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New York Yankees: Jake Cave Off To Red-Hot Start In Triple-A

In his first 10 games back in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, New York Yankees outfield prospect Jake Cave is off to a sweltering hot start. 

New York Yankees outfield prospect Jake Cave has had an interesting minor league career thus far and it’s starting to take a turn in the right direction thanks to a hot start for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2017.

Cave was selected in the Rule 5 draft in December of 2015 by the Cincinnati Reds where he almost earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. The Reds, however, returned him to New York, who assigned the lefty to Double-A Trenton.



After a hot start in 2016 (.288/.353/.510 in 27 games), he was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he went 84-for-322 (.261) in 89 games.

Overall, he slashed .267/.330/.427 with 26 doubles, nine triples and a career-best eight home runs while splitting time between left and center field. He capped off his roller coaster campaign by becoming the MVP of last season’s Governors’ Cup (Triple-A Championship game).

To kick off this season, however, the Yankees sent Cave right back to Trenton and after 31 games at a level he had already dominated, the 24-year-old was called back up to Scranton on June 16, where he is proving that he has conquered Double-A and deserves time to do the same in the International League.

In his first 10 games with the RailRiders in 2017, Jake Cave has gotten at least one hit in all of them and owns a .429/.459/.886 slash line with three home runs and seven runs scored. His latest offensive showcase came on Monday against the Syracuse Chiefs, where Cave went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the top of the sixth off Cody Satterwhite.

While this showcase has been impressive, Cave’s future with the Yankees doesn’t seem as bright. New York has not added him to the 40-man yet this season so unless a large chain of injuries forces him into the big league picture this season, he will once again be eligible for the Rule-5 Draft.



Considering the glut of outfield prospects above him in the farm system eligible like Clint Frazier and Dustin Fowler, the best opportunity Cave has of cracking a major league roster would be with a team that doesn’t have talent blocking him.