Yankees Prospects: Week 24 minor league review

The Yankees minor league system is still playing meaningful games with just two teams left in action. Double-A Somerset is heading into the playoffs with a roster full of strong offensive performers and rising prospects. Let’s take a look at the who stood out in the Yankees system this past week.

Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders

Record: 77-63; T-Second place in the International League (East), 1.5 GB

Past Week: 4-2 vs. Worcester Red Sox

Coming Up: Away vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs

On June 7th, Scranton sat 15.5 games out in the standings. This week, they briefly took the International League East lead before going 2-2 over the last four games of the weekly series. They are now 58-29 dating back to early June and remain within striking distance of a division championship with 10 games remaining. Deivi García has taken well to the bullpen and may be emerging as a weapon with a major league future in that role. Another player who is making a run towards contributing to the Yankees is Zach Greene. The 26-year-old right-hander has been outstanding down the stretch for the RailRiders, since their rotation was hit hard at the trade deadline and also as minor leaguers have been called up to fill in for injured players.

Players of Note:

Anthony Volpe: 94 G; .280/.367/.511, 16 HR, 3 3B, 31 2B, 34 SB (Double-A and Triple-A)

Armando Alvarez: 57 G; .325/.365/.596, 13 HR, 16 2B

Zach Greene: 14 G; 1.19 ERA, 22.2 IP, 12 H, 7 BB, 33 K

Deivi Garcia: 6 G; 2.95 ERA, 18.1 IP, 9 H, 7 BB, 24 K

Double-A Somerset Patriots

Second-Half Record: 39-28; Second place in the Eastern League (Northeast) 3.0 GB

Overall Record: 83-53; First-Half Champion in the Eastern League (Northeast); Best Full-Season record in the Eastern League

Past Week: 2-4 vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox)

Coming Up: Northeast Division playoffs (best-of-three) vs. Portland Sea Dogs

The Patriots finished with the best overall record in the Eastern League on the season and now head to the playoffs where they will meet the team they just finished playing a series against, the Portland Sea Dogs. Andres Chaparro’s bat continues to draw attention as he had another big week and has a 1.093 OPS since returning from the injured list in early August. Austin Wells has also continued to put up big numbers for the Patriots and has a .899 OPS over his last 51 games. In a stat that you likely don’t expect to see tied to a team’s top catching prospect, Wells has yet to be caught stealing as a professional and is a perfect 32-for-32 in stolen bases over the last two seasons, with 16 of those coming each year.

If the Patriots win their series against the Sea Dogs, they’ll advance to the Eastern League Championship Series, which begins on September 25th. They would play the winner of the Southwest Division’s series, which features the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants) and Erie SeaWolves (Tigers).

Players of Note:

Clayton Beeter: 7 G; 2.13 ERA, 25.1 IP, 16 H, 11 BB, 41 K

Austin Wells: 51 G; .278/.383/.516, 12 HR, 1 3B, 8 2B, 7 SB

Andres Chaparro: 34 G; .333/.410/.683, 11 HR, 11 2B

Yoendrys Gómez: 14 G; 2.64 ERA, 44.1 IP, 34 H, 18 BB, 46 K (High-A and Double-A)

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades

Second-Half Record: 37-27; Second place in the South Atlantic League (North), 2.0 GB

Overall Record: 71-59

The Renegades finished the season with 230 stolen bases, which led the South Atlantic League by 54 stolen bases. The team was successful 79.8 percent of the time stealing this year. The team also hit 129 home runs this season, which was the highest in the SAL North Division. Some of the team's top offensive performers in Jasson Domínguez, Trey Sweeney, and Tyler Hardman have already made it up to the Double-A level. On the pitching side, the team had the lowest ERA, second lowest WHIP and allowed the fewest hits in the SAL.

Low-A Tampa Tarpons

Second-Half Record: 34-28; Third place in the Florida State League (West Coast), 3.5 GB

Overall Record: 61-67

The Tarpons pitching staff had the lowest batting average against in the Florida State League this season. The pitchers as a unit were also top three in strikeouts and WHIP across the league. On the offensive side of the ball the Tarpons were second in both home runs and stolen bases in the league. After a slow start, the team played much better in the second half, remaining in the playoff hunt until the final few games of the season.