Introducing Your 2012 Charleston River Dogs. Part 3/3: The Hitters

The River Dogs play at Joseph P. Riley Park in Charleston. The park also has an affiliation with the Citadel. Image thanks to citadelsports.com

Coming off their worse season since 1995, back when they were still affiliated with the San Diego Padres, the River Dogs were in desperate need of an infusion of talent for the 2012 season. The pitching staff looks like it will be improved in a major way from last season, which you can read about here (starting pitchers) and here (relief pitchers). The area that will see the most improvement, however, will be the lineup.

The River Dogs will be comprised of many players who played last season in Short Season Staten Island, and even a few who could make the jump straight from the GCL to Charleston. This will be a fun team to follow this season, although New York fans are most concentrated and numerous in the Northeast where few of us will get to see them play. I'll do the positions in number order, starting with the C and ending with CF. There will likely be a rotating DH.

Catcher- It's funny that catcher is the position this post starts out with, because it's probably the only weak hitting position at this level. Last year, River Dogs fans were lucky enough to watch JR Murphy and Gary Sanchez behind the dish, depending on which part of the season it was. Both are legitimate prospects with significant upside. This year will be different. Some combination of Wes Wilson, Nick McCoy, and Kyle Higashioka will be responsible for the catching duties. None of these players have significant upside, or is ever expected to make it to the major league level. Higashioka has an outside shot to make it as a backup, since he is a defensive whiz who has shown some power in the past. Having Higashioka will be nice for the pitchers though since he is known for his stellar defense. Although unlikely, there could be a revelation by mid-season that could rapidly change the catching landscape in 2012. Isaias Tejeda emerged as a legitimate catching prospect last season with his breakout season in the GCL, which saw him hit .331 with 6 HRs and 5 SB in just 39 games. If he starts off really hot in Staten Island, then he could get a quick promotion to Charleston and get his first taste of full season ball. There's an outside chance he begins the season there, although I wouldn't bet on it.

First Base- 20 year old Tyler Austin will get the lion's share of the reps at first base. He will also see significant time at 3B, with Reymond Nunez filling in at 1B when he's at 3rd. Austin is a 13th round pick out of high school in Atlanta. He's 6'2 and weighs 200 lbs. His hit tool is what will get him to the majors. Finding a position for him will be the major challenge. He's been focusing on his defense in the offseason though, and we have heard from scouts before that hard work translates into defensive improvement, even if the natural ability isn't always there. He put his name on the map last season, when he tore apart the GCL and Short Season Staten Island, hitting a combined .354/.418/.579 with 6 HRs and was a surprising 18/18 in stolen bases in 49 games. I would caution that he is not a player who is considered to have plus speed, so those 18 stolen bases should diminish over time, especially if he bulks up like he must if he wants to tap into his power potential. Hitting for power is something he will have to do if he wants to play 1B in the majors.

Second Base- Drafted as a shortstop, and postulated to be an outfielder in the future by some, Angelo "Bubba" Gumbs will start the season as Charleston's second baseman. A smooth handed fielder drafted in the 2nd round, many scouts felt after watching him last season that he could stick at second base, as long as he doesn't grow too much. The 19 year old also has shown impressive range and a powerful arm. Given his transition from CF though, he still has a long way to go at this position. He's 6' tall, and weighs 190 lbs. His hitting as an 18 year old in Staten Island was a bit inconsistent, but he showed good patience and has a quick, compact swing that has scouts believing he could have some plus power in the future and hit for better average than we saw in 2011. One scout even ranked him as a top 6 prospect in our system. While that may be overzealous, he does have a bright future. He hit .264/.332/.406 for Staten Island last season, with 3 HR and 11 SB in 18 tries. He is a lot more raw still than a guy like Tyler Austin or Dante Bichette Jr., but he's also very young and could continue to improve exponentially with experience.

Third Base- This is the guy that everyone wants to see in Charleston. A supplemental round draft pick in 2011, Dante "Bichette Happens" Bichette Jr. came out of the gate slow in the GCL. People were beginning to question the wisdom of drafting him so high when all of a sudden he exploded and began to mash. As if that weren't enough, he also showed an excellent feel for playing third base, which was a major question coming into the season. Joe Girardi is a long time friend of the family to the Bichette's, so many people felt there was an heir of nepotism to this draft pick. Those criticisms were soon put to rest when Bichette Jr. finished the season batting .335/.440/.507 on the season, with 4 HRs and 48 RBI in 52 games. The scouting report on Bichette Junior is great. If the draft were redone after the season, most scouts agree that he would have been a top 10 pick. The 6'1, 215 lb kid is a tireless hard worker, and knows what it takes to succeed in the major leagues. He has a year round mentor and hitting coach in his father as well. He may struggle in Charleston as the jump from GCL to Low A can be a daunting one, but don't look for this kid to stay down too long. It's possible he will be held back in Staten Island for one extra season, but the Yankees have moved prospects from the GCL straight to Charleston with less impressive seasons than this (see Slade Heathcott). Tyler Austin will also get some time at this position, and both will also DH at times.

