The Hudson Valley Renegades begin their second season as the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees in 2022. The Renegades roster will feature six of the Yankees top 30 prospects when the season starts Friday on the road against Greenville Drive.
The Renegades roster is loaded with six prospects ranked in the top 30 of MLB pipelines organizational prospect rankings. Catcher Austin Wells (No. 4) and shortstop Trey Sweeney (No. 5) join outfielder Everson Pereira (No. 11), pitchers T.J. Sikkema (No. 20) and Beck Way (No. 22), and infielder Cooper Bowman (No. 25) to give the Renegades a deep and well-rounded core. Wells is also ranked by MLB pipeline as the No. 96 prospect in baseball.
Austin Wells (Robert M. Pimpsner)
Austin Wells impressed at the plate in his first professional season in 2021, batting .264/.390/.476 with 16 home runs in 103 games between Tampa and Hudson Valley. After the season, he played for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League and was named an All-Star. He is joined by catchers and returners Carlos Narvaez, who hit .304 in 16 games with the Renegades in 2021 and Saul Torres, a polished veteran defensive backstop.
Carlos Narvaez (Photo by John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)
Saul Torres (Robert M. Pimpsner)
Trey Sweeney, the Yankees first round pick in 2021, will start shortstop after Anthony Volpe was promoted to AA. Sweeney showed offensive promise by clubbing seven home runs in 33 games between the Florida Complex League and Tampa in his pro debut. He is joined on the infield by fellow 2021 draftees Cooper Bowman (4th round) and Tyler Hardman (5th round). Spencer Henson, T.J. Rumfield, and Eduardo Torrealba provide versatility and depth around the diamond.
Trey Sweeney (Photo by John Brophy / Pinstriped Prospects)
Cooper Bowman hits his first pro grand slam (Photo by John Brophy / Pinstriped Prospects)
Everson Pereira brings his lethal bat back to the Renegades outfield this season after hitting 14 home runs in 27 games with the Renegades last season. His signature game with the Renegades was his three-homer, six RBI performance September 5 at Greensboro. Pereira is joined by returner Pat DeMarco and newcomers Aaron Palensky and Aldenis Sanchez. Palensky spent the entire 2021 season with Double-A Somerset, playing 37 games, while Sanchez hit .413 in 23 games with Tampa.
The pitching staff is one of the best and deepest in the South Atlantic League in 2022. Highlighted by T.J. Sikkema and Beck Way, the staff features Nelson Alvarez, Edgar Barclay, Nelvin Correa, Tanner Myatt, and Matt Sauer. New to the Renegades staff will be Blane Abeyta, Bryan Blanton, Blas Castano, Carson Coleman, Wellington Diaz, Michael Giacone, Rodney Hutchison, Alex Mauricio, Jhonatan Munoz, and Will Warren.
Yankees pitching prospect T.J. Sikkema pitching for the Staten Island Yankees (Robert M. Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects)
Beck Way (Photo by John Brophy/Pinstriped Prospects)
The Renegades have 12 players who spent time in Hudson Valley last year. The team also features 10 players who were selected in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft, including the last three Yankees first round picks (Sikkema, 2019; Wells, 2020; Sweeney, 2021). 2022 projects to be another exciting year across all levels of the Yankees minor league system. Recent player development and drafting has the Yankees becoming one of the top farm systems in baseball again. Not just for their superstar talent but exceptional depth at every level.
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