Meet a Prospect: Zack Littell

The New York Yankees finalized their 40 man roster over the weekend designating players like Nick Rumbelow and Nathan Eovaldi for assignment, releasing players like Dustin Ackley and trading players like James Pazos to the Seattle Mariners for new prospects for us to meet like right-handed starter Zack Littell. Let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Zack Littell Edition.

Littell is a 21-year old right-handed starting pitcher the Seattle Mariners drafted in the 11^th round back in the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft. Littell was drafted out of High School back in 2013 and has progressed to A-Ball as recently as the 2016 season.

Baseball America listed Littell as the owner of the best curveball in the Mariners system at the time of the trade while MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the 14^th best prospect in the Seattle farm system. MLB.com had Littell as the Mariners Prospect of the Year after taking a big step in two Class-A Ball affiliates this season.

Littell owns a low-90’s MPH fastball and as previously stated he has a great curveball to go with it. Littell is also developing a changeup that he hopes to keep batters off-balance with. Not a bad pickup at all for a left-handed reliever with little MLB experience and a marginal stat line in a small sample size, huh?

Littell posted a combined 13-6 record with a 2.66 ERA in 28 games, 27 of them starts, in two stops in Class-A Ball in 2016 striking out 156 batters in 165.2 innings. Just another arm that could potentially reach the Major Leagues in a season or three for New York. These are never bad to have, especially for a pitcher like James Pazos who posted pitched well in stretches in 2015 and 2016 but could easily be replaced in the “Circle of Trust.”

Littell will begin his Yankees career down in Low-A Ball with the Tampa Yankees. Welcome to the family.

Vote for the Tampa Yankees in the 2016 MiLB Awards

It's time to vote for the 2016 MiLBYS postseason awards! The Tampa Yankees are in three categories:  Best Farm System: New York Yankees Top Starting Pitcher: Chance Adams Top Relief Pitcher: Jonathan Holder Vote multiple times now through October 25th

Best Farm System Click here to vote for the  New York Yankees   Top Starting Pitcher Click here to vote for  RHP Chance Adams   Top Relief Pitcher Click here to vote for  RHP Jonathan Holder

Weekly Prospects Check In: Jorge Mateo

The High-A Tampa Yankees season ended a bit prematurely this week meaning two of the Yankees top three prospects now have a long wait before they see baseball again. Gleyber Torres was on that team and is going to the Arizona Fall League here in a couple of months while Jorge Mateo, today’s weekly check in showcase, will presumably head to a winter league somewhere if the Yankees allow him to. The problem with the winter league though is the fact that it’s fall. Maybe I’m just too much like Lou Gehrig who used to sit and look out the window in the winter depressed until summer came back around and baseball returned.

All-in-all Mateo had a good season in 2016, it wasn’t like his 2015 season by any means but a solid season nonetheless, and the Yankees young shortstop will look to build upon this in 2017. Mateo gained a lot of experience and knowledge this season both on and off the field that cannot be expressed in a number or a gesture. You just have to watch as the rest of his career plays out to see the dividends.

Here is the official stat line for the 2016 season for Mr. Jorge Mateo. See you in 2017. 

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	A+	113	507	65	118	16	8	47	36	33	108	.254	.306	.379	.685

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Weekly Prospects Check In: Jorge Mateo

We couldn’t let a week go by without checking in with one of the Yankees top prospects, Jorge Mateo. Now we have been focusing on the Yankees minor league affiliates who are in the playoffs right now and Mateo, along with Gleyber Torres right next to him, are fighting for the championship as we speak down in Tampa. Can Mateo and Torres lead the team to a championship? We’ll have to stay tuned for that.

Until that question can be answered here is Mateo’s stat line for the 2016 regular season. Please call him up to Double-A Trenton next season. Please!

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	Tampa	113	507	65	118	16	8	47	36	33	108	.254	.306	.379	.685

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Weekly Prospects Check In: Gleyber Torres

The Yankees top shortstop prospect is set to learn from the best, more on this later, next month which raises the question. How good can Gleyber Torres possibly be before it is all said and done? I won’t let you in on who “the best” is but if you’re curious check back in with the blog later on today and we’ll share it with you. Torres, with the help of this special advisor and coach, has everything he needs to be special for the Yankees.

