The Yankees farm report: The playoffs and beyond

The Gulf Coast Yankees East

The GC Yankees East have already won their post-season tournament. When they did, they also became the first minor league champions of 2017.

The GCY East (33-27) had to win a one game semifinal and a best of three final, but they came home with the title. The Yankees were led by LF Canaan Smith, who was also the only Yankees Post-Season All-Star in the entire Gulf Coast League.

A word about nomenclature. In the minor league system, they have a mid-season All-Star game, to which they name All-Stars; yes, please take a moment for a collective, “no doy.”

But they also name the best players at the end of the season and use the title, Postseason All-Stars (PAS). The title does not imply that the players did so well in the playoffs that they earned an All-Star attribution. God, I hope that was worth the time.

Raising Canaan

Back to Smith. In the one game semi, he went two-for-three. But if you know Canaan, you know he is all about OBP; a player for Stick Michael’s heart. So, of course, he also walked once, getting on base three out of four times.

In the three games he played in, Canaan collected four hits, three walks, and three RBI’s. And one of the hits was a home run. I don’t know where Smith will play next year, but it won’t be the GCL.

Sadly, though, is that a part of the mystery of where he will play is that Smith left game three of the playoffs with an injury and placed on the 60-day DL.

Here is the part where we get to act as a baseball community. I have no idea what the injury was or what it bodes. But I bet one of you does. This article will not be complete until someone with knowledge of the situation helps us all and explains the injury. Thank you, in advance.

If Smith was the Yankees playoff offensive MVP, then RF Jhon Moronta was the hero. His one out single to right in the top of the ninth in game three won the game, the series, and the title.

A Great First Impression

Earning honorary notices are SS Jose Devers—he was the man on third when Moronta stroked his single—2B Borinquen Mendez, RP Luis Rijo, and SP Brett Morales.

Morales is of special note. He is one of those pitchers the Yankees, and others, sign even though he recently had Tommy John surgery. Brett had the surgery last summer, was signed by the Yanks soon after, and proceeded to miss the next twelve months.

Making his debut only on August tenth, Morales made but four regular season starts before the playoffs. But his confidence had to be high as he finished his brief 2017 campaign with a 0.93 ERA and thirteen strikeouts to go with one walk in 9 and 2/3 innings.

Still, he was being thrust into a do-or-die, one game elimination semifinal after missing a year. The fact that he pitched five innings and gave up one hit, and no runs, makes Morales a pitcher to at least crane our necks at when 2018 begins.

Sadly, it is the GCL Yankees West (32-27) who finished third in a tougher division and out of the playoff picture. But they were the only farm team not to make noise in the playoffs. And the next sound you hear will be that of the Pulaski Yankees.

Eastern Division Champions Pulaski

The Pulaski Yankees won their Eastern Division and made it to their overall finals. And although they were swept two straight to end their season, some still left their marks.

And they did win a postseason series. While SP Deivi Garcia was a let down in the first game, LF Dario “unda-armour” Unda and CF Frederick Cuevas contributed significantly in a losing cause (6-5).

Eric Wagaman also contributed, collecting one each of a run, hit, and RBI. It was a sign of things to come. He would come back in the next game with a similar line, except he added one home run.

Between him and Cuevas, they made sure Luis Medina’s five innings of no-run ball would stand up (6-4).

Wagaman remained the offensive engine and drove the Yankees to victory in game three (two for three with a run, a double, and a walk). But it was SP Dalton Lehnen’s six innings of two hit, seven strikeouts, shutout ball that won the semifinal series (2-0).

Short; Not Sweet

The finals were more brief, and with fewer Yankees heroes. Eric was the only consistent offensive player in the short set, but it was the starting pitching that imploded. The team lost 12-1 in the first game and 9-8 in the second.

There was only one Pulaski Post-season All-Star: Manager Luis Dorante. It helps to explain how a team with no players of merit could wind up with the second best record in the Appy (41-26) and make it all the way to the finals.

Now on to the struggles in the Carolinas.

The Riverdogs Pitch In

The Charleston Riverdogs had the best record in the South Atlantic League (42-27), but it couldn’t help them get out of their first round. And the reason becomes a familiar refrain throughout the Yankees farm team failures: Great starting pitching, horrible relief efforts.

Of course, in The Dogs case, their playoff failure has to include a complete lack of hitting. In the three game set, Charleston was outscored ten to three. And most of Greenville’s runs came late in those games.

