As the New York Yankees went 6-1 at the Major League level, their Minor League affiliates had some strong performances as well. There was plenty to talk about in the prospect world for the Yankees, as they had plenty of strong performances, including a five-game streak in Hudson Valley, where they had their starter record nine strikeouts while allowing two or fewer runs.
We’re highlighting the top performers for the Yankees at the Minor League level over the past week, and this might be one of our longest reports of the season.
Tampa Tarpons (A): Griffin Herring Dominates Again, Engleth Urena Heats Up
Engleth Urena (#18): .333 OBP | .667 SLG% | 1.000 OPS | 3 HR | 5 RBI
Last season rebuilt Engleth Urena’s stock after an injury wiped out his entire 2023 season, as the 20-year-old catcher smashed eight home runs in 40 games at the Florida Complex League. He’s moved up to full-season baseball for the first time in his career, and after not hitting a single home run during the first eight games of the season, he caught fire to hit three in four games. He picked up another hit and walk on Sunday, and we’re seeing that signature pull-side power that Urena displayed all of last year come to light.
With a .148 BABIP, I expect Urena’s average and on-base rates to climb in the coming weeks, and he could be the next breakout catcher that the Yankees seem to have every year. Just like Agustin Ramirez and Rafael Flores, the glove will still need work, but the bat has tons of upside, and I think a promotion to High-A would be a good test for him in the second half. The Yankees tend to be patient with catcher development, as they’re focused on both their offensive and defensive development since framing is a highly desired trait inside the organization.
Clayton Beeter (#20): 1.1 IP | 0 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 4 SO
This is the first outing of Clayton Beeter’s rehab assignment, and his return to the mound was beyond encouraging as the right-hander dominated the four batters he faced in his Easter outing. He had the highest average fastball velocity of any outing in his professional career (97 MPH) while getting 19 inches of ride on the pitch. The deathball slider was vicious with tons of vertical drop and little horizontal movement, and the changeup he flashed occasionally looked pretty good as well.
Griffin Herring (#26): 6 IP | 3 H | 1 ER | 4 BB | 9 SO | 1-0
While his command wasn’t as sharp in St. Lucie, Griffin Herring continued his hot start in Tampa with six brilliant innings, striking out nine batters and allowing just one run to score. His changeup didn’t get involved in his mix until later on in the start, as Herring battled with poor command throughout the first few innings before he locked in to put together another strong outing. His slider continued to be a high-whiff pitch, and his fastball remained effective at the top of the zone.
After three starts, Griffin Herring has the most strikeouts in the Florida State League (22) and the lowest ERA (0.55) among qualified starters. The left-hander keeps the ball on the ground, prevents damage contact, and picks up plenty of whiffs, a combination of traits that are very desirable for a prospect. I don’t expect his stay in Tampa to last very long at this point, and with the way some of their arms have performed in Hudson Valley, a spot could open up for him soon. If I were a betting man, I would pick Herring to be the first notable promotion made on the Tampa Tarpons’ current roster.
Other Notable Performers
- Greysen Carter: 4.1 IP | 4 H | 2 ER | 3 BB | 7 SO
- Brendan Decker: 3 IP | 2 H | 0 ER | 2 BB | 6 SO
- Parks Harber: .391 OBP |.421 SLG% | .812 OPS | 1 HR | 3 RBI
- Juan Matheus: .400 OBP | .500 SLG% | .900 OPS | 0 HR | 6 RBI
Hudson Valley Renegades (A+): Incredible Starts and Dynamic 1-2 Lineup Punch Lead to Sweep
George Lombard Jr. (#1): .545 OBP | .600 SLG% | 1.125 OPS | 1 HR | 5 RBI
George Lombard Jr. continued to rack up hits and walks as the teenage shortstop is off to a fast start with the Hudson Valley Renegades. The hype from Spring Training is continuing to materialize with Lombard displaying a good feel for contact while launching his first home run since being promoted to High-A. He has good exit velocities, plays a brilliant shortstop, makes good swing decisions, and is a remarkable athlete, this is the kind of prospect who pops in the data and film.
