Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Archives

Yankees announce 2019 Opening Day minor league rosters

April 1, 2019 by Mike

The Major League regular season is underway and, later this week, the 2019 minor league regular season will begin as well. Three of the Yankees’ four full season minor league affiliates begin play this Thursday with the fourth beginning play Friday. To me, it’s not until the minor league season begins that it feels like baseball is truly back.

The Yankees announced their minor league coaching staffs a few weeks ago. Over the weekend, they announced the Opening Day rosters for their four full season minor league affiliates, which they’ve never announced to fans in this way before. At least not since I’ve been blogging about the Yankees. Hooray for the Yankees finally launching an official player development Twitter account.

Since the minor league Opening Day rosters have been announced with a few days to spare, it gives us a chance to look them over and break things down. Keep in mind minor league rosters change a lot throughout the season. Example: The Giancarlo Stanton injury and Clint Frazier call-up. These rosters are already in flux. Anyway, let’s dig through the minor league Opening Day rosters.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

The farm system has thinned out a bit and Triple-A Scranton’s roster isn’t as prospect-laden as it was the last two or three years. IF Thairo Estrada and UTIL Tyler Wade are the notable youngsters who will anchor the lineup now that Frazier has been summoned to the Bronx. I imagine Estrada, Wade, and Frazier were penciled in as the 1-2-3 hitters. Let’s lay out a potential starting lineup, because why not?

2B/SS Thairo Estrada
2B/SS Tyler Wade
3B Gio Urshela
1B/DH Mike Ford
1B/DH Ryan McBroom
C Kyle Higashioka/Ryan Lavarnway
OF Zack Zehner
OF Billy Burns
OF Matt Lipka

Wade will presumably continue to see action in the outfield, opening up playing time for IF Gosuke Katoh, who was a super utility infielder for Double-A Trenton last year. Estrada and Wade (and Frazier before the call-up) are the developmental priority guys and they’re going to be in the lineup everyday. The other starting position player spots will be more of a rotation to ensure everyone gets at-bats, which is par for the course in Triple-A.

Based on the personnel, the five starting pitchers will be RHP Chance Adams, LHP Nestor Cortes, LHP Gio Gonzalez, RHP David Hale, and RHP Drew Hutchison in whatever order. RHP Adonis Rosa is the other rotation candidate should the Yankees slot Cortes or Hale into the bullpen. Gonzalez started an Extended Spring Training game last Friday and that likely lines him up for the season opener Thursday. He hasn’t pitched in Triple-A since 2009. RHP Joe Harvey and RHP Raynel Espinal were a dynamite closer/setup man combo last year. They’re back together to start this season.

RHP Jonathan Loaisiga is not on the Triple-A Scranton roster because he’s not going to Triple-A Scranton. The Yankees are planning to call him up Wednesday to serve as their fifth starter. Loaisiga will be called up as the corresponding move for CC Sabathia’s injured list assignment. Tomorrow is the final day of Sabathia’s five-game suspension.

Double-A Trenton Thunder

What a fun rotation. RHP Albert Abreu, RHP Nick Green, RHP Nick Nelson, RHP Trevor Stephan, and RHP Garrett Whitlock are the expected five starters in whatever order. (Green was returned as a Rule 5 Draft pick last week.) The Yankees have moved RHP Domingo Acevedo to the bullpen, and he’ll presumably work on a set schedule, at least initially. Two innings every three days, something like that. That’s usually how these things work.

The lineup is lacking prospect star power. OF Estevan Florial’s broken wrist is partially to blame there. SS Kyle Holder is the only position player top 30 prospect on the roster, though OF Trey Amburgey and IF Brandon Wagner are somewhat notable. Amburgey spent all of last season with Trenton and Wagner about half the season. Here’s a possible lineup, though it should be noted Hendrix is a candidate to move up to Scranton to replace Frazier:

OF Jeff Hendrix
2B/SS Kyle Holder
OF Trey Amburgey
1B/3B/DH Brandon Wagner
1B/DH Chris Gittens
OF Jhalan Jackson/Ben Ruta
3B Mandy Alvarez
2B/SS Angel Aguilar
C Francisco Diaz/Jorge Saez

Like I said, not the most exciting position player group. There’s been a bit of a position player prospect gap in the system the last few years and it reached Double-A Trenton this season. Clearly, the rotation is the story here. The Thunder will send a top 30 prospect — a top 20 prospect, really — to the mound every game. With Cortes and Hale holding down Triple-A rotation spots, don’t be surprised if Nelson or Stephan gets bumped up to Scranton fairly early in the season.

High-A Tampa Tarpons

RHP Deivi Garcia and RHP Clarke Schmidt make for one heck of a 1-2 punch atop the rotation. Garcia closed out last season with a spot start at Double-A Trenton — he was going to make a postseason start for Trenton had they not been swept in the best-of-three first round series — though sending him back there to start this season never seemed all that likely. He’s still only 19 and he made six starts with Tampa last year. Give it a few weeks and Garcia will be back in Trenton.

As for Schmidt, the Yankees are finally ready to take the reins off their 2017 first round pick. He’s fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and last year’s oblique strain. Of course the Yankees will monitor Schmidt’s workload — they’re not going to throw caution to the wind — but the point is Schmidt is going to start every five days and begin his pro career in earnest. I’m excited.

RHP Rony Garcia, RHP Glenn Otto, and RHP Miguel Yajure figure to join Deivi and Schmidt in the rotation. Yajure was one of my not top 30 prospects and Otto is coming back from surgery to remove a blood clot from his shoulder. He made only two starts last season. Otto might be a reliever long-term, but he has a chance to be a really good, and he’s healthy now. LHP Dalton Lehnen or RHP Janson Junk could bump Otto to the bullpen at the outset. We’ll see.

The position player group is headlined by a few 2014-15 international signing spree guys: 1B/3B Dermis Garcia, SS Diego Castillo, OF Pablo Olivares, and C Jason Lopez. Here’s the possible lineup:

OF Pablo Olivares
2B/SS Oswaldo Cabrera
OF Isiah Gilliam
1B/3B Dermis Garcia
1B Steven Sensley
C Jason Lopez/Donny Sands
2B/SS Diego Castillo
OF/DH Rashad Crawford/Tyler Hill
OF/DH Rashad Crawford/Tyler Hill

Gilliam is returning to Tampa after his power, strikeout, and walk rates all took noticeable dips last year. As a bat-only corner outfielder, he needs a good year to remain relevant. Sensley and Crawford had some prospect shine a year or two ago but have since faded. Crawford actually spent much of the last two years with Trenton, so he’s been bumped down. Lopez and Sands are a sneaky interesting catcher tandem. There might be something there.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs

Good gravy that rotation. RHP Roansy Contreras, RHP Luis Gil, RHP Luis Medina, RHP Tanner Myatt, and RHP Matt Sauer in whatever order is crazy prospect fun. That’s five top 30 prospects and three top 16 prospects. I thought Gil, Myatt, and especially Medina were candidates to begin the season back in Extended Spring Training, so it’s pretty cool to see them get the full season assignment.

RHP Rodney Hutchison, RHP Jio Orozco, and RHP Shawn Semple are starters by trade, so I imagine we’ll see some piggybacking, especially early in the season. The starter goes four or five innings and the next guy goes three or four innings, that sorta thing. That might be the plan initially with that young rotation. Myatt turns 21 in May he’s the oldest projected starter. These guys will all have workload limits and be eased into action.

The position player group includes last year’s second round pick (C Josh Breaux) and the Sonny Gray trade return (OF Josh Stowers), otherwise there’s not a whole lot to see there. 3B Nelson Gomez was a big money 2014-15 international signing spree guy who hasn’t really worked out, but he is only 21 and he has big power, so who knows. Anyway, here’s a possible lineup:

OF Brandon Lockridge
OF Josh Stowers
C Josh Breaux
1B/DH Mickey Gasper
1B/DH Eric Wagaman
3B Nelson Gomez
OF Isiah Pasteur/OF Frederick Cuevas
2B Kyle Gray
2B/SS Max Burt/Eduardo Torrealba

I’m not sure I would call them sleepers, but Lockridge (last year’s fifth round pick) and Gray (last year’s 14th rounder) are more than organizational players. They have some skills (Lockridge is crazy fast, Gray has sneaky pop) and could sneak up on people as great performance guys this season. Pasteur as well. Last year’s 13th rounder is a great athlete who can impact the game in a lot of ways.

Notably Absent

The four full season affiliates begin play later this week, though there’s also Extended Spring Training, which leads into the various short season leagues later in the summer. The Rookie Pulaski Yankees, Short Season Staten Island Yankees, and two Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees clubs begin play in June. Those rosters are a long way from being finalized. They’ll include 2019 draftees, among others. Here is a not at all complete list of notable prospects not included in an Opening Day full season affiliate roster this year.

