The Staten Island Yankees open their 2019 season on Friday against the Brooklyn Cyclones at MCU Park. The 2019 squad features some intriguing prospects and several returning players from previous seasons.
Returning Baby Bombers
Rodney Hutchison (Robert M. Pimpsner)
Rodney Hutchison – RHP
Hutchison, 22, is returning to Staten Island after making his professional debut with them last season. With the Yankees, he was 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA, and 31 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched over nine games, six starts. Hutchison started the 2019 season with the Charleston RiverDogs but struggled, going 0-1 with an 11.81 ERA allowing 21 earned runs on 17 hits, 15 walks, and nine hit batters.
Keegan Curtis – RHP
Curtis, 23, is rejoining the Staten Island Yankees after appearing in three games out of the bullpen for them last season. He spent most of the 2018 season with the Gulf Coast League Yankees where he posted a 3.68 ERA and struck out 15 batters in 14 2/3 innings.
Josh Maciejewski – LHP
Maciejewski, 23, rejoins the Staten Island Yankees after appearing in three games out of the bullpen for them in 2018. He had a brief one-game appearance in the Florida State League throwing five innings in a spot start and striking out four batters. In 2018 He appeared in 18 games between Staten Island and the Gulf Coast League earning a 2-2 record with a combined 4.18 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings.
Austin Gardner – RHP
The 24-year-old Austin Gardner played just two games with the Staten Island Yankees last season and did not allow an earned run over six innings of work out of the bullpen. Overall in two minor league seasons, he is 2-1 with a 1.70 ERA and 70 strikeouts over 58 1/3 innings of work.
Miguel Flames -1B
First baseman Miguel Flames returns to Staten Island after hitting .254/.274/.338 over 24 games with the Baby Bombers in 2019. Overall, he hit .272/.295/.359 between both the Yankees and the Charleston RiverDogs. Throughout his minor league career, he hit .277/.340/.380 with 30 doubles, eight triples, and seven home runs while driving in 94 runs.
Jesus Bastidas (Robert M. Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects)
Jesus Bastidas – IF
Bastidas, 20, will be in his second season with the Yankees after hitting .246/.313/.298 over 56 games last year. He served as Staten Island’s primary second baseman for most of the season hitting five doubles a triple and one home run.
Ricky Surum – IF
Infielder Ricky Surum, 24, played just three games in Staten Island in 2018 and is making a return trip to New York for the 2019 season. The former 16th round pick played for every Yankees affiliate above rookie-ball in 2018 and started the 2019 season with the Charleston RiverDogs. In 15 games with Charleston, he hit .220/.292/.293 with three doubles.
Jerry Seitz – Catcher
Seitz, 24, spent parts of the 2016 and 2018 season with the Staten Island Yankees. Last season he hit .274/.333/.306 in 22 games for Staten Island. He also played three games for the Tampa Tarpons and 14 games for the Charleston RiverDogs.
Carlos Narvaez – Catcher
Narvaez, 20, was one of nine different catchers play for Staten Island in 2018. He did not record a hit over nine at-bats for the Baby Bombers. He also appeared in 32 games for the Pulaski Yankees where he hit .280/.417/.336 with three doubles.
Alex Junior (Robert M. Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects)
Alex Junior – Outfielder
Junior, 23, returns to the Yankees after hitting .208/.342/.302 for Staten Island over 57 games in 2018. The speedy outfielder saw time in both centerfield and left-field last season and will likely play both positions again in 2019. He stole 10 bases in 2018 and walked 33 times.
Leonardo Molina – Outfielder
Molina, 21, returns to Staten Island after spending all the 2018 campaign with the Charleston RiverDogs. Molina missed the first part of the 2019 season due to injury. Last season he hit .251/.292/.349 with 21 doubles, seven triples, and two home runs for the RiverDogs.
The Top Prospects
Everson Pereira (Robert M. Pimpsner)
Everson Pereira – Outfielder
Outfielder Everson Pereira, 18, is coming to Staten Island for the 2019 season. The #7 prospect in the Yankees organization according to Pinstriped Prospects spent all of the 2018 season with the Pulaski Yankees. With Pulaski, he hit .263/.322/.389 with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs, and 26 RBIs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQmVEeMzw4sEzequiel Duran – 2B
Duran, 20, joins Staten Island after spending the 2018 season with Pulaski. In 53 games in the Appalachian League, he hit .201/.251/.311 with eight doubles, two triples, and four home runs with 20 RBIs.
New York Yankees Oswald Peraza (5) during an Instructional League game against the Baltimore Orioles on September 23, 2017 at the Yankees Minor League Complex in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images via AP)
Oswald Peraza – IF
Peraza, 18, joins the Staten Island Yankees after hitting .250/.333/.321 with three doubles, two triples, a home run and 11 RBIs for the Pulaski Yankees in 2018.
