(Player of the Week was selected by FOX Sports Radio New Jersey)

The 2024 season is finally upon us, and with it the return of the Somerset Patriots Player of the Week.

Click here to view Somerset Patriots Player Of The Week 2023!

Week 21: Spencer Jones
What is a week of Somerset Patriots baseball without Spencer Jones dominating the Double-A Eastern League? For the third time this season Jones was named the Double-A Eastern League’s Player of the Week.

That’s because Jones carried a 10-game hitting streak into the nightcap of a double-header against Binghamton earlier this week. How hot has Jones been, you ask? Well, over the six games against the Reading Figthin’ Phils last week, the Yankees number two prospect hit .417 with six extra base hits, including a homer, three runs scored and six RBI. Jones sizzled so much he was ranking atop the Eastern league in all statistical categories for the week.

Jones streak continued agianst Binghamton at the start of this week’s series in upstate New York. Jones had four hits and nine total bases in the first two games of the series, including three doubles and a triple.
It is no surprise that Jones’ success comes as Somerset has leapfrogged Portland for the final spot in the 2024 postseason race.

Watch out folks, the red hot Somerset Patriots are the team to watch in Double-A baseball down the stretch.
Week 20: Baily Dees
Making a return visit to the Fox Sports New Jersey, Somerset Patriots Player of the Week is starting pitcher Bailey Dees. And why not? Dees was incredible in his last outing against the Portland Seadogs on August 21.

In five and a third innings of work, Dees held the Dogs to just a single hit while working around five walks. More impressively he struck out 10 batters in the process, setting a new career high for a single game.

Despite a few uneven efforts, Dees has been a consistent presence in the Patriots rotation. He is 5-7 with a 4.64 ERA in 23 starts this season, by far the most starts by any patriot pitcher this season. He also leads the club in strikeouts with 126, which is also good for first among pitchers in the Double-A Eastern League. Finally, Dees is fifth in the league in innings pitched with 120. Not bad for a pitcher logging his first full season as a starting pitcher in professional baseball.

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dees pitched four years at Penn State, mostly as a starter, before the Yankees drafted him in the 18th round of the 2021 draft.
Week 19: Jesus Rodriguez
While it was a difficult series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, there was one player who stood out for the Somerset Patriots: Jesus Rodriguez.

The 22-year old catcher, who lost a chunk of time this year on the injury list, hit an impressive .333 (six hits in 18 at bats) over the course of the six-game series, raising his batting average by 38 points. He even capped off his stellar performance with a three- hit day on Sunday, that included a solo home run in Somerset’s 6-4 loss.

Rodriguez earned a call up to Double-A Somerset on June 19 after starting the season at High-A Hudson Valley. While with the Renegades, Rodriguez hit .332 with five homers, 33 RBI, and 29 walks to just 30 strikeouts. Unfortunately, he hit the injury list on June 26 and missed almost a full month before returning at the end of July.

In 17 games with Somerset, Rodriguez is hitting .238 with four bombs and nine RBI.

A native of the Domincan Republic, Rodriguez was signed by the Yankees in 2019 and spent the next two seasons in rookie ball after COVID canceled the 2020 campaign. However in the past two years his profile has skyrocketed, as Rodriguez has hit close to, or better than .300 both levels of A-ball. Look out of Jesus Rodriguez, he’s a player to watch at Double-A for the New York Yankees.
Week 18: Anthony Seigler
It was a week that the Somerset Patriots desperately needed. After some rough sailing against Binghamton two weeks ago, the Patriots went up I-95 and took four of five from the Hartford Yard Goats. And one of the big stars of that series was Anthony Seigler.

Seigler hit .375 (six hits in 16 at bats) with a pair of home runs, five RBI, and stolen base in four games against Hartford. His biggest effort came August 14, a game Somerset won 9-5, with seigler playing a starring role. Seigler had three hits, including a two-run bomb to right center to power Somerset.

The next day, Seigler went deep again with a two-run shot to push Somerset to an 9-3 victory over the Yardgoats. Overall, Seigler has 11 homers, 38 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 2024, despite a .216 batting average.

Bord in Fort Defieance, Arizona, Seigler was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2018 draft. He signed with the Bronx Bombers, and played his first professional game in rookie ball at the age of 19 back in 2018. Since that time he has slowly made his way up the charts, and has just now developed into more of a power hitter at the Double-A level.
Week 17: Ben Shields
While most of the attention this week, rightly so, has been on slugger Spencer Jones, who earned his second Eastern League Player of the Week honors, this week Fox Sports New Jersey is looking to the mound for its honoree. And who better than the newest member of the Yankees Double-A squad: Ben Shields.

