S.T. Game 23. Yanks fall to Toronto, 5-2. Cortes’ first outing.

Because of a hamstring strain, Nestor Cortes is a little behind the other pitchers. He made his first spring training start today and the rust showed as he gave up five runs as the Yanks (9-13-1 in spring training) lost to Toronto 5-2.

I usually don’t pay too much attention to spring training results until the last 10 days or so. That time is coming up.

Today’s highlights:

Volpe 1 for 3, walk, run scored. #1 prospect. As far as I’m concerned, he should be starting SS.
Judge 1 for 4, double.
Stanton 2 for 3, RBI
Donaldson 0 for 3
Willie Calhoun 1 for 3. Doesn’t play all OF positions like Hicks or Ortega, but as far as LF goes, he has hit better this spring than Hicks, Cabrera, Florial or Ortega.
Kiner-Falefa 0 for 1, walk
Cabrera 0 for 2.
Ortega 0 for 3.
Chaparro 0 for 1
Sweeney 0 for 1 #7 prospect

Cortes (L) 3 1/3 IP, 5 R, 3 H, 3 W, 4 K. Gave up 2 HR.
King 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP
Loaisiga 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Hamilton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K. 1 HBP

S.T. Game 19. Yanks hit 5 HR in 10-3 win.

The Yankees (9-9-1 in spring training) hit 5 HR, 3 in the first inning, in beating Toronto 10-3 Tuesday night.

Andres Chaparro is having a heck of a spring, and it makes me wonder. I’m not too sure about his defense at 3B, but could he be putting himself in the mix to be the 3B in 2024? Josh Donaldson is 37 and I don’t see the Yanks picking up his option for 2024. Of course the Yanks could go with LeMahieu or Cabrera at 3B in 2024, but what if they want them both in a super-utility role? What if they don’t want to move Torres or Volpe to 3B? In any case, Chaparro is making the Yanks take notice.

D.J. LeMahieu, Donaldson and Estevan Florial all homered in the first inning, and Oswald Peraza added one later on.

LeMahieu 2 for 4, solo HR leading off bottom of first.
Chaparro 3-run HR.
Donaldson 3-run HR.
Peraza solo HR.
Florial 2-run HR.

Cole (Winner) 4 2/3 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 0 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR.
King 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Peralta 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Hamilton 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Danish 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K

In order to get more versatility out of their players (and be better prepared for injuries) the Yanks will try out IKF in CF in an upcoming spring training game. IKF already is a C (bet you didn’t know that), SS, 3B, 2B … so ….

S.T. Game 17. Yanks tie, kids impress again.

The Yanks (8-8-1 in spring training) tied Boston Sunday, 3-3, but once again, the show was the kids.

#1 prospect Anthony Volpe went 2 for 4 with a double and HR, and #2 prospect Jasson “The Martian” Dominguez was 1 for 2.

Others:

Aaron Hicks 1 for 3, but I have noticed in spring training that a bad habit of his is continuing. He gets his hits with no one one, but continues to struggle with RISP.

Rafael Ortega 1 for 3 as he fights for an OF spot.

Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, who could be on the trade block, especially if Volpe wins that SS job, 1 for 2. I read where IKF, who made a lot of soft contact last year, put on 18 pounds of muscle in the offseason. Nice, but hope it doesn’t affect flexibility.

Andres Chaparro 1 for 3, RBI. Hmm. Donaldson is 37, and I don’t expect his option to be picked up after this season. Could Chaparro play himself into a 3B spot for 2024?

Jake Bauers 2 for 2, RBI.

Yoendrys Gomez 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 W, 4 K. 1 HBP. #11 prospect.
Cordero (BS) 1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 W, 1 K. gave up HR. Hurt himself today in trying for bullpen spot.
Abreu 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K
Marinaccio 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Weissert 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Evans 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K

S.T. Game 13. Yanks lose 11-7, but bigger news is that 3 pitchers (including Rodon) join Montas on the IL.

Forget the score today. It’s only spring training. I’ll get to today’s game in a moment. The bigger news is that three more pitchers join Frankie Montas on the injured list to start the season. They are Tommy Kahnle (strained biceps), Lou Trivino, and Carlos Rodon.

Rodon has a mild strain in the forearm, which set off Tommy John surgery concerns, but it doesn’t affect the UCL. He won’t throw again for 7-10 days.

