NYY Farm Retrospective: Low-A Tampa Tarpons
Welcome to the continuation of my Yankees farm system retrospective. Today I will be reviewing the season of the Low-A Tampa Tarpons. This was likely the best performing affiliate for the Yankees this year, so we have plenty good to talk about.
Storyline of the Season: Second-Half Surge
It was a strong year for the Tampa Tarpons. The team benefitted from consistent starting pitching all season. However, their second half was a major step above what we saw in the first half. After finishing third in the West Division of the Florida State League at 35-31, the Tarpons won the division with an absurd 43-20 2nd half record, securing a playoff spot and a trip to the FSL Championship game. What was the reason behind this surge? It had everything to do with the large infusion of talent during the summer.
On the last game before the all-star break, which is a few weeks into the 2nd half of the Low-A season, the Tarpons had a top of the order of Jackson Lovich, Hans Montero, and Luis Puello. While all 3 of these hitters had good seasons, especially Lovich, none of these guys were having dominant seasons. Fast forward a few weeks and the top 3 transformed into Dax Kilby, Yostin Pena, and Wilberson De Pena. While De Pena struggled to get going at Low-A, Kilby and Pena brought excellent production to the team. With the turnaround of Brando Mayea and the surprising breakout of Luis Escudero, the offense was humming.
The team became even deeper with the 2026 draft class coming into the fold. While guys like Bear Harrison, Diego Castellanos, and Blake Cyr performed admirably in their brief summer stint, the likes of Paul Gutierrez-Contreras, Luke Pettitte, Anthony Potestio, and Tyce Armstrong dominated the level. This took the team to a new level, closing the post-all-star break 28-14. While they may have not taken home the title in the end, this team was the story of the summer among all affiliates.
Unsung Hero: JT Etheridge, RHP
There are a few different ways I could have taken this, as a guy like Luis Puello, who was a consistent offensive threat following his June promotion, with 14 HR’s and a 106 wRC+, could certainly have won this award. However, his majestic bombs found their way onto my twitter timeline quite often. A guy there was zero fanfare about is JT Etheridge. And why would there be? This is a 2024 UDFA who didn’t look great in 2025 and had a 5.17 ERA in 71.1 innings this year at Tampa. When you peel back the curtain, however, there is some interesting stuff.
His 4.02 FIP was much better than his ERA, ranking 27th among 103 Low-A starters with 40 or more innings. His xERA of 4.39 is much more in line with his FIP. Etheridge also benefited from a lot of swing and miss, one of 15 pitchers in the same sample with a K% over 30%, ranking 11th at 32.1%. While he doesn’t have overpowering velocity, his fastball averaged 94.3, he has a very flat approach and good spin capacity, leading to a fair amount of swing and miss above the zone. While has fastball is more average, his 3 breaking balls, slider, sweeper, and curveball, graded out well in stuff models, with the sweeper and slider performing especially well with a .268 and .305 xwOBACON, respectively. 25 in January, I don’t expect Etheridge to become an MLB starter, even a move to bullpen may not guarantee an MLB future. Still, I find it clear that Etheridge performed well with some big innings and interesting stuff in Tampa this summer.
Most Improved: Henry Lalane, LHP
I don’t think there is a player who started the season with the Yankees organization who improved their stock more than Henry Lalane. The prior two seasons were an injury riddled mess that barely saw him on the mound, and looked like a shell of himself when he was. After a poor start with the same diminished stuff, I moved him out of my top 30 prospects. In mid May, things began to turn around. 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball vs Clearwater got him started, and each following start the stuff began to tick up, as did the confidence. By the beginning of July, Lalane was coming off consecutive 7 inning shutouts with 11 and 12 strikeouts. That was enough to earn him the promotion to High-A.
He finished the Low-A campaign with 62.1 innings; he had a 2.74 ERA and 2.63 FIP with a 32.8 K% and 8.9 BB%. The numbers from mid-May are even more impressive, with a 1.34 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 37.8 K%, and 5.8 BB%. The fastball velocity was up, sitting around 94-95, while his slider and changeup were racking up absurd whiff rates. His turnaround was crucial to the MLB season as well, as the Yankees ultimately cashed in on his turnaround by trading him for Heliot Ramos. While fans can argue about if Cashman overpaid, there is no doubt that 3 months before the trade, Lalane would not have been able to fetch anything in a trade. The improvement was a joy to watch, as the lefty got his MLB aspirations back on track. We will now hope to see him breakthrough with the Giants.
