Prospects of the Week:
Jorge Mateo:
In a deadline for the ages, the Yankees have been relatively quiet (so far!). This can partially be attributed to the Yankees unwillingness to part with their top four prospects. Everyone knows about the potential ace, Luis Severino, the towering Aaron Judge, and Greg Bird, widely recognized as the best pure hitter in the system. That leaves the fourth “untouchable” prospect. The one that’s still in Low-A ball, only 20 years old, and unlike any player in the Yankees system. I’m talking about minor league stolen base leader Jorge Mateo.
It’s not too often that a prospect has an 80 tool, which is what makes Mateo so special. His speed is a top of the scale 80, and he’s used that talent to steal 70 bases (84 tries) in 2015. Mateo’s not a one trick pony, though, and while his other tools aren’t quire as exciting, they are certainly enough to make Mateo a big-time prospect.
If he wants to be a prolific base stealer, Mateo will have to make consistent contact and get on base at a reasonable clip. Luckily for him, Mateo’s bat could eventually be above average. The power outlook isn’t as rosy, and Mateo only has two home runs this season with a his slugging percentage of .384. That being said, he has more pop than he’s shown and could eventually approach double digit home runs.
Scouts are split on Mateo’s future at shortstop, and he has 21 errors on the season. He could eventually be an average defender there, but to expect much more would be reaching. That being said, if Mateo can stick at shortstop and reach his potential of a 55 bat and 45+ power, we could be looking at a first-division player, and even an occasional All-Star.
Ben Gamel:
In seasons past, the Yankees system has had many more notable failures than successes. Luckily this year we’ve seen excellent progression in the system: not just with the high profile names, but also with some fringe prospects. Ben Gamel, younger brother of ex-MLB’er Mat Gamel, is one of those under-the-radar players. Gamel was seen as a possible fourth outfielder going into 2015, but he’s torn up Triple-A this season.
As you can tell, Gamel is recording career highs in almost every single stat this year by huge margins. Even more remarkable, though, is that he is doing this in his first go-around at Triple-A. So what’s going on? To start, he has an inflated BABIP (.346). It isn’t an absurd number, though, and based on that stat alone, his numbers aren’t a fluke. In fact, often a high BABIP in the minors can be indicative of a player simply hitting the ball harder, not just getting lucky. Gamel’s walk rate is up to 8.4% from 6.1% last year. This isn’t huge news, but it’s good to see him walking a bit more. His K% is up 3.3% to 18.3%. That rate isn’t ideal, but it won’t kill him in the future, and a slightly altered plate approach could be responsible for more power and more strikeouts.
It would take an in-game look to see if Gamel’s tools have truly ticked up, but from a numbers standpoint, Gamel looks like he has a solid MLB future. He is hitting for much more power this season (6 HR doesn’t sound like much, but it equals his 2013 and 2014 seasons combined), and has also stolen 8 bases on the year. His ceiling is obviously not that high, but 10 HR and 15 SB with a .270+ average isn’t out of the question, especially with his left handed swing in Yankee Stadium. Yes, that stat line is the absolute best case scenario, but it could result in a second-division starting outfielder. Considering that he was previously considered to have fourth outfielder upside, this has been a big step forward for Gamel.
Carlos Vidal:
If you’ve been reading these minor league updates, you’ve probably noticed one name show up every single time in Rookie Ball. Carlos Vidal, 19 years old out of Lorica, Colombia, has been doing some interesting stuff for the Pulaski Yankees this season. After hitting .361 with one home run, 13 doubles, 7 triples, 13 stolen bases (12 caught stealing), and 42 BB to 32 K’s in the Dominican Summer League, Vidal is at it again.
He’s crushed five home runs already in just 33 games, with 11 doubles (alas, no triples), and has 13 stolen bases to three caught stealing. His prodigious plate discipline is…well, no longer prodigious, and he has a 15 to 28 BB/K ratio. But, Vidal is also hitting .312. There’s basically no information out there on Vidal, but he’s flashed some interesting tools early on in his career and is worth keeping an eye on.
