Yankees Call Up Several Players; DFA Zoilo Almonte

Players called up are:

RHP Chase Whitley

RHP Chaz Roe

RHP Bryan Mitchell

RHP Preston Claiborne

RHP Phil Yoon

LHP Rich Hill

C John Ryan Murphy

OF Chris Young

OF Antoan Richardson (I thought this was a big possibility, given that he is a speed guy who can pinch-run)

The Yankees also announced they have released Matt Daley (who cares), and designated Zoilo Almonte for assignment, which really surprises me (Chris Young and Antoan Richardson over Almonte?  Doesn't make sense)

Tanaka and Slade Heathcott were moved to the 60-day disabled list.

Yankees Minor League Report 9/1/14: The End

Thank you to everyone who read all of these reports in 2014!  Not to knock any other site, but I am proud to say for the second straight season that not one day was missed this season - came close a few times, but was able to get the reports in.  

Staten Island is playing a late game tonight vs. Brooklyn (Seriously?  Closing out the season in the NYP league with a 7 pm game on Labor Day?), so I won't be covering that one in this report - if something significant happens (defined as a no-hitter, 4 home run game, or a player running through a wall), I will report on it later.

A post-season Top 20 prospects list will be typed up in the next few weeks or so. 

Overall, not a terrible season on the farm - Robert Refsnyder became a legitimate prospect for a team that needs one in the infield, while guys like Luis Severino and Aaron Judge emerged. On the other side of the coin, the big outfield prospects before the 2013 season in Trenton mostly have crashed and burned. Slade Heathcott is not likely going to make it given all of his injuries, Mason Williams is a slug, and Tyler Austin continued to struggle with his offense, though he did hit better as the season went along.  Ramon Flores was a young player in Triple-A, but couldn't stay on the field.   The #1 prospect entering the season (Gary Sanchez) had a strong, but hardly standout, campaign.   Eric Jagielo survived a mid-season injury and played well enough to make you think something may be there, while Ian Clarkin had a strong season before being shut down.

Manny Banuelos made it back from injury and could see some big league action in September.   Greg Bird started the year on the disabled list and seemed to get back to normal the moment he was promoted to Trenton, where he went on a power splurge.  

As for the 2014 draftees, Jacob Lindgren tired a tad towards the end (he had a heavy workload in college this year), but showed that he may just be worth that second round pick.  Guys like Mark Payton and Ty McFarland also played well in what was a very safe overall draft for the franchise  - going more for college polish over high school upside.

----------------------------------------------

Scranton (Won two games vs. Lehigh Valley, 2-1 and 4-1, to finish 68-76)

2B Robert Refsnyder:  1-for-4, 2B (19), RBI. K

Walk-off double in only Game 1 AB.   Finishes at .296/.386/.453 in 287 AB for Scranton and .317/.385/.495 in 515 AB overall with 38 doubles, six triples, 14 home runs, 63 runs batted in, 82 runs scored, 55 walks, 105 strikeouts, and a 9-for-18 SB rate.

C John Ryan Murphy:  2-for-3, 2B (9)

Started Game 1 on Sunday night, pulled from the game on Monday - likely due to promotion.  Finishes Triple-A season at .246/.292/.397 in 51 games

1B Kyle Roller:  4-for-7, 2B (24), HR (17), RBI, 2 RS, 3 K

Finishes year with 26 home runs, second in the organization to the departed Pete O'Brien.  Overall, he hit .300/.391/.550 in 456 AB between Trenton/Scranton with 30 doubles, three triples, 26 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 77 runs scored, and 146 strikeouts

UTIL Jose Pirela:  0-for-4, K

Didn't play in Game 2, which could lead some to think he may be on his way up for a September bench spot.  We shall see.    Finishes the year at .305/.351/.441 in 535 AB with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 10 home runs, 60 runs batted in, and 87 runs scored.   The only two positions (other than pitcher) that he did not play this year were catcher and third base.

OF Zoilo Almonte:  1-for-7, BB, 2 K

.261/.311/.437 in 421 AB.  Switch hitter is much more effective vs. RHP and should be under consideration for a 2015 bench spot.

C Austin Romine:  3-for-3, HR (6), 2 RBI, 2 RS

.242/.300/.365 in 285 AB.  The Yankees could call him up for to be the 4th catcher I suppose, but it is not a given.

OF Ramon Flores:  1-for-7, K

.247/.339/.443 in 235 AB in an injury-plagued season.

OF Taylor Dugas:  1-for-5, RBI, K

Finishes at .299/.399/.390 in 351 AB between Trenton/Scranton with 47 walks and 59 strikeouts.

IF Scott Sizemore:  1-for-4, HR (7), RBI, RS, K

Just remember:  Before the season began, there was talk about a Sizemore/Johnson platoon at 3B for the Yankees this season.

OF Chris Young:  0-for-3, K

RHP Diego Moreno:  3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Finishes season with a 4.06 ERA over 57.2 IP with a 55/17 K/BB ratio.