Known Injuries: OF Antonio Cabello (shoulder), OF Estevan Florial (wrist), RHP Mike King (elbow), RHP Freicer Perez (shoulder), C Anthony Seigler (quad)

Perez had surgery to remove bone spurs last May and I assume he’s still in rehab mode. Cabello, this year’s Prospect Watch prospect, had offseason surgery but was playing in minor league Spring Training games last month. That means he’s making progress with his rehab, so that’s good. Obviously the Yankees are not ready to turn him loose just yet. The Prospect Watch will sit quiet until Cabello joins an affiliate. My guess is he joins Low-A Charleston in a few weeks.

Florial, King, and Seigler all suffered their injuries in Spring Training. King has resumed throwing and is expected to join Triple-A Scranton in early May. Florial will spend three weeks in a cast. I know that much. I don’t know what the exact timetable is for his return or Seigler’s return, for that matter. Seigler might’ve been an Extended Spring Training guy even with good health. I think he’ll join the RiverDogs at some point in the first half.

Others: SS Roberto Chirinos, RHP Harold Cortijo, 2B Ezequiel Duran, RHP Danny Farquhar, OF Anthony Garcia, SS Wilkerman Garcia, RHP Frank German, RHP Yoendrys Gomez, OF Ryder Green, RHP Brian Keller, RHP Nolan Martinez, SS Hoy Jun Park, SS Oswald Peraza, OF Everson Pereira, OF Raimfer Salinas, LHP JP Sears, OF Canaan Smith, RHP Juan Then, C Saul Torres, RHP Matt Wivinis

I think it’s safe to assume a few of these guys are injured. German was pitching in minor league spring games a few weeks ago, and a recent high-ish draft pick (fourth round last year) who played three years in the Atlantic Sun Conference wouldn’t typically be an Extended Spring Training candidate. He’s probably hurt. Same with Wivinis, who pitched well at three full season levels last year and went to the Arizona Fall League.

Sears had some shoulder trouble last season and Keller’s been an organizational innings guy the last two years. He spent the entire 2018 season with Double-A Trenton. No way a healthy Keller goes to Extended Spring Training. Park had a nice season with High-A Tampa last year and Garcia (Wilkerman, not Anthony) had a not-so-great season with Low-A Charleston. Both would be in full season if they were healthy, especially Park.

Farquhar is not injured. He’s just working his way back following last year’s nearly fatal brain hemorrhage. Farquhar didn’t look game ready during Grapefruit League play and I figured he’d spend a few weeks in Extended Spring Training. “That’s a decision to get him going. To get him regular reps, and then when he and us feel really good about it, he’ll get out to a team,” said Aaron Boone over the weekend. Give it a few weeks and Farquhar will land with one of the affiliates, likely a quick tune-up with High-A Tampa before an assignment to Triple-A Scranton.

Everyone else in this group is a clear Extended Spring Training prospect given their age and developmental needs. Chirinos, Duran, Garcia (Anthony, not Wilkerman), Gomez, Green, Peraza, Pereira, Salinas, Smith, and Then are all teenagers. Cortijo and Torres are 20. I thought Pereira had a chance to break camp with Low-A Charleston because he’s so talented and advanced for his age, but nope. A 17-year-old (!) staying in Extended Spring Training is hardly surprising no matter how high he ranks on prospect lists.

Update: Yankees announce 2019 minor league coaching staffs

March 4, 2019 by Mike

March 4th: Coaching assignments for the two Rookie Gulf Coast League affiliates are now available, courtesy of Robert Pimpsner. I’ve updated the post below with those assignments, as well as some additional minor league coaching information at the very bottom.

February 4th: Spring Training is approaching and that means teams are finalizing their minor league coaching staffs. I know there’s nothing exciting about minor league coaches — there’s barely anything exciting about Major League coaches — but these folks will train and develop the next wave of Yankees. There’s no glory to being a minor league coach, but these folks are very important.

The Yankees and the various minor league affiliates have announced their 2019 coaching staffs over the last few weeks. Here’s a level-by-level breakdown.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Manager: Jay Bell
Pitching Coach: Tommy Phelps
Hitting Coach: Phil Plantier
Bullpen Coach: Doug Davis
Athletic Trainer: Darren London
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brad Hyde
Video: Manager: Joe Wielbruda

Perhaps most notable for scoring the winning run on Luis Gonzalez’s walk-off bloop single in Game Seven of the 2001 World Series, Bell is entering his third season in the organization. He managed High-A Tampa in 2017 and Double-A Trenton in 2018. He replaces Bobby Mitchell, who did not have his contract renewed following last season, as Scranton’s manager in 2019.

“I’m certainly excited about this opportunity,” Bell said in a statement. “I truly enjoy the New York Yankees approach to player development. The organization’s code revolves around respect, hard work and creating a winning atmosphere. We will strive to help players achieve their goals with an eye on making an impact in the Majors.”

Two years ago Baseball America named Bell the top managerial prospect in the High-A Florida State League. He has big league coaching experience with the Diamondbacks (bench coach from 2005-06), Pirates (hitting coach in 2013), and Reds (bench coach from 2014-15). Bell has said he wants to get back to the big leagues and this might be his final year in the system. If the Yankees don’t promote him to the MLB staff next year, another team could steal him away.

“Winning is important. Winning is important for player development,” Bell said to DJ Eberle. “Player development is not just about getting guys ready individually, but it’s about getting guys ready collectively. It is important to win. It is important to create that culture at the minor league level as well. I want as much success as we’ve had in Scranton the last four years — I want to continue that success.”

Phelps, Plantier, Davis, London, and Hyde are all returning to the RailRiders. This will be Phelps’ fourth season as the team’s pitching coach and Plantier’s second as hitting coach. This Doug Davis is not that Doug Davis, the former big league southpaw. This is a different Doug Davis. The RailRiders are looking for their fourth division title in five years in 2019.

Double-A Trenton Thunder

Manager: Patrick Osborn
Pitching Coach: Tim Norton
Hitting Coach: Ty Hawkins
Defensive Coach: Raul Dominguez
Bullpen Coach: Jason Phillips
Athletic Trainer: Jimmy Downam
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Anthony Velazquez
Video Manager: Mike Triller

Another move up the ladder for Osborn. This is his sixth year in the organization and he’s previously managed one of the two Rookie Gulf Coast League teams (2014), Short Season Staten Island (2015), High-A Tampa (2016 and 2018), and Low-A Charleston (2017). Osborn is said to be extremely popular with his players and he’s been considered something of a rising managerial star in the organization. He’s a new school guy with a grasp of analytics but also experience in player development.

Phillips is that Jason Phillips. The former big leaguer and Mets backup catcher. He retired as a player following Spring Training 2009 and has spent the last few years as a big league bullpen catcher with the Mariners (2009-15) and Blue Jays (2016-18). Now he’s making the transition from big league bullpen catcher to minor league bullpen coach. Norton, Hawkins, Dominguez, Downam, and Velasquez are all returning to Trenton. Norton spent a few years in the system as a bullpen prospect and was on the cusp of a big league call-up in 2011 before getting hurt. The Yankees had to scramble after that and wound up signing Cory Wade.

High-A Tampa Tarpons

Manager: Aaron Holbert
Pitching Coach: Jose Rosado
Hitting Coach: Joe Migliaccio
Defensive Coach: Kevin Mahoney
Catching Coach: Michel Hernandez
Athletic Trainer: Michael Becker
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Jacob Dunning

Welcome back to the coaching ranks, Aaron Holbert. He has been with the Yankees as a scout since 2016 and this will be his first coaching or managerial gig in the organization. Holbert played in the big leagues briefly (one game in 1996 and 22 games in 2005, so quite a gap there) and he has prior minor league managerial experience with the Indians. Holbert is essentially replacing Mitchell in the organization’s minor league managerial rotation.

Migliaccio is a new hire who joins the Yankees from the University of Iowa. We’ll come back to him later in this post. Rosado, Hernandez, Becker, and Dunning are all returning to Tampa and Mahoney is moving up from the Rookie Gulf Coast League. Rosado has been credited with helped Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Chance Adams, and several others take steps forward in their development in recent years. He’s an important behind-the-scenes member of the organization. Hernandez is the Yankees’ catching guru. He’s worked with everyone from Gary Sanchez to Luis Torrens. I reckon Donny Sands will be his project this year.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs

Manager: Julio Mosquera
Pitching Coach: Gabe Luckert
Hitting Coach: Greg Colbrunn
Defensive Coaches: Travis Chapman and Francisco Leandro
Athletic Trainer: Michael Sole
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Danny Russo
Video Manager: Nick Horning

Mosquera is entering his 14th season in the organization and his second straight year at the helm of the RiverDogs. He played briefly in the big leagues with the Blue Jays and Brewers back in the day and has held a variety of roles with the Yankees, including catching coordinator (2006-14), Rookie Gulf Coast League manager (2015-16), and Short Season Staten Island manager (2017). Mosquera is from Panama and he’s been with the Yankees for a long time now, so, as you could imagine, he was thrilled when Mariano Rivera was unanimously voted into the Hall of Fame.

