Top Performers

Scranton: Jake Cave (10-20, 6 R, HR, 2 2B, 2 3B)- Cave has an insane .362/.375/.723 batting line (.389 TAv) in his first 48 PA since the promotion to Triple-A. He’s likely vaulted over the competition and put himself first in line for a call up.

Trenton: Mark Payton (9-26, 5 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI) The 24-year-old former seventh round pick is hitting .296/.367/.444 (.295 TAv) in 31 PA since his promotion to Double-A this season.

Tampa: Vicente Campos (7 IP, 0 ER, 4 K)- Campos has allowed two earned runs and struck out 18 in his last three starts, 19 1/3 innings.  

Charleston: Kyle Holder- (9-23, 5 R, 2 2B) Holder has a solid .305/.342/.381 (.249 TAv) batting line through his first 111 PAs, a major step up from the .213/.273/.253 slash (.206 TAv) he put up in his professional debut with Staten Island. He has strung together a 13 game hitting streak.

Notes

• Yet another blow for former Yankees’ first rounder Ty Hensley on Friday as Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog reported that the oft-injured 22-year-old pitcher will undergo his second Tommy John surgery in as many seasons. Hensley has only managed 14 minor league starts since being selected 30th overall in the 2012 amateur draft due to a variety of ailments.
• The Yankees signed veteran lefty reliever Neal Cotts to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton Friday. The 36-year-old Cotts had a 3.41 ERA in 63 ⅓ innings split between the Brewers and Twins in 2015.
• Despite two strong starts after his promotion to SWB, Dietrich Enns was sent back down to Trenton Saturday to make room for Cotts.
• Infielder Thairo Estrada was promoted to High-A Tampa on Monday after hitting .286/.324/.429 with five homers during his first 148 PAs with Charleston. The Tampa infield is now pretty crowded with top talent, including Jorge Mateo, Miguel Andujar, and Abiatal Avelino.
• Luis Severino is expected to make a minor league rehab start next Sunday for High-A Tampa as he works his way back from a right triceps strain.
• Gary Sanchez left Tuesday’s game after taking a foul tip to his hand and was placed on the 15-day DL. Not great news for the RailRiders or the Yankees. He’s wrecked International League pitching this month, batting .333/.352/.580 in May. There is no official word yet as to the severity of the injury.

The Quote

“We view Mateo as a future MLB shortstop. We are preparing him to offer versatility to our major league club if needed when he arrives. His primary position is shortstop. Playing on the second base side will also help him when he moves to the right side of the diamond during infield defensive shifts.”- Vice President of Player Development Gary Denbo clearing up misconceptions about Jorge Mateo seeing time at second base for High-A Tampa (Courtesy of Chad Jennings and the LoHud Yankees Blog)

Many fans assumed that a position switch for Mateo was in the works after reports of him working out at second base surfaced. While the organization does have a glut of talent at shortstop in the lower minors, it hardly qualifies as a problem to have too many good players at a position. Whether the team uses its depth in trades or eventually moves players to new positions permanently, its a decision the Yankees won’t have to worry about for a while, if at all. For his part, Mateo looks ready for the jump to Double-A Trenton in the near future after batting .313/.369/.528 (.313 TAv) with 15 steals in his first 41 games with Tampa this season.

The Highlight

On Sunday Gary Sanchez and the RailRiders faced off against Pirates number one prospect Tyler Glasnow, whom BP ranked 11th in their “Top 101 Prospects of 2016.” In the sixth, Sanchez finally got the better of Glasnow, blasting a two-run shot to left-center to give Scranton a 2-0 lead and the eventual victory.

Besides bringing the wonderful feeling of baseball back, spring training can also determine starting jobs, playing time, and who makes the major league roster come April. Stats don’t really matter, but what occurs during the spring won’t be insignificant. Here at BP Bronx, we’ll bring you a weekly ST recap, complete with game summaries and other news that may prove to be important.

Games

Game 1

Luis Severino kicked off the spring with a promising 96 mph fastball. Unfortunately, he took a turn for the worse in the second inning, leaving after just 1 1/3 innings of work with five runs to his credit. The rest of the game featured a bevy of relievers, most notably Nick Rumbelow and Nick Goody. The two young arms also had less-than-stellar outings.

