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."

15 Prospects Invited to Big League Camp

Gary Sanchez and JR Murphy: Image thanks to milb.com

In no particular order...

1. Manny Banuelos LHP
2. Austin Romine C
3. Gary Sanchez C
4. Doug Bernier INF
5. Dan Burawa RH RP
6. Colin Curtis OF
7. Jose Gil C
8. Kyle Higashioka C
9. Brett Marshall RHP
10. Ryan Pope RH RP
11. Graham Stoneburner RHP
12. Jorge Vazquez 1B
13. Adam Warren RHP
14. Kevin Whelan RH RP
15. Chase Whitley RH RP

Others will be invited as well, but won't be in the official press release. For example, I think it is safe to say that Dellin Betances, David Phelps, DJ Mitchell, Brandon Laird, George Kontos, and some other solid specs will be in attendance. Nothing exciting here, but I'm sure it's very exciting for some of the prospects. JR Murphy and Gary Sanchez will be excited for their first trip, although they were both probably more invited for their ability to hold a catcher's mitt and catch 95 mph heat while in the crouched position.

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 8/3/11: 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 7/15/11: Who's the new guy?

Evil Em VP of the day: Jose Quintana. 7 IP, 9 K, 0 ER. That'll get you the MVP. Image thanks to... you guessed it, fourseamimages.com

AAA SWB: W 7-3 vs. Toledo. W: Flores
Russo: 2/4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, BB. Busy night for him.
Montero: 1/5, RBI, 3 K
JoVa: 2/4, 2 RBI, K
Laird: 0/2, K. He was ejected. Played LF today.
DJ Mitchell: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K. I bet no one is up in arms about him not eclipsing 5 IP today.
Whelan: 1 IP, 2 H, ER, BS. He's back.
Wordekemper: 1 IP, K, 0 ER.
Kensing: 1 IP, K, 0 ER. I mention him because I read somewhere he was clocked at 93-94 recently.

AA Trenton W 3-1 vs. Reading. W: Garrison, S: Schmidt.
Ray Kruml: 0/4, R, K
CoJo: 1/3, BB, CS
Austin BRomine: 0/2, R, 2 BB.
R-Ly Lyerly: 1/4, K, RBI.
Boilin Zoilo: 0/4, 2 K. Newly promoted, obligatory adjustment period.
Melky Mesa: 2/4, 3B, 2 RBI. Nice game for him.
Nothing to speak of pitching wise. Steve Garrison had a good start, but he doesn't excite me.

High A Tampa: W 1-0 vs Palm Beach. W: Quintana, S: Burawa
Mustelier: 1/4, R, 2B. Promoted from GCL. I guess he's on the fast track. They did this instead of my suggestion to promote Shane Brown. I'm okay with it (not that Cashman cares that I'm okay with it) because both need to move quickly to be useful.
Walt Ibarra: 2/2, BB, picked off. He's 15 for his last 30.
Seggy Segedin: 2/4, K, E. He's starting to heat up at Tampa after a short adjustment period.
K-Roll Roller: 0/3, 2 K
Castrol GTX Castro: 0/3, K, E.
Jose Quintana (Jose Quintanadana): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K. Look what I can do. You thought I was a RP non-prospect, but I'm 22 years old and I can pitch mofo. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I'm lefty... :-/ hehe.
Daniel Burawa: 2 IP, 3 K 0 ER. That's it!

Low A Charleston: L 8-4 to Greensboro. L: Evarts
Eddy Sosa: 0/5, K
Ramon Flores: 0/5, K
Sanchize: 2/4, R, 2B, K, HBP. He's got a little pattern going of 2 hit games followed by no hit games. Overall, he's actually been pretty good lately though.
Nothing worth talking about in the pitching performances here.

Short Season Staten Island: L 2-1 to State College. L: W. Rodriguez
Cody Grice: 0/3, RBI
Cheetoh Culver: 0/4. In the midst of a mini-slump. At least he's not striking out though.
Angelo Bubba Gumbs: 1/4, K, SB (7). He's done a nice job on the basepaths. Still trying to decide who I like better between he and Culver.
Shane Brown: 2/3. He just won't stop hitting. Gotta love the resilience (.475 avg, that's right, AVERAGE, in 61 at bats).
Gerritse: 2 IP, K, 0 ER.
Tracy: 2 IP, 2 K, 0 ER.