Feliz de nuestro Mariano orgulloso pic.twitter.com/zbN6r1pjpS

— Julio Mosquera (@juliomosq29) January 22, 2019

“I was very excited when I got the appointment that I was going back to Charleston. It’s a great place and a great baseball town,” said Mosquera in a statement. “The fans and the front office make that ballpark an exciting place to be. I think with the coaching staff that we have now and the environment we’re in, it’s not only going to be hard work but a whole lot of fun too, especially when you show up to the ballpark and you know that fanbase and all the entertainment going on at the stadium are going to be there to back you up.”

Colbrunn returns for a fourth stint as Charleston’s hitting coach. He served as the club’s hitting coach from 2007-09, 2011-12, and 2015-16. Around that he had stints as the RiverDogs’ manager (2010), the Red Sox’s hitting coach (2013-14), and the Yankees’ minor league roving hitting instructor (2017-18). Colbrunn lives in South Carolina and he stepped down from his role with Boston to be closer to his family after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in 2014. A role with Charleston is a good fit for both him and the Yankees.

Luckert is a new addition to the staff. He spent the last two years as a pitching coach with one of the two Rookie Gulf Coast League teams. Leandro was Rookie Pulaski’s hitting coach last season. Now he’ll join Chapman, who is in his seventh year in the organization, as Charleston’s defensive coach tandem. Chapman spent last year in the same role with Triple-A Scranton. Moving him from Triple-A to Low-A and adding a second defensive suggests the Yankees want them working with specific prospects. Two defensive coaches is unusual.

Short Season Staten Island Yankees

Manager: David Adams
Pitching Coach: Travis Phelps
Hitting Coach: Ken Joyce
Defensive Coach: Tyson Blaser
Athletic Trainer: Jon Becker
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Daniel Smith
Video Manager: Paul Henshaw

Former Yankees prospect David Adams is moving up the minor league managerial ladder. He retired as a player a few years ago and this will be his third season back with the organization. Two years ago he served as a defensive coach in the Rookie Gulf Coast League and last year he managed one of the two GCL affiliates. Now Adams is moving up to Staten Island.

“I am truly honored and grateful for being chosen to manage the 2019 Staten Island Yankees alongside a knowledgeable and caring staff, both in the front office and on the field,” said Adams in a statement. “… Being in Staten Island presents us with the unique opportunity of impacting young players in our organization as well as newly drafted players in June, a duty we do not take lightly. Instilling our Yankee core values so close to Yankee Stadium, where many of these players hope to play one day, is a special privilege. My family and I are super excited for the challenge and cannot wait for June to roll around.”

Adams, 31, was the Yankees’ third round pick in 2008 and he developed into a solid prospect. His only stint in the big leagues came with the Yankees in 2013. He suited up in 43 games (!) somehow. Can’t say I remember it being that many. Anyway, Phelps, Joyce, Blaser, Becker, and Smith are all returning to Staten Island. This will be year four for Phelps with the club, year three for Becker and Smith, and year two for Joyce and Blaser.

Rookie Pulaski Yankees

Manager: Luis Dorante
Pitching Coach: Gerardo Casadiego
Hitting Coach: Scot Seabol
Defensive Coach: Teuris Olivares
Athletic Trainer: Manny Ozoa
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Larry Adegoke
Video Manager: TBD

Dorante is on the move again. This will be his eighth season in the organization and in the previous seven he served as Double-A Trenton’s pitching coach (2012-13), Low-A Charleston’s manager (2014-16), Rookie Pulaski’s manager (2017), and Double-A Trenton’s bullpen coach (2018). This will be Casadiego’s third straight season as Pulaski’s pitching coach. He spent the three previous years coaching in the Dominican Summer League. Olivares is back for his second season with Pulaski and ninth season in the organization. He’s mostly coached in the DSL.

This will be Seabol’s third year coaching in the system and second as Pulaski’s hitting coach. He held the same role with Low-A Charleston last year. There is where the annual “Seabol played one game with the 2001 Yankees and became the lowest drafted player to reach the big leagues in MLB history” reminder goes. Seabol was picked in the 88th round (1,718th overall) in 1996. Travis Phelps, Staten Island’s pitching coach, made his MLB debut with the (Devil) Rays eleven days after Seabol. Phelps was drafted three picks after Seabol and is currently the lowest drafted big leaguer in history.

Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees East

Manager: Dan Fiorito
Pitching Coach: Gabriel Tatis
Hitting Coach: ???
Defensive Coaches: Rainiero Coa and Antonio Pacheco
Athletic Trainer: Jordan Gosztola
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ty Hill

Fiorito, a native New Yorker from Yonkers, played four seasons in the farm system as an extremely popular utility player. Everyone loves him. This is his second season in the organization as a coach. He was Low-A Charleston’s defensive coach last year. Now he’s going to try his hand at managing. Pretty neat. Pacheco has been coaching in the Gulf Coast League for a while now. Both Tatis and Coa are coming up from the Dominican Summer League.

Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees West

Manager: Nick Ortiz
Pitching Coach: Justin Pope
Hitting Coach: Jake Hirst
Defensive Coach: Lino Diaz and Hector Rabago
Athletic Trainer: A.J. Cano
Strength & Conditioning Coach: James Gonzalez

This will be Pope’s tenth season in the system as a coach already. Crazy. Feels like he was closing games out for Double-A Trenton just yesterday. The Yankees originally acquired him from the Cardinals in the (second) Sterling Hitchcock trade back in 2003. Anyway, Pope has spent the last few seasons as pitching coach with Low-A Charleston. Now he’s at the home base in Tampa. Ortiz managed Rookie Pulaski last year and is entering his fourth year in the organization. Diaz and Rabago have been in the system a few years now. Hirst is a new hire.

Other Notables

As mentioned last week, the Yankees hired Dillon Lawson away from the Astros to be their new minor league hitting coordinator. He has extensive college coaching experience in addition to two one-year stints (2016, 2018) with Houston. One of Lawson’s colleagues with the Astros called him the “hitting coach of the future” for the way he uses analytics to develop training methods.

The Yankees also hired pitching coach Desi Druschel away from the University of Iowa along with Migliaccio. Hawkeyes head coach Rick Heller spilled the beans on Twitter last week. Druschel (and presumably Migliaccio since they were on the same staff) is another analytics guy. In fact, not too long ago R.J. Anderson wrote about Druschel and Lawson embracing analytics at the college level to drive their programs to success. Pretty cool stuff.

Migliaccio will be High-A Tampa’s hitting coach. Druschel is not listed as an affiliate pitching coach, which means one of two things. Either he’ll coach in the Rookie Gulf Coast League or the Yankees hired him as a pitching coordinator type. The pitching version of Lawson, basically. I’d bet on that over Druschel being a GCL coach. Anyway, here are some other quick coaching and front office notes I don’t know where else to put:

So long, Eric Duncan. He left the Yankees to join Gary Denbo and the Marlins as their minor league hitting instructor, reports Jordan McPherson. Duncan was a hitting coach in the farm system the last few years. He flamed out as the Yankees’ first round pick in 2003.
Prior to hiring Brodie Van Wagenen, the Mets asked the Yankees’ permission to interview vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring for their GM job, according to Andy Martino. Naehring politely declined the interview. He’s happy as Brian Cashman’s right-hand man.
The Yankees hired analyst Chris Pang away from the Mets, reports Martino. Pang was one of three (3) full-time analysts the Mets employed under former GM Sandy Alderson. A few weeks ago Marc Carig and Eno Sarris (subs. req’d) reported the Yankees have approximately 20 analysts, the most in baseball.

Update (February 4th at 6:09pm ET): Druschel’s title is Manager of Pitch Development, he told Dargan Southard. It is a newly created position and Drushel told Southard the Yankees weren’t going to hire anyone else for the role. They wanted to bring him into the organization and this is how they did it.

Update (March 4th at 5:30pm ET): The Yankees have two new and notable coaches in the Dominican Summer League, according to Brendan Kuty. First: Edwar Ramirez! The slender changeup specialist has rejoined the Yankees as a pitching coach. He was active as a player in the Dominican Winter League as recently as 2015. I looked forward to pitching prospects coming up from the minors with a Bugs Bunny changeup in five years.

Also, former outfield prospect Carlos Vidal has joined the Yankees as a defensive coach. Matt Eddy says the Yankees released him as a player back in January. Vidal is only 23 and he had what looked like a breakout 2015 season with Rookie Pulaski, hitting .303/.389/.492 (145 wRC+) with nine homers in 60 games, but he never built on it, and injuries took their toll as well. Now he’s giving coaching a shot.

Update (March 7th at 1:30pm ET): I forgot to include this in the last update. Former big league outfielder Julio Borbon announced his retirement on his Instagram feed, and said he has joined the Yankees as a coach. There’s no word on his exact role.

2018 Preliminary Minor League Rosters Announced

April 4, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Thursday: High-A Tampa finally announced their roster this morning. The roster has been updated below with a quick little breakdown.

Wednesday: Thursday night, the 2018 minor league regular season begins all across the country. Triple-A Scranton begins their season Friday night for whatever reason. Double-A Trenton, High-A Tampa, and Low-A Charleston all start Thursday. Hooray for the return of minor league baseball.

