YEEP 8/19/11: Here we go yo, here we go yo, so whats so whats the Rosario!

Evil Em VP: Jose Rosario: Played great in both games, hit a HR in the first one.

AAA SWB: L 4-7 to Durham. L: Kontos
Bash Brother Laird: 1/4, 2 K (.257). He's in the midst of a horrific slump. He's 2 for his last 33. That's probably the worst slump of any prospect I've followed this season.
David Phelps: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR (3.68 ERA). Looks like he's a long way away from the majors right now, but I'd give him a couple more starts before I start to make judgments.
Kontos: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 K (2.82 ERA)
Scott Proctor: 1 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K (1.42 ERA)
Kevin Whelan: 1 IP, BB, K, 0 ER (2.20 ERA). High A Tampa: W 5-3 vs Brevard County. W: Romanski S: Flannery

High A Tampa
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/4, SB (25) (.255)
Walt Ibarra: 0/2, R, 2 BB, 2 K (.296)
K-Roll Roller: 1/4, 2B, RBI (.276)
Mustelier Musketeer: 0/4, R, K (.301)
Dee Mack: 2/4, R, 2B, K (.313)
Seggy Segedin: 1/4, RBI, K, SB (2), (.226). I'm disappointed with his performance at this level. Kyle Roller has really proven me right that he's the better of the two.
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/4, 2 K (.294). Last post I said I'd take bets on whether he'll be over .300 at the end of the year. I'll take the under.
Bromance Romanski: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 8 K, HR (3.11 ERA)
Preston Claiborne: 2 IP, BB, 2 K, 0 ER (3.34 ERA)
K-Flan Flannery: 1 IP, BB, 0 ER (1.41 ERA)
I'm excited to see AA Trenton's relief corps next year. Kramer Sneed, Claiborne, Flannery, Dan Burawa, Mike Gipson. I just hope someday we don't have to pay our relievers the big bucks like Soriano.

Low A Charleston: W 1-0 against Augusta. W: Dott S: Montgomery
Shane Brown: 0/3 (.274)
Ray-Flo Flores: 0/4 (.260). I remember at the beginning of the year a lot of people were talking about this kid and how he was a beast. This talk seems to have quieted.
Barreda: 4 IP, 3 H, BB, 4 K (3.8 ERA)
Gerritse: 2 IP, H, 2 K, 0 ER (0.00 ERA). Just promoted from SI, it was time.
Dott: 2 IP, 4 K, 0 ER, 0 H (1.26 ERA). He's dominated this level, but that's not much to say for a 23 year old relief pitcher.
Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, 0 ER (2.21 ERA). 12th save of the season. Bold prediction: He'll be in Trenton by the end of next season.

Short Season Staten Island: L 0-4 to Connecticut. L: Wetherell
Mad Mase Williams: 0/4 (.352)
Cheeto Culver: 1/4, SB (6) (.270)
Ben Gamel the Camel: 0/4 (.301)
Cody Grice: 1/3, BB, K, SB (10) (.263)
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 0/4, 2 K (.277)
Ty Austin: 1/4, K (.245)
Reymond Nunez: 1/3 (.279)
Paullus: 1 IP, K, 0 ER (4.13 ERA)
Wetherell: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, K (2.38 ERA). The runs should have all been earned, because they were his own errors.

GCL Yankees: Double Header

Game 1: L 1-11 vs GCL Blue Jays. L: Cruz
Jose Rosario: 2/3, HR, RBI (.324)
Justin James: 0/4, 2 K (.270)
Isaias the Hata Tejeda: 1/3, K (.333). Hits, hits, hits hits hits hits!
Matt Duran: 1/2, BB (.250)
Bubba Jones: 0/3, K (.243)
Daniel Lopez: 1/2, 2B, BB, SB (18) (.299)
Alcantara: 0/3, 2 K (.259)
No pitching worth talking about today in GCL game 1.

Game 2: W 2-1 vs GCL Blue Jays. W: Vinas.
Jose Rosario: 3/3 (.322). Picked up right where he left off. Maybe they should switch him with Cito.
Matt Duran Duran: 0/4, 3 K (.250). Ruff day.
Janitor Custodio: 1/3, BB, K, SB (22), CS (2), (.309)
Bichette Happens: 2/4, R, 2 K (.333)
Daniel Lopez: 2/4, 2B, RBI, K (.322)
Nuding: 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 K (3.0 ERA). Rehab start.
Daniel Alejandro Martinez: 2 IP, 2 H, 4 K (1.2 ERA)
Checo: 1.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 3 K (2.57 ERA)

YEEP 8/18/11: Betances pretty sharp in AAA debut, but could be better.

Evil Em VP: Mariel Checo of the GCL Yankees for pitching a perfect 3 K inning. Image thanks to fivebrosports.com

AAA SWB: L 1-5 to Durham. L: Betances
Montero: 0/3, BB, 2 K (.281). He misses A-rod.
JoVa: 2/4, RBI, K (.251). He doesn't.
Laird: 0/4 (.257). He's indifferent.
Russo: 0/3, K (.273). Him too.
Betances: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 8 K, HR (4.5 ERA). Not a bad debut. The K's and lack of BB's are encouraging.
Brack Attack: 2 IP, H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, HR (6.83 ERA). My prediction after his last performance was accurate.

AA Trenton: W 5-2 vs Erie. W: Heyer. S: Texeira
Krum: 2/5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K. 2nd HR of the year (.259)
Kruml: 0/4, R, RBI, 2 K (.290)
Austin BRomine: 1/3, BB, K (.288)
R-Ly Lyerly: 2/4, RBI, K (.248). Positive steps lead to ends in slumps.
Melkman Mesa: 0/4, K (.237). Take R-Ly's advice
Craig Heyer: 8 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 5 K (3.64 ERA)

High A Tampa: W 7-2 vs Lakeland. W: Gil
Honest Abe Almonte: 2/3, 2 R, 3B, RBI, BB (.255). 13 for his last 36 (.361). Good for him.
Walt Ibarra: 3/4, 3B, 4 RBI, K (.298). Looking forward to seeing the first decent SS since Ed Nunez to grace Trenton's infield next season.
K-Roll Roller: 0/3 (.277).
Mustelier Musketeer: 2/4, R, 2B (.319)
Dee Mack: 0/2 (.308)
Seggy Segedin: 0/3, 2 K (.226)
Luke Murton: 0/1, 2 BB (.282)
Castrol GTX Castro: 1/3, R, RBI (.298). I'll be taking bets on whether he finishes the season above or below .300.
Cozmo Kramer Sneed: 1 IP, H, 2 K (3.19). Thumbs up.

Charleston River Dogs: L 6-9 to Augusta
Shane Brown: 2/4, R, 2B, RBI, K, SB (1) (.286)
Eddy Sosa: 1/1, SB (14) (.255)
Ray-Flo Flores: 0/3, K (.263)
Recchia: 4 IP, 6 H, ER, 4 K (2.62 ERA)

Short Season Staten Island: L 0-1 to Connecticut. L: Pinder
Mad Mase Williams: 0/4, K (.358).
Cheeto Culver: 0/3 (.270)
Ben Gamel the Camel: 0/4, 2 K (.309)
Grice: 0/3, K (.262)
Gumbs: 1/3, 2B, E (8). Heyy, a hit! (.284)
Ty Austin: 1/3, 2B (.244) Heyy, another hit!
Reymond Nunez: 0/3 (.279)
Brebbia: 1 IP, H, 0 ER (0.00)
Pinder: 1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K (1.23 ERA). Got the loss.

GCL Yankees: Double Header
Game 1: W 4-3 vs GCL Braves. W: Vinas. S: Checo
Daniel Lopez: 1/3, 2 R, HR, RBI, K (.291). That's 3 HR on the year.
Janitor Custodio: 1/2, R, HR, RBI, K (.326). Congrats on your first career HR in America.
Bichette Happens: 1/2, 2 RBI (.341)
Bubba Jones: 1/3, 2B (.265)
Rutzkrieg Rutckyj: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K, HR (5.36 ERA).
Hayden Sharp: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 0 ER (21.6 ERA) That's more like it. We'll just forget that first performance ever happend.
Checo: 1 IP, 3 K, 0 ER. Perfect inning. (2.53 ERA). 3rd save of the season.

Game 2 was a continuation of yesterday's game. See YEEP 8/17/11 for the box score.

YEEP 8/17/11: Banuelos Meh Performance, Nuno impresses.

Evil Em VP: Vidal Nuno

AAA SWB: L 2-3 to Durham. L: Banuelos
A-Rod: 1/2, RBI, 2 BB, K, E. Reached base 3 times in his final rehab start.
Jesus Montero: 1/3, BB (.283)
JoVa: 0/4, 2 K (.248)
Laird: 0/4, K (.260). Still cold.
Banuelos: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (3.48 ERA). Same old story with him, high pitch counts in short outings.
Lance Pendleton: 3 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K (3.02 ERA)
Proctor: 1 IP, 2 H, K (1.0 ERA). Proctor is back, haha.

AA Trenton: W 9-6 vs Erie. W: Whitley. S: Pope
Krum: 2/5, 2 R, BB, SB (19) (.256)
CoJo: 0/3, R, 2 BB, 2 K, CS (.262). There's the walks, I guess.
Austin BRomine: 2/4, R, BB, 2 K (.288). Please call up Jesus, please call up Jesus.
R-Ly Lyerly: 1/5, R, RBI, 3 K, 2 E (15) (.243). Way too many errors at 1B
Melkman Mesa: 1/2, 2 RBI, BB, SB (17) (.240)
Kruml: 4/5, R, 2 RBI, K, SB (36), CS (11) (.293). Easily the best season of his career, and there's still some left to play.
Chase Whitley: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, BB, K (2.97 ERA). He'll be in AAA next season, knocking on the door.

Low A Charleston: L 2-3 to Hickory. L: Nuno
Shane Brown: 1/4, R (.273)
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4, K, PO (.265)
Vidal Nuno: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 8 K (2.57 ERA). Jose Quintana redux? Reliever turned starter who enjoys some transient success. He's even lefty like Jose. I don't hate it.
Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, K, 0 ER (2.33 ERA). Excellent first professional season.