So, with Montas down, and also Rodon for a short time, it appears as if the rotation on Opening Day will be Cole, Severino, Cortes (himself just getting over a hamstring issue), German and Schmidt.

Clarke Schmidt pitched today, and so far, his spring training has been meh. (8.10 ERA) He gave up 2 runs (2-run HR) in 3 IP today as the Yanks (7-6 in spring training) lost 11-7 to Boston. Tyler Danish has had an atrocious spring training (ERA 94.50!), and that continued today.

Jasson “The Martian” Dominguez continued to have a hot bat, hitting a 3-run HR. The 20-year-old is targeted for AA, but we can dream about him making the big leagues soon. Also homering was Andres Chaparro, who also is having a hot spring. Chaparro has shown a good bat, but when he goes back to the minors, he needs to work on his defense. The minor league numbers for the 3B/1B defensively don’t look good. Improve that, continue to hit, and maybe he can be a future option. After all, Josh Donaldson is 37 and the Yanks probably will not pick up Donaldson’s option after this season.

Volpe 0 for 3. #1 prospect.
Judge 1 for 1 with a walk.
Dominguez 1 for 2 with a walk and a 3-run HR. #2 prospect
Chaparro 2 for 2, solo HR. He and Dominguez went back-to-back.
Peraza 1 for 3 #3 prospect.
Trevino 1 for 2, 2 RBI

Schmidt 3 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 W, 3 K. Gave up HR.
Cordero 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. With Trivino and Kahnle out, has shot at opening day roster.
Marinaccio (H) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Danish (BS, L) 1/3 IP, 6 R, 6 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 3 HR. As mentioned, a brutal spring training. ERA 94.50.
Jennings 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Evans 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Vasquez 2 IP, 2 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR. #14 prospect.

S.T. Game 7. Yanks hit 3 HR in 9-1 win over Pirates.

Two players with fair to decent shots of maybe making the team homered, and the first eight of the nine pitchers the Yankees used gave up no hits as the Yanks (5-2 in spring training) beat Pittsburgh 9-1 on Thursday.

#1 prospect Anthony Volpe, fighting for the SS job, led off the game with a HR, and Rafael Ortega, fighting for the LF job, hit a 2-run HR in the third. Andres Chaparro hit a grand slam in the ninth.

Gleyber Torres had a tooth extraction, so he was out of service for today,

Volpe 2 for 3, solo HR and also a walk. Fighting for SS job
Chaparro 1 for 2, grand slam
Oswald Peraza 0 for 1, walked, scored 2 runs (#3 prospect) also fighting for SS job.
Jasson Dominguez 0 for 2 (#2 prospect)
Ortega 2 for 3, 3 RBI. 2-run HR and RBI triple.
Jake Bauers 2 for 2
Estevan Florial 1 for 2, RBI double battling for LF job. Out of options
Everson Pereira 1 for 2, double (#6 prospect)

Pitching:

Trivino 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K
Peralta 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 3 K.
Holmes 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP
Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K battling for bullpen job. out of options.
Cordero 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. trying for a bullpen job.
Chase Hampton 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. #26 prospect.
Norwood 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Santos 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Bowman 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up HR. Rough S.T. for him so far.

S.T. Games 2 & 3. Yanks split squad, win both games.

The Yankees split their squad today. Lots to report on.

They won the home game against the Braves, 7-0, as Jose Trevino hit a grand slam and the pitchers combined on a one-hitter.

Clarke Schmidt was dominating. Six up/six down and five strikeouts.

Gleyber Torres 2 for 2. 2 singles.
Aaron Judge 1 for 1 (single) and a walk.
Aaron Hicks 1 for 3
Jose Trevino 1 for 2. Grand Slam. 4 RBI
Oswald Peraza 1 for 2 (single) with a walk and strikeout as he tries to capture the SS job. #3 prospect.
Trey Sweeney (#6 prospect) 1 for 1 (double)
Tyler Hardman 1 for 2
Spencer Jones (#7 prospect) 0 for 2, 2 strikeouts
T.J. Rumfield 1 for 2, 2 RBI (double)
Mickey Gaspar 1 for 1, RBI (Double) and walk.

Schmidt (Winner) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 5 K. Trying to win #5 starter position.
Albert Abreu 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. Trying to win bullpen position; out of options.
Deivi Garcia 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. Nice to see after his last 2 horrible seasons in minors. #24 prospect.
Will Warren 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. #8 prospect.
Clayton Beeter 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 3 K. #9 prospect.