In recent days the various affiliates have announced their preliminary Opening Day rosters. Key word: Preliminary. These rosters are subject to change, even in the short time between now and the first pitch of the season opener. Here are quick breakdowns of the preliminary Opening Day rosters as announced by the affiliates.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Catchers (2): Kyle Higashioka, Erik Kratz
Infielders (4): Abi Avelino, Mike Ford, Jace Peterson, Gleyber Torres
Outfielders (2): Shane Robinson, Zack Zehner
Pitchers (13): RHP Chance Adams, LHP Daniel Camarena, RHP Cody Carroll, RHP Luis Cessa, RHP Cale Coshow, RHP Raynel Espinal, RHP J.P. Feyereisen, RHP Domingo German, RHP Anyelo Gomez, RHP David Hale, RHP Brody Koerner, LHP Oliver Perez, LHP Josh Rogers

There’s a few things going on with the Triple-A roster. One, they have more position players coming. Cody Asche was added in a trade earlier today and apparently Trayce Thompson will join the RailRiders as well. Also, Ryan McBroom’s Twitter account indicates he is with Scranton despite not being listed on the roster. And Miguel Andujar figures to rejoin them soon enough. So yeah, they have more bodies on the way.

Two, welcome back Daniel Camarena. He signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent over the winter and Robert Pimpsner reports he has been reacquired for future considerations. Camarena being on the roster confirms the deal. And three, the rotation to start the season will be Adams, Cessa, Hale, German, and TBA in that order, according to Conor Foley. Manager Bobby Mitchell told Foley the TBA spot will likely go to Camarena, with Rogers being the long man. My guess is Rogers will wind up in the rotation before long.

The Yankees are said to be targeting April 24th as a day to bring up a spot sixth starter, and based on the Triple-A schedule, both Cessa and Hale would line up for that start. (I’d bet on Cessa over Hale.) That said, April 24th is still three weeks away, and it wouldn’t take much effort to rejigger the rotation to have German make that April 24th start. The weather will probably throw a wrench into things before then anyway.

Double-A Trenton Thunder

Catchers (2): Chace Numata, Jorge Saez
Infielders (6): Mandy Alvarez, Vince Conde, Billy Fleming, Chris Gittens, Gosuke Katoh, Bruce Caldwell
Outfielders (4): Trey Amburgey, Rashad Crawford, Jhalan Jackson, Ben Ruta
Pitchers (14): RHP Domingo Acevedo, RHP Will Carter, RHP Jordan Foley, LHP Caleb Frare, RHP Joe Harvey, RHP Brian Keller, RHP Jose Mesa Jr., RHP Kaleb Ort, LHP James Reeves, RHP Andrew Schwaab, LHP Justus Sheffield, RHP Erik Swanson, LHP Stephen Tarpley, RHP Dillon Tate

Not much to see on the position player side in Trenton early this year. Gittens has serious pop, Amburgey is kinda interesting, and Crawford has tools to spare. That’s about it. The pitching is where it’s at. Acevedo will start Opening Day on Thursday and will be limited to 80-85 pitches, according to Matt Kardos. Not surprisingly, Acevedo confirmed he will be on an innings limit this year. He threw a career high 133 innings last season.

Kardos says the rotation behind Acevedo is likely to be Sheffield, Tate, Carter, and a Swanson/Keller piggyback in that order. I’m not surprised Sheffield will begin the season back with the Thunder. He’s still only 21 and last year’s oblique injury limited him to 17 starts and 93.1 innings at the level. Another few weeks in Trenton before a midseason promotion to Triple-A Scranton seems like the obvious plan for Sheffield.

Also, the Yankees apparently signed someone named Bruce Caldwell at some point. The 26-year-old is a former 15th round pick who spent his entire career with the Cardinals up to this point. He hit .242/.354/.410 (115 wRC+) with 14 homers in 105 games at Double-A and Triple-A last year, and signed with the Yankees as a minor league free agent. Caldwell seems like a candidate to wind up with the RailRiders if they don’t find another infielder soon.

High-A Tampa Tarpons

Catchers (2): Francisco Diaz, Keith Skinner
Infielders (5): Angel Aguilar, Diego Castillo, Tim Lynch, Hoy Jun Park, Brandon Wagner
Outfielders (4): Estevan Florial, Isiah Gilliam, Alex Palma, Pablo Olivares
Pitchers (14): LHP Phil Diehl, RHP Matt Frawley, RHP Nick Green, RHP Hobie Harris, RHP Chase Hodson, LHP Justin Kamplain, RHP Mike King, LHP Trevor Lane, RHP Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP Christian Morris, RHP Freicer Perez, RHP Adonis Rosa, RHP David Sosebee, RHP Trevor Stephan

The rotation and the outfield are the highlights here. The Yankees are jumping Loaisiga over Low-A Charleston, which is fairly aggressive, but he is 23 and he is on the 40-man roster. As long as he’s healthy, I expect Loaisiga to have little trouble with Single-A hitter. Perez and Stephan are two of the top lower level pitching prospects in the system. Especially Perez.

On the position player side, Florial returns to High-A Tampa after playing 19 games at the level last season. No brainer to me. His success will determine how quickly he gets bumped up to Double-A Trenton. Gilliam is a real nice under-the-radar prospect as a switch-hitter with power. Castillo and Park are two personal favorites. The numbers don’t jump out at you, but both guys can really play.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs

Catchers (2): Jason Lopez, Eduardo Navas
Infielders (5): Dalton Blaser, Oswaldo Cabrera, Wilkerman Garcia, Chris Hess, David Metzgar
Outfielders (4): Frederick Cuevas, Leonardo Molina, Steven Sensley, Dom Thompson-Williams
Pitchers (13): RHP Braden Bristo, RHP Luis Cedeno, LHP Dalton Lehnen, RHP Chad Martin, RHP Nick Nelson, RHP Glenn Otto, RHP Daniel Ramos, LHP JP Sears, LHP Anderson Severino, RHP Brian Trieglaff, RHP Garrett Whitlock, RHP Matt Wivinis, RHP Kyle Zurak

Interesting position player crop in Charleston this year. Cabrera is a breakout candidate and I’m curious to see how Sensley follows up last season’s big pro debut, when he hit .292/.370/.584 (158 wRC+) with 13 homers in 50 games. Garcia, Cuevas, and Molina all have good tools. Garcia and Molina in particular will try again to establish themselves as bonafide prospects.

The pitching staff is a bit all over the place. Nelson and Otto are legitimate prospects despite not being in my top 30, and I assume they’ll front the rotation. Severino (no relation to Luis) is a lefty who can run it up to 96 mph, according to Josh Norris. Sears was part of the Nick Rumbelow trade and Whitlock is a bit of a sleeper. He got an overslot $247,500 bonus as an 18th round pick last year. He might’ve been a top five rounds pick last year had he not missed time last spring with a back injury.

Injured Players

As always, several players will not be ready for the start of the season. Some we know about. Albert Abreu is still in Spring Training mode after having his appendix removed, otherwise he’d be with High-A Tampa. Thairo Estrada is still on the mend after being shot in the hip during a botched robbery in January. Gio Gallegos is out with a groin issue, prompting the Perez signing. Clarke Schmidt, last year’s first round pick, is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Other injuries are new developments. Kardos reports both Kyle Holder and Jeff Hendrix are hurt and remain in Tampa rehabbing. Both played in Grapefruit League games, so they were hurt fairly recently. Not sure what’s wrong with either or how long they’ll be sidelined. Also, Mark Payton tore a meniscus in a spring game will be out 3-6 weeks, according to DJ Eberle, and Donny Sands will reportedly miss several weeks with a broken forearm. He was hit by a backswing during a Spring Training game. Sucks. Sands is arguably the top catching prospect in the system.

Extended Spring Training

If you’re looking for a player and he’s not on an Opening Day roster, it means one of three things: He’ll start the season in ExST, he’s injured, or he’s been released. Young pitchers like Matt Sauer, Luis Medina, Roansy Contreras, and the Garcias (Rony and Deivi) are likely in ExST. Sauer, Medina, and Contreras will probably be there until the short season leagues begin in late June. I could see Rony and Deivi joining a full season affiliate within a few weeks.

Other notables not on Opening Day rosters include Dermis Garcia, Alex Vargas, Juan De Paula, Saul Torres, Juan Then, and Canaan Smith. Dermis could be headed for High-A Tampa, though that seems awfully aggressive for a guy with his swing-and-miss issues and only 30 games of experience with Low-A Charleston. Maybe he’s hurt? Hope not. A few weeks in ExST for some swing work may be on tap.

Update: Josh Norris says Dermis is currently getting over a minor injury. He’ll get some at-bats in ExST before joining an affiliate, presumably Low-A Charleston. So there you go.

Update: 2018 Minor League Coaching Staffs Announced

March 22, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

March 21st: Coaching staffs for the short season affiliates have finally been announced. I’ve added them to the bottom of the post.

