My apologies for the lack of posts this past week and a half, but I came down with some horrendous cold/fever/upper respiratory thing that has been going around up here. It was beyond miserable, but I appear to be on the mend finally – a day I was starting to think might never come. Anyway, it was an exciting day on the farm, as the Yankees’ affiliates split the day. Much like the big club, Scranton saw some extra baseball, though they came up short. Trenton put together a nice comeback win over Richmond, while Tampa won the rare low-scoring game.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to Columbus 6-5 (10 innings):
The RailRiders scored first, putting together a big third inning. Brennan Boesch drew a walk with two outs. Zoilo Almonte singled and Dan Johnson drew a walk, loading the bases. A single by Josh Bell plated Boesch and Thomas Neal lined a double to left, clearing the bases and giving Scranton a 4-0 lead. A solo homer by Chun-Hsiu Chen put Columbus on the board int he fourth, but Scranton got the run back in the top of the fifth. Almonte and Johnson hit back-to-back singles and a double by Melky Mesa plated Almonte for a 5-1 lead. Unfortunately, the lead would not hold. Matt Carson started the bottom of the seventh with a double and Juan Diaz drew a walk. Omir Santos lined a single to center, plating Carson. A double by Ezequiel Carrera scored Diaz and two runs scored on a Lonnie Chisenhall single, tying the game 5-5. The game stayed tied through nine, sending it into extras. Scranton couldn’t get much going in the top of the tenth, but Columbus wasted little time in the bottom of the inning. Matt LaPorta lined a single to center off Josh Spence. Chisenhall bunted for a single and Chen lined a single to left, plating Lawson and giving the Clippers the 6-5 walk-off win over the RailRiders.
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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre beat Gwinnett 5-3:
The Braves took an early lead as Tyler Pastornicky started the game with a single to right and stole second. Alden Carrithers bunted for a single, putting runners on the corners for Joey Terdoslavich, who connected with a three run homer. The RailRiders had a chance to chip away at Gwinnett’s lead in the bottom of the inning. Corban Joseph singled, but Curtis Granderson hit into a double play. Zoilo Almonte, Ronnier Mustelier adn Dan Johnson all singled, but Almonte was thrown out at home, leaving Scranton trailing 3-0 . The RailRiders got a couple runners in the second and third innings, but didn’t get on the board until the fourth. Melky Mesa grounded a single to left and scored on a double by Addison Maruszak. Jeff Farnham drew a walk. Joseph laid down a bunt, that the Gwinnett catcher fielded and threw to third for the out. Granderson struck out, but a wild pitch moved the runners over. A single by Almonte plated two more runs and the game was tied 3-3. The tie held until the bottom of the eighth, at which point Scranton pulled ahead. Joseph singled and Granderson followed with a two-run homer to left center, a score that held on for the 5-3 RailRider victory.
Joseph went 2-5 with two runs scored. Granderson went 1-5 with a run scored, a homer and two RBIs. Almonte went 3-5 with a double and two RBIs. Mesa went 3-4 with a run scored. Dan Johnson went 2-3 with a double and a walk. Mustelelier went 2-5. Chris Bootcheck made the start, giving up three runs on five hits and a walk. He threw six innings and struck out four. Dellin Betances made his first appearance from the bullpen this season, throwing 2.1 innings and holding Gwinnett hitless. He walked one and struck out three. Same Demel finished out the game, going 0.2 innings and allowing one hit and striking out one.
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First, a few Minor League notes/links to check out. Mikey O’Brien has been promoted to Trenton, while Shaeffer Hall has been released and Josh Romanski was placed on the DL. Pitchers Taylor Garrison and Charlie Short are headed up to Tampa. Josh Norris posted some random scouts notes from Trenton, Tampa and Charleston, which I would recommend checking out. Meanwhile, all four teams were in action today and they all came up short, though Scranton held on for eleven innings before taking their defeat.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to Indianpolis (11 innings):
The RailRiders drew first blood, after three scoreless innings against Gerrit Cole. Ronnier Mustelier lined a single to center and stole second. He moved to third on a ground out and scored when David Adams singled to left. A solo homer by Brett Carroll knotted up the score in the fifth. Curtis Granderson started the sixth with a single, but Scranton couldn’t capitalize. They had a chance again in the bottom of the tenth. Dan Johnson and Adams both took walks to start. A walk by Bobby Wilson loaded the bases with one out, but Gil Velazquez struck out and Corban Joseph hit a ground ball to second to end the inning. Back-to-back doubles by Jerry Sands and Tony Sanchez in the top of the eleventh proved to be the difference in the end, as the Indians took the 2-1 win over the RailRiders.