In the first game, rising star Freicer Perez went six scoreless. But the bullpen was one Bryan Mitchell after another, giving up four runs in three innings, and the team lost 4-1. Rony Garcia went into the sixth in game two, striking out five and surrendering zero runs, only this time the bullpen backed him up.

Fortunately for everyone, this was also Charleston’s offensive explosion, and they won 2-1. If you’ve been counting, you know how many runs the Yankees team scored in the elimination game.

Nick Green gave a better-than-quality start in game three, but when your team scores zero, you usually lose. Green and the RiverDogs ended their season with a five-nothing shutout loss.

Silver Lining

But though their postseason ended earlier than some others, Charleston came away with some interesting awards.

On a vote decided by their league peers, RiverDogs Strength Coach Jeff Dolan and Athletic Trainer Michael Sole were each named the league’s best at their respective positions.

Both Dolan and Sole are in their first season with the RiverDogs and their second in the Yankees system in full-time positions. Dolan garners the Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society’s Strength Coach of the Year award for the South Atlantic League while Sole was awarded the top honors in the SAL from the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainer Society.

Dolan garners his second Strength Coach of the Year award after he earned the nod in the Appalachian League while with the Pulaski Yankees in 2016.

And the awards were not limited to Yankees.

Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park has long been considered a gem in the city of Charleston and across Minor League Baseball, and 2017 is no different. The RiverDogs’ pristine venue has once again been recognized as the South Atlantic League’s Best Playing Field of the Year as Mike Williams was honored as the top sports turf manager.

The honor marks the fifth time the RiverDogs’ playing field has been recognized under the past nine seasons under Williams’ leadership. In a vote of the SAL Sports Turf Managers Association, Riley Park has now been named the top playing surface in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and now 2017 with Williams getting the nod as the top sports turf manager each season as well.

I am sorrier than ever that I did not get a chance to see Estevan Florial and Blake Rutherford play together down in Charleston.

These Dogs Bite

There were two players who received significant notices, though. One was Isiah Gilliam. He was voted by the fans as the Top Dog, an award I was unfamiliar with. But they know their baseball in the Sally:

After leading the RiverDogs with a power stroke from both sides of the plate, Charleston outfielder Isiah Gilliam has been announced as the winner of the “Top Dog” of the 2017 season as selected by the fans.

Gilliam, 21, joins other greats such as Josh Hamilton, B.J. Upton, Aubrey Huff, and Jorge Mateo who have all received the award in years past. In 2016, Charleston’s Top Dog award went to first baseman Chris Gittens. The switch-hitting outfielder was honored after the RiverDogs’ final home game after clinching their second straight postseason berth on Thursday, and his banner will be raised at The Joe alongside the previous winners.

With four games remaining in the regular season, Gilliam is leading the team in home runs (14), RBI (83), and doubles (33) while hitting .267 with a .454 slugging percentage. His 83 RBI are also second in the SAL behind Lakewood’s Darick Hall (96). 52 of Gilliam’s 83 RBI have also came in the second-half, leading the circuit over that span.

Gilliam went on to win a third player of the week honor after winning this award. The other player I referenced earned one of this league’s highest honors. But he finished with another team, and we will mention it then. Or should I say, now?

The Tampa Yankees

If the parent club Yankees want their teams to win, they had to be pleased with the Tampa branch of the family. They won their second consecutive Florida State League, North Division, title. Tampa was the best team in the first half—in the FSL they have an award for this accomplishment—and finished with the best record (79-49).

But, like the RiverDogs as mentioned earlier, they, too, lost in the first round. And once again the culprit was primarily the relief pitching.

That wasn’t true in the first game, where Brian Keller gave up five earned runs in less than one inning. Players want to get noticed, but no one wants that kind of line. But he was bailed out as the baby Yankees scored eight runs, including three in the ninth, and won 8-6.

What they didn’t know at the time was that it would take that much offense to win every game. And they just couldn’t do it, no shame to the hitters.

A Small Explosion

In game two, Erik Swanson gave up but one lone run in his six innings, but the Tampa Yankees lost 5-3. And eerily similar to the final game in the Sally, this series clincher featured a bullpen that was bad but an offense that was worse.

Recently returned Albert Abreu acquitted himself well, giving up only two earned through five and two-thirds, but the team still lost 4-1. Still, there was a lot of promise shown by several pitchers.

While the offense exploded in game one, and there were several good contributors, the two men who most consistently produced were DH Dalton Blaser and CF Estevan Florial. For the series, Blaser had four hits, two walks, scored twice, and collected two RBI’s.

And both of those ribbies came off of the two home runs Dalton hit during the series. But in the last game, he managed just one walk. As the team scored only one run, he was not the only Yankees player to struggle.