RHP Danny Burawa:  2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K

Burawa really came on strong down the stretch.  His final numbers aren't great (4.70 ERA in 59.1 IP with a 73/30 K/BB ratio), but his finish was strong - he supposedly will be promoted.

RHP Nick Rumbelow:  2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HR

Finishes season with a 2.62 ERA over 58.1 IP with a 81/18 K/BB ratio.  He will be in the bullpen discussion next season.

LHP Ty Webb (W, 2-0):  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Finishes season with a 3.80 ERA over 68.2 IP with a 94/22 K/BB ratio.  Will also figure into the 2015 bullpen competition.

LHP Nik Turley (W, 5-3):  5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

4.62 ERA; 60.1 IP, 55 H, 36 R, 31 ER, 8 HR, 43 BB, 44 K

Season got off to a tough start due to an arm injury (and also being released off of the 40-man roster before being resigned).  The Yankees pretty much have no real choice but to protect him this winter in my opinion.

LHP Matt Tracy (S, 1):  2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

3.75 ERA; 151 IP, 171 H, 73 R, 63 ER, 11 HR, 55 BB, 89 K

If he is still around in 2015 (I bet he is), he will be a depth starter in Triple-A, which turned out to be a nice position to be in with the 2014 Yankees club.

-------------------------------

Trenton (Lost to Reading, 7-3, to finish 67-75)

C Gary Sanchez did not play and finishes the season at .270/.338/.406 in 429 AB with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 65 RBI, 48 runs scored, 43 walks and 91 strikeouts.

RF Tyler Austin did not play after 8/22 (temporary inactive list, which I guess became permanent for 2014).  He hit .275/.336/.419 in 396 AB with 20 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, and 47 runs batted in.

3B Dante Bichette didn't play after 8/26 and finished his season at .264/.345/.397 in 469 AB with 30 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 68 RBI, and 63 runs scored.  He struggled a bit after his promotion (15-for-67), which deflated his overall strong campaign in Tampa.

1B Greg Bird:  2-for-2, 2B (8), RS, 3 BB

Finishes at .271/.376/.472 in 369 AB between Tampa/Trenton with 30 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 43 runs batted in, 52 runs scored, 63 walks, and 97 strikeouts.  The best part is that the power surge came in his 27 games at Trenton, where he had 15 XBH.

CF Jake Cave:  0-for-5, 3 K

Finishes at .294/.351/.414 in 561 AB between Tampa/Trenton with 28 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs, 42 runs batted in, 74 runs scored, 46 walks, 124 strikeouts, and 12 steals in 18 attempts.   Jumped from two HR in 2013 to seven this year.  

CF Mason Williams:  1-for-5, RBI, RS

Finishes at .223/.290/.304 in 507 AB.   His strikeout rate was fine (68), but that is about it - Williams was horrible this year - there is nothing that can be said to even attempt to sugarcoat it.

3B Rob Segedin:  0-for-4, BB

Finishes at .256/.361/.386 in 402 AB between Trenton/Scranton.  Was a complete disaster in his exposure to Scranton, going 11-for-77, which is pretty much in line with how he hit in his first exposure to Trenton (31-for-165 in 2012)

OF Ben Gamel:  1-for-3, 2 BB

Finishes at a disappointing .261/.308/.340 in 544 AB.   With some doubles power, decent defense (can play CF in a pinch), and better than average speed, it looked like Gamel had a #4 OF upside - but that triple-slash will not cut it no matter what his role is.

C Francisco Arcia:  3-for-5, 2 RBI

Finishes at .276/.311/.347 in 225 AB between Trenton/Scranton.  Pretty much a roving backup in the upper minors.

LHP Jeremy Bleich (L, 5-6):  4 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Bottom line for Bleich is that his shoulder injury turned out to be too much to overcome.

RHP Nick Goody:  1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Finishes with a 4.60 ERA in 31.1 IP with a 46/15 K/BB ratio between Tampa/Trenton.  Don't let the poor numbers cloud your judgement too much - he was coming off Tommy John surgery.  We'll see if the results return in 2015.

RHP Mark Montgomery:  0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Finishes with a 2.10 ERA over 51.1 IP with 34 hits allowed and a 51/26 K/BB ratio.  Statistically, a strong season - but the fastball supposedly still has not returned.  Amazing just how close he was to the major leagues in 2013.

----------------------------------

Tampa had their season come to an end on Sunday.

--------------------------------------

Charleston (Lost to Augusta, 2-0, to finish 71-69)

3B Miguel Andujar:  0-for-3

Finishes at .267/.318/.397 in 484 AB with 25 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, 70 runs batted in, 75 runs scored, 35 walks, and 83 strikeouts.  Had a strong second half to the season (.319/.367/.456 in last 248 AB), and in the world of teenage prospects at this level, that is what you want to see - in the majors, you are what you are at the end of the year.  In the minors, it is all about showing improvement as a season goes along, especially when you are this young.