No RailRider hitter had more than one hit. Granderson went 1-3, while Corban Joseph went 1-4 with a walk. Mustelier went 1-5 with a run scored and a steal. Adams went 1-3 with a RBI and a walk. Caleb Cotham made the start, going 4.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits, two walks and five Ks. Mark Montgomery went 1.1 and allowed one hit and one walk, striking out two. Cody Eppley and Jim Miller both struck out three over two innings. Eppley gave up a hit and a walk, while Miller allowed two hits. Kelvin Perez finished the game, allowing one run on a pair of hits and a walk in one inning.
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Yesterday I looked at the prospects who have started 2013 with a bang. Today let’s take a look at those who have started with more of a whimper. Unfortunately, there are a few names here that I would much rather see on the other list. Starting with…
Slade Heathcott (OF, Trenton):
Trenton should boast an impressive outfield this year, and a big part of that was because of the Yankees 2010 First Round pick. Instead, Heathcott had a pretty miserable April. He hit .191/.282/.294, with just one homer. He has stolen two bases in four attempts and taken just nine walks, striking out twenty times. His numbers are starting to move up, he hit .286/.316/.400 over his last ten games.
Dante Bichette, Jr. (3B, Charleston):
Bichette is fairing about as well as Heathcott, putting together a line of .194/.257/.290 during April. Despite this, he did have moments where he came through for the RiverDogs. He hit a pair of homers and had 19 RBIs. Unfortunately, he only took six walks during the whole month and struck out 28 times.
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In case you missed it – there were a couple important minor league tidbits reported today. As EJ noted, Ty Hensley won’t throw a pitch for any minor league affiliate this year due to his hip surgery. In happier news, Curtis Granderson is ready to make some appearances in Scranton, and even homered in Extended Spring Training today, as he nears his return to the Bronx. This is good news for Scranton, who struggled offensively today. Trenton wasn’t much better, but Tampa’s offense blew away Fort Myers.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lost to Indianapolis 2-0:
Much like the big league club last night, Scranton fell prey to one bad pitch today. With the game scoreless in the top of the third, Graham Stoneburner walked Jared Goedert and then gave up a two-run homer to Felix Pie, which proved to be the difference in the game. Neither team put up much of a threat during the remaining innings. Scranton only managed a total of three hits, as David Adams and Dan Johnson both went 1-3 and Jeff Farnham went 1-2. The rest of the lineup was hitless and Melky Mesa went 0-3 with three strikeouts. Stoneburner went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits, a walk and a strikeout. Sam Demel threw two innings, giving up one hit and striking out three. Clay Rapada and Josh Spence both pitched a scoreless inning of relief – Rapada gave up one hit and Spence walked two.
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With one month in the books, it is time to look at who’s been hot for the Yankees minor league system in April. I know I will keeping an eye on these players to see if they can carry their strong Aprils through to September – and if they can we are all in for some fun.
Robert Refsnyder (2B, Charleston/Tampa):
In his first full year of professional baseball, Refsnyder has shown some of the talent that garnered him MVP honors in last year’s College World Series. He returned to Charleston, where he hit .370/.452/.481 over thirteen games, picking up seven stolen bases. This quickly earned him a promotion to Tampa, where he finished April with a ridiculous line of .404/.525/.574 over twelve games. He has ten RBIs, and took nine walks while striking out just four times. Refsnyder has shown himself to be a bit prone to errors, however, but he has also made the move back to second base – a position he played in high school.
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Well, the first month of the 2013 season is in the books, so it is time to check on the minor league teams and players. Due to a busy start to my May, I am a little behind in getting these out, but here is a look at how the Yankees’ affiliates look so far.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:
After spending 2012 on the road, there was a lot of excitement for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate this season. Not only did they have a newly renovated stadium, but they had a new name and look to go with it. The first month of the RailRiders’ existence has not gone quite as planned, but they seem to be picking up steam. Scranton fans had to wait until the fifth game of the season to see the RailRiders pick up a victory, as they started April with a 1-6 record. As if that wasn’t enough to overcome, their next six games were postponed due to rain and/or wet grounds, giving them five days between games and a slew of doubleheaders during the rest of the month. The RailRiders seemed to regroup and quickly made up for lost time. Despite seeing ten games postponed during April, Scranton seemed to adjust well and ended the month by sweeping two straight doubleheaders. In fact, Scranton is currently riding an eight game win streak and finds themselves two games behind Buffalo in the International League North. Interestingly, Donnie Collins pointed out this morning that the RailRiders continue to do much better on the road (12-2) than they do at PNC Field (5-9).
