New York Yankees Minor League Player of the Week: 6/22-6/28

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees minor league coverage is about to get a lot more exciting. Not only has there been continued youth movement, but this week will be the first time the Staten Island Yankees are featured in our Minor League Player of the Week series!

Without further adieu, let’s dig in and see who earned player of the week honors from Monday June 22nd to Sunday July 28th:

Dominican Summer League Yankees 1 (19-6)

The DSL Yankees 1 have continued their hot start to the 2015 season, and after going 5-1 this week, they improved their overall record to 19-6, which is tops in the Dominican Summer League.

Player of the Week: Ricardo Ferriera, SS

Ricardo Ferriera, a native of Santo Domingo Norte, Dominican Republic is in his second year of rookie ball with the New York Yankees. In 2014 he was with the DSL Yankees 2, but now, starting 2015 with the DSL Yankees 1, the 20-year old is slashing .356/.486/.448 through his first 21 games. This week alone, Ferriera hit safely in four of his five games played, registering multi-hit performances in each of the four. He also managed to steal a base in all four games as well, and now has 12 stolen bags on the season.

As good as his offensive numbers have been, Ferriera has to work on his defense. He’s committed a total of 17 errors through his first 21 games, giving him a fielding percentage .861. These numbers really need to improve if he wants to advance out of rookie ball and into the Yankees farm system.

Honorable Mention: Leobaldo Cabrera, RF

Leobaldo Cabrera, a native of Cabimas, Venezuela is in his first year with the New York Yankees. Through his first 19 games, the 21-year old is slashing .364/.409/.519 with one home run and 16 RBI. This week, the young right-fielder reached safely in each of his five games played, including a three-hit performance on Sunday against the DSL Twins.

Pitcher of the Week: Alexander Figueredo, LHP

Figueredo, an 18-year old from Valencia, Venezuela is an exciting prospect to watch. Not only does he stand 6-foot-1 175 pounds, but he’s also a southpaw with some good stuff for his young age. He’s currently 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

This week the young left-hander made two starts. His first was on Monday, June 22nd against DSL Baltimore, in which he tossed 5.0 innings of shutout baseball, scattering four hits while striking out a career high seven batters in route to his third straight victory.

His second start was on Sunday, June 27th against the DSL Twins. Again he tossed 5.0 innings of shutout baseball, but his efforts this time resulted in a no-decision, as he was given zero run support.

Dominican Summer League Yankees 2

After going 4-2 this week, the DSL Yankees 2 improved their record to 11-14, putting them 8.5 games back of the DSL Red Sox 2.

Player of the Week: Miguel Flames, C

Miguel Flames, a 17-year old backstop out of Maracay, Venezuela is slashing an impressive .373/.442/.552 through his first 19 games of the season. He’s currently sitting on an 11-game hitting streak and has 25 RBI so far on the year. He had a career night on Tuesday, June 23rd, going 2-for-3 with a double and six RBI en route to a 23-3 win over the DSL Marlins. The Yankees should keep a close eye on this young prospect as he starts to develop.

Pitcher of the Week: Miguel Yajure, RHP

Despite an early 0-2 start to the 17-year olds DSL Career, this record doesn’t reflect his talent level. He has a 1.80 ERA through his first five games pitched and does have some pretty decent stuff. This week his efforts resulted in a loss against the DSL Mets, but it’s important to note he pitched 4.0 innings and only gave up two runs on four hits. His next will likely come in the middle of this week.