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River Ave. Blues » Jonathan Loaisiga

Update: Yankees acquire Cameron Maybin from Indians

April 25, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

2:59pm ET: The Yankees have announced the trade and it is as reported: Maybin for cash. Severino was indeed moved to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot. The Yankees added Maybin to their big league roster and he is on his way to join the team.

12:20pm ET: According to Jack Curry, the Yankees have acquired veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Indians. Jon Heyman says it’s a cash trade, and George King notes the Yankees had interest in Maybin after Aaron Hicks got hurt in Spring Training. The Yankees haven’t announced the trade yet.

Maybin, 32, has a .216/.388/.275 (94 wRC+) batting line through 14 Triple-A games this year. He put up an 88 wRC+ as a fourth outfielder with various MLB teams in both 2017 and 2018, and that’s pretty much what we should expect going forward. Below-average bat, slightly above-average glove.

The Yankees have been decimated by injuries this season, especially in the outfield, so Maybin is a warm body to help get them through the next few weeks. Here is the current outfield depth chart:

  1. Aaron Judge (out with oblique injury)
  2. Giancarlo Stanton (out with biceps/shoulder injury)
  3. Aaron Hicks (out with back injury)
  4. Brett Gardner
  5. Clint Frazier (out with ankle injury)
  6. Mike Tauchman

Maybin gives the Yankees three actual outfielders — natural infielder Tyler Wade started in left field the last two days — so hooray for the bare minimum. The Yankees have some interleague games coming up in National League parks and there was no way they could go into those with two real outfielders.

Earlier today the Yankees put Frazier on the injured list and called up Joe Harvey, and also optioned Jonathan Loaisiga to Triple-A Scranton. Loaisiga is the move to get Maybin on the roster. I assume Luis Severino will be transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man roster spot.

Filed Under: Transactions Tagged With: Cameron Maybin, Cleveland Indians, Jonathan Loaisiga

DotF: Dermis Garcia and Isiah Gilliam carry Tampa to a win

April 23, 2019 by Mike

Got some links and notes to pass along:

  • Both RHP Luis Gil (No. 7) and 1B Dermis Garcia (No. 13) made this week’s Prospect Hot Sheet. “Garcia is a bit of a one-tricky pony, but that one trick—massive raw power—sure is fun to watch when a pitch comes right into his swing path,” says the write-up.
  • With Nationals OF Victor Robles having graduated to the big leagues, Baseball America (subs. req’d) updated their top 100 prospects list, and RHP Jonathan Loaisiga now slots in at No. 100. He’s the only Yankee on the list.
  • MLB.com picked each team’s closer of the future. RHP Luis Gil was their pick for the Yankees. “Gil can hit 101 mph with his four-seam fastball and generates crazy spin rates on his power curveball,” says the write-up. Here’s video of Gil’s last outing.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (8-1 loss to Rochester)

  • LF Trey Amburgey: 0-4, 2 K
  • SS Gosuke Katoh: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K — five homers in 13 games this year after hitting five homers in 118 games with Trenton last year … I’m kinda glad we’re shutting down RAB before I have to start figuring out what’s real and what’s noise with the MLB ball in Triple-A
  • 1B Ryan McBroom: 1-3, 1 2B
  • LHP Nestor Cortes: 4 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 3/5 GB/FB — 58 of 91 pitches were strikes (64%)
  • LHP Rex Brothers: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 WP, 0/2 GB/FB — 20 of 37 pitches were strikes (54%) … 10/4 K/BB in seven innings, which is better than I would’ve guessed

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: Jonathan Loaisiga, Prospect Lists

Game 23: Not Another Marathon

April 23, 2019 by Mike

(Sean M. Haffey/Getty)

Gosh, last night was a grind. Did you stay up for the entire game? I hope not. I did and I regretted it when my alarm went off this morning. Five hits in 14 innings? In a West Coast night game? No one deserves that. Fortunately, the Yankees eked out a win, and they’ve won six of their last seven games.

“Finding a way right now. It’s not easy for us by any means but the guys have been finding a way,” Aaron Boone said to George King following last night’s win. “… A lot of big outings from pitchers and we caught the ball well. Really happy with the way guys are competing and getting after it right now.”

After that game last night, I’m hoping for a bit of a laugher tonight. Score early and often, and cruise to the finish line, you know? I think we all deserve that after last night. After the last two games, really. Sunday was a battle too. Anyway, here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 3B DJ LeMahieu
2. DH Luke Voit
3. CF Brett Gardner
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. 1B Mike Ford
6. RF Mike Tauchman
7. C Austin Romine
8. 2B Thairo Estrada
9. LF Tyler Wade

RHP Domingo German

Los Angeles Angels
1. RF Kole Calhoun
2. CF Mike Trout
3. 1B Justin Bour
4. SS Andrelton Simmons
5. DH Albert Pujols
6. LF Brian Goodwin
7. C Kevan Smith
8. 2B Tommy La Stella
9. 3B David Fletcher

RHP Chris Stratton


Another picture perfect evening in Anaheim. Probably. I didn’t bother to check. Tonight’s game will begin at 10:07pm ET and the YES Network will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Clint Frazier (ankle) has some swelling, but he feels good and is available tonight. Boone held him out of the lineup as a precaution.

