Tag: Tampa Tarpons

Posted on

The duality of the Yankees

The similarities between the Yankees’ owned-and-operated Tampa Tarpons and the Major League Club have been very apparent in August, after the Tarpons won the 4-game set in Fort Myers (Twins), and they had an incredibly lopsided win versus Bradenton (Pirates) to open their last home stand of the season on Tuesday night. A significant part of Tampa’s recent success has been on the back of 2025 1st round selection Dax Kilby, who since recording his first pro hit on August 14, has gone 12-for-30, hitting .400/.471/.500/.971 in the past 7 games with 2 doubles, a triple, and 6 RBI, including a 4-for-5 night with 3 RBI and a triple on August 26. .400/.471/.500/.971

Kilby’s late season performance is similar to that of which the Major League Yankees are experiencing with Giancarlo Stanton. In the last 15 games, Stanton is hitting 17-for-37, good for a .459/.535/1.108/1.643 and has driven in 18 RBI. Obviously, they’re two totally different hitters, and I’d be plenty happy to see consistent contact from Kilby if it’s not the insane kind of power that Stanton provides the Yankees, but both have been having an incredible past few weeks.

The Yankees have done incredibly well drafting shortstops the past few years, with their #1 prospect as their 2023 1st round pick, George Lombard Jr, doing decently well in Double-A Somerset (.208/.330/.339/.669). Then we get to Volpe, who did decently well in the Minors, like Lombard, but is one of the worst hitters in baseball, currently.

Anthony Volpe’s story was one that tugged on your heartstrings. The kid that grew up in Manhattan with Derek Jeter as his idol, then in a borough just outside where the Somerset Patriots play, was selected as a 1st round pick in 2019 by the Yankees. He debuted with (then) Short Season Pulaski in the Appalachian League in 2019, hitting .215 in 34 games. Draftees don’t typically do well their first year as they adapt to pro ball, so that’s a stat that one could usually toss aside.

He made his full-season debut in 2021, splitting exactly half the season with Low-A Tampa for the first 54 games and 55 games with High-A Hudson Valley. 

In 2021, he slashed .294/.423/.604/.1.027. His performance that season got both scouts and fans excited about the potential that Volpe had. He was completing plays efficiently, but still recorded 13 errors that season between Tampa (6) and HV (7). He would duplicate that in 2022, recording 13 errors between Somerset (11) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (2). Both his offensive and defensive performances have only worsened since his Minor League career, though, with Volpe recording 17 errors in 2023, 16 in 2024 and 17 to date in 2025. While Volpe only spent 22 games in AAA, he hit similarly there to what he did last year: .236/.313/.404/.717 in 22 G, 24.7 K% in AAA; .243/.274/.400/.674, 26.7 K% in MLB, 2024.

However, while this season by Volpe seems worse than any others on the surface, in many respects, it is still better than that of his rookie campaign. It’s definitely fair to say that that’s a low bar. While the batting average is similar (.204 to date versus .209 in 2023), he has more doubles (26 vs 23), more RBI (65 vs 60), and is striking out at a better rate (26.8% vs. 30.9%). While obviously those numbers aren’t spectacular, and he’s most definitely in a slump of some kind of late, hitting 18-for-106 in his last 30 games (.170/.207/.368/.575), it’s possible that the changes to his swing mechanics are what’s causing the decline in offensive performance. 

Returning to the Tarpons and Yankees, both teams have not had a spectacular last few weeks in the standings, with Tampa sitting at 2nd from last in their division at 9.5 GB, despite going 6-4 in their last 10 games, and have been a .500 team in August (11-11). The Yankees, having played one more game than Tampa, are at an incredibly similar 12-11 (.522). Where things start to differ is when you look at the run differential. The Yankees have a positive run differential of over 100, while the Tarpons are +30 on the season.

Both the Yankees and Tarpons have unreliable bullpens. Case in point: On August 28, Allen Facundo threw 4 shutout innings, only allowing 2 hits and 5 walks, but reliever (and former two-way player) Josh Tiedemann came in to relieve Facundo, and gave up 3 runs in 2 IP, blowing any chances of the Tarpons winning since they only scored one run.

