Category: Spring Training Notebook
Thunder roster taking shape with preliminary assignments
Gary Sanchez will return to Double-A to begin 2015 (Trenton Thunder Media Relations)
The ever-resourceful Josh Norris from Baseball America tweeted out some of the notable minor league assignments for the Yankees organization late Thursday, and it appears that the Double-A Trenton Thunder are going to have quite the lineup when their season opens in Erie on April 9. It’s worth noting that these are preliminary assignments, but most, if not all, of the assignments below should remain the same heading to Opening Day.
Per Norris, the Thunder are slated to begin the season with the top four prospects in our Rolling Thunder rankings on the roster. Luis Severino will anchor the rotation, while right fielder Aaron Judge, first baseman Greg Bird, and catcher Gary Sanchez will make for a fearsome middle of the lineup.
Joining Judge will be Jake Cave, who we rated as the 14th best prospect in the system, and Mason Williams, a former top prospect himself. Taylor Dugas, the all-time SEC hits leader, will fill out the fourth outfielder’s spot after getting squeezed out of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre outfield.
The infield will be just as talented, with former first round picks Cito Culver, Eric Jagielo, and Dante Bichette, Jr. joining Bird. It is expected that Jagielo, our 12th rated prospect, and Bichette, will share time at the hot corner, while Culver will be the everyday shortstop. Ali Castillo will return to Trenton as well, where he could be a utility infielder or serve as starting second baseman. The final infield spot will go to Dan Fiorito, who has experience at all four positions. Francisco Arcia, who is tentatively listed as Sanchez’s backup, can also play some first base.
Joining Severino in the starting rotation will be Miguel Sulbaran, who was acquired in exchange for Eduardo Nunez. Sulbaran spent 2014 with the Tampa Yankees. Zach Nuding will return to Trenton in 2015, and two of Caleb Cotham, Joel De La Cruz, and Eric Wooten will fill the final rotation spots.
The Thunder will sport a solid bullpen to open the season, with Chris Smith, Caleb Smith, Alex Smith, and Kyle Haynes all set to head to Double-A for the first time. The preliminary rosters also include Taylor Garrison, Mark Montgomery, Fred Lewis, Nick Goody, and Cesar Vargas listed with the Thunder, though Montgomery and/or Lewis could join the Triple-A RailRiders before the season begins. The final pitcher listed is Johnny Barbato, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres this winter.
There are still a few decisions left to be made, but the Thunder roster that will take the field under new skipper Al Pedrique on Opening Day is starting to take shape. And it’s shaping up to be a good one, with perhaps even more dynamic of a line-up than the one that has taken the field in either of the past two seasons.
Follow Dan on Twitter at @danpfeiffer74 for all the latest Yankees minor league news and notes.
Adonis Garcia released by Yankees
Adonis Garcia (MiLB.com)
The New York Yankees have continued purging the upper levels of their minor league system by releasing outfielder Adonis Garcia.
Signed out of Cuba in 2012 at age 27 for $400,000, Garcia made it to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by 2013. However, his career stalled over two seasons with the RailRiders, despite hitting .296/.338/.431 with 12 home runs in 136 games.
Garcia posted strong numbers over 86 games in 2014, hitting .319 with nine home runs, but it was never enough to earn him a call-up to the major leagues.
The move is hardly unexpected, as the 29-year-old Garcia had no clear path to at-bats in Triple-A behind Slade Heathcott, Ramon Flores, Tyler Austin, and Ben Gamel. He has past experience at third base, but Jonathan Galvez and Rob Segedin have the RailRiders covered at the hot corner as well.
Follow Dan on Twitter at @danpfeiffer74 for all the latest Yankees minor league news and notes.
Yankees release Thunder utilityman Wilson
Wilson (MiLB.com)
The New York Yankees announced on Friday that minor league infielder/outfielder Zach Wilson has been released from his contract.
