Live From The Backfields: Yankees and Phillies Complex Breakdown

Chris Clegg breaks down the Yankees and Phillies Florida Complex League game from July 23, 2024.

The Yankees complex level team is loaded! A ton of talent was on display in the lineup. Henry Lalane was scheduled to pitch, but he is being saved for the FCL playoffs this weekend, so it was a bummer missing him. But still, the bats were worth it! The Phillies lineup was not as interesting with Eduardo Tait and Starlyn Caba moving up to Single-A, but I will see them tonight!

Let’s talk about everyone you need to know.

Complex Thoughts from the Yankees and Phillies

Edgleen Perez, C, NYY, 18, FCL

Perez has been quite a buzzy name in complex circles and has been a top name on Dylan White’s RoboScout at Baseball America. It is easy to see why. Just turning 18 years old, Perez already has a strong frame, ableit pretty stock.

Perez actually did not collect a hit in the game I saw him, but I was most impressed with his bat speed and eye at the plate. I am not sure I have ever seen an 18 year old with the kind of pitch and strike zone recognition that Perez brings to the table. He does not swing often, having one of the lowest swing rates among all professional hitters, but he did take some big swings against pitches in the zone. He smoked a hard lineout to left field that nearly turned into a double.

Just watch this video below. The bat speed is insane. Perez is hitting an impressive .283 on the year with an .824 OPS. He has walked more than he has struck out this year and has a strong 138 wRC+ with respectable exit velocities.

The body is a question mark for me, but Perez can swing it.. and not swing it when he does not see the pitch he wants.

Engelth Urena, C/1B, NYY, 19, FCL

Urena was the other buzzy name in the lineup. While he is a bit older(will turn 20 in August), it is hard to look past what he has done at the complex level after missing all of 2023. Urena is a couple inches taller than Perez, but gets pretty squatty with his stance.

He hit the ball hard a couple times but only reached base via a walk. He was still impressive, nonetheless. Urena showed impressive feel for spin and was able to wait back on pitches and make adjustments during his at-bat. You can see that on the first swing below. He got a breaking ball down and away but made the adjustment and sent a fly ball out to right field.

The power is legit as well. Urena has posted some solid exit velocities which have led to eight home runs and 11 doubles this year in 40 games. He has walked nearly 15 percent of the time while striking out in 11.7 percent of plate appearances.

The combo of power, plate discipline and contact is what makes Urena so enticing.

Brian Sanchez, OF, NYY, 20, FCL

Of any player I saw, I think Brian Sanchez impressed me the most. A physically imposing 6’3” lefty that has a ton of projection and already has good exit velocities with speed? Everything I saw from Sanchez checked the boxes. Maybe you are scared off by the age, but don’t be, Sanchez just turned 20 this month.

He utilizes a big leg kick, but has minimal pre swing hand movement. The hands move very quick through the zone and Sanchez can hit the ball to all fields well. The only flaw I can find is his near 49 percent ground ball rate.

Otherwise things look pretty solid. It is only four home runs in 49 games, but Sanchez has 16 doubles and four triples. The slash an impressive .306/.394/.514. This season he has posted a max exit velocity of 113.5 and has a 90th percentile right at MLB average, 103.5 mph.

Sanchez is patient like a lot of hitters in the FCL Yankees lineup, running a good walk rate supported by a 22 percent chase rate. The contact skills are a little more suspect right now but it is an in-zone mark north of 80 percent and an overall contact rate of 71.5 percent.

Sanchez feels like a player to keep a close eye on. The combination of his frame and skills really stood out to me.

Abrahan Ramirez, 2B, NYY, 19, FCL

Ramirez has shown one of the better hit tools at the complex level this year, and has posted high batting averages his entire career. Unfortunately, we got just one trip to plate before Ramriez left the game with heat exhaustion after two innings. Apparently this is not an uncommon thing for Ramirez, according to a Yankees staff at the game. It was hot, but just 92 degrees. It is something to keep an eye on with Ramirez, if there is something he is dealing with. Obviously, we wish him the best.

He made a couple of plays in the field and showed really smooth actions. Having a smaller frame, Ramirez utilizes a big leg kick to help generate a lot of torque in his swing. There is not huge power but Ramirez does have 19 extra base hits in 49 games this year.

The contact skills are plus and he rarely expands the zone, chasing at a very low mark. The list 6’0”/150 lb is probably close, so maybe he can add some weight to his frame to get to a little more power without sacrificing the contact and plate discipline skills.

Brando Mayea, OF, NYY, 18, FCL

I was pretty high on Mayea when the Yankees signed him for $4.35 million in 2023. I gave him a bit of a pass after his 2023 DSL season in which he missed time with injury. Again this season, he missed multiple stints of nearly three weeks.

Since coming back in July, Baez has 12 hits in 10 games, but over the last two games, he has struck out six times, including a three-spot when I saw him yesterday. Mayea showed a ton of whiffs on fastballs up in the zone but also struggled with breaking balls down and away.

The Yankees have continued to show confidence in him as he leads off regularly. He plays a good center field and moves well. He showed good range and instincts there. I just have questions about how much contact he can make.

Juan Matheus, SS, NYY, 20, FCL

A short and stock switch hitter, Matheus showed an impressive feel to hit. He collected two hits during the game, both singles. Listed at 5’10”/155, Matheus has certainly put on more weight since he was last measured.

Matheus showed a strong feel for the strike zone, having a good approach. He battled on some tough pitches and reached base in all three of his trips to the plate. Currently, Matheus has more walked than strikeouts while having a .321/.429/.488 slash line.

The body is a worry with how it could develop moving forward, but Matheus did show some good things in my looks.

Juan Villavicencio, SS, PHI, 19, FCL

We had to include at least one Phillies player in the report. With Starlyn Caba and Eduardo Tait moving up to Single-A, this lineup was pretty barren.

Of any player to highlight, it would be Phillies shortstop and leadoff hitter, Juan Villavicencio. He reached base twice during the game, collecting a single and a walk. He nearly had a second hit, on a ball hit up the middle, but a great defensive play was made.

The numbers don’t jump off the page at you with Villavicencio as he has a .265/.363/.364 slash line. But I thought he was pretty smooth in the field and at the plate. He does not utilize a leg kick and drives the bat right to the ball. He has a smaller frame but he does show decent speed.

Jerffson Pena, OF, PHI, 20, FCL

Pena was the other Phillies bat that stood out during the game. Having one of the more impressive frames, listed at 6’2”/185, Pena looks like a good athlete who was solid across the board. He doubled during the game and hit the ball hard a couple of times.

He only has three home runs on the year, and despite being 20 years old, still has good projection on his frame. The strikeout rate is a massive red flag here at 32 percent. He did not show much swing and miss yesterday, but it is obviously a big issue. Still, he has strung together a decent season, slashing .271/.361/.434 with 147 plate appearances.