February 12th: Over the last several weeks the Yankees have announced their 2018 minor league coaching staffs under new farm system head Kevin Reese. Reese replaces Gary Denbo, who left to join Derek Jeter with the Marlins. There is nothing sexy about minor league coaching staffs, but these guys are important. They help mold the next wave of prospects and Baby Bombers. Here are this year’s coaching staffs.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Manager: Bobby Mitchell
Pitching Coach: Tommy Phelps
Hitting Coach: Phil Plantier
Bullpen Coach: Doug Davis
Defensive Coach: Travis Chapman
Athletic Trainer: Darren London
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brad Hyde

Al Pedrique, who’d managed in the farm system since 2013 and was Triple-A Scranton’s manager from 2016-17, left the Yankees this offseason to become the Athletics’ first base coach. He has been very open about wanting to manage in the big leagues again, but the Yankees didn’t interview him for their managerial opening, and I assume that contributed to his decision to join the A’s. So it goes.

Mitchell joined the organization in 2016 and managed Double-A Trenton the last two seasons. Now he’s moving up to replace Pedrique. Mitchell played briefly in the big leagues (1980-83) and has extensive coaching and managerial experience in the minors. This will be his second Triple-A managerial gig after managing Triple-A Salt Lake (Angels) from 2008-10.

“From top to bottom, the Yankees have a lot of young talent moving up the ladder,” said Mitchell in a statement. “The whole system is packed with prospects and that is a really good thing. Honestly, the most satisfying part of the job is seeing guys make that jump to the big leagues. Knowing our guys are driven and are going to work hard for that goal makes us all excited to get this season going.”

Plantier is new to the organization and is replacing P.J. Pilittere as Scranton’s hitting coach. Pilittere is now the Yankees’ assistant hitting coach. Plantier played eight seasons in the show (1990-97) and, fun fact, he is the all-time home run leader among players born in New Hampshire. Since retiring as a player, Plantier has held several coaching and managerial jobs in the minors, and was the Padres’ hitting coach from 2012-14.

Phelps, Davis, London, and Hyde are all returning to the RailRiders. Phelps is entering his third season as the team’s pitching coach. Davis is not that Doug Davis, the former big league lefty. It’s a different Doug Davis. This will be his second year in the organization.

Double-A Trenton Thunder

Manager: Jay Bell
Pitching Coach: Tim Norton
Hitting Coach: Ty Hawkins
Bullpen Coach: Luis Dorante
Defensive Coach: Raul Dominguez
Athletic Trainer: Jimmy Downam
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Anthony Velasquez

With Mitchell going to Triple-A Scranton, Bell comes up from High-A Tampa to take over as Double-A Trenton manager. Last season was his first season in the farm system, and he has lots of coaching experience, including at the big league level with the Diamondbacks (bench coach from 2005-06), Pirates (hitting coach in 2013), and Reds (bench coach from 2014-15). He also worked in Arizona’s front office from 2007-09. Last year Baseball America named Bell the top managerial prospect in the High-A Florida State League.

Downam and Velasquez are returning, otherwise the rest of the coaching staff is new. Norton spent the last two seasons as pitching coach with High-A Tampa and this will be his seventh season coaching in the system overall. He pitched in the organization from 2006-11 and, as rumor has it, the Yankees were planning to call him up in 2011, but Norton came down with an injury. The Yankees then picked up Cory Wade as a replacement.

Hawkins is a Yankees lifer. This will be his 20th year coaching in the organization. He’s worked at every level at some point — Hawkins was Double-A Trenton’s hitting coach in 2005 — and most recently was a hitting coach in the rookie Gulf Coast League. Dorante has been in the system since 2011 and was rookie Pulaski’s manager last year. Dominguez was Bell’s defensive coach with High-A Tampa.

High-A Tampa Tarpons

Manager: Pat Osborn
Pitching Coach: Jose Rosado
Hitting Coach: Eric Duncan
Defensive Coach: Jose Javier
Catching Coach: Michel Hernandez
Athletic Trainer: Michael Becker
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Jacob Dunning

Yes, the Tarpons. Anyway, Tampa probably has the most interesting coaching staff in the organization, not that minor league coaching staffs are the most exciting things in the world. Osborn, who has been considered a rising managerial star the last few years, managed Low-A Charleston last season and returns to Tampa after managing the club in 2016. Javier was on Osborn’s staff as defensive coach last season, and he’s moving up as well. Becker and Dunning are returning.

Duncan is entering his fourth season coaching in the system and it’ll be his second straight season with Tampa. His mission this year: Help Estevan Florial make more consistent contact. Hernandez is the organizational catching guru. The Yankees move him from level-to-level each year to put him with a specific catching prospect. This year it’ll be Donny Sands, apparently. Hernandez has worked with Gary Sanchez and Luis Torrens in the past.

Rosado has, very quietly, played a big role in the Yankees turning around their player development system in recent years. He spent the last three seasons with Double-A Trenton and had a hand in getting pitching prospects like Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Chance Adams, and Dietrich Enns to take a step forward in their development. This year he’ll work with a talented Tampa staff that figures to include Freicer Perez, Trevor Stephan, and Albert Abreu.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs

Manager: Julio Mosquera
Pitching Coach: Justin Pope
Hitting Coach: Scott Seabol
Defensive Coach: Dan Fiorito
Athletic Trainer: Michael Sole
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Danny Russo

This will be Mosquera’s 13th season in the organization and his fourth as a manager. He managed Short Season Staten Island last year. Pope and Sole are returning to the RiverDogs, and Seabol was on the rookie Pulaski staff last season. It was his first year in the organization as a coach. He’s making the jump to full season ball this year. Fiorito, a Yonkers native, was an ultra-popular organizational player from 2013-16. He was released last season and is a rookie coach this year. Pretty cool. Can’t say I’m surprised the Yankees brought Fiorito back as a coach after reading this.

* * *

The Yankees have not yet announced their coaching staffs for Staten Island, Pulaski, or the two GCL affiliates. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been finalized. It just means they haven’t been announced yet. (The GCL staffs are never announced anyway.) The Yankees had six minor league instructors take big league jobs this offseason:

Al Pedrique: Triple-A Scranton manager to A’s first base coach.
P.J. Pilittere: Triple-A Scranton hitting coach to Yankees’ assistant hitting coach.
Carlos Mendoza: Infielder coordinator to Yankees’ quality control coach.
Josh Paul: Catching coordinator to Angels’ bench coach.
Tom Slater: Double-A Trenton hitting coach to Mets’ assistant hitting coach.
Reggie Willits: Outfield and baserunning coordinator to Yankees’ first base coach.

The Yankees have a strong player development system now, and when you have a good player development system, your instructors tend to get poached. The Yankees were able to keep Pilittere, Willits, and Mendoza in the organization, albeit with promotions to the big league staff. They weren’t as lucky with Pedrique, Slater, and Paul.

* * *

Short Season Staten Island Yankees

Manager: Lino Diaz
Hitting Coach: Ken Joyce
Pitching Coach: Travis Phelps
Athletic Trainer: Jon Becker
Strength Coach: Daniel Smith
Video Manager: Joe Wielbruda

Diaz has been coaching in the minors a very long time — this is his fourth season with the Yankees — though this is only his second managerial gig. He managed a rookie ball affiliate with the Royals back in 2001. Diaz spent last season as Double-A Trenton’s defensive coach, and prior to that he was working at the complex in Tampa. This is Joyce’s second season in the organization. He was Low-A Charleston’s hitting coach last year. Phelps is entering his third season as pitching coach with Staten Island.

Rookie Pulaski Yankees

Manager: Nick Ortiz
Hitting Coach: Francisco Leandro
Pitching Coach: Gerardo Casadiego
Defensive Coach: Teuris Olivares
Athletic Trainer: Manny Ozoa
Strength Coach: Larry Adegoke

Ortiz returns to Pulaski after managing in the Gulf Coast League last year. The longtime minor league pitcher joined the Yankees as a scout in 2016 and later that year he served as kind of a jack of all trades coach with Pulaski. Leandro comes up from the Gulf Coast League with Ortiz. This will be Casadiego’s second season as Pulaski’s pitching coach. Longtime RAB readers will remember him from DotFs back in the day. Olivares has been with the Yankees for eight years now in a variety of lower level coaching positions. This is his first season with Pulaski.

Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees East

Manager: Edgar Gonzalez
Pitching Coach: Elvys Quezada
Defensive Coaches: Kevin Mahoney and Tyson Blaser

These assignments are as reported by Robert Pimpsner. I’m not sure who the hitting coach will be for GCL East, but it might be Mahoney. He’s spent the last three years as the hitting coach in the GCL (2015), Pulaski (2016), and Staten Island (2017). Quezada is back for his fourth season as a GCL pitching coach. He, Mahoney, and Blaser are all former Yankees minor leaguers. Blaser was Triple-A Scranton’s bullpen catcher last year.