Wilson, 24, is an Arizona State product who was a 21st round draft choice from 2011. He reached Double-A for the first time in 2014, producing a .216/.284/.340 batting line in 28 games. In 237 career minor league games, Wilson hit .249/.313/.386 with 18 home runs.
Also released by the team was Australian outfielder Adam Silva, who played in just 10 games between two minor league seasons. It is likely that more releases will come to clear roster space before minor league seasons open next week.
Predicting the Thunder: A second guess
Gary Sanchez appears slated to return to Double-A to begin 2015 (Trenton Thunder Media Relations)
The Thunder roster is (obviously) dependent on what happens at the big league and Triple-A level, but is still pretty much set at this point. The outfield should look identical to what we have here on Opening Day, and more and more indications have been given during the spring that Gary Sanchez could return to Trenton to begin the year. Of course, that could change if Austin Romine loses the backup catcher’s job in New York. Top third base prospect Eric Jagielo may have shown enough to earn a trip to Trenton to start, but it’s a toss-up whether he joins the Thunder or returns to Tampa.
This version has some changes from our original prediction, and will serve as our final guess before roster announcements start leaking out at some point this weekend or early next week.
Rotation (5)
Luis Severino
Jaron Long
Dan Camarena
Miguel Sulbaran
Caleb Cotham
Top organizational prospect and 2014 Lawn Award winner Luis Severino is slated to anchor a rotation that could be better than expected in 2015. He’ll be joined by Jaron Long, who had a breakout season as he rose through the system. Dan Camarena figures to start at Trenton after he finally started to put things together towards the end of last season. Camarena is one who could find himself in the discussion for a midseason promotion to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a strong start. The rotation should be rounded out by Caleb Cotham, who split time between Scranton and Trenton in 2014, and Miguel Sulbaran, who has earned a promotion after a strong first year in the organization with Tampa.
Bullpen (8)
Diego Moreno
Fred Lewis
Mark Montgomery
Johnny Barbato
Nick Goody
Alex Smith
Taylor Garrison
Kyle Haynes
The Thunder bullpen is really anybody’s guess. The top four or five names on this list could all feasibly start the season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but will likely get squeezed out by the abundance of arms that are close to MLB-ready. Of those, Montgomery is the most likely wind up in Scranton, as he’s now two years removed from a shoulder injury that sapped a few miles per hour off his fastball. If he can rediscover his old form, Montgomery could reestablish himself as a solid relief prospect. Smith and Haynes are the only two on this list who did not see time in Double-A last year, though both pitched in the Arizona Fall League this year. Johnny Barbato was acquired from the Padres this offseason and figures to establish himself as a solid relief option.
Catchers (2)
Gary Sanchez
Kyle Higashioka
Just days after we projected him to join the Trenton Thunder roster for Opening Day, 24-year-old Trent Garrison retired from baseball. Stepping right in to fill the void at Double-A is Gary Sanchez, the one-time top prospect who has been mired by defensive and maturity issues. A member of the 40-man roster, assigning Sanchez to Trenton makes sense, as he can pair with two former catchers on the coaching staff – hitting coach P.J. Pilittere and defensive coach Michel Hernandez.
Infielders (6)
Greg Bird
Dante Bichette, Jr.
Cito Culver
Angelo Gumbs
Dan Fiorito
Zach Wilson
Greg Bird and Dante Bichette, Jr. are locks for not only the roster, but the heart of the Thunder lineup. Bird might be the best pure hitter in the system right now, and is the team’s heir to Mark Teixeira’s throne. Cito Culver hasn’t earned a chance at Double-A really, but the team has to be aggressive with the former first-round pick at some point. I’m starting to think that Ali Castillo is going to somehow wind up in Triple-A, which is good news for Angelo Gumbs. Dan Fiorito and Zach Wilson are a pair of versatile pieces who should round out the Thunder roster.