Short Season Staten Island: Double Header
Game 1: W 7-1 vs Connecticut. W: Mitchell
Mad Mase Williams: 1/4, R, RBI (.367)
Cheeto Culver: 0/4, R, E (15) (.278)
Ben Gamel the Camel: 2/4, R, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB (5) (.308). Flashing some of that potential.
Cody Grice: 2/4, R, 2B, 2 RBI (.276). I like.
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 2/4, R, K (.285) All these 2/4's. Never a bad thing.
Tyler Austin: 1/3, 2B, RBI (.237)
Reymond Nunez: 1/3, R, BB, K (.284)
Bryan Mitchell: 6 IP, 8 H, ER, BB, 4 K (4.44 ERA). There's the outing we've been waiting for. Now just cut down on the hits and we'll all be happy.
Wetherell: 1 IP, BB, 2 K, 0 ER (1.66 ERA)

Game 2: L 6-7 to Connecticut. L: Paullus
Mad Mase Williams: 1/4, R, RBI, K, SB (21) (.365). Two 1/4 games, he's a bust.
Cheeto Culver: 0/3, BB (.274)
Gamel the Camel: 2/2, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB (.319). Flashing some more of that potential.
Cody Grice: 0/4, K (.268)
Ty Austin: 1/4, R, K (.238)
Gumbs: 0/1 in a pinch hit appearance.
Reymond Nunez: 0/1 with a K in a PH appearance.
Cotham City: 1 IP, H, ER, BB, K (1.71 ERA)
Arneson: 1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, K (4.09 ERA). Lucky to escape with 1 R in this game.
Paullus: 2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 K, HR (4.3 ERA). Our pitching was pretty bad overall in this game.

GCL Yankees: W 7-5 vs GCL Braves. W: Cowsert. S: Hinojosa
Jose Rosario: 1/6, R, 3B, RBI, 3 K (.301)
Isaias Tejeda: 2/5, RBI, E (9) (.333). Looks like he can swing the stick a bit, consistently at this level.
Bichette Happens: 1/5, R, 2 K (.339)
Matt Duran Duran: 1/5, R, 2 K (.259)
Bubba Jones: 1/5, RBI, 2 K (.259)
Daniel Lopez: 1/5, 2 R, K (.290)
Prior: 1 IP, 2 K, 0 ER
Tay-Mo Morton: 3.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 K (2.2 ERA). Still lovin what this kid brings to the table.
Maines: 2 IP,  H, R, 0 ER, 2 K (1.93 ERA)
Mad Cowsert Disease: 1 IP, K, 0 ER (2.29 ERA)
Hinojosa: 1 IP, H, K, 0 ER (1.98 ERA). Save number 7.

Analyzing the Yankees Draft Signings

This was a light year in terms of the number of guys we signed (21). Usually about 25-30 will get signed. We did manage to sign a lot of high ceiling talent. The way I see it, we signed 6 potential starting pitchers, a host of relievers (7), and a full infield and outfield worth of position players (8). Hopefully we can do a good job supplementing this with some international free agent signings.



Just so you don't think I'm overly optimistic, here are the problems I see with this year's crop. First of all, most of the higher ceiling hitters are corner infield and corner outfield types. These are the types of guys who have to really mash to ever get to the major leagues, and also the types of players that are always available on the free agent market. The other problem I see is that all of the starting pitchers we got seem like projects. They are high ceiling types who have great tools but lack refinement. It's always good to have high ceiling guys, but I also love to see an Adam Warren, David Phelps, or Mikey O'Brien type, who is already refined at draft time but doesn't have that same high ceiling.

I do think there are a ton of positives you can take away from this draft class as well though. First of all, the first round pick has so far been a great success in the GCL, hitting for power and average. Secondly, I think we did a great job supplementing what we already have at the lower levels. We have a ton of high ceiling outfield prospects and up the middle players currently. Now we have power corner bat types as well. The third thing we did well was to pick up effective relievers who could move through the system very quickly. There isn't a single reliever who hasn't has some degree of success so far, and some have been pretty impressive, especially Montgomery. Finally, although I'm not happy with the fact that all of the starting pitchers we drafted are high ceiling project types, I do think there is a good chance that one or two of them pan out.

Here's a list of all of the guys we drafted and their draft position.

3B Dante Bichette Jr. (Comp. A)
RHP Jordan Cote (3rd)
INF Matt Duran (4th)
C Gregory Bird (5th)
OF Jake Cave (6th)
1B Austin Jones (7th)
RHP Philip Wetherell (8th)
RHP Zachary Arneson (9th)
RHP Mark Montgomery (11th)
OF Cody Grice (12th)
OF Justin James (13th)
RHP William Davis (14th)
RHP Branden Pinder (16th)
RHP Hayden Sharp (18th)
RHP Robert Paullus (19th)
LHP Daniel Camarena (20th)
INF Zach Wilson (21st)
RHP Corey Maines (23rd)
LHP Matthew Tracy (24th)
LHP Chaz Hebert (27th)
RHP Joseph Maher (38th)



Starting with Bichette, we will discuss.

1. Dante Bichette Jr.: Known on this blog as "Bichette Happens," this high school draft pick got off to a very slow start to his major league career. Up until a couple of weeks ago, he was hitting well under .200. Then he went on an absolute tear, and he hasn't slowed down since. This situation reeks of "adjustment time" changes to his swing, which occur after about 1 month of play in the GCL. Either way, he has since brought his average all the way up to .344 and he is OPSing at .976 in 167 at bats. This pick was criticized, but I don't think there is much bad you could say about it at this point, except that he's a corner player.

2. Jordan Cote: A 6'6, 215 lb RHP with a lot of projectibility. Apparently he has a frame that could allow him to fill out to 240. He's another high school kid. Damon Oppenheimer described him as "He's a classic projection guy, who's already got some 'now' stuff" to an MLB.com reporter. His fastball currently sits at 88-92, but many scouts are saying he could add some velocity as he fills out. Apparently his off-speed stuff is fringy, but he has great physical tools.

3. Matt Duran: He can play 1B or 3B. Known on this blog as Matt Duran Duran, this 6'1, 208 lb right handed first baseman is known for his power hitting. Another high school kid, he has been described as a tireless worker who has adjusted to the GCL through hard work. Duran has hit .265 with 2 HR and is OPSing at .808 so far for the GCL Yankees in 49 at bats. In 138 plate appearances, he has a .269 average with 9 SB, 1 HR, and 18 RBI.

4. Gregory Bird: This 6'3, 205 lb catcher out of Colorado projects as either a catcher or a first baseman. He's a big, strong kid, and he hits left handed. He has a lot of lift in his swing, and has a ton of power. He had 39 HR in three seasons of high school.

5. Jake Cave: 6'1, 180 lb left handed thrower and hitter drafted as a CF. This kid actually throws a 94 MPH fastball as a pitcher. He's slim, and has good power potential, with quick hands and good lift in the swing. He's an inside out hitter, and an outstanding overall athlete. Unsurprisingly, he has a cannon from the outfield, and he also has good bat speed.

6. Austin Jones: 6'1 left handed hitter who throws righty. He is another potential power bat, and his nickname is Bubba. He's hitting .269 in the GCL in 26 at bats. So far, he hasn't had any extra base hits, but he's still just 18 years old (19 in 4 days), and has a lot of potential.

7. Phillip Wetherell: A 6'5, 225 lb RHP from Western Kentucky. He's 22 years old, but has dominated for the Staten Island Yankees this season. He has an 11.32 K/9 and a 1.79 ERA in 20.2 IP. He has done a great job in relief at this level, although he is old for the level.

8. Zachary Arneson: Another 22 year old, he's 6'2, 190 and has done a good job in limited action for the SI Yankees. In 10 IP, he has 10 K, and he has a 3.6 ERA. He, Wetherell, and Montgomery represent guys who will be used as relievers in the minor leagues for the Yankees. All have done a nice job.

9. Mark Montgomery: 5'11, 205 lb RHP reliever. Known on this website as Monte Python, he has been just that, a python. Still 20, his K/9 at Charleston has been 15.22. He had 5 K in one inning this season. His ERA has been 2.45. A lot of people are excited about him, but he'll have to duplicate this success at the higher levels to be a major league reliever.

10. Cody Grice: CF 6' 220 Righty. Grice is out of his junior year at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He had a great freshman year at Grand Valley. In 55 games he hit .411 with 5 HRs, 34 RBIs, and 45 runs. During his sophomore year he continued his dominance. He hit .455 with 6 HRs, 49 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. 2011- He hit .381 with 4 HR, 59 RBIs, and 59 runs. He was second in RBIs and first in runs on his team. He also had 23 stolen bases. They placed him directly in Staten Island probably because of his advanced age (21) and his cool name.

11. Justin James: 20 years old, OF, Sacramento City College. The son of Dion James, Sacramento CC outfielder Justin James is making a name for himself on the diamond. Skipped senior year, and is clearly raw but shows five-tool potential. James is 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds and is an above-average runner. hits lefty, and he shows raw power in batting practice, even to the opposite field. Because of his frame, speed and raw power potential, James could go as high as the third round. During the 2011 season Justin hit .309 with 20 RBIs, 46 runs, and 19 stolen bases. Projectable with power, but hasn't shown it yet. So far in the GCL, he has a .278 average with 4 doubles and a .403 OBP.

12. William "Rookie" Davis: 14th Round - William Davis RHP 6'3" 235 HS. Comitted to ECU. He has a nickname of "rookie." Yankees drafted him as a pitcher and this season he went 9-0 with a 1.02 ERA. He also struck out 136 in only 61.1 innings. Over his four seasons in high school Davis was 25-4 with a 1.67 ERA and 415 strikeouts in 209.1 innings. 89-92 mph FB can sit 90-91. His CB has some shape cen be avg pitch at times.

13. Branden Pinder: Another reliever who has had some success in the minors in his brief career. He's a 21 year old, 6'3 210 lb right handed guy who has done a great job saving games for Staten Island. He has 27 K in 21 IP with a .86 ERA and 10 saves for SI this year. Scouts have been impressed with him, and the results speak for themselves.

14. Hayden Sharp: 6-6, 200, RHP HS, He is signed to play at Central Oklahoma. Nothing on his other pitches though, or his command. As a senior he was used mostly as a reliever and had 82 strikeouts. Keith Law on Twitter: Pop-up guy for the draft this year - Hayden Sharp from Morris, OK. Hit 98 just before the draft, lots of 93-96, quarterback was committed to Central Oklahoma. His first appearance in the minors was rough, but he has plenty of time to adjust. He's just 18 years old.

15. Robert Benson Paullus: 21 year old out of Memphis, another college guy turned reliever. He's 6'1 , 190, throws right handed, and has been okay for Staten Island this season. He has a 4.29 ERA, and 31 K in 21 IP. He has a very low .195 average against, but has a high walk rate that has hurt him. He has 10 BB in 21 IP.

