Bronx On Deck: Escudero's August Heater Keeps Rolling, Lovich Powers Up at High-A
By Jordan Parker ·
Bronx On Deck covers the last 7 days of action for the Yankees farm system.
Escudero's Last 30 Days Keep Outrunning His Projection
Luis Escudero (A, 2B, Rank: 46) posted the week's highest performance index among all Yankees hitters, going 5-for-15 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI, and a walk across 15 plate appearances without a strikeout. Such a contact-first week is becoming less of a surprise: over his last 30 days at Low-A Tampa, he is slashing .392/.537/.667 across 67 plate appearances with 3 home runs, 5 doubles, 14 walks, and only 7 strikeouts. His contact rate over that stretch has climbed to 85.9 percent, a significant jump even from a player whose season contact rate already sits at 80.1 percent. The walk rate of 20.9 percent in that same window is not a fluke either; it mirrors the full-season BB% of 22.3 percent at Tampa, which is among the most disciplined numbers you will find at any level of the system.
The tension in Escudero's profile has always been that a 45 hit tool and 40 power don't produce such output for long, and the conservative bench projection is built around that expectation. Yet here is a 20-year-old switch-hitter with 10 home runs and a .455 on-base percentage at Low-A Tampa across 202 plate appearances, pairing a 38.2 percent swing rate with a 22.3 percent walk rate and a contact rate that is genuinely above average. The profile grades him as a glove-capable on-base oriented second baseman, but the power output is outrunning the 40 raw grade in a way that warrants the question. The season combined line of .281/.454/.538 with 11 home runs and 18 steals across 227 plate appearances is playable; it's a line that moves a promotion conversation forward. A trip to Hudson Valley before the year ends would be the right next step to see whether the approach survives better arms.
Lovich Keeps Adding to a Power-First August at High-A
Jackson Lovich (A+, SS, Rank: 16) had the week's second-best offensive performance index in the system among hitters, going 7-for-25 with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and a walk against seven strikeouts over 25 plate appearances. The strikeout total is consistent with his profile: a 55 power grade, long levers, and a loft-oriented swing create natural swing-and-miss, and his season K% of 28.6 percent reflects that. But the damage is real. Over his last 30 days at Hudson Valley, he is slashing .303/.388/.596 with 6 home runs, 20 RBI, and a 12.6 percent walk rate across 103 plate appearances. That is the version of the profile the projection needs to see, a player whose above-average power tool is actually showing up in games against High-A pitching rather than just in batting practice.
The full combined line of .287/.361/.512 with 24 home runs, 41 steals, and 89 RBI across 510 plate appearances between Tampa and Hudson Valley is legitimately loud for a 22-year-old. The concern about Lovich has always been whether the swing-and-miss gets weaponized at higher levels, and a 30.6 percent K% at Hudson Valley is not comfortable, but the power has kept pace. He is a bat-first utility or second-division infield profile whose path runs through maintaining this extra-base production while keeping strikeouts from ticking up further against Double-A arms. His contact rate over the last 30 days sits at 67.4 percent, a real limitation, but the 51.6 percent swing rate tracks with an aggressive hitter who is choosing his spots when it matters. The arm and range limit him to second or third defensively, and that raises the offensive bar, but the current output suggests he is clearing it.
Quick Hits
- Dax Kilby (A, SS, Rank: 2) · drew 7 walks against 4 strikeouts in 19 plate appearances this week, adding a home run and 3 RBI on just 2 hits. The week is peak Kilby in miniature: a 55 hit tool and 55 speed grades sitting inside one of the most selective approaches in the system. His season walk rate at Tampa is 25.3 percent of plate appearances, and over his last 30 days the BB% has climbed to 28.4 percent across 109 plate appearances while the K% has dropped to 19.3 percent. The 37.7 percent swing rate this month is about as disciplined as it gets at Low-A. The gap power will need to translate into more consistent in-game thump as he moves up, but a 19-year-old running a 28 percent walk rate is already doing something most prospects never figure out.
- Core Jackson (AA, SS, Rank: 29) · had a productive week at Double-A Somerset, going 8-for-27 with a double, a home run, 6 RBI, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch against 3 strikeouts. His 74.1 percent contact rate and 46.7 percent swing rate translate well at this level, and the 14.5 percent K% at Double-A is the best strikeout mark he has posted at any level this season. A 55 field grade and 60 arm make him a legitimate shortstop, and the offense doesn't need to be loud if the glove plays up. His combined season line of .261/.364/.458 with 13 home runs and 40 steals across 428 plate appearances is a reasonable debut at two levels for a 22-year-old.