Outfielders (4)
Jake Cave
Aaron Judge
Mason Williams
Ben Gamel
The Trenton outfield will absolutely ooze with potential in 2015. Aaron Judge is arguably the top hitting prospect in the system, while Williams is the former star prospect looking to rebuild his future. Jake Cave was a sparkplug to the Thunder offense after his midseason promotion, and should be featured near the top of the lineup this year. Coupled with Ben Gamel, the Thunder’s MVP from 2014, and Trenton should feature the top outfield in the Eastern League.
Official MiLB photos of Severino, Montgomery, Sanchez, Bird, and Williams.
Likely headed to minors, Pirela could receive the Ronnier Mustelier treatment
Jose Pirela’s hot bat likely won’t be enough to allow him to begin the season in the Bronx (Photo: Getty Images)
TAMPA – Former Thunder infielder Jose Pirela’s bat has always been his calling card. He hit his way into Triple-A, and earned a spot on the Yankees’ 40-man roster late last season. With spring training hitting the full-blown “competition” stage, Pirela’s bat has him pushing forward once again, as he and Brendan Ryan battle for the final spot on the Yankees roster.
Through 12 games this spring, Pirela is 9-for-23 (.391) and leads the team with four extra base hits. His 1.114 OPS leaves him rated fourth amongst players still in big league camp. Additionally, Pirela has the flexibility to play almost every position on the field – in 2014, he played every position but third base and catcher.
However, the odds are stacked against Pirela making the team straight out of spring training. Unlike Yangervis Solarte a year ago, there is no expendable piece that can be shipped out to make room for a wild card. Instead, Pirela will contend with, and ultimately lose out to, Brendan Ryan, an inferior offensive player with a great glove as a middle infielder who would cost the Yankees $2 million if released. Ryan has spent all spring dealing with a back injury, but still appears to have a sizeable lead over the youngster Pirela.
“I don’t want to have to say that there’s no chance of [Pirela] making our roster,” Joe Girardi said. “But I think Brian [Cashman] said it, our roster was fairly set [entering spring training]. You don’t ever lock yourself in and say, this is exactly what it’s going to be, but when we came to spring training, we were pretty sure — excluding the second catcher — who the 13 guys were going to be. They were kind of signed to do that.”
Short of an injury – certainly not out of the question with Brendan Ryan’s balky back, Stephen Drew’s extensive medical history, and an aging Alex Rodriguez set to head north with the team – Pirela is going to get the Ronnier Mustelier treatment this spring. Mustelier, as many may remember, was a fan favorite during 2013 spring training and was thought to be contending for a roster spot with a strong spring that included going 11-for-35 (.314) at the plate.
However, a late injury took Mustelier out of contention, and he was sent to Scranton, where he produced at the plate but soon found himself shuffled out of the lineup. For Pirela, the situation is eerily similar. Rob Refsnyder is likely to be the everyday second baseman in Scranton, while a prospect-laden outfield won’t leave many at-bats for Pirela either.
There are plenty of differences between Mustelier and Pirela – namely, age, where Pirela, 25, is three years younger than Mustlier was during spring of 2013, and defensive ability. While Pirela is no star with a glove, he is at least competent in the field. However, this quote from former Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long fairly outlined the organization’s assessment of Mustelier two years ago, and may be the same factor that forces Jose Pirela into the black hole of minor league baseball.
“If he can show defensively that he can play, that’s going to be the key,” Long said of Mustelier back in 2013. “I don’t think there’s a question about whether he’ll hit or not.”
Pirela’s an exciting player, and his bat and versatility would likely make him much more of an asset on the Yankees roster than Brendan Ryan. It doesn’t appear that Joe Girardi and company will give him that chance to succeed right away, but one certainly has to hope that they don’t stash him away in the minors for too long. As the old adage goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” And in Scranton, Pirela certainly runs the risk of dropping out of sight for those with greater long-term potential, much like Ronnier Mustelier.
Follow Dan on Twitter at @danpfeiffer74 for all the latest Yankees MiLB news and notes.
Yankees cut ten, including Severino and Judge
The New York Yankees cut ten players from big league camp, including right-handed pitcher Luis Severino and outfielder Aaron Judge, the two top prospects in the Yankees farm system. It remains likely that both players will open the season with Double-A Trenton.