16. Daniel Camarena:LHP, HS, CA. 6 walks in 49 innings this spring while striking out 76, illustrating his superb feel for pitching and ability to carve up the strike zone. worked hard to add strength and his velocity jumped a tick this spring, ranging from 87-91. his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame lacks projection. He makes up for it with his polish and command. CU- scouts rate as an average pitch. already flashes a big league CB sometimes. Most scouts see Camarena's future on the mound, but he could be a standout two-way player in college. Strong mature build. Top level 2-way prospect. Has been primary LHP but may have higher ceiling as a hitter. varies FB velocity/movement/location, tops at 91 sinks it at 83-84 as well, big CB, nice CU. San Diego committed. Selected for the Aflac All-American team.

17. Zach Wilson: 6'1 205 lb, 3B out of ASU. He's 21, and he started at Staten Island, where he's struggled. He has hit .222 in 171 at bats, although he does have 6 HR.

18. Corey Maines: 6'0, 195 lb kid out of Illinois St. Throw right handed, another reliever out of college. Overall, between GCL and SI, he has sported a 3.95 ERA with 13 K in 13.2 IP. He hasn't been bad, but he's 23. This was probably more of an organizational filler type pick.

19. Matt Tracy: 22 year older who's 6'3, 212 and throws lefty. He's done a great job for Staten Island this year, throwing 32.1 IP and striking out 29 with a 2.78 ERA. Doesn't have the most upside, but as they say in baseball, he's lefty, and he does in fact have a pulse. He has held opposing batters to a .203 average this season.

20. Chaz Hebert: LHP high school kid out of Louisiana, probably a starter for our minor league teams. 6'2, 180 lbs, hits low 90's with his fastball. He supplements that with a slow curveball, but hopefully he can develop some other pitches or improve that curveball.

21. Joseph Maher: RHP 6'5, 185 lb. Mid to high 80's fastball with a sinker, and a breaking ball.

I'll go through the international free agent signings another time.

YEEP 8/16/11: Bad News and Losses

Evil Em VP: Adam Warren

Unfortunately Ravel Santana did in fact suffer a brutal injury to his ankle. He shattered the ankle and tore many ligaments during the injury. Sounds like he got his foot jammed up against second base in a SB attempt. Gary Sanchez is also out for the season with his broken finger.

In other news, looks like we ended up signing 21 of our 50 picks from the draft. I'll go through each one in a separate post.

AAA SWB: L 0-2 to Durham. L: Warren
Kevin Russo: 0/4 (.275). 4 for his last 36 (.111). Slumpy McSlumperson over here.
A-Rod: 1/3. I don't see the point in this. He can help us now, why wait until the end of the week.
Montero: 1/4, K (.283)
Laird: 0/4 (.262). Speaking of Slumpy McSlumperson, 4 for his last 29 (.128).
Adam "the Warden" Warren: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, BB, 8 K (3.33 ERA on the season). Great outing, too bad he had to get the loss.
DJ Mitchell: 1 IP, K, 0 ER (3.52 ERA). I guess he's in the bullpen now that our rotation includes ManBan, Dellin Betances, Warren, Pendleton, and soon to be David Phelps.
Kontos: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER (2.75 ERA)
Brack Attack: 1 IP, K (6.78 ERA). Folks, we officially have an Andrew Brackman sighting. That's 2 outings in a row with no runs, 3 in a row that are not so bad. I'm ready for the disappointing appearance that inevitably will follow though.
Whelan: 1 IP, zeros (2.25 ERA)

AA Trenton: Double Header:
Game 1: L 0-6 to Erie. L: Hall
Krum: 0/3 (.252)
CoJo: 0/3, K (.265). Continues to regress. David Adams is ready for AA Cojo, watch yo back.
Austin BRomine: 1/2, BB (.285). I bet there's at least one person who can't wait for Montero to be promoted. Not so sure how much he'll be rooting for Jesus to succeed though, hehe. Glad to see Romine back though.
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/3, K (.244)
Melkman Mesa: 0/3, K (.237)
Kruml: 1/3 (.286)
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 0/2, K (.250)
Shaeffer Hall: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (4.4 ERA). I think we're approaching the time when he becomes a full-time LOOGY.

Game 2: L 2-8 to Erie. L: Arbiso
Kruml: 1/2, R, 3B, BB, K (.287)
CoJo: 0/3, K (.263)
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/3, 2B, 2 RBI (.252)
Melkman Mesa: 1/3, K (.238)
Pope: .2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, BB, 2 K (4.91). And there goes all of the good stats he put up there for a while.

High A Tampa: L 5-12 to Lakeland. L: Casanova
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/5, R, 2B, K (.252)
Walt Ibarra: 2/4, 2 R, K, E (9) (.293). All I do is hit hit hit no matter what! He's done it over 355 at bats this season.
K-Roll Roller: 3/4, R, 2B, RBI, BB, K (.282). 16 for his last 33 (.485) with 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 BB in his last 10 games. He's got 15 HR on the season between the two levels in 357 at bats. The only catch? He's 23.
Luke Murton: 1/5, K (.283)
Dee Mack: 1/4, RBI, BB (.312)
Seggy Segedin: 0/4, K (.231)
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/4, (.297). Finally dipped below .300.
Jose Quintanadana: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K, HR (2.86 ERA). That ERA is climbing with every start.
Burawa: 2 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 K (3.41 ERA)
Casanova: Shelled for 6 ER in 1.2 IP

Low A Charleston: L 4-5. L: Gipson
Shane Brown: 1/2, RBI, 3 BB (.274). Looked impressive at the plate today.
Ray-Flo Flores: 0/4, BB, 2 K (.265)
Higgy: 0/4, K (.238) Officially back to his old hitting self.
Gipson: 4 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (2.00 ERA). Nice spot start. He must have been demoted for this reason because it couldn't have been his performance. He's been pretty good for Tampa.
Dott: 3 IP, BB, 3 K (1.35 ERA)

Short Season A All-Star Game
Mad Mase Williams: 0/1, RBI, K
Stevenson: 0/2, 2 K
Gamel: 0/1
Evan DeLuca: 1 IP, H, 2 BB, 0 ER
Pinder: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, K
Congrats to all of the guys who got to play in this game.

GCL Yankees: L 5-6 to GCL Pirates. L: Cowsert
Jose Rosario: 1/3, 2 R, RBI 2 SB (11) (.308). He didn't forget how he was playing before the injury I guess.
Janitor Custodio: 1/2, R, 3B, RBI, SB (25) (.324). Excited to see him in full season, hopefully next year.
Matt Duran Duran: 1/2, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K (.265). Not bad for an 18 year old at this level.
Bichette Happens: 2/3, RBI, BB, K (.344). A great way to start his career as a Yankee. Everyone knocked this pick, but so far, so good.
Justin James: 0/1 (.278)
Daniel Lopez: 1/4, R, 2B, K (.293)
Gabe Encinas: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 8 K. (5.32 ERA) The 8 K are impressive, but he's gonna have to put together some stellar starts to salvage the season.
Edwar Rodriguez: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, K (3.31 ERA)
Mad Cowsert Disease: 1 IP, H, ER, BB, 2 K (2.41 ERA). He's been so good for us, he deserves to not be judged on this loss.

YEEP 8/15/11: A boring day, only two affiliates played

Low A Charleston: L 1-4 to Hickory. L: Kahnle
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4, 2B, K (.267)
Higgy Higashioka: 1/4, RBI (.248).
Eddy Sosa: 0/4, K (.256)
Shane Greene: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 0 ER (3.82 ERA). Finishing off his decent season well. He'll be a good candidate to break out for next year in my book.
Kahnle: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (4.38 ERA). No comment.
This level is quite boring without Sanchize, :(

GCL Yankees: L 3-4 to GCL Pirates. L: Polanco
Jose Rosario: 2/5, 3B, RBI (.307). 2nd game back from some injury, picked up right where he left off.
Isaias the hata Tejeda: 1/4, 2B, RBI (.331).
Bichette Happens: 1/4, R, 2B, 2 K (.338).
Matt Duran Duran: 0/2, RBI, 2 BB, E (2) (.255)
Yeicok Calderon: 1/4, K (.230). I think this is the last day I'll follow him unless he turns out to be something more than a budget Kelvin De Leon.
Bubba Jones: 2/4, R, K (.269)
Daniel Lopez: 0/2 (.295)
Justin James: 0/4, 2 K (.283)
Mark Prior: 1 IP, BB, 3 K (1.5 ERA)
Reynaldo Polanco: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR (5.09 ERA). He can salvage his season with a few solid late season starts.

YEEP 8/14/11: Betances to AAA, Santana and Sanchize go down with injuries.

Evil Em VP: Kyle Roller

News: Betances was promoted to AAA, Ravel Santana had a gruesome ankle injury, and Sanchize is out for the season with a broken finger.

AAA SWB: L 2-4. L: Kensing
Russo: 1/4, K (.278)
JoVa: 0/4, 4 K (.251)
Laird: 1/3, RBI, K (.265)
No worthwhile pitching efforts,

AA Trenton: L 2-4 to Harrisburg. L: Stoneburner
Krum: 1/4, K, SB (18) (.256)
Kruml: 1/4, RBI, K, SB (35) (.285)
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/4, 2 K (.247)
Melkman Mesa: 0/4, 2 K (.240). He did hit his 7th HR of the season on August 13th though.
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 0/3, K (.255). He hit his 3rd HR of his Trenton career on August 13th, I believe thats 15 on the season.
CoJo: 1/1 in a PH appearance, with 1 RBI (.267)
Graham Cracker Stoneburner: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K. Could have been worse, but he's struggled since coming back from the injury a bit.
Sideshow Venditte: 2 IP, H, 2 K (2.72 ERA). At this point I'm rooting for this kid pretty hard.

High A Tampa: L 5-7 to Dunedin. L: O'Brien
Honest Abe Almonte: 2/4, R, 3B, BB, SB (24) (.253). Continues his torrid play.
Walt Ibarra: 1/5, 2 K (.291)
K-Roll Roller: 2/4, 2 R, HR (6), 3 RBI, BB, K (.271). That 6 HR at this level, and I believe 6 at Charleston.
Luke Murton: 1/4, 2B, K (.284)
Castrol GTX Castro: 2/4, RBI, 2 K (.301). Still skirting that .300 mark, I hope he finishes the season .300+
Mikey O'Brien: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, K, HR (3.04 ERA). Everyone gets one.
Cozmo Kramer Sneed: 2.2 IP, H, R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (3.3 ERA). Great performance, he has really torn it up since his promotion to High A.
Rudolf the red-nosed Reinier Casanova: 1 IP, Zeros (3.52 ERA)

Low A Charleston: W 4-1 vs. Hickory. W: Recchia. S: Montgomery
Ray-Flo Flores: 3/4, 2B, K (.268). Two straight 2-hit games. Keep the train rolling.
Shane Brown: 0/2, R, BB (.267)
Eddy Sosa: 1/4, R, 2B, 2 K (.259)
Recchia: 3 IP, 3 K, 0 ER (2.67 ERA)
Dott: 1 IP, K, 0 ER (1.52 ERA)
Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, BB, 2 K, S.

