Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz takes the ball for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton RailRiders, in what is their biggest game of the season.
A chance to reach the Triple-A Championship hinges on tonight’s matchup in Jacksonville, as it’s a winner-take-all Game 3 matchup.
It’s a big-pressure situation for a pitcher who has just one start at the Triple-A level going into tonight, being promoted to Scranton following Double-A Somerset’s elimination two weeks ago.
We ranked Cruz as the no. three prospect inside the Yankees’ organization, and he’s the closest inside the top three to his big-league debut.
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Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz finished with the second-most strikeouts in Minor League Baseball (176) while also having the best qualified FIP (2.47) as well.
The right-hander allowed four runs across five innings in his first Triple-A start, striking out three without issuing a walk against the Buffalo Bisons.
He displayed a mid-90s sinker with good depth and run, having a sweeper, splitter, four-seamer, curveball, and cutter he mixed in as well.
Spencer Jones, our no. 5 prospect, will hit in the middle of the order as well with the hope of providing some offense and giving the RailRiders their first trip to the Triple-A Championship since 2016.
Adam Mazur, a prospect shipped over from the Padres to the Marlins in the Tanner Scott trade, will oppose him for Jacksonville.
He has pitched to a 6.22 ERA in 14 starts with the Padres and Marlins, having a 4.80 ERA at the big league level across six starts for Miami.
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