Hypothetical: Scranton RailRiders vs. New York Mets – Who Wins?

Hypothetical, but serious question. If the New York Mets were to play the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders in a seven-game series who do you think would win the series? Let’s analyze and discuss.

RailRiders 25-Man Roster:

C: Kyle Higashioka

1B: Tyler Austin

2B: Tyler Wade

SS: Thairo Estrada

3B: Brandon Drury

LF: Billy McKinney

CF: Shane Robinson

RF: Clint Frazier

DH: Mike Ford

BN: Wilkin Castillo

BN: L.J. Mazilli

BN: Ronald Torreyes

BN: Mark Payton

SP: Justus Sheffield

SP: Chance Adams

SP: Erik Swanson

SP: Josh Rogers

SP: Brady Lail

CL: Cody Carroll

RP: David Hale

RP: Tommy Kahnle
RP: J.P. Feyereisen
RP: Giovanny Gallegos

RP: Nestor Cortes

RP: Daniel Camarena  Oliver Perez

BOLDED players are currently on the Yankees 40-man roster

Mets 25-Man Roster:

C: Devin Mesoraco

1B: Wilmer Flores

2B: Asdrubal Cabrera

SS: Amed Rosario

3B: Todd Frazier

LF: Yoenis Cespedes

CF: Michael Conforto

RF: Jay Bruce

DH: Dominic Smith

BN: Brandon Nimmo

BN: Jose Reyes

BN: Kevin Plawecki

BN: Jose Bautista

SP: Jacob deGrom

SP: Noah Syndergaard

SP: Steven Matz

SP: Jason Vargas

SP: Zack Wheeler

CL: Jeurys Familia

RP: Jerry Blevins

RP: Anthony Swarzak
RP: Robert Gsellman
RP: Chris Beck

RP: Tim Peterson

RP: Drew Smith

Game 1

Jacob deGrom vs. Justus Sheffield

If the RailRiders were going to steal a game in this series I truly think it would be in Game One behind Justus Sheffield. The Mets would undoubtedly come into the series confident and would possibly overlook the Yankees Triple-A affiliate, so just because I am going to give Scranton the victory and the early 1-0 series victory.

Scranton leads series 1-0

Game 2

Noah Syndergaard vs. Chance Adams

Chance Adams has struggled throughout much of his Triple-A career with his command and control and that will be the key reason why Scranton will fall in Game Two. Syndergaard is a tough pitcher to give a lead to, but that is exactly what Chance would do presumably under the bright lights and in front of all the eyes watching on this big stage.

Series even 1-1

Game 3

Steven Matz vs. Erik Swanson

Erik Swanson has taken many by surprise this season with his great pitching. Swanson has seemingly come out of nowhere this season and has broken out leading the RailRiders to victory after victory, a trend that will continue tonight in Game Three. Swanson was dominant and Matz made that one mistake to Clint Frazier that cost the team the victory in the middle innings.

Scranton leads the series 2-1

Game 4

Jason Vargas vs. Josh Rogers

To be completely honest I had to Google who the Mets 4^th starter was, that’s how unimpressed with that other team from New York I am. Rogers has pitched well in Triple-A, but many wonder if his stuff will translate well into the Majors as a starter. Vargas did just enough to win behind a strong night from Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes to even the series.

Series tied 2-2

Game 5

Jacob deGrom vs. Justus Sheffield

Sheffield cannot beat deGrom twice in a row, can he? Unfortunately, I have to say no. The RailRiders may have caught deGrom and the Mets by surprise in the first start, but I cannot see lightning striking twice. deGrom comes out with a victory and a bit of retribution.

Mets lead series 3-2

Game 6

Noah Syndergaard vs. Chance Adams

Chance Adams had a much better game in Game Six while Syndergaard matched him zero for zero late into the contest. Partly because we haven’t mentioned him yet, and partly because I want to see a seventh game in this hypothetical series, Brandon Drury comes up with the big home run late to send the series to a deciding and final game. RailRiders win.

Series tied 3-3

Game 7

Steven Matz vs. Erik Swanson

You didn’t really think I was going to let the New York Mets win, did you? Hell no. 13 runs later and another dominating performance by Erik Swanson later and the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders have just beaten the New York Mets in a seven-game series. How embarrassing.

Rosters are all assuming health and is all hypothetical. This post was written in fun, take it that way and enjoy.

The Next Baby Bomber – Caleb Smith

The youth movement is in full effect in the Bronx as it seems like the New York Yankees are calling up a new prospect every single series. Miguel Andujar up, Miguel Andujar down the next day. Tyler Austin up, Tyler Austin injured and Tyler Austin straight back down. Dustin Fowler, Tyler Wade, Rob Refsnyder, Clint Frazier, Jordan Montgomery and the list goes on and on. Could the next baby bomber on that list be left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith?

