but I definitely expect him to be protected. But I guess it depends on how available those 40 man roster spots are.
    - Maas Knuckle
      
      I can’t see it. He has an MLB ceiling but that walk rate is high and continues to rise (yes he is rebounding from injury but it has actually gotten worse as the season has worn on). I can’t see him sticking on a 25-man roster as a starter or a reliever. Lefties don’t hit him, which is good (well under .200 the last couple years), but he walks them at a significantly higher rate than he does righties.
      - Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Potentially outside looking in for me, but I’d protect him before protecting one too many relievers.
        
        RetroRob
        
        Without seeing the Yankees list of players they need to/could protect, I’d think he’d be one of them. A 6’5″ lefty who is now in AAA and has had success (although not this year) would seem to be up for serious consideration. He was injured for a good part of this year, but seems to be coming on.
        
        Don Cooper and the Chicago White Sox pace the floor, hoping Turley will be available.
      - YakaTanaka
        
        I think he could stick with a terrible team that want to try him long-term.
        
        You’re also probably putting way too much value into a tiny sample coming off injury.
      - Go Win
        
        He started walking more as he was promoted into the upper levels. Actually he walked 2.2 per 9IP in 2011 and then 3.5 per 9IP in 2012, which is not great but still much better than recent numbers. It seems that at least part of the issue is trying to be too fine. He might actually be closer than what we believe . . .
  - Jorge Steinbrenner
    
    Would his being cut from the 40-man and re-signed to an MiLB take him out of Rule 5 eligibility? Probably not. We did wind up with Josh Phelps once.
  - fmb2345
    
    According to the rules the Rule 5 Draft is for players who signed their first contract five years prior. So it would seem to me based on that wording that Turley would be ineligible because technically by resigning with the team he is under his second contract no longer his first. He was given the option to leave and choose to stay therefore eliminating the need for Rule 5 Draft to prevent him from becoming trapped in one organization. I could be completely wrong on this however.
    - Jorge Steinbrenner
      
      Yeah. Would love some clarification on this one here.
    - YakaTanaka
      
      Not sure he’s actually on a second contract after his contract passed through waivers, but second contracts are immediately eligible. That is why Omar Luis is eligible. Between having already been eligible and that… I don’t see how Turley would not be eligible.
      - Jorge Steinbrenner
        
        Thank you.
  - RetroRob
    
    Are the Yankees required to keep Jose Campos on their 40 man? If they remove him this offseason, I can’t see any team taking him. Even if they believe in him long term, he’ll be coming of TJS.
- Dos Luises
  
  I should probably know, but what did he overcome?
  - Angelo
    
    Being drafted in the 50th round and becoming a legit prospect. Pretty rare for that to happen, let alone make an mlb roster.
    - Jorge Steinbrenner
      
      Yup. That’s what I was referring to.
Pkyankfan69

Mason Williams makes Jackie Bradley Jr look like Babe Ruth at the plate
- http://www.google.com Tanuki Tanaka
  
  Are you calling JBJ fat?
- forensic
  
  I just realized Bradley Jr. is 0 for his last 35! Wow…
Go Win

Positive day in the farm for all relief prospects, including Rumbelow, Webb, Montgomery and Burawa. The bull pen will probably be an area of strenght for years to come for the big league team.
- Yanks
  
  I wouldn’t call Mark Montgomery walking a guy in his only inning a positive outing. That’s the exact reason he’s in AA… Rumbelow also did not have a very impressive outing…
  - Baseballfan54
    
    You obviously were either a team manager or a benchwarmer as an athlete
Go Win

Jaron Long’s stuff is not plus, but the guy knows how to pitch. He has a 2.74 ERA in AA after starting the year in Charleston, with less than a hit per IP and a BB ratio of 1.7 per 9IP. That is impressive. His record in 7 games in AA is 5 – 1. If he continues to play at this level he might be given a chance at some point.
Go Win