Short Stop- Cito "Cheeto" Culver was the first round draft pick in 2010. Similarly to Bichette, he was signed very quickly and played a full season in the GCL in 2010. He now has two seasons under his belt and his hitting statistics have been disappointing, although he has flashes of brilliance. Cito has excellent speed and has all of the tools to be a fantastic defender, which is extremely important at short stop. He's 6'0 tall and weighs 190, which is a reasonably good size for a short stop. He's got excellent range, plus arm strength, and good hands. The error totals were high in his first two seasons, but this is very typical of even the best young short stops. Most of the question marks surrounding Culver are with his bat, mainly from the left side. There has actually been talk amongst scouts that he might be well served to abandoned switch hitting and bat from the right side full time. This is extreme at this stage of the game, but it's not out of the question. Last year he hit .324 from the right side, and .224 from the left side. These are short season statistics so the sample size isn't particularly large, but this will be the main thing to watch as Culver continues to develop. He will also look to be more aggressive on the basepaths. Cito had 10 stolen bases in 10 tries last season. He's a very smart base runner, and with experience he should become more aggressive as well. A very patient hitter, Culver will greatly improve his average (.250) and on base percentage (.323) this year if he starts hitting better from the left side. Some scouts are saying his lefty swing is pretty out of whack right now, so he may have a long way to go. We knew Cito Culver was a long term project when we drafted him, but the common thread with many long term projects is their athleticism, and Culver lacks nothing in that department. There is no reason he shouldn't improve upon his numbers from last year given his athleticism.

Left and Right Field-  Okay I'm going a little bit out of order here, but you'll see why I chose to lump left and right field together in a moment. The outfield situation in Charleston for 2012 is going to be unique. There are three players who could be first class centerfielders for the River Dogs. Not all of them can play there, so Mason Williams will be the every day guy in CF. The other two guys are Ravel Santana and Daniel Lopez. They will compete for playing time with Ben Gamel in left and right field. The question remains whether Santana will be fully recovered from his gruesome leg injury (broke his leg below the knee) in time to start 2012 in Charleston, or whether he will be taking it slow and may spend time in Staten Island first. Talent wise, he would be playing for the River Dogs. Daniel Lopez is a different question. The question with him is whether or not the front office thinks he's ready for full season baseball. Ben Gamel is basically a lock to be on the roster, and will probably spend time in both left and right field.

"Ravenous" Ravel Santana is a beast. At 6'2, 175 lbs he has a lot of room to beef up, and yet he's already hitting homeruns at an impressive rate. With his incredibly quick hands, advanced patience for his age, and power to all fields, he was able to hit 9 homeruns in just 41 games and 162 at bats. This is a small sample size, but at that rate, he would hit 30-35 homers in a 160 game season. This was all at the age of 19, so he has a lot of time to develop even more power. He also has considerable speed. He managed to steal 10 bases in 13 attempts on the short season. In the field, the tool that sticks out the most is how the ball comes out of his hand like it's being shot out of a cannon. I have not read a single source that denies the sheer power that is his arm. He is a 5-tool athlete, plain and simple. The triple slash from 2011 is .296/.361/.568. His future success largely depends on how well he recovers from that injury. Apparently he's running around pretty well right now according to twitter comments by Bichette Jr., but we've seen with David Adams how debilitating these injuries can be.

Ben Gamel is another 20 year old with an excellent plate approach. He doesn't have the size or tools of Ravel Santana, but he's a lefty with a nice swing. He's listed at 5'10, and 156 lbs according to milb.com, but he's probably closer to 5'11 and 165 now. Gamel hasn't shown much in the way of power yet (2 HR las season), and his frame isn't all that projectable. What he offers is a solid but not great defender with a great plate approach. He hit .289/.379/.432 last season. He's got some speed, and he stole 7 bases this past season. If he can develop some power then he can put himself on the map, but he doesn't currently have any one tool that separates him from the pack besides patience.

The main question with Daniel Lopez is where he starts 2012. Given that he is so raw, he may well end up in Staten Island. He's an extremely speedy runner with developing power, and he has shown the ability to hit for average early on in his career. Yet another 20 year old, he is 6'2 and has a very stringent offseason workout program. For more info on him, check out my post about him at Daniel Lopez: Super Sleeper.

Center Field- I have unintentionally saved the most exciting prospect that will be in Charleston in 2012 for last. Mason "Mad Mase" Williams was a 5th round draft pick signed for $1.45 million. He's got speed and a sweet swing that allowed him to hit .349 and take home MVP honors in the New York Penn League last season. He had 3 homeruns and stole 28 bases in 68 games last season and was caught 12 times. His OBP was .395 and he had a slugging percentage of .468. The only question with Williams is if/when the power develops. If Mad Mase is able to develop power, he could be a Curtis Granderson type in the future. If not, he could develop into a better version of Brett Gardner, as his swing is naturally much better than Gardner's. Scouts are drooling over Mason Williams and every time trade talks come up with other teams, his name is brought up by the trading partner.