Smith is currently pitching in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders and while he is no Chance Adams, and let me take a quick second to once again marvel at what Adams is doing for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate right now, the lefty has been quite impressive for some time now. The Chicago Cubs took Smith in the Rule 5 Draft from the Yankees only to return him to the organization and the lefty has been pitching with a proverbial chip on his shoulder ever since.

Smith made one relief appearance in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder before pitching his next 15 games, at the time of this writing anyway, at Triple-A including 14 of them as a starting pitcher. Smith has somehow quietly posted a 7-0 record with a 2.20 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 82 innings of work for the RailRiders. Smith’s command is top notch and his stats are as well which helped him earn a spot in the Triple-A All-Star Game in 2017 which will be played on Wednesday, July 12 in Tacoma, Washington’s Cheney Stadium.

Smith is not on the Yankees 40 man roster as of right now but could be added relatively easy, the Yankees have shown this time-and-time again this season. Smith may be the ideal candidate for a call-up if the Yankees need another arm soon rather than rushing Adams who still has a couple things to work on in Triple-A including his command. There’s no reason to start Adams’ service time clock if you don’t need to and the Yankees may not need to with a secret weapon in Smith sitting there in Triple-A just waiting on the call.

If the Yankees need an arm they need to make the call because not only is Smith ready, but he’s earned it as well. I have a sneaking suspicion we will be seeing you soon, Caleb. 

Dustin Fowler Out, Jake Cave In?

EDIT: Clint Frazier called up making this entire post moot. Meh.

How heartbreaking was it to watch as Dustin Fowler ran into the wall in right field during his Major League debut only to have to undergo season-ending knee surgery in the first inning? I was personally pretty shook up about it because I have been watching these prospects fight and claw their way to the Major Leagues for what feels like forever so now that the Yankees organization is now giving them their shot I almost feel like a proud father of sorts. To see one of them go down in their first inning in the big leagues is just utterly disappointing but as I have said many times on this blog… the New York Yankees are resilient. The New York Yankees will just plug in someone else and the New York Yankees will bounce back so with Dustin Fowler out with a pretty significant tear in his knee could this open the door for fellow outfielder Jake Cave?

Jake Cave has been hot and he may be hot at just the right time. In his first 10 games back in Triple-A the lefty has hit .429/.459/.886 with three home runs and seven runs scored collecting at least one hit in all ten of those games. Could this kind of protection get him a spot on the 40 man roster with Dustin Fowler now done for the season?

Cave has many outfielders in front of him on the depth chart including Clint Frazier but Frazier is deemed not ready for MLB action yet and the Yankees need an outfielder with Aaron Hicks on the shelf. For now New York may seem content with running Rob Refsnyder out there… but for how long? Will we see Cave soon? Maybe this weekend or at the beginning of next week? Stay tuned.

Also, how awesome of a story would it be if Cave were to get the call to the Major Leagues and succeed? After being selected in the Rule 5 Draft back in December of 2015 by the Cincinnati Reds the center fielder went to almost the last day on Spring Training before being returned to the Yankees before Opening Day. Cave was assigned to Double-A Trenton where he got off to a .288/.353/.510 start in 27 games earning him a call-up to Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Cave finished the 2016 campaign in Triple-A with a .261 average in 89 games and was once again left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. This time no teams came calling for his services.

This would be the ultimate rags to riches story if I’ve ever seen one. Cave has stood up to diversity time and time again and won so there’s no reason to believe he won’t do so again if and when he finally gets that call to the show. I’m rooting for you Jake.

So it Seems Miguel Andujar is Learning First Base

The New York Yankees have a good problem on their hands, the team has too many good prospects and not enough positions to play them all at. The Yankees have Gleyber Torres scratching at the door of the Major Leagues presumably at third base leaving their next best third baseman to potentially learn a new position. Miguel Andujar, once thought to be the future in the Bronx at the hot corner, was seen last Friday taking reps at first base before his game with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

The Yankees have the third-worst production at first base this season and Andujar may be the Yankees answer to the potential problem rather than acquiring someone outside the organization. With prospects you have to make the organization see you and you have to force the organization’s hands by producing and Andujar has done just that as he crushed the ball in Double-A.

Let’s be real, the long term plan for Andujar can’t be first base. His arm and defense is just too strong and too good (eventually anyway since he does lack true consistency in the field) to be wasted at first base. I truly think Andujar would be traded before he was moved to first base full time. Part time first base? Maybe, especially given the Yankees dire needs this season. I guess we will all just have to stay tuned.

The Chris Carter Countdown Has Begun

*cue the music*

It’s the final countdown…… Yeah I’ll stop there but really we could be all witnessing the final countdown of Chris Carter in Yankees pinstripes. The New York Yankees announced on Monday that first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin had been activated off the 60-day disabled list and had been optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Chris Carter, you’re on the clock.

Austin broke a bone in his foot back in February and has been sidelined ever since but has finally worked his way back to live game action. The Yankees first baseman have struggled for the majority of the 2017 season and Austin may be the remedy to the problem. Having Austin on the roster, even when Greg Bird is deemed healthy enough to return, takes a one-dimensional player off the team that is only there for his right-handed power and adds a versatile player with right-handed power. It really is a win-win for the Yankees since the cost of Carter’s contract is already a sunken cost.