Gonzalez is new to the organization. He is Adrian Gonzalez’s older brother — Edgar did not have nearly as much big league success as his brother, though he did play in parts of two seasons with the Padres (2008-09) — and he’s spent the last few years managing in Mexico. Gonzalez also managed in the World Baseball Classic last year. I’m curious to see if this is a stopgap situation, or if the Yankees consider Gonzalez a long-term coaching keeper.

Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees West

Manager: David Adams
Hitting Coach: Rich Arena
Pitching Coach: Gabe Luckert
Defensive Coaches: Hector Rabago and Antonio Pacheco

David Adams! This is actually his second season back with the organization. He was the defensive coach for the GCL East team last season. Adams was once one of the better prospects in the organization, though things didn’t work out for a variety of reasons. Both Luckert and Pacheco are back with GCL West after holding the same roles last year. Arena is coming up from the Dominican Summer League — this is his 12th season coaching in the system — and Rabago is coming from Low-A Charleston, where he was a defensive coach last season. This is his fifth season coaching in the system already. Feels like just yesterday the Yankees drafted him as a player. Again, these assignments come from Pimpsner.

2017 Minor League Coaching Staffs Announced

February 6, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Over the last several weeks, the Yankees have announced the coaching staffs for their various minor league affiliates. Minor league coaches are the unsung heroes of any organization. These are the folks who work directly with the top prospects, and right now the Yankees sure do have an awful lot of top prospects. Here’s a quick rundown of minor league coaching staffs for the upcoming season.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Manager: Al Pedrique
Pitching Coach: Tommy Phelps
Hitting Coach: P.J. Pilittere
Defensive Coach: Doug Davis
Athletic Trainer: Darren London
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Brad Hyde

Pedrique is returning to the RailRiders after being named International League Manager of the Year last season. Scranton won the division title, the IL championship, and the Triple-A Championship Game. The RailRiders went 91-52 last year, becoming the first IL team to win 90+ games since 2002. Pedrique has climbed the managerial ladder from Low-A Charleston (2013) to High-A Tampa (2014) to Double-A Trenton (2015) to Triple-A Scranton (2016-17). He served as Astros bench coach from 2010-11 and was briefly the Diamondbacks interim manager in 2004.

Pilittere is a new addition to the Triple-A staff. He was the Double-A hitting coach the last two years after holding the same role with Tampa (2014) and Charleston (2013). I’m sure many longtime RAB readers remember Pilittere from his stint in the organization as a player. This is already his sixth year in the system as a coach. Crazy. He was always considered a future coach during his playing career because of his leadership skills. Pilittere will be in charge of Clint Frazier’s development this summer.

Also new to the staff is Davis, who is not to be confused with former big league lefty Doug Davis. This is a different Doug Davis. This Doug Davis was the Blue Jays minor league catching coordinator from 2010-16. He’s been coaching or managing in the minors since 1995, and spent the 2003-04 seasons as the Marlins bench coach. Slater, London, and Hyde are all holdovers from last year.

Double-A Trenton Thunder

Manager: Bobby Mitchell
Pitching Coach: Jose Rosado
Hitting Coach: Tom Slater
Bullpen Coach: JD Closser
Defensive Coach: Lino Diaz
Athletic Trainer: Jimmy Downam
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Anthony Velasquez

This will be Mitchell’s second season in the organization and second as manager of the Thunder. Trenton went 87-55 last season before losing the Eastern League Championship Series. Mitchell has big league coaching experience with several teams as an outfield and baserunning coach, and prior to joining the Yankees, he managed in the Cubs and Angels systems. Rosado (third year) and Closser (second year) are also returning to Trenton.

It’s worth noting Rosado’s work hasn’t received enough attention. Prior to joining Trenton, he spent four years as pitching coach in the rookie Gulf Coast League, and in recent years he’s had a big hand in getting pitchers like Jordan Montgomery, Chance Adams, Dietrich Enns, Ronald Herrera, and Daniel Camarena to take their games to another level. Rosado himself was a good young pitcher who made two All-Star Games with the Royals before his 25th birthday. (A major shoulder injury ended his career at 25.)

Slater replaces Pilittere after spending the last two seasons as hitting coach with High-A Tampa. This will be his ninth season in the organization. He’s held all sorts of coaching and managerial positions over the years. Slater will be the guy overseeing Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar this year, among others. Diaz is being promoted from the rookie Gulf Coast League while both Downam and Velasquez were with Low-A Charleston from 2014-16.

High-A Tampa Yankees

Manager: Jay Bell
Pitching Coach: Tim Norton
Hitting Coach: Eric Duncan
Defensive Coach: Raul Dominguez
Catching Coach: Michel Hernandez
Athletic Trainer: Michael Becker
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Jacob Dunning

Welcome to the Yankees, Jay Bell. The former two-time All-Star joins the organization after spending the last 12 years or so holding all sorts of jobs, including big league bench coach (Diamondbacks from 2005-06, Reds from 2014-15), big league hitting coach (Pirates in 2013), and special advisor (D’Backs from 2007-09). Perhaps Jorge Mateo will one day have an out-of-nowhere 38-homer season like Bell after having him as a manager.

Norton is back with Tampa for the second straight season. This will be his fifth season coaching in the organization after injuries sabotaged his promising playing career. Duncan, New York’s first round pick in 2003, joins the Tampa staff from Staten Island. This is his first full season coaching gig and third season coaching with the Yankees. Last year it was reported farm system head Gary Denbo wanted Duncan to coach full-time, but he wasn’t willing to commit to it yet. Apparently now he is.

Over the last few years Hernandez has emerged as the Yankees minor league catching guru. Last year he worked with Luis Torrens in Charleston, and the year before he was with Gary Sanchez in Trenton. The Yankees don’t have a notable catching prospect ticketed for Tampa, though I suppose Torrens could wind up there if (when?) the Padres return him as a Rule 5 Draft pick. Dominguez is coming up from the rookie Gulf Coast League and is one of the longest tenured instructors in the organization. He’s been around since 2006. Becker is entering his fourth year with Tampa while Dunning is coming up from Staten Island.

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs

Manager: Patrick Osborn
Pitching Coach: Justin Pope
Hitting Coach: Ken Joyce
Defensive Coach: Jose Javier
Catching Coach: Hector Rabago
Athletic Trainer: Michael Sole
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Jeff Dolan

By all accounts Osborn is a rising managerial star in the farm system, which is kinda funny because he’s being moved down from Tampa to Charleston this year. He’s going to have a fun roster. Blake Rutherford, Dermis Garcia, Estevan Florial, Isiah Gilliam, Leonardo Molina, and Hoy Jun Park could all be with the RiverDogs in 2017. It’s not a coincidence the Yankees chose Osborn to work with those prospects. Osborn joined the organization in 2014 after spending several years managing the independent Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

Joyce is a new addition to the organization. This will be his 21st season coaching in the minors, so he’s been around. Joyce spent the last five years with the Giants. Prior to that he was with the Marlins and Blue Jays. Pope, yet another former Yankees minor leaguer turned coach, returns for a second season as Charleston’s pitching coach. Rabago was a 2009 draft pick by the Yankees and is already in his fourth season as a coach. He’s joining Charleston after spending the last two seasons with rookie Pulaski. Javier, Sole, and Dolan are all new hires.

Short Season Staten Island Yankees

Manager: Julio Mosquera
Pitching Coach: Travis Phelps
Hitting Coach: Kevin Mahoney
Defensive Coach: Teuris Olivares

This will be Mosquera’s third season as a manager and 12th as an instructor with the Yankees. He spent the last two years in the rookie Gulf Coast League, and prior to that, he was the club’s longtime catching coordinator. Mosquera worked with every catching prospect from Frankie Cervelli to Jesus Montero to John Ryan Murphy to Gary Sanchez over the years. Phelps is returning as pitching coach and Mahoney, a former organizational infielder, is moving up from Pulaski. This will be Olivares’ third season in this role.

Rookie Pulaski Yankees

Manager: Luis Dorante
Pitching Coach: Gerardo Casadiego
Hitting Coach: Scott Seabol
Athletic Trainer: Manny Ozoa
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Danny Russo

After spend the last three seasons managing the RiverDogs, Dorante will now lead all the young kids in Pulaski. This is his sixth season in the organization and fourth as a manager. Prior to joining the Yankees, Dorante was the Pirates big league bullpen coach from 2008-10. I know going from Charleston to Pulaski seems like a demotion, but minor league coaches don’t get demoted. They get replaced if they don’t do a good job. Dorante is most likely here because the Yankees want him working with specific players.

Both Casadiego and Seabol are new to Pulaski. Casadiego is making the jump up from the Dominican Summer League, where he was a pitching coach last summer. This is Seabol’s first coaching job. He’s a rookie. You might remember him from that one game he played with the 2001 Yankees. Fun Fact: At the time of his MLB debut, Seabol was the lowest drafted player ever to reach the big leagues*. The Yankees drafted him in the 88th round (!) of the 1996 draft. He was the 1,718th player chosen. Wild. Ozoa is returning to Pulaski and Russo spent last season with Staten Island.