Roster Move: As expected, Jonathan Loaisiga was called up earlier today, the Yankees announced. He is available out of the bullpen following last night’s marathon. A big lead and Loaisiga finishing the game would be ideal. Joe Harvey was sent down in a corresponding move.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Clint Frazier, Joe Harvey, Jonathan Loaisiga

Game 12: Escape from Houston

April 10, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

Two games against the Astros, two blown late-inning leads. The lead disappeared in the seventh and Houston took the lead in the eighth in both games. How annoying. Even more annoying is the way the Yankees screw up the most basic stuff each game. Every game there’s an dopey error or a bad baserunning decision. Every single game.

“It’s got to be better, especially when you’re playing a really good team, and you’re up against a really good pitcher. You’ve got to do the little things that allow you to win ballgames,” Aaron Boone said to Coley Harvey following last night’s loss. “The bottom line is, we’re really close to playing a good brand and a complete game.”

WELL ACTUALLY, the Yankees played their sloppiest game of the season last night, and all the mistakes contributed to the loss. If you have to keep saying you’re really close to doing something, you’re not actually close to doing it. The Yankees have to clean up the sloppy mistakes to beat teams like the Astros. It is imperative. Here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. CF Brett Gardner
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. DH Luke Voit
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. 1B Greg Bird
6. 3B DJ LeMahieu
7. LF Clint Frazier
8. C Austin Romine
9. 2B Tyler Wade

LHP James Paxton

Houston Astros
1. RF George Springer
2. 2B Jose Altuve
3. LF Michael Brantley
4. SS Carlos Correa
5. 3B Yuli Gurriel
6. DH Tyler White
7. 1B Aledmys Diaz
8. C Max Stassi
9. CF Jake Marisnick

RHP Collin McHugh


Another warm and sunny day in Houston, and the Minute Maid Park roof is open. Tonight’s first pitch is scheduled for 7:40pm ET and you can watch on the YES Network locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the ballgame.

Injury Updates: CC Sabathia (knee, heart) will start Saturday’s game. That is the first day he is eligible to be activated off the injured list … Giancarlo Stanton (biceps) has started taking swings now that his ten-day shutdown period is over … Aaron Hicks (back) has started swinging a bat. He’s doing tee and soft toss work in addition to throwing and running … Miguel Andujar (shoulder) played catch today for the first time since being shut down. Here’s video. As you can see, it was not the most intense throwing session. Twenty-five throws at 60 feet. Andujar said he felt better than expected, and he is tentatively scheduled to throw again Friday. He might even swing a bat that day as well … Gary Sanchez is out of the lineup with calf tightness. He first felt it following Monday’s game and the Yankees put him through some tests, which came back fine. They’re giving him two straight days off (tomorrow’s an off-day) as a precaution. Sanchez is available tonight.

Roster Move: The Yankees optioned Jonathan Loaisiga to Triple-A Scranton following last night’s game and they called up right-hander Joe Harvey today, the team announced. It is Harvey’s first big league call-up. He is a short reliever, not someone who can soak up innings in long relief. I imagine Harvey is going back to Triple-A when Sabathia is activated Saturday.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Aaron Hicks, CC Sabathia, Gary Sanchez, Giancarlo Stanton, Joe Harvey, Jonathan Loaisiga, Miguel Andujar

Game Six: End of the Homestand

April 3, 2019 by Mike

(Elsa/Getty)

The season is only five days old and already it feels like the Yankees are struggling to keep their heads above water. That’s against the Orioles and Tigers too. Two teams projected to lose a combined 195 games this year. The Yankees have been hit hard by injuries and several players who are healthy aren’t contributing much, especially offensively.

“We need to string together some quality at-bats. We’re swinging at some stuff out of the zone and not really sticking to our plan,” said Aaron Judge following last night’s loss. Aaron Boone added: “The guys we have in there are certainly capable of scoring runs. We’ve just got to continue to grind away and find a way right now when we are a little depleted.”

