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DotF: Torres closing in on Arizona Fall League MVP honors

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SS Gleyber Torres has a new fan: Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. Reggie told William Boor he loves Gleyber’s “personality and character and presentation as a person,” among other things. Pretty neat. Here are some notes before we get to the weekly updates:

  • Matt Eddy has the full list of 534 minor league free agents. Here are the ten Yankees: RHP Tyler Cloyd, IF Cito Culver, RHP Claudio Custodio, IF Jonathan Diaz, RHP Gabe Encinas, C Santiago Nessy, OF Cesar Puello, C Eddy Rodriguez, UTIL Jose Rosario, and C Sebastian Valle. Culver and Puello are the most notable.
  • The Yankees have re-signed LHP Evan Rutckyj, according to Eddy. Kinda funny after he talked some trash about the Yankees while with the Braves as a Rule 5 Draft pick in Spring Training. Here’s what he said, in case you missed it.
  • Brian Cashman confirmed Torres will start next season with Double-A Trenton and “we’ll see where it goes from there,” reports Erik Boland. Reaching Triple-A as a 20-year-old would be pretty crazy. By the way, according to Cashman, the Yankees have not yet decided where SS Jorge Mateo will start 2017.
  • Cashman told Brendan Kuty the Yankees will continue to have Mateo work in center field in Spring Training. “He’s athletic as hell. In the Instructional League, it was very easy for him. So, if that’s a direction that we choose to go, it’s something he’ll be very good at,” said the GM.
  • For the second straight offseason, OF Aaron Judge will work with the team’s hitting gurus in Tampa, reports Kuty. “Got a couple of games (in MLB), saw what it’s like and now just get ready to prepare and come into next year not as an unknown. I’ll know what’s going on and what the league is and I’ll be prepared,” said Judge.
  • OF Edel Luaces and OF Erick Mendez were each suspended 50 games after failing performance-enhancing drug tests, MLB announced. Luaces tested positive for an amphetamine while with the rookie GCL Yankees. Mendez test positive for Propylhexedrine while with rookie Pulaski.
  • And finally, Torres claimed the top spot in this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. He currently leads the Arizona Fall League in batting average as a 19-year-old. No one under 21 has ever won the league’s batting title.

Arizona Fall League

  • 3B Miguel Andujar: 16 G, 17-55, 9 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 9 BB, 7 K (.309/.400/.382) — Cashman said teams are asking for Andujar in trades
  • 1B Greg Bird: 16 G, 13-62, 8 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 11 BB, 16 K, 1 SB, 1 HBP (.210/.338/.355) — started out well but has slowed down of late … as long as the shoulder is healthy, I don’t care what the numbers are
  • SS Gleyber Torres: 15 G, 20-51, 13 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 13 BB, 6 K, 3 SB, 2 CS (.392/.516/.667) — leads the league in AVG, OBP, and OPS, and is second in SLG … Gleyber’s got a pretty good chance at being AzFL MVP, I’d say
  • UTIL Tyler Wade: 13 G, 8-40, 12 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 9 BB, 10 K, 6 SB (.200/.347/.250) — he’s played one game at second, one at third, two in left, five in center, and four in right
  • LHP Nestor Cortes: 4 G, 5 IP, 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K (7.20 ERA and 2.00 WHIP)
  • RHP J.P. Feyereisen: 8 G, 10 IP, 12 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 13 K, 1 WP (3.60 ERA and 1.80 WHIP) — last five outings: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K
  • RHP James Kaprielian: 6 G, 6 GS, 22.2 IP, 21 H, 16 R, 13 ER, 6 BB, 22 K, 4 HR (5.16 ERA and 1.19 WHIP) — Kyle Glaser says Kaprielian was 95-96 mph with his fastball, 85-87 mph with his slider, and 82-83 mph with his changeup in his last start, and he missed bats in the strike zone with all three
  • RHP Brody Koerner: 5 G, 3 GS, 16 IP, 19 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 9 BB, 10 K, 1 HR, 1 WP (6.19 ERA and 1.75 WHIP) — returning in the AzFL after missing a bunch of time with an injury usually equals a rude awakening
  • RHP Dillon Tate: 6 G, 9.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 2 HR 2 HB (3.86 ERA and 1.07 WHIP) — hasn’t appeared in a game since October 29th, so that’s not good

