Yankees Prospects: Week 18 minor league review

The bats of Agustin Ramirez and Omar Martinez stayed hot last week as July came to a close, and we saw Estevan Florial continue to rake in Triple-A and continue to make his case for a roster spot.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Record: 12-13 (second half) and 4.5 games back in the International League East after losing 5 out of 6 games with the Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays)

Run Differential: +1

Coming up: At home for 6 games against the Rochester Red Wings (Nationals) starting Tuesday, August 1

It is well documented at this point what the Yankees should be seeking for their major league roster. Left-handed hitters who can hit for power. Speed. Athleticism. Outfield defense. Estevan Florial checks every one of those boxes, but for reasons known only inside the offices of baseball operations at Yankee Stadium, he will not be given a chance to play regularly above Triple-A. The Yankees have earned little benefit of the doubt when it comes to their evaluation or handling of young players, so while Florial’s issues with striking out likely weigh heavily in his placement, at some point the positives have to be taken more prominently into consideration.

Florial was a force on offense last week again. A slash line of .333/.400/.667, two homers, three doubles, six RBI, and four runs scored in six games against Buffalo. Yes, he struck out nine times, but if he’s going to get on base at a 40 percent clip it makes the whiffs a lot more tolerable. There is no reason to think Florial’s production at the plate would translate directly to the big leagues, but he can offer defense in left field and a legitimate backup in center, two areas of weakness right now. When considering the alternatives available at the moment, there is less and less of a reason to keep him down. A 40-man roster move would be necessary, and those spots are precious, but Florial has put himself in a position to deserve one again.

Players of note (stats are season totals):

3B Andrés Chaparro: .819 OPS, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 18 2B, 60 R, 49 BB

OF Estevan Florial: .982 OPS, 23 HR, 59 RBI, 63 R, 50 BB, 18 SB, 109 K

OF Everson Pereira: .950 OPS, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 5 2B, 14 R (18 games)

C Carlos Narvaez: .856 OPS, 8 HR, 23 RBI, 27 R, 5 2B, 32 BB (47 games)

2B Jamie Westbrook: .935 OPS, 15 HR, 44 RBI, 12 2B, 51 R

SP Will Warren: 5.52 ERA, 44.0 IP, 43 H, 26 BB, 46 K

SP Mitch Spence: 5.02 ERA, 107.2 IP, 112 H, 38 BB, 92 K

SP Randy Vásquez: 5.04 ERA, 69.2 IP, 73 H, 39 BB, 80 K

SP Clayton Beeter: 7.04 ERA, 23.0 IP, 23 H, 13 BB, 25 K

RP Matt Krook: 1.05 ERA, 25.2 IP, 8 H, 18 BB, 46 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Record: 16-10 and a half-game up in the Eastern League Northeast after winning 5 out of 6 games with the Bowie Baysox (Orioles)

Run Differential: +58

Coming up: On the road for 6 games against the Akron RubberDucks (Indians) starting Tuesday, August 1

There was some rightful concern over the performance of Jasson Domínguez in the month of June, but after another solid week in which he slashed .320/.414/.400 against Bowie, the month of July will end up looking much different. Domínguez just put the finishing touches on a month that saw him put up a line of .304/.385/.424, hit two homers, drive in 15, score 12, and steal 10 bases. He struck out a manageable 24 percent of the time in July and maintained a strong walk rate of 11.5 percent. It would be great if all he ever did was tear the cover off the ball, but steady improvement works just fine for a 20-year-old in Double-A.

An often overlooked player who shares the outfield with Domínguez is Jeisson Rosario, but he too has been a major contributor to the Somerset offense over the last month. His line of .304/.443/.482 from the bottom of the order in July have been a big reason the Patriots have a run differential of +58 in the second half alone.

Players of note:

OF Jasson Domínguez: .724 OPS, 12 HR, 52 RBI, 68 BB, 29 SB, 65 R

SS Trey Sweeney: .788 OPS, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 18 2B, 62 R, 15 SB

1B T.J. Rumfield: .785 OPS, 17 HR, 50 RBI, 11 2B, 40 R (injured list)

3B Tyler Hardman: .890 OPS, 26 HR, 56 RBI, 56 R, 9 2B, 9 SB

SP Chase Hampton: 4.54 ERA, 39.2 IP, 35 H, 48 K, 14 BB

SP Richard Fitts: 3.80 ERA, 106.2 IP, 96 H, 118 K, 26 BB

SP Yoendrys Gómez: 1.72 ERA, 31.1 IP, 18 H, 36 K, 20 BB

RP Edgar Barclay: 1.32 ERA, 34.0 IP, 26 H, 51 K, 11 BB

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Record: 15-15 and 5 games back in the South Atlantic League North after winning 4 out of 6 with the Hickory Crawdads (Rangers)

Run Differential: +32

Coming up: On the road for 6 games against the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals) beginning Tuesday, August 1

Spencer Henson has been overshadowed by some of his teammates this year, which is going to happen when Spencer Jones is on the roster and a player like Agustin Ramirez comes along and catches fire, but he deserves credit for his steady production. Henson made his at-bats count this week, homering 3 times in 12 trips to the plate, which means he now leads the team with 13 home runs for the season. His .856 OPS also leads the Renegades who have been on the roster all year. Henson likely needs to hit like this to keep earning opportunities going forward, but Hudson Valley has benefited greatly from what he’s accomplished so far.

After Drew Thorpe took home the award last week, Hudson Valley had another member of their staff earn South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week. This time it was Luis Velasquez out of the bullpen, after throwing 5.2 perfect innings in relief against Hickory where he struck out 8. Velasquez has adjusted well to High-A, and his 0.77 ERA in July has helped fill the void after Bailey Dees and Danny Watson were promoted to Somerset.