YEEP 8/12/11: Betances and Nuno solid, GCL rolls again

Evil Em VP: Dellin Betances

AAA SWB: L 4-7 to Syracuse. L: Banuelos
Russo: 0/5, RBI, 4 K (.278)
Montero: 2/5, R, HR, RBI, 2 K (.283): #13 on the season. That's 3 in 10 games.
JoVa: 1/3, BB, K (.253)
Banuelos: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K. The walks are back, but not a terrible outing.
Whelan: .2 IP, H, ER, BB (2.3 ERA)

AA Trenton: L 2-3 to Harrisburg. L: Pope
Krum: 0/4, RBI, 2 K (.241)
Kruml: 0/3, BB, K, CS (.288): Good to see him back. Probably just needs a couple of days to shake the rust.
R-Ly Lyerly: 1/4, 3B, K (.258)
Melkman Mesa: 2/4, 2B, K (.239).
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 0/4, 2 K (.262). He's done okay, but he does seem a little bit overmatched at this level. I'll give him some time though, since he does seem to take a while to adjust to each level.
Betances: 7 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 6 K. Great outing. This is exactly what we are looking for from him.
Sideshow Venditte: 1 IP, BB, 2 K (2.79 ERA)
Pope: .1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, HR (2.57 ERA)

High A Tampa: L 4-6 to Dunedin. L: Black
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/4, R, K (.251)
Walt Ibarra: 0/4 (.290)
A-Rod: 2/3, R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI. I don't know who this kid is, but he's really old for his level. (Just kidding)
K-Roll Roller: 0/1, K (.253)
Luke Murton: 0/4, 2 K (.285)
Dee Mack: 1/4, K (.315)
Castrol GTX Castro: 1/4, R, 2B, 2 K (.315)
Gipson: 1 IP, H, ER, K, HR (2.95 ERA)

Low A Charleston: W 3-1 vs West Virginia. W: Kahnle. S: Montgomery
Eddy Sosa: 2/5, K (.263)
Shane Brown: 0/3 (.276)
Vidal Nuno: 5 IP, H, ER, 6 K, HR (2.4 ERA). He's been great for Charleston since converting from reliever.
Kahnle: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K (4.11 ERA). That's his 2nd long outing in a row with 0 ER. Took him from about a 5 ERA to 4.11
Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, BB, 2 K (2.6 ERA). That's his 10th save.

Short Season Staten Island: L 3-12 to Auburn. L: DeLuca
Cody Grice: 0/4, BB, 2 K (.278). He led off today, didn't go so well.
Cheeto Culver: 2/3, R, 2 BB, K, SB (5), E (15) (.278). Looks like he's out of that funk he was in for a while. That's 2 multi-hit games in a row. I'd love to see him finish strong this season.
Ben Gamel the Camel: 0/4, R, BB, 2 K (.296)
Casey Stevenson: 2/4, R, BB, K, E (4) (.291)
Ty Austin: 2/4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K (.219). He's starting to come around now at this level.
DeLuca: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, K (4.37). That's four really bad starts in a row. Not good.
Cotham City: 2 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 2 K (1.35 ERA)
Richardson: 1 IP, ER, 4 BB, 3 K. The rare walking in of a run without any hits. Yucky.

GCL Yankees: W 12-8 vs GCL Tigers
Ravenous Ravel Santana (Rav 4? I'm tryin out the new nick name): 2/4, 3 R, 2B, BB, SB (10) (.297). No strike outs today, a good sign. 17 for his last 35 (.486). No homers in the last 10 games though. Bust?
Janitor Custodio: 3/4, 3 R, RBI, BB, SB (23). .359/.457/.841 in his last 10 games with 7 SB and 1 CS. The only catch? He only has one extra base hit in that time (2B).
Isaias the hata Tejeda: 0/1 (.339). He left in the top of the 3rd innning for some reason.
Hurst: 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, E (2) (.667). Replaced Tejeda at catcher.
Bichette Happens: 4/5, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 RBI, E (6) (.344). Beast.
Matt Duran Duran: 1/3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K (.267)
Bubba Jones: 1/5, 3 K (.263)
Henry Pena: 0/5, 4 K (.257)
Mark Prior: 1 IP, H, ER, K, 2 HB. Hitting 2 guys is a bad sign. Gotta get that control.
Rutzkrieg Rutckyj: 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (5.2 ERA)
Hayden Sharp: .2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 0 K. There's your rude awakening Sharp.
Daniel Martinez: 1 IP, 2 H, K (1.29 ERA). He's got 15 K in 14 innings. He's a bit old for the level though (21).

YEEP 8/11/11: Lower Level OF Show their Mettle

Evil Em VP: Lance Pendleton. The ultimate Yankees underdog.

By the way, some old friends have been promoted to the majors recently. Congratulations are in order for Arodys Vizcaino and Jimmy Paredes, yes Jimmy Paredes, who are former members of the Yankees farm recently called up for the Braves and the Astros respectively. I don't think Paredes would have ever seen action for the Yankees, but I wish we never parted ways with Vizcaino for the likes of, you guessed it, Javier Vazquez.

AAA SWB: L 0-1 to Gwinnett. L: Pendleton
Russo: 0/4, 2 K (.282)
Jesus Montero: 1/4, K (.282)
JoVa: 1/3, 2B, K (.253)
Laird: 0/3, 2 K (.264) He's in an 0/17 skid after his hot streak coming off his first big league experience. I guess the adrenaline rush has officially worn off.
Pendleton: 5 IP, 6 H, ER, BB, 2 K, HR (3.02 ERA). I'd venture to guess that on most other teams he would be a part of the major league bullpen right now, whatever his role might be.
Brack Attack: 3 IP, H, 2 K (6.86 ERA)

AA Trenton: W 8-5 vs Binghamton. W: Halsey. S: Pope
Krum: 1/3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K (.246). 1st homer of the year.
CoJo: 0/5, 2 K. 6 for 40 rut (.150)
R-Ly Lyerly: 3/5, 2 R, SB (1) (.258). Nice game
Melkman Mesa: 1/3, 2 R, BB, 2 K (.235). That average is slowly climbing, but I think it's safe to say he took a large step back this season no matter what he does to finish it off.
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/4, 2B, 2 RBI, K (.273). Opposite of what I said about Melkman.
Pope: 1 IP, BB, 2 K (1.32 ERA)

High A Tampa: W 4-0 vs Clearwater. W: Brett Marshall
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/3, K (.251). Continues his hot play.
Walt Ibarra: 0/3 (.294)
K-Roll Roller: 1/2, R, 2 BB, SB (1), BB (.255)
Luke Murton: 2/4, RBI, 2 K (.288). With Mujica still playing third base for Trenton and not getting the job done, I can't imagine a promotion is far off for the red hot Murton.
Dee Mack: 1/3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K, SB (1) (.317). I'm glad he at least found his stroke at this level.
Castrol GTX Castro: 1/4, K, CS (3) (.303). He's been managing to stay just over .300 on the season for a while now.
Brett Fire Marshall: 5 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K (3.88 ERA). Good to see him bounce back after two not so great outings in a row. It's been a long season but he's finishing strong and hopefully he can bring some of this momentum to AA next season.
Kramer Sneed: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 K (3.62 ERA). Lefty with a pulse alert.
Rudolf the red nosed Reinier Casanova: 2.1 IP, H, BB, 4 K (4.05 ERA). Keeps bouncing back and forth between GCL and Tampa. I guess their close vicinity has allowed him to do this without having to move.

Low A Charleston: L 0-4 to West Virginia. L: Ramirez
Eddy Sosa: 0/4, K (.260). The way he started the season, I thought he had promise, but given his lack of power and lack of use of his speed tool this season, I'm gonna have to say that I expect him to finish the season as not much more than future organizational filler.
Sanchize: 0/1 (.256). Was pinch hit for in his 2nd at bat. No news on why.
J-Ram Ramirez: 6 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, BB, 4 K, HR (4.9 ERA). He's had worse.

Short Season SI: W 7-5 vs Williamsport. W: Gerritse. S: Arneson
Mad Mase Williams: 2/3, R, 3B, 3 RBI, BB, CS (11) (.369). The only flaw in his game right now is the lack of power and the base running. Given his aggressiveness I do think he will eventually work out his basestealing. I think Cito Culver should take a page out of his book. As far as his power goes, he does seem to hit a lot of doubles and triples. Usually this represents gap power which in young players usually translates to real power as they fill out. I am hopeful that Williams will be a bigtime talent in the coming years.
Cheeto Culver: 3/5, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI, SB (4) (.272). He was due for a game like this. Nice job Cheeto.
Ben Gamel the Camel: 2/5, K (.306). Stayin hot.
Cody Grice: 2/5, R, 2B, RBI, K (.288). This trio of outfielders has been great. Including Heathcott, our lower levels are stacked with OF.
Ty Austin: 1/5, 3 K, E (2) (.179). He has had some trouble adjusting between the promotion and the injury.
Reymond Nunez: 1/4 (.288). Seems like he always drops at least one hit. I love that in a player.
Gerritse: 1.1 IP, H, BB, K, 0 ER (1.25 ERA)
Phil Wetherell: 2 IP, 2 K, 0 ER (1.74 ERA)
Arneson: 1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K (3.6 ERA)
Not a lot of promising starting pitchers here besides maybe Mitchell, who has disappointed, and DeLuca, but this level is stacked with promising relief pitchers. They've all got a ways to go but I can ring off about 10 guys who have had a lot of success at this level this season. Matt Tracy, Nuno, Gerritse, Pinder, Wetherell, Cotham, Recchia, Arneson, Richardson, Montgomery. That's a lot of guys, and even if one of them makes the majors, then that would be a success. I like our chances that 1/10 could do it.

