Wells homers, drives in three for Double-A Somerset

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Wells homers, drives in three in Patriots' victory (Sept. 27)
Facing elimination, Austin Wells helped power Double-A Somerset to a convincing 9-2 victory over Erie in Game 2 of the Eastern League Championship Series.

The fourth-ranked Yankees prospect hammered a three-run blast in the opening frame to give the Patriots the lead for good. He added a single in the second and came around to score on a two-run dinger from Elijah Dunham.

MLB's No. 83 overall prospect is 4-for-7 with three extra-base hits, five RBIs and four runs scored over the first two games of the Eastern League Finals. -- Rob Terranova

Somerset spins second no-hitter in two years (Sept. 7)
Consider Luis Severino to be Somerset's good-luck charm.

The last time he was rehabbing with the Yankees' Double-A affiliate, the right-hander had a hand in the club's first affiliated no-hitter. With Severino again with the Patriots rehabbing a right lat strain and starting the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader, the team spun its second no-no in the nightcap.

Yoendrys Gómez and Steven Jennings combined on the feat in a 5-0 victory over host Hartford.

Gómez handled the brunt of the work en route to his first Double-A win. The Yankees' No. 12 prospect struck out five and walked one over five innings. He threw 69 pitches, 46 for strikes. Full story ?

Wells homers in third straight game (Aug. 31)
When Austin Wells hits the ball, the ball travels far.

The No. 4 Yankees prospect made it his third straight game with a homer as he went 1-for-2 with one long ball in Double-A Somerset’s 6-2 loss to Binghamton.

The 23-year-old showcased his power as he hit a solo homer to right field in the fourth inning. Wells then displayed his ability to be patient as he walked in three of his four other at-bats.

The catcher brought his homer tally to 18 and improved his slash line to .279/.390/.519 between Single-A Tampa, High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A this season. -- Edwin Perez

Rookie-level Yankees win FCL crown (Aug. 28)
The FCL Yankees were a bulldozer this year. They just kept coming.

New York's Rookie-level squad claimed the title by beating Tampa Bay's in the decisive third game of the FCL Championship Series, 4-3, after dropping a back-and-forth battle in Game 2.

The Yankees' 38-17 record was second only to that of the Rays, who were 39-16 in the regular season, and they stormed into the playoffs with an 8-4 semifinals win over the Red Sox and an emphatic 7-2 win in the opener of the Championship Series.

In the clincher, Omar Martinez socked a ground-rule double in the top of the second and scored the game's first run en route to a two-hit afternoon, and Felix Negueis singled, walked and scored three times for the Yankees. Agustin Ramirez, who led the league with 51 RBIs and 85 total bases, contributed a base knock.

Right-hander Sebastian Perrone was the victor, fanning two and allowing a walk and a hit over 2 2/3 innings of relief. Fellow righty Nolberto Henriquez earned the save with two no-hit, no-walk frames, recording a strikeout along the way. -- Josh Jackson

2021 sixth-rounder Fitts takes perfecto into 8th (Aug. 27)
In a game that featured 15 runs on 24 hits from High-A Hudson Valley, Richard Fitts nearly had the pitching performance of a lifetime. The right-hander hurled seven perfect frames and finished the contest with one run allowed on two hits while striking out seven across eight innings in the Renegades’ 15-1 win over Hickory.

The 22-year-old had never pitched more than 6 2/3 innings prior to the contest, but it was clear he was in it for the long haul when he retired the side on just eight pitches in the first. He threw no more than 12 pitches through the first seven innings and never ran a three-ball count on a batter.

Highlighted by Jasson Domínguez’s four-hit night, Hudson Valley gave Fitts plenty of run support … but perhaps it was too much. An eight-run seventh inning had the 2021 sixth-rounder sitting on the bench a long time, and when he came back out for the eighth, he allowed back-to-back hits to begin the inning. A run scored on a groundout, but he was able to finish the frame to secure the longest outing of his career.

After struggling the first four months of his professional career, Fitts has pitched to a 0.87 ERA in his first three High-A starts with 21 strikeouts, a .155 batting average against and a 0.58 WHIP. -- Stephanie Sheehan

Sauer sets Minors high with 17-strikeout outing (Aug. 25)
It's a spectacle when a pitcher registers 10 strikeouts, but Matt Sauer went above and beyond for Double-A Somerset.