As expected, Jonathan Loaisiga has been recalled to make this afternoon’s start. He is subbing in as the fifth starter while CC Sabathia works his way back. The season is not even a full week old and Loaisiga will already be the 27th different player to appear in a game for the Yankees this year. I’m not liking where this is going. Here are this afternoon’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 3B DJ LeMahieu
2. RF Aaron Judge
3. DH Luke Voit
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. 2B Gleyber Torres
6. 1B Greg Bird
7. LF Clint Frazier
8. SS Troy Tulowitzki
9. CF Mike Tauchman

RHP Jonathan Loaisiga

Detroit Tigers
1. 2B Josh Harrison
2. RF Nick Castellanos
3. DH Miguel Cabrera
4. CF Niko Goodrum
5. DH Jeimer Candelario
6. LF Christin Stewart
7. C John Hicks
8. SS Jordy Mercer
9. 2B Gordon Beckham

LHP Matt Boyd


It is a splendid afternoon in the Bronx. The sun is out, the sky is blue, and temperatures will be in the 60s. Pretty great day for a ballgame, even if it is crazy windy. Today’s series finale will begin at 4:05pm ET and you can watch on the YES Network locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Luis Severino (shoulder) is still long-tossing. Boone did not have a firm date for Severino to throw his first bullpen session but it is expected to be soon … Sabathia is on track to join the Yankees next homestand. He’s got another minor league start coming up this weekend, and it sounds like he’ll return after that as long as everything goes well … Luke Voit (hand) will have his hand wrapped today after that hit-by-pitch last night. Postgame x-rays came back negative, but it is sore, so he’ll have a wrap and a pad to protect it today.

Roster Move: Sabathia was reinstated from the suspended list and placed on the 10-day injured list with what was officially announced as “rehab from cardiac surgery.” Loaisiga has been recalled to get the Yankees back to a full 25-man roster. Playing a man short the last few days was no big deal because they were missing a starting pitcher who wasn’t scheduled to start.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: CC Sabathia, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Severino, Luke Voit

An Important Year in the Farm System [2019 Season Preview]

March 26, 2019 by Mike

Florial. (Presswire)

Two years ago the Yankees had arguably the top farm system in baseball. Uncharacteristically, they traded veterans for prospects at the 2016 trade deadline, and several of their own players took big steps forward with their development. Gleyber Torres came over in the Aroldis Chapman trade. Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, and Miguel Andujar? All originally drafted or signed by the Yankees.

That monster farm system of two years ago has become a powerhouse MLB team. The Yankees surprisingly won 91 games in 2017, not-so-surprisingly won 100 games in 2018, and now they go into 2019 on the very short list of realistic World Series contenders. They’ve graduated or traded many top prospects, and have tumbled down the farm system rankings as a result:

  • Baseball America: 20th
  • Baseball Prospectus: 12th
  • Keith Law: 19th

“Being ranked as everybody’s top farm system isn’t our goal. Our goal is to be ranked as winning the World Series,” said amateur scouting director Damon Oppenheimer to Greg Joyce last month. “… Everything’s a cycle in this thing. You get to a point where, if you’re going to try to win, you end up trading prospects. So we’ve traded quite a few guys over the last few years to help us acquire talent to help us win at the big league level, and that’s what we’re there to do. We’re in one of those cycles now where we gotta dump some more guys into the system.”

As the big league team contends this summer, the farm system will be in something of a rebuild, in that they have a plethora of young low minors prospects looking to take that step toward becoming the next wave of great Yankees prospects. The high-end upper minors talent isn’t there like it has been the last two years, and that could be an issue come trade deadline time. Time to preview the year ahead in the farm system.

Top Prospects Who Could Help This Season

There is only one: RHP Jonathan Loaisiga. In fact, the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect is set to join the rotation in a few days, after CC Sabathia’s five-game suspension ends. That is almost certainly a temporary move with Sabathia due to return in mid-April and Luis Severino hopefully sometime in early-May. Loaisiga is going to join the Yankees soon though, and that gives him a chance to help the team and force the club to keep him around longer.

Of course, Loaisiga has a long injury history and very limited experience (184.1 career innings!), plus he has never thrown a pitch in Triple-A, so he would presumably benefit from some Triple-A time. I imagine he’ll be returned to the minors at some point. Loaisiga has a quality three-pitch mix as well as good control, plus he seems unflappable on the mound, which are good traits for a young pitcher. Point is, Loaisiga is the only high-end upper minors prospect we figure to see in the Bronx this year.

Top Prospects Who (Probably) Won’t Help This Season

OF Estevan Florial, the Yankees’ top prospect, will begin the season on the injured list after breaking his wrist crashing into the outfield wall this spring. I suppose the good news is he’ll only be in a cast three weeks, meaning his recovery may not be as long as you’d expect. Three weeks in a cast seems to indicate he could be back in games sometime in May. That would be ideal. We’ll see.

The injury is unfortunate because Florial has a clear flaw in his pitch recognition — “I’m a young player. It’s tough to know what pitch to select. Try to know the pitch I can drive, and what I can’t, too,” Florial said to Brendan Kuty last month — and the only way to improve on that is with game reps. There’s no substitute for seeing live action pitching. Florial missed time with wrist surgery last year, so he has a lot of catching up to do. Once healthy, he’ll likely go to High-A Tampa or Double-A Trenton. Either way, we won’t see Florial in the big leagues this summer.