Excluding a negative first start Palladino has a 3.17 ERA with better than a K per IP and a .234 BA against in NYPL. The 3.8 BB per 9IP is not bad for a 6′ 8″. A bit inconsistent, but given the height interesting to follow.
- Maas Knuckle
  
  I wonder if he could get a cup of coffee at Charleston this year. He has had a couple starts this year that have just been dynamite and if he can harness that consistently they could have something special.
  - Go Win
    
    Following the promotions to Kamplain and Beresford, he should be considered next in line for a starter role in Charleston, unless they want to give an opportunity to a GCL player (and de la Rosa had his worst start the last time around). We are falling out of games however.
Go Win

Anyone knows what happened with Adonis Garcia. He played for the last time on August 4th – and played the full game – to then be included in the DL on Aug 5th.
- Go Win
  
  The window of opportunity might have closed for him. This year he was the model of consistency, hitting better than .300 and OPSing better than .800 every month following a slow start in April. He was the best RIght Handed OF in AAA, which seemed to be a need at times in the big leagues. Next year Tyler Austin will probably take him over in the AAA prospect watch. If he did not get an opportunity this year, he probably never will.
  - Yanks
    
    He was never a prospect…
    - RetroRob
      
      Exactly. The Yankees always bring in players like Garcia to be there in a true emergency develops on the big league roster, but they never see the light of day.
Dos Luises

Good to see Aune progressing.
- Big Game Thames
  
  Is that a joke?
  - Dos Luises
    
    Yes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek/ Roadgeek Adam

The ex-Yankee Walter Ibarra was part of a brawl the other night, lol.
Big Game Thames

Really hard to get excited about this organization, let alone the MLB club. Refsynder seems like he could be a decent 2B next year. After that, Severino seems like they’d really be rushing him for a 2015 debut. And then no other prospects are close to having an impact. Ugh.
- Maas Knuckle
  
  Shane Greene’s outing the other day didn’t give you a warm fuzzy? Austin hitting like folks thought he would going into 2013?
- PerfectlyCromulent
  
  Jageilo and Judge are both exciting, and I’m excited to see what Refsnyder can do next year. Judge and Cave have taken over as the top OF prospects to watch from Slade and Williams, and thats fine.
- Jorge Steinbrenner
  
  That’s a pretty crazy example of cherry-picking.
  
  Refsnyder has potential. I don’t see where the team is rushing Severino at all, and the oblique almost certainly puts him back at AA to start the season, which is where Judge will be, and Jagelio, and Bird, and maybe Clarkin, and Goody…
  
  Austin will, hopefully, be in AAA. Lindgren may even be in pinstripes.
  
  Choose happiness.
- YakaTanaka
  
  I think there’s quite a bit of talent that could help in the near future.
  
  AA is full of talent that’s one step away. Almost the entire line-up is prospects and a bunch of the pitchers.
  
  AAA has Refsnyder, Murphy, Flores, Almonte, Webb, Ramirez, and Turley.
  
  In MLB you’ve got Greene, Mitchell, Betances, Warren, Nova, Pineda, Phelps, Romine…
- Jake
  
  They could end up getting Rusney Castillo who could end up being a better option than Ref at 2B.
LarryM Fl

I watched this weekend with some hope that Yankees would continue from the Detroit series. Unfortunately the team is not ready for prime time. The puzzle parts just do not slide into place plus the daily injuries which do not help. But I gather some hope for the future of this organization with their recent moves of Headley, Prado and Drew. The maturation process of the young pitchers has been a success. The farm system appears to be in better shape than reports on paper. We sometimes forget that the game is played between the white lines and not in a computer game. My faith in this team achieving the playoffs is wavering but looking to the future with a few contracts coming off the table my give us some wiggle room to improve in the off season.

I do have some real interest in Refsynder AAA. The kid just keeps on hitting. Can he be the start of a new core.
Tom Magnani

Not sure why there has been no mention of Mike Ford in Charleston whose back from being injured and hitting quite well.