SS Tyler Wade:  0-for-4, 2 K

Finishes at .272/.350/.349 in 507 AB with 24 doubles, six triples, one home run, 51 runs batted in, 77 runs scored, 57 walks, 118 strikeouts, and 22 stolen bases in 35 attempts.  Forced into a lot of playing time at SS due to injuries to Abiatal Avelino, Wade performed very well.   He was a bit more steady than Andujar, but still showed some second half improvement (.683 OPS in first half; .714 in second half)

OF Michael O'Neill:  0-for-4

Finishes at .256/.333/.384 in 489 AB with an organizational-leading 42 stolen bases in 51 tries. His early season strikeouts were well-documented, but he did cut them down a bit to finish at 133.   (64 Ks in first 50 games; 69 in last 78 games).

CF Brandon Thomas:  0-for-3, 2 K

Finishes at .204/.318/.311 in 299 AB with 22 steals in 26 attempts.  Thomas started off horribly - hitting .147/.270/.243 in his first 41 games before putting up a more respectable .252/.358/.368 in his final 52 games.  Once a well-regarded prospect at Georgia Tech, he succumbed to illness, fell in the draft, and the Yankees took a bit of a flyer on him.

C/3B Kale Sumner:  0-for-3, 2 K

.233/.415/.364 in 46 games for the 23-year old.

UTIL Claudio Custodio: 2-for-4, K

Just to prove that SOMEONE got a hit today.  

RHP Gabriel Encinas (L, 0-4):    3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR

Finished with a 5.81 ERA in 31 innings in what was essentially an 11 start rehab stint.  He will make or break his prospect status in 2015.

RHP Conor Mullee:  2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Finishes with a 1.38 ERA in 39 IP between Staten Island/Charleston with a 37/13 K/BB ratio.  The problem?  He has been injured a lot and is already 26 years old.  You never know if a reliever will blossom late, but he would still be a very rare case given where he is right now.

Yankees Minor League Report 8/31/14: Jaron Long Finishes Off Strong Campaign; Caleb Smith Ends On Sour Note

Trenton (Lost to Reading, 4-2)

1B Greg Bird:  1-for-4, 2B (7), RS, K

C Gary Sanchez:  1-for-3, BB, K

CF Jake Cave:  1-for-4, BB, K, CS (3)
The 12-for-18 line stealing bases this season isn't ideal, but he has certainly put himself into the future OF conversation.

3B Rob Segedin:  1-for-4, 2B (21), RBI, K

CF Mason Williams:  3-for-3, 2B (18), RBI, BB

Hitting .223 in 502 AB. A kid with his speed should luck his way into more doubles than 18.

OF Ben Gamel:  1-for-5, 2 K

A very disappointing .261 from Gamel, who has shown off some doubles power (31), but very little else.

RHP Jaron Long:  6.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Finishes season 12-5 with a 2.18 ERA between Charleston/Tampa/Trenton with a 122/22 K/BB ratio over 144.1 IP.  The undrafted FA out of Ohio State has, at the very least, put his name on the map.

LHP James Pazos:  2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Nice way to finish his season.  Threw 67 innings this season, allowing 20 runs (18 earned) on 50 hits with 25 walks and 75 strikeouts.   One of three options (Lindgren, Webb) the Yankees will have for a left-handed relief slot in 2015 (they also still can control David Huff and Josh Outman if they desire, and veterans will be invited to camp, etc.)

---------------------

Tampa (Lost to Daytona, 6-3)

RF Aaron Judge:  2-for-3, BB

89th walk in 131 games

1B Mike Ford:  1-for-3, 2B (4), 2 RBI, BB
.292/.383/.458 in 373 AB between Charleston/Tampa

SS Cito Culver:  2-for-4, 2B (21), HR (5), RBI, 2 RS, K

CF Mark Payton:  1-for-4, 2B (11), RS

.320/.418/.497 in 175 AB between Charleston/Tampa.  11 doubles in 26 games since joining Tampa

LHP Caleb Smith (L, 5-2):  3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Thanks to this clunker, he finishes his season with a 4.81 ERA at this level over 39.1 IP.  Overall, he tossed 117.2 innings this season, allowing 99 hits with 46 walks and 116 strikeouts.

RHP Philip Walby:  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

4.21 ERA; 51.1 IP, 37 H, 30 R, 24 ER, 0 HR, 42 BB, 61 K.  It will all be about gaining some command of his stuff - having a blah BB/9 ratio is OK - but his will be impossible to get by with.

-------------------

Charleston (Defeated Augusta, 5-0)

3B Miguel Andujar:  2-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K

.268/.320/.399 in 481 AB with 70 runs batted in.   His second half surge has been well-documented.