GCL Yankees W 12-6 v Blue Jays. W: Polanco.
Janitor Custodio: 1/5, 2 R, 2 B, RBI. 15 for his last 44, 6 2B, 5 BB, 9 SB, 0 CS. (.420 OBP).
Jose Rosario: 3/4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K. Never realized that this kid is still only 19. They must see some serious potential with him to have put him in the GCL last season despite poor numbers. Looks like he might be fulfilling some of that potential now. He's 15 for his last 36 (.416), with 3 BB, 2 HR and a 9 game hit streak in his last 9 games.
DAdams: 2/4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI. Played a full game... at DH. They are just being reaaaaally cautious.
Junior Bichette: 1/4, R, BB, K. 4 games in a row with at least 1 hit.
Yeicok Calderon: 1/3, R, 2B, RBI,BB, K, SB (5). Getting tired of RAB misspelling his name.
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 1/3, R, 3B, 2 RBI.
Edwin Rodriguez: 2 IP, H, ER, BB, K
Checo: 1 IP, 3 K.

Our Minor Leagues Catching Situation and the Trade Market

 Jesus Montero: Image courtesy of NY Daily News

If there is one thing that is a clear positive in the Yankees farm system it is the surplus of catchers. In short summary, we have our star prospect in AAA, Jesus Montero, and we have one catcher at every level below that who has the potential of being a future starting catcher in the league. Many feel that Jesus Montero lacks the defensive capabilities to ever be a long-term catcher in the majors, but that remains to be seen, and until proven otherwise, he is a catching prospect.

In AA, we have Romine. His power potential still isn't showing, but he is hitting for a great average and he's proving that he can handle the stress of a full season. He is a solid defensive catcher, so providing solid offense is more than you could ask for from a guy like him, even if the power numbers aren't there.

In high A Tampa, we now have JR Murphy. He just hit his first homerun in high A, and he seems to be getting a grasp on the pitching at this level already. More importantly, after being switched to a fielding prospect, he showed much improved defense at the catcher position this season and has reinstated himself as yet another future catching prospect in the Yankees system, contributing even more to the logjam we have going at this position. No one doubts his bat, but if he can continue to call a solid game and field his position, we could be talking about another top 100 prospect.

Down in Low A Charleston we have one guy who is a potential major league backup with his defensive skills and one guy who is a potential future star who has not met expectations yet this season, but is only 18 years old. The first guy I speak of is Kyle Higashioka. Interestingly, he started off the season in high A Tampa. His defense was great, but then he was sent down to Charleston in favor of JR Murphy, who admittedly deserved the promotion. The weirdest part though, is that he got demoted just as he hit a hot streak with the bat in Tampa. He has continued that streak, and now for the first time in his career, is consistently hitting the ball well. He had probably the best game of his career a few days ago where he homered and had a few hits to go along with it. He might be a guy who resurfaces as a prospect by the end of the season. The other catcher in Charleston, who probably should have been mentioned first since Higashioka is really the "other catcher" at this level, is Gary Sanchez. He has had numerous struggles this season as an 18 year old in Charleston, which is really not the end of the world. He has had discipline problems, defensive issues, and hasn't been nearly as effective with the bat as he was expected to be so far this season. Recently he has shown some promise as to improvement, and the power is still there. He is going to have to have a strong second half to instill a sense of confidence in Yankees fans as well as pro scouts in order to save his top 50 prospect status by the end of the season. Regardless of any of these struggles, he's 18. He's already in full season baseball, and he has the potential to be a solid defensive backstop with special power.

Below Charleston, there isn't much in the way of backstops, at least nothing that has developed yet. There are a few guys performing well in the GCL and in Staten Island, but none of them are considered high ceiling prospects. In all honesty this might actually be a good thing, because there is simply no space for them on any of the full season rosters right now.