- Bryce Cunningham (AA, RHP, Rank: 12) · threw 7 innings at Double-A this week, scattering 6 hits and 3 earned runs with 7 strikeouts and zero walks. The walk suppression stands out: his BB% at Double-A has dropped to 2.7 percent across 18 innings since the promotion, a stark contrast to the 10.5 percent mark he posted at High-A earlier this year. The fastball-changeup pairing gives him two legitimate weapons, and a 60 command on that changeup is a real asset when the delivery stays consistent. Over his last 30 days the ERA is 6.14 across 29.1 innings with 6 home runs allowed, so the home run rate against Double-A bats is still a concern, but the cleaner walk numbers suggest the command is consolidating at the new level.
- Pico Kohn (A+, LHP, Rank: 15) · went 3.2 innings this week with 6 strikeouts, 12 whiffs, 2 earned runs, and 4 walks in a 17-batter outing. The walk total is the outlier for a pitcher who has posted a 12.9 percent BB% on the season but a 2.57 ERA across 14 innings in his last 30 days. The whiff number is encouraging: a 32.7 percent whiff rate for the season and a 36.4 percent mark over the last month show the slider and 93-95 mph fastball are generating genuine bat-missing in High-A at age 23. He projects as a back-end starter, and the strikeout rate of 33.3 percent on the season keeps that track alive as long as the walk spikes stay occasional rather than chronic.
- Brendan Beck (AAA, RHP, Rank: 25) · allowed 3 earned runs on 3 hits over 4.2 innings this week with 7 strikeouts, 13 whiffs, and a walk. It was his roughest start of a recent stretch that otherwise looks like a pitcher making his case: over the last 30 days he is posting a 3.86 ERA across 16.1 innings with 23 strikeouts and a 33.8 percent K% at Triple-A Scranton. The season ERA sits at 2.86 through 125.2 innings with 140 strikeouts and a 7.6 percent walk rate. He was recalled as a 27th man for a Yankees doubleheader on August 29 and optioned back the next day without an appearance, which is roster proximity that makes every start matter. A four-pitch mix, a 55 command grade, and nearly 126 Triple-A innings this year give him a legitimate argument for a September role.
- Wilberson De Pena (A, OF, Rank: 14) · drew 4 walks and hit a home run in 14 plate appearances this week, but the contact rate is the number to watch. Since his late-July promotion to Single-A Tampa, De Pena is posting a 29.3 percent K% and a 63.4 percent contact rate at the new level, a significant step down from the production that earned him a Triple Crown in FCL. Over the last 30 days he is slashing at a 31.6 percent K% with a .184 batting average across 57 plate appearances. The power is genuine and the 55 speed grade gives the profile a floor, but the aggressive 60.5 percent swing rate and contact rate at Single-A are confirming what the scouting profile already flagged: the hit tool needs time to catch up with better velocity and sequencing before the package plays up.
- Xavier Rivas (AAA, LHP, Rank: 41) · had his best raw outcome of the week in terms of performance index, going 5 innings with 2 hits, 3 walks, 2 earned runs, and 4 strikeouts while generating 12 whiffs across 83 pitches. The command is still the limiting factor: he is walking batters at a 22.7 percent rate over his last 30 days at Triple-A, and the ERA across that stretch is 14.09. The 35.3 percent whiff rate on the season tells you the splitter and slider are competitive pitches, but a 13.22 ERA at Scranton this year suggests the stuff isn't enough to overcome walk volume against Triple-A lineups. The long-reliever projection still fits, and this week showed a flash of what the secondary-heavy mix can do when the command holds.
- Chase Hampton (AA, RHP, Rank: 10) · had a difficult outing this week, allowing 7 hits and 5 earned runs in just 2.1 innings against 17 batters with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts. It is the continuation of a rough stretch at Double-A: his season ERA at Somerset sits at 9.59 across 26.1 innings with a 15.6 percent walk rate and a 43.2 percent strike rate on the year. The slider grades at 55 and the fastball can reach 93-95 mph, so the stuff is there, but command regression has driven the profile from a promising starter to something closer to the up-down floor of his projection. The last 30 days show a 8.53 ERA across 6.1 innings at Double-A. At 25, the margin for continued struggle is narrowing.