The Yankees had a much better day on offense than they did on the mound. Starlin Castro looked good, making a great play in the third inning. Top prospect Jorge Mateo hit a triple on a ball crushed to left field, showcasing both his surprising pop and top of the scale speed. Austin Romine and Dustin Ackley also had fine days at the plate. The final score doesn’t really matter, though it’s worth noting that the Yankees got the win on a walk off.

Game 2

There’s not a whole lot that went on in this game, and the fact that it wasn’t televised makes elaborating on an ugly loss even harder. Still, there’s a few things worth noting in the 13-4 loss. Alex Rodriguez made news when he hit a two-run home run in the first inning. Although it doesn’t sound overly impressive, think about this—a forty-year-old that hasn’t hit live pitching since October managed to hit a ball out on the first swing of the new year. A-Rod is pretty good, I guess.

Two Yankees arms with some question marks going into this Spring made their debuts on Thursday in Ivan Nova and Jacob Lindgren. Nova was fine in two innings, though Lindgren was hit hard. He walked three and hit a batter before being pulled after recording just one out, and the Phillies ended up scoring four runs off of him. James Pazos, vying for a spot in the bullpen, also put up an ugly line of three runs in just two thirds of an inning. Not the greatest of days for the Yankees.

Game 3

The Yankees faced the Tigers again on Friday, but forgot to bring their bats this time around. Almost nothing happened at the plate, with the most notable occurrence being a double and a walk from Didi Gregorious.

Bryan Mitchell started the game on the mound, going two smooth and striking out two. It was a promising start for Mitchell, and this spring could play a big role in where he ends up to start 2016. Surprising Yankee Vinnie Pestano had a day to forget, surrendering three runs. Fellow surprising Yankee Kirby Yates had a better outing, throwing a clean frame. James Kaprielian made some noise in his outing, sitting at 94-96 MPH over two perfect innings. Kaprielian has been in the 90-93 range in the past, so this is an interesting development. This gain could be a product of him throwing just two innings, but if the gains are real he could be more than a third or fourth starter. The main return for this offseason’s controversial Justin Wilson trade, Luis Cessa, threw two clean innings as well.

Game 4

Saturday’s game brought some much needed excitement back to spring training, featuring the core of the Yankees’ future. Mateo showed his elite speed on Wednesday, and flashed power in this game with a home run. Aaron Judge also impressed with an opposite field three-run home run in the seventh inning. He won’t break camp with the team, but a hot start could get him into the majors by the All-Star break. Meanwhile, Rodriguez continued to look locked in with a 2-2 day (and a walk) to raise his batting average to .750.

Saturday’s pitching performances were pretty unspectacular, though Chasen Sheve and Johnny Barbato turned in nice innings. Barbato’s looked good early on in the Spring—he came over to the Yankees last offseason in the Shawn Kelley deal. Shreve is looking to bounce back from a disastrous end to 2015, and started 2016 on a high note. Mark Montgomery gave up three runs in an inning of work, which is a bit disappointing after a strong first game.

Game 5

Tanaka time made its grand return on Sunday, as the Yankees’ ace threw two clean innings. The results didn’t really matter here—the key is that Tanaka’s velocity was normal and he came away healthy. It looks like Tanaka sat around 89-91, which is where he was at this point last season. In other pitching news, Branden Pinder and James Pazos were a bit shaky in their appearances, continuing a rough start to the Spring for them. Former next Yankees great Vicente (previously Jose) Campos went a scoreless frame, sitting at about 91-93.

Mateo stayed hot with a single, walk and stolen base, while Austin Romine raised his batting average to .500 with two doubles. The talk of the game was Rob Refsnyder, who played third base for the first time in his career. He made two solid plays, but throwing away a ball on what turned out to be a foul ball. Overall, it wasn’t a bad audition for Refsnyder, who figures to get some more looks at the hot corner this Spring. He’s been doing everything possible to make the team, and also managed to steal two bases

General News:

Aroldis Chapman: You’ve likely already heard about Chapman’s thirty game suspension which will keep him out until early-May. He’ll be seen around camp, but isn’t allowed to throw in a live game. Chasen Shreve and some young relief pitching will need to step up in Chapman’s absence.