At the time of this writing Carter was hitting .180/.279/.333 with four home runs in 129 plate appearances which is a far cry from his 2016 campaign when he led the National League in home runs. Austin can do that and play defense too. Make the move, it’s a move for the now and for the future. 

Who Let the Kids Out?

The New York Yankees may need reinforcements at the trading deadline this season and unlike in years past the Bronx Bombers have a couple of choices. They can go out and get that big named rental by trading away prospects for the win now or they can stick to the plan, continue the youth movement and call up their own players for the playoff push. The Yankees have done this before, remember when Luis Severino was called up back in 2015 after the July 31^st trading deadline? The only way this can happen though is if you have MLB-ready talent sitting and developing in Triple-A so let’s focus on those Scranton RailRiders players now that could help the Yankees in the second half of this season and beyond.

The Yankees system starts and ends with Gleyber Torres and we all know that. We have spent extensive time talking about him so I won’t spend too much more time here. Sources close to the New York Post have New York grooming him to eventually take over at third base for Chase Headley this season or next so it seems like we will be seeing the 20-year old sooner rather than later.

The Yankees second best prospect is Clint Frazier and after a slow start to his Yankees tenure in 2016 the red-headed outfielder who was the subject of so much drama and attention in spring training has put all that behind him and is putting together a strong 2017 campaign. At the time of this writing Frazier has nine home runs and is hitting the ball all over the place and for extra bases. Frazier has cut down on his strikeouts, although his strikeout tendencies will likely keep him from ever hitting above .300 consistently, while keeping a steady walk rate. Frazier is shifting to left field in Triple-A leading me to believe that a Brett Gardner trade may at least be discussed at this year’s July 31^st trading deadline.

The man that has unseated Frazier in center field and moved him to left is also in Triple-A and also seems ready for the bright lights in the Bronx. Dustin Fowler is a name we have been hearing for years now and the time for all fans of the Yankees, not just the ones who follow the minor league system, may be coming in 2017. Fowler was drafted in 2013, the same season the Yankees drafted Aaron Judge, and has only gotten better since being drafted. Fowler also strikes out more than you would like but he walks, he hits for power and for extra-bases and he steals bases once he gets on. His defense is more than adequate and he is just an all-around good player. He reminds me a lot of the dynasty Yankees that weren’t necessarily “great” at anything but good at everything. Talent wins out and so does hard work and Fowler has and does both.

The final prospect we will showcase today is Tyler Wade, another prospect we have spoken of quite a bit here on the blog. Wade is a prospect that I have admittedly been extremely hard on and skeptical of during his tenure with the Yankees but he has done nothing to make me feel the need to post an “I told you so.” Wade is 22-years old and has been playing the field while with the Yankees, literally. Wade was drafted as a second baseman but the left-hander has played all over the infield and all across the outfield as the Yankees try to turn him into their own version of Ben Zobrist. Wade seems to be developing more power at the plate, although he will never be a huge home run hitter, but he can find gaps and use his speed to take extra bases. Wade already has 13 stolen bases at the time of this writing and has been wreaking havoc on the basepaths all season long. Wade may finally be to the Yankees what they wanted Rob Refsnyder to be, a player that can handle any position change, a player that just hits or gets on base and goes out and does his job on a nightly basis no matter what. Wade should be on the Yankees bench relatively soon if I were a betting man, and lately I have become one.

Keep an eye out for these men around July and August of this season. The July 31^st trade deadline may allow us to see one or all of these men in the Bronx this season. Stay tuned.

Oh, and before I forget, do you guys want to hear about how much I am in love with Chance Adams in the starting rotation for the RailRiders? I mean I could go on and on again here on the blog about him and extend this post another few thousand words if you’d like. I just have a sneaking suspicion my stance on the Yankees right-hander is well known by now but I would feel remiss if I didn’t include him here on this list because he will definitely be in the Bronx very, very soon.

So it Seems We May See Chance Adams in 2017

The New York Yankees are in first place in the American League East Division and while the Boston Red Sox are creeping up and the Toronto Blue Jays are quietly climbing out of their early season cellar they stuck themselves in the Yankees don’t seem phased. New York has a plan and they are sticking to the plan, period, and that plan is the youth movement. The Yankees already have Aaron Judge potentially starting an All Star Game for them if the voting ended today, Gary Sanchez taking over the league behind the dish and the prospect of Gleyber Torres (more on him later) reaching the Major Leagues sooner rather than later. Having positional players is great but if the Yankees from the early to mid-2000’s taught us anything it’s that you need pitching because you simply won’t win enough of those 12-10 games to stick around in the postseason. That’s where Chance Adams comes in.

I have been talking about Adams since the year he was drafted and the young righty had finally reached Triple-A. It’s time to seriously get the discussions about him and his future with the organization started because Adams finds himself just one shuttle ride away from the Major Leagues. Who knows when that call from Yankees GM Brian Cashman will come but if he keeps dominating Triple-A hitters like he has since his call up that call may come sooner rather than later.

