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.

Aaron Judge, RF

Aaron Judge came into 2015 being possibly the first Yankee prospect to be under-hyped by the Yankees fanbase. That quickly changed, though.   It started with photographs that showed the absurd height difference between Judge and his teammates and coaches. Yankee fans truly started to get excited after he hit a game winning home run early in Spring Training. Judge become the talk of Spring Training, and now is one of the best, most recognizable, and most hyped Yankee prospects.  Certainly, much of the hype is warranted. He has some of the biggest raw power in the minor leagues, as well as an above average hit tool and surprising athleticism and defensive value. Judge then proceeded to hit well in his first taste of Double-A, with 12 home runs and a .284/.350/.516 slash line in 63 games, earning a promotion to Triple-A, where he’s held his own. Now the hype machine that is the Yankees fanbase is calling for him to be promoted to the majors.  It’s time to pump the brakes on that idea, though, as Judge isn’t close to ready for a major league look.

The biggest issue for Judge is the strikeout, and he’s been getting punched out about 25% of the time for the past season and a half.  Strikeouts will always be a part of Judge’s game, but for him to really thrive in the majors, he’ll have to cut down on them a bit. On the other end of the spectrum, Judge’s ability to take a walk quite good.  Last season at High-A, he walked a remarkable 17.5% of the time. That being said, his plate discipline took a bit of a nosedive this season, as in Double-A his walk rate was just 8.6%, and in Triple-A it is at 11.9%. It’s naive to expect Judge to walk 17.5% of the time at any level going forward, but for him to be a stud in the majors, he’ll have to keep the walk rate above 10%. A side note on Judge is his batting average on balls in play (BABIP).  In the minors, Judge’s average has been buoyed by a very high BABIP. A high BABIP in the minors isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be a sign of some luck.  That luck has helped to keep his average in a solid range, but his BABIP is currently at .304 in Triple-A, and his average has paid the price and now sits at .243.  This is just another reason why it is vital for Judge to strikeout less. Judge has also shown inconsistent power in Triple-A, slugging just .374 with three home runs.

Judge’s warts as a prospect are currently ones that need to be addressed, but at the same time, they shouldn’t be the death of him as a player.  He should be able to keep the strikeouts under control, while walking at a decent clip, and sustain a solid average with great power. That being said, he needs more seasoning in the minors to meet these expectations.  To expect him to contribute in the big leagues this season is unreasonable. Judge has the tools to turn into a beast.  That said, he’s just not ready to be that player yet, and conservatively may not be until mid-2016. 

Kyle Holder, SS

The Yankees search for the “next Derek Jeter” (heavy sarcasm) brought them to the 2015 MLB first player draft, as they took Kyle Holder with the 30th overall pick.  The Yankees must have seen something in the 21-year old, but they’re the only ones that seem to be bullish on Holder.  At the plate, there’s not much to like.  He brings below average bat speed to the table, along with a poor swing path and bad pitch recognition.  It also appears that Holder has very little power, and the previously mentioned swing path will sap what little pop he does have.    

All in all, the overall package doesn’t look like a starting major leaguer.  There isn’t a ton to like about Holder’s game, but he isn’t all doom and gloom. Firstly, Holder’s defense is very good. It may not be elite, but he likely had the best glove in the draft and should be a lock to stick at shortstop.  Initially, Holder’s bat hasn’t shown much promise, but he’s less experienced in baseball compared to other 2015 draftees, having been heavily involved in basketball until recently. Also, Holder was just drafted and is only beginning his professional career. It’s impossible to accurately gauge a player’s value this early in his career, especially considering all the outside forces that could be affecting Holder. With that in mind, it’s pointless to label Holder a poor pick or a bust, but for now, Holder’s tools and total skill set don’t look all that promising for a first round pick.

Jonathan Holder, SP

Jonathan Holder, unrelated to Kyle Holder but possibly related to Kenny Powers, is yet another example of a Yankee pitcher that was picked later in the draft, has little hype or pedigree, yet is putting up outstanding numbers in the minor leagues. Holder was drafted in the 6th round in 2014 after closing out games for Mississippi State.  He was promptly turned into a starter by the Yankees, and has been lights out. Even though Holder closed in college, he has a starter’s arsenal, with his best pitches being a curveball and cutter, along with an average splitter. After posting a 3.03 ERA in 32.2 innings (seven starts) last season in Low-A, Holder was promoted to High-A to start 2015. He clearly grew as a starting pitcher in the offseason, finding even more success at High-A, with a 2.58 ERA (2.29 FIP) in 73.1 innings (13 starts). Holder’s only speed bump so far has been an injury that put him on the disabled list this season. Other than that, he has struck out batters at a decent clip (7.25 K/9 in 2015 and 8.27 last year), and has limited his free passes to just 11, (remember, in 13 starts) all of this year. Holder is still a relative unknown as a prospect, but he’s another interesting name to watch in this system as he moves up the minor league ladder.