The key strength for the RailRiders has come from the mound. Vidal Nuno, Chris Bootcheck and Chien-Ming Wang have given Scranton some strong starts, while Preston Claiborne, Sam Demel and Mark Montgomery have worked well out of the pen. If Brett Marshall and Dellin Betances can pull together some strong starts, the International League will truly have a tough time against Scranton pitching. Thomas Neal, Austin Romine, David Adams and Zoilo Almonte have all put together strong offensive performances this season. Ronnier Mustelier missed all of April with an injury, but he is now back in the lineup and should prove to big bat for the RailRiders.
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The Yankees’ major league club isn’t the only one hit by injury, as Josh Norris fills us in on some bad news for Trenton. Kyle Higashioka, who was having a pretty strong start to 2013 as JR Murphy’s backup catcher, is done for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Rob Segedin is also on the DL after hurting his hip on the 24th, with no clear return date yet. Walter Ibarra is starting to work his way back from an abdominal injury, but has a ways to go before he will be cleared.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was blanked by Indianapolis 5-0:
Chien-Ming Wang got the start for the RailRiders, making short work of the Indians through the first three innings. The RailRiders had a chance to score first in the bottom of the third, when David Adams (making a start at first base) lined a double to left. Zoilo Almonte reached on an error, put Dan Johnson grounded out and Scranton came up empty. Indianapolis rallied with two outs in the top of the fourth. Matt Hague lined a single to center and Jared Goedert singled to center. Ivan De Jesus grounded a two-run double to right and then scored on a single by Jerry Sands for the 3-0 lead. Felix Pie hit a two-run homer in the top of the fifth, giving the Indians plenty of breathing room. Scranton had a chance to make a move in the bottom of the eighth. Adams doubled to right and Almonte singled, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Johnson and Ronnier Mustelier both struck out and Melky Mesa flew out, as the Indians held on for the 5-0 win.
Adams went 2-4 with a pair of doubles. Almonte and Bobby Wilson were the only other RailRiders to pick up hits. Corban Joseph and Mesa went 0-4 and Mustelier went 0-3. Wang gave up five runs on eight hits over five innings. He did not walk anyone and struck out five. Kelvin Perez went two innings and allowed just two hits and a walk, striking out four. Clay Rapada and Josh Spence each gave up one hit in an inning of work. Rapada allowed a walk and Spence struck out two.
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Overall, it was a good day for the Yankees minor league system. Scranton swept their doubleheader and saw a solid start by Dellin Betances. Tampa beat up on Fort Myers, as almost everyone in the lineup got a hit and Robert Refsnyder continued to put together a super 2013. Trenton and Charleston both held the lead at one point today, but came up short.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre beat Gwinnett 5-1 in Game 1:
Betances no-hit the Braves over five strong innings, while Scranton scored the first runs of the game in the top of the third. With two outs, the RailRiders got a base runner when David Adams was hit by a pitch. Zoilo Almonte flew a homer to center and Scranton took the 2-0 lead. Corban Joseph drew a walk to start the fifth, scoring later on a single by Dan Johnson. The RailRiders added some more insurance in the top of the sixth. Bobby Wilson lined a single to left and Joseph lined one to center. Adams knocked a triple to right, scoring two more runs and giving Scranton a 5-0 lead. Gwinnett finally managed a pair of hits in the bottom of the seventh – resulting in one run – giving the RailRiders a 5-1 win.
Betances put together a nice outing, though he still showed some inconsistency, allowing four walks. He struck out three over five hitless innings. Almonte went 2-4 with a run scored, a homer, and two RBIs. He also had a fielding error. Johnson went 2-4 with a RBI. Joseph went 1-3 with two runs scored and a walk. Adams was 1-3 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored. Sam Demel threw the final two innings, giving up one unearned run on two hits, a walk and a strikeout.
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