It was another week full of impressive performances across the Yankees‘ farm system, as their prospects have increased the overall value of this organization in the first six weeks of the year. You have your usual suspects in the Hudson Valley Renegades’ rotation doing a job, but there were other excellent performances as we’re seeing some bats start to heat up at various levels.
We also have our first Florida Complex League recap as their season began earlier this month, with some important prospects showing out in Tampa. There’s plenty of action to recap, and if you’re interested in keeping tabs on the Yankees’ farm system, we’re doing prospect reports right here on Empire Sports Media every Monday.
Brando Mayea Headlines Strong Start for the FCL Yankees
Brando Mayea: 7-22 | 1 HR | 4 RBI | 3 BB | 8 SO | Season OPS: 1.014
The Yankees signed Brando Mayea as an international free agent with the hopes that he would be one of their 10 best prospects by this point, but his 2024 season was a massive flop. He had a 27.9% strikeout rate last year with zero home runs and two doubles, finishing with a .696 OPS and 98 wRC+. The pressure to perform is on this year, and while there have been a lot of whiffs, his 168 wRC+ is a step in the right direction.
He blasted a home run for the first time since being promoted to the Florida Complex League, and the 19-year-old hopes to have a swift start and earn a promotion to Single-A with the Tampa Tarpons mid-season. I ranked him in the backend of the top-30 entering the season, and hopefully, he’ll cut down on the whiffs and keep doing damage on contact so I can give him a nice bump.
Sunayro Martina: 7 IP | 0 ER | 9 SO | 3 BB | Season ERA: 0.00
Not much is known about the right-hander from the Netherlands, but Sunayro Martina has put up strong numbers to start his season and could be a name that gets shuttled up to Single-A fairly quickly. He spent all of 2024 in the Complex League, and players who repeat a year at the level are often the most likely candidates to earn a mid-season promotion to Single-A Tampa.
J.T. Etheridge: 4 IP | 0 ER | 9 SO | 2 BB | Season ERA: 0.00
A 23-year-old Undrafted Free Agent, J.T. Etheridge was a JUCO pitcher who made a strong first impression in his pro debut, racking up the strikeouts and avoiding damage contact. A 6’6 right-hander, he has the frame to develop some velocity and potentially rise through the organization quickly due to his age and collegiate experience. He is a man amongst boys, so I won’t take too much stock in his success, but maybe he moves up to Single-A quickly and continues the momentum.
Xavier Rivas: 4 IP | 0 ER | 5 SO | 2 BB | Season ERA: 0.00
With just one year of collegiate experience under his belt, Xavier Rivas is a very raw left-handed prospect who only got one year at Ole Miss due to an injury. His strikeout numbers were wicked with 89 in 68 innings pitched, but he had command issues and allowed a ton of damage contact. Rivas operates in the low-90s with his fastball generating good vertical movement. His changeup and breaking ball work well off the fastball due to their excellent depth, and Xavier Rivas is another arm in the FCL whose collegiate experience could lead to a swift promotion if the results are there.
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Tampa Offense Shows Signs Of Life After Slow Start
Brian Sanchez: 9-18 | 0 HR | 10 RBI | 3 BB | 1 SO | Season OPS: .776
Brian Sanchez had a strong week where he was the biggest run-producer for the Tampa Tarpons, turning around an early-season slump as he’s up to a 115 wRC+ on the year. His lack of game power is concerning, as he’s yet to record a home run in Single-A, but the bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline are sharp. Sanchez is still only 20 years old and has shown some flashes worth keeping tabs on. It all hinges on whether the power can come around or not, the contact rates improving as much as they have from the FCL have kept me invested in his progress.
Owen Cobb: 6-12 | 1 HR | 5 RBI | 3 BB | 2 SO | Season OPS: 1.436
Owen Cobb has been a huge boost for the Tampa Tarpons’ anemic offense in his eight games there, hitting .440 with two home runs and five steals. With a 269 wRC+, Cobb has displayed an excellent ability to crush the ball to his pull side, but the contact rates will have to get back to where they were last year if he wants to return to Hudson Valley. Cobb struggled mightily in High-A, which is why he’s returned to Single-A, but it should be noted that 2025 is his first full pro season. A 23-year-old undrafted free agent from last year, the Yankees will challenge him with promotions if this keeps up.