Where does that sound familiar? Maybe you can refer to Luis Gil’s game on August 21 vs. Boston where he went 5 IP, allowed 1 ER (2 R) on 4 H and 5 BB with 3 K but got no run support. Further, Camilo Doval came in behind him, and recorded a blown save (his 6th!) by allowing 1 run (earned) on 2 H and a BB. Like the Tarpons’ situation, the Yankees failed to provide their pitching any run support.

While it’s fair to criticize a minor league team in certain respects (the Tarpons have been frustrating to watch at times), one needs to remember that the farm teams exist purely to develop young men into potential Major League talent. It’s a gamble. I don’t think anyone predicted that Ben Rice would be performing as well as he is in the Majors when he took his first few ABs in the Yankees system in 2021. He looked impressive while he was in Tampa, but not this impressive. On the flip side, considering Volpe was named Florida State League Player of the Month for June 2021 on his last month in Tampa, he looked every bit the superstar he was touted to be.

Do we, both fans and media, need to give Volpe a little more time to figure things out? I think that time has ended. His stats are consistent, and this is who he is. The Yankees can possibly unlock something, since, after all, they have 5+ years of video and analytics to look at. There truly is no good option here, especially when you look at possibly sending him down to AAA or even AA, other than sitting him for a while as they possibly work on things in the background, and they play Jose Caballero instead.

Where do the Tarpons fit in here? They have a similar shortstop situation. They also have a shortstop/2B that’s been very inconsistent the past two seasons, and that’s likely why he’s been passed up on promotions over others like Lombard, named Roderick Arias. In July, he slashed .213/.330/.375/.705 and drove in 13 RBI in 80 AB. In August so far, he’s slashing .298/.392/.429/.821 with 14 RBI in 84 AB. Compare that to the .155/.302/.254/.556 slash he had in April. It’s just like last season, too.

The Yankees need to take a hard look at their team and the organization as a whole, as there are too many consistencies between the Tarpons and Yankees, plus their shortstop situation with the two teams is rather ironic. On behalf of both fans and media, this needs to happen soon, because too much talent is going to waste in the Bronx and too many of those guys deserve a ring.

Posted on

First look at some of the Yankees’ 2025 draftees

I was fortunate to have been able to get a brief first look in the first half of a doubleheader in Tampa recently at some of the kids drafted by the Yankees in the 2025 MLB Draft. This isn’t the full class, of course; pitchers won’t make their professional debut until the 2026 season at the earliest (barring any potential injury or surgery), and a handful of position players like Kaeden Kent, Core Jackson and Robbie Burnett went straight to High-A Hudson Valley. Regardless, it was good to finally put faces with names, and see what some of them were capable of. Additionally, I was even more fortunate to have been able to see 1st rounder, Dax Kilby, record his first professional hit. It should be noted that I did not have access to batting practice, so I cannot comment on any power potentials.

I will grade Kilby, since he was who I paid the most attention to, but will have blurbs for the others that I saw. I will also include videos of the respective players (if available) from a YouTube video I have uploaded to the YS channel.

SS Dax Kilby

DOB: 11/17/2006 (18)

HT: 6-2

WT: 190

H/T: L/R

Acquired: 2025 1st Round (Newnan HS, Newnan, GA)

Highest Level: Low-A

ETA: 2028

2025 Rank: #7 / 55 OFP

Yankees INF prospect Dax Kilby (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Grades:

HitPowerFieldThrowRunOFPRisk
555055557055High

Kilby has a tall, thin frame with long levers and lots of room to grow. He stands with a very slight crouch at the plate, in the center-rear of the left-handed batter’s box, holding the bat at a nearly directly vertical angle with moderate bat waggle. Kilby has a quick, compact-ish swing given his frame, and has a small leg kick, only enough to pick up his foot an inch or so off the ground.

There is a lot to like here, and I can see why the Yankees chose Kilby as their first round selection. His speed was the initial thing to impress: he nearly beat out a dribbler that ultimately went 6-3 by running from HP to 1B in 4.01 seconds. While it took him until his 4th game and 9th professional at-bat to record his first hit, Kilby hit it over second base at 96.7 MPH as a line drive into shallow center field. Kilby obviously has a good sense for swing decisions, considering that despite that hitless deficit he had yet to record a strikeout, and  It’s difficult to gauge true power without having access to batting practice, so he earned an “average” there just to seem neutral. Kilby was quick on his feet to field balls hit to him and did not hesitate to quickly discard balls over to the first baseman. 

