2024 Yankees Prospects: Week 4 minor league review (2024)

Welcome to the fourth edition of the 2024 weekly minor league roundup, where I review each Yankees affiliate from the week before and the prospects playing there. Scranton was the only affiliate to have a winning week, which seems to be the norm nowadays. Let’s dig in!

Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders

Record: 17-9, one game up in the International League East after going 4-2 against the Durham Bulls (Rays)

Run differential: +36

Coming up: Away for six games against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) starting Tuesday, April 30th

The RailRiders took care of business down in Durham last week by beating up on the worst team in the International League, going 4-2 and outscoring the Bulls 38-11 across the series. It was a particularly impressive showing by Scranton’s pitching staff, whose collective 2.39 ERA last week was the best in Triple-A. Even after Durham’s subpar series at the plate, they’re still third in runs scored in the league, making Scranton’s pitching successes all the more impressive.

Will Warren’s first start of the year is an anomaly at this point, as he put together yet another impressive showing on Wednesday night when he went six innings, surrendering only one run on two hits and one walk while striking out six. He hit two batters, but it was an otherwise impressive showing for the 24-year-old right-hander. I continue to evaluate Warren as the next-best option the Yankees have to fill a potential hole in the rotation.

Cody Poteet did Cody Poteet things on Saturday, going six stellar innings while surrendering just one run. Though he only had four strikeouts, he pitches to weak contact as opposed to making batters miss. As I mentioned in a previous edition in this series, expect Poteet to be on standby for a callup as he was in Cleveland since he’s already on the 40-man roster. Edgar Barclay continues to be his tricky ole’ self out there, making hitters look bad with a rising fastball that sits in the high-80s/low-90s and a devastating change. He also had a very strong start against the prolific Durham lineup.

Durham’s combination of a good lineup but owning the worst record in the International League can only mean one thing: their pitching is an unmitigated disaster. Alas, their 6.07 team ERA this season sits only .01 behind Charlotte (White Sox) for the worst mark in the league. Interestingly enough, though, Durham’s pitching staff wasn’t even that bad last week: their 76 strikeouts against RailRiders hitters set them atop the strikeout leaderboard across the league last week, and they surrendered only six homers throughout the series. Scranton’s offense has been scrappy and opportunistic this entire first month, and that carried over into last week. Their scrappiness is perfectly encapsulated by Caleb Durbin, AKA the Scrapyard Dawg. The infielder hit .333 across the series, swatting a homer and stealing two bags along the way. One-third of Scranton’s power output came from Jeter Downs, who hit two homers — one of which went 303 feet (lol).

Besides Durbin and Downs, nobody else for Scranton seriously stood out with the bat. It was the quietest offensive explosion I can remember.

Prospects of note (notable stats are season totals at the level):

• 2B Caleb Durbin: 122 PA, .296/.426/.469 (139 wRC+), 2 HR, 21 RBI, 19 R, 12 SB
• OF Brandon Lockridge: 75 PA, .177/.320/.242 (59 wRC+), 0 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R, 11 SB
• OF Everson Pereira: 102 PA, .253/.333/.571 (125 wRC+), 7 HR, 18 RBI, 17 R, 2 SB
• 1B T.J. Rumfield: 47 PA, .279/.319/.395 (83 wRC+), 0 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, 0 SB
• C Carlos Narvaez: 101 PA, .211/.376/.342 (98 wRC+), 2 HR, 12 RBI, 14 R, 2 SB
• RHP Will Warren: 5 GS, 21.1 IP, 4.22 ERA, 29.5 K%, 19.3 K-BB%, .196BABIP
• RHP Clayton Beeter: 4 GS, 17.1 IP, 3.63 ERA, 35.6 K%, 23.3 K-BB%, .342 BABIP
• RHP Yoendrys Gómez: 5 GS, 15.2 IP, 4.60 ERA, 30.0 K%, 20.0 K-BB%, .343 BABIP
• LHP Edgar Barclay: 5 GS, 23.2 IP, 3.09 ERA, 25.2 K%, 12.6 K-BB%, .274 BABIP

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Record: 9-12, 4 GB in the Eastern League Northeast after going 2-4 against the Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies)

Run differential: +1

Coming up: Home for six games against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Blue Jays) starting Tuesday, April 30th

Somerset went into one of the most hitter-friendly environments in the minors in Reading, proceeded to outscore their opponents 32-27 ... and had a losing week. So it goes for Somerset, who I believe are more talented than their record would indicate — specifically on the hitting side. Their 111 runs scored in just 21 games places them atop the Eastern League through April. Benjamin Cowles led the way for the Patriots offense last week, as the third baseman slashed .400/.458/.900 across 24 plate appearances. Most notably, the 24-year-old clubbed three homers — his first three of the season.

While I want to look at this as a positive development, I would encourage the readers to pump the brakes a bit. As I stated earlier, Reading might be the most hitter-friendly environment in the minor leagues outside of the Pacific Coast League. Cowles has never been much of a power hitter, either, so the combination of Cowles’ track record and the ballpark in which he played gives me some pause in saying this was a power breakout. Still, his gap power has been impressive so far: per Yankees Prospect Watch, Cowles is the only non-Triple-A hitter with more than 12 extra-base hits. Ryan Garcia over at Empire Sports Media wrote a good profile on Cowles which I encourage you to read.