After Florial and Loaisiga, the next five best prospects in the farm system are all teenagers: C Anthony Seigler, OF Everson Pereira, OF Antonio Cabello, RHP Deivi Garcia, and RHP Roansy Contreras. On one hand, hooray for having so many very talented teenagers. On the other hand, none of those guys will come close to sniffing the big leagues. Seigler, Pereira, and Cabello may not even see full season ball this year, and Contreras could spend the entire season with Low-A Charleston.

Garcia made one Double-A spot start at the end of last season but he is unlikely to start this season at that level. Not after making only six (excellent) starts with High-A Tampa. Seems to me Deivi will return to Tampa for a few weeks before being bumped back up to Trenton. His best case scenario will be a late-season cameo with Triple-A Scranton. If we see Garcia in the big leagues this year, either something went very right (he really broke out) or very wrong (everyone got hurt).

Secondary Prospects Likely To Help This Season

Tarpley. (Presswire)

The Yankees will have at least one of their non-top prospects on the Opening Day roster. LHP Stephen Tarpley, who pitched well last September and was great this spring, will be in the bullpen. He definitely has a chance to carve out a long-term role this summer. In all likelihood though, Tarpley will ride the shuttle up and down a few times. That’s just how it goes for a young reliever with options, especially when he’s the last guy in the bullpen.

Another reliever we could see at some point: RHP Domingo Acevedo. Lindsey Adler says Acevedo pitched in relief in minor league camp this spring and the Yankees wouldn’t do that unless he was moving into the bullpen full-time. I’m definitely down with this. Acevedo has struggled to stay healthy as a starter and he still hasn’t developed his slider into a reliable third pitch. Let him air it out for an inning at a time with the big fastball (and changeup) and there’s a chance very good things will happen. I’m looking forward to seeing Acevedo in short relief stints.

RHP Chance Adams and RHP Mike King are the top two Triple-A depth starters at the moment, though King suffered a stress reaction in his elbow early in camp, and is still working his way back. He’s expected to join the RailRiders in early May. Once he does, King could jump ahead of Adams on the call-up list. He had a monster 2018 season statistically and, at least prior to the injury, had firmer stuff and control than Adams, who’s taken a step back the last two seasons. Still, Adams is on the 40-man roster, so we’ll see him work shuttle duty at some point.

Double-A hurlers RHP Trevor Stephan, RHP Garrett Whitlock, and RHP Nick Nelson probably will not see the big leagues this summer. They’re not on the 40-man roster yet — Stephan and Whitlock don’t have to be added to the 40-man until after next season — and there are a few guys ahead of them on the depth chart, but, anytime you begin the season in Double-A, you have a chance to play in MLB. They will, they do. Pitch well in Double-A and they’ll find themselves in Triple-A in short order, and force a call-up conversation.

The Mike Tauchman pickup and Tyler Wade demotion makes it less likely we will see IF Thairo Estrada this year, or at least see him anytime soon, especially after a lost season last year. A few weeks (months?) worth of at-bats with Triple-A Scranton is what Estrada needs right now, but, if the Yankees have a need at the MLB level and he’s the best option, they will call him up. I imagine we’ll see Thairo as at least a September call-up this summer.

Breakout Candidates

This is where all that young low minors talent comes into play. Guys like Seigler, Pereira, Cabello, and Contreras are prime breakout candidates who could put themselves into the top 100 prospect discussion after the season. (Deivi broke out last year, I’d say.) Pereira and Cabello in particular are very high upside players who could very well rank 1-2 in the farm system in a few months. They’re that good and that talented.

This year’s Pereira and Cabello, meaning the highly regarded international signings set to make their pro debut, should be OF Kevin Alcantara and RHP Osiel Rodriguez. Alcantara ($1M bonus) stood out for his hitting ability when he signed and he’s already growing into some power. Rodriguez ($600,000) boasts a deep power arsenal and, like many Cuban pitchers, he throws from a variety of arm angles to create deception.

Hard-throwing RHP Luis Gil kinda sorta broke out last year, and he might have the best fastball in the farm system. He’s upper-90s regularly and has a high spin rate on everything. Gil is the quintessential modern pitching prospect. RHP Juan Then and RHP Yoendrys Gomez are other young low minors guys who stand out more for their know-how and pitchability than lighting up the radar gun. That said, neither guy is short on stuff.

A few levels higher, the Yankees are finally set to turn 2017 first round pick RHP Clarke Schmidt loose. He returned from Tommy John surgery last year and pitched well in limited action. The Yankees will not be reckless with Schmidt — they don’t have him penciled him for 180 innings or anything — but he’ll finally get a chance to hold down a rotation spot and show what he can do. He’s been an afterthought since being drafted because of the Tommy John surgery. Schmidt’s kinda like adding a new prospect to the system all together.

