Notebook 4/16: Patriots Return Home To Take On Hartford
Bridgewater, New Jersey – After dropping four-of-six matchups to New Hampshire while journeying on their first road trek of the season, the Patriots return home on Tuesday with a 4-5 mark to welcome in the first place Hartford Yard Goats, who sit at 5-2 overall on the young season. The
Bridgewater, New Jersey – After dropping four-of-six matchups to New Hampshire while journeying on their first road trek of the season, the Patriots return home on Tuesday with a 4-5 mark to welcome in the first place Hartford Yard Goats, who sit at 5-2 overall on the young season. The visiting Rockies affiliate is stacked with five of Colorado’s top-10 prospects on MLB Pipeline, highlighted by Adel Amador (1), Yanquiel Fernandez (3), Sterlin Thompson (5), Zac Veen (6) and Benny Montgomery (10).
YES HE DID!!!@Yankees No. 22 prospect Agustin Ramirez hits the go-ahead home run, his 6th in 7 games this season! pic.twitter.com/irsuuJXvQf
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 13, 2024
With nine games and two series in the books, Somerset finds themselves tied for second in the league in runs scored with 51 and tied atop the leaderboard in home runs with 12. Catcher Agustin Ramirez, the Yankees 21st ranked prospect in MLB Pipeline, blasted a career-high 18 homers in 2023 and is already a third of the way to that tally after a mere 32 at-bats in the early going of this season. The six homers swatted by Ramirez are the most amongst all qualified Double-A batters while his nine runs scored, 13 RBI and 1.239 OPS rank atop the Eastern League.
“I have been working on my objectives since spring training,” said Ramirez through interpretation provided by Hitting Coach Kevin Martir. “One of the main ones is my launch angle, so I have been working on that and I feel like it has been showing up.”
Over the course of the last three seasons, the Patriots have showcased a strong lineage of shortstop prospects like Oswald Peraza, Anthony Volpe, and Trey Sweeney. The next one in that pipeline doesn’t come with the proverbial prospect hype that those earlier guys have, but Ben Cowles, the 2021 10th rounder out of Maryland, has been a standout player in his first two weeks at the Double-A level. The 24-year-old Cowles has the highest on-base percentage in the EL with a .519 mark; he ranks second in hits (13) and doubles (4) while his .419 batting average is good for third.
Spencer Jones' 2024 debut is in the books 📕
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 13, 2024
2-for-3 | 3 R | 2 H | 2B | RBI | BB pic.twitter.com/sGV8zzmTKw
Second ranked prospect Spencer Jones made his long-awaited season debut on Saturday after missing the team’s first seven games of the season while nursing a stiff neck. The 2022 first rounder went 2-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored while serving as the team’s designated hitter in the leadoff spot.
The Patriots pitching staff has surrendered eight or more runs in four of their nine games, including two defeats in which they have given up 13 runs. Those rough outings have caused them to fall near the bottom of the league in most major pitching categories. However, if you choose to look at the glass half full, Somerset pitching has yielded three runs or less in just as many contests.
Appointment T.V.📺@Yankees No. 23 prospect Trystan Vrieling earns his second win of the season.
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 13, 2024
6.0 IP | 3 H | 1 R | 6 K pic.twitter.com/qV90BvqR8W
Yankees 2022 third-rounder Trystan Vrieling has been a bright spot in the rotation after two strong career-opening starts at Double-A. The Gonzaga product is now 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA – he’s allowed just five hits and has fanned 12 batters in 11 innings of work while the EL has hit a mere .132 against him.
Right-hander Bailey Dees, who has now been converted into a starter, had a strong bounce back start in New Hampshire after a tough introduction to the rotation on opening weekend. The Penn State alum tossed a career-high 4.1 innings on Saturday – he allowed just a single earned run on three hits while striking out six.
Reliever Jack Neely, the Yankees 25th ranked prospect, has given up just one hit over four appearances thus far spanning 4.2 innings of work. The Ohio State-product has fanned nine and held opponents to a miniscule .063 batting average out of the bullpen. The right-hander had a dominant 2023 season that saw him register a 13.59 K/9 between High-A and Double-A.
Southpaw Brock Selvidge is slated to get the ball in Tuesday's series opener to make his first start at TD Bank Ballpark after making his Double-A debut last Thursday against the Fisher Cats. The Bombers’ 10th ranked prospect labored, tossing 80 pitches over four frames. The 2021 third round draft choice allowed seven hits and two walks but only allowed two runs to cross.
Series Probable Pitching Matchups:
Tue 4/16: RHP Andrew Quezada (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Brock Selvidge (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Wed 4/17: LHP Mason Albright (0-1, 81.00 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Messinger (0-0, 5.25 ERA)
Thu 4/18: RHP Connor Van Scoyoc (0-0, 9.82 ERA) vs. RHP Bailey Dees (0-1, 10.57 ERA)
Fri 4/19: LHP Carson Palmquist (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Trystan Vrieling (2-0, 0.82 ERA)
Sat 4/20: RHP Jarrod Cande (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Blane Abeyta (0-2, 11.25 ERA)
Sun 4/21: RHP Andrew Quezada (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Brock Selvidge (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Matt Kardos | SomersetPatriots.com Senior Writer
Matt Kardos has covered the Yankees minor league system for over a decade and will spend his 12th season on the beat covering the Patriots for SomersetPatriots.com. Throughout his career, Matt has contributed to MLB.com, YES Network and Pinstriped Prospects. When he’s not at the ballpark, Matt enjoys traveling with his wife Kimberly, watching Jets football and collecting sports cards.