OF Richie Bonomolo, Jr.

DOB: 10/30/2003 (21)

HT: 5-11

WT: 190

H/T: R/R

Acquired: 2025 7th Round (Alabama)

Highest Level: Low-A

ETA: 2029

2025 Rank: Unranked / 50 OFP

Yankees OF prospect Richie Bonomolo Jr. (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Bonomolo has a compact but muscular frame, similar to that of Brett Gardner (also 5-11, 195). He stands in the back corner of the right-handed batter’s box. Bonomolo has a high and prolonged leg kick, placing a lot of his weight on his back leg ahead of the swing. He also has the quickest swing speed of the group I saw, reminding me of when I saw Clint Frazier in Tampa.

Bonomolo put up solid power numbers with Alabama, but has yet to go yard professionally. Considering how high his leg kick is and his upper-body musculature, expectations are high for Bonomolo to put up 20+ HR/season. I didn’t get a spectacular look at Bonomolo, offensively speaking, but he’s mechanically sound and there is nothing of immediate concern to me with his game play. He ran good routes, but were not incredibly efficient and will need some work. Regardless, he executed plays well, and has an average arm. If the Yankees get even a significant fraction of the output that Gardner had as a 7th round pick, Bonomolo will become a solid prospect. He is unranked currently as there are other prospects more deserving of Top 30 placement, but I can see him landing on a list before too long.

1B Kyle West

DOB: 11/02/2002 (22)

HT: 6-4

WT: 195

H/T: L/R

Acquired: 2025 13th Round (West Virginia)

Highest Level: Low-A

ETA: 2029

2025 Rank: Unranked / 50 OFP

Yankees INF prospect Kyle West (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Like Kilby, West has a tall, thin frame (taller than Kilby at 6-4 vs 6-2) with long levers and room to grow in the torso. West’s frame reminds me of that of what Spencer Jones looked like shortly after he was drafted from Vanderbilt. I think that kind of musculature should be something that can be expected of West. West has a rather open, erect stance in the back of the batter’s box, holding his bat above his shoulder nearly parallel with the ground. He also has a moderate leg kick with what appears to be average swing speed.

The most impressive part of West’s game is his defense, and he made a difficult pick off of a very off-line throw to first base in one situation. West went 0-for-3 in this game, but the swing mechanics are sound, even if the swing decisions may not be just yet. It’s still incredibly early to offer offensive predictions, but he does appear to be a streaky hitter. However, he suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s game and has since been placed on the 7-day injured list.

SS/3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

DOB: 6/4/2003 (22)

HT: 6-3

WT: 185

H/T: R/R

Acquired: 2025 20th Round (Southern California)

Highest Level: Low-A

ETA: 2029

2025 Rank: Unranked / 40 OFP

Yankees INF prospect Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Martin-Grudzielanek has a tall, athletic build with room to grow, with a frame reminiscent of Derek Jeter (6-3, 195). Considering he has been playing 3B, I don’t know if building a lot more muscle is the way to go. Martin-Grudzielanek has an open stance with a slight crouch, standing at the back of the batter’s box. He has a very minor, and quick, leg kick with average bat speed.

Martin-Grudzielanek has been the most impressive of the group drafted considering the Yankees selected him at the end of the draft in the 20th round, and a lot of that may be attributed to the bloodline with his father, Mark. Martin-Grudzielanek has a good feel for the game at 3B, and his athleticism and ability to read plays is above-average. His arm is average to above-average, and he has good range, but he did make an off-line throw to 1B where the 1B had to really stretch to make the play. Despite this, Martin-Grudzielanek has well-below-average speed running down the line. Martin-Grudzielanek’s bat is average to above-average, and on the day of the game, he had the highest batting average (8-for-23, .348) of the team, and the second-highest OPS (.878) behind Marshall Toole (2024, 15th round).

Posted on

Coleman: “It’s nice to be back”

I had the opportunity to catch up on Yankees right-handed pitching prospect Carson Coleman earlier today after a brief appearance in Tampa, FL on rehab.