Second tier outfield prospects like OF Josh Stowers and OF Anthony Garcia may not have the pure upside that Pereira and Cabello offer, though they do bring a lot to the table. In Garcia’s case, that means a lot of power. A lot. He’s a switch-hitter who can hit the ball a mile from both sides of the plate. Stowers is more well-rounded and will impact the game a lot of different ways. Offensively, defensively, on the bases, etc. He strikes me as a sneaky good breakout candidate.

Between international free agency and trades (Gil, Stowers, and Then were all acquired in trades), the Yankees have stocked the lower levels of the minors with exciting talent, and it was all by design. They picked up these kids very early in their careers — over the winter they traded for a pitching prospect yet to appear in a pro game — and will try to develop them into the next wave of top prospects. That’s the plan. The farm system may lack upper minors talent. In the low minors though, forget it. The Yankees are stacked, and that equals a small army of breakout candidates.

Returning From Injury

Technically, RHP Albert Abreu finished last year healthy, though injuries have given him trouble since coming over from the Astros in the Brian McCann trade. The power four-pitch mix is impressive. The lack of control and lack of durability are not. More than anything at this point, Abreu needs reps so he can work on refining his game. A full healthy season would be welcome in 2019. It could also land him a big league call-up at some point.

RHP Freicer Perez is a more traditional injury comeback story. He made six ugly starts last season before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. The good news? Perez only had bone spurs removed. His labrum, rotator cuff, and capsule are all intact. A lost season is a lost season though, and this year Perez will look to get back on track with a healthy shoulder. He went into last year as one of the top prospects in the system. Getting back to that level after shoulder surgery remains possible.

The forgotten pitching prospect in the system is RHP Glenn Otto, the Yankees’ fifth round pick in 2017. He made two starts with Low-A Charleston last year before having season-ending surgery to remove a blood clot from his shoulder. Yikes. When healthy, Otto showed a good low-to-mid-90s fastball with a hammer high-spin curveball that is seemingly allergic to bats. There were questions about his durability and changeup even before the surgery, but, even if Otto is a reliever long-term, he could be a good one. His coming out party is set for this summer.

Make or Break Year?

Holder. (Presswire)

The 2014-15 international spending spree, while well-intended, has worked out very poorly. Florial is far and away the best prospect to come out of that signing class and he was a small bonus guy later in the signing period, not a headliner. Many of those 2014-15 kids have already washed out. Others, like 3B Dermis Garcia and SS Hoy Jun Park, still have some prospect value. Not much, but some.

Garcia’s calling call remains (and always will be) his power. He moved down the defensive spectrum to first base last year — apparently he’s going to give third base another try this year — and plans to turn him into a two-way player were apparently put on hold. Dermis did throw bullpen sessions late last season but he never appeared in a game as a pitcher. Alas. Garcia will move up to High-A Tampa this year after two seasons with Low-A Charleston. Another year of contact and defensive issues mean you can probably close the book on his days as a serious prospect.

After Florial, Park probably has the best chance to reach the big leagues among 2014-15 signees. He’s a very good defensive middle infielder who draws a lot of walks and can steal bases, but is short on power and exit velocity. Power is tough to project these days because of changes to the baseball, so perhaps we shouldn’t ding Park too much. He has a chance to rebuild some prospect stock with Double-A Trenton this year. The concern is advanced pitchers will knock the bat out of his hands. This is a big year for Park.

IF Kyle Holder has Major League ready defensive tools, but he hasn’t hit much in his career to date, and we haven’t seen much progress either. To be fair to Holder, he dealt with serious injury (broken vertebrae) and off-the-field matters (his brother passed away) last season, so we should cut him a break on the lack of development. That said, he is a soon-to-be 25-year-old defensive wiz with little to offer at the plate. Another year without much offensive progress and it’ll be time to look ahead to other infield prospects.

I think OF Isiah Gilliam has reached make or break status as well. He’s closing in on his 23rd birthday and saw marked declines in his power output, his walk rate, and his strikeout rate after moving from Low-A Charleston to High-A Tampa last season. As a non-elite bat-only corner outfielder, it doesn’t take much to get left behind. Gilliam has to rebound with a strong season this year, likely back with Tampa, to avoid becoming an afterthought.

Prospects I Am Excited About

Gosh, there are lots. Seigler, Pereira, and Contreras are at the top of the list. I also can’t give up on RHP Luis Medina yet, even after he walked 46 batters in 36 rookie ball innings last year. Medina turns only 20 in May, and he lights up the radar gun with his fastball and has a knee-buckling high-spin curveball, and I just can’t give up on that despite the extreme control problems. Medina’s going to be a long-term project and I am willing to be patient because the upside is so great.

OF Raimfer Salinas should be in the Pereira and Cabello group — Salinas ($1.85M) received a larger signing bonus than Pereira ($1.4M) and Cabello ($1.35M), which tells you how much the Yankees like him — but finger and knee injuries cut short his pro debut last year. When healthy, he features an advanced approach at the plate with some power, as well as very good defensive chops. Salinas probably belongs in the “Breakout Candidates” group. I really like him. He has a lot of ability.

