Archive for Minors
Sanchez homers again in Tampa loss
Posted by: | CommentsRHP Gabe Encinas has been placed on the DL, according to Josh Norris. He saw the doctor about his mystery ailment yesterday. RHP Luis Niebla has been bumped up from Extended Spring Training to fill the Low-A Charleston roster spot.
Triple-A Scranton (3-2 loss to Gwinnett)
- 2B-3B David Adams: 1-4, 1 BB
- LF Curtis Granderson: 1-3, 1 BB — had a tiny bit more on him earlier
- DH Zoilo Almonte: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K
- 3B-LF Ronnie Mustelier: 0-4, 1 K — hasn’t exactly forced them to call him up, eh?
- CF Melky Mesa: 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI — eight hits in his last 16 at-bats (.500) with two doubles and a homer
- LHP Nik Turley: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 4/6 GB/FB – 53 of 90 pitches were strikes (59%) … pretty good Triple-A debut, but he’s one up for one start and will head back to Double-A Trenton before his next start
- RHP Graham Stoneburner: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 4/1 GB/FB — 21 of 27 pitches were strikes (78%)
- RHP Sam Demel: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GB/FB — half of his 12 pitches were strikes
2013 Draft: Tom Windle
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Tom Windle | LHP
Background
A Minnesota kid who turned down the White Sox as 28th round pick in 2010, Windle pitched to a 2.41 ERA with 72/28 K/BB in 82 mostly relief innings for the University of Minnesota during his first two years on campus. He shined as a starter in the Cape Cod League last summer, and this spring he has 1.76 ERA with 78 strikeouts and 23 walks in 81.2 innings as a starter for the Gophers. Windle threw the school’s first nine-inning no-hitter back in March.
Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs., Windle is a three-pitch left-hander with varying reports on his secondary stuff. His fastball sits in the 88-93 mph range as a starter and closer to 94-95 mph out of the bullpen. Depending on the day, his low-80s slider and low-80s changeup will look like out pitches or inconsistent works in progress. Windle has athleticism but he doesn’t use his lower half well, plus his delivery has some recoil. His future could lie in the bullpen even though his command is solid. There are plenty more videos on YouTube.
Miscellany
Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Windle as the 46th and 60th best prospect in their draft in their latest rankings, respectively. Even though he doesn’t have much (if any) physical projection remaining, Windle offers quite a bit of upside if he can iron out his offspeed pitches and pair both with his fastball on an every-start basis. The fallback option is a lefty reliever who might be something more than a specialist because of the changeup. The Yankees have made it clear they value strong performance on the Cape, the premium wood bat collegiate league, so Windle is very likely on their radar.
Ramirez whiffs nine in Thunder loss
Posted by: | CommentsWith IF Alberto Gonzalez joining the big league team, IF Reggie Corona has been promoted from Double-A Trenton to Triple-A Scranton to fill the team’s shortstop vacancy according to Josh Norris. Meanwhile, LHP Nik Turley will get bumped up to Triple-A Scranton for tomorrow’s start and tomorrow’s start only, says Norris. RHP Brett Marshall will be with the big league team in case they need to add a pitcher between doubleheader games.
Triple-A Scranton (7-6 win over Gwinnett)
- RF Curtis Granderson: 3-5, 1 R, 1 K — had a little more on him earlier
- LF Zoilo Almonte: 0-4, 1 BB, 1 K
- 3B David Adams: 1-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K — only two more days until he’s a big leaguer
- 1B Dan Johnson: 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB — still hitting just .198/.366/.327 on the year
- CF Melky Mesa: 1-4, 2 K
- RHP Mark Montgomery: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1/2 GB/FB — 30 of 50 pitches were strikes
Minor League Links: Patterson, Scout’s Notes
Posted by: | Comments
Mark Montgomery and J.R. Murphy. And Larry Rothschild, him too. (Presswire)
Josh Norris brought the heat with a lot of great minor league info these last few days, so let’s round it all up…
- Q&A with Gil Patterson: The Yankees minor league pitching coordinator discussed promotions, big league readiness, and RHP Jose Campos‘ innings limit for the season. They’re hoping to get 85-90 innings out of him after losing last year to an elbow fracture/bone bruise.
- Double-A Trenton Scout’s Notes: Praise for C J.R. Murphy, RHP Jose Ramirez, and RHP Danny Burawa, but not so much for OF Tyler Austin.
- High-A Tampa Scout’s Notes: Positive reviews for 2B Rob Refsnyder, C Gary Sanchez, and RHP Corey Black, but OF Mason Williams gets torn to shreds for his effort, or lack thereof. Not the first time we’ve heard that.
- Low-A Charleston Scout’s Notes: Mostly bad here, which isn’t all that surprising. Campos and RHP Gabe Encinas get a little bit of love, however.
Wang pitches into the eighth in latest AAA start
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees released IF Gil Velazquez, RHP Ryan Pope, and LF/DH Cody Johnson from their Triple-A squad today. OF Thomas Neal was activated off the DL while IF Alberto Gonzalez was officially added to the roster after being acquired in a trade last week.
Triple-A Scranton (4-3 win over Gwinnett)
- 2B Corban Joseph: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 HBP — nine hits in 34 at-bats (.265) since being sent down
- DH Curtis Granderson: 2-4, 1 RBI, 2 K — had a little more on him earlier
- LF Zoilo Almonte: 0-4
- 3B Ronnie Mustelier: 1-4
- CF Melky Mesa: 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI — five hits in his last eight at-bats
- RHP Chien-Ming Wang: 7.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HB, 18/2 GB/FB — he’s got three more starts left before his next opt-out date
- RHP Cody Eppley: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1/1 GB/FB — only six of 13 pitches were strikes (46%)
- LHP Clay Rapada: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1/1 GB/FB — seven of ten pitches were strikes
2013 Draft: Tim Anderson
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Tim Anderson | SS
Background
Primarily a basketball player at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Anderson went undrafted in 2011 and headed to East Central Community College in Mississippi. He came into the weekend hitting .503/.564/.911 with nine homers and 36 steals in 45 games this spring, and he’s committed to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham next year.
Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 175 lbs., Anderson is an excellent athlete whose best present tool is his speed. He has bat speed and a level swing from the right side, but he doesn’t use his lower half well and hasn’t shown much power. He’s basically a slap hitter at this point. Defensively, Anderson is one of the few players in this draft with a legitimate chance to remain at shortstop long-term thanks to his quick feet and reactions. His arm leaves something to be desired and his overall game is raw for a college sophomore because he’s only been playing baseball full-time for two years. The speed, swing, and pure athleticism point to a very high ceiling but also a lot of risk.
Miscellany
Baseball America (subs. req’d) and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Anderson as the 34th and 43rd best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. The Yankees love those toolsy up-the-middle athletes, so Anderson is right up their alley. He needs a lot of work and won’t climb the ladder all that quickly despite being two years removed from high school, so it’s fair to consider him a project. The athleticism will get him drafted early despite that lack or refinement, and the Yankees have three picks right at the end of the first round (26th, 32nd, 33rd).
Feinsand: Yankees plan to call up David Adams on Wednesday
Posted by: | CommentsVia Mark Feinsand: The Yankees are planning to call up infielder David Adams this coming Wednesday, the first day he is eligible to be added to the big league roster after being released and re-signing to a minor league contract last month. The team will give him a chance to play third base everyday.
Adams, 25, is hitting .314/.404/.477 (153 wRC+) with two homers and 99 plate appearances for Triple-A Scranton this year. He’s been a full-time third baseman since last July, but he came up as a second baseman and even spent some time at first this year. Although Ben Francisco seems like the obvious candidate to lose his roster spot, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees cut Chris Nelson in favor of Adams instead. Kevin Youkilis has just started working out in Tampa according to Chad Jennings, so he isn’t close to returning. Pretty great opportunity for Adams, who I ranked as the team’s 18th best prospect before the season.
DePaula strikes out 12 in River Dogs win
Posted by: | CommentsIn case you missed it earlier today, the Yankees have finally moved RHP Dellin Betances to the bullpen on a full-time basis. It was a long time coming.
Triple-A Scranton (5-3 win over Gwinnett)
- 2B Corban Joseph: 2-5, 2 R, 1 K
- LF Curtis Granderson: 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 K — had a little more on him earlier
- RF-LF Zoilo Almonte: 3-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI — had three hits in his previous 17 at-bats (.176)
- 3B Ronnie Mustelier: 2-5, 1 CS — had four hits total in his previous 29 at-bats (.138)
- 1B David Adams: 0-3
- RHP Chris Bootcheck: 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 4/6 GB/FB — 57 of 96 pitches were strikes (59%) … allowed three runs in the first after allowing two runs total in his first five starts
- RHP Dellin Betances: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 3/0 GB/FB — 17 of 32 pitches were strikes (53%), and he was sitting 93-94 and touching 97 … day one as a reliever is a success
2013 Draft: Phil Ervin
Posted by: | CommentsThe 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Phil Ervin | OF
Background
Ervin was a three-sport athlete who played for state championship football and baseball teams at Leroy High School in rural Alabama, about an hour north of Mobile. He went undrafted in 2010 because he tore a knee ligament his senior year and didn’t play much, which landed him at Samford. Ervin has hit .339/.456/.637 with eleven homers and 13 stolen bases this spring after putting up a .347/.421/.518 line with 14 homers and 23 steals during his first two years on campus.
Scouting Report
Listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 lbs., Ervin is more of a safe college bat than a toolsy upside type. He has a real quick and compact right-handed swing that allows him to get the fat part of the bat on the ball and make hard contact consistently. Some excess pre-swing movement has hindered his ability to catch up to good fastballs. Ervin is just an okay runner who is likely to wind up moving to corner outfield spot down the line. He does some pitching for the Bulldogs and has a strong arm, and he fared well against high-end pitching in the Cape Cod League last summer. There are some more videos on YouTube.
Miscellany
Baseball America (subs. req’d) and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Ervin as the 19th and 50th best draft prospect in their latest rankings, respectively, so there’s a definite split of opinions. Kiley McDaniel recently reported the Yankees are “heavy” on Ervin late in the first round, when they have three picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd). Premium college performance guys are always highly valued but there isn’t a ton of upside here. Ervin is a righty hitting corner outfielder without any projection left in his small frame, and frankly that does not jibe with what Damon Oppenheimer has done with his early draft picks over the years.
Sherman: Yankees permanently shifting Betances to the bullpen
Posted by: | CommentsVia Joel Sherman: The Yankees are permanently shifting Dellin Betances to the bullpen. “This is the problem with the development clock,” said Brian Cashman. “If he had two or three more (minor league) options, we would keep working with him as a starter. But with him being out of options after this year, it is becoming more obvious that if he is going to help us, it is going to be out of the pen.”
Betances, 25, has pitched to a 6.00 ERA (3.91 FIP) with 9.38 K/9 (23.4 K%) and 6.00 BB/9 (15.0 BB%) in 24 innings for Triple-A Scranton this year. He still throws hard and his curveball gets swings and misses, but he’s made zero progress refining and repeating his delivery since signing for $1M as the team’s eighth round pick in 2006. Relievers have a much better chance of surviving with bad command than starters, so hopefully something clicks. Moving Betances to the bullpen is both completely unsurprising and probably a few weeks overdue.