That completes the three part series on the Charleston River Dogs. You'd be hard pressed to find a team more exciting than this one in the entire system. With the exception of maybe the Empire State Yankees (AAA), there is no team that even comes close to the amount of high ceiling talent that will start the season in low A. There are at least 4 players who could be top 100 prospects with a strong showing this season (Campos, Bichette Jr., Ravel Santana, and Tyler Austin), and one who already is (Mason Williams). It's unlikely all will meet expectations, but if one or two of them do then the farm system is going to look pretty healthy by year's end.

Four in Keith Law's top 100

Mason Williams ranked #34 on Law's list. Image thanks to bronxbaseballdaily.com

23. Banuelos
34. Mason Williams
55. Gary Sanchez
83. Dellin Betances

Notably, Jesus Montero was #9 and Gerrit Cole was #10.

As far as the Yankees organizational top 10, Keith Law had the Yankees ranked as follows.

1. Banuelos
2. Mason Williams
3. Gary Sanchez
4. Dellin Betances
5. Tyler Austin
6. Jose Campos
7.  Dante Bichette Jr.
8. Austin Romine
9. JR Murphy
10. Slade Heathcott

There are a couple of surprises with his rankings. First of all, Mason Williams ahead of both Gary Sanchez and Dellin Betances. He believes the only component of Mason Williams' game that is missing is strength, and that this will come with time. I can understand that view, but I think throwing him right to #34 was excessive. If he slumps this year he'll be out of the top 100, and then his ranking this year looks pretty bad. I'll say this, I think it is a bold move and I give him credit for that. This is easily the highest Mason Williams will be ranked by anyone.

The next surprise was Dellin Betances all the way down at #83. Law basically makes the argument that Betances is a reliever long term. Seems to be the consensus amongst a lot of scouts, and at 23 you have to start asking the question of whether or not he'll ever get the control he needs to be a starter. This year, however, he won't be restricted to 5 innings per start, so hopefully he'll be able to get in more of a groove. I do think that scouts underestimate his ability to find his delivery in the middle of a game after he's lost it. In fact, I've read several accounts that have had him finding his delivery mid-inning, or even mid at bat. I still have faith that Betances could find himself in the rotation, but Law is right about one thing. He needs to find his control and he needs to do it soon, or he'll be sent to the bullpen.

The third surprise was that Tyler Austin came in at #5. There hasn't been anyone who has ranked him that high yet. He's a solid hitter but he has more question marks than some of the people deeper on this list. For example, even Bichette Jr. is closer to having a position. JR Murphy has the hit tool to go along with the ability to play many positions, not to mention the fact that he has already developed some power. Another bold ranking, which I again don't necessarily agree with but give him a lot of credit for sticking his neck out on this one. That is more than most scouts are willing to do.

Finally, it was surprising not to see Ravel Santana in the top 10. I will assume that this is because of the gruesome ankle injury he suffered last year. If Law had done his homework, however, he'd have realized that by all accounts Santana's ankle is almost fully healed, and he's already running around on it with the same cannon that was strapped to his arm last season.

Anyway, kudos to Keith Law for keeping it real and going with his own gut on these rankings instead of the general perception of the scouting community. To quote Daniel Tosh, "for that, we thank you."

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)

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 8/12/11: 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 8/6/11: 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 7/29/11

 Evil Em VP of the day: Graham Stoneburner. Image thanks to NJ.com

AAA SWB: L 5-8 vs Buffalo. L: Wordekemper
Russo: 1/5, R, H, K (.290)
Krum: 0/4
Montero: 1/4, R, K. Not showing why we shouldn't trade him except for a couple of random homers recently.
JoVa: 2/4, R, HR (25), 2 RBI, K. He's pretty on fire right now, although it's really only the homeruns. He doesn't do much else well.
Laird: 2/3, R, 2B, RBI. He must be the type who got a taste of the pros and now he wants it real bad. He's done really well since the demotion.
Brack Attack: 3.1 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 9 WALKS, 2 K. NINE WALKS. Wow.
Wordekemper: .2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB, K.
JC Romero: .2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB
Schmidt: 3.1 IP, 3 H, BB, K, 0 ER. He's the only one who could figure out the Bisons tonight. Too bad it was too little too late.

AA Trenton: L 2-3 to Richmond, L: Chase Whitley
Kruml: 2/4, 2 R, SB (33) (.297). Back at it after his little hit streak came to a close yesterday.
CoJo: 2/4, 2B, RBI, K (.273). That's the type of game he needs, he's been slackin.
Austin BRomine: 3/4, 2B, RBI, K (.290). Dude can hit.
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/4, 3 K. He's been a little hit or miss so far, tonight was miss (.277)
Melkman Mesa: 0/2, 2 BB, K, SB (15).
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 0/3, BB, 3 K, SB (1st of his AA season).
Graham Cracker Stoneburner: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 5 K. Great debut.
Whitley: 2 IP, 4 H, ER, HR
Josh Bromance Romanski: 1 IP, H, 0 ER.

