who039s-hot-who039s-not-week-18

Oswaldo Cabrera is batting .177 in his last 21 games. (Photo: Patrick Teale)

Here are the Yankees prospects who are hot for each minor league team so far this 2018 season and the others who are not.

Triple-A Scranton

Hot: RHP, Michael King -- Arguably the hottest Yankee farmhand all season long, King is ending his first full season in the Yankee organization on an extremely high note as he's allowed two earned runs or less in seven straight starts, the last four of which have come with the RailRiders.  With just 17 hits allowed in his first 27 innings, opposing International League batters are hitting a pathetic .177 against him too, his lowest batting average allowed at any level in 2018.

Not: RHP, Chance Adams -- This former fifth round pick was exactly where King was one year ago, putting the finishing touches on a wire-to-wire dominant season that culminated in Triple-A.  This year, however, things are different and Adams, who had walked four batters in each of his previous three starts prior to getting shifted to the bullpen on Sunday, has a 5.52 ERA in his last seven games.

Double-A Trenton

Hot: RHP, Brian Keller -- Doing his best Michael King impression these days, this former 39th round pick is looking more and more like the breakout pitcher he was expected to be entering the season.  He has now chipped in with five quality starts out of his last six games and now boasts a 2.45 post-All Star game ERA with 51 strikeouts in his last 47.2 innings.

Not: RHP, Matt Frawley -- This former Purdue Boilermaker is really struggling down the stretch, so much so that his ten straight scoreless appearance streak down in high-A Tampa to begin the season is now long forgotten.  In fact, his effectiveness has done a complete 180 degree turnaround, allowing earned runs [eleven total] in his last four bullpen appearances for the Thunder.  Batters are hitting .318 against him in his last eight appearances too.  

High-A Tampa

Hot: OF, Estevan Florial -- Most pundits would say it was a disappointing season overall for what many considered one of the top Yankee prospects entering the season.  However, he is finishing his season on an otherwise high note as he's hitting .300 in his last ten games with two home runs and nine runs scored, and has walked a ridiculous 18 times in his last 24 games for the Tampa Tarpons.  

Not: RHP, Rony Garcia -- Oh what a difference a year makes.  This time a year ago this Dominican native was the talk of the farm system as he was mowing down South Atlantic League batters.  The 20-year old, however, has struggled to make that next step in his development, especially lately.  He has given up three earned runs or more in each of his last three starts and is 0-4 with a 5.70 ERA overall in his last five starts.  That's not how he wanted to end his season.

Low-A Charleston

Hot: RHP, Austin Decarr -- This former third round pick has quietly had a nice rebound season, his first full season pitching out of the bullpen.  He has posted a more than respectable 3.15 ERA in 19 relief appearances for the RiverDogs this year and he's been even better lately, posting a 1.77 ERA in his last ten appearances with a mere eleven hits allowed in 20.1 innings pitched.  He could have put himself on the back-half of the prospect map in 2018.

Not: 2B, Oswaldo Cabrera -- Nearly the entire Charleston squad is limping towards the 2018 finish line but arguably nobody more so than this Venezuelan switch-hitter.  He's fading quickly, batting just .217 after the All Star break and a paltry .177 in the month of August with a mere three RBIs.  With just seven strikeouts this month the contact is there, he just needs to find a few more holes.

Short-Season-A Staten Island

Hot: RHP, Frank German -- Staten Island has a few different candidates for this spot here, including 20-year old catcher Josh Breaux, but this year's fourth round pick has only been limited by his already high [and still escalating] pitch count.  The Yankees have limited him to just 11 innings this month and he's managed to walk just two batters and strike out 18 along the way.  Oh, and he hasn't allowed an earned run at home this year!

Not: 2B, Kyle Gray -- This year's 14th round pick entered the organization with the reputation as more of a hit-first kind of player and while the power has been evident [six home runs] the consistency has been lagging far behind to date.  In fact, his .180 batting average on the season so far is actually better than his recent hitting as he's batting just .121 in his last ten games.  A .185 batting average against righties when you're a lefty hitter isn't a good sign either.

Rookie Level - Pulaski

Hot: RHP, Alexander Vizcaino -- This Dominican fire-baller has always been a bit of a 'sleeper' prospect given his mid-90s heat and secondary pitches that flash intriguing potential.  While he struggled for the most part in his repeating the Pulaski level this season he is ending on a high note, allowing one earned run or less in four of his last five outings.  That's kind of a big deal for a young pitcher whose career ERA is still over 5.00.

Not: C, Anthony Seigler -- This year's first round pick falls into the Oswaldo Cabrera category as an ultra-talented switch-hitter who has fallen victim to some bad luck at the plate.  He's batting just .209 in twelve games for Pulaski and just .194 in his last ten games despite having more walks [6] than strikeouts [4].  The correction should come down the road if he continues that approach.