Adams, just 22-years old, is now considered to be the Yankees best pitching prospect and top pitching prospect in an absolutely stacked minor league system. As Adams continues to learn how to be a starter, remember the Yankees drafted him as a relief pitcher and converted him to a starter just a couple seasons ago, the right-hander is seemingly getting better and stronger the closer he gets to the Major Leagues. This week Adams made his fourth Triple-A start and he dominated Columbus holding the Clippers to just one hit and no runs with two walks and 12 strikeouts in six innings of work. The RailRiders won the game 6-0. Adams is 3-1 with a 1.57 ERA in Triple-A this season after posting a 4-0 record with a 1.03 ERA while in Double-A with the Trenton Thunder.

Adams is dominating and he is showing the Yankees that he has little to nothing left to prove and learn in the Minor Leagues. If CC Sabathia and Jordan Montgomery continue to struggle we just may see Chance Adams in the Major Leagues before July, you can bet on it. 

Will Tyler Austin Unseat Chris Carter on Yankees Roster?

The New York Yankees had high hopes for the first base position this year and those high hopes and about $15 could get you a beer at Yankee Stadium right now. The Yankees first baseman have been, in a word that’s not really a word, terrible. Greg Bird was hitting exactly .100 before he went on the disabled list and Chris Carter has been a shell of his former self after leading the National League in home runs in 2016 while with the Milwaukee Brewers. With the recent promotion to Triple-A for a rehabbing Tyler Austin could the Yankees have a decision to make on their hands in the very near future? Could the Yankees actually cut and designate Carter for assignment while bringing Austin back to the Major Leagues to play first and the outfield? In another word that is actually a word, yes. Will they? That cannot be answered in a word so keep reading.

Austin adds a versatility and some flexibility that the Yankees bench not only lacks, but needs. Carter is a first baseman or DH only on a team who already has at least two players just like him in Bird and Matt Holliday. The fact that Austin has played third base during his professional career as well as the corner outfield makes so much more sense for him to be sitting on the bench a few days a week, even when Bird returns off the disabled list, than having Carter sitting on the bench. The money is a non-issue to me because in the land of guaranteed contracts the money is spent regardless. I’m not bothering myself with trying to get under the luxury tax, I’m trying to compete and I’m trying to win.

Carter was brought in to be the right-handed compliment, not platoon partner, for Bird and I have news for you. Not only is Austin right-handed but Austin has right-handed pop to all fields, especially inside Yankee Stadium. It just makes sense to me. Bringing up Austin not only continues the youth movement but it makes the team more flexible, more versatile and truth be told it makes the team flat out better. Austin won’t hit .300 at the Major League level but I don’t think he will strike out 200 times a season without taking his walks either. He is a patient hitter and he sprays the ball everywhere. Austin, unlike Carter, is not one-dimensional and would make manager Joe Girardi’s job just that much easier as the team has run just three extra positional players for much of the season.

So when Austin gets back and ready will the Yankees designate Carter for assignment? I don’t know. Should they? Absolutely!

So it Seems Gleyber Torres is ONE Step Away

The New York Yankees are being super aggressive with their top prospect and honestly it is a sight for sore eyes. The Yankees organization announced over the weekend that top prospect Gleyber Torres was promoted from Double-A Trenton to Triple-A Scranton leaving the infielder just one step from the Major Leagues. Congratulations to Gleyber.

Torres is just 20-years old and at the time of his promotion was hitting .273/.367/.496 with five home runs, 17 walks and 21 strikeouts in just 32 games with the Trenton Thunder. That includes him missing a little over a week with a shoulder injury.

Just in case you have been living under a rock and haven’t heard of or don’t know much about Torres here is the scouting report from MLB.com who ranks Torres as the second best prospect in all of Major League Baseball behind Chicago White Sox star Yoan Moncada.

Torres has exceptionally quick hands that allow him to excel at the dish and in the field. He's very advanced at the plate, recognizing pitches well, displaying patience and using the entire field. His power projections seem to increase each year as he adds strength and experience, and he now looks like he'll deliver 20-plus homers on an annual basis in his prime.

Scouts also seem to gain a greater appreciation for Torres' defense with each passing season. Though he's just an average runner, he definitely has the actions, hands and arm strength to play shortstop for a long time. Chapman may have helped Chicago win the World Series, but Torres may help New York win the trade.

With this promotion is it out of the realm of possibility that Torres could be an injury away from a call up to the show? Or at the very least a September call up? I would think that Tyler Wade would stand ahead of him on the depth chart but honestly I won’t be the one to count him out. Not anymore.

Have a great day everyone. Especially you. Hey you. 

What if Jacoby Ellsbury’s Elbow is Seriously Injured?