The question of the day, however, is where does this leave us. By next year, something has to give. The way I see it, one of three things can happen. Jesus Montero can be brought up as Russel Martin's backup next season. and finally get some on-the-job training. He will likely get a September call-up this season, and this will be good practice for him. This would open up AAA for Romine, which would open up AA for JR Murphy, which would open up High A for Sanchez or Higgashioka.

In the second scenario, we make a trade for a starting pitcher that includes Jesus Montero in it. The most likely candidate I see out there right now is Ubaldo Jimenez. Then, the same positions open up, and we still have a catcher with decent potential at every level. just without our star.

Finally, the third scenario involves what in my opinion amounts to a non-option. It involves moving Romine to AAA and having he and Montero share the catching duties next season. The likelihood of this happening, I would say, is almost zero. The front office is smarter than that. If Jesus Montero is bored now, he would probably be ready to stab himself in the eyes with a pencil in a situation like that.

Ideally, Montero will be up with the big league team for good by September. At this point, however, it wouldn't be smart of any Yankees fan to say that Montero is more valuable to this team than Ubaldo Jimenez could be. With the catching depth we have in our system, there is no reason why Montero can't be traded. I think the kid is great, and I do think he will eventually be heavy hitting player in the league. There are, however, several question marks which may not allow him to succeed as a Yankee. If he can't catch, he is not use to us. The other options for him would be 1B or DH. 1B is locked up by Teixera for years, and DH will likely be needed for A-Rod and Jeter in the coming years. He's got to stick at catcher. I'd love to see that happen, but in the end, our best option now might be to... and I hate to say this as much as anyone does... trade... Montero.

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.

Midseason Baseball America Top 50

 Manny Banuelos, image courtesy of  beatofthebronx.com

Jesus Montero goes from 3 to 8, Manny Banuelos goes from 41 to 13, Dellin Betances goes from 43 to 26, and Gary Sanchez goes from 30 to off the list.

Good for baseball america for recognizing that Betances and Banuelos have not decreased their stock with their performances this season, but have actually improved their stock by proving they can handle AA hitters. As for Jesus Montero, he's a second half player. We'll see where he stands by the end of the season.

Also, notably, Arodys Vizcaino is now at 16. Imagine, we could have 3 pitchers in the top 25 right now if we didn't decide that we needed to trade for Javier Vazquez. I hated that trade then, and I hate it even more now.

YEEP 7/7/11: Return of the Vacationer

Evil Em Vee P of the Day: Dellin Betances. 9 K tonight in 6 IP (finally got past 5 IP). Photo courtesy of nypost.com

Hey all, sorry about my 5 day hiatus. I was on vacation for 4th of July weekend, and boy what a good time I had. Anyway, let's get started with this week's YEEP updates. Later on I'll go through the movers and shakers through the Yankees system recently since there's been a lot. I'll mention some promotions and those that I feel have been snubbed for a promotion. Now for the updates.

AAA SWB: W 6-2 v. Buffalo W: Nova S: Kensing
JoVa (Jorge Vazquez): 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, HR. This is my first post since his return. Hopefully something about his DL stint taught him how to hit a curveball or change-up. Not even both, just one of them.
Brandon Laird: 1/4, R, RBI, K, 2B.
Ivan Nova: 7.2 IP 6 H, 2 ER, 10 K, 1 HR. Besides the HR, he was brilliant. He was good last season in AAA, but not this good. Granted, it's just one game, but it seems like he's learned quite a bit in the majors.

AA Trenton, Double header today.
Game 1: L 2-3 to Richmond. L: Venditte
Kruml: 1/3, 1 SB. I'll say it again, he should have been promoted instead of Krum. Batting .287 with 29 SB.
CoJo (Corban Joseph): 0/3, 2 K
Austin BRomine: 0/3, 1 K (.294)
R-Ly (Rob Lyerly): 0/3, 2 K.
Dellin Betances: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Great outing, but I could still do without the 2 BB. Control has been the issue all season, and that's gonna have to improve next year if he wants a shot at the title (the bigs).
Pat "Sideshow" Venditte: .1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, BS. He's been good lately, just a hiccup.