SS Tyler Wade:  0-for-4, BB, 2 K

.274/.353/.352 in 503 AB

OF Michael O'Neill: 2-for-4, RBI, RS, 2 K, SB (42)

,258/.335/.388 in 485 AB

2B Gosuke Katoh: 0-for-4, 2 K

.222/.345/.326 in 383 AB; 142 strikeouts

C/3B Kale Sumner: 1-for-4, 2 RBI,2 K

.238/.423/.373 in 126 AB

OF Yeicok Calderon: 0-for-4, RS, BB, K

LHP Justin Kamplain:  4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K

Finishes campaign with a 1.65 ERA over 43.2 IP with a 46/13 K/BB ratio.  18th round pick out of Alabama

RHP Angel Rincon (W, 7-3):  5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

3.01 ERA; 68.2 IP, 56 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 2 HR, 18 BB, 56 K

21-year old is not a major prospect, but he did his job here in 2014 and will get his way to Tampa for 2015.

-------------------------

Staten Island (Lost to Brooklyn, 11-3)

C Isaias Tejada: 2-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI, RS

29 RBI in 50 games this season for the 22-year old

1B Connor Spencer:  1-for-4

11-game hitting streak

C/OF Collin Slaybaugh:  2-for-4, 2B (8), RBI

CF Devyn Bolasky:  0-for-3, 2 BB, 3 K

OF Nathan Mikolas:  0-for-3, BB, 2 K

LHP Andrew Chin (L, 1-1):  2.1 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HR

RHP Jordan Cote:  4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

The 21-year old has a 6.49 ERA at this level over 51.1 IP with a 37/13 K/BB ratio.

Yankees Minor League Report 8/30/14: Dan Camarena Closes Season Well; Jacob Lindgren Loses Control; Brady Lail Throws Another Gem

Scranton (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 3-2)

OF Chris Young:  1-for-4, HR (1), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K

2B Robert Refsnyder:  1-for-5, 2 K

1B Kyle Roller:  0-for-4, BB, 3 K

OF Zoilo Almonte: 1-for-4, BB, K, CS (4)

OF Antoan Richardson:  1-for-4, 2B (7), BB, K

UTIL Adonis Garcia:  1-for-5, RS, 2 K

Hitting streak has reached 21 games.  I wonder if the Yankees have any thoughts of adding him on 9/1?  The acquisition of Young may have given us the answer (No), but Garcia has played well this year.

IF Scott Sizemore:  1-for-4, RBI, BB

C Austin Romine:  0-for-4, 2 K

RHP Zach Nuding:   6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

154 IP, 158 H, 70 R, 65 ER, 43 BB, 113 K as he completes a pretty good season.  Every year in camp, we try to figure out who may be a surprise candidate to make the team - if Nuding is still around, he may be on the list for a long relief role.

RHP Bryan Mitchell:  2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Will likely see him on Monday.

RHP/OF Taylor Dugas (L, 0-2):  0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Third appearance of the season for the OF (6.00 ERA in 3 IP).   Offensively, he is at .301/.402/.393 in 346 AB between Trenton/Scranton

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Trenton (Continues to embarrass themselves this weekend with a 7-1 loss to Reading)

CF Jake Cave:  1-for-3, BB, K, SB (2)

.281/.351/.473 in 167 AB here; .297/.353/.418 in 552 AB overall.  12-for-17 overall stealing bases

C Gary Sanchez:  1-for-4, K

.270/.337/.408 in 422 AB

1B Greg Bird:  0-for-4, K

1-for-12 in last three games

CF Mason Williams:  1-for-3

3B Rob Segedin:  1-for-4, 2B (20), RS

OF Ben Gamel:  0-for-4, K

LHP Dan Camarena:  7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

It looked like he was completely overmatched at this level, then ended his season with two brilliant performances.  In 37.2 IP overall in August, he allowed 32 hits while walking nine and striking out 27.

LHP Jacob Lindgren:  0.1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K

Probably wishes the Yankees would have shut him down for the season before this nightmare.  We'll just toss it out as a bad day at the office.

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Tampa (Defeated Daytona, 3-1)

3B Eric Jagielo:  2-for-4, RS, K

Five game hitting streak, four of which feature multi-hit games.

CF Mark Payton: 1-for-4, 2B (10), BB

13 XBH in 25 games

1B Mike Ford:  1-for-5, RBI, 2 K

2B Angelo Gumbs:  1-for-1, BB

Left game early - what else is new?

SS Cito Culver:  1-for-5, 2B (20), RS, 4 K

RHP Brady Lail (W, 3-1);  6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

Ends the season on quite the run.  Last four starts:  23 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 14 K.  Lail threw a total of 134.1 innings this season, so the 21-year old will be able to get up over the 150-155 threshold next year.

RHP Cesar Vargas (S, 11):  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Has 14 saves in 16 attempts between Charleston/Tampa with a 76/14 K/BB ratio over 69.2 IP

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Charleston (Defeated Augusta, 4-2)

3B Miguel Andujar:  2-for-5

16-for-48 in last ten games

SS Tyler Wade:  1-for-4, BB

CF Brandon Thomas:  0-for-3, 2 RS, BB, K

OF Michael O'Neill:  0-for-4, RBI, BB, K

OF Yeicok Calderon:  0-for-4, RS, BB, 3 K

OF Daniel Lopez:  2-for-4, 2B (1)
First appearance in a full season league since 2011 (3 games for Charleston).  Was 13-for-63 for Staten Island this season.