* The lowest drafted player ever to reach the show? That would be Travis Phelps, Staten Island’s pitching coach. Phelps was an 89th round pick in 1996, taken 1,721st overall by the Devil Rays. Three picks after Seabol. Phelps made his MLB debut eleven days after Seabol. The 1996 draft went 100 rounds, though every team other than the Yankees and expansion Devil Rays dropped out by the 84th round. Tampa Bay dropped out after the 97th round, yet the Yankees kept going. Don’t ask me why.

Gulf Coast League Yankees East & West

Managers: Luis Sojo and Nick Ortiz

It is damn near impossible to find information about GCL coaching staffs, but those are the managers this year, according to George King (subs. req’d). Ortiz played a very long time (1991-2012) and all over the world without ever reaching the big leagues. He had been working as a scout with the Yankees, and is now getting into managing.

You know Sojo. He’s had on and off coaching stints in the farm system over the years, including managing High-A Tampa (2006-09, 2011-12) and serving as third base coach with Triple-A Scranton (2014). Sojo was an assistant field coordinator with the big league Yankees in 2015, whatever that means. Also, he managed Double-A Norwich in 2002 before coming out of retirement in 2003 to play with the Yankees after hitting a home run at Old Timers’ Day. Yup.

Miscellaneous

One name you may notice is missing: Tony Franklin. Franklin has spent the last ten seasons managing Trenton (2007-14) and Pulaski (2015-16), and according to Jed Weisberger, he will now be in Tampa full-time as the organization’s position player rehab coach. He’ll work with everyone from rookie ball kids to big leaguers. If a position player is rehabbing in Tampa, Franklin will oversee him.

Also moving into a new role is Greg Colbrunn, who sandwiched two stints as Charleston’s hitting coach (2007-12, 2016) around a three-year stretch as the Red Sox’s big league hitting coach (2013-15). Colbrunn suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2014 and left the Red Sox a year later to be closer to his family, who live in Charleston full-time. The Yankees announced Colbrunn will now be a roving hitting instructor, so he’ll travel from affiliate to affiliate to work with all the top prospects in the system.

Sorting out the projected 2017 Triple-A Scranton roster

February 2, 2017 by Mike Leave a Comment

Over the last few seasons the Yankees and every other team in baseball have begun to use their Triple-A affiliate as an extension of their big league roster. They not only send relievers up and down whenever a fresh arm is needed, they’ll also shuttle platoon players in and out based on upcoming pitching matchups. Clubs look for every advantage possible, and these days that means having MLB and Triple-A roster flexibility.

The Yankees have built an exceptional farm system with many high-caliber prospects ticketed for Triple-A. They also have several big league roster openings with young players slated to compete in Spring Training. The refreshing emphasis on youth means projecting the 2017 Triple-A Scranton roster is damn near impossible, but that won’t stop me from trying. I do this every winter and I ain’t stoppin’ now.

Now that the non-roster invitees have been announced, let’s try to figure out what the RailRiders’ roster will look like on Opening Day. After all, these players are depth players for the Yankees, and inevitably we’re going to see many of them in MLB at some point. The top prospects get all the attention, understandably, but don’t sleep on the Chris Parmelees and Anthony Swarzaks of the world either. Those guys have a way of finding themselves in the Bronx.

Let’s begin by looking at position player candidates for the Triple-A Scranton roster. An asterisk (*) denotes the player is on the 40-man roster, which, in this situation, is kind of a big deal.

Catchers	Infielders	Outfielders	Utility
Kyle Higashioka*	Greg Bird*	Aaron Judge*	Tyler Austin*
Wilkin Castillo	Ronald Torreyes*	Mason Williams*	Rob Refsnyder*
Francisco Diaz	Ji-Man Choi	Jake Cave	Tyler Wade
Kellin Deglan	Cito Culver	Dustin Fowler
	Mike Ford	Clint Frazier
	Pete Kozma
	Donovan Solano
	Ruben Tejada

I have 20 position players in the table and these days Triple-A rosters run 25 players deep. As recent as 2011, Triple-A and Double-A teams fielded only 24-man rosters. For real. It is not at all uncommon for Triple-A clubs to carry eight-man bullpens, especially early in the season when pitchers are still getting in the swing of things and also having their workloads monitored. We need to pare that list of 20 players down to 13 or even 12.

Catchers: Barring injury, the Yankees are set with Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine behind the plate at the big league level. Romine did an okay job as the full-time backup last year, and while I wouldn’t completely rule out Higashioka winning the job in camp, it would surprise me. Remember, Romine is out of minor league options, which means if he’s not the backup catcher, he’s out of the organization. (Even if he clears waivers, he’d likely elect free agency and look for a big league opportunity elsewhere.)

The odds are strongly in favor of Romine backing up Sanchez with Higashioka biding his time as the third string catcher in Triple-A. The real question is who will back up Higashioka? Castillo seems like the safe bet considering he’s a 32-year-old journeyman with (a little) big league experience and a ton of Triple-A experience. Diaz has two games of Triple-A experience and that’s it. Deglan has barely played above Single-A. Those two figure to be the Double-A Trenton catching tandem with Higashioka and Castillo in Scranton. That’s two of our 12 position player roster spots.

Infielders: Austin, Bird, and Refsnyder are essentially competing for two big league roster spots: the first base job and a bench job. Everyone wants Bird to win the first base job, including the Yankees themselves. But, if he needs more time to shake off the rust following shoulder surgery, a return trip to Scranton could very well be in the cards. Either way, one of these three players figures to start the season with the RailRiders while the other two are with the Yankees. My guess is Refsnyder winds up in Triple-A, but who knows. Three of our 12 Triple-A roster spots are now taken.

Back to Triple-A for Mr. Refsnyder? (Presswire) — Refsnyder. (Presswire)

Solano, Tejada, and Torreyes will all compete for the big league reserve infielder’s job in Spring Training, or at least appear to compete for the job. Maybe even Kozma too. Torreyes not only filled the role admirably last season, he’s also on the 40-man roster and the other three are not. That’s one heck of a tiebreaker. Torreyes can be sent to Triple-A, he has options remaining, it’s just hard to think he could lose the bench job in Spring Training. Lil’ Ronnie in the show with the other three in Scranton seems to be the most likely outcome here. That’s six Triple-A roster spots accounted for now.

Choi has big league time and while I suppose it’s not completely impossible he wins the big league first base job should Bird need more time in Triple-A, I’d bet against it. The big league service time all but ensures Choi will start the season in Scranton, not Double-A Trenton. That figures to spell bad news for Ford, who has played only 42 career games at the Double-A level. Hard to think the Yankees would send two pure first basemen to Scranton. Choi is position player number seven.

Before we found out the Yankees re-signed Kozma, the final Triple-A infield spot came down to Culver or Ford. Now neither of them figures to get a Triple-A roster spot. They’ll likely have to go back to Double-A to begin the season. Either that, or the RailRiders will carry a six-man bullpen, and there’s no chance of that happening.

Outfield: In a roundabout way, Judge and Williams are competing for one big league roster spot. Judge will be given every opportunity to win the starting right field job, but if the Yankees determine he’s not ready for it, he could wind up back in Triple-A. In that case, Aaron Hicks would presumably take over in right field and Williams would get the fourth outfielder’s job. I suppose it could go to Refsnyder or Austin, but I think the Yankees would want an actual outfielder on the bench. There’s the eighth position player. (Hicks, by the way, is out of options and can’t be sent to Triple-A.)

Frazier is a Triple-A lock because he reached the level last season and is a priority guy as a top prospect. The Yankees aren’t going to send him to Double-A to clear a roster spot because Culver has tenure in the organization or anything like that. Fowler is another high-end prospect who had a successful season at Double-A in 2016, so an assignment to Triple-A is the natural order of things. Cave is a Triple-A veteran and the logical candidate for the fourth outfield spot. Frazier, Fowler, and Cave are position players nine, ten, and eleven.

Utility: I listed Austin and Refsnyder as utility players only because they can play the infield and outfield. They were already covered in the infield section. Wade, who is primarily an infielder but started working out in the outfield in the Arizona Fall League, had a solid Double-A season a year ago, so, like Fowler, an assignment to Triple-A makes sense. Wade is out 12th and final Triple-A position player.

Let’s quickly recap everything we just went through:

Catchers (2): Higashioka and Castillo
Infielders (4): Choi, Kozma, Solano, and Tejada
Outfielders (4): Cave, Fowler, Frazier, and either Judge or Williams
Utility (2): Wade, and one of Bird, Austin, or Refsnyder

That’s a dozen position players right there, and I suppose if the RailRiders open the season with a normal seven-man bullpen, either Culver or Ford would make the team as the 13th position player. Probably Culver. I still expect an eight-man bullpen, at least initially.

The perfect world scenario for the Yankees is Bird and Judge winning the first base and right field jobs, respectively, and Austin beating out Refsnyder for a bench spot. So, assuming that happens, here are the projected Triple-A position players, with a batting order written out because why not?