Translating more of that raw power into game power is still a work-in-progress for him, but the other skills look good and the stock is continuing to climb. Baseball America and FanGraphs both gave massive boosts to George Lombard Jr. after his Spring Training and I have yet to find someone that doesn’t believe he’s capable of being an All-Star at the Major League level. The upside is real, the hype isn’t unfounded, and the Yankees know that a Double-A promotion would only make that excitement grow larger.
Ben Hess (#2): 5 IP | 3 H | 0 ER | 2 BB | 9 SO | 1-0
Ben Hess followed up an impressive debut against the Brooklyn Cyclones with another brilliant performance in his first start at Heritage Financial Park. His fastball continued to rack up swings and misses, his curveball was as nasty as ever, and I even saw some wicked changeups pick up whiffs and soft contact. Hess is a strike-thrower who has the movement and release traits to be a frontline starter based on what’s publicly known regarding his pitch shapes. He was throwing heaters with 19 inches of IVB when you adjust for the ball used in High-A while releasing from a 5.6 foot release height.
That’s an outlier fastball, and if he can continue locating it in the upper quadrants of the zone at 93-94 MPH, he’ll be near the top of the South Atlantic League in strikeout rate until he’s promoted. This is looking like a short-term visit for Hess in Hudson Valley, as the right-hander has looked completely unphased by the opposing hitters at this level. The depth of repertoire, sharp command, and outlier pitch shapes make me wonder if this is someone the Yankees should consider putting on a fast track to the big leagues.
Bryce Cunningham (#3): 7 IP | 4 H | 0 ER | 1 BB | 9 SO | 1-0
After allowing six runs to the Brooklyn Cyclones, Bryce Cunningham came out with a vengence against the Blue Rocks, firing seven dominant frames. His fastball routinely sat in the mid-90s, and just like Ben Hess he has some fun shapes on it that allow that pitch to be a truly excellent weapon. Standing at 6’5, he gets tons of extension which allows his heater to come off as firmer than what the radar gun says. Furthermore, his heater gets good vertical movement while also being released from a lower arm angle.
His slider was very good in this outing as he was able to throw that down-and-away for whiffs consistently, and he seems to have a curveball as well. The changeup didn’t get as much love in this start but its a very good pitch, and like with Ben Hess, his pitch quality and repertoire depth make him a candidate to fly through the organization quickly. The Yankees are patient with prospects, but they typically only leave their best performing starters at High-A for a couple of months before giving them the nod to get to Double-A.
Carlos Lagrange (#14): 6 IP | 2 H | 2 ER | 1 BB | 9 SO | 1-0
Another Hudson Valley starter, another nine-strikeout performance on the week, as Carlos Lagrange was able to deliver his first statement of the 2025 season. He got shelled in Brooklyn, but in his first home start of the year, he overpowered hitters with his high-90s heater and improving selection of breaking balls. The development of a sweeping slider has helped Lagrange attack breaking balls on the outer half of the plate for chases or whiffs, and it pairs well with his gyro slider and changeup, which can work against left-handed batters.
He’s throwing more strikes through these first two starts, with a 65.5% Strike%, which is 10% better than where it was last season between the Complex League and Single-A. Despite not performing well in 2024, the Yankees still decided to move Lagrange up a level, and the strides in command were seen in his Spring Breakout outing when he walked just one batter across four strong frames. As long as he can live in the zone often enough, his stuff will allow him to dominate as the fastball can touch 102 MPH, and the extension he gets makes it feel even firmer for opposing hitters.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (#18): 6.2 IP | 3 H | 1 ER | 0 BB | 9 SO | 1-0
In his first two starts, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz struggled to locate and it resulted in abbreviated outings, but in this start, he aggressively attacked the zone to get ahead in counts and put batters away. His four-seamer and sinker sit in the mid-90s, with the right-hander flashing 97 MPH during the start, but his secondaries were the key in this dominant performance. His slider has good lateral movement, which is hard for right-handed hitters to handle, but he can also snap off curveballs to lefties to get chases to end the at-bat.
I also saw a splitter for a strikeout, and that pitch could be a game-changer for him, as it’s not common for a starter to possess that pitch. While changeups are better against opposite-handed hitters and not as effective in same-handed matchups, splitters are platoon neutral, a trait that seems to be unique to that pitch type. If Cruz can continue honing in on that splitter, he could have a great pitch in his back pocket that he can break out in any count. With multiple pitches and a lively arm, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz has the makings of a top-100 prospect and is only 21 years old.