RHP Giovanny Gallegos:  4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K

4.57 ERA; 88.2 IP, 108 H, 56 R, 45 ER, 8 HR, 19 BB, 91 K

6th start of the season (29 games overall)

RHP Jonathan Padilla (W, 1-0):  4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

21-year old out of the DR was 2-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 14 games for the GCL squad this season

RHP Eric Ruth (S, 7):  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

-----------------------------

Staten Island (Lost to Vermont, 5-3)

1B Connor Spencer:  2-for-5, K

10-game hitting streak.  Hitting .368 in 185 AB, but has not homered (14 doubles)

LF Chris Breen:  0-for-5, 3 K

2B/3B Ty McFarland:  1-for-5, RBI, K

C Luis Torrens:  1-for-5, K

RF Austin Aune:  1-for-5, K

.221/.281/,378 with 96 K

SS Vincent Conde:  1-for-3, RS, 2 BB

C/CF Collin Slaybaugh:  1-for-4, BB, K, CS (4)

Actually played both positions tonight

RHP David Palladino:   6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

3.72 ERA; 67.2 IP, 60 H, 35 R, 28 ER, 4 HR, 30 BB, 58 K

Overall, a successful season for the 6'8" pitcher from Emerson, NJ

RHP Matt Wotherspoon:  3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

1.97 ERA; 32 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 9 BB, 29 K

Can't expect much more from a 34th round pick, right?

Yankees Minor League Report 8/29/14: Last Starts for Manny Banuelos and Luis Severino; John Ryan Murphy Homers; Aaron Judge's Patience Continues to Impress

Scranton (Lost to Lehigh Valley, 6-5)

C John Ryan Murphy: 2-for-4, HR (6), 3 RBI, RS, K

2B Robert Refsnyder:  0-for-4, K

7-for-33 slump has dropped his average back under .300 for Scranton (.299)

UTIL Adonis Garcia:  2-for-4, 2 2B (20), RBI, RS

UTIL Jose Pirela:  0-for-2, K

Left game early

1B Kyle Rollier:  1-for-4, RS, K

IF Scott Sizemore:  1-for-4, HR (6), RBI, RS, K

OF Taylor Dugas:  1-for-2, 2 BB, CS (3)

OF Ramon Flores:  0-for-2, RS, BB

OF Chris Young:  1-for-4, K

LHP Manny Banuelos:   4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER,1 BB, 4 K

Ends his minor league season with 76.2 innings pitched.  Will probably get a few long-relief outings in the majors I am thinking in September just to get him some extra work.

LHP Ty Webb:  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

The Yankees have tried all season long to resist the temptation of using a 40-man spot on one of their left-handed relief prospects, using deals for David Huff, Rich Hill, and now Josh Outman to fill the major league void.

RHP Preston Claiborne:  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

--------------------------------------------

Trenton (Lost to Reading, 3-0)

1B Greg Bird:  1-for-4, K

3B Rob Segedin:  1-for-3, 2B (19), BB

Has already proven he can hit here - needs to do better in his second attempt at Triple-A

CF Jake Cave:  0-for-5, 2 K

6-game hitting streak (five of which were multi-hit games) snapped.

CF Mason Williams:  0-for-3, BB, K

OF Ben Gamel:  0-for-3, BB, K

C Francisco Arcia:  2-for-4, 2B (6)

UTIL Dan Fiorito:  2-for-4, 2B (18), K

When I have to search as far down as Dan Fiorito for a positive, that typically means it wasn't a good night.

RHP Luis Severino (L, 2-2):  4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

72 pitches tonight.    Now has a 127/27 K/BB ratio over 113.1 IP between Charleston/Tampa/Trenton, pitching very well at each step along the way.

RHP Mark Montgomery:  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Now has a 0.84 ERA since demotion with 17/8 K/BB ratio over 21.1 IP (not good for him)    No runs allowed since 8/7

-------------------------------------------

Tampa (Lost to Daytona, 8-4, putting an end to their late season surge for a playoff berth)

OF Aaron Judge:  0-for-2, RS, 2 BB

88 walks in 130 games

1B Mike Ford:  1-for-3, 2B (3), 2 RBI, RS, BB

3B Eric Jagielo:  1-for-4, RS

.256/.350/.459 in what has to be considered a successful campaign.

