Here are the Yankees' first-half Minor League MVPs
This browser does not support the video element.
This story was excerpted from Bryan Hoch¡¯s Yankees Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
NEW YORK -- We have reached the halfway point of the season, and the All-Star break has become a topic of conversation for many within the Yankees' clubhouse.
Aaron Judge is planning a July trip to represent his team at the Midsummer Classic in Arlington. Juan Soto, Luis Gil and Clay Holmes are among the leading candidates still yet to be selected (in Soto¡¯s case, don¡¯t forget to vote until noon ET Wednesday).
For others, it is an excellent opportunity to take stock of the good and bad of the first half while gearing up to make a strong impression over the next several months. The same rings true in the Minors, where there have been standout performances at each level of the Yankees' organization.
In this edition of the Yankees Beat newsletter, we¡¯ll hand out some virtual hardware to four deserving candidates who were the first-half MVP of their club.
This browser does not support the video element.
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: C Carlos Narvaez
Narv¨¢ez, 25, has earned rave reviews at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, both for his performance in the batter¡¯s box and for his work with the RailRiders' pitching staff. In 63 games, Narv¨¢ez has batted .270/.388/.460 (61-for-226) with 41 runs, 16 doubles, nine homers and 43 RBIs.
¡°I¡¯ve been catching for a long time,¡± Ram¨ªrez said earlier this year. ¡°At least to me, that¡¯s the best position on the field. You¡¯ve got everything in front of you. It¡¯s like the second manager. You work very close with your manager, your pitching coach. It¡¯s very fun to play that position.¡±
This browser does not support the video element.
Double-A Somerset: C Agustin Ramirez
Rated as the Yankees¡¯ No. 20 prospect by MLB Pipeline, the 22-year-old Ramirez earned a June 19 promotion to Triple-A after a terrific first two months with the Patriots.
Playing 58 games with Somerset, Ramirez departed as the Eastern League leader with 16 home runs, 49 RBIs, 130 total bases, 31 extra-base hits and a .942 OPS, batting .289/.372/.570 (66-for-228) at the time of his promotion.
Said manager Raul Dom¨ªnguez: ¡°He¡¯s had that power since he got to the organization. He¡¯s just worked on the objective to put the ball in the air. He¡¯s hitting the ball 105, 110 [mph]; that¡¯s why he¡¯s got that many homers. Get a good pitch, put the ball in the air and the ball is going to fly.¡±
High-A Hudson Valley: 2B/SS Jared Serna
The Yankees¡¯ No. 19 prospect, the 22-year-old Serna has a little flashiness in his game -- and not just because he takes the field with a neon pink, green and blue glove.
Through 70 games with the Renegades, he has batted .261/.355/.467 (71-for-272) with 48 runs and 12 homers. Serna¡¯s 52 RBIs are tied for second in the South Atlantic League, his 32 extra-base hits are second and his 20 doubles rank fourth.
¡°When he¡¯s going well, he¡¯s an extremely fun baseball player to watch,¡± Renegades hitting coach Rick Guarno told NJ Advance Media earlier this season. ¡°He plays good defense, he steals bases, he¡¯ll hit homers and line drives the other way. He does a little bit of everything when he¡¯s at his best.¡±
This browser does not support the video element.
Single-A Tampa: 3B Dylan Jasso
Jasso, 21, has done a nice job in his first taste of full-season ball after signing as a non-drafted free agent.
In 67 games for the Tarpons, Jasso has batted .242/.334/.418 (62-for-256), leading the Florida State League with 19 doubles and tied for the league lead with 28 extra-base hits.
His 43 RBIs are tied with teammate Roderick Arias for third in the league.