Welcome to Week 21 of the Yankees minor league recap! Some affiliates are still fighting for playoff spots amidst strong seasons, with Triple-A Scranton being propelled by former and future big-leaguers and High-A Hudson Valley dealing with post-deadline roster moves. A trio of pitching prospects in Somerset are battling to become the next big thing in the rotation, and the rookie ball affiliates have all ended their seasons. Here’s how the Yankees minor-leaguers performed last week:
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders
Record: 74-49;
First in International League (East)
Past Week: 4-2 @ Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays)
Coming up: Home vs Syracuse Mets
The RailRiders took a series on the road in Buffalo this past week by winning four of six games, and find themselves narrowly in first place in the International League, separated from Jacksonville by mere percentage points. It’s a milestone for Scranton, as the team has come a long way to overtake first after facing a large deficit earlier in the year. Since the second half of the season began they’ve been the best team in the division with a 36-15 record. The series began with a 4-1 loss on Wednesday after Tuesday’s game was rained out, as Alek Manoah slightly outperformed Ryan Yarbrough in a matchup of pitchers looking to get back to their big-league rosters for the final month of competition. Spencer Jones broke a slump by homering in the loss, his 15th at the level.
The two teams split a doubleheader on Wednesday, with Scranton taking the first game 5-3 and Buffalo winning the second 4-3. Braden Shewmake and Duke Ellis drove in the game-winning runs in the top of the seventh with a triple and a double in game one, and J.C. Escarra went 2-for-4 in game two with a triple and two RBI. Scott Effross gave up three runs (two unearned) in the loss, raising his ERA in Scranton to 8.69. He and Jake Bird are both fighting to get back in the Bronx bullpen, but neither pitcher has made a strong case to return since their demotions.
The RailRiders kicked off an excellent weekend with a 7-4 victory on Friday, scoring all seven runs in the third inning which was headlined by a grand slam off the bat of Jeimer Candelario. Kenta Maeda allowed two runs over five innings, walking four and striking out six. They won 10-3 on Saturday on the back of the long ball, with Brennan Davis homering twice in the big win and Omar Martinez, Spencer Jones, and Jeimer Candelario each adding one of their own. Brendan Beck and Allan Winans tag-teamed all nine innings on the mound, with Beck allowing two runs over five innings and Winans allowing one over the last four. They each struck out five. Scranton wrapped up the week with their third straight win in a 5-3 victory. A double for Duke Ellis was the only extra-base hit in the game, but it was a strong team performance as they combined for 10 hits. Scranton will look to gain a bigger lead in the division in a homer series against the Syracuse Mets.
Players of Note:
Spencer Jones: 200 PA; .287/.355/.609, 16 HR, 36 RBI, 15 SB, 8.5 BB%, 30.0 K%, 144 wRC+
T.J. Rumfield: 497 PA; .301/.390/.483, 15 HR, 82 RBI, 4 SB, 11.7 BB%, 17.1 K%, 132 wRC+
Allan Winans: 79 IP; 1.25 ERA, 27.8 K%, 7.0 BB%, .205 BAA, 1.03 WHIP
Double-A Somerset Patriots
Record: 62-58; Second place in Eastern League (Northeast), 15 GB
Past Week: 1-5 vs Hartford Yard Goats (Rockies)
Coming Up: Away @ Binghamton Rumble Ponies
It was a tough week for Somerset, as the team dropped five of six games at home against Hartford to drop their record to 62-58 on the season. The series started on Tuesday with a 5-0 shutout loss, as the offense was unable to get anything going against McCade Brown, who struck out eight over six innings with just one hit allowed. Carlos Lagrange had one of his worst starts since the promotion, allowing five runs (four earned) in 3.2 innings with three walks and four strikeouts.
After Wednesday’s game was postponed, Somerset lost both games of a Thursday doubleheader, 4-3 and 5-3. Brock Selvidge tossed a quality start in the first game (6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 5 K) and Brendan Jones went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, and an RBI, but an error by George Lombard Jr. in extra innings allowed Hartford to score the game-winning run. Lombard and Garrett Martin doubled in the second game, but two home runs from 2024 first-rounder Charlie Condon propelled Hartford to victory. They lost another game 4-3 on Friday, despite a strong start from Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). Manuel Palencia went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Patriots’ lone win of the week came on Saturday, as Ben Hess earned a win by tossing five innings with two (unearned) runs allowed, two hits, two walks, and nine strikeouts. Jace Avina hit his third home run since being promoted to Double-A, and Lombard reached base three times with two walks and a single, scoring twice. They closed the week with a narrow 1-0 loss despite a much better start from Lagrange, who allowed one run over five innings with five strikeouts and just one walk. The trio of Hess, Lagrange, and Rodriguez-Cruz are all competing to become the next top pitching prospect following the promotion of Cam Schlittler, and their outings in Somerset should be appointment viewing for Yankees fans. The next matchup is no easier for the Patriots, as they’ll travel to Binghamton for a road series against the first-place Rumble Ponies.