Breakout Player: Yostin Pena, OF
Just like Lalane was the most improved player in the organization on a whole, there is no bigger breakout prospect than Yostin Pena. A member of the 2026 IFA class, Pena fell in the Yankees lap after concerns regarding his official documents led to the Cardinals parting ways with the right hander. A highly impressive 37 games in the DSL led to one of the most shocking promotions I have seen since I started following the Yankees Minor Leagues, as he skipped over FCL and went straight to Low-A Tampa. The challenge could have been too overwhelming for Pena, but the 18-year-old took it in stride, picking up right where he left off.
Pena’s gaudy Low-A numbers included a slash of .323/.389/.552 with 6 home runs, 10 stolen bases, 14.8 K%, 8.3 BB%, good for a 141 wRC+. There is nothing light off his bat, an absurd 108.6 90th% exit velocity and 114.3 max EV. For some reference, that beats the Max EV in 2026 of guys like Bryce Harper, Luis Garca Jr, Munetaka Murakami, and Juan Soto. With an advanced feel to lift the ball and pull in the air for his age, Pena has the makings of a special power hitter. His defense also is encouraging, with a good feel for going back on balls at the wall and a 70-grade arm that will be a major weapon in center or right field. There are some issues in his game that will need ironing out as he matures, namely his overly aggressive approach and tendency to chase. Still, he was able to maintain a good K rate because of his frequent swings and average whiff rate. Pena is on the cusp of becoming a top 100 prospect, if he isn’t one already. It is quite a breakout for a guy less than 1% of the fanbase had heard of before June.
Cy Young; Tyler Boudreau, RHP
This was actually the toughest decision of all, as there are two clear candidates both deserving of this award. Both guys did a lot well. While Tyler Boudreau struck out a few more batters (27 K% vs 26.1), Justin West had superior control (7.5 BB% vs 9.6). While Boudreau outpaced West in ERA (3.41 vs 4.06), West had a superior FIP (3.82 vs 3.98). A big part of the ERA discrepancy was Boudreau’s BABIP being nearly .100 better, a big shift in batted ball luck. While West’s torrid summer deserves heaps of praise, I am going with Boudreau, who I think brought it consistently all season long.
The 2025 UDFA was a sleeper prospect for some, being singled out by Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats as his underrated Yankees prospect headed into the season. It is easy to see why when you watch him, as his fastball shows some exciting traits. While it only averages 92.7mph in starts, 19.5 iVB and very flat approach angle make this a legitimate plus pitch. It performed as such, with a good 57% zone rate, elite 31.6% chase rate, 22.7% whiff rate, and a dominant .249 xwOBACON. While none of his secondaries are particularly strong, he is able to mix and match enough between his slider, curve, and changeup between lefties and righties and set up his fastball. Boudreau has cemented himself as a top 30 prospect for me, and while I think he would thrive as a relief pitcher and ensure an MLB future, he performed well enough in his starter role that the case is strong for him to remain in the rotation for another year, though hopefully at Hudson Valley in 2027.
Runner Up: Justin West – 113 IP, 4.06 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 26.1 K%, 7.5 BB%
MVP: Luis Escudero, 2B
There were so many strong performers this year in Tampa. Jackson Lovich was a leader of the offense for the spring and part of the summer. Dax Kilby and Yostin Pena led the way upon their insertion to the lineup in July. Anthony Potestio and Tyce Armstrong were so dominant in August that Baseball America ranked them both in the top 10 performing 2026 draftees, the only 2 who were not taken in the first two rounds. So many good candidates, but I couldn’t help myself from choosing the guy who, outside of a bit of missed time due to injury, did it all year long.
Indeed, the 5’8” 20-year-old Luis Escudero mashed when he was healthy in Tampa. In 52 games, Escudero slashed .288/.455/.556 with 10 home runs, 16.8 K%, 22.3 BB%, and a 164 wRC+. It all starts with his swing decisions, as Escudero refuses to chase while still swinging in the zone a reasonable amount. When he does swing, he is rarely missing, with a stellar 19.1% whiff rate. While he does not have much power in his bat, only a 101.3 90th% exit velocity, he absolutely knows how to get the most out of what he’s got. His 27.5% pull air rate was the 100th percentile for low-A hitters. His .268 ISO is a highly impressive number given his size and power profile. At the end of the campaign, he finished 21 points above the next best wRC+ at the level, which was Dax Kilby at 143 in 32 games. Another guy who wasn’t on the radar entering the season, Escudero is one of the more interesting hitting prospects in the system heading into 2027.
Runner Up: Jackson Lovich - .275/.350/.509, 18 HR, 21 SB, 27.8 K%, 9.9 BB%, 119 wRC+
Every Prospect. Every Level. Every Day.
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