Tampa: W 6-5 vs Charlotte. W: Landoni
DAdams: 0/5, 3 K
Mustelier Musketeer: 2/6, 2B, 2 RBI
Roller: 0/2, 2 K
Murton: 2/4
Seggy Segedin: 1/2, K
Landoni: 2/3, and he even got the win in this game. 2.0 IP, H, K. That's the definition of utility.
Castrol GTX Castro: 3/5, 3 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K, SB (5) (.325)
Casanova: 2.1 IP, H, ER, BB, K (3.86 ERA) Promoted from one of the short season teams.
Preston Claiborne: 3 IP, 0 ER, 5 K. He's really started to come around since the beginning of the season.
Gipson: 3 IP, H, 3 BB, K, 0 ER (3.38 ERA)

Charleston: L 1-4 vs Greenville. L: Evarts
Eddy Sosa: 0/4, 2 K (.265). Going the opposite direction of Flores
Sanchize: 0/4, 2 K.
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4, SB (10).
Kahnle: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. (4.8 ERA). Excuse my french, but his season has really went into the shitter.

Short Season Staten Island: W 10-7 vs Batavia. W: Pinder. S: Paullus
Mad Mase Williams: 2/5, K (.344)
Cheeto Culver: 1/5, 2 R, RBI
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 1/5, R, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 K. Also had his 6th error of the season.
Cody Grice: 3/5, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 K (.302). Avg over .300 now, looking like a good pick.
Gamel the Camel: 2/4, 2 RBI (.260)
Stevenson: 2/5, 2 R, 2 K.
Pinder: 2 IP, 2 K, W (2-0). He's been great at this level, and apparently scouts have high praise for him.
Paullus: 1 IP, BB, K. (2.45).

GCL Yankees: W 15-4. W: Checo.
Janitor Custodio: 1/3, 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB (16). This is a great game if you ask me. On base 4/6 times, steal some bases, and score some runs. Perfect leadoff guy.
Brewski Brewer: 1/2, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K. Rehab, still have him playing half games I guess.
Justin James: 2/2, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB. He was supposed to be a project and very raw but as it turns out we have signed a hit machine (.433 in 30 at bats)
Junior Bichette: 2/6, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 K. That's 2 HR. Looks like we may have made a decent draft choice. That's two years in a row our choice was questioned and 2 years in a row it appears in the early stages that we've made a good decision.
Yeicok Calderon: 1/4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K (.264)
Matt Duran Duran: 1/5, R, 2 K.
Alcantara: 0/1
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 0/5, 2 K. Nope
Jackson Valera: 2/3, 2B, R, BB. He's a catcher out of Venenzuela. Don't know much about him but he's batting .290.
Henry Pena: 0/0, BB, R (.273)
Gabriel Encinas: 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. The starters have been disappointing so far at this level with the exception of Taylor Morton and more recently Reynaldo Polanco, who apparently throws mid 90's and has a solid curveball at 18.
Checo: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Maines: 1.2 IP, 2 K

YEEP 7/27/11: Cito Pujols... I mean Culver

Evil Em VP of the day: Cito Culver (2 HR, honorable mention to Jose Rosario 5/6, HR). Image thanks to rocketsports-ent.com

Here are some scouting reports on Mason Williams, Cito Culver, and Brandon Pinder. Enjoy http://www.pennleaguereport.net/2011/07/si-yanks-renegades-scouting-reports-7-21-11.html. Also, Laird was optioned back to AAA, not surprising with the return of Chavez. JR Murphy is on the DL now, I'm not sure why. Also, the Yankees signed 14th rounder Rookie Davis for $550,000, a pitcher who throws a fastball 89-92 mph and a good curveball. I have the full scouting report here... http://evilempireprospects.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-draft-rounds-10-50-who-should-we.html

AAA SWB: W 3-2 vs Bufallo. W: Kontos. S: Whelan
Krum: 1/4, 2B, 2 K
Montero: 0/4. He's allowed.
JoVa: 1/4, R, K
Lance Pendleton: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K. Nice start. At some point the team should acknowledge he is a reliever and let him work on that at this level. Right now they need his innings though.
Kontos: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K, 0 ER. Got the win. 1st time he's had two good outings in a row in a while.
Whelan: 1 IP, H, Zeros. 20th save of the season.

Trenton Thunder: W 5-1. W: Banuelos
Kruml: 1/4, K
CoJo: 1/5, RBI, 2 K. (.273)
Austin BRomine: 1/5, R, 2B, K (.285). Hang in there bro, this is when you really slipped last season
R-Ly Lyerly: 3/5, RBI. (.288) Stand by my major league comparison: Lyle Overbay (maybe it's just because they both have a Ly in their name?)
Melky Mesa: 1/5, R, K, SB (14), CS (11). (.229) A Microcosm of his season so far. He's been much better lately, but I'm skeptical of him.
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/3, R, BB. (.275)
Banuelos: 6.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 3 BB, 5 K, HR. If he hadn't gone out for the 7th, his line would have been 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. It was good experience for him though since he has struggled even to make it past the 5th inning recently. His ERA is 3.59 now. Not bad for a 20 year old in AA

High A Tampa: W 6-1 vs Fort Myers. W: O'Brien
DAdams: 1/5, R
Ronnier Mustelier Musketeer: 2/5, 2B, R, RBI, K. I'm interested to see if he's another JoVa, where he destroys the lower level pitching and then freaks out as soon as he has to hit a curveball/change
K-Roll Roller: 0/5, 3 K.
Seggy Segedin: 1/4, R, RBI
Murton: 1/2, 2B, 2 BB. Getting back to his early season successes.
Mikey O'Brien: 5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 3 K. 2.57 ERA, the next David Phelps, I'm convinced.
Daniel Burawa: 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 0 ER. After a shaky start, he has been really good here.
Gipson: 1 IP, H, 0 ER. His first three at this level were rough, since then, hasn't let up a run in his last three.

