WAPPINGERS FALLS- The New York Yankees announced the 2023 break camp roster for the Hudson Valley Renegades. The roster features 14 returning players and 16 newcomers to the Hudson Valley. Five members of the break camp roster rank within the Yankees’ Top 30 prospects.
The Renegades roster features the Yankees’ top two draft picks from the 2022 First-Year Player Draft, OF Spencer Jones and RHP Drew Thorpe. Jones and Thorpe rank fifth and eighth, respectively, in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Yankees prospects.
Returning to the pitching staff for 2023 are RHP Juan Carela, RHP Harold Cortijo, RHP Bailey Dees, RHP Carlos Gomez, RHP Trevor Holloway, RHP Jack Neely, and RHP Enrique Santana. Also returning to the Renegades after sitting out the 2022 season with an injury is LHP Clay Aguilar, who appeared in one game for Hudson Valley in 2021.
Newcomers on the pitching staff is highlighted by a trio of top prospects in Thorpe (No. 8), RHP Zach Messinger (No. 23) and RHP Chase Hampton (No. 26). LHP Joel Valdez and RHP Tyrone Yulie both have started extensively throughout their careers, while LHP Ryan Anderson, RHP Nick Paciorek, and RHP Danny Watson have proven themselves as dependable relief pitchers.
Catchers:
The Renegades will feature an all-new catching corps for 2023, led by Antonio Gomez, the Yankees No. 27 prospect according to Baseball America. Gomez was tabbed by BA as the Best Defensive Catcher in the Yankees organization following the 2022 season, during which he led Single-A Tampa in RBIs, slugging percentage, and hits. He is joined behind the dish by Rafael Flores and Ben Rice. Flores was signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent out of Rio Hondo College in July 2022, while Rice was a 12th round pick of the organization in 2021 out of Dartmouth.
Infielders:
Ben Cowles and Spencer Henson return on the infield, anchoring the right side. Henson clubbed a career-high 10 home runs in 71 games with the Renegades in 2022, while Cowles finished the season on a seven-game hitting streak with the Renegades.
They are joined by youngsters Marcos Cabrera and Alexander Vargas, both of whom spent 2022 with Single-A Tampa. Caleb Durbin will make his Yankees organization debut with the Renegades after being acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Braves in December, and Luis Santos returns to the Hudson Valley after playing 20 games with the club in 2021.
Outfielders:
In the outfield, Jones is joined by a trio of returning players in Aldenis Sanchez, Aaron Palensky and Kyle Battle. Sanchez spent all of 2022 with the Renegades, finishing second on the team with 32 stolen bases. Palensky was one of the most consistent hitters in the Renegades lineup from the middle of May through the end of the season. Battle came up late in the year and showed a powerful bat with a key walk-off hit on the last homestand of the season against Jersey Shore.
Rounding out the outfield is Anthony Garcia, who provides a potent combination of power and patience that should provide length to the lineup. In 2022, Garcia led the Florida State League with 83 walks.
The Renegades open up their third season as the High-A affiliate of the Yankees at Heritage Financial Park on Friday, April 7 at 6:05 p.m. taking on the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
