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Minor League Recap: 4th of July Style

Scranton loses to Syracuse, 8-5

• Kei Igawa got the start and allowed 4 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 4 in the process in his 5 innings of work.
• J.B. Cox struggled in relief, allowing 4 runs (grand slam) on 4 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings of work, striking out 3 in the process.
• Justin Christian was 0 for 3 with a walk.
• Alberto “I’m better than Jeter defensively” Gonzalez and Juan Miranda were 0 for 4.
• Eric Duncan was 2 for 4 with a homerun and 3 RBIs.

Trenton shuts out Portland once again, 6-0.

• Phil Coke got the start and was ballin, scattering 2 hits in 7 scoreless frames, striking out 6 in the process.
• Anthony Claggett pitched 2 perfect innings of relief, striking out 2 in the process.
• Ramiro Pena and Austin Jackson were 1 for 5.
• Colin Curtis was 1 for 4 with a walk.
• Chris Malec and James Cooper were 0 for 4. James drew a walk.
• Edwar Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a double and a homerun.
• Reegie Corona was 3 for 3 with a double.

Tampa shut out by Sarasota, 6-0

• Zachary McAllister got the start and was great. In 8 innings of work, ZM allowed 2 runs on 5 hits (2 run shot), striking out 9 in the process. He also had a 10-5 groundout-flyout ratio.
• Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 5.
• Luis Nunez was 1 for 3 with a walk.
• Kevin Smith and Mitch Hilligross were 2 for 4 with a double.
• Seth Fortenberry and Tim Battle were 1 for 4.
• CJ Henry and Jose Gil were 0 for 4.

Charleston defeated by Augusta, 5-2

• Our boy Dellin Betances started and wasn’t all that bad, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk in 5 innings of work, striking out 6 in the process. He also had a 7-2 groundout-flyout ratio.
• Jonathan Ortiz struck out 2 in a perfect inning of relief.
• Abe Almonte, Brad Suttle, Austin Romine, and Austin Krum were hitless in their respective at bats. Brad drew a walk annd should be promoted anyway.
• Jesus Montero was 1 for 4 with a double.
• Carmen Angelini was 2 for 4 with no errors.
• Brandon Laird and Matt Morris were 1 for 4.
• Prilys Cuello was 2 for 3.

Staten Island outlasts Mahoning Valley, 11-9

• Brandon Braboy got the start and in 4 1/3 innings of work, allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks, striking out 4 in the process.
• Pat Venditte was unusually wild as he allowed 3 walks and a hit in 1 1/3 innings. However, no runs allowed.
• Walter Ibarra was 2 for 5 with a double, homer, and a walk.
• Raymond Kruml was 3 for 5 with a walk.
• Mike Lyon was 2 for 3 with 1 walk.
• Jack Rye and Melky Mesa were 0 for 5.
• Daniel Brewer was 1 for 4 with a walk.
• Mitch Abeita was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.
• Jahdiel Santamaria and Ryan Wilkes picked up 2 hits in their respective at bats.

GCL Yanks loses to GCLTigers,7-1

• Brian Bruney allowed a run on 2 hits and 2 walks in 2 innings of work, striking out 3 in the process.
• Humberto Sanchez struck out the side in a pefect inning of relief.
• Jimmy Paredes, Jose Pirela, Mike Jones, and Chris Smith were 1 for 4 each. Chris and Jose had a double each.
• Kyle Anson was 0 for 2.
• Tom Baldridge was 0 for 3 with a walk.
• Corban Joseph and Zolio Almonte were 0 for 3.

Minor League Recap 7/3

Scranton’s game vs. Lehigh Valley was suspended

Trenton shuts out Portland, 4-0

• Jason Jones continued to dominate, giving up just 2 hits in 7 scoreless innings, and striking out 7.  This lowered his ERA to 2.28 on the season.  If there was any justice in the world, he would be in the AAA rotation.  He has done nothing but pitch well over the past 2 seasons.
•  Mark Melancon struck out 2 in 2 innings of 1-hit relief.  His ERA is down to 2.10 in Trenton.
• Ramiro Pena and Chris Malec were each 1 for 4.  Malec doubled.
• Austin Jackson and Colin Curtis were both 2 for 4.
• Seth Cooper and Edwar Gonzalez were 2 for 3, and Gonzalez doubled.

Tampa falls to Fort Myers, 2-1

• The good Ivan Nova was on display today, as he gave up 2 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings, with 5 strikeouts.
• Eduardo and Luis Nunez were each 1 for 4.  Luis’ hit was a triple.
• Seth Fortenberry was 2 for 3 with a double.

Charleston defeated by Augusta, 5-4

• Noel Castillo started, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks in 4 2/3 innings of work, while striking out 3.
• Abe Almonte was 2 for 5 to bring his average up to .267.
• Brad Suttle had a huge game, going 3 for 4 with 2 bombs.
• Jesus Montero was 1 for 4 with a double.
• Austin Romine was 0 for 4.

