Bronx On Deck: Fox Puts on a Clinic at Double-A, Cunningham Zeroes In
By Jordan Parker ·
Bronx On Deck covers the last 7 days of action for the Yankees farm system.
Fox Throws 7.1 Innings of Near-Nothing at Double-A Somerset
Rory Fox (AA, RHP, Rank: 36) posted the week's top pitching performance index in the system, going 7.1 innings against 27 batters while allowing just 1 hit and no runs, walking one, and striking out 6. He threw 45 of 89 pitches for strikes and generated 11 whiffs across the outing. A 22-year-old righty whose fastball sits 94-96 mph with a carrying tool grade of 50, a line like that relies heavily on execution: keeping the four-seam elevated, sequencing the slider and curve off it, and trusting the changeup enough to neutralize the odd left-handed threat. All of that clicked against Somerset's opponent on Wednesday. The 11 whiffs on 89 pitches is a solid clip for a pitcher whose secondaries grade in the 40-50 range, suggesting the stuff played up with some tunnel and location help.
Fox's full season at Double-A sits at a 3.97 ERA across 47.2 innings with a 5.5 BB% and 20.5 K%, and the last 30 days show a 3.69 ERA over 31.2 innings with a 5.3 BB% and 22.6 K% across five starts. The walk suppression in that stretch is the most encouraging sign: when the command grade is 45 and the stuff is solid-average across the board, every extra base on balls is a problem that compounds. Over his last month, it has not compounded. The projection is a back-of-the-rotation starter with a relief floor, and the path there runs through outings like this one, where the strike-throwing is tight enough that average stuff plays up in sequence. Fox also posted a 4.59 ERA over 82.1 innings at High-A earlier this year, meaning Double-A is already his second assignment this season. The ERA has gone down, the walk rate has gone down, and this week's result puts an exclamation point on a September that has been his best baseball of the year.
Cunningham Walks Nobody, Gets 15 Whiffs in Seven Scoreless Frames
Bryce Cunningham (AA, RHP, Rank: 10) was right behind Fox in the week's pitching leaderboard, throwing 7.0 innings against 24 batters with 4 hits, no runs, zero walks, and 7 strikeouts. He generated 15 whiffs on 86 pitches, threw 43 for strikes, and did not issue a free pass. A zero-walk start is notable for any pitcher; for Cunningham, whose season BB% at High-A sat at 10.5 and who walked 37 batters in 80.1 innings before his Double-A promotion, it is a meaningful data point. His four Double-A starts have produced a 2.1 BB%, a 27.8 K%, and a 0.92 WHIP. The contrast with his High-A command numbers is sharp, and the most logical explanation is that he is attacking the zone more aggressively now that he trusts his stuff in a way he did not always at High-A.
The scouting profile gives him a plus four-seam fastball and a plus changeup, with an average slider and a curveball that is still a work in progress. When the fastball-changeup combination is working in tandem, there is a genuine mid-rotation ceiling here, and the 15 whiffs on 86 pitches this week suggest that combination was operating close to its best. The concern over his last 30 days is that the ERA sits at 4.65 and the home run rate is elevated (6 allowed in 31 innings), so it is not all clean. But a seven-inning, zero-walk effort against Double-A competition makes the mid-rotation projection feel more grounded than aspirational. He is 23 years old in his first extended Double-A look, and the command trend in this assignment is moving in the right direction. I would take the over on a #3 outcome if the breaking ball takes another half-step forward this offseason.
Quick Hits
Jace Avina (AA, LF, Rank: 23) · went 8-for-27 with two doubles, a homer, 4 walks, and 3 RBI across 27 plate appearances this week. The power output is not surprising from a player with a 55 power grade who has slugged 21 home runs this season at Double-A, but the walk total is worth noting: his last-30-day BB% of 7.1 percent has been a step down from his season rate of 11.5 percent, and four walks in a single week is a welcome correction. His season line of .254/.350/.467 with 21 home runs and 29 doubles across 532 plate appearances is a real body of work for a 23-year-old in his first full Double-A season. The hit tool grades at 45 and the strikeout rate has stayed around 23-24 percent across two seasons, so the contact questions have not gone away, but the power is genuine and the profile keeps producing.
Luis Escudero (A, 2B, Rank: 43) · had a 10-PA week that included 2 hits, a double, a homer, a walk, and just 1 strikeout. The counting stats are modest, but the sample fits what has been an extraordinary final month: over his last 30 days at Low-A Tampa, he is slashing .400/.531/.700 across 64 plate appearances with 3 home runs, 6 doubles, 12 walks, and only 6 strikeouts. His contact rate in that stretch has climbed to 85.2 percent, and the K% of 9.4 percent is genuinely elite for any level. He is a 20-year-old switch-hitter with a 50 hit tool and a 45 power grade, and the power grade in particular looks conservative against 10 home runs at Tampa and a .556 slugging percentage. His season walk rate of 22.5 percent is one of the better marks you will find in the low minors. A Hudson Valley assignment to close out the calendar year would be a reasonable test of whether this approach holds against better arms.
Brendan Beck (AAA, RHP, Rank: 33) · went 4.2 innings without allowing a run, scattering 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 6, adding 19 whiffs on 73 pitches. The outing continued a strong recent stretch: his last-30-day ERA at Triple-A Scranton is 3.31 across 16.1 innings, with a 32.3 K% and a 4.6 BB%. Beck's season ERA at Triple-A sits at 2.75 across 131 innings with 146 strikeouts and a 1.03 WHIP, a convincing body of work from a 27-year-old righty who has a four-pitch arsenal grading out at 55 across the board. His MLB sample has been rough (8.22 ERA in 7.2 innings), but the Triple-A product continues to hold up. If there is a September roster opportunity, the case is there on paper.
Dax Kilby (A, SS, Rank: 2) · had a tough week at the plate, going 1-for-12 with a double, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts across 12 plate appearances. It is a less productive stretch for the Yankees' second-ranked prospect, though the walk total shows the approach did not disappear entirely. His season line at Tampa is .261/.448/.435 with a 25.3 BB% and a 20.1 K%, and over his last 30 days the BB% has actually expanded to 31.9 percent across 91 plate appearances. At 19 years old with a 55 hit tool and 55 speed grade, the production floor comes from patience and athleticism rather than raw power, so a soft week is not a referendum on the profile. The week was what it was.
Elmer Rodríguez (AAA, RHP, Rank: 5) · was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton on September 7 after his MLB stint. In his first appearance back, he went 5.0 innings against 22 batters, allowing 5 hits and no runs but walking 3 and striking out only 3, generating 9 whiffs on 85 pitches. The walk rate of 12.8 BB% in his MLB sample and 11.8 BB% combined this season has been the consistent obstacle, and a three-walk, three-strikeout outing shows the command at 40 is not just a paper grade. His AAA ERA sits at 2.48 across 101.2 innings with a 23.8 K%, so the Triple-A track record remains strong; last week was simply a sharper illustration of the command issues that have made his MLB results inconsistent. He has the fastball (96-99 mph) and the pitch depth to work through it, but the walks have to come down for the rotation projection to hold.
Chase Hampton, RHP, Nationals (MLB, Washington) · #437 Overall · was designated for assignment by the Yankees on September 7 and claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals on September 12. His time in the New York system ended with a rough Double-A tenure: a 9.59 ERA across 35.2 innings at Somerset with 37 strikeouts but 28 walks.