GCL Yankees: Double Header
Game 1: W 6-4 vs GCL Phillies. W: Encinas
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/4, R (.280)
Janitor Custodio: 3/4, R, 2 RBI, SB (22) (.323). Looks like he's gonna end this season the same way he started it... legit
Matt Duran Duran: 0/3, BB (.256)
Junior Bichette: 0/4, 2 K (.319). It's okay, his mini-slump would end later.
Valera (not the gas station): 2/2, 2 BB (.284).
Bubba Jones: 1/3, BB (.286)
Yeicok Calderon: 0/2, R, BB, K (.236). His season started off very exciting but has ended in some disappointment.
Henry Pena: 0/1 (.259), he'll make up for this pinch hit appearance later.
Daniel Lopez: 1/4, 2 R, 3B (.314)
Gabriel Encinas: 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K (5.10 ERA).
Mad Cowsert Disease: 1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 K (2.04 ERA)
Hinojosa: 1 IP, H, R, 0 ER, 0 K (2.13 ERA)

Game 2: W 7-3 vs GCL Phillies. W: Rodriguez
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 3/4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 SB (9) (.292). Hell yes.
Janitor Custodio: 0/3, R, RBI, BB (.315)
Isaias the hata Tejeda: 2/4, R, 2B, 3 RBI (.343). It really is hard to pick a favorite on this team.
Matt Duran Duran: 1/3, 2 RBI, 2 K (.262).
Bichette Happens: 2/2, 2 BB (.329). After a mini-slump, this was a great game for him (he was 3 for his last 23 before this game)
Henry Pena: 2/3, R, 2B (.300)
Justin James: 0/2, 2 R, BB (.306). He's in a little mini-slump of his own (2 for his last 19)
Tay-Mo Morton: 4 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (2.16 ERA).
Edwar Rodriguez: 3 IP, H, BB, K (3.23 ERA)

YEEP 8/10/11: Is Sanchize the Franchise?

 Evil Em VP: Gary Sanchez and his 2 HR (2nd time in 6 games he's done that). Image from milb.com

AAA SWB: L 2-4 to Gwinnett. L: Mitchell. Dan Brewer left the game early, after being hit by a pitch. Parraz took over for him.
Jesus Montero: 0/4, BB, 2 K (.282)
JoVa: 2/3 (.252)
Laird: 0/3, 2 RBI (.266)
DJ Mitchell: 8 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR (3.54 ERA). Not horrible.

AA Trenton: L 9-3 to Binghamton. L: Hall
Krum: 1/4, BB, 2 K (.245)
CoJo: 1/5, 2 K (.269). At this rate he's not gonna be able to hold off David Adams much longer.
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/4, 3 K (.249)
Melkman Mesa: 1/4, R (.234)
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/3, R, BB (.274)
Shaeffer Hall: 4.1 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 2 ER, BB, 2 K (4.23 ERA). Errors hurt him badly in this game.
Whitley: 1.2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 2 K, HR (3.45 ERA)


High A Tampa: Double Header
Game 1: L 0-4 to Clearwater. L: Quintana
Walt Ibarra: 1/3, 2B (.299). Great season. I am excited to see him in AA next season.
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3, 2 K (.307). Same.
K-Roll Roller: 0/3, K (.252)
Luke Murton: 0/2, BB (.283)
Dee Mack: 0/3, 2 K. Probably his first bad game since being demoted.
Alcantara: 0/2 (.111). He's playing 2B at this level right now. I'm not sure why, especially since Castro can play 2B. I'm also not sure why he went straight from GCL to here. Maybe he's just filling in. Maybe he's just getting at bats since those are hard to come by at GCL with the stacked infield and outfield.
Jose Quintanadana: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Alas, it appears the honeymoon is over. After a string of solid starts, this is 2 straight bad ones. Hopefully he can correct it.
Burawa: 3 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 0 ER (3.6 ERA).

Game 2: L 6-5 to Clearwater. L: Claiborne
Honest Abe Almonte: 2/3, 3 R, RBI, BB, SB (23). 16 for his last 43 (.372) with a 10 + game hit streak going.
Walt Ibarra: 0/3, 2 K (.296)
K-Roll Roller: 1/4, RBI (.252)
Murton: 2/4, 3 RBI, K (.285)
Dee Mack: 0/2, BB (.319). 0 for the day for him.
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3 (.3 Oh Three) Likewise
Claiborne: 1.1 IP, H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K (3.54 ERA)
K-Flan Flannery: .2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K (1.45 ERA)

Low A Charleston: W 7-4 vs West Virginia. W: Greene
Eddy Sosa: 1/4, R, 2B, BB, 2 K, 2 SB (12) (.264)
Shane Brown: 2/5, R, 2 RBI, K (.291).
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4 (.264)
Sanchize: 2/3, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI BB (.257). 7 HR in his last 8 games. 13 for his last 29 (.448). This came out of nowhere, but it's not like it comes as a huge surprise. That's HR number 17 on the season, which is phenomenal for a catcher and we've still got some time left.
Shane Greene: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K. Here's what I like about this outing. All 3 runs came in the 1st inning. He worked out of it and managed to get through 6.2 innings without any further damage. Not his best but he battled. Here's what I didn't like: 3 walks.
Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 2 K (2.76 ERA). Still has a 2.19 ERA in his last 10 appearances.

Short Season Staten Island: L 4-5 to Williamsport. L: Pinder
Mad Mase Williams: 3/5, R, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 SB (20) (.365). Continues his dream season. He's showing why he was the real prize of last year's draft for this team.
Cheeto Culver: 0/5, 2 K (.264), E (14). He's showing why he's not. Not only is he struggling with the bat, but I believe that's his 3rd game in a row with an error.
Ben Gamel the Camel: 2/4, 2B (.302).
Cody Grice: 1/4, R, K, SB (8) (.283)
Ty Austin: 1/2, RBI, 2 BB (.174). He'll get it soon, and this may be the beginning of the proof.
Reymond Nunez: 0/4 (.289)
Pinder: 1 IP, H, ER, BB (.95 ERA)

YEEP 8/9/11- Jesus Homers, the Janitor Cleans Up

Evil Em VP: Claudio Custodio: 3/3, 2 SB.

The Yankees have signed 25th rounder Adam Smith (I guess his parents had never heard of Adam Smith's Trading Company, or maybe they had). They also signed a Czech catcher who played in American high schools for 2 years named Daniel Vavrusa. I doubt if he's any good, European baseball talent rarely is.

AAA SWB: Double Header
Game 1: W 4-3 vs Gwinnett Braves. W: Whelan
Russo: 1/3, R, RBI, BB, K (.285)
Dan Brewski Brewer: 2/4, R, 2 K (.275)
Jesus Montero: 1/3, HR, 2 RBI, BB (.285). That's 12 now and counting.
JoVa: 0/3, BB (.249). No strikeout for once.
Laird: 0/2, BB (.271)
Adam the Warden Warren: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. Meh outing.
Whelan: 2 IP, H, 2 K. Great job salvaging a win.

Game 2: Probably gonna have to wait until tomorrow for the update on this one.

AA Trenton: L 5-6. L: Stoneburner. They almost came back in the 8th and 9th but fell one run short
Krum: 0/5, RBI, K, SB (17). Not a day you want out of a leadoff guy, although the SB is nice.
CoJo: 1/4, R, L (.269)
R-Ly Lyerly: 1/4, HR, 3 RBI, K (.254). He was a huge part of the 8th inning portion of the comeback. That's his 4th HR since the promotion.
Melkman Mesa: 1/3, 2B (.234)
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 0/3, BB, K (.272)
Graham Cracker Stoneburner: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR. Not his best outing, but still has a 2.86 ERA.
Josh Bromance Romanski: 1.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 3 K (2.04 ERA)
Pope: 1 IP, K (1.42 ERA)

Short Season Staten Island: L 0-1 to Williamsport. L: Wetherell.
Mad Mase Williams: 1/4, 2B (.359)
Cheeto Culver: 0/4, (.270), E (13). Not liking the recent errors.
Ben Gamel the Camel: 1/4, 2 K (.295)
Cody Grice: 0/4, K (.284)
Reymond Nunez: 1/4, 2B (.295)
Casey Stevenson: 2/3 (.285)
Tyler Austin: 0/3, BB (.143) Back from injury finally, hopefully he picks up where he left off at GCL.
Bryan Mitchell: 6 IP, H, BB, 2 K (4.82 ERA). We have a Bryan Mitchell sighting. Consistency is the key.
Paullus: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K (4.74 ERA)
Wetherell: .2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, K (1.93 ERA): Must have been screwed by Cheeto's error.

GCL Yankees: L 3-4 to GCL Blue Jays: L: Polanco
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 3/4, R, 2B, K, SB (7) (.281). His season is within respectability, and he's young with great tools. He's on his way.
Janitor Custodio: 3/3, R, 2B, BB, 2 SB (21) (.308). This kid just continues to exceed expectations, and I will continue to cheer for him. He's 21/22 on the season in SB as well.
Isaias the Hata Tejeda: 0/4, RBI, K (.337)
Junior Bichette: 0/3, 3 K (.329)
Matt Duran Duran: 2/3, HR, 2B, 2 RBI (.278). Second homerun of the season.
Bubba Jones: 0/3, 3 K. He and Bichette were aweful today.
Daniel Lopez: 0/3 (.316)
Justin James: 0/3, K (.319)
Mark Prior: 1 IP, H, BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA)
Reynaldo Polanco: 3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 K (5.04 ERA). His first bad one in a while, I'll excuse it.
Checo: 1.2 IP, H, BB, 3 K (2.79 ERA)

YEEP 8/8/11: Jesus, Poised to Join the Dark Side, Forgets to Bring his Light Saber today.

Evil Em VP: Slim pickens, but I have to go with Cito Culver and his 3/4, SB performance.

AAA SWB: L 1-3 to Gwinnett. L: Smith
Russo (Russeau): 0/4, BB, 2 K (.284)
Jesus Montero: 0/5, K (.285). The whispers are getting louder, it's only a matter of time before he's rockin the pinstripes. Maybe he's getting nervous.
JoVa: 1/4, K (.251). No homer today, Shelley Duncan wannabe!
Laird: 0/3, BB, K (.272)
No prospects pitched today, only organizational filler.

High A Tampa: L 3-4 to Dunedin: L: Marquez
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/4, K, CS (10), (.248). Everday I'm hovering (at .248).
Walt Ibarra: 1/4, R (.299)
K-Roll Roller: 1/3, HR, 2 RBI, K (.257). That's HR number 5 at this level. 6 for his last 11.
DAdams: 0/2, BB (.308)
Alcantara: 1/1, R (.143).
Luke Murton: 0/3, BB, K (.285)
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3, K (.310)
Mikey O'Brien: 4 IP, 2 H, 5 BB, 6 K, 0 ER (2.09 ERA). I didn't realize he's still just 21. Look forward to seeing him in AA.
K-Flan Flannery: 1 IP, Zeros. He'll get his shot in AA next season.