1. SS Tyler Wade
2. CF Dustin Fowler
3. LF Clint Frazier
4. DH Rob Refsnyder
5. C Kyle Higashioka
6. 3B Donovan Solano
7. 1B Ji-Man Choi
8. 2B Ruben Tejada
9. RF Mason Williams

Bench: C Wilkin Castillo, IF Pete Kozma, OF Jake Cave

The batting order is just for fun. Don’t take it to heart. Remember, players are going move around. Refsnyder won’t always DH. Wade will undoubtedly see some time in the outfield. Frazier and Williams will probably see time in all three outfield spots. Heck, Solano and Tejada will probably roam around the infield too. These things are very fluid. That, however, is the projected Triple-A Scranton group of position players based on everything we know at the moment. Now let’s get to the pitchers.

Starters	Righty Relievers	Lefty Relievers
Luis Cessa*	Johnny Barbato*	Richard Bleier*
Dietrich Enns*	Gio Gallegos*	Chasen Shreve*
Chad Green*	Ben Heller*	Joe Mantiply
Ronald Herrera*	Jonathan Holder*	Jason Gurka
Bryan Mitchell*	J.P. Feyereisen	Evan Rutckyj
Luis Severino*	Mark Montgomery
Chance Adams	Matt Wotherspoon
Daniel Camarena
Kyle Haynes
Brady Lail
Jordan Montgomery

Lots of pitchers. Lots and lots of pitchers. There are 23 of ’em in the table, and if that sounds like a lot, consider the RailRiders used 37 different pitchers last season, including 22 different starters. They used 45 pitchers and 24 different starters in 2015. So yeah, 23 pitches in the table seems like a lot, but it’s maybe half as many as Scranton will need to get through the season. Before you know it they’ll be signing Phil Coke out of an independent league again. That’s baseball, yo.

Rotation: At the moment, the Yankees have to two open big league rotation spots, which Brian Cashman & Co. insist will go to two young pitchers. Cashman has specifically singled out Cessa, Green, Mitchell, and Severino as the candidates for those jobs. (Adam Warren too, but I don’t think he’ll actually open the season in the rotation unless all hell breaks loose in camp.) My money is on Severino and Cessa getting the rotation spots. We’ll see.

In theory, the Yankees would send the two losers of the rotation competition to Triple-A, where they would bide their time until they need another starter in the Bronx. Sounds simple enough. That’s not necessarily how it will work though. In 2014 the Yankees held a three-way competition for the long reliever job — not even a rotation spot, the long reliever spot — between Warren, David Phelps, and Vidal Nuno. The Yankees ended up carrying all three on the Opening Day roster because they were the best men for the job.

Who’s to say that, if Cessa and Severino were to win the two rotation spots, that Green and Mitchell wouldn’t be in the bullpen? That really complicates things and is why I included guys like Haynes and Lail in this exercise. More than a few of those 40-man roster Triple-A rotation candidates could wind up in the big league bullpen, creating a need for starters in Scranton. Geez, that’s a mouthful.

Anyway, this is what I think will happen: two of the Cessa/Green/Mitchell/Severino quartet get big league rotation spots and a third winds up in the bullpen as the long man. The fourth goes to Scranton as the de facto sixth starter. That means, based our table, we’re left with seven candidates for the four remaining Triple-A rotation spots: Adams, Camarena, Enns, Haynes, Herrera, Lail, and Montgomery.

Two of the four spots are easy. They’ll go to Adams and Montgomery, two of the better pitching prospects in the organization, both of whom are ready for Triple-A. (Montgomery thrived there in his brief stint last year.) Enns and Herrera are on the 40-man roster, which could give them a leg up for the final two Triple-A rotation spots. I do wonder whether the Yankees will move Enns to the bullpen since that’s likely his ultimate destination.

For now, I’m guessing Enns remains a starter, meaning Scranton’s five-man rotation to start the season will be, in whatever order, Adams, Enns, Herrera, Montgomery, and one of Cessa, Green Mitchell, or Severino. That leaves Camarena, Haynes, and Lail out in the cold. The projected Double-A rotation is pretty stacked (Ian Clarkin, Josh Rogers, Justus Sheffield, etc.) so it’s not as simple as bumping them down a level. Hmmm.

Bullpen: Right now, the Yankees have five big league bullpen spots accounted for: Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, Tyler Clippard, Tommy Layne, and Warren. Layne is out of options, so if he doesn’t make the big league bullpen, he’s probably out of the organization. No Triple-A for him. I assumed in the previous section one of the four young starters winds up in the bullpen, which means six of seven big league bullpen spots are accounted for in this little exercise.

I have 12 relievers in the table plus Camarena, Haynes, and Lail to consider, so that’s 15 pitchers total. One of those 15 is going to get the final big league bullpen spot, so it’s really 14 pitchers for eight Triple-A bullpen spots. In all likelihood one of the 40-man roster guys will get that last bullpen job with the Yankees. It doesn’t really matter which one, specifically. My money is on Bleier because the Yankees really seem to like him, but ultimately the name doesn’t matter.

Why doesn’t it matter? Because there are six 40-man relievers in that table, and whichever ones don’t get that final MLB bullpen spot will wind up in Triple-A, no questions asked. None of ’em are going to Double-A. That’s five Triple-A bullpen spots accounted for already, which leaves us nine pitchers for the final two or three bullpen spots (depending whether they carry a seven or eight-man bullpen): Camarena, Feyereisen, Gurka, Haynes, Lail, Mantiply, Montgomery, Rutckyj, and Wotherspoon.

The Yankees signed Gurka as a minor league free agent earlier this offseason and he has some big league bullpen time with the Rockies, so I think he gets a Triple-A bullpen spot. Cashman talked up Mantiply at the town hall two weeks ago and he has a tiny little bit of big league time too, so I think he gets a Triple-A bullpen spot as well. If the RailRiders employ an eight-man bullpen — and to be clear, the Yankees make that decision, not the RailRiders — I think it would be Feyereisen. Just a hunch. Camarena, Haynes, Lail, Montgomery, Rutckyj, and Wotherspoon end up in Double-A for the time being. (One or two might even get released.)

Alright, so after all of that, my projected 13-man Triple-A Scranton pitching staff shakes out like this:

Rotation (5): Adams, Enns, Herrera, Montgomery, and one of Cessa, Green, Mitchell, or Severino.
Bullpen (8): Feyereisen, Gurka, Mantiply, and five of Barbato, Bleier, Gallegos, Heller, Holder, or Shreve.

After going through all of that, I must point out the odds are strongly in favor of this post being a complete waste of time. Guys are going to get hurt in Spring Training, released before the end of camp, whatever. These things change and they change a lot. Trying to project the Triple-A Opening Day roster in late January is a fool’s errand, so I guess that makes me a fool.

I still think it can be instructive to go through this exercise each year, even though it’s prone to blowing up in my face. It’s good to get an idea of how the Triple-A roster will shake out, see where the Yankees have depth, and who the call-up candidates are at any given moment. I have a tendency to forget about Herrera, personally. Laying this all out is a good reminder that hey, he’s probably going to be in the Scranton rotation. So even though this is all very subject to change, I think we get a good grasp of what the Triple-A roster may look like come April.

DotF: Solak’s first pro homer helps Staten Island to a win

July 22, 2016 by Mike Leave a Comment

Here are the day’s notes:

RHP Chance Adams was included in the Helium Watch section of this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. Interestingly enough, the write-up says his changeup is more advanced than his slider, which is pretty much the exact opposite of everything I’ve read since he was drafted last year. Weird.
RHP Jordan Foley was promoted to Double-A Trenton and LHP Nestor Cortes has been promoted to High-A Tampa, according to Josh Norris. They’ve both had very nice years. Foley, the team’s fifth round pick two years ago, is a full-time reliever now.
Reggie Jackson is joining the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders ownership group, reports Shane Hennigan. He’ll be part of the ownership group and serve as a special advisor to the club. So that’s two celebrity owners in the system. Bill Murray owns part the Charleston RiverDogs.
Here’s a good story on the Pulaski franchise by Benjamin Hill. Two years ago the ballpark was run down and attendance was terrible, which led to the Mariners ending their affiliation. A new owner came in, renovated the park, hooked up with the Yankees, and now the franchise is the crown jewel of the Appalachian League.

Triple-A Scranton (6-5 win over Durham in ten innings)

CF Mason Williams: 3-5, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB — 18-for-44 (.409) in his last eleven games
LF Ben Gamel: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB — walk-off single
C Gary Sanchez: 0-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB — picked a runner off second with a snap throw
1B Ike Davis: 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
DH Tyler Austin: 1-4, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Brady Lail: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 5/2 GB/FB — 43 of 70 pitches were strikes (61%)
LHP Phil Coke: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2/0 GB/FB — 17 of 29 pitches were strikes (58%)
RHP Gio Gallegos: 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 1 Balk, 0/3 GB/FB — 30 of 44 pitches were strikes (68%) … 71/13 K/BB in 55.1 innings
RHP Nick Goody: 1 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 0/1 GB/FB — seven of 13 pitches were strikes (54%)

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