Yankees' Minor League Players of the Week

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The roller coaster of a season continues and that means another week of stats to give credit where it is due. It is beginning to become easier to track the trends of who is hot and who is consistent, so pull up a seat and let’s start crunching numbers.

Single-A Charleston RiverDogs (18-11)

The RiverDogs went 4-2 this week and it is safe to say that their offense is rolling. They outscored their opponents 25-19 and because of this, they continue to sit in first place of the South Atlantic League Southern with a comfortable three game lead.

Batter of the Week: Dustin Fowler (.333, 1 HR, 4 RBI’s, 6 Runs)

Fowler, a center fielder, was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round of the 2013 Amateur Draft. He has been considered a long shot to make the MLB but his athleticism has helped him progress nicely. The raw tools are there if he can put it together and this week’s stats demonstrated that. Fowler showed his patience at the plate by spraying eight hits in 24-at bats.

Honorable Mention: Jorge Mateo (.320, 1 HR, 3 RBI’s, 3 Runs)

The Shortstop is one of the Yankees’ top prospects and has a bright future with the club. His name has been brought up numerous times by other clubs in trade negotiations but the Yanks have been reluctant to move him. Mateo looks to remain hot and turn the corner that scouts have been waiting for. This past week was certainly a step in the right direction.

Pitcher of the Week: Joe Harvey (2.1 IP, 1 Save, 2 Strike Outs)

Harvey received his fifth save of the season against Hickory on May 3rd. He boasts a 2.79 ERA on the young season and looks consistent in each appearance. He does not give up many hits and has become a reliable pitcher down the stretch.

Honorable Mention: Sean Carley (2.2 IP, 1 Hold)

Carley proved to be a strong end of the game arm for the RiverDogs this week with two good games. In his first appearance he pitched 1.2 innings and allowed three hits. He received a Hold for his shut down performance. Later on in the week he pitched a shut out inning in a tough loss.

Next: Single A Tampa

Tyler Wade-Mandatory Credit: MiLB.com

Single-A Tampa Yankees (17-14)

The Single-A Tampa Yankees went 3-3 this week and are currently in second place in the Florida State League. They will look to climb out of the hole they dug themselves in and gain the two games on first place Daytona as they start their next week of play.

Batter of the Week: Tyler Wade (.357, 6 RBI’s, 6 Runs)

Wade absolutely crushed the ball this week. He did not hesitate when it came to having runners in scoring position and batted in six RBI’s and managed to further help his team by crossing the plate six times himself. The shortstop is batting .330 on the season and it is no surprise why; the ball looks like a beach ball to him right now.

Honorbale Mention: Abiatal Avelino (.296, 1 RBI, 6 Runs)

Avelino was the stereotypical lead off batter this week ad batted near .300 while working counts. The second baseman got on base time, after time, and set his teammates up to drive him in. He scored six times in 28-at bats.

Pitcher of the Week: Chris Smith (3 IP, 3 Strike Outs, 1 Hit, 0.00 ERA)

Smith has been dominant through 2015 with a stellar 0.00 ERA in 7.2 innings pitched. He has only given up four hits while giving up zero walks which combines for an unheard of 0.52 WHIP. Smith has a 9 k/9 ratio and has been lights out in the four games he has appeared in.

Honorable Mention: Evan Rutckyj (4 IP, 7 Strike Outs, 2 hits)

With a last name that looks like an assortment of letters you would get in Scrabble, Rutckyj had the opposing batters overwhelmed this past week. He struck out seven batters in his two appearances and six of those came in his three inning appearance on May 4th.

Next: Double-A Trenton

Mar 4, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) talks with guest instructor Reggie Jackson works out before a spring training baseball game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Double-A Trenton Thunder (14-17)

The Thunder went 3-4 this week and, despite the losing record, finished the week off with a huge come from behind victory. The Yankees have four out of their top five prospects in Trenton and are monitoring their growth closely. One of those prospects is Gregory Bird, who was recently injured and placed on the DL. He is the third ranked first base prospect in all of the minors.

Hitter of the Week: Aaron Judge (12 Hits, 2 HR’s, 7 RBI’s)

Judge is the future of the Yankees and will eventually take over right field. His size screams raw power and he flashed that this week by belting two home runs and batting in seven runners. Judge has hit safely in his last nine games.

Honorable Mention: Eric Jagielo (8 Hits, 2 HR’s, 5 RBI’s)

Jagielo was part of the stellar 2013 draft that the Yankees put together. He was drafted to eventually take over the hot corner and with the re-signing of Chase Headley to a four-year deal, he will have plenty of time to mature. He smacked 8 hits this week and like Judge, was not shy when it counted.

Pitcher of the Week: Miguel Sulbaran (6 IP, 4 Strike Outs, 3 Hits)

He pitched an awesome six inning shut out that resulted in a no decision. All you can ask from a pitcher is to set the team up in a position to win and Sulbaran did just that. In his appearance he recorded four strike outs and only gave up three hits. The Thunder went on to win 2-1.

Honorable Mention: Brady Lail (5 IP, 1 Earned Run, 3 Strike Outs)

He recorded a win in a five inning appearance against Erie. Lail had three strike outs and gave up one earned. He didn’t go as far into the game as the coaches would have liked but he did record the win.

Next: Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes- Barre RailRiders

Mar 6, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Slade Heathcott (74) catches a fly ball during the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes- Barre RailRiders (15-17)

The RailRiders went 4-2 this week and showed that they could win the close games. However, they need to continue to get hot to catch up on the four games they fell behind Pawtucket. They will look forward to tough match ups against Norfolk and Durham.

Player of the Week: Slade Heathcott (9 Hits, 4 RBI’s, 4 Runs)

Heathcott can hit after all! He had nine hits during this week and is currently on an 11 game hit streak. He also had four RBI’s and scored four times. The Yanks re-signed him to give him another shot. If he can stay healthy he can be a big time prospect.

Honorable Mention: Rob Refsnyder (6 hits, 3 multi-hit games)

Ref was supposed to be the opening day second baseman but he was beat out by the re-signed Stephen Drew. Girardi chose Drew over Ref because he felt Ref’s glove needed further development. However, his bat doesn’t need any work! He had three multi-hit games this week and had a total of six hits.

Pitcher of the Week: Bryan Mitchell (6 IP, 2 Strike Outs, 1 Earned Run)

Mitchell pitched a terrific game in which he went six innings and struck out two. He only gave up four hits and one earned run while leading his team to a win. He will be one of the pitchers the Yankees will eventually look to as they try to keep their rotation healthy. Mitchell will need to make the most of his opportunities.

Honorable Mention: Jacob Lindgren (4 IP, 6 Strike Outs, 1 Hit)

Lindgren was another piece of that 2013 draft like Jagielo. He was impressive in Spring Training, but unfortunately the stacked bullpen didn’t leave much room for Lindgren. You can bet that if someone gets hurt or struggles, Lindgren is first in line to be called up. He had six strike outs this week in four innings of work and gave up just one hit.

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