Short Season Staten Island: W 10-1. W: Oliver
Mad Mase Williams: 2/5, 2 R, RBI, K (.345). Yum
Cheeto Culver: 2/4, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB. First two homers of the season. Funny how the above scouting report was surprised his pop hadn't showed up, and here it is.
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 0/4, 2 BB, 3 K. Well there's the walks, I guess.
Cody Grice: 0/4, BB, K. Well there's the walk (singular), I guess.
Ben Gamel: 2/4, R, 2B, RBI, BB.(average up to .242) 11 for his last 30 (.367), 5 2B, 11 RBI, 4 BB. Pretty good. I'd like to call him Gamel the Camel because he was off to a slow start, but he holds water (crickets?).
Gotham City Cotham: 2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 5 K. That would be his first run in 12.1 innings of work thus far at this level, good for a .73 ERA. He also has 20 K during that time period. Coming soon to a theatre near you: Gotham City gets promoted to Charleston.
Phil Wetherell: 1 IP, H, 2 K. Lookin good Phil.

GCL Yankees: W 12-5 vs GCL Blue Jays. This team means business. I know it doesn't matter at this level but these guys really don't like to lose (22-11 and in first place).
Jose Rosario: 5/6, 2 R, 2B, HR (4), 3 RBI. (.330) Have a day Jose!
Daniel Lopez: 1/6, R, 2B, 2 K, SB (14). Daniel-son has speed to burn.
Dante Bichette: 2/5, 2 R, BB, 2 K. All the things I said yesterday +1 (7 of last 8 multi-hit games, 13 game hit streak (.336)
Duran: 0/4, 2 K. Rough first game
Henry Pena: 3/3, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, BB. Jeez, if someone is struggling on this team, just put them in the OF for a bit. There is so much talent in this OF it's ridiculous.
Yeicok Calderon: 1/5, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K. That's his 5th HR. I thought he had more.
Reynaldo Polanco: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K, HR. 2.45 ERA in his last 5 outings (4.5 ERA total). He has 21 K in that time period, and just 3 BB. He's only 18 years old out of the DR, so this is actually pretty impressive.
Daniel D-Mart Martinez: 1 IP, 1 K, 0 ER. 20 year old out of Venezuela. 1.5 ERA so far in the GCL.

YEEP 7/26/11: Bichette Happens

Evil Em VP of the day: Dante Bichette Junior, not so much his 4/4 day today, but his domination as of recently. This image is in no way Dante Bichette Junior, it's his dad, Dante Bichette the first, but I love it so much. Thank you for the image "An a-Blog for A-Rod."

AAA SWB: W 11-2 v Buffalo. W Mitchell.
Kevin Russo: 1/4, BB, K.
Montero: 3/4, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, K. Welcome to the second half of the season... promotion despues de deadline por favor
JoVa: 1/5, R, HR, 2 RBI, 4 K. Danny Tartabull cerca 1993. Strikeout or homerun. Thats 23 in case anyone was counting
Austin Krum: 1/3, RBI, 2 BB, K, CS. Dear Austin, you'll never be anything unless you steal 40 bases in the minors.
DJ Mitchell: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 3 K, HR. The walks are uncharacteristic, so I'll accept this as a quality start
Wordekemper: 1 IP, H, K, 0 ER
Kevin Whelan: 1 IP, BB, K, 0 ER. Mark my words, he will be a major league reliever... somewhere.

AA Trenton: W 4-3 v Akron. W: Heyer. S: Whitley (lovin it)
Kruml: 1/4, RBI, BB, K.
CoJo (Corban Joseph): 1/5, 2 RBI, K.
Austin BRomine: 0/4, BB, 2 K. Nope
R-Ly Lyerly: 0/4, BB, 3 K. Nope
Melky Mesa: 1/5, R, K. Maybe?
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 1/5, 2B.
Pirela: 3/5, R, 2B, RBI, K. Normally wouldn't mention heim, but he is the only hitter who had a good game.
Craig Heyer: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. That's more like it Lance Pendleton... I mean Heyer.
Josh Bromance Romanski: .1 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER. MEH! Did get the hold thanks to the next guy
Chase Whitley: 2.2 IP, 2 H, 3 K (S). Hopefully this is his statement game saying he belongs here.