Players of note:

OF Spencer Jones: .814 OPS, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 24 2B, 4 3B, 50 R, 25 SB

C Agustin Ramirez: 1.202 OPS, 7 HR, 17 RBI, 10 2B, 18 R (22 games)

OF Christopher Familia: .789 OPS, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 3 2B, 15 R (21 games)

SP Zach Messinger: 4.09 ERA, 83.2 IP, 73 H, 101 K, 42 BB

SP Drew Thorpe: 2.70 ERA, 103.1 IP, 78 H, 128 K, 32 BB

SP Juan Carela: 3.67 ERA, 83.1 IP, 65 H, 109 K, 32 BB

SP Tyrone Yulie: 4.66 ERA, 75.1 IP, 58 H, 89 K, 41 BB

RP Jack Neely: 2.18 ERA, 45.1 IP, 26 H, 70 K, 16 BB

Low-A Tampa Tarpons

Record: 15-15 and 6 games back in the Florida State League West after splitting 6 games with the Dunedin Blue Jays

Run Differential: -23

Coming up: On the road for 6 games with the Bradenton Marauders (Pirates) beginning Tuesday, August 1

Two players who have drawn some spotlight in Tampa enjoyed good weeks. Justin Lange’s best start in a long time came against Dunedin. In six innings he allowed six hits and only one earned run while striking out 10. Even better news was that he walked two batters, which has been an area of concern throughout the last three months. Consistency to go with real potential is what Lange will be seeking in the coming weeks.

On the other side of the ball, Omar Martinez has become the focal point of the offense. He had a huge week against the Blue Jays, slashing .348/.423/.826, homering three times, hitting two doubles, driving in eight, and scoring seven times. That brought his home run total for July up to seven, in a month that saw him put up a .993 OPS. The 22-year-old lefty-hitting catcher is a player to watch through the rest of the season.

Players of note:

2B Jared Serna: .826 OPS, 67 R, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 18 2B, 19 SB

OF Anthony Hall: .844 OPS, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 40 R, 9 2B, 2 3B

1B/3B/C Jesus Rodriguez: .796 OPS, 6 HR, 37 RBI, 49 R, 14 2B, 15 SB

C/1B Omar Martinez: .811 OPS, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 42 R, 11 2B, 8 SB

SP Justin Lange: 4.92 ERA, 64.0 IP, 44 H, 102 K, 51 BB

RP Cole Ayers: 4.04 ERA, 42.1 IP, 42 H, 57 K, 15 BB

RP Yorlin Calderon: 3.46 ERA, 54.2 IP, 47 H, 68 K, 15 BB

Prospect of the week: Agustin Ramirez

Ramirez has not stopped hitting since he made it to Hudson Valley. Last week he was 10-for-23, good for a line of .435/.480/.826 and with three homers, four RBI, and eight runs scored. It’s too much to ask for Ramirez to keep up this pace, but it has certainly been fun to watch and his prospect status continues to rise.

Monday’s games

FCL Yankees (23-14): Won vs. FCL Phillies 10-6 (game completed after 6 inning due to lightning; second game of double-header postponed)

2B Roc Riggio 1-3, R, BB, HBP, 2 K — Pro debut for the 4th round pick
RF Willy Montero 1-4, 2 R, 2 K
1B Kiko Romero 1-3, 2 R, BB, K
SS Hans Montero 1-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, E
LF Jared Wegner 3-4, 2 2B, HR (2), 2 R, 5 RBI — 2nd homer in 9 pro at-bats
CF Wilson Rodriguez 1-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 K — Pro debut for the 17th rounder
C Edinson Duran 2-4, K
DH Juan Sanchez 2-4, K (removed for pinch-runner Dayro Perez)
3B Edward Sanchez 0-3, BB, K

Carlos Lagrange 3.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Nolberto Henriquez 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HR
Sebastian Keane (W, 2-0) 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

DSL Bombers (19-19): Won vs. DSL Tigers 2 6-2

CF Richard Meran 0-4, BB, SB, 4 K, CS
3B Gabriel Terrero 1-4, HR (6), R, RBI, 2 K
C Edgleen Perez 0-3, R, BB, SB, K
RF Gabriel Lara 0-2, R, 2 BB, 2 SB, picked off 2nd
LF Ramiro Altagracia 1-3, 2 RBI
SS Kevin Verde 1-3, R, BB, SB
2B Abrahan Ramirez 2-4, 2 R, 3 SB
1B David Beckles 0-1, RBI, 2 BB, K, SF
DH Geyber Blanco 0-4, 2 K

Michell Chirinos 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Michael Peres (W, 1-1) 3.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Keninson Diaz (H, 1) 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Christopher Medina 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

DSL Yankees (23-14): Win vs. DSL Orioles Black 5-4 (10 innings)

CF Brando Mayea 0-4, HBP, 3 K
RF Jose Castro 0-2, R, 3 BB, 2 SB, K, CS
C Josue Gonzalez 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 K
SS Santiago Gomez 0-5, K, E
3B Luis Suarez 2-4, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB, K. E
1B Luis Ogando 1-3, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, CS
2B Luis Escudero 0-4, K
PH Jhon Imbert 0-0, BB
DH Jelson Coca 2-5, RBI, K
LF Niurby Asigen 0-2, 2 BB, SB

Jorge Luna 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Orvis Fernandez 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 4 WP
Jose Rodriguez (BS, 1), 1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, WP
Saul Brinez (W, 1-1) 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K