Dominican Winter League

  • IF Abi Avelino: 8 G, 3-13, 2 R, 2 K (.231/.231/.231) — he’s a bench player and pinch-runner here
  • IF Jorge Mateo: 12 G, 6-41, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 10 K, 1 SB, 1 HBP (.146/.205/.220) — still playing shortstop exclusively
  • RHP Anyelo Gomez: 1 G, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Adonis Rosa: 2 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (0.00 ERA and 0.40 WHIP)

Mexican Pacific League

  • OF Tito Polo: 16 G, 14-58, 11 R, 4 2B, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 17 K, 8 SB, 1 CS, 3 HBP (.241/.323/.310) — left a game with an injury last week, but he returned to action this week, so it was nothing serious

The Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico) started its season last week. IF Vince Conde and OF Aaron Judge are both listed on rosters, though they haven’t played yet. Considering Judge ended the season hurt (oblique) and is slated to work in Tampa this offseason, I’m guessing he won’t play either.

Venezuelan Winter League

  • IF Angel Aguilar: 8 G, 2-8, 4 R, 4 K, 1 SB (.250/.250/.250)
  • C Francisco Diaz: 22 G, 15-63, 5 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 13 K, 1 SB (.238/.294/.349) — with C Kyle Higashioka ticketed for Triple-A Scranton, the soon-to-be 27-year-old Diaz figures to be the regular catcher at Double-A Trenton next year
  • RHP Luis Cedeno: 3 G, 1 GS, 8.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 1 GB, 2 WP (5.40 ERA and 1.56 WHIP)
  • RHP David Kubiak: 7 G, 2 GS, 17 IP, 18 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 7 BB, 14 K, 1 HR, 2 HBP, 3 WP (6.88 ERA and 1.47 WHIP)
  • RHP Mark Montgomery: 5 G, 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (7.36 ERA and 1.91 WHIP)
  • LHP Miguel Sulbaran, RHP Daniel Alvarez, 3B Daniel Barrios, RHP Alex Mejias, 3B Andres Chaparro, OF Andres Fernandez, and C David Vergel are all listed on rosters as well.

Minor League Notes: Assignments, Spring Reports, Judge, International Spending

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Pace of play clocks are up at PNC Field in Scranton. (RailRiders)
The new pace of play clocks are up at PNC Field in Scranton. (RailRiders)

The Yankees open the 2015 regular season tomorrow, and a few days later the minor league season will get underway as well. Triple-A Scranton, Double-A Trenton, High-A Tampa, and Low-A Charleston all begin their seasons this coming Thursday. Here are some minor league notes to hold you over until then.

Opening Day assignments for top prospects

The full minor league rosters have not yet been released and won’t be a few days, though Josh Norris was able to get his hands on Opening Day assignments for most of the Yankees’ top prospects. The list:

  • Triple-A Scranton: 1B/OF Tyler Austin, RHP Danny Burawa, OF Ramon Flores, OF Slade Heathcott, LHP Jacob Lindgren, 2B Rob Refsnyder, RHP Nick Rumbelow.
  • Double-A Trenton: DH Dante Bichette Jr., 1B Greg Bird, OF Jake Cave, SS Cito Culver, 3B Eric Jagielo, OF Aaron Judge, C Gary Sanchez, RHP Luis Severino, OF Mason Williams.
  • High-A Tampa: 3B Miguel Andujar, LHP Ian Clarkin, RHP Rookie Davis, RHP Gabe Encinas, RHP Brady Lail, SS Tyler Wade.
  • Low-A Charleston: RHP Domingo Acevedo, SS Abi Avelino, OF Dustin Fowler, 2B Gosuke Katoh, SS Jorge Mateo.
  • Injury Rehab in Tampa: RHP Vicente Campos (Tommy John surgery), LHP Daniel Camarena (unknown), RHP Domingo German (Tommy John surgery), RHP Ty Hensley (face), LHP James Pazos (unknown), C Luis Torrens (shoulder), SS Angel Aguilar (unknown).

Norris says the assignments could change slightly before the start of the season, but for the most part they’re set. Sanchez is going back to the Thunder to continue working on his defense with coaches and ex-catchers Michel Hernandez and P.J. Pilittere, which I don’t love, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I assume Avelino, Katoh, and Mateo will rotate between second, short, and DH like Avelino, Katoh, and Wade did last year before Avelino got hurt. I’m little surprised Mateo is going to Charleston — he’s played only games in 15 rookie ball, that’s it — but the Yankees have never been shy about aggressively promoting their best teenage players. Otherwise these assignments are fairly straight forward. No major surprises.