Scranton Wilkes/Barre RailRiders

Friday:

Clippers 2, RailRiders 3

Saturday:

Clippers 5, RailRiders 4

Sunday:

Clippers 3, RailRiders 4

Tuesday:

RailRiders 4, Clippers 6

Wednesday:

RailRiders 7, Clippers 2

Thursday:

RailRiders 6, Clippers 7

Notable Performances From The Week:

1B Greg Bird: 9-23, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 6 R, 6 RBI, 5 K

C Gary Sanchez: 7-21, 2 HR, 2 R, 5 RBI, 0 BB, 7 K

RF Aaron Judge: 2-23, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB, BB, 14 K
2B Rob Refsnyder: 6-21, 2 2B, 3B, 3 R, RBI, CS, 2 BB, 6 K

Trenton Thunder

Friday:

Thunder 2, Baysox 4

Saturday:

Thunder 6, Baysox 4

Sunday:

Thunder 5, Baysox 6

Tuesday:

Fightin Phils 7, Thunder 1

Wednesday:

Fightin Phils 11, Thunder 1

Thursday:

Fightin Phils 8, Thunder 1

Notable Performances From The Week:

CF Jake Cave: 8-23, 2 2B, 4 R, RBI, 2 BB, 4 K

SS Tyler Wade: 2-22, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 5 K

RHP Eric Ruth: 5.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 5 H, 2 BB, K—3.1 IP, 8 R/ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 2 K

Tampa Yankees

Friday:

Marauders 5, Yankees 4

Marauders 5, Yankees 3

Sunday:

Marauders 2, Yankees 5

Marauders 10, Yankees 5

Tuesday:

Yankees 4, Marauders 3

Wednesday:

Yankees 4, Marauders 5

Thursday:

Yankees 1, Marauders 2

Notable Performances From The Week:

SS Jorge Mateo: 6-22, 2 2B, 3B, 3 R, 2 SB, 1 CS, 2 BB, 9 K

CF Dustin Fowler: 8-25, 2 2B, HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, BB, 4 K

3B Miguel Andujar: 7-21, 2 B, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB, 4 K

RHP Rookie Davis: 5.0 IP, 2 R/ER, 4 H, BB, 3 K

RHP Cale Coshow: 5.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Charleston RiverDogs

Friday:
RiverDogs 0, Shorebirds 0

Saturday:

RiverDogs 4, Shorebirds 3

Sunday:

RiverDogs 1, Shorebirds 3

Tuesday:

RiverDogs 7, Suns 2

Wednesday:

RiverDogs 7, Suns 4

Notable Performances From The Week:

RHP Joey Maher: 7.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K

Staten Island Yankees

Friday:

IronBirds 4, Yankees 8

Saturday:

IronBirds 7, Yankees 5

Sunday:

IronBirds 5, Yankees 8

Monday:

Yankees 8, Lake Monsters 3

Tuesday:

Yankees 3, Lake Monsters 2

Wednesday:

Yankees 4, Lake Monsters 9

Thursday:

Renegades 4, Yankees 3

Notable Performances From The Week:

SS Kyle Holder: 4-24, 5 R, 3 BB, 5 K

CF Jeff Hendrix: 9-24, 3 2B, 5 R, 2 RBI, 3 K

RHP Domingo Acevedo: 4.1 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Pulaski Yankees

Friday:

Yankees 3, Rays 4

Saturday:

Rays 3, Yankees 1

Sunday:

Rays 3, Yankees 9

Tuesday:

Yankees 2, Royals 3

Wednesday:

Yankees 8, Royals 5

Thursday:

Yankees 0, Royals 1

Notable Performances From The Week:

CF Carlos Vidal: 5-21, 3B, HR, 6 R, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 SB

RHP Davis Palladino: 7.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K

RHP Melvin Morla: 6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K

RHP Jhon Morban: 6.0 IP, 1 R/ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 5 K

(Photo: Kim Klement-USA Today Sports)