Staten Island rocks Mahoning Valley, 10-1

• Luke Greinke pitched like his brother Zack tonight, giving up 3 hits and 3 walks in 4 2/3 shutout innings, and striking out 6.  His ERA on the season dropped to 1.98.
• Pat Venditte walked 2 and struck out 2 in a scoreless 9th.  The switch-pitcher still maintains a 0.00 ERA on the young season.
• Chris Baisley was 2 for 3 with a double and a walk.
• Mike Lyon was 1 for 2 with 3 walks.
• Jack Rye and Daniel Brewer were each 2 for 4.
• Mitch Abeita was 2 for 3.

GCL Yanks defeat Tigers, 6-2

• Chris Britton continued to rehab, and struck out 2 in 2 perfect innings.
• Arodys Vizcaino got the win with 3 innings of 1-run ball.  The 17 year-old allowed 3 hits and struck out 3, though his ERA jumped to 2.08.
• Manny Barreda struck out 4 in 3 innings of 1-run ball to get the save.
• Alvaro Ramirez wsa 2 for 4 with a double.
• Tom Bainridge was 1 for 5.
• Jimmy Paredes was 2 for 5 with a steal and an error.  Jimmy played shortstop today.
• Jose Pirela was 2 for 4 with a walk, and played 2nd base.
• Chase Weems was 1 for 3 with a double and a walk.
• Emerson Landoin was 4 for 4 with a double.

Jose Tabata was placed on the DL with a hamstring injury, which his manager Tony Franklin described as “fairly serious.”  He will likely be out for a while, and could miss the rest of the season if the Yankees play it cautious.  He’s going to Tampa and will get an MRI.  Poor kid, he’s really had a rough season.

Happy 4th of July everybody.  I’m away for the weekend, so I won’t be doing recaps tomorrow or Saturday.

Confirmed International Signings List

This is a list of the players the Yankees have officially signed, as well as other information, as I come up with it.  I will also link to scouting reports if I find them. I realize this kind of looks like crap now, but maybe when I have more time I will make it into an excel spreadsheet, or something like that, if I can figure out how to do that.

Name                  Position      Country    Bats/Throws         Bonus

Anderson Félix          SS                DR                                       $500,000

Giancarlo Arias         SS                DR                    L/R            1,000,000

Jackson Valera          C/3B           VZ

Yeico Calderón          OF               DR

Ramón Flores            OF               VZ

International Free Agent Signing Day Discussion

Giancarlo Arias, Carlos Perez, and Yeico Calderón are some of the guys who have been predicted to sign with the Yankees.  There is a scouting report of Arias and Calderón here, and one of Perez here.  Teams are going to make it rain today, and hopefully the Yankees will be at the forefront of the feeding frenzy.  There is also great discussion at Saberscouting (with several scouts and agents commenting on one of their threads) and nyyfans.com if you want more.

Update (12:51 AM):  According to this ESPN Deportes article,  Carlos Perez has signed with the Braves for 600,000, so either he took less money to go to the Braves, or the rumors of an 850,000 dollar bonus offer from the Yankees were not true.  It also mentions that the Yankees signed shortstop Anderson Félix for 500,000, so he’ll be the first on the confirmed signings list.  It also mentions that the bidding for Inoa went even higher than the 4.25 million he received from Oakland, but he stayed with them due to his comfort and familiarity with Beane and the organization.  I wonder if the Yankees made a last-ditch bid for him.

“I think the personal treatment that Beane put into this was the determining factor so that Inoa’s parents opted to stay with Oakland even though there were higher offers,” said Edgar Mercedes, president of the Born to Play baseball academy where Inoa played since he was 12.

Update, (1 AM): The ESPN Deportes article was updated, and it mentions that the higher offers for Inoa were from the Rangers (5.2 million) and the Reds (5 million with a major league contract).  Wow.  The Inoa bidding was out of control.  With offers like that, those teams were really putting their eggs in one basket, especially the A’s, who haven’t been as active in international free agency.  I wonder how high the Yankees would have been willing to go if Inoa hadn’t broken a deal with the Yankees previously

Update (1:50 AM):  I just checked in at Saberscouting, and one of the agents commenting seemed to think that Arias and Calderón to the Yankees were both done deals, though I’ll wait for a more official source before I put them on the list.  Also, they seem to think that there is a chance that the Texas offer could cause Inoa and his representative to back out of the deal with Oakland.  The plot thickens….I wonder if this is time for Brian Cashman to come riding in on a white horse with 6 million dollars in a briefcase, and blow the deal-breaking Inoa away with a ridiculous offer that he can’t refuse.

Update (4:47 PM):  The signings of Arias and Calderón are official.  Additionally, the Yankees signed 2 Venezuelan players, outfielder Ramón Flores and catcher/3rd baseman Jackson Valera.  This brings the list of players to 5, all of whom are position players.  This quintet figures to be the big signings for the Yankees (unless Yorman Rodriguez signs in August), and should all get 6 figure bonuses, with some reaching the low 7 figures (Arias especially).  Scouting reports on Flores, Arias, and Calderón can be found on Saberscouting.  I have yet to find a good report on Valera or Félix yet, but I will update you when I find them, and hear about any other signings.