Notes from the backfields in Tampa

Both Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Jeff Moore (no subs. req’d) recently posted a collection of notes after watching minor league games on the backfields all around Florida. Law got a look at Mateo, saying he likes “how well he keeps his hands inside the ball” and added he “liked the potential of the hit tool but was hoping to see more polish on both sides of the ball.” The polish will come. It’s only Spring Training and Mateo is still just a 19-year-old kid.

Meanwhile, Moore saw Judge, Bird, and RHP Bryan Mitchell. “What’s impressive is (Judge) seems to get a little better each time I see him. The at-bats have gotten tougher and more advanced, with a better plan each time out,” wrote Moore. He also said he sees Bird as “a potential regular first baseman” and his “power is very real, more real than he gets credit for.” As for Mitchell, Moore says his fastball/curveball combination “screams reliever, and possibly a darn good one.”

Law still ranks Judge 23rd in latest Top 50 Prospects list

Last week, Law released an updated ranking of the top 50 prospects in baseball (subs. req’d). There are only very minor changes from his top 100 list in February, with the most notable being the addition of Red Sox IF Yoan Moncada, who slots in at No. 16. Even with Moncada joining the list, Judge stays in the same No. 23 spot because he jumped over Rockies RHP Jon Gray, who hasn’t looked like himself this spring. Judge remains the third outfielder on the list behind Twins OF Byron Buxton and Cubs OF Jorge Soler. Law is the high man on Judge based on all this spring’s other top 100 lists. That’s cool with me.

Yankees spent $17.83M on international players in 2014

According to Ben Badler, the Yankees spent a ridiculous $17.83M on international prospects last year, easily the most in baseball. They spent more than the number two (Rays, $6.11M), three (Red Sox, $5.63M), and four (Astros, $5.42M) teams combined and more than the bottom ten teams combined ($16.9575M). Just to be clear, this is for the 2014 calendar year, not the 2014-15 signing period.

The Yankees handed out three of the five largest, six of the 14 largest, and 12 of the 40 largest signing bonuses to international prospects during the 2014 calendar year, according to Badler. We still don’t have a final number for the total bonuses the Yankees handed out during the 2014-15 signing period, but the total investment is clearly going to be north of $30M between bonuses and penalties. Most of that $17.83M last year was spent on July 2nd, the first day of the 2014-15 signing period. Now the Yankees just have to turn these kids into big leaguers and tradeable prospects.

Yankees release nine more minor leaguers

The Yankees have released seven more minor leaguers according to Matt Eddy: OF Yeicok Calderon, RHP Tim Giel, OF Robert Hernandez, RHP Stefan Lopez, RHP Matt Noteware, 1B Dalton Smith, and IF Graham Ramos. Dan Pfeiffer says OF Adonis Garcia was released as well, and OF Adam Silva announced on Facebook he was also released.

First things first: no more Yeicokshots!, sadly. Hernandez was signed in January, so his stint with the organization didn’t last long. Lopez led NCAA in saves in 2012 and had some potential, but he fell in love with his fastball so much in college that he lost all feel for his slider and became a one-pitch guy. The Yankees signed Giel, Noteware, and Ramos as undrafted free agents within the last two years to help fill out minor league rosters. That’s about it.

Old Timers’ Game coming to Triple-A Scranton

And finally, the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre franchise is holding an Old Timers’ Game on June 21st, reports Donnie Collins. The event will raise money for Parkinson’s disease research. “I expect the ballpark to be sold out — and standing room only. That’s the goal,” said RailRiders’ co-managing partner to Grant Cagle to Collins. A bunch of ex-Yankees will be in attendance — not sure who, exactly — to play in the Old Timers’ Game and/or mingle with fans during a meet-and-greet and autograph session. That should be fun.

Yankees sign 6th round pick Gabe Encinas

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Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed 6th round pick Gabe Encinas to an above slot $300,000 deal. Encinas, the 205th overall pick, was rated as the 133rd best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, and 95th by Keith Law.

Drafted out of a California high school, the 6-foot-4, 200 lb. Encinas is arguably the best pitching prospect the Yanks drafted this year. His fastball sits in the low-90’s and he also offers a sharp curve and one of the best changeups among this year’s high school crop, but what sets Encinas apart is his smooth delivery and feel for pitching. He’s proven adept at changing speeds and setting hitters up. The signing deadline is just ten days away, so there’s going to be a whole bunch of signings trickling in soon.