The full release from the Yankees can be found below:
Prior to today’s game, the Yankees reassigned C Trent Garrison, RHP Nick Goody, C Juan Graterol, LHP James Pazos, RHP Diego Moreno, RHP Luis Severino and LHP Tyler Webb to minor league camp.
Following the game, the Yankees reassigned OF Jake Cave, INF Cito Culver and OF Aaron Judge to minor league camp.
Predicting the Thunder: Lindgren to return to Trenton?
Jacob Lindgren may well get squeezed out of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre bullpen (Photo: Trenton Thunder Media Relations)
As Minor League camp gets underway, there appears to be no more fitting time to take an initial look at what the Double-A Trenton Thunder’s roster could look like on Opening Day. Some of these assignments can be virtually locked in stone, while others are completely up in the air and heavily dependent on spring performance.
Top organizational prospect Luis Severino will likely return to anchor the Thunder rotation to begin 2015 after tossing 25 innings for the club last season. It appears that last season’s breakout pitcher of the year, Jaron Long, will join him at the top of the rotation. All indications are that right-hander Caleb Cotham and left-handed Dan Camarena will return to Trenton as well. Rounding out the Thunder rotation will likely be Miguel Sulbaran, who earns the promotion after a solid season with High-A Tampa. Sulbaran came to the Yankees last season in exchange for Eduardo Nunez.
With a glut of pitchers competing for spots in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s bullpen, a few youngsters will inevitably get squeezed out, at least initially. Perhaps the biggest surprise in this projection is the thought that Jacob Lindgren could return to Trenton to begin the season. Lindgren dominated after being drafted in June, working his way to Double-A. With only a handful of appearances under his belt at the level, it makes sense for Lindgren to return. Despite spending time at Triple-A last year, it appears that Diego Moreno and Mark Montgomery are ticketed to head back to Trenton as well. James Pazos, Nick Goody, and Phil Wetherell should return after ending last season in the Thunder pen, while Alex Smith is in line to be promoted from Tampa to open the season. New addition Johnny Barbato will almost certainly round out the Thunder pen after being acquired from the Padres this offseason.
After missing most of 2013 and 204 due to Tommy John surgery, Kyle Higashioka projects to return to Trenton’s lineup in 2015. He seems likely to partner with Trent Garrison, who spent last season with the Tampa Yankees. Tyson Blaser, who has functioned as the team’s emergency catcher in the past, will probably be placed on Staten Island’s paper roster and be transferred in as needed.
Greg Bird may be the best all-around hitter in the Yankees system, and he will return to Trenton as the team’s everyday first baseman in 2015. Across the diamond from him will be Dante Bichette, Jr., a former first rounder who came into his own last season. Another former first round pick, Cito Culver, received a spring training invite and, if he shows he can hit this spring, could well be in line for a promotion to Trenton to start the year. After spending the majority of last season in Trenton, Dan Fiorito should have some role with the Thunder come Opening Day. With no clear option at second base, Fiorito could potentially fill the void – he has 28 games at the position. Another potential option is Ali Castillo, who, despite a solid season in Trenton, looks like he may get squeezed out of the Triple-A infield. Castillo would surely fall in behind non-roster invitee Culver, but could be a legitimate super-utility option on Opening Day. The final infield spot probably goes to Zach Wilson, a third baseman by trade who has experience in all four corners.
The Thunder outfield will likely ooze with potential in 2015, highlighted by top position prospect Aaron Judge. The former first round pick has been all but assured of beginning the season in Trenton after dominating Charleston and Tampa last year. After a late-season promotion, Jake Cave will return to ARM & HAMMER Park for 2015. The Yankees showed willingness to protect former top prospect Mason Williams from the Rule V draft by adding him to the 40-man roster, but that won’t be enough to earn him a spot in a crowded Triple-A outfield. Also crowded out of Scranton’s outfield is Ben Gamel, who was arguably the most valuable Thunder player last season.
Rolling Thunder 