Shields earned his second victory since joining Double-A Somerset when he tossed six innings of one-run ball against the Bowie Bayox on Saturday night. The righty struck out seven and walked a pair as his ERA in Somerset dipped to 1.95.

In five games, four starts, with the Somerset Patriots, Shields is 2-1, having given up six earned runs in 27.2 innings of work. He has a K to walk radio of 3-1. And teams are hitting only .216 against him.

Before joining the Yankees organization this season, Shields pitched collegiately for both UMASS and George Mason. With the George Mason Patriots in his senior year, he appeared in 17 games, and made 16 starts, pitching to a 4.69 ERA, and a record of 7-4. He also struck out a career best 107 in 81.2 innings of work.

In case you are wondering, Shields is not related to former Major League pitcher James Shields.
Week 16: Rafael Flores
While the Somerset Patriots lost four of six to the Portland Seadogs, one Yankees prospect stood out in a big way this past week, infielder Rafael Flores.

A native of Anaheim, California, Flores was on fire for the Yankeees Double-A affiliate, crushing a pair of home runs, driving in four and hitting .261 over the course of the six game series.

In fact Flores walked off a game on Wednesday with a two-run bomb in the twelfth inning that sent Somerset to a 6-4 victory. A day later, Flores hit a solo shot that gave Somerset a 6-4 lead in the eighth inning, before the SeaDogs stormed back an inning later to steal the game 7-6.

Flores signed with the Yankees out of Rio Hondo Junior College in 2022. He appeared in only four games with the Flordia Gulf Coast Leage Yankees, hitting .429 with a pair of homers and six RBI. The next season, Flores was promoted to High-A Hudson Valley, where he played in 105 games for the Renegades.

After playing most of the first half of this season in Hudson Valley, where he hit .285 with 90 total bases and 35 RBI, Flores earned a promotion to Double-A Somerset on June 26.

In 26 games with the Patriots, Flores is hitting .232 with a .327 on base percentage and a slugging percentage of .414. He also has a .310 BAIP (Batting average on balls in Play)which is fifth on the team for players who have at least 100 plate apperances on the season.

Keep an eye out for Rafael Flores. He is prospect to watch in the Yankees organization.
Week 15: Bailey Dees
Pitching was the name of the game for the Somerset Patriots during last week’s sweep of the Altoona curve, so of course it makes sense to feature a pitcher. This week’s Player of the Week is right-hander Bailey Dees.

Dees enjoyed one of the best starts of his short time in Somerset, tossing six innings of two-hit ball against the Altoona Curve in Somerset’s 2-1 victory last Saturday. The outing lowered his season ERA to 4.26.

One has to go back to May 7 to find a similar outing for Dees. Ironically that also came against the Curve, where he held Altoona to three hits over six innings of work to earn a victory. Overall, Dees holds a record of 4-5 in 19 games this season for the Yankees Double-A affiliate.

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dees pitched four years at Penn State, mostly as a starter, before the Yankees drafted him in the 18th round of the 2021 draft. He has progressively made his way up the ranks with stops at Rookie Ball, Single-A Tampa, and High-A Hudson Valley. He made his Somerset debut in 2023, pitching in 16 games as as reliever, logging 21 innings with a 4.29 ERA.

This season is Dees first as a starting pitcher in professional baseball.
Week 14: Elijah Dunham
For the second time this season Elijah Dunham is the Fox Sports New Jersey Player of the Week, and for a good reason.

Dunham has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for two consecutive weeks in a row. The honor makes him the only player in the Eastern League to be named Player of the Week more than once, and the first player in Patriots history to earn back-to-back Player of the Week honors.

The Yankees outfield prospect has been scorching hot for well over a month. Over his last five games, Dunham is hitting .421 with two homers, four RBI, four runs scored and four extra base hits.

His OPS during that stretch was 1.342.

Moreover, Dunham enjoyed a 17-game hitting streak, and a 21-game on base streak that came to an end on July 12. Have no fear though, Dunham quickly started a new streak, compiling a total of five hits in his last two games.

In the month of July alone, Dunham is hitting .409 with a .458 on bases percentage; four homers and 12 RBI.
In fact during his last 24 games since returning to Somerset after a brief stint at Triple-A Scranton, Dunham is slashing .365/.425/.719 with seven home runs, 22 RBI, 19 extra base hits and 18 runs scored.

Dunham is a long time member of the Yankees organization, having been drafted by the club back in 2019 out of the University of Indiana. He keeps producing like this, a return to Triple-A is not out of the question.
Week 13: Tyler Hardman
This week’s Player of the Week is riding an eight-game hitting streak, and is big part of Somerset’s early second half surge. That man is Tyler Hardman.

