Staten Island Yankees Top 5 Players Of The Week

5 of 7

Home of the Staten Island Yankees-Mandatory Credit: milb.com

This past week in Staten Island Yankees’ baseball saw the team play a homestand that brought out a chip in some of the players. Against the Connecticut Tigers and Tri-City Valleycats, the team went 4-2 to keep themselves in the Wild Card Race with 13 games left in the New York-Penn League season. The 4-2 was significant, considering that they went 1-5 on the road against both of those teams a couple of weeks ago. Left Fielder Chris Breen told me about how these players approached these past two series:

“It brought a little edge in us,” said Breen after Saturday’s night loss. “We need to take it one game at a time and win the games we are supposed to win.”

The last two days brought a mini-break for the Baby Bombers as the New York Penn-League All-Star Game took place on Tuesday night. Four Staten Island Yankees (Luis Torrens, Isaias Tejeda, Ty McFarland, and Connor Spencer) took part in the game with Spencer and McFarland getting the starts at first and second base respectively. Torrens scored the lone run of the game for the South All-Stars when he lead off the seventh inning with a double. He would later score on a sacrifice fly for the South team’s only run. The game would end in a 1-1 tie.

There was a roster move on Tuesday afternoon as the Yankees promoted first baseman Bubba Jones to Low-A Charleston. In 15 games this season, Jones hit .132 with two home runs and four RBI’s. The two homers tied his total from last season, which he achieved in 60 games. Earlier today, second baseman Billy Fleming was added to the roster. Fleming, who was hitting .375 in 22 games in the Gulf Coast League, played with pitcher Sean Carley at West Virginia University.

With the All-Star Break now over, this week brings a critical point in the playoff. Staten Island starts a stretch where they play five of their next eight games against the Brooklyn Cyclones. The two teams haven’t played since June 29 and Staten Island needs every game they can get, considering that they are 3.5 games behind the Cyclones heading into Wednesday night’s action.

Staten Island starting pitcher Ty Hensley would tell the media after the game on Sunday that this series with the Cyclones is “going to be big. I think if we are able to get quite a few wins there, we will be alright.”

With that being said, before tonight’s matchup with Brooklyn at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George, here are my top five Staten Island Yankees’ players from this week’s action:

Mandatory Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner

Honorable Mentions: Sam Agnew-Weiland (2-4, 5.34) and Sean Carley (1-3, 7.20)

The reason that this spot is shared is because both relievers had fantastic outings during this past week. Let’s start with taking a look at Agnew-Weiland:

On Friday night, in a 5-2 loss, Agnew-Weiland had his best game of the year, striking out five of the seven batters he faced in two relief innings, giving up only one hit. The 24^th round pick in the 2013 draft has 30 strikeouts this season, which is tied for third on the team in 30.1 innings pitched (fourth on the team). As a reliever, one of the main issues for Agnew-Weiland is the walks considering his total of 16 free passes is third on the team. However, with the exception of a three-walk performance against Mahoning Valley on August 9, he only has two walks in his last five appearances. He also has to avoid the crooked inning as he has given up two or more earned runs in five of his last nine appearances.

As for Carley, the 14^th round pick in this year’s draft was dominant out of the bullpen against the Connecticut Tigers last Wednesday. In Game 2 of the doubleheader, Carley threw two hitless innings, striking out four of the six batters he faced. Carley also lit up the radar gun as he was hitting up to 96 miles per hour on his fastball. He does have a 7.20 ERA on the season and had given up a combined ten earned run in his last three outings before the Connecticut game.

Four of Carley’s last six games have been as a starter, but with the velocity that the 23-year-old pitcher can bring to the table, he could be a valuable short-inning reliever down the stretch for the Baby Bombers.

Mandatory Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner and Bryan Green/Pinstriped Prospects.com

5. RHP Ty Hensley (0-0, 4.15)

On Sunday afternoon, we saw the potential that Ty Hensley has as a prospect in the Yankees’ organization. Against the best lineup in the New York-Penn League in the Tri-City Valleycats, Hensley had his fastball and breaking ball working. He struck out four batters and gave up one hit in three innings of work.

While Hensley has gone no more than three innings in each of his three starts, it is understandable considering all the injuries that he has had since being drafted in the first round of the 2012 Draft by the Yankees. The one thing I was impressed about Hensley’s outing is when he got out of the jam in the third inning with first and third and one out. He was able to get a strikeout and groundball to short to end the inning.

Hensley has 11 K’s in three starts, but had a bad break on August 10 when rain cut his outing short against Mahoning Valley. I talked to Ty after Sunday’s game about whether or not that rain-shortened outing changed his approach before the Tri-City start:

“I just try to put that start behind me more than anything,” replied Hensley. “You never want to make an excuse about weather, but I had to battle through some things. I didn’t fight myself today, where as I did last time. I was going to let everything go.”