Scranton Wilkes/Barre RailRiders
Friday:
Mud Hens 3, RailRiders 9
Saturday:
Mud Hens 2, RailRiders 10
Sunday:
Mud Hens 1, RailRiders 2
Monday:
IronPigs 3, RailRiders 1
Tuesday:
IronPigs 3, RailRiders 5
Wednesday:
RailRiders 9 , IronPigs 4
Thursday:
RailRiders 3, IronPigs 2
Notable Performances from the Week:
CF Ben Gamel: 10-24, 3 3B, HR, 6 R, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 4 K
2B Rob Refsnyder: 6-26, 2 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, BB, 6 K
1B Greg Bird: 5-26, 2B, HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, BB, 4 K
2B/LF Jose Pirela: 8-21, 3 2B, 4 R, 6 RBI, 4 BB, K
RHP Bryan Mitchell: 5.0 IP, 2 R/ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K
RHP Luis Severino: 6.0 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, H, 10 K—5.0 IP, 3 R/ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Trenton Thunder
Friday:
Mets 2, Thunder 1
Saturday:
Mets 0, Thunder 3
Sunday:
Mets 8, Thunder 0
Monday:
Sea Dogs 2, Thunder 3
Tuesday:
Sea Dogs 1, Thunder 2
Wednesday:
Sea Dogs 2, Thunder 4
Thursday:
Thunder 3, Baysox 4
Notable Performances from the Week:
LF Danny Oh: 8-21, 2B, 4 R, SB, 2 BB, 2 K
LHP Caleb Smith: 7.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 2 H, BB, 3 K—5.2 IP, 1 R/ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K
RHP Brady Lail: 9.0 IP, 0 R/ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K—6.0 IP, 4 R/ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Tampa Yankees
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 Abiatel Avelino: 6-26, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB, 2 BB, 6 K
3B Miguel Andujar: 6-20, 2 2B, 2 R, BB, 4 K
RHP Cale Coshow: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K
Charleston RiverDogs
Friday:
Shorebirds 7, RiverDogs 8
Saturday:
Drive 2, RiverDogs 7
Sunday:
Drive 10, RiverDogs 2
Monday:
Drive 5, RiverDogs 3
Tuesday:
Drive 1, RiverDogs 2
Notable Performances from the Week:
SS Jorge Mateo: 4-19, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 4 SB, BB, 4 K
RHP Matt Wotherspoon: 6.0 IP, 2 R/ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 9 K
RHP Joey Maher: 6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 4 K
RHP Jordan Foley: 6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Staten Island Yankees
Friday:
Yankees 5, Black Bears 7
Saturday:
Yankees 0, Black Bears 3
Sunday:
Yankees 3, Black Bears 4
Tuesday:
Muckdogs 5, Yankees 3
Wednesday:
Muckdogs 3, Yankees 2
Notable Performances from the Week:
CF Jeff Hendrix: 3-12, 3 R, 3 SB, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Kolten Mahoney: 4.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K
RHP Matt Borens: 5.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 K
Pulaski Yankees
Friday:
Pirates 6, Yankees 16
Saturday:
Pirates 12, Yankees 6
Sunday:
Pirates 5, Yankees 13
Monday:
Pirates 5, Yankees 7
Tuesday:
Mets 9, Yankees 14
Wednesday:
Mets 10, Yankees 4
Thursday:
Mets 2, Yankees 4
Notable Performances from the Week:
CF Carlos Vidal: 12-28, 2 2B, HR, 5 R, 15 RBI, 5 SB, 4 BB, 2 K
SS Hoy Jun Park: 5-17, 2B, 7 R, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 6 K
1B Kane Sweeney: 8-19, 2 2B, 3B, 7 R, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 7 K
(Photo: Kevin Jairaj-USA Today Sports)