Away Game: Yanks beat Toronto, 9-5. #1 prospect Anthony Volpe went 2 for 4 and stole two bases.

Volpe 2 for 4 with 2 SB. Single and double.
Willie Calhoun 2 hits (single, double) RBI. Battling for LF job
Andres Chaparro 2 hits, 2 RBI, single and solo HR.
Elijah Dunham 2 for 3 #19 prospect.
Brandon Lockridge 1 for 2, triple, 2 RBI #26 prospect.
Carlos Narvaez 1 for 2, solo HR.
Jesus Bastidas 1 for 2, 2 RBI. Solo HR (he and Narvaez went back-to-back).

Jhony Brito (Winner) 2 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, 2 K. #22 prospect.
Matt Spence 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Matt Bowman 2/3 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 0 W, 1 K. Gave up 2 HR. Disappointing outing for him.
Michael Gomez (H) 1/3 IP. 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Demarcus Evans (H) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Drew Thorpe (H) 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. #13 prospect.
Lisandro Santos 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.

AA Somerset wins Eastern League title in impressive fashion. 15-0 with a combined no-hitter.

Usually, I start at the highest level and work my way down. Not today.

AA Somerset won the third and deciding game of the Eastern League Finals in commanding and historic fashion, scoring 9 runs in the bottom of the first inning on way to a 15-0 blowout victory.

In doing so, they threw a combined no-hitter. What a way to win the Eastern League title.

Somerset starter Randy Vasquez (I thought they’d go with Clayton Beeter, but they went with Vasquez) retired the first 19 batters he faced before giving up a walk. Vasquez pitched 8 innings, and Carson Coleman finished up for the combined no-hitter.

Jasson Dominguez (“the Martian”), the Yankees 19-year-old #2 prospect, hit 2 HR, one from each side of the plate, and drove in 6 runs in the victory.

CF Jasson Dominguez 3 hits, 2 HR, 6 RBI #2 prospect.
3B Andres Chaparro 2 hits, RBI. Solo HR.
RF Jeisson Rosario 2 hits, 2 RBI 2-run HR.
2B Jesus Bastidas 2 RBI
1B Mickey Gasper 2 hits, 2 RBI
LF Brandon Lockridge 2 hits #28 prospect.

Randy Vasquez (WIN) 8 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 8 K. #16 prospect
Carson Coleman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP


AAA SWB closed out their season with a 3-0 win. They finished at 83-67, and finished in second place in the IL East, 3 games back.

2B Derek Dietrich solo HR (3)

Between AA and AAA, Yankees #1 prospect Anthony Volpe hit .249-21-65 with 50 SB.

Boyle (W, 5-1) 5 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 W, 5 K. 1 WP 3.61
Abreu (H, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 2 K. 2.70 REHAB
M. Gomez (H, 9) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.84
Guzman (H, 1) 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 1 K. 0.00 Position player. SWB 1st baseman.
Barnes (H, 3) 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.57
Cordero (S, 6) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.09

Minor Leagues. SWB eliminated on next-to-last day of season. Somerset survives in AA Finals.

AAA: SWB (82-67) lost 8-1 in the next-to-last day of the season to be eliminated from the playoffs. Even had they won last night, Durham’s win would have eliminated them anyway.

SS Anthony Volpe 2 hits. #1 prospect .250-21-65, 49 SB

Banda (L, 0-3) 2 1/3 IP, 3 R, 2 H, 1 W, 2 K. 1 HBP. 6.14
Zach Greene 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. 1 balk. 3.42
Miguel Castro 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 0.00 REHAB
Duffey 1 2/3 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 0 W, 4 K. 10.50
Brito 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR. 3.31
Rich Rodriguez 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1 HBP 3.86
Weissert 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 1.69

The Yanks picked up guys like Banda, Duffey and Barnes because of depth and prior MLB experience. None impressed while with SWB.

AA: Somerset evened up their Eastern League finals series with a 9-2 win. The third and deciding game will be tonight for the Eastern League Championship.

CF Jasson Dominguez (“The Martian”) 2 hits, 2 RBI. 2-run HR. #2 prospect.
C Austin Wells 2 hits, 3 RBI. 3-run HR #4 prospect.
3B/1B Andres Chaparro 2 hits, RBI
DH Elijah Dunham 2 hits, 2 RBI 2-run HR #21 prospect
RF Jeisson Rosario 2 hits.

