Prospects of the Week:
Greg Bird (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre)
Bird had a rough start to his Triple-A career, going 11 for his first 47 at-bats (.234 average). Luckily, his talent won out, and the first baseman has a .375 average over his past 10 games, with three home runs and a double. The jump from Double-A to Triple-A is a big one, so it’s very encouraging to see Bird adjust to the next level so quickly. Bird’s not going to continue hitting .375, but his bat is at least a 55, and hitting around .280-plus at the highest level is possible. He struck out just 14.2 percent of the time in Double-A this season, and if that trend continues in Triple-A (currently at 21.4 percent), we could be looking at a serious big-league option by fall.
At the plate, Bird isn’t a whole lot different than Aaron Judge in terms of in-game tools. This statement may sound ridiculous, but despite the difference in raw power (Judge easily has 70-plus raw to Bird’s 65-ish), the game power doesn’t have much of a gap. Both prospects also have above-average bats as well, with Bird having a better approach at the plate. Bird’s not going to give much value on defense (he’s a first baseman) and doesn’t run well, which is why one of these two players is a consensus top-50 prospect and the other isn’t. That being said, Bird should be able to rake at the plate, hitting for average while getting on base and possibly hitting 25 or more home runs at his peak. He’s without a spot on the big-league club now, though, with Teixeira mashing at first base and A-Rod mashing at DH, but he’s an injury away from being called up.
Greg Bird’s third home run in Triple-A on Wednesday.
Hoy Jun Park (Rookie-League Pulaski)
Our first July 2nd prospect of this series, Park was the only non-Latin signing the Yankees came away with last season. Park is only in Rookie Ball, but he’s flashing his tools already. A great 12 percent walk rate has allowed him to be active on the base paths, and his eight steals in just 24 games back up his plus speed. He’s hitting .264, but has made plenty of contact and the 19-year-old is far from overmatched. In the field, he has the tools to stick at shortstop and be a solid defender.
Park doesn’t project to reach double-digit home runs, but he does have a swing conducive for power, and if the 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect adds more muscle, he could have average power. Park doesn’t have a flashy profile, but the overall product is something to get excited about. He is at least three years away from the big leagues, but is more polished than most 19-year-olds and a serious name to watch in this system.
Rookie Davis (High-A Tampa)
Today in Yankee pitching prospects with great numbers who may not be overachieving: Rookie Davis. Davis has a 3.10 ERA, 2.04 FIP, and most impressively, a 10.10 K/9 and 1.60 BB/9. Davis has come out of nowhere to be dominant at High-A, and his stuff supports the numbers.
Featuring a mid-90s fastball with a curveball and changeup, the big man has also spotted his pitches incredibly well, allowing him dominate the opposition. But, Davis is 22 and old for his current level. He may just be a late bloomer, as the 14th-round draft pick in 2011 threw just 69 innings in his first two seasons with the club and lacked polish. Something’s clicked with the right hander, (his K/9 didn’t go from 7.57 in low-A to 10.10 in High-A in one year because it felt like it), and Davis could now be a fast mover. Moving to Double-A later this season is certainly possible, and if he continues to put up good numbers, we could be looking at a “legit” pitching prospect.
Scranton Wilkes/Barre RailRiders (53-47)
Friday:
RailRiders 4, Bats 1
Saturday:
RailRiders 3, Bats 6
Sunday:
RailRiders 7, Bats 1
Monday:
RailRiders 0, Indians 5
Tuesday:
RailRiders 2, Indians 3
Wednesday:
RailRiders 10, Indians 5
Thursday:
RailRiders 2, Indians 1
Notable Performances from the Week:
C Gary Sanchez: 6-19 (.316), 2B, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI, SB, 3 BB, 3 K
1B Greg Bird: 11-27 (.407), HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K
2B/LF Jose Pirela: 10-28 (.357), 2B, 8 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB, 4 BB, 3 K
LF Aaron Judge: Has not played, out with “just day to day stuff.”