SS Cito Culver:  1-for-5, RS, K

CF Mark Payton:  0-for-4, BB, K

LHP Miguel Sulbaran (L, 4-5):  5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HR

3.52 ERA; 116 IP, 107 H, 54 R, 45 ER, 6 HR, 30 BB, 86 K

-----------------------------------------

Charleston (Defeated Augusta, 6-1)

SS Tyler Wade: 1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, 2 K

.277/.354/.356 in 494 AB

3B Miguel Andujar:  1-for-5

OF Michael O'Neill: 3-for-4, RBI, RS, K

CF Brandon Thomas: 2-for-5, 2B (11), RBI, RS

2B Gosuke Katoh:  0-for-4, BB, 4 K, SB (20)

140 Ks in 120 games

C Eduardo de Oleo: 3-for-5, RBI, RS

RHP Rookie Davis (W, 7-8):  6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

4.93 ERA; 126 IP, 134 H, 73 R, 69 ER, 7 HR, 42 BB, 106 K

Uneven season closes with a strong performance

LHP Evan Rutckyj: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

----------------------------------------

Staten Island (Defeated Vermont, 8-7)

LF Chris Breen:  3-for-4, 2B (16), HR (8), 3 RBI, RS, BB, K

He will turn 21 just before the start of the 2015 season, and should be in Charleston

1B Connor Spencer:  2-for-5, RBI, RS

Hitting streak reaches 9

C Luis Torrens:  1-for-5, 2B (13), RBI, RS, K

OF Austin Aune:  0-for-5, 3 K

95 strikeouts as the season nears a close

OF Nathan Mikolas:  0-for-3, RS, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (6)

The 20-year old has some upside, but it hasn't shown up this season which is not typically a good sign when a player is at this level.

C/OF Collin Slaybaugh: 1-for-5, 2B (7), RBI, RS, BB, 2 K

LHP Jordan Montgomery:  2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Finishes his shortened first season with a 3.38 ERA in 13.1 IP here (threw 5.2 for GCL-2).  I guess they could conceivably demote him back for the GCL playoffs to give him some extra innings, but it seems doubtful - they really only uses 2014 to get his feet wet.

LHP Rony Bautista:  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Listen, kid:  I won't hard on your command issues if you continue to strike out the side two innings in a row.  Deal?

RHP Joe Harvey:  2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

LHP Ethan Carnes (W, 3-0):  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

Yankees Minor League Report 8/28/14: Jake Cave Keeps Powering Along; Miguel Andujar Stays Hot; Austin Aune Homers

Scranton (Destroyed by Buffalo, 11-3)

UTIL Jose Pirela: 2-for-5, K

His offensive season is well-documented.  It has been quite good.  The more intriguing part at this point is his position from night to night.  Tonight, he got the start at SS

C John Ryan Murphy:  2-for-4, RBI, RS, K

Hitting just .233 in 172 AB, Murphy has not had a very good offensive season here.  Still, he should be considered a major contender to be the backup catcher in 2014.  As we are seeing with Cervelli right now, that position does come with plenty of playing time, even with the presence of McCann.

2B Robert Refsnyder:  0-for-4, 2 K

1B Kyle Roller:  1-for-2, RS, 2 BB, K

Still intrigued to see if the Yankees call him up as a bench bat in a few days.

OF Zoilo Almonte:  0-for-4, 2 K

UTIL Adonis Garcia:  1-for-4, RS

OF Taylor Dugas:  2-for-4, K

Hitting .305 since his promotion

OF Chris Young:  1-for-4, RBI, 2 K

A few tune up games before coming up to the big club.  I don't see him as much of a difference maker overall (he has been terrible for a few seasons straight), but he can play defense, still has power when he actually hits the ball, and good enough speed for pinch-running duties.

RHP Chris Leroux (L, 6-4):  2 IP, 9 H, 11 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HR

I have always said - if someone is going to get destroyed, may as well be Chris Freakin Leroux.

Switch Pat Venditte:  3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Good night, which means everyone will crawl out from under the woodwork demanding his promotion.

RHP Chase Whitley:  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Up to 97.1 IP between Scranton and the big club

RHP Preston Claiborne:  1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

-----------------------------------

Trenton (Also destroyed, 11-3.  Akron took the honors here)

CF Jake Cave:  1-for-4, HR (4), RBI, RS, BB

.289/.358/.491 in 159 AB since joining the level.  That .491 is an important number.   Home runs in three of last five games.

C Gary Sanchez:  1-for-3, 2 BB, K

1B Greg Bird:  0-for-4, BB, K

OF Ben Gamel:  1-for-4, 2B (31), RBI, BB

CF Mason Williams:  1-for-4, 2B (17), K

3B Rob Segedin:  0-for-2, BB, HBP, K

RHP Joel De La Cruz (L, 4-4):  3.1 IP, 11 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

As mentioned many times, he keeps the ball on the ground - but doesn't have a put away pitch, which leads to disasters like this.

LHP James Pazos:  1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 K

Walk rates have been generally decent, but not great, in his minor league career.  Let us hope this is a one night thing.

RHP Nick Goody:  1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

------------------------------------

Tampa (Defeated Clearwater, 8-2)

3B Eric Jagielo:  2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 K

See you in Trenton in 2015, kid

CF Mark Payton: 2-for-4, 2B (9), RS, K

The Yankees took a lot of college-aged players without tremendous upside, but with the ability to make quick jumps in the system in the 2014 draft.  Payton is one of them - he could see himself in Trenton as early as next spring.