To catch things up, Coleman was signed as a free agent during the pandemic in June 2020, and didn’t debut until May 5, 2021 with Low-A Tampa. He spent the full season there, struggling throughout, ending the 2021 season with an ERA of 6.11.

RHP Carson Coleman (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Coleman turned heads the following season after posting a 0.47 ERA in 19-1/3 innings with High-A Hudson Valley, then a 2.86 ERA with AA Somerset. He missed the 2023 season after having Tommy John surgery, then was selected by the Texas Rangers on December 6, 2023 during the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft. Coleman told me, “It was great. I mean, I got to have the opportunity to be around a big league club. Obviously, injuries didn’t go the way I would like, but that was awesome. I mean, it was a great experience. Texas was an amazing organization, and I was thankful for the opportunity, but happy to be back with the Yankees too.

Coleman then missed all of 2024 with a right shoulder surgery via his MiLB profile, which Coleman said was a nerve transposition surgery, but that is actually a surgery that’s typically done in the elbow. It involves surgically relocating the ulnar nerve from a position where it’s compressed, typically behind the elbow, as a result of cubital tunnel syndrome.

Coleman noted that he was happy to be back in Tampa, where the Yankees have been “very welcoming”. He added that, “when you come back to a place [the Yankees] that loves and respects you, and, you know, looks at you in a good way. It’s nice to be back”

After missing two years due to injury, Coleman has thrown four perfect innings on rehab assignment, split evenly between Rookie-level Florida Complex League and Low-A Tampa. Coleman added, “I feel good getting back to it. It’s been nice to finally get back on a game mound for the first time in a long time.” Today, Coleman threw a mix of a sinker and a curveball, hitting 97 on the sinker while sitting in the upper 70s with the curveball.

RHP Carson Coleman (John Brophy/Yankees Savant)

Coleman noted that the mound at “The Tank”, the field that the Tarpons are playing on this year, is similar to that of the main field at Steinbrenner Field. He noted that, “It’s always fun, especially having [Aaron] Bossi as a manager. One of my coaches in, uh, in Somerset. Bossi’s the man, so it’s always good to pitch for him.” Bossi was previously the Defensive & Baserunning Coach for Somerset.

Coleman was unsure what the next steps were, but said he expected to be going up to Hudson Valley in the next week or two to continue the rehab.

If he continues pitching how he did today, and has so far while on rehab assignment, he could very well be in line for a late-in-the-season call-up.

Posted on

Herring named to MiLB prospect team of the week; Tarpons turning things around

It was announced earlier today that LHP Griffin Herring and OF Tyler Wilson were both named (in a sweep!) the Florida State League Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively.

It’s rare to see a prospect perform the same or better in the pros compared to his collegiate career, but that’s exactly what Tarpons LHP Griffin Herring has done in the first two months of his pro career with the Yankees. The LSU alum was recently named to MiLB’s Prospect Team of the Week after throwing 6 no-hit innings versus the Dunedin Blue Jays (Low-A Toronto). Dunedin only reached base twice on two walks, and the team’s batters were struck out 10 times in the 6 inning appearance.

Herring has without a doubt been Tampa’s best pitcher, holding an ERA around or under 1 through 8 games. Surprisingly, Herring started 1 game with LSU out of the 39 he threw in for them, recording 8 saves between 2023 & 2024. That said, Herring has a lower opposing batting average (.153 vs. 209), lower WHIP (1.03 vs. 0.90), lower BABIP (.227 vs. .314) and the same K% (33.3%) compared to last season with LSU.

Herring doesn’t seem to fade like other pitchers do as they start to fatigue. He was pulled from the no-hitter after 6 innings because of a pitch limit, but I suspect that if he was in the Majors, or possibly a bit higher up in the system, he may have been able to pull off a full no-hit game. He was in line for over 100 pitches; he ended the day with 86 pitches and 53 strikes.

It should be noted as well that Herring held a 0.39 ERA in the month of April; 23.1 IP, 1 ER on 12 H, 1 HB, 10 BB, and 28 SO.