Rob Refsnyder: The idea has been entertained on and off, but finally it looks like Refsnyder will get a chance to try out third base. He and Castro will both get reps at the hot corner this spring with the Yankees looking for a backup third baseman. The next man up is Peter Kozma, owner of a 7 wRC+ last season, so the Yankees hope they can find a solution with one of the former two players. Refsnyder likely doesn’t have the arm for the hot corner, but it’s worth a shot anyway. He looked decent there in his first game on Sunday and it’s currently his best ticket onto the final roster.

Aaron Judge: Judge appears to have incorporated a leg kick into his swing this offseason, with the help of new hitting coach Alan Cockrell. Although change isn’t always a good thing, this should help Judge with his timing a bit. The top prospect has also spent the offseason working on his pitch recognition, something that really hurt his performance last season in Triple-A.

Watching Aaron Judge in batting practice just keeps getting better and better.https://t.co/K5b4896ezT

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 1, 2016

Injuries:

Nathan Eovaldi: Eovaldi suffered a sore groin early in camp, and it prevented him from making his Spring debut on Saturday. He insisted that it isn’t something that would have cost him a start in the regular season, and a bullpen session went smoothly. He should be fine for his next scheduled start.

Masahiro Tanaka: There were some concerns earlier in March when Tanaka said that his Opening Day status was up in the air. Luckily, it seems that things have gone well so far with Tanaka making a 61 pitch bullpen last Sunday and throwing two clean innings this Sunday.

Brett Gardner: Gardner is still recovering from a bone bruise in his wrist from the Wild Card Game, and has yet to appear in a game. He’s been fine in batting practice, and Joe Girardi hopes he will be back around March 14th. Still, this is a situation to monitor…wrist injuries are tough for batters and we saw what happened to Gardner last season when his other wrist was injured.

Position Battle Updates:

5th Starter: C.C. Sabathia is the heavy favorite for this job, and it would have to a failure from him, opposed to success from Nova, to force the Yankees to change the guard. Sabathia has yet to pitch in a game, but Nova threw two smooth innings.

Backup catcher: Romine had a strong start to the spring and is currently hitting .500. His defense is fine, but the Yankees will need to see some life out of his bat to be confident that he’s worth a roster spot come April. Right now it’s probably Gary Sanchez’s job to lose, with the Yankees keeping a close eye on his defense. Sanchez’s glove could lose him the job, while Romine’s bat could win it.

Backup Infielder: The Yankees appear to be aware of how rough the third base situation is in, and are throwing all of their chips on the table. Refsnyder and Castro are getting chances at third base, with the hope that they can get the backup job opposed to using a roster spot on Kozma.

Final 3 Bullpen Spots: This job was wide open going into the spring, and will continue to be wide open throughout. Bryan Mitchell is a favorite to make the club, though there are some rumors that he’ll go to Triple-A and work as a starter. The team would like to see Lindgren make the final roster, but he’s had an awful start to Spring Training. Goody and Pazos didn’t look so great either, though it’s a long way until a decision is made here.

Lead photo: Kim Klement / USA Today Sports

BP released its Top 101 Prospects of 2016 on Friday, which includes three promising youngsters in the Yankees system.

OF Aaron Judge (No. 18)

2015 rank: 59

Book comments: Judge should make his debut in the Bronx sometime in 2016, but it feels like a man of his proportions and potential needs a nickname. For opposing pitchers he might very well be “Judge Dredd,” or when he fires one back up the box, “Judge Holden.” Or maybe his 6-foot-7 frame holds “the long arms of the law.” (When they get extended the 70-grade raw power definitely plays.) All right, these aren’t as good as “Death to Flying Things” (although Judge should be a good defensive right fielder), so maybe we’ll just let his bat do the talking when he gets to East 161st Street.