OF Aaron Judge:  1-for-5, RS, 3 K

131 Ks in 129 games.   Also has 86 walks

1B Mike Ford:  2-for-4, HR (2), RBI, 2 RS, BB, K

14-for-37 since promotion

SS Cito Culver:  0-for-2, RS, 3 BB

57 walks in 129 games, which is pretty good.  It is everything else that sucks

1B Reymond Nunez:  2-for-4, 2B (9), HR (5 - Grand Slam), 4 RBI, RS

RHP Taylor Garrison:  4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

LHP Conner Kendrick (W, 6-8):  5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

5.78 ERA; 76.1 IP, 95 H, 52 R, 49 ER, 5 HR, 34 BB, 62 K

-----------------------------------

Charleston (Defeated Greenville, 10-0)

3B Miguel Andujar:  3-for-5, 2B (25), 2 RBI, 2 RS

.266/.318/.400 in 467 AB.   Hitting .320/.369/.468 in 231 AB since the All-Star Break. He has just been a completely different hitter after a horrendous start.

SS Tyler Wade:  1-for-4, RBI, RS, BB, K

.277/.353/.357 in 487 AB.   I thought the 19-year old, playing in his first full season and logging a lot of innings at shortstop, would begin to wear down a bit down the stretch.  Nope.  .285/.362/.374 since ASB.

OF Michael O'Neill:  2-for-5, RS, K

.254/.330/.387 in 473 AB

2B Gosuke Katoh: 0-for-3, RBI, RS, BB, K

.227/.350/.333 in 375 AB.  As I have said recently, drawing walks is a strength right now.

OF Yeicok Calderon:  4-for-5, RBI, 2 RS

26-for-73

OF Brandon Thomas:  1-for-4, RS, BB, K

.205/.319/.313 in 288 AB

C Jackson Valera:  3-for-5, 2B (10), 4 RBI

RHP Luis Niebla (W, 3-1):  7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

2.63 ERA; 54.2 IP, 52 H, 20 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 39 K between GCL/Staten Island/Charleston.   Has a 2.23 ERA in 36.1 IP for Charleston.

RHP Conor Mullee:  2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

UTIL Claudio Custodio:  1-for-4, 2 RS, 2 BB

-----------------------------------------

Staten Island (Defeated Vermont, 9-1)

RF Austin Aune:  1-for-2, HR (4), SF, 4 RBI, HBP, 0 (!!!) K

1B Connor Spencer:  3-for-5, 2B (14), 2 RS, K

Up to .367 in 180 AB

LF Chris Breen:  2-for-3, 2 RS

Was pinch-hit for late in the game - let us hope it is nothing serious.

OF Nathan Mikolas:  2-for-4, 2B (6), RS, K

C/OF Collin Slaybaugh:  2-for-4, RBI, RS

SS Vincent Conde:  2-for-4, 2B (3), 3 RBI, K

Much needed offensive game for the struggling Conde

OF Devyn Bolasky:  1-for-4, RBI, K

RHP Jonathan Holder:  4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

3.03 ERA; 32.2 IP, 35 H, 16 R, 11 ER, 10 BB, 30 K, 1 HR - The HR he allowed tonight was the first allowed in his brief career.

Yankees Minor League Report 8/27/14: Jake Cave & Eric Jagielo Homer; Cito Culver with Rare Big Night

The Yankees have released Alfredo Aceves and Corban Joseph. The Joseph move isn't surprising, but it wasn't long ago that people contemplating the potential loss of Cano were thinking that Joseph may be a decent enough replacement.     He had a nice year in Trenton in 2011 (.277/.353/.415) and followed it up with a nice year between Trenton/Scranton in 2012 (.276/.375/.465), but shoulder injuries hampered him, and he faded away quickly.  He did make a brief appearance with the Yankees in 2013.

Scranton (Split DH with Buffalo, losing 6-5 in the opener before winning 8-3)

2B Robert Refsnyder:  2-for-4, 2B (18), RS, K

.323/.394/.506 in 498 AB between Trenton/Scranton.   Has 37 doubles, six triples, 14 HR, and 82 runs scored.  

1B Kyle Roller:  4-for-6, 2B (23), HR (16), 3 RBI, 2 RS

25th HR of the season between Trenton/Scranton

C John Ryan Murphy:  0-for-2, SF, RBI

OF Ramon Flores:  0-for-7, BB,  2 K

UTIL Jose Pirela:  2-for-8, 2B (21), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K

CF in Game 1; 2B in Game 2.  Signs point to a possible September callup, though it is possible the Chris Young signing prevents that.  