High A Tampa Yankees: W 2-1 v Fort Myers. W: Claiborne. S: Marte
Kelvin Castrol GTX Castro: 2/4, BB
Ronnier "Musketeer" Mustelier: 2/5, R, 3B, K. I ain't mad atcha (.313). The only question is how quickly will they move him
K-Roll Roller: 1/5, RBI, K.
Rob Seggy Segedin: 1/5, K
Brett Marshall: 5 IP, 4 H, ER, BB, 6 K. Brought the ERA down to 3.69. It took him a while, but I'm happy to say he's back.
KrameDog Sneed: 2 IP, H, K (4.74 ERA). Still disagree with this promotion, but still rooting for this dude.
Preston Claiborne: 3 IP, H, 4 K (3.32 ERA). Nice

Charleston: L 4-6 to West Virginia. L: Barreda
Eddy Sosa: 1/5, R, 3 K. Cold as ice.
Shane Brown: 0/4, K. Hopefully he adjusts quickly. He's too old to make slow adjustments.
Gary Sanchize: 1/3, HR, 2 RBI, BB. That's his 10th HR. Still only batting .240 though.
Ray-Flo Flores: 2/4, 2 K. Avg up to .275, but the power seems to have disappeared.
Dott: 1.1 IP, 1 IP, 1K, 0 ER. Apparently he was acquired from the Rays. He's 23.
Mark Monte Python Montgomery: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER. No strikeouts this time, but he's still dominating.

GCL Yankees: W 12-9 v GCL Braves. They scored 9 runs in the bottom of the 8th to bring the score from 9-3 to 12-9. W: Casanova. S: Hinojosa
Janitor Custodio: 1/5, R, RBI, 3 K, SB (14), 2 E. Salvaged his day with a hit and a SB in the 8th.
Jose Rosario: 2/5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI
Isaias Tejeda: 0/4, R, BB, K. Inevitable disappointment day after the 2 HR performance yesterday.
Junior Bichette: 4/4, R, 2B, RBI. He is en fuego. He is literally ripping this league apart. He's 22 for his last 39 (.564). 6 of his last  games have been multi-hit games. He's had 3+ hits in 4 of his last 5 games. He has a 12 game hit streak going as well. (.333 average now)
Yeicok Calderon: 1/3, R, 3B, 3 RBI, K.
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 0/3, R, BB, K, CS (.254)
Daniel Lopez: Pinch ran and had a SB (13) in the 8th, scored a run.
Alcantara: 1/3, R, RBI, BB, SB (4). He's been steadily hitting .300 all season.
Zachary Varce: 3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, K.
Rutzkrieg Rutckyj: 3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Raised his ERA to 7.59 on the season. He's a project.
Casanova: 2 IP, H, BB, 2 K. 0.00 ERA on the season still, got the Double-U
Hinojosa: 1 IP, H, K. Got the Save (5), 5/5.

YEEP 7/21/11

AAA SWB: W 6-5. W: Pendleton. S: Carlyle
Kevin Russo: 3/5 R, 3 2B, 2 RBI, K. He's really came on as of late, especially since returning from injury. He's 12/33 (.364) since returning, with 2 HR, 3 2B, 7 BB in 8 games.
JoVa: 0/4, K.
Krum: 3/3, 2 R, 2B, RBI. He's definitely starting to get the hang of AAA. He's got to flash that speed though.
Lance Pendleton: 6 IP, 3 H, ER, 2 BB, K. Got the win.
Wordekemper: .1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, BB, K.
Flores: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER. We have 2 lefties who might see some time in the majors soon at this level, he and Romero. Yesterday I mistakenly stated that Kensing is a lefty, sorry about that!

GCL Yankees: W 18-2. W: Varce
Janitor Custodio: 1/2, 3 R, BB
Jorge Alcantara: 1/2, R, K.
Jose Rosario: 3/6, 3 R, 2B, RBI, K. Continues his torrid play. He's young, and he has more power than Culver. If he continues to play like this, his stock will rise very quickly.
Isaias "the hata" Tejeda: 1/2, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB. (.383)
Junior Bichette: 3/4, 2 R, 4 RBI. I knew some of those line drives would start falling for hits (.250 now).
Daniel Lopez: 1/5, 2 RBI, K, SB (11). Just looked at his milb.com profile, and he's only 19. He plays CF. Overshadowed at this level by guys like James, Bichette, and Santana, but he's got speed and it appears he can hit (he hit well in the DSL last year and starting this year too).
Justin James: 2/6, 3 R, 2B, RBI, 2 K. A nice start for this new draftee. He's 20.
Varce: 5 IP, 3 H, ER, 5 K. Nice start.
Reinier Casanova: 1 IP, H, K, 0 ER. New signee from Cuba. He's 24, so maybe he'll move really quickly much like Mustelier has.

YEEP 7/19/11: Soriano and Chavez rehab starts, Morton impresses

Evil Em VP of the day: Taylor Morton: 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 K. Image thanks to ebay.com, thanks ebay.