Low A Charleston: W 5-1 vs Savannah. The only win for our system tonight.  W: Dott
Ray-Flo Flores: 0/2, BB, K (.264)
Higgy Higashioka: 0/4 (.241)
Sanchize: 0/4, K (.253). No biggie.
Tommy Kahnle: 3 IP, H, R, 0 ER, BB, 6 K. Just when I'm ready to give up on the kid, he throws together 7 earned run-less innings in a row with 12 K to bring the old ERA to 4.3
Dott: 3 IP, H, 3 K (1.59 ERA). I have such a great nickname for this guy. Alas, I cannot use it. Gotta be PC.

Short Season Staten Island: L 5-7. L: Cotham
Mad Mase Williams: 0/4, K (.361)
Cheeto Culver: 3/4, 2 R, K, SB (3) (.276), E (12). Atta boy, now get some more of those hits.
Gamel the Camel: 1/4, R, 2B, RBI (.296)
Cody Grice: 2/4, RBI, CS (2) (.296)
Reymond Nunez: 1/4, RBI, 3 K (.296)
Casey Stevenson: 1/4, RBI (.276)
Matt Tracy: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 3 K (3.18 ERA). Got the start for some reason.
Cotham City: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, K (1.5 ERA). I love the fact that Cotham City is his twitter account name, and I had no clue about that when I chose his nickname.
Arneson: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 2 K (3.00 ERA)

YEEP 8/7/11: Manny and Dellin pitch well, Gipson gets work done in Tampa

Evil Em VP: Mike Gipson. He is the main reason Tampa won this game. He kept them in the game throwing 4 scoreless innings and recording 4 strikeouts. Image thanks to gothamcitybaseball.com

AAA SWB, double header
Game 1: L 4-5 to Lousville. L: Whelan
Russo: 0/4, K (.290)
Montero: 1/4, R, K (.289)
JoVa: 1/4, 2B, RBI, 2 K (.249)
Laird: 1/4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 K (.276). That's number 12 on the season. Continues his hot play.
ManBan: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 K (2.45 ERA so far at AAA). ZERO WALKS.  The 5 K are nice too. Good to see him performing well.
Kensing: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K, HR
Whelan: 1 IP, H, ER, BB, K (2.23 ERA). That's his only run in his last 7.2 IP, so he seems to have come back from that injury quite well.

Game 2: W 4-3. W: Romero
Russo: 0/3 (.287)
JoVa: 1/2 (.251)
Laird: 0/3, 2 K (.274)
Brewski Brewer: 1/3, R, 2B, RBI, K (.269)
Lance Pendleton: 3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, HR (3.13 ERA)
Brack Attack: 2.2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 4 K,  (7.12 ERA). Actually one of his better outings of the year... sad.
JC Romero: .2 IP, K (2.33 ERA)

AA Trenton: L 2-3 to Altoona. L: Venditte
Krum: 0/4, K (.251)
CoJo: 1/4, 2B, K (.270)
R-Ly Lyerly: 1/4, R, H, 2B, RBI, K, (.254)
Melkman Mesa: 0/4, K (.233)
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 0/4, 2 K, (.281). Had a SB (3).
Dellin Betances: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K (3.57 ERA). Pretty good outing. I like the fact that he only had one walk. I'm very pleased with the control he and Banuelos displayed today.

High A Tampa: W 8-7 vs Dunedin: W: Casanova
Honest Abe Almonte: 2/5, 2 R, 3B (.248). 15 for his last 45 (.333).
Walt Ibarra: 1/5, R, RBI, 2 K (.299)
K-Roll Roller: 3/4, 2 R, RBI, K (.255). I think he likes batting 3rd. This is his 2nd multi hit game in a row, and he's got 12 hits in his last 39 at bats for a .308 average in that span.
Luke Murton: 3/5, R, 2 RBI, 2 K (.287). Still raging. 15 for his last 36 (.417), 9 game hit streak.
Dee Mack: 4/5, R, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI (.333). Tearing apart pitching at this level.
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3, 2 K (.314)
Sean Black: 2 IP 7 H, 7 R, 6 ER, BB, 2 K. Officially a disappointment this year. I'm making this observation now but it's probably been "official" for a couple of starts now.
Gipson: 4 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 0 ER. Great appearance. His ERA is just 2.6 so far in Tampa and 2.63 at all levels this season over 27.1 IP, with 21 K. Not bad.
Kramer Sneed: 2 IP, H, 4 K (3.86 ERA at this level). Yankees must have seen something I didn't, he's been great after an initial adjustment period at High A.
Reinier Casanova: 1 IP, K, 0 ER. They must just be sending this guy back and forth between GCL and Tampa. He was in Tampa, then GCL, then Tampa again this week.

Low A Charleston: L 3-7 to Savannah: L: Forer
Shane Brown: 1/4, RBI, BB (.280)
Higgy Higashioka: 1/4 (.253)
Ray-Flo Flores: 0/4, 2 K (.265)
Sanchize: 2/4, K (.256). He's rapidly increasing this average, and I love it.
Recchia: 3.2 IP, 2 ER, BB, HR (2.96 ERA)

Short Season Staten Island: L 2-10. L: DeLuca
Mad Mase Williams: 1/3, R, BB (.369) Stayin hot.
Cheeto Culver: 0/3, RBI BB, K (.266) He's in another one of his cold spells.
Cody Grice: 1/3, RBI, BB (.287)
Reymond Nunez: 1/4, K (.297)
Casey Stevenson: 1/4 (.277)
Ben Gamel: 2/4, R, 2 K, SB (4) (.298)
DeLuca: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4 BB (3.4 ERA) That's three bad starts in a row, 4 bad starts out of his last 5. I hope there isn't something wrong with him.
Matt Richardson: 1 IP, 3 BB, ER, 0 H (3.12 ERA)

YEEP 8/6/11: Wins all around.

Evil Em VP: Mason Williams

AA Trenton: W 5-3 vs Altoona. W: Whitley, S: Pope. *Claggett got the loss for Altoona.
Krum: 1/5, R, K (.257)
CoJo: 1/4, R, BB, K (.270)
R-Ly Lyerly: 2/4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB (.254). Finally broke his 0 for a long time spell.
Melkman Mesa: 3/5, HR, 2 RBI (.236). That's number 6 on the season, his power is slowly returning. 2 games in a row with a homerun.
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/3, BB (.294)
Craig Heyer: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, HR (3.92 ERA)
Chase Whitley: 3 IP, H, BB, 2 K, 0 ER (3.33 ERA). All the way from Staten Island to Trenton less than 2 seasons with success at every level. Really impressive.
Pope: 1 IP, 0 ER, K (1.54)

High A Tampa: W 8-4 vs Dunedin: W: Marshall
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/5, R, 3B, 2 K (.246)
Walt Ibarra: 2/4, R, 2B, RBI (.301). Pretty solid return.
K-Roll Roller: 2/4, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI (.241). Good job, he needs more games like this.
DAdams: 2/3, 2 R, BB, K (.320). They can't keep him here much longer, but I'd like to see the power come around at some point.
Castrol GTX Castro: 1/4, RBI, K (.318)
Dee Mack: 3/4, R, 2B, RBI (.315). He'll be great at this level.
Brett Fire Marshall: 5 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 K, HR (4.04 ERA). I like the lack of walks, I don't like the 9 hits.
Dan Burawa: 2 IP, R, ER, 3 BB, K (4.09 ERA)

Low A Charleston: W 6-5 vs Savannah. W: Nuno. S: Montgomery
Shane Brown: 1/3, R, RBI, BB (.283)
Sanchize: 2/3, R, HR, RBI, BB (.253). 9 for his last 18. 6 HR in his last 10 games. 15 HR on the season. I'd say he's starting to come around.
Higgy Higashioka: 1/4, R, HR, 2 RBI (.253)
Vidal Sassoon Nuno: 6 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 K, HR (2.7 ERA). Lots of hits, but no walks and you've got to like his K/BB rate of 40/3 in 35 innings this year.
Dott: 1.2 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K (1.83 ERA)
Monte Python Montgomery: 1.1 IP, H, R, ER, 3 BB, 2 K (2.35 ERA). Not his best performance.

Short Season Staten Island Yankees: W 6-4 vs Brooklyn. W: Oliver. S: Pinder
Mad Mase Williams:3/4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB (18) (.370). Leads the league in average and it's not close.
Casey Stevenson: 2/4, R, RBI, BB (.278)
Ben Gamel the Camel: 2/3, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB (.290)
Cody Grice: 2/5, R, 3B, 4 RBI (.286)
Reymond Nunez: 1/5, 2B, RBI, K (.298)
Gerritse: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 K, HR (1.33 ERA)
Pinder: 1 IP, H, 2 K, 0 ER. 10 saves on the season (.50 ERA). Pretty dominant.I like his makeup and so do some scouts. He could be a Chase Whitley type by next year.

GCL Yankees: W 14-6 vs GCL Braves
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/4, 2 R, BB, SB (6) (.268)
Janitor Custodio: 3/5, 2 R, RBI, K, SB (19) (.291) He needed a game like this badly. Strong work.
Isaias The Hata Tejada: 3/5, 2 R, (.350), CS, PO. A few baserunning misakes, but great game.
Junior Bichette: 2/4, R, 2 RBI, BB, K (.336)
Matt Duran Duran: 2/5, 2 R, 2B, RBI (.242)
Daniel Lopez: 4/5, 3B, RBI, SB (16) (.324) Great game from him.
Justin James: 1/5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K (.341)
Rutzkrieg Rutckyj: 4 IP, 5 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 5 K. Two great starts in a row. Hopefully he found his control.
Corey Mad Cowsert disease: 1 IP, H, K (2.16)
Hinojosa: 1 IP, 2 H, K (2.31 ERA) Back down to GCL where here currently belongs.
Now this is just the GCL, but when you look at the amont of guys on this team batting .300 right now, it's absurd, not to mention some of the guys who have already been promoted. You have Justin James, Isaias Tejeda, Dante Bichette, Jose Rosario, Daniel Lopez and then a few guys who don't have enough at bats to make it significant.

