New York Yankees Minor League Player of the Week: 4/8-4/19

Mar 3, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder

(99) runs back into the dugout during a spring training baseball game at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Trenton Thunder (6-5)

Batter of the Week: Aaron Judge (.300 2 Home Runs, 6 RBI’s)

The Trenton Thunder have one of the most powerful lineups in the Eastern League. They are ranked second in the league in home runs (9), second in RBI’s (49) and fourth in slugging percentage (.404). Their lineup also features Aaron Judge, the fifth best Yankees prospect and one of the most potent hitters in the entire minor leagues.

The 22-year old has four multi-hit games in nine games played and has smacked a total of two home runs and six RBI’s. He’s hit safely in his last four games, and the highlight of the week was his walk-off home run v. the Portland Sea Dogs on April 16th. One of the more interesting facts about Aaron Judge is that he’s drawn comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton from numerous baseball scouts around the league.

In 2014 Judge posted an impressive slash line of .308/.419/.486 in 131 games played between the Tampa Yankees and Charleston RiverDogs. He was selected by the New York Yankees in first round of the  2013 MLB June Amateur Draft out of California State University.

Honorable Mention: Mason Williams (.344, 0 HR, 7 RBI’s) who is leading the Trenton Thunder in both batting average (.344) and stolen bases (3). Mason Williams, 23, struggled a bit in his last two seasons, as his average dipped to 2.45 in 2013 as he split time with the Tampa Yankees and Trenton Thunder and even lower in 2014 when he posted a .223 batting average in his first full season in Double-A. The Yankees drafted Williams in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft out of West Orange High School with hopes of him one day being their every day center fielder in the future. Though his last two seasons have caused some scouts to write him off, Williams still has the tools to be a five-tool ball player if he can just put it all together. It’s great to see him get off to a hot start.

Pitcher of the Week: Luis Severino (1-0, 0.90 ERA)

The Yankees number one overall prospect has gotten off to a dazzling start in 2015. In two games started, Severino has allowed just one earned run while scattering four hits through 10.0 innings pitched. His 14 strikeouts is tops on the Thunder pitching staff and good enough for fourth in the Eastern league behind Matt Boyd, Parker Bridwell and Austin Both. In his first start of the season, Severino pitched five shutout innings of one hit baseball with 8 strikeouts against the Akron RubberDucks on April 14th. The 21-year old Dominican Republic native is rated the 23rd best prospect on MLB.com. 

Honorable Mention: Taylor Garrison (1-0, 1.93 ERA) who was drafted by the Yankees in the seventh round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Fresno State University. Garrison has gotten off to a decent start for the Thunder, but will need to limit the amount of hits he’s given up going forward. Through two starts, he’s given up a total of 12 hits while coughing up 2 earned runs.