Hey guys, sorry for the absence. I took my boards yesterday, slept a lot last night, and so I'm back in action today.  It was a 9 hour exam so I was completely beat afterwards, although I did go out and party last night to celebrate. Hope you didn't miss me too much.Yankees lost a tough one today, and it wasn't the best day on the farm.
AAA SWB: L 1-6 vs. Columbus. L: Nova.
Kevin Russo: 1/4, BB.
Austin Krum. 1/3, R. He's been much much better lately, but I see his ceiling as a Colin Curtis type player.
Jorge Vazquez (JoVa): 1/4, 3 K.
Nova: 1.1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 3 K, HR. Left the game in the second inning. He hurt himself trying to field a ball. Apparently it was a leg injury but he walked off on his own power. That sucks.
Kontos: 2.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 4 K. Nice relief work.
Kevin Whelan: 2 IP, H, ER, BB, 3 K, HR. Hasn't been the same since he got back from that injury. C'mon Kev-Bo.

AA Trenton: W 9-2 v Erie. W: Hall.
Kruml: 1/5, R. Still batting .300
CoJo: 2/4, 2 R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, K. Nice game from him. Looks like he's finding his feel for hitting again.
Austin BRomine: 1/4, R, K.
R-Ly Lyerly: 3/5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI. He's a hitter, and his average is only gonna continue going up at this level. He had 4 errors the other day though, so the fielding has got to improve.
Melky Mesa: 3/5, R, RBI. 11 for his last 37 (.297). Let's hope he continues this little streak he's on. I'm thirsty, and the only way to quench that thirst is with a new melkman.
Boilin Zoilo Almonte: 3/5, R, 2B, 2 RBI. He was mentioned in an interview with Ashmore and Cashman recently. Just like that he has a respectable average in AA. Hopefully this helps him with the nerves at this level.
Shaeffer Hall: 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. A Much needed good start for him.
Sideshow Venditte: 1 IP, 2 K. Nice.


High A Tampa: L 0-11 to Jupiter. L: Soriano.
Abe Almonte: 1/4, 3B, 3 K.
Eric Chavez: 0/3, BB, K. 1st game back, he'll be back with the major league team soon.
Mustelier: 0/4. First bad game in a while, he's been awesome since he was signed.
Rob Seggy Segedin: 0/3.
K-Roll Roller: 1/3.
JR Murph: 1/3.
Kelvin Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3, K.
Rafael Soriano: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K, HR. Just a rehab start.
Graham Cracker Stoneburner: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, BB, 5 K, 2 HR. At least he struck some guys out. Not very good though.
I don't have much to say about this game because they got WALLOPED.

Short Season Staten Island.  Double Header. Game 1: W 3-2. W: Nuno.
Mad Mase Williams: 0/3, 2 K.
Cheeto Culver: 1/2, BB. His performance so far kind of reminds me of Heathcott's when he was at this level. Holding his head over water. Hopefully in a year or so he breaks out like Slade did.
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 0/3, 2 K.
Ty Austin: 2/3, R, 2B. Nice job Ty. He'll be all over the pitching in this league. I give it a few more games before he really catches fire.
Shane Brown: 0/2, R, BB. Finally has a not so good game. Even here there are positives.
Ben Gamel: 2/3, 2 RBI. There's a good game which I've been waiting for for quite a while.
Bryan Mitchell: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. That's better, but he's still not there. I'm thinking more and more short season was a good destination for this kid this season.
Vidal Nuno: 2.1 IP, H, 5 K. He's 5-0, that's hard to believe. He's been really good, but he's mighty old for his level (24 in like 7 days).

Game 2: W 8-6 vs. Hudson Valley. W: Lewis
Cody Grice: 0/4, 3 R, K. Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe we shouldn't have signed him. It's too early to say though.
Cheeto Culver: 2/3, 2B, 3B, R, 2 BB. 2/4 on the day, not bad, avg up to .277.
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 1/5, 2 RBI, 2 K.
Ty Austin: 0/4, 2 K
Shane Brown: 2/4. I guess he can have a bad game, but not a bad day.
Ben Gamel: 0/0, PH RBI
Matt Tracy: 2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, BB, 2 K, HR. Yikes.
Gerritse: 3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K. Nice relief work, still 0 earned runs in 13.2 IP at this level. He has 14 K. Time for a promotion?
Phil Wetherell: 1 IP, H, R, 0 ER, BB.

GCL Yankees: W 8-5 vs. GCL Phillies. W: Maines. S: Hinojosa
Janitor Custodio: 2/4, 2 R, 2B, BB, SB. He needed a game like this, as he's been slumping a bit. That 0/8 game killed his average but he's back up to .327. That's 12 SB on the season.
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/5, R, RBI, K, SB (3). I'm seeing more and more Kelvin De Leon similarities, hopefully I'm wrong.
DAdams: 2/4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB. Played the full game. A promotion is looming. Can't wait.
Junior Bichette: 2/5, 2B, 2 RBI, E. He's really picking it up now. 12 for his last 34 with a HR, 3 BB and a 7 game hit sreak going. (.353 AVG). So this is why we picked him.
Yeicok Calderon: 2/5, R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI. Ata boy Yeicok. Now over .200 for the season. Needs to take some lessons from Bichette.
Taylor Morton (T-Mo): 4.2 IP, 3 H, 6 K. I've said it before but I really like this kid. He's got a 1.82 ERA so far, with 19 K in 24.2 IP as a 19 year old.
Cowsert: 1 IP, 2 K, 0 everything else. Got the Hold as well (3.09 ERA).
Hinojosa: 1 IP, 0 everything else. Got the save. (0.00 ERA so far, 4/4 in saves).