A Familiar Name

That wasn’t true for Estevan Florial. Florial has been leading the Yankees farm as the best active position player since Gleyber Torres went down, and he only increased his stature in the postseason.

Estevan contributed to the offense consistently. When it was over, he finished the series with two runs while collecting four hits and three walks. But half his hits were for extra bases: one was a triple while another was a homer.

Most importantly, though, was his play in the elimination game. Here, again, Florial showed why he is a true top Yankees prospect. While most of his teammates flailed, Estevan got two hits in the game. One was his only home run of the series and accounted for the only run and RBI of the game for the Yanks.

Estevan couldn’t save the season for the Yankees, but his hardware shows how hard he tried. Remember that unnamed award winner from the Sally? Are you surprised to learn it’s Florial?

Florial Stands Out

It turns out his four months spent in Charleston were good enough to win Most Outstanding Prospect. They have a traditional MVP, but this is a separate award. Florial might have been the only real Charleston All-Star, but at least he picked up some significant hardware. And accolades:

The South Atlantic League has announced the 2017 Postseason All-Star team, naming former RiverDogs outfielder Estevan Florial as the league’s Most Outstanding Major League Prospect on Tuesday.

Florial, 19, was one of the most explosive players in the South Atlantic League prior to his August 1 promotion, showcasing an exciting combination of speed, power, and defense. The Dominican teenager left the league batting .297 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, and swiping 17 bases in 91 games before being called up to Tampa. He was also one of six RiverDogs representatives at the South Atlantic League All-Star game in June.

“We’re all really, really proud of Estevan,” said RiverDogs manager Patrick Osborn. “You always hear ‘good things happen to good people,’ and I think this is a classic case of that, combined with superb baseball ability. He’s just an A-plus human being. Estevan’s been blessed with all kinds of talent to play this game, and he works his tail off. He’s really started to grow as a baseball player, and develop into a future All-Star.”

Tampa’s season is over but Florial’s year is not. The Yankees, the real Yankees, have decided to send him to the Arizona Fall League, where we can look forward to more stellar play.

The Beat Will Go On

That doesn’t mean, however, that Tampa was without its Post-Season All-Stars. And once again those awards and accolades were not limited to the players. Especially when the team’s performance was historic:

Despite falling short of repeating as North Division Champions, the T-Yanks enjoyed a historic 2017 season. The Yankees tallied a franchise-record 85 wins and Tampa pitchers collected 1,215 strikeouts to break the FSL single-season record.

Accidents Don’t Just Happen

That doesn’t happen by accident. So, another important Yankees contributor was acknowledged:

The Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) is pleased to announce that Mike Becker of the Tampa Yankees has been selected by his peers as the 2017 Florida State League Athletic Trainer of the Year. Mike now becomes one of eighteen league winners to be considered for Minor League Athletic Trainer of the Year, which will be announced and awarded at the MLB Winter Meetings in December.

And the Tampa team’s gaudy record garnered another award for manager Jay Bell.

Jay Bell earns “Manager of the Year” after guiding the T-Yanks to a first-half North Division Title, with a record of 39-31. Tampa has also clinched the second-half of the North Division, with a record of 40-18 as of August 28th. It is the first time the Tampa Yankees have ever won both halves of the FSL North Division.

But there was one player who excelled enough to win a postseason spot: UI Nick Solak:

Nick Solak was named a Post-Season All-Star as the utility infielder. The 22-year-old batted .301/.397/.460 (104-for-346) with 56R, 17 doubles, 4 triples, 10HR, 44RBI, and 53BB in 100 games with the Tampa Yankees. As of August 28th, Solak ranks among the league-leaders in BA (second), OBP (second) and SLG (third). The Woodbridge, Illinois native was promoted to Double-A Trenton on August 1st.

Solak was promoted to Trenton, where his name will come up again.

That takes care of the Yankees teams whose season’s have ended. Now on to three still with something to play for.

Coup De Foudre

The Trenton Thunder had by far and away the best record in the Eastern League this year (92-48). And they used that talent to take three of four from Binghamton in the semifinal series. Next up is Altoona and the quest for total EL domination.

So far, they’ve played well. And here we come to one of the top three pitching teams in the Yankees system. It’s no surprise that the three teams with the best pitching are all still playing.

The Thunder lost the first game because Dillon Tate didn’t have it: four earned runs in three innings. And even though Jose Mesa came in and provided five innings of shutout relief, Trenton lost 4-1; it was their only loss of the series.

