New York Yankees non-roster invitees part two – pitchers
By Ed Stein
The Prospects
Cale Coshow, RHP – At 6′ 5” and 270 pounds, the Edmond, OK native is built more like a defensive tackle, than a baseball pitcher. That said, the 26-year-old has an upper 90’s fastball in his arsenal. A strikeout pitcher, Coshow has occasional issues with control and composure.
He has made it to AAA and been somewhat effective so far. Once he learns to control himself a little more, he could be a dominating power pitcher. The folks at 2080baseball.com, have a good take on his abilities.
"Coshow remains an enigma after being converted to a full-time reliever in May of 2016 – at times flashing shut-down dominance when he’s commanding his fastball/slider combo, and at other times missing his spots and generating a lot of traffic on the bases via hard contact and walks."
Phillip Diehl, LHP – Selected in the 27th round of the 2016 draft, Diehl has pitched very well at the lower levels of the organization. So far he is 16-6, with a 2.78 ERA, and a very stingy 1.08 WHIP. Even more impressive is that Diehl has fanned 250 batters in 194.1 innings pitched.
His success comes from a low 90’s fastball, mixed with a good slider and changeup. A lefty strikeout pitcher who doesn’t allow many base runners is a valuable commodity. Diehl will likely spend 2018 at Double-A Trenton.
Raynel Espinal, RHP – Espinal spent the entire 2018 season at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre. By all accounts, it was a good season. He went 7-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 41 appearances, mostly in relief. At 27-years-old, Espinal is running out of time to be an MLB pitcher.
Michael King, RHP – He is number 22 on MLB Pipeline’s top-30 Yankees prospects. Why not, King throws a low-to-mid 90s fastball with good sinking movement. Last season, not only did he pitch at three separate levels of the organization, A, AA, and, AAA, King excelled at all of them. He finished with a combined 1.79 ERA in 161.1 innings pitched. It won’t be long until the Boston College alumni, makes it to the Bronx.
Brady Lail, RHP – Lail has made the rounds up and down the New York Yankees organization over the past three seasons. The Utah native may have topped out at the AAA level. He’s been there for parts of the last three seasons and has never had an ERA below 5.07.
Trevor Stephan, RHP – Another member of the top-30 prospect list, Stephan is ranked seventh. He was selected in 2017’s third round (92nd overall) from the University of Arkansas. He projects to be a quality big league pitcher. According to MLB.com:
"Stephan gets a remarkable amount of swings and misses on fastballs in the strike zone. He works at 90-95 mph and peaks at 97 with running action that’s as notable as his velocity. His creates deception with his crossfire and uphill delivery and locates his heater to both sides of the plate."