OF Pablo Olivares has long been a personal favorite with his “do everything well but nothing exceptionally” skill set. RHP Frank German and RHP Tanner Myatt are two 2018 draftees I like for different reasons. German has already gained velocity as a pro and features a nice little slider. Myatt is a huge (6-foot-7) extreme hard-thrower (up to 101 mph) with an occasionally great curveball. He reminds me a bit of Kyle Farnsworth, which I know will drive some people nuts, but Farnsworth played 16 years in the big leagues as a late-inning reliever. That would be a heck of an outcome for an 11th round pick like Myatt.

Will The Yankees Trade Any Of These Guys?

Of course they will. The Yankees are a win-now team, so if when they need help at the trade deadline, they will trade prospects in an effort to get over the hump. They did it the last two trade deadlines and there’s no reason to think they won’t do it again this year. That’s the entire point of a farm system. To help address big league roster needs, either by graduating prospects to the show, or by using them as trade chips.

To me, Nelson stands out as a potential trade candidate. He will be Rule 5 Draft after the season and I get the feeling he falls into the same category as Dillon Tate and Josh Rogers last year. The “good prospect the Yankees don’t really know what to do with who is on the 40-man roster bubble” group. The other Double-A arms like Abreu, Stephan, Whitlock could all become trade candidates given the club’s lack of high-end Triple-A talent. Double-A starters are the next best thing.

Even before the injury, I don’t think the Yankees would’ve hesitated for a second to trade Florial in the right deal. Would they give him away? No way. But Florial is their best chance to acquire an impact player on July 31st. As long as he comes back from the wrist injury well, his trade value should remain intact. The Yankees professed their love for Justus Sheffield right up until they traded him. I could see the same happening with Florial.

The Yankees traded 15 prospects in the days leading up to the last two trade deadlines. Some were big names (Blake Rutherford, James Kaprielian, Jorge Mateo, etc.) and many were second and third tier guys (Josh Rogers, Billy McKinney, Luis Rijo, Zack Littell). I think the Yankees are at the point where no prospect is off-limits. I thought Gleyber Torres was untouchable as it gets two years ago. Now? There’s no one in the system like that. Not even close.

Where Does The System Go From Here?

Because the system is built mainly around pitching and very young low minors prospects, the Yankees have a boom or bust farm system right now. If the pitchers stay healthy and some of those teenagers figure it out, this could again be one of the top systems in baseball, and I mean as soon as next spring. The Yankees have gotten pretty good at developing players, thankfully. The chances of a farm system breakout in 2019 aren’t small.

Then again, if some of those pitchers get hurt — I have 18 pitchers in my top 30 prospects list and normal attrition suggests a few of them are going to feel something that requires a lengthy shutdown, that’s just baseball — and those teenagers need more than one or two pro seasons to hit their stride, the Yankees will again have a system ranked in the bottom half of the league next year. It’s not the end of the world, but a great farm system is a heck of a lot more fun than a mediocre one.

“I believe our system is one of the stronger ones in the game. It’s just the timing of everything. (The top talent) just happens to be at the lower levels. We are very pitching deep with a lot of high-end young arms,” said Brian Cashman to Randy Miller last month. “I’m not saying the system rankings are wrong. I will tell you this: As long as our guys stay healthy and develop the way we think they’re capable of developing, the system rankings are going to be radically different next year.”

Filed Under: Minors Tagged With: 2019 Season Preview, Albert Abreu, Anthony Garcia, Anthony Seigler, Antonio Cabello, Chance Adams, Clarke Schmidt, Deivi Garcia, Dermis Garcia, Domingo Acevedo, Estevan Florial, Everson Pereira, Frank German, Freicer Perez, Garrett Whitlock, Glenn Otto, Hoy Jun Park, Isiah Gilliam, Jonathan Loaisiga, Josh Stowers, Juan Then, Kevin Alcantara, Kyle Holder, Luis Gil, Luis Medina, Mike King, Nick Nelson, Osiel Rodriguez, Pablo Olivares, Raimfer Salinas, Roansy Contreras, Stephen Tarpley, Tanner Myatt, Thairo Estrada, Trevor Stephan, Yoendrys Gomez

Poll: The 2019 RAB Prospect Watch

March 26, 2019 by Mike

Last year’s Prospect Watch prospect. (Presswire)

Every season since RAB debuted a dozen years ago, we’ve hosted the annual Prospect Watch in our sidebar. We simply pick a prospect and track his statistical progress throughout the season. Nothing too exciting but hey, it adds a fun little element to prospect tracking. It’s almost like a fantasy team where you’re rooting for the guy to succeed so the Prospect Watch looks pretty.