The right-handed slugger comes in as the fifth-best outfielder in the rankings despite posting disappointing numbers in Triple-A. Still, a .247 TAv in 260 plate appearances isn’t the end of the world, and he did hit for a .316 TAv in  280 trips to the plate in Double-A.

Judge is still a year away from the big leagues thanks to Carlos Beltran’s residence in right field, so he’ll have plenty of time to bring his numbers back up to where they were at previous levels and cut down on his strikeouts (144 in total last season).

SS Jorge Mateo (No. 65)

2015 rank: N/A

Book comments: The Yankees have spent millions in the international market over the last few seasons, blowing past their cap in both 2013 and 2014, but their best IFA prospect might be one they paid just a quarter of a million dollars in 2012. Mateo is an 80 runner fully capable of stolen-base titles. He offers a potentially solid glove at shortstop as well. The bat is still quite raw, and may never win him a Silver Slugger, but he can challenge the old adage that “you can’t steal first.” Every ball in play is a potential single, and every ball up the alleys a potential triple.

The Yankees nearly traded Mateo away in 2015, offering him to the San Diego Padres in exchange for closer Craig Kimbrel. San Diego declined, keeping the Yankees’ potential franchise shortstop in their farm system, and opening the door for the acquisition of Aroldis Chapman.

Mateo remains a focal point of the Yankees’ rebuild, possessing speed and fielding range. While Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro currently occupy the middle infield, there’s no guarantee they will be there in 2018 when Mateo is ready for a call-up.

C Gary Sanchez (No. 92)

2015 rank: N/A

Book comments: This is Sanchez’s sixth appearance on a BP Top 101, so it falls to him to show the kids how to fix the copier and where we keep the K-Cups. He took steps forward on both sides of the ball in 2015, and the plus power and plus-plus arm that have kept him on every new iteration of this list are still very much present. www.baseballprospectus.com Top 101 Prospects – 573 Evaluations differ on whether he is a catcher long term, but the Yankees have an opening for him behind the plate in 2016, albeit as a backup, so we prospect writers should at least be able to avoid the seven-year itch. Maybe Sanchez should avoid any subway grates around the D train just to be on the safe side though.

This may surprise you, because it seems as if he’s been in the Yankees system since 1997, but Gary Sanchez is still just 23-years-old. He earned himself a call-up in September of 2015, and while he didn’t hit any walk-off home runs, he took some legendary cuts in batting practice.

In all seriousness, Sanchez’s time as a major-league catcher may be upon us. The team dealt away John Ryan Murphy to the Minnesota Twins during the offseason, opening up the door for Sanchez to earn a spot backing up Brian McCann. Austin Romine may start the season in that role, but it’s only a matter of time before Sanchez supplants him. Brian Cashman still loves his ability, and once he clubs his first big-league homer, fans will too.

