Minor League Quick Hits

by Tamar Chalker

April 18, 2023

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With a rainy off-day yesterday, it seems like a good time to check in on what’s going on in the farm system. Here is quick rundown of how some Yankee hopefuls are starting 2023.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:

While the RailRiders have had kind of a mixed bag start to the season, this past week saw a couple of big hitters making some noise. After a slow start, Andrés Chaparro had a monster last six games hitting .417/.440/1.083 with a stolen base, a double, five homers, and seven RBIs. He seems locked in - as shown by Chaparro’s seventh at bat on Sunday. After a multi-hit first game, he fouled off 12 straight pitches before working a walk in an 18-pitch at bat. Only Jake Bauers had a better week, going .500/.650/1.286 with two stolen bases, a triple, three homers, and eight RBIs.

Somerset Patriots:

The Patriots were probably pretty excited to get Jasson Dominguez back after his strong Spring Training appearance in Tampa, but the Martian is struggling. Eight games into the season and has only two hits to show for it. He has gone a combined .077/.294/.115 and has 12 strikeouts to eight walks. He has made the best of it when he does get on base, however, swiping five bags and scoring six runs. He doesn’t have any RBIs or homers. Meanwhile, infielder Max Burt is having a breakout April. He’s leading the way with a .471/.571/.882 line, eight RBIs and two homers.

On the mound, Clayton Beeter has thrown well in his first couple of games. With two starts (11 innings), Beeter a 0.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 14 Ks and only three walks. He is holding opposing batters to a .175 average.

Hudson Valley Renegades:

Spencer Jones is leading the way for the Renegades. The outfielder has 5 doubles, three homers and nine RBIs in 32 at bats for a .344/.405/.781 line. He has struck out thirteen times and only drawn four walks. Zach Messinger has thrown 11 strong innings, giving him a 0.82 ERA while holding opposing hitters to a .158 average. He has 12 Ks and only four walks.

Tampa Tarpons:

The Tarpons haven’t generated a whole lot of offense yet this season, but they’ve had some noteworthy pitching performances. Justin Lange has two starts and racked up 17 Ks and only two walks with a 1.80 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. Sean Hermann has 10 Ks and no walks (albeit he did hit a pair of batters) in 10.2 innings. His 0.84 ERA leads the way for Tampa starters.