Game 2: L 2-1. L: Craig Heyer
Kruml: 1/3, 1 K.
CoJo: 0/3, 2 K. Bad day for him and Lyerly, both 0/3 with 2 K in gm 2
Heyer: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 K. Typical outing from him, and it's really not half bad. 3.19 ERA on the season, but he's no more than a Lance Pendleton as far as I'm concerned, although no one would have even gave him that credit last season.
Ryan Pope: .2 IP, 2 K. Two batters faced, two strikeouts. Maybe this demotion was a good idea.

High A Tampa: Game Postponed

Low A Charleston: W 9-7 against Delmarva. W: Allen
Eddy Sosa: 1/5, 1 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K.
Gary "Sanchize" Sanchez: 1/3, HR, BB. Nice
Ramon "Ray-Flo" Flores: 3/4, 2 R. In his past 8 games, he's 11/31 (.355), although he's not walking like he was (just one). Maybe this means he wasn't being aggressive enough before that. Hopefully he has figured something out because his season is still in need of a turnaround.
Dott: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K. The only pitcher that went tonight whom I'm interested in, and even him, I honestly don't know much about. He's got a 2.57 ERA this season.

Short Season Staten Island: W 4-3 against Connecticut. W: Wetherell
Cito "Cheetoh" Culver: 2/4, 2B, R, BB, K, SB. Just his 2nd SB, but he's really gotten it going with the bat. 16/42 in last 10 games (.381)
Mason "Mad Mase" Williams: 0/5. Meh, still .325 on the season.
Angelo "Bubba Gumbs Shrimp" Gumbs: 2/5, R, 2 B, 2 K. (.271). He's getting there.
Matt Tracy: 3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, K. Still without an earned run this young season.
Recchia: 2 IP, 4 H, 2 K. Pitching well here.
Wetherell: 1 IP, W. Has somehow picked up 3 wins this season already as a relief pitcher. I can think of at least one that was due to a BS though.

GCL Yankees: L 9-6 to GCL Phillies. L: Johnson
Ravenous Ravel Santana: 0/5, 2 K. He's allowed an off day every so often.
Tyler Austin: 2/4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 1 K. .362 on the season so far. Guy can hit, and he also has 7 SB already on the season. Speed from a corner IF, interesting combo.
Yeicok Calderon: 2/4, 1 R, 1 SB. Good game for him, he's been struggling a bit lately (.216 on the season), so maybe this will help him turn it around.
Jorge Alcantara: 2/4, 1 R, 1 K. Keeps showing he can hit, and can play all corner positions. (.375 so far).
Taylor Morton: 4 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 K. Not a good outing, but he's been great overall so far (2.4 ERA)

Yankees Prospects Blog introduction

My name is Greg, a medical student Philadelphia and I am an avid follower of the Yankees farm system. Luckily, right around the time when I became interested about two years ago, the minor league system became much more intriguing. Guys like Jesus Montero, Austin Romine, and the since departed Austin Jackson were making a splash.

Now, they are making further strides with their farm system, as more bigtime prospects such as Manny Banuelos and the local fireballer Dellin Betances have made their way through the ranks. Players like Gary "the Sanchize" Sanchez and Slade Heathcott are also in the pipeline. It has become both exciting and fun to follow the system, and I have become a huge fan of all of the above listed players.

This blog intends to document the progress, as well as debate the merits and shortcomings of players in the Yankees minor league system. Feel free to comment on any of the posts I make, as I welcome followers and people who would like to argue with my opinions or express agreement. My knowledge of the system, while better than the average Joe, is limited by the fact that I do not have many opportunities to see these guys play in person, and only have so much access to scouting information etc. In the end, I would like this to be a place where people can come and discuss topics related to the Yankees farm system, and have some questions answered, while also answering some of the questions that I may have for the general public.

I will start my blog with a hypothetical first pitch, which would be thrown by none other than my favorite Yankee that played during my 25 year lifetime, Bernie Williams.