The New York Yankees Low A affiliate – the Charelston Riverdogs – had one of the more explosive weeks you'll ever see last week. In seven games, they scored 61 total runs – nearly an average of nine per game. As you can imagine, the Riverdogs hitters had some impressive stat lines. But first, the pitcher of the week:
Pitcher Of The Week: Adam Warren (7 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BBs, 6 Ks)
Warren pitched an impressive game – his best performance of the season – but he's not really a prospect to be excited about. At best, he's a fifth starter in the majors, but more likely a career long-reliever or simply pitching depth in Triple A.
Co-Hitter Of The Week: Tyler Austin (.556 average, 3 Doubles, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 6 BBs, 3 Ks, 1 SB)
Here's what I wrote about Austin a few weeks ago:
The downside to Austin's big week was his 0:7 BB:K ratio, which brings his ratio to 4:18 on the season. He's batting .358, and he's hit well everywhere he's played in the Yankees farm system. However; his extremely high BABIP, paired with his low LD percentage suggest his high batting average may be unsustainable as he reaches the upper levels. His raw power is intriguing, but he's going to have to cut down on the Ks and increase the walks as he progresses through the system.
The best part of Austin's week was the fact that he had six walks and only three strikeouts. The book on him has always been: doesn't walk enough, strikes out too often. Besides the flat-out raking he's done in his last 10 games, he's quietly drawn more walks (10) than strikeouts (nine). Because of his impressive raw power (14 bombs this season), he can suddenly morph into a great hitting prospect if his plate discipline continues to trend upward.
Co-Hitter Of The Week: Gary Sanchez (.444 average, 3 Doubles, 5 HRs, 19 RBIs, 2 BBs, 3 Ks, 1 SB)
Five home runs and 19 runs batted in – it's safe to say Gary Sanchez torched South Atlantic League pitchers this week. Sanchez is one of the Yankees best prospects, and arguably the organization's best hitting prospect. He draws offensive comparisons to former Yankees prospect, Jesus Montero.
Sanchez's monster week puts his stats right in line for what many expected for Sanchez this season. His slash line is .304/.354/.515 (batting average, on base, slugging), and he has nine stolen bases, to go along with his eight home runs.
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