Tarpons playing better in May

The Tarpons look like a completely different team compared to the one I saw in the first few weeks of the season. There’s a lot more cohesion and, to be frank, more teamwork, instead of just playing for oneself’s benefit. The pitching has looked better, with Herring being the “ace” of the starting rotation, and the bullpen has also cleaned things up to. We haven’t seen this good of a team since this time in 2021, when players like Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Andres Chaparro were with the Tarpons.

Tyler Wilson, the Florida State League’s Player of the Week for May 19-25, batted 12-for-20 (.600) with 2 doubles, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 5 K and was 1-for 2 on stolen bases. Wilson also recorded 23 total bases.

OF Tyler Wilson (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

The Tarpons still have an uphill climb out of what was last place, but are only 2.5 games back of Lakeland and face Lakeland in a 3-game split week because of the schedule adjustments to accommodate the Rays (they’re home vs. Fort Myers this weekend). The possibility exists that Tampa can get up to first place in the West Division before the end of the week. Tampa’s record to date in May is 15-7 (.682) versus 9-14 (.391) in April. They have a combined record of 24-21 (.533).

Tampa had also increased their run differential to +34 from -22 on April 30. They went from 93-115 to 246-212, scoring 153 runs and allowing 97 runs for a run diff of +56 in May.

OF Dillon Lewis (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

A lot of that has to do with Tampa’s offense waking up. They’re making better swing decisions and are working more pitches until they get one they can hit. We’re getting to that point in the season where we’re going to start seeing movement throughout the system. Prospects like Dillon Lewis (2024,13th round) and Juan Matheus (IFA, Venezuela) are hitting .313/.389/.689 and .298/.354/.357, respectively in May. We’ve seen improvements throughout the offense as a whole for the most part, but those two stick out in particular, given their performances of late.

RHP Sean Hermann (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

The pitching is a lot more consistent as well, and the Tampa bullpen has improved significantly. Sean Hermann has looked even better than he did in 2023 with Tampa as he returns from Tommy John surgery (ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction surgery). They’ve also moved Hermann from starter to reliever, which may be the route the Yankees go in the long term; he’s improved from a 4.93 ERA in 22 games in 2023 to a 1.61 ERA in 12 games in 2025.

As noted previously, the Tarpons start the week tonight on the road versus the Lakeland Flying Tigers (Low-A Detroit), spending the next 3 nights there, and return home for a 3-game weekend series versus the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Low-A Minnesota). The rotation in Lakeland should be something like Kirtner, Flatt, Herring based on what they’ve had the past two weeks, but Brock Selvidge is rehabbing with Tampa so they may sneak him in there for an inning or two someplace.

Tampa usually doesn’t announce their starter until just prior to first pitch; Lakeland has rehabbing RHP Tyler Mattison starting tonight. Mattison missed all of 2024 to injury, but was last with AA Erie in 2023, throwing a 1.62 ERA in 33.1 IP.

Posted on

Tarpons Notebook – First Series at “The Tank”

The Low-A Tampa Tarpons opened the 2025 season at home in their new digs, dubbed “The Tank”, versus Detroit’s Low-A affiliate, the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

The Tarpons and the associated employees of the team have had a lot to adjust to since they also didn’t have a lot of time to work with given the schedules of both the Yankees Spring Training and the Rays holding their regular season opening series. The Tarpons are making the situation as enjoyable as they possibly can, but it’s definitely far from ideal. 

INF Roderick Arias approaches the plate (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Here are a few things to keep on mind if you plan on attending a Tarpons game this season: 

  • Seating is general admission in two sets of bleachers. Capacity is set to 1,000, but Friday’s game looked like it was pretty well sold and attendance wasn’t even at 500.
  • You should bring a tush cushion or towel since the seating is aluminum so it will be hot under the sun for most games.
  • Concessions are limited to hot dogs, bottled beverages and on-tap alcoholic drinks (margarita, etc.). A hot dog was $6.50 and was a good size.
  • The team store is limited in variety, but they have some hats, shirts, etc., and the register is the same as that of the concession cart.
  • Tickets are $5 for most games, and they strongly urge purchasing tickets online since there really isn’t a box office. Tarpons aren’t permitted to use the regular GMS box office since the Rays have “ownership” of the stadium currently.
The Tarpons Team Store and concession stand set up at home for 2025 (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

Even still despite the above, I enjoyed my time at “The Tank” this weekend. There are different angles to experience the game, both on the 1B side, and the situation is both good and bad, but the organization is helping out a local MLB team after their roof was torn off in Hurricane Milton. Your opinion may vary depending on how you view the Tampa Bay Rays organization, but kudos to the Yankees and Tarpons for being so accommodating.