A Yankees infield prospect, Hardman has shot up the ranks in the Yankees farm system this season, and is currently proving to be a reliable bat in Raul Dominguez’s Double-A lineup. This past week against the Reading Fight’n Phils, Hardman hit .364 (eight hits in 22 at bats), with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. He amassed 12 total bases, three walks and a pair of stolen bases.

In fact Hardman carries an eight game hitting streak into the Patriots series against the Erie Seawolves this week. Moreover, he has hit safely in all but four contests with Double-A Somerset this season.

A fifth round selection out of the University of Oklahoma, Hardman is ranked 25th among the top prospects in the Yankees farm system, whose stocky 230-pound, 6-foot-3 frame provides plenty of right handed power.

It is no coincidence that Hardman’s contributions have paid huge dividends for the Patriots in the early portions of the second half schedule. Somerset is 9-3 in the second half, and all 12 of those games Hardman has played in some capacity. Look out for Tyler Hardman, he is a player to watch in the stretch drive.
Week 12: Spencer Jones
This week’s Somerset Patriots player of the Week just so happens to be the Eastern League Player of the Week. And with Good reason.

Spencer Jones earned the distinction after one of the best week’s of his young career as he tore up the baseball against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

The Patriots slugger, who is ranked No. 2 among Yankees prospects cracked a pair of homers and four hits in a Somerset 13-3 victory on Sunday. On top of that Jones drove in seven runs, setting a new personal best.

In six games against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, Jones hit .333 with seven extra-base hits and 12 RBI. The stellar performance saw Jones’ batting average increase by 10 points to .252, and it capped off a sizzling June where he hit .296 for the month.

Jones’ 29 RBI, 14 extra-base hits, and 59 total bases in June led the Eastern League. Jones extended his hit streak to four games on Sunday, marking his fifth hit streak of four-plus games this season.

Drafted 25th overall in the first round of the 2022 first year player draft out of Vanderbilt, Jones has posted a .271/.345/.446 slash line in the minors. He is also the first Patriots position player to receiver Player of the Week honors so far this season.

Moreover, Jones’ hot streak has the Patriots rolling to a 5-1 record to open the second half of the 2024 campaign.
Week 11: Elijah Dunham
This week’s Somerset Patriots player of the week is a center fielder well versed in Patriots lore.

Elijah Dunham is in his third stint with the Somerset Patriots. The 26-year old has been in the Yankees system since 2021, and has become a familiar face to Double-A Yankees fans. Despite Somerset going 1-5 over the past week, Dunham stood out with his bat. In five games he hit .389 with a homer, three RIB and five runs scored.

The speedy outfielder also drew threw walks and stole a base.

Drafted out of Indiana University back in 2019, Dunham is still looking to make his way to the Big Leagues. As a member of the Eastern League championship Somerset Patriots team in 2022, Dunham had 17 homers and a team leading 37 stolen bases that season.

He followed that up with similar statistics in 2023. In 56 games with Somerset, Dunham cracked 10 homers, and drove in 27 with 23 stolen bases, earning his first ever promotion to Triple A.

This season, Dunham has spent most of his time in Double-A Somerset, earning a brief 4-game stint with Triple-A Scranton in early June. With the Yankees dealing with a number of injuries, one has to ask when Dunham will return to Triple-A to work on his craft.
Week 10: J.C. Escarra
This week’s Somerset Patriots Player of the Week is a man who has been a jack of all trades for the Yankees Double-A affiliate: J.C. Escarra.

Primarily a first baseman, Escarra has played six different positions for the Patriots this season including 17 games at first base, 11 games behind the plate, and 13 games at third base. However, this week, Escarra caught fire with the bat.

In five games against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Escarra batted .455 (10 homers in 22 at bats) with a homer, three doubles and nine runs driven in. Next o catcher Augustin Ramirez, Escarra was the Patriots best player against the Mets Double-A affiliate last week.

Escarra registered four RBI in each of Somerset’s games on June 12 and 13, respectively. In fact, he had three consecutive – three-hit games between June 12 and 14.

In 50 games this season at Double-A, Escarra is hitting .249 with three homers, 24 RBI and 24 runs scored. Perhaps the 29-year old has finally found a home in the Yankees organization. After four years in the Baltimore Orioles system, Escarra played Indy ball the past two years including stops in the Atlantic League, American Association, and Mexican League. This is his first season in pinstripes.
Week 9: Gerrit Cole
This week’s Somerset Patriots Player of the Week is a guy you might be familiar with. Here’s a hint: He’s a Cy Young Award Winner, and six-time All Star. That’s right, it’s Gerrit Cole.