Brendan Jones (#30): .478 OBP | .647 SLG% | 1.145 OPS | 2 HR | 2 RBI
Before this series against the Blue Rocks, Brendan Jones was ice-cold with a .242 OBP and .484 OPS through his first six games, but he caught fire in this series. He hit his first two home runs of the season in back-to-back games, being the ultimate table-setter in the Renegades’ six-game sweep of Wilmington. Jones has always had the ability to get on-base, make contact, and steal bases at a moment’s notice, but he’s starting to maximize his limited power tool by lifting the ball and pulling it to right field frequently.
While Brendan Jones doesn’t have the tools of a top-flight prospect, he has strong foundational skills and is actively making changes to address his biggest weakness. The lack of raw power made him go under the radar, but there’s a lot of Caleb Durbin to this profile, and the swing would fit better in the Bronx since he’s left-handed. A strong defensive outfielder with a watchful eye, Jones has received some comparisons to long-time Yankee Brett Gardner, who played with a hard-nosed style that endeared him to the fanbase for over a decade.
Josh Grosz (NR): 5.1 IP | 2 H | 1 ER | 1 BB | 9 SO | 1-0
Last season Josh Grosz got knocked around despite strong strikeout rates, and his promotion to High-A is a reflection of how his results may have been misleading. The right-hander tossed a gem in his second outing of the season, and with an arsenal that has three distinct pitches that can be used in any count, he has the foundation to continue starting in the organization as he continues to climb through the Minor League ranks. I see a reliever projection in Grosz, who doesn’t have the best command in the world, but that would be a pretty good outcome for a little-known 11th Round selection
His fastball gets good vertical movement with some run as well, his gyro slider has good downward movement, and his changeup is an underrated pitch that plays well in the dirt off of the fastball. He won’t be viewed as a top prospect in the organization until he figures out how to consistently throw strikes, but the Yankees have a lively arm here, and that excites me. Josh Grosz was aggressive with his secondaries all day, and Wilmington didn’t seem to have anything resembling an answer for those pitches.
Other Notable Performers
- Will Brian: 3 IP | 1 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 5 SO
- Jose Colmenares: .450 OBP | .563 SLG% | 1.013 OPS | 1 HR | 3 RBI
Somerset Patriots (AA): Tough Late-Game Losses, Big Week From Spencer Jones
Spencer Jones (#5): .259 OBP | .542 SLG% | .801 OPS | 3 HR | 4 RBI
Spencer Jones crushed the Altoona Curve, as all three of his home runs were either at or above 111 MPH in terms of exit velocity. He showed off some strong defensive skills in centerfield as well during this series, and Jones is continuing to produce in Double-A, even though the strikeout rates are still high. He’s lifting the ball more than he did last season, he’s hitting more home runs than he did last season, and his OPS is through the roof as we enter the third full week of the Double-A season.
It took 46 games in 2024 for Spencer Jones to hit his sixth home run of the season, and it took 24 games for him to accomplish that task in 2025. To get to that mark in just 14 games this year is a sign that he’s starting to really find his game power, which could make a lot of his contact issues easier to stomach. He does still need to improve the contact rates, at this state he would likely strike out over 40% of the time in the big leagues, and that’s not remotely playable, but if he can get that big-league number down to ~30%, we could be talking about a star in the making.
Rafael Flores (#11): 346 OBP | .480 SLG% | .826 OPS | 1 HR | 7 RBI
The home run ball hasn’t been rolling at the same pace as it has for Spencer Jones, but Rafael Flores is off to a strong start in 2025 as well. He’s continuing to hit the ball hard and get on base, although the strikeout rates are higher than they were last year. Flores has tons of raw power and can really do damage on contact whenever he gets his A-Swing off, rivaling the likes of Jones in the exit velocity department. The Yankees are continuing to hone his defensive abilities behind the plate, as if he can stick at catcher, he could be a future platoon partner for Austin Wells.
It could also make him more attractive in trade conversations, and with his Rule 5 eligibility becoming an issue this winter, the Yankees will have to either place him on their crowded 40-man roster or let him go unprotected. This could push Brian Cashman to trade Flores, even if the organization really likes him, as the Yankees do have some catching depth in the organization because of how well they develop framing. Rafael Flores is a monster at the plate, and hopefully, he starts catching fire with the home run ball soon.