Monday night the Yankees got a little bit of a scare in their game with the Toronto Blue Jays as Jacoby Ellsbury slammed into the center field wall after making a running catch in the Yankees 7-1 loss against Toronto. Two runs scored on the play and after the game Ellsbury told reporters that his left throwing elbow was sore and that he had iced the elbow after the game. Ellsbury did stay in the game after the catch in the sixth inning and finished the game but me being pessimistic at times I worry about whether his elbow is healthy and whether the Yankees should worry going forward so I got doing some research and Yankees fans, I’m no longer worried. Here’s why.

The Yankees youth movement is in full swing so if Ellsbury’s elbow injury is serious then that’s fine, let him take all the time he needs on the disabled list so that he can come back 100% healthy and effective. There’s no need to rush him back or play him hurt, especially when there is a certain someone who definitely looks like he has a future in the Bronx playing extremely well down in Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. His name is Dustin Fowler.

Fowler is once again tearing the cover off the ball down on the farm for the Yankees and is also coming off a day to remember here on Sunday. Fowler had his first career five-hit game for the RailRiders en route to hitting for the cycle which included a walk-off home run in the 11^th inning. As of the game on Sunday Fowler was slashing .293/.341/.573 in his first season in Triple-A with 47 total bases through his first 20 games. Fowler is once again proving he is done with the Minor Leagues aside from some minor seasoning and work and Fowler is really opening eyes inside the Yankees organization.

His combination of speed and defense are only highlighted by his stellar performance with the bat and his ceiling looks to be sky high right now for New York. Fowler does not own a 40 man roster spot currently but he is probably just one injury away from a Mason Williams DFA (designated for assignment) and a shuttle ride to the Bronx. If Ellsbury’s elbow injury is serious don’t fret Yankees fans. The future is now and the future in center field is named Dustin Fowler. 

Who is the Next Jordan Montgomery?

The New York Yankees, if you ask around, have very little in the way of starting pitching depth in their minor league system… or do they? We here at The Greedy Pinstripes were talking about Chance Adams at least a year before he became a household name with the fans and we have also been beating the drum and talking up Jordan Montgomery for at least a year now so who is the next Chance Adams or Jordan Montgomery in the organization? How about Dietrich Enns who was added to the 40 man roster recently as a way of being protected from the Rule 5 Draft? He wasn’t chosen in the draft the year before when left unprotected so it looks like 29 other teams may have made a huge, huge mistake.

Enns is kind of like Jordan Montgomery in a way, he isn’t a flashy prospect or a blue chip prospect by any means but at 25-years old Enns has been one of the most consistent and unhittable pitchers in all of the Yankees system. New York drafted Enns in the 19^th round of the 2012 MLB First Year Players Draft as a relief pitcher from Central Michigan and all the 6’1” left-hander has done is dominate since. The Yankees converted him into a starting pitcher when he reached High-A with the Tampa Yankees and his career has seemingly taken off.

Now before you mention the fact that he is 25-years old and still yet to make his Major league debut I will remind you, or inform you in some cases, that Enns missed the majority of the 2014 and campaigns with Tommy John surgery. Enns was fully back and fully healthy in 2016 and he took Double-A by storm with the Trenton Thunder leading New York to promote him to Triple-A by the end of May. Enns finished 2016 with a combined 14-4 record (7-2 at both Double-A and Triple-A) with a 1.73 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 124 strikeouts in 134 innings. Somehow Enns seemingly got stronger and better the closer he got to the Majors which led the Yankees to the tough decision they faced this winter, to protect the lefty starter or to leave him out there in the Rule 5 Draft again.

Enns walks are still a little higher than you would like, and that could be just the thorn in the side of his game or it could be directly related to still working his way back from Tommy John surgery, but either way the lefty always seems to find a way to get hitters out and with great consistency. Enns won’t blow you away with his fastball, changeup, curve and slider repertoire but he mixes up his pitches enough and commands his pitches well enough to be extremely deceptive and consistent in the strike zone. Enns has his flaws but he is a starter with a 40 man roster spot so if we see an injury or three this season we may see Enns pulling a “Jordan Montgomery” as the next Yankees pitching prospect to ride the Scranton Shuttle all the way to the Major Leagues. Stay tuned and good luck to Dietrich. 

Meet a Prospect: Tyler Austin

As recently as the beginning of the 2015 season Tyler Austin was graded by scouts as a B-, which anyone with a High School diploma, a GED, or an equivalent diploma can tell you... that is pretty darn good. He is a 3B by trade but also can play first base, where he'll likely start this season with the RailRiders, and the outfield while also being a potential DH type as well down the road. As a 19 yr. old he had one of the more polished bats in all of the New York Penn League (NYPL), the same NYPL that Mason Williams tore up in Staten Island. This is probably an anomaly but he was 18 for 18 in base stealing opportunities that season as well.


Drafted in the 13th round of the 2010 draft he broke his wrist in his 2nd pro game and missed basically the entire season. In his first season in extended spring training, the Gulf Coast League (GCL), and the NYPL in Staten Island Austin had a triple slash of .354/ .418/ .579 in 47 combined games including 26 extra base hits.