Lead photo: Kim Klement/USA Today Sports

• Luis Severino, RHP: Severino and Judge are essentially 1A and 1B for me, and they can really be flipped around in whatever order one so desires. Severino is dispelling doubts about his long-term viability as a starter that stemmed from his size and arm-heavy delivery. His slider, once a source of worry because it lagged behind his fastball and excellent changeup in its development, has become a more than useful pitch. He’ll make his big league debut today against the Red Sox, and we should be in for one hell of a show. In 61.1 innings at Triple-A, Severino did not allow a single home run and struck out more than a fifth of the hitters he faced. That’ll do. If he can fully put the doubters to rest, he’ll be a frontline starter for years to come.
• Aaron Judge, RF: The mountain of a man known as Aaron Judge has also reached Triple-A Scranton. He mashed his way through the minor leagues after being taken in the 2013 draft as the lowest of the three first round picks the Yankees found themselves in possession of (Eric Jagielo and Ian Clarkin were taken ahead of him). Judge plays a good right field and boasts a great throwing arm in addition to his big bat. He doesn’t sell out for power, instead focusing on a line drive approach and letting his prodigious strength account for him running into hilariously massive home runs. He’s surprisingly spry for a man of his size, and while that will likely fade as he ages, he’s a rather complete player. Judge may see the lion’s share of the playing time in right field next year.
• Greg Bird, 1B: Bird may just be the most intelligent hitter in the system. The man who served as Kevin Gausman’s catcher in high school walks quite a lot while also hitting for great power from the left side. He’s also improved substantially with the glove at first base since being converted from the backstop after the draft. He may not hit for a high average in the big leagues, but a high-OBP power bat with a .265-ish batting average could easily be in the cards here. BP’s Jeff Moore lightly threw a Lucas Duda comp on Bird before Duda turned back into a pumpkin for a while, so there’s that. Bird is a very cerebral hitter and his love for the art will take him a long way. His disposition as a natural leader in the clubhouse is an asset and he should thrive in the limelight of New York.
• Jorge Mateo, SS: It’s possible that while you read this sentence, Mateo is stealing a base. As of this writing he has swiped 71, which leads all of MLB-affiliated baseball. That statistic is probably outdated by now, however. Oh, and he’s hitting .268/.338/.378 at age 20 in Low-A, and playing a decent shortstop. There’s a mountain of potential here, and it’ll be fun to see how much power he grows into as he physically matures, and how much of that speed he’ll keep. Mateo posses one of the very few genuine 80-grade speed tools, and when that’s packaged with a player that can hit and play a legit shortstop, it’s a fantastically dangerous profile.
• James Kaprielian, RHP: Kaprielian was the Yankees’ top pick this summer, taken 16^th overall out of UCLA. While he wasn’t the sexiest of picks, Kaprielian comes with a polished package of four pitches (fastball, slider, curve, changeup) that all grade at least average or better. He doesn’t throw particularly hard, but he makes it work with his good fastball command that allows him to throw the pitch where he wants and set up his secondary stuff. Kaprielian should move quickly through the system and fill a role in the middle of a big league rotation soon.
• Gary Sanchez, C: It’s been a long road for Sanchez, who’s seemingly been around since the dawn of time. Yet Sanchez is still just 22, and is now hitting well in the upper levels of the minors. He posted a 127 wRC+ in 58 games at Double-A Trenton before being bumped up to Scranton, and he’s now swatting homers left and right. The point against Sanchez has long been his defense, but he’s shown marked improvement behind the plate in both his physical defense and his game calling. Sanchez also still possesses a Howitzer cannon for a throwing arm and loves to show it off. One would have to think that he’s first in line for a callup if an injury should befall Brian McCann.
• Eric Jagielo, 3B: Jagielo was the first of the three Yankee first round picks in 2013, and the Notre Dame product hit his stride offensively before going down with a knee injury at Double-A. Some in the organization are quite down on Jagielo’s work at third base, it should be noted, as he can look almost statuesque at times. Before his injury, he was beginning to see time at first base. However, a 50 bat with plus power will play just about anywhere, if Jagielo can cut down on the number of ugly-looking strikeouts he falls victim to. Jagielo felt like trade-bait before the injury. The organization will likely send him out to the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time and his performance there will be telling.
• Rob Refsnyder, 2B: Refsnyder is easily one of the most stymieing players in the system. A converted outfielder, Refsnyder lacks some of the basic defensive instincts necessary to succeed at second base. That may not be the final book on him when all is said and done, but it’s certainly the case right now that’s deploying a mixture of Brendan Ryan and Stephen Drew at second base a level above Refsnyder. He seems to have a propensity to rush routine plays and botch double play balls, but at the same time Refsnyder displays an advanced feel for hitting. His meteoric rise through the system last year has predictably not held up this season, but he’s still one of the best hitters on a Triple-A squad that now also features Judge and Bird. He won’t hit for that level of power, but it’s a major league bat. The glove will be the key to whether or not the Yankees view him as a big league player.