Cole made a pair of rehab starts last week with the Yankees Double-A affiliate Somerset Patriots before sellout crowds at TD Bank Ballpark. In the two outings combined, Cole held the Hartford Yard goats to just a run on four hits over eight innings of work with no walks and nine strikeouts.

His pitch count of 57 on Sunday was exactly where he and the Yankees envisioned for his second outing off the Injury List as he prepares for his Major League return. Still Cole feels he has a lot of work to do.

“I thought the pitch count landed in a great spot. The fastball wasn’t very good. I missed in bad places, but it progressed as we moved along. My curve was sharp. The cutter was great. The slider was ok,” Cole told reporters on Sunday.

The Yankees ace, still feels he’s got some work to do before returning to the Bronx. It is expected that his next start will come with Triple-A Scranton. From there a determination will be made on the next steps.

Cole is coming back from right elblow inflammation that he suffered at the very end of Spring Training, and hasn’t pitched in a regular season game yet this year. When he returns to the Big League’s, he will join a Yankees squad that is pacing the rest of the American League in victories.
Week 8: Jasson Dominguez
This week’s player of the week is no stranger to Somerset, and the Fox Sports New Jersey Player of the Week! That’s right, it’s none other than Jasson Dominguez.

Dominguez is back! After suffering an elbow injury last September while with the Big League club, and having undergone successful Tommy Johnn Surgery, Dominguez is back on an extended rehab assignement, and he’s enjoyed his time back in Double-A.

Over the last week, Dominguez has hit .389 with a pair of homers, four RBI and three runs scored. He’s also flashed his glove like he did so many times the past two years for Somerset.

Nicknamed the Martian, the Domincan Republic native has played a total of seven games in Somerset during this rehab stint, hitting .269 overall. He began his return in High A Tampa a few weeks ago, where he crushed it with a .385/.529/.462 slash line.

In 120 games with the Yankees Double-A affiliate, Dominguez owns 18 homers, 71 RBI, 92 runs scored and 38 stolen bases.

His stellar performance last season in Somerset earned Dominguez a short call up to Triple-A Scarnton, before debuting last Setpember in Houston for the New York Yankees. Before suffering the injury, Dominguez cracked four homers and hit .258 in pinstripes.

With a crowded outfield of sluggers that includes free agent to be Juan Soto, it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for the flashy Yankees prospect.
Week 7: Tommy Kahnle and D.J. LeMahieu

This week’s player of the Week is a duel threat very familiar to fans of the New York Yankees: They are pitcher Tommy Kahnle and infielder D.J. LeMahieu.

Both players made rehab assignements with the Somerset Patriots this past week, and both look primed and ready to return to the big leagues.

Kahanle who is returning from right shoulder inflamation that he suffered in spring training. In two rehab outings with Somerset, he struck out a total of five batters in two hitless innings.

“I felt good going out there. I felt in the bullpen my command was all over the place, but not on the mound. Overall I felt good,” Kahnle said afterwards.

Meanwhile, LeMahieu who is coming back from a foot injury, looked great on Sunday for Somerset. He reached base four times, with a RBI single, three walks and two runs scored. In two rehab games, LeMahieu had two hits in three at bats.

He’s feeling good and is heading to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre to complete the next steps in his return to the Bronx.

Be ready to see both LeMahieu and Kahnle back in the Boogie down in short order.
Week 6: Zach Messinger
This week’s player of the week is a pitcher who is enjoying the month of May so far for the Somerset Patriots: That is none other than Zach Messinger.

In two starts in the month of May, the Chandler, Indiana native has pitched to a 1.69 ERA, allowing only two runs on three hits in 10.2 innings of work. In fact, Messinger took a no hitter into the sixth inning on May fourth against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

This past week against Altoona, Messinger earned his first victory of the year, allowing only two runs over five innings of work. He struck out eight batters that night.

In fact, the swing and a miss has been working for the former Virginia Cavalier. Messinger has struck out 45 batters in 38.2 innings to lead the team.

The Yankees drafted Messinger in the 13th round of the 2021 June Amateur draft out of the University of Virginia. In three years in college, Messinger was mostly used as a reliever, spotting a 4.42 ERA and five victories in 100 innings of work.

Be sure to see Messinger deliver this week as the Patriots play host to the Portland SeaDogs at TD Bank Ballpark.
Week 5: Grant Richardson
This week’s player of the week is a outfielder who has been sizzling at the plate all season thus far for the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. That man is Grant Richardson.