He has the makeup, he has the talent and now he’ll have the coaching to aid in his development. The Yankees are taking this whole youth movement thing serious it seems and it is definitely a sight for sore eyes. Congratulations Gleyber and good luck going forward.

Here is what Mr. Torres did this week for the Yankees and has done all season in High-A Ball: 

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	19	Myrtle Beach	94	409	62	98	23	9	47	19	42	87	.275	.359	.433	.791
2016	19	Tampa	23	104	12	21	5	1	11	1	14	20	.233	.337	.344	.681

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

ICYMI: My Thoughts on the Jorge Mateo Suspension

As we learned yesterday and again this morning with our weekly prospects check in the New York Yankees have decided to suspend their top prospect Jorge Mateo for two weeks due to a violation of the team policy. Mateo had the honor of representing his team in the XM Futures Game stripped from him as well due to the suspension and word is flying all over the Yankees blogosphere as to why. I’m less about the why, because do you think the Yankees are really going to give us a detailed transcript of what really happened? I don’t, and more about the repercussion and such that will come from this. Here are my thoughts on the matter for better or worse.


George King reported this season that Mateo had voiced frustrations over not getting promoted to Double-A and my immediate thoughts went to Rob Refsnyder. I have said it many, many times on this blog so one more time won’t hurt. You can go backwards in your development, especially if you’re not being challenged where you are. You outgrow an affiliate and Mateo has done that in Tampa yet he remains there because the Yankees are slow to pull the trigger. It’s not just Mateo, it is Refsnyder and a slew of other prospects. Aaron Judge. Kyle Roller. Even Chad Jennings shared a story over on Lohud of a prospect earning a promotion, not getting it and admittedly falling off the face of the Earth with discouragement.


This is not a new thing with the Yankees, this is a trend. A disturbing trend but it does not excuse Mateo for whatever he did, said or whatever went down to warrant the suspension. Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy and sometimes your maturity isn’t on the actual level that you think it is. That’s not a knock on Mateo or anyone going through it but it just goes to show you that not everyone is Derek Jeter and everyone is human. All parties involved have to strive to do better, especially the Yankees organization. This disappoints me to no end to be honest because I know what a discouraged heart can do to you and how it can affect your everyday life. I’m discouraged at work and I’m growing to hate my job and most everything else in life. It’s poison.


Fix your crap Yankees and everything else falls in line. Attitude reflects leadership.

My Thoughts on the Jorge Mateo Suspension

As we learned yesterday and again this morning with our weekly prospects check in the New York Yankees have decided to suspend their top prospect Jorge Mateo for two weeks due to a violation of the team policy. Mateo had the honor of representing his team in the XM Futures Game stripped from him as well due to the suspension and word is flying all over the Yankees blogosphere as to why. I’m less about the why, because do you think the Yankees are really going to give us a detailed transcript of what really happened? I don’t, and more about the repercussion and such that will come from this. Here are my thoughts on the matter for better or worse.

George King reported this season that Mateo had voiced frustrations over not getting promoted to Double-A and my immediate thoughts went to Rob Refsnyder. I have said it many, many times on this blog so one more time won’t hurt. You can go backwards in your development, especially if you’re not being challenged where you are. You outgrow an affiliate and Mateo has done that in Tampa yet he remains there because the Yankees are slow to pull the trigger. It’s not just Mateo, it is Refsnyder and a slew of other prospects. Aaron Judge. Kyle Roller. Even Chad Jennings shared a story over on Lohud of a prospect earning a promotion, not getting it and admittedly falling off the face of the Earth with discouragement.