The so-called Prospect Watch Curse reared its ugly head when Estevan Florial, last year’s Prospect Watch prospect and a prime candidate for this year’s Prospect Watch, broke his wrist (in two places!) crashing into the wall two weeks ago. Florial also missed time with a wrist injury last year. The year before Gleyber Torres went down with Tommy John surgery. But hey, Aaron Judge was in the Prospect Watch one year and he’s pretty awesome. Also, I don’t believe in curses, so the Prospect Watch lives on.

Back in the day I picked the Prospect Watch prospect myself and that was that. A few years ago I decided to open it up to a reader vote because you folks should have a say. I am, however, making the executive decision to remove Florial from this year’s eligible prospect pool. Why? Because Florial’s already hurt and will miss a few weeks, and it’s always boring when the Prospect Watch sits dormant for a few weeks. We’ve been through it enough times over the years.

Although the farm system is not as strong as it was the last few years, the Yankees have a really good prospect base, with several prospects worthy of the Prospect Watch. Some years the Prospect Watch prospect is pretty obvious, like two years ago with Gleyber. This year? Not so much. This might be our most wide open voting yet. Here are this year’s Prospect Watch candidates, listed alphabetically, with my top 30 ranking.

RHP Albert Abreu (Preseason No. 8 prospect)

The case for Abreu: In terms of ceiling and stuff, Abreu is on the short list of the best prospects in the farm system. He’s mid-to-upper-90s with his fastball and has the deepest arsenal of secondary pitches among the Yankees’ best pitching prospects. Abreu has a knockout curveball as well as a quality changeup and slider. The potential is there for lots of strikeouts and a quick move up to Double-A, which is always fun.

The case against Abreu: Injuries. Abreu has been hurt a lot the last two years. Lat and multiple elbow issues have limited him to 173.2 innings the last two years. As talented as he is and as high as his ceiling appears to be, the chances that Abreu will get hurt and leave the Prospect Watch silent for weeks on end are uncomfortably high.

OF Antonio Cabello (Preseason No. 5 prospect)

The case for Cabello: Few players in the system were as dominant as Cabello last season, statistically. He hit .308/.427/.522 (168 wRC+) with five homers in 46 rookie ball games, and, after the season, Baseball America (subs. req’d) compared him to Juan Soto and Vlad Guerrero Jr. at the same age for his innate hitting ability. Cabello has exciting potential and a high ceiling, and he’s already produced in games, which is a plus for Prospect Watch purposes.

The case against Cabello: Cabello dislocated his shoulder diving for a ball at the end of last season and needed offseason surgery. He is healthy now and playing in minor league Spring Training games, though there’s always some concern about an injury like that hindering a player’s performance in the short-term. Also, Cabello is still only 18. An 18-year-old kid coming back from shoulder surgery is a prime candidate to spend a few weeks in Extended Spring Training, which means no stats to track. The Prospect Watch could be quiet for a while.

RHP Roansy Contreras (Preseason No. 7 prospect)

The case for Contreras: Contreras is my favorite pitching prospect in the system right now. He’s an advanced 19-year-old who so thoroughly dominated college-aged kids with Short Season Staten Island last year that the Yankees had to move him up to Low-A Charleston to give him a challenge. The end result was a 2.42 ERA (3.70 FIP) with 24.0% strikeouts in 63.1 innings in the low minors. Contreras has a quality three-pitch mix and very good pitching know-how. Even as a teenager, he has the potential to carve up hitters in the low minors.

The case against Contreras: As with every pitching prospect, the potential for injury exists. That’s just the way it is. Contreras has been healthy to date, but you never really know with pitchers. Also, Contreras was good but not great after the promotion to Low-A Charleston last season (3.38 ERA and 4.48 FIP), so perhaps we should pump the brakes on him being ready to manhandle lower minors hitters even with his stuff and pitching acumen.

RHP Deivi Garcia (Preseason No. 6 prospect)

The case for Garcia: Garcia was one of the most dominant pitchers in the minors last season. He reached Double-A as a 19-year-old and finished with a 2.55 ERA (2.60 FIP) and a 35.5% strikeout rate. Last year 907 pitchers threw at least 70 innings in the minors and Garcia had the fifth highest strikeout rate and the fourth highest K-BB% (28.7%). The fastball is very good, the curveball is excellent, and the changeup is a quality pitch too. Garcia has the stuff and, as of last year, the control to put up similar numbers going forward.

The case against Garcia: Other than the inherent injury risk, the only real question with Garcia is whether he can maintain last year’s walk rate. He had a 12.0% walk rate from 2016-17 before cutting it to 6.8% in 2018. A pitcher filling up the Prospect Watch with walks is no fun. Garcia will be on some sort of innings limit this summer after throwing 74 innings last year, so I suppose that means he could be shut down at some point to manage his workload, which would put a damper on the Prospect Watch. I don’t think that’s a big concern though.

