Just before pitchers and catchers report to George M. Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees did some house cleaning by cutting seven minor leaguers.
The New York Yankees have released seven minor league pitching prospects from their contracts, according to Pinstriped Prospects.
Artur Strzalka, Rafael Ordaz, Leonardo Garcia, Deshorn Lake, Moises Cedeno, Icezack Flemming and Zack Wasserman were all cut.
Strzalka was signed in July 2013 and became the first player born and raised in Poland to sign with an MLB team, according to baseball reference. In 21 games across two seasons in the Gulf Coast League, the 21-year old left-handed reliever maintained a 5.28 ERA and struck out 25 batters compared to 23 walks.
After a promising start in 2016 (2.45 ERA in first 7.1 IP), Strzalka surrendered eight runs over his last seven innings (10.29 ERA). He pitched just 29 innings as a part of the Yankees organization.
Rafael Ordaz, 21, was signed as international free agent by the Yankees on Feb. 23, 2012, at age 17. The right-hander spent the first four years of his professional career in the Dominican Summer League before seeing time in rookie ball last season.
Across 81.2 total innings with the Yankees’ organization, Ordaz surrendered 57 earned runs (6.28 ERA) and walked 5.1 batters per nine innings. He was originally released on Jan. 24
Garcia, signed on Jan. 15, 2013, as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic, registered a 5-7 record across 58 games between the DUSL and rookie ball. He maintained a 6.00 ERA in 126 career innings.
Lake was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the twelve round of the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft from Menchville HS but did not sign. He was originally signed as a nondrafted free agent by the Yankees in 2014.
The 23-year old spent two seasons in rookie ball and sported a distasteful strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.38. The righty maintained a 4.79 ERA to coincide with his 3-4 record in 28 total appearances.
Garcia was brought over to the Yankees on Aug. 31, 2011, as an international free agent from Panama and spent most of his time in the Dominican Summer League.
In 2016, he got his first taste of baseball in the states but surrendering 13 runs in 11 innings wasn’t a good look. Over his entire professional career (four seasons), he posted an 8-8 record and a 4.68 ERA.
Flemmings was selected in the 26th round (783rd overall) of the 2015 June Amateur Draft by the Yankees out of the California State University. The righty climbed all the way to High-A Tampa (2015) on the minor league ladder but spent 2016 in Pulaski.
In 23 career minor league games, he managed a 4.12 ERA and struck out 10.5 batters per nine.
Zak Wasserman was taken in the 21st round (627th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 2009 but did not sign. After pitching in one game for the Windy City ThunderBolts in 2014 (independent league), the southpaw was signed by the Diamondbacks.
After being released by Arizona in the same season, Wasserman went back to the ThunderBolts where he sported a 6.78 ERA in 15 starts for them in 2015.
New York picked him up this past May where he appeared in 13 games (three starts) for Pulaski. He went 2-0 and struck out 25 batters in 33 innings pitched.
The Bombers will report to George M. Steinbrenner Field on Feb. 13 with first workouts going down the following day.