This is not a new thing with the Yankees, this is a trend. A disturbing trend but it does not excuse Mateo for whatever he did, said or whatever went down to warrant the suspension. Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy and sometimes your maturity isn’t on the actual level that you think it is. That’s not a knock on Mateo or anyone going through it but it just goes to show you that not everyone is Derek Jeter and everyone is human. All parties involved have to strive to do better, especially the Yankees organization. This disappoints me to no end to be honest because I know what a discouraged heart can do to you and how it can affect your everyday life. I’m discouraged at work and I’m growing to hate my job and most everything else in life. It’s poison.

Fix your crap Yankees and everything else falls in line. Attitude reflects leadership. 

Chance Adams Added to Tampa Yankees FSL All-Star Team

RHP Chance Adams Added to FSL All-Star Team

TAMPA, FL. - The Florida State League announced today that Tampa Yankees RHP Chance Adams has been added to the North Division All-Star Team. The 54th All-Star Game will be played at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Saturday, June 18, 2016 at 7:05 p.m. Tampa Yankees Infielders Miguel Andujar, Jorge Mateo and Outfielder Mark Payton were originally selected to represent the Tampa Yankees for the North Division Team. RHP Chance Adams has pitched 52.2 innings over 11 starts and has struck out 63 batters. He was selected by the Yankees in the 5th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Dallas Baptist University. 3B Miguel Andujar has a .943 fielding percentage over 43 games. He's hit eight doubles, one triple and nine homeruns with 37 RBI. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 7/2/11. Andujar was selected to the 2015 FSL North Division All-Star team and won the home run derby. SS Jorge Mateo is batting .296 (59-199) with five doubles, eight triples and five homeruns with 32 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 8/6/10 and is currently the Yankees No.1 prospect per Baseball America. OF Mark Payton was batting .309 in 24 games with the T-Yanks before being promoted to the Double-A Trenton Thunder on 5/18/16. He was selected by the Yankees in the 7th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. The Tampa Yankees are the Single-A Advanced affiliate of the New York Yankees. For more information on the Tampa Yankees visit www.tybaseball.com or call (813) 673-3055. For more information regarding the 2015 Florida State League All-Star Game please visitwww.fslbaseball.com.

Three Tampa Yankees selected for 2016 FSL All-Star Team

Three Tampa Yankees selected for 2016 FSL All-Star Team

TAMPA, FL. - The Florida State League announced today their selection for the 2016 North and South All-Star Teams and three Tampa Yankees were selected. The 54th All-Star Game will be played at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Saturday, June 18, 2016 at 7:05 p.m. Tampa Yankees Infielders Miguel Andujar, Jorge Mateo and Outfielder Mark Payton were selected to represent the Tampa Yankees for the North Division Team. 3B Miguel Andujar has a .943 fielding percentage over 43 games. He's hit eight doubles, one triple and nine homeruns with 37 RBI. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 7/2/11. Andujar was selected to the 2015 FSL North Division All-Star team and won the home run derby. SS Jorge Mateo is batting .296 (59-199) with five doubles, eight triples and five homeruns with 32 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on 8/6/10 and is currently the Yankees No.1 prospect per Baseball America. OF Mark Payton was batting .309 in 24 games with the T-Yanks before being promoted to the Double-A Trenton Thunder on 5/18/16. He was selected by the Yankees in the 7th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. The Tampa Yankees are the Single-A Advanced affiliate of the New York Yankees. For more information on the Tampa Yankees visit www.tybaseball.com or call (813) 673-3055. For more information regarding the 2015 Florida State League All-Star Game please visit www.fslbaseball.com.

Weekly Check In: Jorge Mateo

What else can be said about the Yankees Phenom that has not already been said about 100 times already? Jorge Mateo is a special kind of talent that the Yankees have refused to move in trades and a special kind of talent that they are seemingly going to wait on as he makes his climb towards the Major Leagues.

Mateo continued that climb this week with another healthy and productive week down on the farm which resulted in this stat line: 

Year	Age	Tm	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	21	Tampa	49	223	40	59	5	8	5	32	17	9	20	52	.296	.360	.477	.838

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Yankees Spring Training Open Thread 3/15

So what happened today down at Yankees spring training camp? Let's get caught up!