Brendan Beck (NR): 6 IP | 0 H | 0 ER | 0 BB | 5 SO | 1-0
Coming back from his second elbow surgery since being drafted in 2021, Brendan Beck has been incredible through his first two starts at the Double-A level. Beck fired six flawless innings with incredible efficiency against Altoona, dominating without breaking a sweat and presenting himself as a potential MLB starter by the end of the year. He has a 30.3% strikeout rate and 10 shutout innings thus far on the season, and if Beck continues to pitch this way, a promotion to Scranton doesn’t seem too far down the road.
He’s 26 years old but has just 12 starts as a pro; injuries have robbed Brendan Beck of the chance to reach the Major Leagues sooner, as his strike-throwing abilities are immaculate. The fastball sits at around 91 MPH with good vertical movement, and it isn’t a dominant pitch, but it sets up his slider, curveball, and changeup, which he can seemingly use in any count to pick up strikeouts. His super over-the-top delivery makes those secondaries hard to handle, and the Yankees should keep their eyes on Brendan Beck in case Carlos Carrasco continues to struggle.
Other Notable Performers
- Trent Sellers: 5.2 IP | 3 H | 0 ER | 2 BB | 7 SO
- Cam Schlittler: 4.1 IP | 6 H | 1 ER | 2 BB | 3 SO
- Dylan Jasso: .318 OBP | .500 SLG% | .818 OPS | 1 HR | 4 RBI
Scranton RailRiders (AAA): Jorbit Vivas Remains Red-Hot, Fall Just Short of Series Win In Durham
Everson Pereira (#21): .333 OBP | .579 SLG% | .912 OPS | 2 HR | 5 RBI
Everson Pereira has gotten hot as of late after a slow start to the season, but the concerns that existed before still exist right now. He’s not making enough contact and the power is taking some time to come around, and if the Yankees want to rely on Pereira to take at-bats at the Major League level down the road, they’ll need things to improve soon. It’s a shame that someone with the power, defense, and speed that Everson Pereira possesses has a tool so poor that it puts his entire future with the organization into question.
Even if things don’t pan out in the Bronx, there is something for Pereira to play for as a strong first half could make him a commodity in trade talks. Teams like to pursue upside when it comes to prospects, and a 24-year-old outfielder with the power and athleticism that he possesses could be valuable this summer. The Yankees don’t have much room for an outfielder right now but they do need someone in Scranton who can be ready at anyone’s notice, and if Everson Pereira can build off of this week, both sides could benefit from him being a valued piece in a consequential trade.
Jorbit Vivas (NR): .481 OBP | .500 SLG% | .981 OPS | 0 HR | 0 RBI
The Yankees acquired Jorbit Vivas from the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, and while he struggled in the second half which caused his stock to fall, he’s come into 2025 on fire. His numbers are up across the board, his hard-hit rates are better, his contact rates are better, his power output is better, and he’s still an excellent defender at second base. The Yankees don’t have a need for a left-handed infielder, but they do need some help in the infield, which could make Vivas an interesting midseason call-up option depending on how the team is playing.
Also on the 40-man roster, the Yankees will need to figure out what their long-term future is with the infielder as he’s out of Minor League options after this season. I suspect he’ll also find himself on the trade block as the Yankees have too many left-handed hitters and not enough solutions against southpaw pitching. His hot start, good feel for contact, and versatile glove could make him valuable at the trade deadline, and I suspect that Jorbit Vivas would be happy just to have a crack at the big leagues even if it isn’t in the Bronx; hope he keeps mashing.
Right before I was going to publish this article, the Yankees promoted Jorbit Vivas to the Major Leagues to replace Trent Grisham, who was placed on the Paternity List. He could finally make his MLB debut if the team chooses to play him during this promotion to the big leagues.
Other Notable Performers
- Ismael Munguia: .375 OBP | .474 SLG% | .849 OPS | 1 HR | 2 RBI
- Sean Boyle: 5 IP | 1 H | 0 ER | 3 BB | 5 SO
- Zach Messinger: 5 IP | 6 H | 2 ER | 3 BB | 8 SO