YEEP 8/5/11

AAA SWB: W 8-4 vs Lousville. W: Mitchell. S: Kontos
Montero: 1/3, 2 R, 2 BB (.289). It's only a matter of time
JoVa: 2/5 R, 2B, HR (27), K, 5 RBI. 4 homers in 9 games.
Laird: 2/4, 2 R, 2B, K (.277). 14 for his last 38 (.368). Killing the ball.
DJ Mitchell: 6 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR (3.48). He's had a few bad starts in a row.
Kontos: 1.1 IP, H, K (2.70 ERA). He's another one who wil be up very soon.

AA Trenton: L 2-8 to Altoona. L: Garrison
Krum: 1/4, K, SB (16) (.259)
CoJo: 0/4, K. Stuck in a 2/18 rut.
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/4, K. 0 for his last 21. Yikes. Maybe he should be switched with Murton, who has been hot.
Melkman Mesa: 1/4, R, HR, RBI, 3 K (.230)
Zoilo Almonte: 1/4, (.293)
Pope: 1 IP, 2 H, ER, K (1.69)

High A Tampa: W 7-0 vs Clearwater. W: Gil
Honest Abe Almonte: 3/5, R, 3B, 4 RBI, K, SB (22) (.247). 15 for his last 43 (.349)
Castrol GTX Castro: 3/5, 2B, RBI, K, CS (.319)
K-Roll Roller: 0/5, 2 K (.234)
DAdams: 1/5, K, (.298)
Luke Murty Murton: 2/4, R (.283). He's really re-figured out this level.
Dee Mack: 2/3, 2 R, 2B, BB (.301). I don't think he was ready for AA yet. Unfortunately he's too old for that type of failure.
Sneed: 2 IP, H, BB (4.18 ERA). Just 1 ER in his last 8.2 IP, with 7 K.
Preston Claiborne: 2 IP K (3.34 ERA). 6 ER in last 22.1 IP (2.42 ERA), 19 K.

Low A Charleston: L 5-10 to Savannah. L: Ramirez.
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4, BB (.268)
Higgy Higashioka: 1/5, RBI (.253)
J-Ram Ramirez: 3 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HR (5.05 ERA). Dee zaster.

Short Season Staten Island: L 4-9. L: Paullus
Mad Mase Williams: 2/4, 3B, RBI (.361). No attempted stolen bases today.
Cheeto Culver: 0/5, 2 K (.270)
Gamel the Camel: 1/4, BB (.278)
Cody Grice: 0/4, BB, 3 K (.279)
Reymond Nunez: 1/3, BB, K (.301). Great rookie season for him.
Casey Stevenson: 0/4, 2 K (.270)
Wes Wilson: 3/4, 2 R, K (.265)
Arneson: 1 IP, 2 BB (2.57 ERA)
Paullus: .1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 3 BB (5.29 ERA)
Phil Wetherell: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (2.00 ERA)

GCL Yankees: L 1-6 to GCL Braves. L: Morton
Justin James: 0/2, RBI, 2 BB, K, CS (.359)
Janitor Custodio: 0/3, BB (.277), SB (18). His season has turned around from great to pretty bad rapidly. He's still stealing bases though and he doesn't strike out much. Battin .175 in his last 10 games.
Isaias The Hata Tejeda: 0/4, K (.337)
Junior Bichette: 0/4, K (.331)
Yeicok Calderon: 0/3, 2 K (.240)
Henry Pena: 0/1 in a pinch hit appearance.
Bubba Jones: 2/4, (.375).
Daniel Lopez: 3/4, R (.302)
Prior: 1 IP, 2 K. He said he felt really good. His FB was at 90-92 and his other pitches were working really well.
Taylor Tay-Mo Morton: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 3 K (1.67 ERA). Didn't deserve the loss.
Checo: 1.1 IP, H, BB, 2 K (3.06 ERA)

YEEP 8/4/11: Good thing our major league team is the Yankees

Evil Em VP of the day: Jorge Vazquez. HR #26. Image thanks to NJ.com, now that's a good looking dude.

Big ups to Ivan Nova tonight for having one hell of an outing. That should silence some of his critics for now. They are gonna have a big decision ahead of them with this rotation. I say keep going 6 man with CC pitching every 5 days. The less AJ Burnett pitches, the better.

Also, I will have an updated list of signings once the deadline passes. Jordan Cote signed today, their 3rd round draft pick.

AAA SWB: L 2-3 to Louisville. L: Warren
Russo: 1/4 (.293)
Jesus Montero: 1/3, R, BB (.289)
JoVa: 2/3, HR, 2 RBI (.247). That's number 26, RBI number 76. At this point I'm just intrigued. I doubt if he'd be able to hit above .215 in the majors but if he still could jack 30 HRs then that would be valuable to some teams.
Laird: 1/4, 2 K (.274)
Brewski Brewer: 0/3, 2 K (.268). Not exactly a triumphant return to AAA.
Adam the Warden Warren: 7.1 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 K, HR (3.34 ERA). I'll take it.
JC Romero: 1.1 IP, H, 2 BB, K (2.41 ERA).

AA Trenton: L 4-7 to Akron. L: Hall
Krum: 4/5, RBI (.259 in AA this year). He was demoted from AAA. I'm not sure who was promoted in his place, but it could have been Brewer or Kruml. Kruml didn't play today in AA, but Brewer had been in AAA all season before the injury and is in the process of rehabbing. My money's on Brewer.
CoJo: 1/5, K (.273).Just 9 for his last 40 (.225). I wonder who is the better prospect, him or Adams. Right now my money's on Adams. Both are blocked in AAA by Russo right now, but I don't see that as a big problem.
Boilo Zoilo Almonte: 2/4, R, RBI, BB, K (.295). He's got a 5 game hit streak going. Scorching.
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/3, R, BB, 2 K (.255). The streak is up to 17 at bats without a hit. Yikes
Melkman Mesa: 0/4, BB, 2 K.
Shaeffer Hall: 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 K, HR (4.23 ERA)
Sideshow Venditte: 1 IP, 2 K, 0 ER (2.78 ERA).

High A Tampa: L 4-8 to Clearwater. L: Quintana
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/4, RBI, 3 K (.242)
Castrol GTX Castro: 1/3, R, BB (.313)
DAdams: 1/4, RBI, K (.310)
K-Roll Roller: 1/4, RBI, K (.243)
Dee Mack: 1/3, R, BB (.292). Looks like he was the other casualty besides Krum in Brewer's promotion. Dee Mack was Dee-Moted. He could probably use some more time at this level anyway.
Jose Quintanadana: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, BB, K, 3 HR. His first really bad outing, wasn't really a start because Marquez got the rehab start. It's just one bad one.
Casanova: .2 IP, BB, K, 0 ER

Charleston: L: 4-5 to Asheville. L: Reyes
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/5, K (.268)
Sanchize: 0/3, 2 BB, 3 K. Those strikeouts have to stop soon. I'll cut him some slack with his recent HR streak though.
Shane Brown: 1/5, R (.279)
Shane Greene: 4.1 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 BB, 6 K (3.99 ERA) Under 4!
Monte Python Montgomery: 1.2 IP, BB, 3 K. Back to his strikeout ways.
Lost in the bottom of the 10th

Short Season Staten Island: L 0-4. L: Mitchell
Mad Mase Williams: 2/4, K, CS (10), PO (.358). He's had trouble stealing bases, but I agree with him continuing to be aggressive. It's the only way to learn how to steal, and it means nothing at this level.
Cheeto Culver: 0/4 (.278). He is a superb contact hitter.
Ben Gamel the Camel: 0/3, 2 K (.280)
Cody Grice: 1/3 (.293). He has maintained this average quite well.
Reymond Nunez: 1/3 (.301). Ditto
Casey Stevenson: 0/3 (.280)
Bryan Mitchell, punt returner and pitcher with lack of control: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K, HR. Not terrible though, and I like the 5:1 K:BB today.
Cotham City: 1.2 IP, H, 2 BB, 2 K (1.13 ERA)
Matt Tracy: .1 IP, K (2.22 ERA)
Bottom line is... you can't win if you don't score runs. At least that's what John Madden would say if he ever delved into baseball.

GCL Yankees: L 3-8 vs GCL Pirates. L: Phelps
Janitor Custodio: 0/4, 2 K, E. On a skid right now
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 0/4, 4 K (.268), E. Man, I was all excited that he might have turned the corner after yesterday.
Yeicok Calderon: 0/4, 2 K (.246)
Isaias The Hata Tejeda: 0/3, R, BB (.352). Had an error today.
Matt Duran Duran: 0/4, K (.214)
Justin James: 1/3, BB, K, SB (2) (.378). At least someone had a good game.
David Phelps: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K. Rehab! Whoo!
Gabriel Encinas: 4 IP, 3 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 2 K. Nice outing, but still a 5.06 ERA.

The minor were swept today, but at least the big league team won. That is, after all, all that matters.

YEEP 8/3/11: One Sanchize fits all.

Evil Em VP: Gary Sanchez (2 HR). Image thanks to  www.puristbleedspinstripes.com
AA Trenton: L 2-3. L: Romanski
CoJo: 1/4, K (.274)
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/4, SB (2) (.284). He's faring pretty well here so far. I'd like to see the power come around though.
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/4, 2 K (.259). He's just 7 for his last 41 (.171), and 0 for his last 14. Got to get it together R-Ly.
Melkman Mesa: 2/4, R, 2B, 2 K (.233)
Dee Mack: 1/3 (.248).
Graham Cracker Stoneburner: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 4 K (1.86). Nice outing, keep it going brah.
Josh Bromance Romanski: 1.2 IP, H, ER, 2 K, HR. Got the loss, but he's been so good at this level so far (1.65 ERA).
Pope: .1 IP, Zeros.

Low A Charleston: L 3-7 to Asheville. L: Evarts
Higgy Higashioka: 0/3 (.257)
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4, R
Sanchize: 3/4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K (.251). That's numbers 13 and 14 on the season. I think he's found his stroke because he is on an absolute tear. That's 4 HR in his last 3 games, 5 in his last 7. He's 10 for his last 28 (.357), with 13 RBI and 2 BB during that 7 game stretch. He's still striking out too much, but hopefully that will dissipate with time. I'm close to saying he's back.
Recchia: 1.1 IP, H, K (2.66 ERA).