Gage Ziehl: 6.2 IP | 0 ER | 0 BB | 4 SO | Season ERA: 4.08 (Single-A only)
Gage Ziehl made a spot start for the Double-A Somerset Patriots, where he got smacked around for four runs in four innings, but his most recent Single-A outing was his best of the season. Ziehl pitched into the seventh inning, not surrendering a single run or walk across 6.2 innings, picking up four strikeouts. He has pitched to contact and gotten some solid results doing so, but he’ll need to induce some more swing-and-miss. The four-seamer has good vertical ride and sits around 93-95 MPH, the sweeper is in the mid-80s with good lateral movement, and the cutter is solid too.
Another Week Full of Strong Starts For the Hudson Valley Renegades
Ben Hess: 6.2 IP | 0 ER | 1 BB | 9 SO | Season ERA: 3.24
Ben Hess had a no-hitter going when he stepped on the mound in the seventh inning, as the right-hander dominated against Wilmington. The right-hander has a big riding fastball that got up to 96 MPH in this performance, with a big curveball and sharp changeup that can generate whiffs. His 37.9% K% is one of the highest in Minor League Baseball, as the Yankees have nailed his development thus far. The ability to move downhill has improved from his collegiate days, allowing the fastball to explode out of his hand with sharp secondaries to go with it. Top 100 prospect? Maybe.
Josh Grosz: 6.2 IP | 1 ER | 0 BB | 9 SO | Season ERA: 4.30
The excellent performances from some more well-known prospects in the rotation have left Josh Grosz overshadowed and underappreciated, but his stuff shouldn’t be ignored. He’s throwing from a lower arm angle despite his tall frame, sitting between 93-95 MPH with good vertical movement, which allows it to get whiffs at the top of the zone. His changeup improved a ton last season, and his slider is a reliable secondary weapon he can go to for whiffs regardless of handedness. With a K% north of 30%, Grosz is better than his ERA suggests and could be in Double-A this summer.
Carlos Lagrange: 5.2 IP | 0 ER | 1 BB | 9 SO | Season ERA: 3.55
Carlos Lagrange has an explosive fastball that regularly reaches 100 MPH, and the right-hander has looked like the best pitching prospect in the organization this year. He is utterly dominant, his secondaries are sharp, and the command has improved dramatically from last season, where you had no idea if he would dominate or walk five batters in under three innings of work. His 68.1% Strike% is really encouraging, and I’m going to start publicly campaigning for him to be a consensus top-100 prospect with how good his stuff is.
Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz: 4 IP | 0 ER | 3 BB | 6 SO | Season ERA: 1.97
While it was a shorter start for ELC, the Yankees should be extremely happy with his overall season production as he’s limited damage contact and struck out tons of batters. The right-hander has not allowed a home run this year while striking out over 32% of batters faced, but there are some command issues that can flare up at times. This is what hurt him in his most recent outing, but at the end of the day, the stuff is so good that you wonder if he’ll earn a Double-A promotion this week or next week.
Bryce Cunningham: 6.1 IP | 1 ER | 2 BB | 4 SO | Season ERA: 1.98
Bryce Cunningham is a strike-thrower who can attack the zone with good fastballs and put hitters away with either his slider, curveball, or wicked changeup. The right-hander has seen a dip in whiffs over the last two weeks, but I wouldn’t be too concerned with that since it’s come with an uptick in groundball rate. Cunningham has the makings of an MLB starter if he can continue displaying the command and pitchability we’ve seen early in the season. He pitches deep into games, can pile up strikeouts, and should be a fast riser in the organization.
Parks Harber: 10-27 | 1 HR | 6 RBI | 4 BB | 6 SO | Season OPS: .950
An undrafted free agent who signed after the 2024 MLB Draft, Parks Harber has immediately displayed an ability to do serious damage on contact. He’s hit multiple baseballs north of 110 MPH this year between Single-A and High-A, and his contact rates have been trending upward. A lot of his power is to the opposite field, which would play well at Yankee Stadium as a right-handed hitter. He’s also a primary third baseman, so there’s a rooting interest in his success since the infield is an area of need at the MLB level (although he won’t be a big leaguer in 2025).
Omar Martinez: 8-24 | 4 HR | 9 RBI | 4 BB | 9 SO | Season OPS: .810
Omar Martinez had a huge week, crushing the ball out of the yard while maintaining high walk rates, but the contact rates have taken a hit as he’s hit for more power. Another area of improvement would come as a defender behind the plate, as he’ll need to continue improving as a catcher. There’s some Jesus Rodriguez and Rafael Flores to his profile, and if the Yankees can find a way to balance his contact and power rates, he could be a formidable MiLB bat.