YEEP 7/12/11: Just 2 games today

Evil Em VP of the day: Claudio Custodio. He sure is a little guy, but he hits like a grown ass man. Image courtesy of Flickr.


Charleston RiverDogs: L 9-3 to Greensboro Grasshoppers. L: Greene
Eddy Sosa: 1/4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
Sanchize: 2/4, 2 RBI, BB, K. This is the type of line he's gonna need to keep putting up to get where he needs to be by the end of the season so he can end up in Tampa next year.
Ray-Flo Flores: 1/4, RBI, 2 K.
Kyle Higgy Higashioka: 1/4, 2B. I hope they are still allowing him to Catch. He's mostly been DHing.
Greene: 4 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR. This is his first truly bad start in his last 10 appearances. Even after tonight, his ERA is 3.29 in his last 10 games.


GCL Yankees: L 10-9 vs GCL Pirates. L: Cowsert
Janitor Custodio: 2/4, 2 R, BB, K, SB (11)
Jose Rosario: 2/5, 2 R, 3B, K. Good game from him. He's been playing extremely well lately.
Ty Austin: 2/5, R, RBI, K. Beast
Junior Bichette: 2/5, R, RBI, K, CS. Atta boy, now lets follow this one with more multi-hit games, not hitless ones.
Yeicok Calderon: 1/5, R, 3 K. Yikes
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/2, R, HR, 2 RBI. HR #4 on the season. Still only batting .247 though. Left the game for an unknown reason.
Encinas: 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
Varce (BS): 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
Cowsert: 1 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 K
Maines: 1 IP, 2 K. At least 1 pitcher pitched well today.

YEEP 6/30. Jesus "I've still got some power in me yet"

 Evil Em Vee P of the night: Jesus Montero (2/4, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI)

AAA SWB L 7-3 to Norfolk. Warren got the loss.
Montero: 2/4 with 1 HR, 1 RBI. In Norris' interview with Ashmore, Ashmore did say Montero's power didn't come around until this time last year. I hope he's right.
Laird: 1/3 1 RBI
Adam "the Warden" Warren: 5 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. Everyone's entitled to a meh game every now and then.
Andrew Brackman: 2 IP 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR. Still a mess. I just hope he figures something out this offseason, because he's really far away from where he needs to be right now.

AA Trenton: W 8-6. W: Mr. Garrison S: Horne
Kruml: 3/5, 2 R, 2 SB (25). He's on fire. Starting to wonder if Kruml, and not his evil twin Krum, should have gotten the promo to AAA.
CoJo: 3/5, 2 R, 2B, 1 RBI (.296)
BRomine: 2/5, 3 R, RBI. Consistency, which is what I want to see from him this time of year, which is when he began to tire out last season IMO.
R-Ly (Rob Lyerly): 0/3, 1 RBI, 1 K. 9 RBI in 10 g so far in AA. That's what you look for out of a 1B. The other thing you look for, however, is power.
Chase Whitley: 2.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K, H.
Josh BRomance Romanski: 1 IP, 0 R, 1 BB
Alan Horne: .1 IP, 0 R,  1 BB, 1 K, S. A save's a save. 2/2

High A Tampa: Postponed

Low A Charleston:  L 1-5. L: Greene
E Sosa: 0/3, 1 BB
Sanchize: 0/3, 1 BB, 1 K.
Higgy (Higashioka): 0/4
S Greene: 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. When defense fails you, there's not much you can do. They had 4 errors tonight. This was a recurring theme in the minors tonight. He also made 2 of the errors himself though.
Franciso Rondon: 2 IP, 5 K, 0 H, 0 R. Got the promo from SI. Deserved it. Continued his success. 0 ER in 8.2 IP so far this season total.

Short Season Staten Island: W 6-5. W: Nuno
Mason "Mad Mase" Williams: 0/4, 1 RBI
Cito "Cheetoh" Culver: 1/4, 1 RBI, 2 K
Angelo "Bubba Gumbs Shrimp" Gumbs: 1/3, 1 R, 1 BB
Vidal "Nono" Nuno: 5 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 0 ER. Excellent relief appearance. He's done very well in that role so far. (10.1 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 10 K). 23 though so old for his level.
Pinder: .2 IP, 1 K, 0 H, 0 R, 1 K, S. (2.25 ERA on the season) 4 saves already. I like his poise so far.

GCL Yankees L 14-11. L: Johnson
Claudio "the janitor" Custodio: 3/4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 SB (7). Keep it up kid.
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/6, 2 K, SB. It's okay Rav
Junior Bichette: 1/3, 1 R, 3B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Yeicok Calderon: 0/6, 3 K. Yucky.
Dawerd Cruz: 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The Yankees committed 8 errors in this game. Pathetic. They did also have 6 SB though.

That's it for the night. It's tough to pick a Evil Em Vee P tonight, but I have someone in mind. I'll just say Rondon was a close 2nd, however because he's older and at a lower level, I have to give it up to Jesus tonight.