At 6'2" and 200 pounds his frame is athletic and speedy for a guy his size. He has shown that he can spray the ball to all fields although he needs to develop more power. He has nothing left to prove at the "lower" levels of the minor league systems and looks to bring his tools with him to the Bronx as he is knocking on the door as soon as 2016 after the injury to Greg Bird. The biggest concern with Austin is going to be what position will he play and can he find some consistency with his bat. The scouts are wondering whether he can be adequate enough to stay at the 3B position, although his lack of power thus far scares most away from having him be a 1B. Does Austin have the speed, the range and the arm to play right field? Honestly I think he can play any position he so chooses to, the guy is that talented. My biggest concern is the bat, can he find the consistency? He is very hit-or-miss and he's either on or off and unfortunately it's been more off than on in recent seasons.


Keith Law, insider required or I would link, even placed him on his "sleeper" prospects for the 2012 season saying “Third baseman Tyler Austin has turned himself into a pretty good defender over there, defying earlier predictions he’d have to move to first,” said KLaw of his sleeper pick for the Yankees. “[He] has a whole-field approach to hitting with pull power right now, and runs well for his size with a perfect stolen-base record in the pros.”


Austin will likely start the season in Scranton with the RailRiders in 2017 but may not be long for the minor leagues. Austin is more losing to a numbers game than he is a talent game at this point. Austin has minor league options while others like Chris Carter and Matt Holliday simply do not. Period. It's business. Austin is ready defensively and will try to make strides with the bat next season. If Austin's wrist injuries are behind him, which I truly believe that they are, there is nothing stopping this young man from making it back all the way to the Show. I've always been one of the biggest Austin fans around and I continue to be until he proves me wrong, and he hasn't yet.

Don’t Sleep on These Yankees Arms in 2017

The New York Yankees, much like every team at this point in the season, presumably feels pretty good about their starting rotation right now. Sure, they would have liked to have added more in terms of innings, stability and durability but if you look at things on paper the Yankees, remember that they are in a “rebuilding” year, are doing well. Luis Severino is working on his mechanics, Michael Pineda is in a contract year, CC Sabathia has shown an ability to pitch and not just throw, Masahiro Tanaka is pitching towards an opt-out clause in his contract, Chad Green should be back healthy and Luis Cessa was awfully effective last year for New York. The problem for the Yankees though is that these games are not played on paper and you always need a Plan B. Here are a few Plan B’s that the Yankees should not be sleeping on as we inch towards the 2017 regular season.

Brady Lail, for some odd reason, always reminds me of Rookie Davis (the prospect traded for Aroldis Chapman last spring) and for some odd reason Rookie Davis always reminded me of Adam Warren and David Phelps. None were aces but all are and/or have the potential to be solid MLB pitchers who can get MLB hitters out and give you five-or-six innings every fifth day. Lail, who was originally drafted in the 18^th round in 2012, has been a slow riser but he has been an impressive since reaching Double-A. Lail is not going to blow people away or strike out 10+ a game but where he lacks in velocity he more than makes up in command and finesse. Lail throws three offspeed pitches to compliment his low 90’s fastball and simply gets opposing batters out, period.

Nestor Cortes broke out in a big way in 2016 while down with the Charleston Riverdogs which propelled him through Tampa and Trenton all the way to Triple-A with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Cortes, like Lail, is not going to throw 100 MPH or strike out 15 every single game but he simply pounds the strike zone and doesn’t beat himself. Cortes, like Lail, pitches rather than throws and they both do it exceptionally well.

James Kaprielian. I know what you’re thinking, no one is sleeping on Kaprielian. Well, you may be wrong. Kaprielian entered the 2016 season as the first in line to come out of the minor league system if the Yankees needed an arm but an injury later and most of the 2016 season lost to injury it’s hard to feel that confident in Kaprielian heading into this season. Kaprielian did pitch in the Arizona Fall League and seems healthy though so the sky is the limit for the right-hander in 2016. Cautiously anyway. 

New York Signs Ji-Man Choi to Minor League Deal

The New York Yankees are starting to stockpile the minor leagues and this year’s spring training camp with some depth and that continued this week when the organization signed South Korea born Ji-Man Choi to a minor league deal. The contract is worth $700,000 and includes an invitation to Yankees spring training camp in 2017. If Choi can earn a spot on the Yankees roster out of camp he will immediately receive another $400K in incentives.

Choi is fresh off making his MLB debut in 2016 with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim where he played 54 games for the club. Choi managed just a .170/.271/.339 triple slash with five home runs in 112 at-bats though after the club chose Choi in the Rule 5 Draft taking him from the Baltimore Orioles.

Choi, originally signed by the Seattle Mariners way back in 2009, has seen time at first base, in left field and at the DH position in his career making just one error in 265 total innings. Choi will join Greg Bird, Tyler Austin and Rob Refsnyder who will all be vying for the first base job in 2017. If Choi does not win the job out of spring, which seems like a long shot at this point, he could always serve as an injury replacement and depth piece for the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders.