The offense carried the team in game two, and the Thunder won 9-6, but the pitching reappeared in games three and four. Justus Sheffield, who had a good season but missed well more than a month, combined with Taylor Widener on a complete shutout (2-0).

In what became one of the most memorable games in his professional career, Taylor Widener had no idea what was going on until it was over. “I had to double-think it if we clinched or not,” he said of his team’s postgame celebration. “I was confused.” Due to a late offical scoring change, the Yankees’ No. 16 prospect didn’t initially realize that he combined with No. 5 prospect Justus Sheffield on a no-hitter as Trenton blanked Binghamton, 2-0, on Friday in Game 3 of the best-of-5 Eastern League semifinals at ARM & HAMMER Park.

More in Game Four

Game four saw Will Carter give up just one run over six and a third, and Stephen Tarpley closed out the game (9-1). Mesa, Sheffield, Widener, and Tarpley all raised their profiles. But when the team scores 21 runs in four games, it’s the offensive players who shined.

Players such as Jeff Hendrix, Dante Bichette, Zack Zehner, and Rashad Crawford acquitted themselves well. Clint Frazier has been rehabbing with them and made some contributions. But there are two position players who stood out, and recently promoted 2B Nick Solak is one of them.

Solak stands out due to his consistent contributions. He ended the series with four RBI’s—twenty percent of the team’s total—and got at least one in each of the last three games. No one got a RBI in the first game, making his effort all the more important.

Thairo Never Stops

But without question, the man who has emerged as the star of the Thunder’s playoffs is SS Thairo Estrada. His production line is sparkling: eight hits, five runs scored, and five runs batted in. He also included a double, triple, and home run.

Best of all, those last three all came in the same game. Trenton lost game one. With the season on the brink, Estrada came back to hit for the cycle in game two, the first one of his career.

“I’m very happy, very happy to be able to accomplish that,” he said. “But I am even happier because we got the win.”

Surprising to no one, Estrada will join Florial in the AFL, as will Sheffield. Dillon Tate had a good year, albeit a disappointing end, but will get a chance to polish his skills in the AFL, as well.

Now we have to wait to see how the final series plays out. But we don’t have to wait for the awards.

Once again, Thairo Estrada leads. He was the only player chosen as a PSAL. But he wasn’t the only one to gain significant recognition.

Good Players, Good Men

The Thunder, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, announced today that starting pitcher Domingo Acevedo has been named the winner of the Smith’s ACE Hardware Pitcher of the Year award, outfielder Zack Zehner is the recipient of the 2017 OxiClean “Dirtiest Uniform of the Season” award, and pitcher Cale Coshow is the recipient of the 2017 Samuel J. Plumeri, Sr. Community Service award. Coshow, who was selected for the award by Thunder management for the second straight year, is the first two-time receipient of the award.

Even those are internal awards, and it’s nice to see players recognized for their works and deeds.

Now out to Staten Island, and perhaps the Yankees affiliate with the best two starters in the playoffs.

Their Just Gettin’ Warmed Up

Interestingly, the Staten Island Yankees just started their playoffs. And although they lost the first game, their star pitchers have shined.

Juan De Paula pitched the Yankees into the playoffs, and the McNamara Crown, with five innings of one run ball. Jose Guzman followed that up with a stellar game one performance: Seven innings, no earned runs, and six strikeouts. That was followed by 3.2 additional shut out innings by Trevor Stephan.

The Yankees defense let them down, and they lost 5-2, but it wasn’t Guzman’s fault.

And the claim that this might be the best pitching team in the system? This quote starts by mentioning De Paula:

Staten Island rode the 19-year-old and the rest of a strong pitching staff to the title, topping the New York-Penn League with a combined 2.62 ERA and 11 shutouts while standing second to Tri-City with 688 strikeouts. New York’s No. 10 prospect Jorge Guzman leads the way for Staten Island with a 5-3 record and a 2.30 ERA, sixth-best in the league.

I hope to have good things to report about both when I write part two.

Polonia Appears

The offense scored only four runs in the two games, although the first one was shortened to six innings. Still, that leaves little in the way of offensive glory. Danienger Perez, Timmy Robinson, and Welfrin Mateo probably deserve notice most.

But as I said, these playoffs just started. There’s even a game in progress right now. And that is all that’s left for these island boys. I can find no mention of any PS awards at this level. Hopefully, the team will offset that with a championship run.

One player, UI Jose Polonia, does deserve notice. The SI/Penn League hold a late All-Star game and Polonia was the lone Yankees representative.

Now on to Pennsylvania and the hope that the boys in Scranton are on a run of their own.

