
Chris Carelli, SNY.TV Facebook | Twitter | About Me | Archives
The New York Yankees sent eight prospects to the Arizona Fall League, and almost all are playing well with the Scottsdale Scorpions. The Scorpions (10-9-1) are in second place, 1 1/2 games behind Mesa. Let's see how the individual players are performing as the league gets set for Saturday's Fall Stars Game.
Note: Statistics are through games played Nov. 2. Prospect rankings provided by MLB Pipeline.
RHP Albert Abreu (Yankees No. 7) was acquired via trade from the Houston Astros for Brian McCann. The Astros received a key contributor to their World Series run, while the Yankees gained a high-upside pitcher. Abreu, 22, has a 2.37 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 19 innings for Scottsdale. Abreu has walked seven batters (3.3 BB/9), something he'll need to work on after having a 3.0 BB/9 rate during the regular season.
RHP Cody Carroll (Yankees No. 25) has four saves, which ranks first in the AFL, and has not allowed a run in nine innings of work. Carroll has allowed two hits and four walks, and struck out 14 batters. Carroll, 25, pitched to a 2.66 ERA in 47 1/3 innings for Double-A Trenton.
Shortstop Thairo Estrada (Yankees No. 17) is hitting .340 with a .386 on-base percentage and a .434 slugging percentage in 55 plate appearances, which helped propel him to a spot in the Fall Stars Game. Estrada, 21, ranked second in the Eastern League this season with 149 hits.
Outfielder Estevan Florial (Yankees No. 3, No. 78 overall) shot up the prospect rankings this summer after a breakout season at Low-A Charleston and Single-A Tampa (combined 476 PA, .298/.372/.479, 13 HR, 53 RBI, 23 SB), and has enjoyed a mostly solid AFL season thus far, hitting .289. Florial, 19, has been unable to slow down his strikeout rate, going down on strikes 21 times in 45 at-bats after racking up 148 Ks in 2017. Florial missed out on the Fall Stars Game roster after losing in the final vote.
Shortstop Kyle Holder is making the most of his minimal playing time (eight games), grabbing 12 hits in 32 at-bats, including three extra-base hits and five RBIs. In 442 plate appearances with High-A Tampa, the 23-year-old Holder produced a .271/.317/.350 slash line.
First baseman Billy McKinney (Yankees No. 23) has been extremely productive at the plate all while learning a new position, slashing .310/.373/.500 with 18 RBIs (tied for first in AFL) in just 11 games. McKinney, 23, was named to the Future's Game roster after winning one of two spots in the game's final vote. McKinney is coming off a fine regular season in which he generated a .821 OPS in 500 combined plate appearances with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
RHP Andrew Schwaab has allowed four runs in just 6 1/3 innings, though three of those runs came in one appearance. Schwaab, 24, has allowed six hits, walked three batters hit another and struck out three.
LHP Justus Sheffield (Yankees No. 4, No. 79 overall) has been dazzling in his AFL stint. In 19 innings, Sheffield holds a 2.37 ERA, has held batters to a .191 batting average and owns a spectacular 21:2 strikeout to walk ratio. Sheffield, another prize from the Andrew Miller deal from 2016, missed part of the regular season with a right oblique strain and logged just 93 1/3 innings at Double-A Trenton. Sheffield, 21, figures to begin the 2018 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre considering his outstanding effort thus far. Sheffield will join Estrada and McKinney at the Fall Stars Game.