Mandatory Credit: sandytambone.com

4. SS Jose Javier (.250, 2 HR, 15 RBI’s)

This is Javier’s fifth year in the Yankees’ organization since being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010. After three years in the Dominican Summer League and one year in the Gulf Coast League, Javier made his way to Staten Island and is finding his form of late.

Over the course of this past week, the shortstop went 6-for-15 at the plate with a home run and three RBI’s. That home run came in Sunday’s 6-3 win over Tri-City when he smacked a 400+ foot home run into left field as part of his two RBI performance. Javier is having his best month of the season, hitting wise, with a .333 average in seven games. He has played mainly shortstop this season, but can also played second base. But, his defense is still a question mark when you take into account that the 21-year-old has eight errors this year (tied for second on the team) with three of those errors coming this month.

As I mentioned in Sunday’s recap, manager Mario Garza mentioned that his coaching staff talk about who will be that player that steps up down the stretch. With his recent success at the plate, that guy just might be Jose Javier.

Mandatory Credit: sandytambone.com

3. RHP Jonathan Holder (1-1, 2.77)

Holder makes the top five for the second time this season and for good reason. On Thursday night against Connecticut, Holder got the start as the team looked for the sweep. The sixth round pick out of Mississippi State ended up coming up big with four shutout innings, giving up only one hit and striking out five. The right-hander has now given up one earned run on six hits with 13 strikeouts in his last 11 innings of work.

I caught up with him Friday to discuss the adjustments he has made as he has faced some of these lineups, such as Connecticut, a second time:

“I’ve got a better feel of some of these teams I’ve seen,” said Holder. “Paying attention to other people throwing has been a big key for it as well. He also mentioned that in his last few outings, he’s learned “how to throw his changeup better with my fastball.”

Holder, the pitcher who told me he lives by Psalm 23:4, was drafted in the same organization as his college teammate, Jacob Lindgren. The second round pick has rose up the Yankees’ rank to AA, so I asked Holder about the feeling he had when he found out both of them would be drafted to the same organization.

“It’s pretty cool. We are from the same hometown, went to the same college, and got to be best friends,” replied Holder. “I keep up with him a lot.”

In ten games, Holder has given up a combined 13 runs. The progress he has made since a relief appearance in Connecticut on July 28 has been very good to watch, considering that he has a 0.82 ERA in three starts this month.

2. 1B Connor Spencer (.371, 0 HR, 9 RBI’s)

Spencer continues to be the lone mainstay that has appeared in every edition of our top five. On this last critical homestand for the Baby Bombers, Spencer had seven hits in 16 at-bats with one RBI. Of course, the month of August continues to be great for the eighth round pick as he is hitting .469 this month (23-for-49 at the plate).

Spencer did play in the All-Star Game last night and went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. The first baseman isn’t known for his power, as we’ve discussed all season, but he has been consistent in getting on-base (.399 on-base percentage), a stat that if he was eligible, would put him second in the entire league.

Now, Spencer had one hit in six at-bats against the Cyclones when the teams last played in June. But, the 21-year-old has continued to get better and better as the season has progressed. I asked Spencer after the team’s win on Sunday to talk about the rivalry between the Yankees and Mets’ minor league affiliates:

“Right away, you know there is a huge rivalry between Staten Island and Brooklyn,” responded Spencer. “But, we’re ready for it. We’ve played well down the stretch and especially with the couple day off, we will come back re-energized and ready to play.”

Chris Breen-Mandatory Credit: Anthony DePrimo

1. LF Christopher Breen (.283, 6 HR, 22 RBI’s)

After being number two on the top five last week, Breen makes his way to number one this week. Primarily, Breen’s week involved a heavy dose of the long ball. His big game came Thursday night against Connecticut when he went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI’s. Breen now leads the team in home runs and has a hit in each of his last six games.

As we mentioned last week, Breen does lead the team in walks with 25, but he doesn’t exactly look for that right pitch to hit when he goes up to bat.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m looking for the right pitch to hit, “ said Breen. “I think also I have success hitting balls that you wouldn’t picture being in the little K zone that everyone thinks about as the strike zone.”

He would also add that “when he sees the ball well, it helps him to lay off the borderline pitches.”

Breen’s approach, according to him, has stayed simple at the plate of late, but he credits Coach Figueroa and the other coaches in Tampa over his career for his transition from catcher a couple years ago to left field/first base, where he made only two combined errors this year.

YGY Staten Island Yankees Top 5 Players Of The Week: (8/13-8/19)

Schedule