Although his team ultimately fell to New Hampshire, 4-3, in 10 innings, the 23-year-old put on a show. Sauer struck out a franchise-record 17 over eight innings, allowing one run on two hits. It was the highest strikeout total in affiliated ball since 2019 when Reds hurler Randy Wynne whiffed the same amount.

"I never thought a record was on the table at all," Sauer said. "I was just trying to go out there and do my job, throw strike one. This is only my third start at Double-A, so it's really a blessing and an honor that I was able to do this. I just want to keep it going for the rest of the year. I just got to build off of this." Full story ?

Pereira notches first multihomer game at Double-A with grand slam (Aug. 17)
Everson Pereira had his best game with the Patriots since being called up on July 13.

The Yankees' No. 5 prospect was sensational in Double-A Somerset's 10-9 win over Bowie.

The 21-year-old's evening started with a walk in his first plate appearance after a seven-pitch at-bat. In his first official at-bat, he roped a double to left on the first pitch of the third inning. The center fielder's second Double-A homer was a big one, a grand slam to center in the fourth. But his final hit of the night was arguably the biggest of the game. With one out in the ninth, Pereira launched a go-ahead jack to left-center that would prove to be the decisive blow of the game.

This was the Venezuela native's third multihomer game of the season and sixth of his career. -- Ethan Sands

Cabrera crushes homer along with three extra-base hits (Aug. 14)
Oswaldo Cabrera showed how he could get around the bases.

The Yankees' No. 11 prospect collected a career-high 10 bases in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 6-5 win over Worcester.

The 23-year-old began his trips around the bases with a two-run triple to center in the first inning. In his next at-bat, he got to circle the bags at a slightly slower pace as he launched a solo shot to right in the third for his eighth round-tripper of the year. On the first pitch he saw in the fifth, the right fielder cranked his third triple of the year to left. He ended the night 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs and three extra-base hits.

Cabrera was placed on the injured list on May 16 and worked his way back through rehab assignments until being activated on July 12. He's made vast improvements since then, improving his batting average from .189 to .264. -- Ethan Sands

Beeter fans six in three hitless in Somerset debut (Aug. 10)
There was no beating Clayton Beeter while he was on the mound.

The No. 10 Yankees prospect whiffed six batters in three hitless innings en route to Double-A Somerset's 9-0 victory over Hartford.

Beeter's dominance shined in the game, as he struck out four of the first six batters he faced. The sole blemish in the 23-year-old's game was a walk issued in the third inning.

Beeter was acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for Joey Gallo. In Tulsa, the righty posted a 1.61 WHIP and tallied 88 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings. -- Alyssa Gomez

Jones showcases power in second career game (Aug.6)
Spencer Jones displayed his potential in his second game.

The Yankees' first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft got his first career hit in his debut but did not produce anything else in that game. Jones topped that performance in his second career game, going 3-for-4 with one homer and two RBIs in the Florida Complex League Yankees’ 3-1 win over the Tigers.

The 21-year-old crushed his first career homer in the third inning when he hit a long ball to right field for a two-run shot. Jones stayed productive in his following at-bats with two singles to finish his night.

The outfielder’s productive night has him 4-for-7 with one stolen base in his first two games. -- Edwin Perez

Cabrera extends consecutive homer streak to 3 games (July 31)
Make it a trifecta for Oswaldo Cabrera.

The No. 13 Yankees prospect went deep again for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to extend his consecutive homer streak to three games. Cabrera teamed up with Estevan Florial to put the RailRiders, who ultimately beat Rochester 9-2, on the board with jacks in the first inning.

Injuries halted Cabrera's season in early May and he just recently returned to the Scranton lineup. Now healthy, he's been nothing short of excellent. In 13 games since being activated, Cabrera is hitting .288 with a 1.085 OPS and six home runs. -- Jacob Resnick

Volpe homers in both ends of doubleheader, makes great diving stop (July 28)
Anthony Volpe has a cool and calm demeanor about him. When he stumbled out of the gate, hitting just .203 through the first two months of the season, his poise kept him level-headed.

And when he homered in both ends of Double-A Somerset’s doubleheader sweep of Richmond, the latest entry in a flipped script since the beginning of June, it was that same mindset that could only see one thing: the outcomes of the games.

“As a team we wanted to come out and get ahead early and really sweep these two games. They were important to us,” Volpe said. “To be able to feel like I contributed meant a lot.” Full story ?