Good luck to Choi and welcome to the family. 

Learn the Name Giovanny Gallegos

The New York Yankees may be done with their heavy lifting on the free agent market but that does not mean the team is done improving their roster at the big league level. If the free agent spending is done, and Yankees GM Brian Cashman says it is unless the team can move some payroll around, which leaves the team two options in order to improve. They can make trades, and subsequently sign more free agents if they move money in those deals, or they can simply continue building from within. One such name and arm that they could build from within with is a name that a lot of people and fans may not know now, but you should get to know him. His name is Giovanny Gallegos, learn the name.

The 25-year old relief pitcher was added to the Yankees 40-man roster this winter making arms such as Nick Goody, who was traded to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later or cash considerations, expendable. The Yankees must be high on him but who is he?

Gallegos is another big-framed right-handed pitcher for the Yankees standing at 6’2” that signed with the team out of Mexico in 2010. Gallegos had a rough and rocky road to his career that included a knee injury and a Tommy John surgery but has since found his niche as a reliever after being moved there full time in 2015. Gallegos is the Yankees stereotypical low ERA, low WHIP, high strikeouts and low walk type reliever they seem to be pumping out in excess lately. Gallegos is a big command guy while surviving with enough velocity and movement to be effective.

Gallegos is a former starting pitcher so he is not a two-pitch pitcher like most relievers. Instead Gallegos has three off-speed pitches alone that he uses at will against batters. That in itself is something special. Gallegos has been nothing but dominant in the Yankees minor league system and reached Triple-A in 2016 where he posted a 1.40 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with a 5-1 record. Gallegos is a ground ball pitcher, which can only help inside Yankee Stadium, and is poised to make a run at the final spot in the Yankees bullpen a la Johnny Barbato in 2016. Stay tuned to see if he can do it. 

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Marcus Thames

Marcus Markley Thames, born March 6, 1977, played with four different teams including the New York Yankees three separate times during his playing career from 2002 to 2011 and has since spent his time in the minor leagues with the club as a coach. During the 2013 season Thames was the hitting coach for the High-A Tampa Yankees and was promoted to the Trenton Thunder in the same position for the 2014 season drawing rave reviews from one of the Yankees top prospects Robert Refsnyder. Now, in a bit of irony, we remember a Yankee of the past (as a player, not as a coach) and we remember Marcus Thames during his playing days.


Thames was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB Draft but did not make a true impact in the minor leagues until 2001. Thames was with the Double-A Norwich Navigators that season and he batted .321 with 31 home runs and 97 RBI where he was named to Baseball America’s minor league All-Star team and where he put himself on the map for the Yankees. New York was so impressed with Thames that they called him up before a June 10 game in 2002 and Thames responded immediately. Thames, facing the Arizona Diamondbacks big left-hander Randy Johnson, hit the first home run of his career on his first at bat becoming just the 80th player in MLB history to do so. Thames earned his first curtain call from the Bronx faithful, what a moment if you were fortunate enough to see it live.


Thames’ tenure with the Yankees ended on June 6, 2003 when he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Ruben Sierra. Thames went on to hit a home run in his first at bat with the Rangers as well but was back in the New York groove in 2010 when he signed a minor league deal with the club. Thames made the Opening Day roster and was set to be a platoon partner with Brett Gardner in left field before his defense forced him to accept a bench role. Thames was delegated to the bench behind Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Austin Kearns who was traded for before the trade deadline and ended up playing in just 82 games that season. In half of a season Kearns hit .288 with 12 home runs, mainly against left-handed pitching.





Thames elected free agency in November of 2010 but was right back with the team on July 22, 2011 after New York signed him to another minor league deal. Thames never played a game for the Yankees at any level that season and would retire from the game a member of the New York Yankees before pursuing his career in coaching with the ball club. Thames has continuously defied the odds and has defied the odds once again with his promotion to assistant hitting coach with the club. Congratulations to him and his family. You have to think that Thames is on the short list for hitting coach after Cockrell’s contract expires, no?

Gary Sanchez 2016 Yankees Highlights

Gary Sanchez had a hell of a season in 2016. Not only did he do well in Triple-A  this season but he also came up to the Major Leagues and took the league by storm hitting home run after home run after home run. Sanchez became the quickest player in MLB history to hit 19 home runs and had 20 home runs in just about a third of the MLB season. It was simply amazing so let's relive that all over again... shall we?

Yankees Rank Two in Baseball America’s Top 20 Triple-A Prospects

Every season the crew over at Baseball America ranks their top 20 prospects for each league in Minor League Baseball. The Yankees are usually pretty absent from these rankings but after restocking their farm system with a few mid-season trades New York sent more than a few to each list for Baseball America including two for the International League, or more commonly known as Triple-A.

Gary Sanchez was the #3 ranked International League prospect behind the Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner and Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton. Sanchez and what he did with the big league club this season was ultra-impressive but he also did well in Triple-A in 2016 which a lot of people aren’t talking about. As Sanchez grows out of prospect eligibility this season names like Tyler Glasnow, Austin meadows and J.P. Crawford will slide in where Sanchez once stood.