Winning Yankees Ways

The Scranton Wilkes/Barre RailRiders are the gold standard of Yankees farm teams. This is their third straight International League North crown, and their ninth in twelve years. Their 84 wins were the most in the north, and they return to the playoffs as the defending champion.

And just today, they won the best of five semifinal series to advance to the Governor’s Cup finals.

The pitching has again been excellent, with Domingo German’s five runs in five innings in the series opener the lone bad start. The RailRiders lost that game 6-5 but then took three straight.

Chance Adams led the way in game two, surrendering two in five innings. But unlike some of the lower levels, the bullpen came to play. Most significant was Nick Rumbelow’s 2.1 innings of relief; the RailRiders won 4-2.

Game three saw Brady Lail go six and give up but one—RR won 6-1—while today’s starter was Nestor Cortes. His was the best start of all. He went seven strong and surrendered not a run, and Rumbelow finished the game for his second save. Between them and Jonathan Holder, the RailRiders pitched a shutout.

Time to Put Up

That was four games against one of the best teams at the highest level of the minors. And the Yankees pitchers gave up a total of nine runs, six coming in just one game. With Nestor Cortes now at Scranton, they, too, have a claim to the best staff on the farm.

While you and I, gentle reader, might disagree about which team has the best pitching, we can all agree that the best part for the Yankees is that there is an argument to be had. I will start: Staten Island has the best two starters.

Scranton’s offense, meanwhile, scored 16 runs; they have plenty of offensive heroes. Two of the top producers of these four games have been 2B Donovan Solano and CF Mason Williams. And up-and-down in the system 1B Mike Ford deserves special notice as it was his home run that won the last game, and the series.

Heavy Around the Middle

But the two most important hitters are familiar names: LF Billy McKinney and 3B Miguel Andujar. McKinney didn’t just hit a ton; he showed a penchant for hitting two-run homers. For the four games, Billy got four hits, scored three runs, hit two two-run home runs, and ended with five RBI’s.

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Andujar provided the perfect counter-punch of this one-two combination. He ended with only one run scored and five hits, but four of his hits were for extra bases: one home run and three doubles. That helped him collect three RBI’s and continues to profile him as a real middle of the order hitter.

The RailRiders will start their final series against Durham on the twelfth; I expect more great hitting and pitching before that series is through.

Getting Noticed

There were two RR’s deemed worthy of awards, and once again the manager was the best in his league.

The International League announced its end-of-year awards today and the SWB RailRiders (Triple-A/ New York Yankees) had two names included. Infielder Tyler Wade was named to the postseason All-Star Team at shortstop and Al Pedrique was voted Manager of the Year for the second straight season.

Pedrique becomes the first IL skipper to win back-to-back Manager of the Year awards since Rick Sweet took home the award with Louisville in 2008 and 2009. He is the first manager in SWB franchise history, and only the fourth in IL history, to earn the honor in consecutive seasons. The RailRiders have enjoyed seven postgame celebrations under watch, including a playoff berth and the IL North Division Championship this year. Finishing up his second year in Moosic, Pedrique has guided SWB to two North Division titles and the franchise’s second Governors’ Cup and first Triple-A National Championship in 2016.

AAAA

Tyler Wade was the only position player selected, although I have to believe that Andujar did not have enough AB’s to qualify. That is not meant as a slight at Wade, who earned his accolades. Tyler has looked over matched at the big league level, but right at home in Scranton.

Wade, 22, has put together a terrific rookie season with SWB. Through 81 games, his .305 batting average ranks fourth and his 26 stolen bases are third most on the circuit. He has scored a team-high, 67 runs and boasts a .378 on-base percentage, also top five in the IL.

Until Part Two

That wraps up this look at the minor league team’s and their playoff performances. For some, we have taken our last look. But three teams are still in play, and we will return to them once all the leagues have been decided.

Two things will happen by then. The Yankees will call up more of their promising, impact players once they are done in the playoffs. Most of those players will come from the top two teams. And it’s because they’re both still competing that we haven’t seen such players as Cortes and Andujar already.

That should change before Steve can edit that next piece. And the other thing that the Yankees should do by then is name the remaining AFL players. Again, it gives us a glimpse into how the Yankees see their young talent.

Next: Farewell to Gene Michael

But all the fans want is to see that talent in pinstripes, succeeding at the big league level. If the Yankees are right, and getting September playoff experience helps players produce later in October, the farm is producing its most important crop of the year.

And, for some of that talent such as Sheffield, Cortes, Rumbelow, and Andujar, this might not be their last playoff series’ of 2017.