Short Season Staten Island: L 5-13. L: Martinez.
Mad Mase Williams: 1/2, RBI, 2 BB, CS (9) (.355). That's an awful lot of caught stealings, but I think I can accept that right now. I like that he is so aggressive because that's how you get better.
Cheeto Culver: 0/3, BB (.284). Seems like he either gets a multi-hit game or no hits at all. He also had another error today. That's 11 in 44 games.
Gamel the Camel: 2/4, HR, BB (.289). That's the 1st homerun of his minor league career. Congrats!
Cody Grice: 2/4, HR, BB (.291). Ditto for Grice. Congrats!
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 1/4, R, 2B, BB, K (.279).
Reymond Nunez: 1/5, RBI (.300)
Stevenson: 2/4, R, 2B, HR, RBI, K (.287). That's 3 HR for him.
Matt Richardson: 1 IP, R, ER, 2BB, K (2.35 ERA). Not much today in the minors in terms of pitching.

GCL Yankees: W 8-5 vs GCL Pirates. W: Cruz. S: Maines. They're now 27-12. They're in first by 5 games. Records don't matter in the least at GCL, but when this kind of record is coupled with the talent we currently have at this level, it is extremely encouraging. I digress.
Janitor Custodio: 1/5, R, BB, 2 K, SB (17) (.295). His average has come down considerably, but that was bound to happen.
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 4/4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB (.276). His average needed a day like this, and just like that it's within respectable range.
Junior Bichette: 1/4, RBI (.322)
Matt Duran Duran: 2/4, 3 R, BB, K (.250). That's more like it.
Bubba Jones: 1/2, R, BB (.250) I'm excited to watch this kid play. Yet another dangerous bat in this lineup.
Henry Pena: 0/2, R, RBI, 3 BB, K (.280)
Daniel Lopez: 1/5, K, SB (15) (.284)
Corey Maines: 1 IP, H, BB (2.25 ERA)

YEEP 8/2/11. Screw Shark Week, it's Montero Week

Evil Em VP: Jesus Montero. This may be his last Evil Em VP, and I hope it is, because this will mean he was hopefully promoted. Image thanks to NJ.com

AAA SWB: W 3-2 vs Lehigh Valley. W: Schmidt. S: Whelan (21)
Russo: 0/4, RBI, K, E. Tough game.
Jesus Montero: 3/4, HR (.288). That's number 11. 14 for his last 39 (.359), 3 HR, 10 RBI in his last 10 games.
JoVa: 0/4, 3 K.
B Laird: 2/4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 K (.274), HR #11 as well. 12 for his last 36 (.333)
Krum: 1/2, 2B, BB, SB (9).
ManBan: 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, HR. Pretty similar to his AA outings this season. At least we know he can do it against better competition too.
Whelan: 1 IP, K, 21st save of the season.

AA Trenton: L 2-3 to Akron. L: Betances
Kruml: 1/4, RBI, 2 K (.290)
Austin BRomine: 1/4, RBI, K (.283).
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/3, BB, 3 K (.266). Cooling down a bit.
Melkman Mesa: 0/4, 2 K (.229).
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/4, 2 K (.286)
CoJo: 0/1 in a pinch hit appearance.
Betances: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4BB, 5 K. Not good. That's 4 straight bad starts. I think he's starting to tire out because he's already far above his innings pitched for last season.
Sideshow Venditte: 1 IP ZeRoS (2.82 ERA). He's been one of the most durable and successful relievers in the system this season.
Chase Whitley: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K (3.75 ERA), looks like he's starting to get the hang of this level.

High A Tampa: L 3-10 to Clearwater. L: Black
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/3, R, BB, SB (21) (.241).
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3, R, BB, 2 K, SB (7). I love how he's been flashing the speed lately (4 in his last 6 games)
Brewski Brewer: 1/4, K (.333)
K-Roll Roller: 2/4, RBI, K (.242)
Luke Murton: 1/4, RBI
Burawa: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, K (4.05 ERA at this level)
K-Flan Flannery: 1 IP, 2 H, K. Demoted back to High A Tampa. He's more at home here I guess :(

Low A Charleston: L 5-10 to Asheville. L: Allen
Shane Brown: 0/3, R, BB (.289)
Sanchize: 1/3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K (.244). That's number 12 of the season. By NBA Jam rules, he's heating up, with 2 consecutive solid games with a HR. I would like to hear myself say "He's on fire" tomorrow, probably wishful thinking.
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K. That's number 11 on the season for him.
Nothing I'd prefer to talk about from the pitchers.

Short Season Staten Island: W 7-4 vs Mahoning Valley. W: Lewis. S: Wetherell (2)
Mad Mase Williams: 3/5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, SB (16), CS (8), (.353). Had at least one of everything today. That's his 3rd homerun. It is going to be fun to watch him make his way through our system.
Cheeto Culver: 2/4, 2 R, 3B (.289). Nice game.
Ben Gamel the Camel: 0/2, RBI, BB, K (.279)
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 1/3, 2 R, 3B, RBI, BB, 2 SB (11). The SB are very encouraging. He's batting .280.
Reymond Nunez: 2/4, 2B, RBI, K. Has been hitting SO well lately. 15 for his last 35 (.429)
DeLuca: 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K (3.02 ERA on the season).
Gerritse: 3 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 2 K (.49 ERA). He's been great at this level. I'd love to see a scouting report on him right now.
Wetherell: 2 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K (1.10 ERA). He should be moving up soon.


GCL Yankees: L 3-6 to GCL Tigers. L: Hinojosa. WHAT?!?!? How dare you guys lose a game.
Jose Rosario: 1/4, R
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 2/2, 2B, RBI (.254). More two hit games please.
Isaias the Hata Tejeda: 1/3. (.364). He's not slowing down at all. He's 14 for his last 37 (.378) with 3 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB.
Junior Bichette: 0/4, 2 K (.344). He's such a bust.
Yeicok Calderon: 0/4, K (.254)
Matt Duran Duran: 0/4 (.200).
Bubba Jones: 0/2, 2 K. Welcome to pro ball.
Justin James: 0/4, K, CS (.382)
Texeira: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, K. Rehab
Reynaldo Polanco: 4 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Let the buzz begin.
Cowsert: 1 IP, 2 K, 0 ER
Hinojosa: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, got the loss after the demotion. That was a very quick demotion, I guess they really didn't like what they saw up there.

YEEP 8/1/11: Manny Promoted, Dellin and Jesus to follow suit soon.

Evil Em VP: Gotta go with Kontos

AAA SWB: Double Header. Manny Banuelos to start for AAA this week! Get excited!
Game 1: L 2-4 to Lehigh Valley. L: Flores
Russo: 2/4, R, 2B (.292). Good for him getting back to his old ways.
Montero: 1/4, RBI. According to River Ave. Blues, some Yankees big wigs are saying he is definitely going to be promoted very soon. Finally
JoVa: 0/3, K (.246).
Krum: 1/3, RBI (.243).
Pendleton: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K (3.0 ERA at this level) If you had told me two years ago he would be where he is now, I'd have told you you're crazy. He played reasonably well in the majors and has done exceptionally well in AAA. I'm proud of him.
Kevin Whelan: 1.2 IP, H, K, 0 ER. Did get the blown save, but it was Pendleton's inherited runner. (2.11 ERA)
Randy Flores: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, HR. Not gonna get you a chance in the majors Randy, especially with JC Romero now looming.

Game 2: W 4-1 vs Lehigh Valley. W: Kontos. S: Kensing
Russo: 3/4, 2 R, K (.297). 5/8 on the day.
Montero: 1/3, RBI, 2 K. Seems like he's been K-ing a lot lately.
Laird: 1/3 (.272), Keeps it going.
Kontos: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 7 K, HR. Fantastic spot start.
JC Romero: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 K.
Kensing: 1 IP, K

High A Tampa: L 4-7 to Charlotte: L: Casanova
Honest Abe Almonte: 1/4, 2 R, BB, K, SB (20)
Brewski Brewer: 2/5, R, 3B, K
DAdams: 3/5, R, RBI (.316). He'll be ready for AA or even AAA very soon.
K-Roll Roller: 0/4, RBI, BB, K
Luke Murton: 1/4, 2B, BB. Still hot.
Kelvin Castro: 0/3, BB, K (.317)
Mikey O'Brien: 4 IP, H, 5 K. Great outing. He's been rock solid in High A.
Claiborne: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. Not good
Casanova: .1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, K. Also not good.

Low A Charleston: W 9-7 vs Asheville. W: Rondon (didn't deserve it though). S: Montgomery
Shane Brown: 2/5, R, RBI (.314 in low A)
Sanchize: 3/5, R, HR, 3 RBI (.243). That's number 11 on the season. Even with his poor average numbers, the power is absolutely still there.
Vidal Nuno: 4 IP, 7 H, ER, 5 K, HR. Called up to Charleston for a spot start. Pretty good job all things considered.
Recchia: 2 IP, R, ER, 3 K, HR (2.83 ERA)
Rondon: 2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K still won.
Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, H, ER, K (2.19 ERA), got the save (8).

Short Season Staten Island: W 5-0 vs Jamestown. W: Oliver. L: Oliver. I don't usually mention the other team, but it's funny that Olivers got the win and loss tonight.
Mad Mase Williams: 3/4, R, SB (15), CS (7), (.345). He must be a hired killer because he's a hit man (bass drum then cymbal).
Cheeto Culver: 0/4
Ben Gamel the Camel: 2/4, 2B, 2 RBI (.286). Really catching on now.
Cody Grice: 1/4, 3 K (.280).
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 2/4, R, 2B (.279).
Reymond Nunez: 2/4, R, 2B, 2 K (.298). Another guy who has really caught on recently.
Matt Tracy: 2 IP, H, 2 K, 0 ER.
Branden Pinder: 2 IP, BB, K, 0 ER. Beast.

GCL Yankees: W 4-0 vs GCL Tigers. W: Rutckyj
Janitor Custodio: 0/3, BB, 2 K, CS (1), E (12)
Jose Rosario: 1/3, R, 2 SB (8), nice.
Isaias the hata Tejeda: 1/3, 2 R, 2B, BB, K (.355). How long until we give this kid legit prospect status?
Junior Bichette: 2/4, 2 RBI, K, SB (3) (.355). Another day, another 2 hit game, brush the dirt off your shoulder Dante. He did have an error though.
Matt Duran Duran: 0/3, RBI, K (.250)
Yeicok Calderon: 1/4, R, 3B, K (.263).
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/3, 2B, K, SB (5). If he'd had another at bat, he would have been 1/4. Just kidding, but let's get that .242 average up okay Ravel? Good.
Danny Lopez: 0/3, K (.289)
Rutzkrieg Rutckyj: 6 IP, 5 H, BB, 3 K. Got the win. That's more like it, now... consistency. Go!
Corey Maines: 1.2 IP, H, 4 K. Nice little appearance.