OF Zoilo Almonte:  0-for-4, 2 RS, RBI, 2 BB, 2 K

UTIL Adonis Garcia:  2-for-3, RS

First game since 8/4.  .325/.359/.483 in 323 AB and is on an 18-game hitting streak

IF Scott Sizemore:  1-for-6, 2B (17), RBI, RS, BB

C Austin Romine:  0-for-3, RS, 2 K

OF Taylor Dugas:  1-for-3, RS, SB (3)

LHP Matt Tracy:  5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 1 K

3.81 ERA; 149 IP, 169 H, 73 R, 63 ER, 11 HR, 55 BB, 87 K, 1.58 GO/AO

Pretty and efficient, he is not.

LHP Ty Webb:  0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, HR

3.92 ERA; 66.2 IP, 58 H, 30 R, 29 ER, 5 HR, 22 BB, 91 K

Not a very good performance tonight.

LHP Nik Turley (W, 4-3):  5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

RHP Nick Rumbelow:  2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Nice rebound after horrible outing (4 R in 0.1 IP)

--------------------------

Trenton (Defeated Akron, 8-2)

CF Jake Cave:  2-for-5, HR (3), 3 RBI, 2 RS, 2 K

Fifth straight multi-hit game. With Mason Williams' career falling apart by the second, Cave has certainly emerged to take his place.

C Gary Sanchez:  2-for-4, RS, BB

1B Greg Bird:  1-for-2, SF, RBI, 2 BB

Hitting .260 in 22 games since promotion with 13 XBH and 14 walks

CF Mason Williams:  1-for-4, RS, BB, K

3B Rob Segedin:  1-for-4, RS, BB, K

OF Ben Gamel:  2-for-5, RS

LHP Jeremy Bleich:  4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

LHP Francisco Rondon:  3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

RHP Danny Burawa:  2 IP, 1  H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

ERA is now 1.59 at this level (17 IP) after posting a 6.35 ERA in 39.2 IP for Scranton.

----------------------------

Tampa (Lost to Clearwater, 9-7)

3B Eric Jagielo:  2-for-6, 2B (14), HR (16), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K

RF Aaron Judge:  2-for-4, RS, 2 BB, 2 K

SS Cito Culver:  4-for-6, 2 2B (19), HR (4), 2 RBI, 2 RS

Giving the Yankees a few parting gifts?

CF Mark Payton:  1-for-5, RS, BB, K

1B Mike Ford:  1-for-6, K

RHP Brett Gerritse: 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

RHP Cesar Vargas:  1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

RHP Philip Walby:  1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

-----------------------

Charleston (Defeated Greenville, 8-0)

SS Tyler Wade:  2-for-5, 2 2B (24), RS, K, SB (22)

Now hitting .277 in 487 AB.    He has been able to put in a full season's worth of work here, playing plenty of SS due to Avelino's long-term injury earlier this season.

3B Miguel Andujar:  2-for-4, 3B (4), 2 RBI, RS, K

2B Gosuke Katoh:  1-for-3, RS, BB, 2 K, SB (19)

Yes, he is drawing a lot of walks - but the strikeouts are scary bad.  Has played well enough to keep him firmly in place as a solid prospect - but the upper levels of the minors will not be kind to him if he doesn't start making more contact.

CF Brandon Thomas:  2-for-4, 2B (10), 3B (3), RBI, K

OF Michael O'Neill:  1-for-3, 2B (23), RBI, RS, K, SB (41)

UTIL Claudio Custodio:  2-for-5, HR (1), 2 RBI, 2 RS, K, SB (1)

Hit .208/.253/.256 in 168 AB for Tampa, and that is all you need to know

RHP Gabriel Encincas:  4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K

Just like I don't get too down following a bad start, I won't get too excited following a solid one.  2015 is his year to sink or swim.

RHP Eric Ruth:  2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K

3.71 ERA over 87.1 IP with a 90/28 K/BB ratio across all four full-season levels.

------------------------------------

Staten Island (Lost to Brookyln, 3-2)

1B Connor Spencer:  1-for-2, RBI, RS, K

Up to .360.  I think he can use a few AB in Charleston to close out the season, but doubtful he is going to get them at this point.  

C Luis Torrens:  0-for-5, 3 K

LF Chris Breen:  0-for-5, 3 K

Who did they face, Pedro Martinez?

2B/3B Ty McFarland:  1-for-3, BB

Plugging along.  He will fit right into a role in Charleston next year with guys like Wade, Avelino, Andujar, and Katoh likely moving up to Tampa. 

RF Austin Aune:  0-for-4, K

92 K in 55 games

SS Vincent Conde:  0-for-4, 2 K

Unlike Aune, he may be able to stick at SS.  Like Aune, he is hitting like shit regardless.

OF Devyn Bolasky:  2-for-4, RS, BB

RHP Dillon McNamara:  2.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

That may be the best "hit scattering" in history

RHP Matt Borens:  5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

3.89 ERA: 37 IP, 26 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 3 HR, 10 BB, 29 K

RHP Matt Wotherspoon (L, 2-3): 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

29 IP, 21 H, 11 R, 7 ER, 1 HR, 9 BB, 27 K