Benny Escaino: 6-21 | 1 HR | 5 RBI | 6 BB | 5 SO | Season OPS: .844 OPS
Across 75 games last year, Benny Escaino hit zero home runs, but in 2025, he’s already up to three home runs as his slugging abilities have taken a massive rise. A 22-year-old infielder, Escaino has high walk rates and can drive the ball with more authority than he ever has before, which could put him in a position to earn a promotion to Double-A. He’s a huge reason why the Hudson Valley Renegades are one of the best teams in Minor League Baseball right now, as despite losing George Lombard Jr. to a promotion, they went 5-1 on the road to take another series win.
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Offense Sputters in Aberdeen, Pitching Staff Steps Up
Cam Schlittler: 6 IP | 1 ER | 4 BB | 7 SO | Season ERA 2.18 ERA
Cam Schlittler is continuing to blossom into the kind of pitcher who could fill a backend spot in the Yankees’ rotation for years to come. The right-hander is still prone to having high walk totals as evidenced in each of his last two starts, but his ability to limit damage contact and get strikeouts keeps him from getting rocked. Schlittler has a mid-90s fastball with solid vertical movement that he pairs with his slider and curveball, two breaking balls that can generate tons of whiffs. His cutter is a nice bridge pitch, and that Triple-A promotion can’t come soon enough.
Trent Sellers: 5 IP | 0 ER | 1 BB | 6 SO | Season ERA: 3.21
Trent Sellers hasn’t skipped a beat since being promoted to Double-A, striking out 33.9% of batters faced while limiting the home run ball well. His recent outing was another strong start, piling up the whiffs and putting Somerset in a position to win. The right-hander has a low-90s fastball that has a really deceptive release point and good vertical action, pairing it with one of the best changeups in the organization. A lack of Triple-A pitching depth could also put Sellers in a position to land in Scranton soon.
Bailey Dees: 9.2 IP | 2 ER | 3 BB | 12 SO | Season ERA: 4.82
Having a rare two-start week, Bailey Dees was mediocre in his first start of the week but utterly dominant in his second matchup against Aberdeen. His stuff doesn’t overpower you, but his secondaries are solid, and as a 6’8 pitcher, he can create some tough looks for hitters. He hasn’t seen his transition to being a starter work out for him the way I imagine he hoped it would, but the fact that Dees was a remarkable reliever beforehand keeps me interested. I wonder if the Yankees will shift him back into that role soon, as he’s 26 years old and already eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.
Scranton Powers Its Way Through a Strong Week
Everson Pereira: 4-13 | 2 HR | 6 RBI | 4 BB | 5 SO | Season OPS: .951
Everson Pereira continues to do Everson Pereira things, meaning he’s crushing the baseball out of the yard while striking out a lot. It’s hard to gauge his performances this season, as Pereira is hitting the ball harder and getting better results, but the contact rates have dipped even further. As things stand right now, he’s in pretty shaky territory, there aren’t many prospects who whiff as much as he does that make an impact in the Major Leagues. The one encouraging sign is that his strikeout rate is only 28% over his last 12 games, posting a 215 wRC+ with six home runs over that stretch.
T.J. Rumfield: 6-12 | 1 HR | 4 RBI | 1 BB | 2 SO | Season OPS: .904
This has been an incredible season for T.J. Rumfield, who is making the same amount of contact as he did last season while doing more damage on contact. His pull rates, launch angle, and walk rates are up from last season, and if Rumfield can continue hitting at this rate, he could be a productive big-leaguer. The defensive abilities at first base have always been a strength as well, and I don’t think he would go undrafted in the Rule 5 draft again like he did last year. This creates some incentive for the Yankees to deal him this deadline, as they don’t want to lose a solid prospect for nothing.
Jesus Rodriguez: 5-13 | 0 HR | 3 RBI | 1 SO | 1 BB | Season OPS: 770
After going 3-28 in his first week at Somerset, the Yankees aggressively promoted Jesus Rodriguez to Triple-A, and he’s done nothing but hit since getting there. His .397 BABIP won’t sustain itself in the big leagues, but he has more walks than strikeouts while having solid batted ball data. Rodriguez sprays the ball, hitting line drives all over and being the kind of hitter who can put up pesky at-bats in the big leagues. His .417 xwOBA at Triple-A is seventh among hitters with at least 75 PAs this season, and as a right-handed hitter on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, his MLB debut could be soon.
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