You will be shocked (also read, not shocked) to know that each of Spencer Jones, Agustin Ramirez and Ben Rice ate during this series. Agustin clubbed another two impressive homers, one of which was a left-center missile:

Jones’ lone homer during the week was a beastly one to center:

I don’t need to say much else about this offense. You and I both know this team will score lots of runs so long as the Big Three (Jones, Agustin, Rice) are in the same lineup. The pitching has always been a question for Somerset, and their performance last week didn’t answer many questions. If anything, it raised even more doubts. Trystan Vrieling, who’d been the breakout story in the Yankees’ system thus far, had his first shaky outing of the year on Thursday when he threw 5.1 innings and surrendered five runs (four earned) & seven hits. Encouragingly, he didn’t walk a batter, struck out seven, and accrued an above-average 14 whiffs. Vrieling wasn’t giving up tons of hard contact, but it was the first stinker of his breakout campaign. Blaine Abeyta, who’d gotten off to a miserable start to the season, had his first good start of the season on Friday when he went 7.1 innings deep, allowing just one unearned run and striking out nine. Abeyta’s put-away pitch is his sweeper, which as you’ll see has nice horizontal bend:

Jack Neely, the best reliever on the team, doesn’t seem long for Somerset. I would be surprised if he’s still with the club come the end of May. That’ll be a big blow to the Patriots, as they’re already sporting the second-worst bullpen ERA a month into the season. We still have little news on the Chase Hampton front, which isn’t particularly encouraging. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to see if we get any Hampton updates.

• OF Spencer Jones: 51 PA, .348/.412/.587 (180 wRC+), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 3 SB
• C Agustin Ramirez: 88 PA, .260/.386/.644 (183 wRC+), 9 HR, 19 RBI, 16 R, 4 SB
• C Ben Rice: 93 PA, .256/.376/.526 (155 wRC+), 6 HR, 9 RBI, 17 R, 2 SB
• 2B Benjamin Cowles: 62 PA, .340/.435/.547 (176 wRC+), 3 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, 3 SB
• OF Aaron Palensky: 51 PA, .222/.431/.306 (131 wRC+), 0 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 4 SB
• RHP Chase Hampton: Has not played (shoulder)
• RHP Trystan Vrieling: 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 1.88 ERA, 27.8 K%, 21.1 K-BB%, .190 BABIP
• RHP Zach Messinger: 5 GS, 28.0 IP, 5.14 ERA, 24.6 K%, 16.4 K-BB%, .273 BABIP
• LHP Brock Selvidge: 4 GS, 21.0 IP, 1.71 ERA, 29.9 K%, 21.8 K-BB%, .315 BABIP
• RHP Jack Neely, 7 G, 11.00 IP, 0.82 ERA, 37.8 K%, 26.7 K-BB%, .304 BABIP

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Record: 12-8, .5 GB in the South Atlantic League League North after going 3-3 against the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Rays)

Run differential: +14

Coming up: Away for six games against the Wilmington Blue Rocks (Nationals) starting Tuesday, April 30th

Hudson Valley’s season started with an offensive explosion, but it’s the pitching staff that has stood out of late. Despite going 3-3 against the Hot Rods last week, HV’s pitching staff was lights out. Across 54 innings, the Renegades surrendered a sterling 2.50 ERA while striking out 70. Cam Schlittler is emerging as the top breakout pitcher from Hudson Valley’s staff, although Brian Hendry isn’t far behind. Schlittler, the 23-year-old right-hander from Massachusetts, struck out seven in his six innings of two-run work on Sunday. The extension that Schlittler generates from his 6-foot-6 frame allows his fastball to play up, and it’s a key reason why he leads qualified Yankees farmhands in ERA so far.

Sebastian Keane, who had a breakout performance a couple of weeks back, returns to the conversation after striking out ten over his six innings on Friday. His whiff rates have been incredible despite owning the least overpowering arsenal of the three pitchers I’ve mentioned thus far. Kyle Carr ... I’m really at a loss for what’s going on. Something’s wrong; either he’s hurt, fatigued, or both. The command was bad yet again in his start last week, walking three over four and two-thirds innings. Hudson Valley’s bullpen, which as I’ve noted before has been a revelation, was impressive yet again in the series against Bowling Green.

For as good as the pitching was, the offense was nothing short of dormant. The Renegades scored a disappointing 19 runs across their six matchups against the Hot Rods. Omar Martinez, who I’d just sung the praises of last week, had a stinker series, producing a .451 OPS across 22 AB’s. The other catcher on the team, Jesus Rodriguez, was the one who primarily picked up the slack for the offense, as he hit .381/.458/.524 while playing in all six games. Per Tom Kosensky, Rodriguez’s wRC+ ranks eighth among Yankees prospects. Roc Riggio, one of the more notable position player prospects on the team, didn’t play last week despite being in the original lineup a couple of times. Something’s up physically, though I’m not quite sure what that is yet. Stay tuned in the coming days for updates.