Apparently I missed this yesterday, and I apologize for that, when Vicente Campos was optioned from Yankees spring camp back to High-A Tampa. This comes as no surprise since Campos was a long shot to make the Yankees roster, especially after the team announced that he would be converted and tried as a starting pitcher rather than a relief pitcher after undergoing a Tommy John surgery.

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are currently airing on MLB Network with David Price going for Boston, although he may be out of the game by the time you read this, and Ivan Nova, see Price, facing off head-to-head. 

Riverdogs Take on Pelicans in Highway 17 Showdown Exhibition

RiverDogs Take on Pelicans in Exhibition in First Installment of Highway 17 Showdown

Charleston and Myrtle Beach Go Head-to-Head in Coastal Clash to Open 2016 Season

CHARLESTON, SC – From the knick knack beach shops and putt-putt golf paradise of Myrtle Beach to the gorgeous historic downtown and food haven of Charleston, the South Carolina coast offers locals and travelers alike two distinct Palmetto State experiences. Home to two of the more successful operations in Minor League Baseball, the cities will fight for the title of America’s premier destination city in the only way they know how -- on the ball field -- as the RiverDogs open their season with the first installment of the Highway 17 Showdown.

Announced jointly by RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols, along with Andy Milovich, his counterpart with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the two teams will play an exhibition game on Wednesday, April 6, at 7:05 pm at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The second installment of the coastal clash is set for the 2017 opener at Myrtle Beach’s TicketReturn.com Field.

“We’re thrilled to announce this addition to our 2016 home schedule and finally have the chance to settle the dispute on which city really is the premier vacation stop,” said Echols. “It’s only natural that we start in the Number One destination city in America.”

“We’re incredibly excited to partner with the RiverDogs on a series that will showcase two of the finest Minor League Baseball franchises, each with storied Major League affiliates, playing in two of America’s premier family vacation destinations,” said Milovich.

Charleston and Myrtle Beach, home to some of America’s very best beaches, are separated by just 95 miles on US Highway 17. Charleston was named the Number One tourist destination in America for the fifth straight year by the Conde Nast Traveler in 2014 and named the best small city in America when the award was split into two categories in 2015. Myrtle Beach’s accolades include “Best Beaches for Families” and “Best Place to Retire.”

While attracting tourism in their own ways, the two cities have also served as the home for some of the most successful organizations in minor league baseball.

The Pelicans, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, are coming off a 2015 Carolinas League championship and receiving the Bob Freitas Award for the best overall operation in Minor League Baseball (at the Advanced-A level), while the RiverDogs begin their 12th year as a New York Yankees affiliate coming off a record attendance year when 292,661 passed through the gates at The Joe.

Opening Night for the RiverDogs, with all the fanfare fans have come to expect, is still set for April 7 as the Columbia Fireflies come to Riley Park for the first time. The RiverDogs and Fireflies play a four-game set (April 7-10) while the Asheville Tourists conclude the opening seven-game homestand with a three-game block that runs from April 11-13.

The RiverDogs will be managed by Luis Dorante for the third consecutive year. He will be assisted by former big leaguer and Mt. Pleasant resident Greg Colbrunn as hitting coach, Justin Pope as the pitching coach, Travis Chapman as the defensive coach and Michel Hernandez as the catching coach. The Pelicans will be led by former Double-A Tennessee skipper Buddy Bailey, who is the seventh manager in team history. He will be joined by pitching coach Anderson Tavarez, hitting coach and former New York Yankee Mariano Duncan and assistant coach Juan Cabreja.

RiverDogs Director of Fun and lifelong Cubs fan Bill Murray could not be reached for comment.

Tickets for the exhibition are included for all RiverDogs season ticket holders and single game tickets will go on sale on Monday February 1. Lower level tickets (box seats and lower reserved) will go for $10 each while all upper section tickets (upper reserved and general admission) will go on sale for $5. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition will benefit the MUSC Children’s Hospital.

Ticket information for this game and all of the RiverDogs 70 home games in 2016 may be secured by contacting the box office at 843/577-DOGS (3647) or online at www.riverdogs.com.