Yoendrys Gomez (WIN) 5 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 1 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR. #12 prospect.
Loseke 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 4 K.
Ramirez 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K.
Espinal 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.

Although not announced, my guess is that Somerset’s starter for the deciding game tonight will be Clayton Beeter, the Yanks’ #9 prospect, who they got in the Gallo trade.

Minor League Action from 9-18-22. 1st AA HR for “The Martian”. AA playoffs start Tuesday. Effross AAA rehab. Abreu AA rehab.

AAA: SWB (77-63) lost 3-2.
CF Blake Perkins 2 hits, RBI
2B Chad Bell 2 for 2
RF Michael Beltre 2 hits

Chi Chi Gonzalez 5 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 W, 6 K. Gave up 1 HR. 4.36
Effross (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 0 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR. 10.80 REHAB
Bard 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K. 4.54
Deivi Garcia 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 3 K. 7.75 #26 prospect. Overall: 4-5, 6.71
Zach Greene 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.34

AA: Somerset (83-53) won 6-3. This concludes their regular season.
As the first-half division champ, Somerset will start a best-of-3 semifinal playoff vs. Portland at Portland on Tuesday.

DH Jasson Dominguez solo HR (1). First AA HR for “The Martian”
#2 prospect. Overall stats (3 levels): .273-16-59, 37 SB. Just 19 years old.

3B Andres Chaparro 2-run HR (19)
2B Jesus Bastidas 2 Hits, 2 RBI Solo HR (18)
C Rodolfo Duran Solo HR (9)

Yoendrys Gomez 4 1/3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 0 W, 7 K. 1 HBP. 3.86 #12 prospect. Overall: 1-0, 2.49
Myatt 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 2 W, 0 K. 1 WP 4.30
Albert Abreu (W, 1-0) 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 0.00 REHAB
McGarrity (H, 3) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.30
Semple (H, 1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 4.63
Ramirez 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. Gave up 1 HR. 1.93

Everyone is off today in the Yankees Universe. Majors and Minors.
Me too, as I have been out a while on disability and have a medical procedure today.

Minor League Action. The Martian at AA, Bader and Chapman continue rehab.

AAA: SWB (74-61) won 5-4.
3B Armando Alvarez 2 RBI
2B Phillip Evans 2 hits, 2 RBI

Chi Chi Gonzalez 3 1/3 IP, 3 R, 7 H, 2 W, 3 K. 1 WP 4.54
Chasen Shreve 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00
Mujica 2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 1 K. Gave up 1 HR 4.17
Banda 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K. 0.00
Barnes (W, 1-1) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K 2.79
Cordero (S, 2) 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.97

AA: #2 prospect Jasson Dominguez was promoted to AA. Dominguez is still only 19 years old.
Overall this year, 3 levels: .277-15-58 with 36 SB

Somerset (81-50; won 1st half division title) lost in 11 innings, 10-9.
DH Dominguez 0 for 5, R, struck out 2x
CF Harrison Bader 0 for 3, R, struck out 2x REHAB
LF Oliver Dunn 2 for 2, RBI
C Austin Wells solo HR (11) #4 prospect. Overall .280-19-62, 15 SB C of future?
SS Trey Sweeney 2 hits. #6 prospect .243-15-54, 30 SB. Just promoted to AA. SS? Needs new position?
With Volpe and Peraza, and also Sweeney, some need to find a new position. All can’t play SS.
1B Andres Chaparro 2 hits, 4 RBI. 2 HR (Solo & 3-run HRs) (18)
LF/CF Brandon Lockridge Solo HR (14) #28 prospect .227-14-49, 16 SB

Yoendrys Gomez 3 2/3 IP, 5 R, 8 H, 2 W, 4 K. 4.50 Gave up 1 HR #12 prospect, Overall: 1-0, 2.53
Minnick 1/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 1.86
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 0.00 REHAB
Jennings (BS, 2) 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 0 W, 2 K. 4.25
McGarrity 1 2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR. 2.63
Coleman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 2.95
Myatt (L, 3-2) 2 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 W, 0 K. 4.39

High A Hudson Valley and Low A Tampa seasons are over. Neither made the playoffs.