RHP Jonathan Loaisiga (Preseason No. 2 prospect)

Loaisiga. (Presswire)

The case for Loaisiga: The top pitching prospect in the organization, Loaisiga’s combination of pure stuff and control is the best in the system. He’s mid-90s with his fastball, occasionally higher, and both his breaking ball and changeup are putaway pitches on their best days. Since returning from Tommy John surgery two years ago, his minor league performance has never been anything short of excellent. Loaisiga is probably the safest bet in the system to have a strong statistical season in the minors, at least among pitchers.

The case against Loaisiga: Injuries. Gosh, the injuries. Loaisiga has thrown 184.1 innings in six pro seasons and last year’s 80.2 innings were a career high. He has a history of shoulder and elbow trouble — Loaisiga missed about a month with a shoulder issue last year after being sent down — and that’s always scary. The other thing is Loaisiga will probably shuttle between Triple-A and MLB this year, which could lead to sporadic playing time and thus infrequent Prospect Watch updates. That’s no fun.

OF Everson Pereira (Preseason No. 4 prospect)

The case for Pereira: There’s a decent chance Pereira will be the No. 1 prospect in the farm system at this time next year. The soon-to-be 18-year-old is loaded with tools and instincts, and, thanks to a growth spurt soon after signing, he now has pretty good power potential. Power always looks good in the Prospect Watch. Pereira has high-end offensive tools with a chance to really fill up the stat sheet. Hit for average, hit for power, get on base, the works.

The case against Pereira: Despite those tools, Pereira had an underwhelming statistical season in the rookie ball last year, hitting .263/.322/.389 (88 wRC+) with three homers and a 32.8% strikeout rate. The athleticism and innate hitting ability have not yet translated to on-field production in his brief pro career. And, similar to Cabello, there’s a chance Pereira will begin the season back in Extended Spring Training only because he’s so young (17!). Extended Spring Training means no stats to track for a few weeks, and that’s lame.

RHP Clarke Schmidt (Preseason No. 12 prospect)

The case for Schmidt: Schmidt, a first round pick two years ago, completed his Tommy John surgery rehab and pitched well during his pro debut last year, posting a 3.09 ERA (2.61 FIP) with 33.0% strikeouts in an admittedly tiny sample in the lower levels. Most importantly, Schmidt’s stuff reportedly rebounded nicely post-surgery, putting him in position to have a breakout season in 2018. He’s healthy and the Yankees are set to turn him loose in 2019.

The case against Schmidt: Tommy John surgery is not Schmidt’s only injury as a pro. His season ended prematurely last year due to an oblique issue, so we don’t know whether he can make it through a full season healthy. Unlike most 23-year-old pitching prospects, we have no idea what sorta numbers Schmidt might put up when healthy. For all intents and purposes, he is a complete unknown. Consider him a blind roll of the dice with the Prospect Watch.

C Anthony Seigler (Preseason No. 3 prospect)

The case for Seigler: Last year’s first round pick had a strong pro debut, hitting .266/.379/.342 (108 wRC+) with more walks (14.7%) than strikeouts (12.6%) in 24 rookie ball games. He’s a switch-hitter with very good hitting ability from both sides of the plate, and while he probably won’t wow us with huge power numbers, Seigler has the potential to post a strong batting average and on-base percentage, with few strikeouts. Few prospects in the system are as well-rounded.

The case against Seigler: A few things. One, Seigler is not a big power hitter and that could leave the Prospect Watch lacking that “wow” factor. Two, much of what makes Seigler such a strong prospect isn’t available in a box score. He’s a very advanced catcher for his age and is regarded as a strong leader, two things that won’t show up in the Prospect Watch. And three, he’s hurt! Seigler will miss the start of the regular season with a quad injury. It’s said to be a minor injury, though it is going to keep him out a bit. And, because he’s only 19, an assignment to Extended Spring Training is possible. As good as he is, Seigler is not really a “made for the Prospect Watch” prospect, at least not right now.

* * *

Mike King (preseason No. 9 prospect) would’ve been a prime Prospect Watch candidate had he not suffered a stress reaction in his elbow early in Spring Training. He’s not expected to return to game action until May. Luis Medina (No. 10) is way too control-challenged for the Prospect Watch. Others like Trevor Stephan (No. 13) and Nick Nelson (No. 15) lag behind younger arms with more upside like Garcia and Contreras.

The Yankees open the regular season this Thursday, but the minor league regular season does not begin until next Thursday. The Prospect Watch voting is open now (duh) and I’ll close it sometime this Friday morning, then announce the winner soon thereafter. Given the Prospect Watch Curse, can we even call whoever it is the winner? Maybe Aaron Judge was just powerful for the Prospect Watch Curse. Anyway, time for the poll.

Who should be on the 2019 Prospect Watch?
View Results

Filed Under: Minors, Polls Tagged With: Albert Abreu, Anthony Seigler, Antonio Cabello, Clarke Schmidt, Deivi Garcia, Everson Pereira, Jonathan Loaisiga, Roansy Contreras

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