In the last week, Richardson has collected eight hits in 17 at bats, and is hitting .471 for the month of May. In fact on May 2 against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Richardson enjoyed a four hit day that included a two-run double, and a two-run single in Somerset’s wild 10-9 loss.

Then, on Tuesday in Altoona, Richardson was at it again, collecting a par of doubles in Somerset’s 6-1 victory. Right now he is riding a four game hitting streak.

A product of Fishers, Indiana, Richardson was drafted by the Yankees in th 17th round of the 2021 Draft out of Indiana University.

In four years in the Yankees farm system, Richardson is hitting .242 with 39 homers, 38 doubles, and 193 hits in 230 games. After a cup of tea with the Patriots down the streatch of the 2023 season, Richardson is making himself very comfortable in Somerset to start 2024. He is currently hitting .308 on the year with a pair of homers, 14 RBI and 40 total bases. He is also tied for second on the team in doubles (10), and is third in total bases on the squad.

Watch out for Grant Richardson. He’s an impact player for the Yankees that all must keep an eye on.
Week 4: Brock Selvidge
This week’s Somerset Patriots player of the Week goes to one of the more consistent arms in the starting rotation for the Yankees Double-A affiliate. His name is Brock Selvidge.

Selvidge was dominant on April 27, blanking the Reading Fight’n Phils over seven innings of two-hit ball. He earned his first victory of the season, as Somerset won, going away 9-0. Moreover, Selvidge recorded a career best 11 strikeouts in the effort. The most strikeouts Selvidge recorded in a game prior to his record setting night was on June 22 of last year, when he struck out 10 in a game for Single-A Tampa.

Selvidge’s prowess on the hill has caught they eyes of scouts, who rank the 21-year old as 10th among the Yankees Top 30 prospects for 2024.
The left-hander was drafted by the Yankees in the third round of t he 2021 draft. He possess a fastball that dances between 92 and 97 miles per hour, and is proving to be adept at getting people to swing and people.

Be preared to hear more of Brock Selvidge in the near future.
Week 3: Trystan Vrieling
This week’s player of the week just so happens to be the Pitcher of the Week in Minor League Baseball.

That is none other than Somerset Patriots right hander Trystan Vrieling. Vrieling tossed 7.2 hitless innings in a 1-0 Somerset victory over the Hartford Yardgoats last Friday. Vrieling struck out six, walked two, and watched as his season ERA dipped to an astounding 0.48.

In fact, Vrieling is 2-0 this season in three starts with Double-A Somerset. He has givine up only one earned run in 18.2 innings of work. Teams are hitting only .082 against him. The Lewistown, Indiana native is enjoying his first forway into affiliated ball.

He pitched three years at Gonzaga, which included stops in the summer league each of the past three years. The Yankees later drafted Vrieling in the third round of the June Amateur Draft.

It’s clear that Trystin Vrieling has arrived, and is poised to be a name to follow in the Yankees farm system.
Week 2: Benjamin Cowles
This week’s Player of the Week is infielder Benjamin Cowles. The 24-year-old from Rochester, New York is off to a flying start for the Yankees Double-A squad this season. In five games against the New Hampshire Fischer Cats, Cowles hit safely in four of the games, including three-multi-hit games. On Sunday, Cowles legged out a RBI triple, and recorded three RBI on the day in the Patriots 13-9 loss.

Over the five games up north, Cowels hit .467, recorded seven hits, drew five walks and stole a pair of bases. His .619 on base percentage was the highest by any patriot who played at least three games in the series.
In nine games with Somerset this season, Cowles has been impressive. He is hitting .419 on the year, and has drive in six runs, and scored six times.

Cowles was drafted by the Yankees out of Maryland in the 10th round of the 2021 Draft. Currently he does not rank in the Top 30 of Yankees prospects, but with the way he is playing right now, someone is going to take notice.
Week 1: Agustin Ramirez
Patriots catcher Agustin Ramirez is our first Player of the Week for the 2024 minor league baseball season.

The 22-year old Dominican Republic native is on fire for the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Somerset Patriots.

In four games, Ramirez is hitting .278 with three homers and eight RBI, leading the Patriots in both categories. He homered in three consecutive games over the weekend against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, and provided the only RBI’s in the Patriots 8-2 loss to the New Hampshire Fischer Cats on Tuesday, April 9.

“I had a great opportunity, and I am trying to build on it this year,” Ramirez said through the Somerset Patriots interpreter.

Ramirez has grown up in the Yankees farm system, having signed with the club back in 2019. Last season he split time between Low A Tampa, High-A Hudson valley, and Double-A Somerset. Ramirez is splitting time behind the plate this season with the multi-talented Ben Rice.