New Faces
Clearwater, FL – JUN 19: Anderson Munoz (16) of the Yankees delivers a pitch to the plate during the Gulf Coast League (GCL) game between the GCL Yankees East and the GCL Phillies West on June 19, 2018, at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
Anderson Munoz – RHP
Munoz, 20, joins the Staten Island Yankees after starting the 2019 season with the Charleston RiverDogs. In six games out of the bullpen for Charleston, he allowed 15 earned runs on 14 walks and 20 hits. He also struck out 31 batters over 22 innings of work.
Isaiah Pasteur – Outfielder
Former 13th round draft pick Isaiah Pasteur joins the Staten Island Yankees after starting the 2019 season with the Charleston RiverDogs. Pasteur, 22, hit just .152/.250/.261 over 13 games for the RiverDogs before being re-assigned to extended spring training. In 2018 he hit .295/.347/.568 between the GCL Yankees and Pulaski Yankees.
Evan Alexander – Outfielder
Alexander, 21, joins Staten Island after spending most of the previous two seasons with the Pulaski Yankees. Last season he hit .278/.399/.503 with a double, nine triples, and five home runs for Pulaski. He also had two hits in six games for the RiverDogs.
Mitchell Robinson – Infielder
Robinson, 23, was the Yankees 21st round draft pick in the 2018 draft. He made his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League last season where he hit .271/.351/.375 over 31 games. He started the 2019 season with the Charleston RiverDogs, hitting just .155/.246/.224 over 16 games.
Carlos Gallardo – Catcher
Gallardo, 22, played in just two games for the Pulaski Yankees in 2018 before going on the injured list. In 2017 he appeared in 25 games for the GCL Yankees where he hit .174/.356/.246 with a triple and a home run.
Tim Hardy – LHP
Hardy 23, joins the Yankees after spending the last couple of seasons in the Houston Astros organization. In 2018 he appeared in 18 games, one start, with the Tri-City Valley Cats and the Quad Cities River Bandits. With the Valley Cats, he was 2-2 with a 1.50 in 12 games, one start, with four saves in four opportunities and 26 strikeouts in 18 innings of work. With Quad Cities, Hardy had a 2.84 ERA in six games, striking out 23 batters in 12 2/3 innings and allowing six walks.
Bryan Blanton – RHP
Blanton, 23, was a 21st round draft pick by the Yankees in 2017. He opened the 2019 season with the Tampa Tarpons where he posted a 2.45 ERA in three games out of the bullpen. He was later sent to Charleston where he allowed five earned runs over 6 1/3 innings as a reliever. In 2018 he was 0-3 with a 7.77 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22 innings for the Pulaski Yankees.
Wellington Diaz – RHP
Diaz, 22, is joining the Staten Island Yankees after starting the 2019 season with the Tampa Tarpons and Charleston RiverDogs. He pitched just one game for Tampa throwing 3 2/3 innings. With the RiverDogs he was 3-1 with a 4.35 ERA over 20 2/3 innings in seven games out of the bullpen.
Daniel Ramos – RHP
Ramos, 24, will be making his Staten Island Yankees debut in 2019 after playing for the Charleston RiverDogs in 2018. Over 24 games, five starts, for Charleston he posted an 8-2 record with a 3.57 ERA striking out 69 batters over 70 2/3 innings of work.
Blakely Brown – RHP
Brown is joining Staten Island after spending the 2018 season in the Gulf Coast League. With the GCL Yankees, he was 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA and four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings over six games out of the bullpen.
Marcus Evey – RHP
Evey, 21, will be making his Staten Island Yankees debut in 2019. He spent most of the 2018 season with the Pulaski Yankees where he posted a 2-1 record with a 3.60 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 25 innings of work. He also appeared in two games for the GCL Yankees.
Charlie Ruegger – RHP
Ruegger, 21, was drafted by the Yankees in the 33rd round out of Stephens Institute of Technology. The right-hander posted a 0-1 record with a 2.79 ERA in nine games, 1 start, for the Gulf Coast League Yankees. He struck out seven batters over 9 2/3 innings.
Abismael Villaman – LHP
Villaman, 23, is joining the Staten Island Yankees after making his professional debut in 2018. He split the season between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.25 combined ERA and 38 strikeouts over 48 innings of work.
The 2019 Staten Island Yankees are managed by former MLB player and former Staten Island Yankee David Adams. Travis Phelps, Ken Joyce, and Tyson Blaser return as pitching coach, hitting coach, and defensive coach respectively. Coach Teuris Olivares will also be returning as an extra defensive coach.
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