RHP Diego Moreno: 4.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 0 H, BB, 2 K, 53 pitches—4.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 53 pitches
Trenton Thunder (52-45)
Friday:
Thunder 3, Mets 6
Saturday:
Thunder 2, Mets 3
Sunday:
Thunder 4, Mets 9
Monday:
Thunder 4, Sea Dogs 5
Tuesday:
Thunder 2, Sea Dogs 3
Wednesday:
Thunder 5, Sea Dogs 1
Thursday:
Thunder 5, Sea Dogs 1
Notable Performances from the Week:
3B/SS Cito Culver: 3-18 (.167), 2B, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 8 K
LF Taylor Dugas: 8-17 (.471), 3 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Danny Burawa: 4.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 2 H, BB, 7 K, 61 pitches—4.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 7 K, 61 pitches
Tampa Yankees (47-50)
Friday:
Stone Crabs 2, Yankees 0
Saturday:
Stone Crabs 3, Yankees 0
Sunday:
Yankees 2, Manatees 0
Tuesday:
Yankees 2, Manatees 5
Yankees 2, Manatees 3
Wednesday:
Miracle 2, Yankees 6
Thursday:
Miracle 7, Yankees 4
Notable Performances from the Week:
SS Tyler Wade: 7-24 (.292), 3B, RBI, 2 SB, CS, BB, 2 K
RHP Rookie Davis: 8.0 IP, 2 R/ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 9 K
RHP Vincente Campos: 5.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 3 H, BB, 6 K
RHP Cale Coshow: 4.2 IP, 0 R/ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K
Charleston RiverDogs (43-54)
Friday:
RiverDogs 6, Sand Gnats 2
Saturday:
RiverDogs 3, Sand Gnats 6
Sunday:
RiverDogs 1, Sand Gnats 4
Monday:
RiverDogs 1, Savannah 2
Tuesday:
Shorebirds 2, RiverDogs 0
Wednesday:
Shorebirds 2, RiverDogs 0
Thursday:
Miracle 2, Yankees 6
Notable Performances from the Week:
SS Jorge Mateo: 8-22 (.364), 3 2B, 4 R, 6 SB, 3 BB, 4 K
RHP Joey Maher: 4.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 5 H, 3 K, 61 pitches—5.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K
RHP Matt Wotherspoon: 3.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 5 K, 47 pitches
Staten Island Yankees (19-13)
Friday:
Cyclones 4, Yankees 3
Saturday:
Spinners 1, Yankees 3
Sunday:
Spinners 3, Yankees 4
Monday:
Spinners 4, Yankees 5
Tuesday:
Yankees 4, Scrappers 5
Wednesday:
Yankees 1, Scrappers 2
Thursday:
Yankees 12, Scrappers 4
Notable Performances from the Week:
LF Zack Zehner: 5-28 (.179), 2B, 2 HR, 6 R, 5 RBI, SB, 5 BB, 5 K
CF Jeff Hendrix: 5-27 (.185), 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB, 10 K
LHP Derek Callahan: 6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
RHP Kolten Mahoney: 6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K—6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 K
Pulaski Yankees (17-13)
Friday:
Royals 3, Yankees 7
Saturday:
Yankees 0, Rays 1
Sunday:
Yankees 4, Rays 5
Monday:
Yankees 10, Rays 4
Tuesday:
Yankees 2, Mets 5
Wednesday:
Yankees 6, Mets 5
Thursday:
Yankees 2, Mets 5
Notable Performances from the Week:
C Austin Afendir: 12-31 (.387), 5 2B, 2 R, 7 RBI, 8 K
CF Carlos Vidal: 7-25 (.280), 2 2B, 5 R, RBI 2 SB, 3 BB, 3 K
RHP Melvin Morla: 6.0 IP, 2 R/ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 5 K
LHP Nestor Cortes: 6.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 H, BB, 6 K–4.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K
RHP Simon De la Rosa: 5.2 IP, 1 R/ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Lead photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports