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

4 of 6
Next

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.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Class-A Sh0rt Season: Staten Island Yankees

Kyle Holder and Jhalan Jackson are both in town, and baseball is back in the borough of Staten Island, as the SI Yankees currently stand 5-5 through their first 10 games.

Player of the Week: Griffin Gordon, LF #11

Griffin Gordon, drafted by the Yankees in round 27 of the 2014 draft, is off to a great start to his semi- professional career. Through his first nine games in Staten Island, the 23-year old is slashing .368/.429/.421 with 14 hits and 5 RBI. Interestingly enough, the Jacksonville State alum has hit safely in each of his first nine games and is crushing left-handed pitching. He ‘s batting .600 off lefties and .333 off righties.

Pitcher of the Week: Derek Callahan, SP #30

Derek Callahan, a 22-year old out of Gonzaga University was demoted to Staten Island from the Florida State League after going 0-2 with a sky-high 9.39 ERA with the Tampa Yankees. However, in his first start with Staten Island, the Edmonds, Washington native tossed five innings of shutout baseball, scattering just two hits and a walk in route to his first semi-professional victory. The young right-hander has a lot of work to do in terms of his command, but it’s nice to see him take a step in the right direction after being sent down.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Class A: Charleston RiverDogs

With the first half of the South Atlantic League in the books, all teams have resumed play for the second half of the season, and the Charleston RiverDogs are currently 1-3, which gives them an overall record of 35-38 on the year.

Player of the Week: Vicente Conde, SS #4

Ever since being demoted down to Charleston, Vicente Conde has been on a mission to prove to the Yankees that he’s worth another look at the higher levels of their farm system. This week the 21-year old reached base safely in two of Charleston’s three games following their all-star break. Prior to his game on Sunday, Conde was on a nine game hitting streak. All-in-all, Conde needs to improve his strikeout numbers if he wants to remain in the Yankees farm system.

Pitcher of the Week: Dillon McNamara, RHP #39

In what was a rough week for the Charleston RiverDogs pitching staff, the lone bright spot was Staten Island, NY native Dillon McNamara, who pitched 1.1 innings of relief after the all-star break.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Class A-Advanced: Tampa Yankees

Player of the Week: Dustin Fowler

In 58 games with Charleston this season, Dustin Fowler averaged .307 with four home runs and 31 RBI. Fowler’s continued success earned him a call up to the Tampa Yankees, where his offensive dominance continued with another killer week, as he reached base safely in four of his six games played. In each of the four games, he record multi-hit performances, including a three-hit, three RBI game on June 24th against the Dunedin Blue Jays. His efforts helped the Tampa Yankees win 5-1.

Pitcher of the Week: Cale Coshow, RHP #56

Cale Coshow looks as if he’s on the fast track to the MLB. After being promoted from the Charleston bullpen to the Tampa Yankees starting rotation, it looks as if the 22-year old is finally finding his groove. In two starts this week, Coshow earned a win and a no-decision. His no decision came on Monday June 22nd against Dunedin, in which he tossed 4.1 shutout innings, scattering three hits and a career high seven strikeouts. His win was on Sunday June 28th, when he tossed 6.0 innings of shutout baseball, again scattering three hits. This time he only struck out five, but thanks to plenty of run support, Coshow and the Yankees cruised to a 6-0 victory over the St. Lucie Mets.

Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports

AA: Trenton Thunder

The Trenton Thunder wen’t 3-3 this week, including a three game sweep of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The Thunder are currently 40-35 and just a 0.5 game back of New Britain Rock Cats for first place in the Eastern Division.

Player of the Week: Ali Castillo, SS #4

Ali Castillo is slashing .325/.341/.350 in his 11 games played so far with the Trenton Thunder. This week he recorded two multi-hit performances, including a three-hit performance. If Castillo want’s to get back to Scranton he’ll need to improve his hitting off right-handed pitchers. Castillo is hitting .476 off lefties, but an incredibly low .158 off righties.

Pitcher of the Week: Caleb Smith, LHP #12

Caleb Smith, a native of Huntsville, Texas is currently 5-4 with a 4.08 ERA. This week, the southpaw had a great outing, earning a win against Richmond in which he tossed 6.0 innings of shutout baseball. He struck out four and walked two, and his performance helped the Yankees sweep the Flying Squirrels.

Mar 14, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Steve Tolleson (18) safely steals second base against New York Yankees second baseman Cole Figueroa (62) during the sixth inning at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

AAA: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

The RailRiders wen’t 2-4 this week, dropping to 43-34 on the year. Fortunately the RailRiders are still in first place and have a 3.0 game lead on the Rochester Red Wings.

Player of the Week: Cole Figueroa, 2B #2

Cole Figueroa had three multi-hit performances this week, including one three-hit and a pair of two-hit performances. He’s improved his slash line to .284/.351/.379 on the season with 2 HR and 29 RBI. On the defensive side of the ball, the 27-year old has played second, short and third base, and has recorded a fielding percentage north of .950 at each position.

Pitcher of the Week:  Joel De La Cruz, RHP #47

Joe De La Cruz was the lone bright spot this week for the RailRiders pitching staff. De La Cruz improved his record to 5-0 after pitching 4.0 innings of relief out of the Scranton bullpen on June 24th against the Louisville Bats. He struck out one batter and held the Bats lineup hitless in his four innings pitched.

[recentsposts]

Next