Players of Note:
George Lombard Jr: 387 PA; .211/.333/.344, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 18 SB, 13.4 BB%, 21.8 K%, 106 wRC+
Dylan Jasso: 459 PA; .276/.344/.438, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 1 SB, 7.4 BB%, 22.2 K%, 131 wRC+
Brendan Jones: 257 PA; .236/.346/.426, 7 HR, 42 RBI, 13 SB, 14.4 BB%, 19.8 K%, 126 wRC+
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: 42.2 IP; 2.32 ERA, 27.5 K%, 7.6 BB%, .209 BAA, 1.08 WHIP
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Record: 72-45; Second Place in South Atlantic League (North), 9 GB
Past Week: 3-3 @ Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)
Coming Up: Away @ Brooklyn Cyclones
The Renegades split a series on the road against Jersey Shore this past week, maintaining their dominant 72-45 record on the season but still keeping them nine games out of first place. The series started with a 5-2 victory on Tuesday, as Josh Moylan hit his seventh homer at Hudson Valley and Brandon Decker had his best performance of the year on the mound with ten strikeouts across five innings of one-run ball. Wednesday’s game was postponed, but Hudson Valley took both games of a Thursday doubleheader, 4-1 and 2-0. The pitching was the highlight in game one, with Bryce Cunningham tossing 2.2 innings as he continues to ramp up after a long stint on the IL and Sebastian Keane pitching 2.1 perfect innings in relief with five strikeouts. Kyle Carr shut down Jersey Shore’s offense over 6.1 innings with seven strikeouts, five hits, and two walks. A two-run single from Luis Durango in the top of the seventh accounted for both runs in the game.
The weekend didn’t go as well for the Renegades, as they dropped all three games from Friday to Sunday. They were shut out 3-0 on Friday, but Xavier Rivas recorded double-digit strikeouts for the second game in a row, following up last week’s 12-strikeout performance with 10 this time around. They lost 8-3 on Saturday, as starter Andrew Landry got knocked around for eight earned runs over 4.1 innings. This year’s second-round pick Kaeden Kent picked up two hits and two RBI in the loss. The series ended with another loss on Sunday, this time by a score of 9-1. It was a tough start for Cade Smith, with five earned runs allowed over 3.2 innings, four walks and two strikeouts. They’ll travel to Brooklyn for a series against the Cyclones.
Players of Note:
Kyle Carr: 113.1 IP; 2.06 ERA, 21.4 K%, 10.0 BB%, .194 BAA, 1.10 WHIP
Dillon Lewis: 277 PA; .238/.319/.443, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 10 SB, 10.1 BB%, 19.9 K%, 123 wRC+
Low-A Tampa Tarpons
Record: 56-60; Fifth place in Florida State League (West), 13 GB
Past Week: 3-1 @ Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Twins)
Coming Up: Home vs Bradenton Marauders
It was a shortened week for Tampa, who missed a weekend of games due to rain and poor field conditions. In the games they did play, they went 3-1 to boost their record to a still-mediocre 56-60. Tuesday’s game was another rainout, but they were able to make that game up on Wednesday in a doubleheader when Tampa won both games. The first game was a resounding 15-4 blowout, as the team combined for 16 hits. Eric Genther hit his first home run since being promoted on August 6th, Marshall Toole went 4-for-5, Jackson Lovich went 3-for-4 with a triple and four runs scored, and Willy Montero went 3-for-4 with five RBI. They shut out the Mighty Mussels 4-0 in the second game, with Hans Montero leading the way offensively with a triple and a double. Mariano Salomon tossed four shutout innings in relief, with four strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
They lost 12-11 on Thursday in extra innings, as Jose M. Rodriguez struggled in a three-inning start with six earned runs allowed and six walks. Montero had another great game offensively, going 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. Roderick Arias added an RBI triple as well. They scored another 11 runs on Saturday, this time winning 11-2. Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek struck the big blow with a two-run triple, but it was a top-to-bottom bludgeoning with Dax Kilby, Enmanuel Tejeda, Jackson Lovich, and Willy Montero had two hits each. Tampa’s playoff chances at this point are virtually hopeless.
Players of Note:
Marshall Toole: 333 PA; .307/.408/.491, 5 HR, 45 RBI, 42 SB, 13.8 BB%, 20.4 K%, 154 wRC+
Wilson Rodriguez: 117 PA; .237/.342/.392, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB, 12.8 BB%, 19.7 K%, 108 wRC+
Roderick Arias: 420 PA; .211/.327/.323, 7 HR, 49 RBI, 31 SB, 14.0 BB%, 29.0 K%, 91 wRC+