The other Yankees prospect to make the list also reached the Major Leagues this season, right fielder Aaron Judge. Judge ended 2015 in Triple-A and had some holes found in his swing which left him statistically wavering a bit to end the season. Judge seemingly plugged those holes this season and will look for history to repeat itself this coming season in the Bronx after being exposed a bit in 2016 at the Major League level.

You have to think if Clint Frazier had more at bats in Triple-A he would have made the list but there is no excuse for Ben Gamel not to be on this list. Gamel, now a member of the Seattle Mariners, was the league’s MVP for goodness sake. How does he not make the list at least at #20? 

The Finale Weekly Prospects Check In: Clint Frazier

Started from the bottom now we're here. The final weekly prospects check in for the 2016 regular season ends with the Yankees top prospect in the system, Clint Frazier. Frazier came over in a mid-season trade with the Cleveland Indians and immediately got acquainted with Triple-A and more importantly got acquainted with winning.

The season is over the Triple-A Champions are the Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders. Clint Frazier was a part of that team so let's end this regular season showcase with a bang. A redheaded bang.

Year	Age	Aff	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	CLE-NYY	119	520	75	122	27	16	55	13	48	122	.263	.335	.447	.782

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Article Revisit: Raising Up & Defending Gary Sanchez's Prospect Status

Originally posted one year ago to the day HERE: 

This has been something that has been on my mind for quite some time but I’ve always struggled to put it into words without coming off as condescending, cocky or downright rude. I have been content to simply roll my eyes and pass by tweets, comments and articles stating that Gary Sanchez has no future with the team, he’s the next Jesus Montero, he’ll never catch a game with the New York Yankees etc. but I received an email over the weekend that I simply cannot ignore, one that I cannot simply bite my tongue and roll my eyes at because it was absolutely ridiculous.


The email, from a person who will remain nameless but a reader of the blog obviously, asked me what I thought the team would do with Sanchez over the winter. In the handful of emails we exchanged back and forth, because I am a nice guy and I believe in putting the social back into social media, I heard the usual grumblings that Sanchez has been in the organization forever and he’s blocked by John Ryan Murphy and Brian McCann but the final email put the icing on the cake. The emailer, who I respect and I’m not calling out whatsoever here, stated that Sanchez was merely an organizational prospect and that he needed to be packaged away with Rob Refsnyder and Ivan Nova for a “real second baseman this offseason.”


Whoa there pal, Sanchez is an organizational prospect? First and foremost you are correct, Sanchez has been in the organization for what feels like forever. Most international free agents that sign at age 16 feel like they have been in the organization forever after five years, that’s the name of the game. Also you hit another nail right on the head, in a perfect world Sanchez is blocked by both Murphy and McCann and may never get into a meaningful game with the team without a devastating injury or disabled list trip but to say he’s merely an organizational prospect or a filler is a stretch and one that I don’t feel comfortable with letting slip by.


Sanchez is 21 years old, if he had not been an IFA and your run of the mill college student he would have graduated college this summer. Name one college senior that can not only hit Triple-A pitching but dominate them as well as lead a pitching staff from behind the dish. I’m sure there’s probably at least one but would that prospect be considered an organizational prospect or a top prospect? I’d lean towards the latter despite claims that the Yankees “over-hype” their prospects for trades or the fact that the Yankees prospects simply “aren’t that good.” Sanchez is a fine prospect and since you obviously haven’t been watching I’ll be quick to point out that Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Dellin Betances, and a slew of other “not so good” prospects have done quite well for the team despite being “over-hyped.”


I, as a blogger and as a fan with some would say a relatively large following, am held to a higher standard than most and I subsequently I hold myself to a higher standard because I want to lead by example. I’ll tell a Toronto Blue Jays fan as quick as I’ll tell a Yankees fan that the crap talking and trolling is unnecessary and not needed but sometimes a troll is simply a troll. I believe, well I hope, this email was a troll. If it was, you win…. I fed the troll. If it wasn’t then at least know what you’re talking about or at least be passionate about what you’re talking about because when you call a 21-year old catching prospect who dominated Triple-A pitching and is currently sitting on the bench for the Yankees a “organizational prospect” you just look silly.


Thank you for listening to my rant. I admit that sometimes I get a little too worked up over prospects, I love prospects and I can’t help it, and I’ve tried to temper those expectations and my words a bit because of it. This one I couldn’t let pass, not because I’ve had conversations or a connection with Sanchez but because I feel like it is the right thing to do. To educate, that’s all I want to do whenever I can. This post was not intended to be malicious or to call anyone out as much as it was intended to put everything into perspective, I hope. I hope you enjoyed it, I hope everyone learned something and I hope that we can at least agree to disagree on the matter because I will in no way, shape or form agree to the fact that Sanchez is anything less than a TOP prospect for the New York Yankees.