Yankees final farm report: The summer is ending but not the harvest

(28) RP Nick Rumbelow: 25/SWB

1.25/0.81/40/11

Close behind our first pitcher sure to be seen in 2017 is our second, Rumbelow. Nick was signed in 2013 and looked like a fast rising flamethrower, his strikeouts high and his ERA low. And by 2015 he went from prospect to pinstripes.

The problem was he was pitching injured and didn’t tell anyone, as I suspect from the information. That led him to have the worst year of his career, until the following one. Nick’s 2015 injury turned out to require Tommy John and he missed all but one inning of the 2016 season.

Rumbelow’s return has seen his resurgence. Since the first of June, Nick has pitched to a 1.29 ERA. He has 38 SO in his 35 innings, but only eighteen hits and ten walks (0.80 WHIP). He, too, will be called up in a couple of weeks. But his will be more of a promise fulfilled than an experiment entertained.

(27) SP Domingo German: 25/SWB

2.94/1.13/107/29

Similar to Rumbelow, German was once on the fast track to the majors until he needed major surgery. Domingo was signed, perhaps on a Sunday, by the Marlins and began professional play in 2010.

He came over in the Nathan Eovaldi deal after a breakout 2014: 123 innings pitched with a 2.48 ERA, and SO/BB ratio of 113/25. Then came the injury. Domingo missed 2015 and pitched but ten innings last year. This season, German has not only pitched his way to Scranton, but also the Bronx.

German has had a great year, getting better as the season goes along. He threw his first 33 innings for Trenton and posted a flat 3.00 ERA with 32 hits and 38 SO/10 BB. Promising after a nearly two-year layoff, even with a 1.27 WHIP.

German Pinzer

That was good enough for a call to the Bronx. Seemingly inspired, German returned to Scranton where he gave up only 50 hits and posted a 2.91 ERA in his next 65 innings. His WHIP also went down (1.06), while he maintained a better than three-to-one strikeout to walk ratio (69/19).

Which brings us to the likely return of Domingo number one.

German will be back in the bullpen no later than September. He might even get a spot start. But next year looks to tell the rest of his story. He will either become one of seven or eight starters used throughout the 2018 campaign, show that he is a bullpen arm only, prove injury prone, or be used in a trade.

Just before going to press, Domingo had another great start at Scranton. While that might have moved him up slighlty, I still believe German belongs in this range, comments be damned.

(26) SP Taylor Widener: 22/Tampa

3.57/1.16/121/48

If he were younger, German would be much higher on this list, and it’s why he is surpassed by Widener.

Taylor was drafted in 2016 out of South Carolina and the Yankees are not sure what they have. He was used as reliever last year but starter in 2017. His somewhat gooberish picture belies his serious abilities: 25 games and 113 innings pitched this year with only 83 hits.

Notable is that he has 121 SO and 48 Walks in those innings, to go with a 1.16 WHIP. Widener has good numbers but he does not pitch deep into games. He gets a lot of whiffs, but is 22 and only at Tampa. He looks on track to be a good reliever some day but he will need to learn quickly or his time to develop will evaporate.

The talent and potential of the prospects only increases as we move into the last half of the twenties.