Yankees Minor League Report – July 6, 2012

The Yankees Minor League Report is back from a short break and will be run weekly on Fridays beginning with today’s post. There has been some movement of players in the system in the past week and some 2012 draftees have begun play since the last report. They’ll be noted within the updates for their new team and we’ll touch upon some international signings the Yankees made on the first day of the new signing period.

International League North (AAA) – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (47-41), 3rd Place, 4.5 GB

• The Yankees went 7-9 since the last report.
• In just 132 plate appearances, Russell Branyan has 11 home runs and 37 RBI with a 1.096 OPS.
• The club has lost four of their last five after rattling off a five-game win streak.

Eastern League Eastern (AA) – Trenton Thunder, (48-37), 1st place

• The Thunder maintained first-place despite a 8-9 record since the last report.
• David Phelps was optioned to the Thunder on Wednesday so he stays on turn as the parent Yankees will not need his services this weekend and with the All-Star break coming up. This allows Phelps to maintain the process of  getting stretched out.
• First baseman Luke Murton leads the Thunder with 17 HR and 45 RBI. He has 4 HR and 8 RBI in his last 10 games.
• Outfielder Rob Segedin (.291, 7 HR & 41 RBI) and catcher JR Murphy (.257, 5 HR & 28 RBI) were promoted on Monday from Tampa.

Florida State League (Advanced A) – Tampa Yankees (First Half: 30-36, 12 GB; Second Half: 8-6, 2nd place 0.5 GB)

• The team went 8-6 since last report.
• Outfielders Tyler Austin and Mason Williams along with catcher Gary Sanchez were promoted on Monday from Charleston.
• Sanchez is off to a quick start going  4-for-13 with a home run and 2 RBI in three games.
• Tampa manager and former MLB player/Yankee Luis Sojo won his 419th game becoming the all-time managerial wins leader for the Florida State League.

South Atlantic League Southern (A) – Charleston RiverDogs (First Half: 39-28, 3rd place 6.5 GB; Second Half: 9-5, 2nd place, 2 GB)

• The RiverDogs recorded a 9-5 record since the last report.
• Starting pitcher Bryan Mitchell has 72 strikeouts in 71 innings.

New York/Penn League (Class A Short Season) – Staten Island Yankees (6-12, 7 GB, last place)

• The S.I. Yanks went 6-10 since the last report.
• First baseman Saxon Butler is hitting .400 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI along with a 1.112 OPS.
• Starting pitcher Evan Rutckyj is 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. He has 20 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.

Gulf Coast League (Rookie) – Gulf Coast Yankees (13-3), 1st place

• The GC Yankees were an impressive 12-2 since the last report.
• Second-round pick (89th overall) Austin Aune, has been playing shortstop so far in seven games with the GCL Yanks. He was drafted with the notion of a move to center field. Aune is hitting only .174 so far in 29 plate appearances.
• The Yankees other second round pick (94th overall), catcher Peter O’Brien, was assigned to the team earlier this week. He already has five hits in twelve at-bats with two doubles.
• OF Nathan Mikolas (3rd round , 124th overall) and P Corey Black (4th round, 157th overall) were also assigned to the GCL Yankees.

Dominican Summer League BC South (Rookie) – DSL Yankees 1 (20-9), 1st place

• The DSL Yankees were 8-6 since the last report.
• Jose Figueroa continues to dominate DSL pitching. He is batting .391 with 3 HR and 27 RBI. He leads the team with a 1.252 OPS.

Dominican Summer League BC North (Rookie) – DSL Yankees 2 (8-21), last place, 10 GB

• The team continues to struggle, going 3-11 since the last report.
• Starting pitcher Christopher Cabrera has impresses with a 3-1 record and a 2.73 ERA. He has 22 K’s in 26.1 innings and a 1.10 WHIP.

The New York Yankees signed three international players to contracts this past week as the new international spending bonus pool took effect as part of the collective bargaining agreement. The 2012/13 signing period has a flat $2.9 million for each team and beginning the following period (2013/14) each team’s pool is based on their winning percentage from the previous season. Teams will have to pay penalties for going over the limits.

The Yanks signed Luis Torrens, a former infielder turned catcher to a $1.3 million signing bonus. Torrens was the second-ranked international player according to Baseball America. The fourth-ranked international prospect according to BA, Alexander Palma, was signed by the Bombers for $800K. Lastly, the Yanks inked Yancarlos Baez, a shortstop, for $650K. All three players are 16-years-old. All figures are courtesy of Baseball America’s Ben Badler.

For a daily recap of the top performances around minor league baseball check out The Prospect Pulse on Seedlings to Stars.