All of that aside, we saw a handful of both pitchers returning from TJS along with some that made their respective professional debuts this weekend. Tarpons pitching combined for 26 strikeouts this weekend, including 15 K in Saturday’s walk-off win.

Greysen Carter was originally slotted in as the Opening Night starter, but he was moved to the Sunday noon matinée start and instead 2024 6th rounder Griffin Herring took the bump. And for good reason too. Herring had the best outing of the 3 pitchers, throwing a 4-hit, 5-⅔-inning shutout, striking out 7 of the 22 batters faced.

We’re not fortunate enough to get full Savant data in Tampa this year, so we’ll have to depend on away sites (excluding Daytona) for advanced stats & pitch velos. Just going off of the extremely limited data, it seems like Herring has a three-pitch mix: a fastball that sits in the lower-90s (91-93), a slider that sits in the upper 80s (86-87) and a change-up that sits in the low-mid 80s (83-84).

Yankees 2024 9th round selection Tanner Bauman got the start on the odd Saturday matinée game (3 PM start), and his stuff was just as electric, if not a bit more so. Bauman went 4 innings of four-hit, one-unearned-run ball, where he walked 3 batters and struck out 7. Again looking at the limited pitch data, it seems that Bauman also has a three-pitch mix: an upper-70s/low-80s (78-83) change-up, a mid-80s (85) slider and an upper 80s/low-90s fastball (89-92). Bauman’s control seemed better than that of Carter’s, especially for a pro debut start, but it’s apparent that like all the other pitchers, there’s a lot to work with.

I didn’t get the opportunity to see Greysen Carter’s debut, but he had the most limited appearance of the three starters, only going 3 innings and 71 pitches (versus 5.2/83 for Herring and 4/70 for Bauman). While it wasn’t a bad performance by any stretch, he had the weakest in some regard by allowing 1 earned run on 1 hit, walking 5 batters and striking out 4 in those 3 innings of work. Carter showed the most velo of the three starters, throwing a 96.5 MPH fastball in a strikeout versus Lakeland’s Akil Baddoo, and regularly reached the mid-90s. He also showed a pitch that went into the upper-70s/low 80s (79-82), presumably a change-up but could have been a slider, too.

OF Tyler Wilson (John Brophy/John Brophy Baseball)

The star of the weekend was the Yankees’ top offensive draft pick last year, OF Tyler Wilson. Wilson went 5-for-10 in the 3-game set: 2-for-2 on Friday, 2-for-4 on Saturday, including that walk-off RBI, and 1-for-4 on Sunday. With 15 PA, the math is pretty easy to figure out with his BB% and K%; 13.33% K% and 33.33% BB%, although to be honest, with a slash line of .500/.667/.500/1.167, those numbers seem irrelevant. Still, while it seems obvious that Wilson may not keep this trend, he’s not a prospect many are talking about, and he’s a name that you should follow given how he looked this weekend.

The Yankees’ 14th round selection in the 2024 draft, 2B Austin Green, showed some pop and grit this weekend, including a 3-for-5 game on Sunday where he drove in 2 runs. In the top of the 8th of Friday’s game, Green was credited for getting the 1-4 out in a caught stealing, when really it was a 1-4-6-5-4-6-5-4 pickle kind of play (not sure if that’s what the actual scoring should be, but it’s pretty close). It was quite the play too as both the runner, Lakeland’s Jackson Strong and Green dove toward 2B, but Green was the one that won the battle.

OF Brian Sanchez instantly went out swinging (literally) and went 3-for-4 in the opening game and 4-for-13 overall in the series, driving in 3 RBI including an RBI single on Friday and a 2-RBI triple on Sunday. Sanchez was half of the acquisition by the Brewers for Jake Bauers (Jace Avina was the other half; he did well in HV this weekend as well).