Both trades and the Rule 5 Draft have done a number on the New York Yankees farm system, and there doesn’t seem to be quite as much waiting to make the move up the system at the lower levels. Kyle Carr was the obvious attraction for the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades as one of the organization’s top southpaw starting prospects, however, and there were plenty of eyes on last year’s third-rounder to see if he could live up to some of the early hype.
Kyle Carr, LHP — (No. 10 prospect)
Th 21-year-old’s stuff seemed to be down Saturday, and perhaps he was trying to work through some issues, as he was ultimately removed from the game alongside the team trainer just one pitch into his fifth inning of work. Carr used a fastball that mostly sat 89-93 and touched 94 twice, both on misses, as well as a changeup and slider that were both inconsistent.
The changeup was solid when effective, but he struggled to locate his secondary offerings throughout the day and also nibbled a bit once getting ahead of hitters, which contributed to some of the walks that have plagued his still very early run in pro ball.
Jared Serna, INF — (No. 17)
Scouts love the hustle of the 5-foot-7, 168-pound Serna, as well as the bat-to-ball skills. It’s been a bit of a struggle early for him this season with that bat, however, but there’s a path to Double-A for him at some point this year if he can get things turned around.
He managed 19 homers last year with that smaller frame, so pop isn’t a concern, but he may still get overlooked by some due to being undersized.
Roc Riggio, INF — (No. 19)
Riggio was a big name on the travel ball circuit and carried that reputation into college, where he starred for a few years at Oklahoma State before the Yankees grabbed him one round after Carr just last year.
While the FSS alum made waves for a play-of-the-year candidate earlier in the week, he’s struggled early defensively while working to get his timing back on both sides of the ball after missing some time this spring due to injury.
Still just 21 years old, the infielder showed some of his power with a no-doubt homer for his first-ever pro longball on Saturday and has shown his trademark good eye at the plate as well, drawing 11 walks compared to 10 strikeouts in his first 12 games.
Kyle Battle, OF
At 26 years of age and in High-A, it’s now or never for Battle, who has been sparingly used by the Yankees after signing out of Old Dominion in 2021.
He hasn’t able to hit consistently during his stay in the system — a difficult task with how infrequently he’d play — but showed some athleticism in left field and a solid hit tool on Saturday.
Luis Arejula, RHP
Arejula is a six-foot-one, 170-pound righty reliever up to 94mph on Saturday. Inconsistent; worked his way in and out of trouble on Saturday, and occasionally flashed an average slider that he struggled to command at times. He’s 22, and could use some refinement but there’s some upside, both in the youth and a little room to add on the frame as well.
Omar Martinez, C
Martinez is listed at 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds but has a frame that appears to be a bit more physical than those numbers suggest.
He’s been in the system since 2018 and has made a slow, steady climb in an organization fully stocked with catchers. Still only 22 years old, he flashed some upside with 18 homers for Low-A Tampa last year and showed big pull-side juice with a bomb on Saturday as well.
It’ll continue to be a slow roll for him to get past the catchers ahead of him, but he’s continuing to make that progress.
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