Prospects of note (notable stats are season totals at the level):

• C Omar Martinez: 74 PA, .262/.392/.459 (152 wRC+), 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 0 SB
• 2B Roc Riggio: 54 PA, .167/.333/.333 (102 wRC+), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 1 SB
• SS Jared Serna: 84 PA, .185/.333/.323 (102 wRC+), 2 HR, 9 RBI, 12 R, 1 SB
• C Jesus Rodriguez: 76 PA, .304/.368/.420 (134 wRC+), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R, 2 SB
• 1B Rafael Flores: 60 PA, .192/.300/.346 (96 wRC+), 1 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 1 SB
• LHP Kyle Carr: 4 GS, 14.1 IP, 3.77 ERA, 14.9 K%, -6.0 K-BB%, .286 BABIP
• RHP Brian Hendry: 3 GS, 11.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 32.6 K%, 19.6 K-BB%, .200 BABIP
• RHP Cam Schlittler: 4 GS, 21.0 IP, 1.29 ERA, 32.1 K%, 21.0 K-BB%, .119 BABIP
• RHP Trent Sellers: 5 G, 13.1 IP, 1.35 ERA, 42.3 K%, 32.7 K-BB%, .320 BABIP

Low-A Tampa Tarpons

Record: 5-16, 10 GB in the Florida State League West after going 1-5 against the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers)

Run differential: -49

Coming up: Away for six games against the Dunedin Blue Jays starting Tuesday, April 30th

Woof. This team continues to show its inexperience with wildness on the mound and spotty defensive work. While the prospects of note — specifically in the infield — are doing okay, this team is a mess. The reinforcements I keep referring to who are coming from extended spring camp have yet to arrive, and I’m not sure when that’ll materialize. But boy will they be welcomed additions.

Tampa’s pitching staff put up a 4.66 ERA last week, the worst in the FSL by almost 60 points. Luis Serna, who I mentioned has secondaries that are too good for the FSL, tossed up an absolute stinker on Wednesday evening when he failed to make it out of the third inning while giving up eight earned runs. Ouch. On the positive side, Cade Smith had his best outing of the season last week and appears to have resolved his command woes which plagued him his first couple of starts. Gabriel Barbosa, who was a minor league Rule 5 draft pick from the Rockies, had perhaps the most standout start of any pitcher for Tampa thus far. On Tuesday night, the Brazilian right-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball while punching out eight. While his stuff isn’t overpowering, he has a kitchen sink approach to attacking hitters. As pointed out by John Brophy, Barbosa prominently threw six different pitches, none of which are plus but are playable. Barbosa has a unique background and could be a late bloomer, but he is likely a quad-A arm. Still, this was the best outing I’ve observed from a Tampa Tarpon in 2024 (that isn’t saying much, unfortunately).

Tampa’s offense was actually quite productive against Lakeland, as they scored 27 runs across their six games, third-best in the FSL in that span. Much of the offense was buoyed by Oscar Gonzalez, who’s been on a rehab assignment after his scary incident in Mexico where he was hit by a pitch in the face. Gonzalez is likely to report to Triple-A soon and provide much-welcomed thump to the RailRiders’ lineup, but it’s important to give context for why the box scores suddenly showed some positive offensive output from Tampa. Roderick Arias and Dylan Jasso were the notable prospects who had decent weeks against the Flying Tigers, as each sported an OPS above .800.

Enmanuel Tejeda had a forgettable week, but he’s been fine otherwise and I’m not concerned. George Lombard Jr. was placed on the IL during this series and it’s not clear what he’s dealing with. Still, you never love to see one of your top prospects go on the IL with no announced diagnosis. This is another one to keep an eye on.

Prospects of note (notable stats are season totals at the level):

• SS George Lombard Jr.: 80 PA, .237/.438/.271 (132 wRC+), 0 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 8 SB
• SS Roderick Arias: 94 PA, .225/.340/.400 (121 wRC+), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 3 SB
• INF Enmanuel Tejeda: 94 PA, .289/.344/.325 (98 wRC+), 0 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 7 SB
• 1B Dylan Jasso: 85 PA, .254/.400/.418 (145 wRC+), 0 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, 1 SB
• SS Brenny Escanio: 44 PA, .256/.318/.436 (116 wRC+), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB
• RHP Luis Serna: 3 GS, 11.1 IP, 10.32 ERA, 37.8 K%, 29.7 K-BB%, .333 BABIP
• RHP Cade Smith: 4 GS, 15.1 IP, 2.93 ERA, 34.9 K%, 16.3 K-BB%, .316 BABIP

Prospect of the week: Benjamin Cowles

Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images

Please remember how I stated above that I’m not buying Cowles as a sudden power threat. Still, Cowles had an awesome week and is having a strong campaign on the whole. He’s an odd profile in that he’s a utility man who hasn’t played much at premium defensive positions, but he’s shown a propensity for making things happen with the bat and on the basepaths.