• Ian Clarkin, LHP: Nobody is quite sure what sort of arm injury is causing Clarkin to sit out the season. If he were healthy, he would likely be ranked much higher. All of his pitches are average or better, led by his nasty curveball. Clarkin figures to be a member of the front portion of a big league rotation, but that all depends on how he returns from his mysterious ailment. Such his life. He’s still quite active on Twitter, though.
• Brady Lail, RHP: Speaking of meteoric rises, Lail just reached Triple-A at the age of 21. Like Kaprielian, he doesn’t throw overly hard but instead relies on location and movement to keep hitters off balance. The product of a Utah high school known much more for football than baseball, Lail would be just the 40^th big leaguer from the state should he reach the Bronx. Lail is a remarkably coachable pitcher and now that he’s overthrowing his fastball far less, his control of all of his pitches is resulting in quite a lot of weak contact. He’ll likely spend most (if not all) of next year in Scranton refining his craft for the final jump, but the stuff that had made Lail a sleeper has put him directly on the radar.
• Rookie Davis, RHP: Recently promoted to Double-A, Davis has drawn quite a bit of attention for striking out 25.9% of opposing hitters while walking just 4.4% and reaching 96 MPH on his fastball. Though he’s still developing his changeup, Davis’ curve is more than enough for the time being to act as a reliable second offering. The development of the changeup will be what decides whether Davis continues as a starter or turns into a nightmarishly good reliever. Obviously the Yankees hope he can stick in a rotation, but the stuff could play up even more in short stints if all else fails.
• Jacob Lindgren, LHP: Lindgren surfaced briefly in majors this season before being sent down and then sidelined with bone spurs in his elbow. Drafted in the second round in 2014, Lindgren put up eye-popping numbers in the minors in his ascension to Yankee Stadium. His wipeout slider is his calling card that allows him to pitch effectively against batters regardless of handedness, and he can reach 95 on his fastball. What prevents me from being as high on Lindgren as everyone else is his spotty control. What we saw in his time in the big leagues was likely a partial result of those bone spurs, but there’s the potential here for more walks than one would like to see. When he’s right, however, Lindgren also induces a silly amount of ground balls, so there’s closer material here.
• Nick Goody, RHP: I was sorely, sorely tempted to rank Goody higher, and this is undoubtedly the highest you’ll see him ranked anywhere. It could very overzealous, but I’ve seen enough of Goody to drink the Kool-Aid. Whenever he was inserted into a game at Double-A, Goody was basically a cheat code. Over 41.2 innings, he struck out 59 and walked 14. At the time of his promotion to Scranton, he led the whole team in strikeouts, including the starters. He’s been just as good at Scranton, and the control issues he’s had in his very brief cameos in the bigs this month are likely a result of simple jitters. Goody’s makeup is through the roof, so don’t expect that to last. He does it all without throwing overly hard, instead relying on movement and a plus curveball to get his work done. I can’t heap enough praise upon this player.
• Hoy Jun Park, SS: Signed out of South Korea last year in the Yankees’ international spending bonanza, Park is playing in short-season Pulaski at age 19. There’s plenty of growth left here, but Park is already a plus defender at shortstop and holding his own at the plate. He walks at an encouraging clip and some more power should come as he fills out more. An assignment to Charleston to start next year would not be surprising. Park may end up as a glove-first player when all is said and done, but his bat will be more than enough. He’s certainly one to watch next year.
• Tyler Wade, 2B/SS: Take everything about Park and flip it on its head. Wade can hit and hit and hit some more. His bat just got him promoted to Trenton last night. Wade’s problem is fielding. He’s got the range to stick at shortstop, but a high number of errors highlight his need to improve the steadiness of his hands if he wants to stick at the position. The good news is that he’s just 20 years old, so he’s been young for his level and the promotion to Double-A only accentuates that more. Wade has plenty of time to steady himself, and could turn into quite a fun player. He and Park can be easily flipped in these rankings without any loss of sleep.

Some other players to keep an eye on are outfielders Dustin Fowler and Mark Payton, injured catcher Luis Torrens (who would have likely made the list if he was healthy), infielders Thairo Estrada, Abi Avelino, Kyle Holder, and Miguel Andujar, and a gaggle of pitchers including Bryan Mitchell, Jordan Montgomery, Jonathan Holder, Cale Coshow, Domingo Acevedo, Drew Finley and Jeff Degano. Things are getting exciting down on the farm.

(Photo: Kim Klement-USA Today Sports)