The Tarpons are set to begin the 2025 season with a mostly new coaching staff, including some names new to the Yankees along with a handful of familiar names from the 2024 season.
The Yankees recently announced their break camp roster for the other 3 full-season affiliates, with that of Tampa seen below.
We’ll see 2024 draftees Tanner Bauman, Greysen Carter, Griffin Herring, Gus Hughes, Brady Kirtner, Wyatt Parliament, Tony Rossi, Jack Sokol, Chris Beach and Gage Ziehl make their respective professional debuts.
Danny Flatt Jr. is returning to the Tarpons after beginning the year in the Florida Complex League (FCL) with a 3.19 ERA in 36-2/3 innings. Flatt had a K/9 of 9.08 and a BB/9 of 4.91. Towards the end of the season, Flatt was promoted to Low-A Tampa, where he appeared in 4 games and pitched 9-2/3 innings. In 2024 with Tampa, he recorded a 9.31 ERA, allowing more contact than while in the Rookie-level FCL. Flatt’s H/9 increased to 16.76 from 7.61, and his HR/9 rose to 3.72 from 0.74.
Cade Austin returns to the Tarpons after being one of the better pitchers on the 2024 pitching staff, recording a 3.69 ERA in 46-1/3 relief innings (he was a reliever in 25 of 26 games). Austin’s statistics from 2024 are positive, and he did not allow any earned runs and only one unearned run in the last two months and 6 appearances of the season (7 IP).
The move that’s getting the most attention is that infielder Roderick Arias is back in Tampa for another year. Arias struggled for most of the year in Tampa last year, posting a slash of .233/.335/.393/.728 in 124 games and 473 at bats. His defense is what should get the attention, however, because he really struggled at shortstop with a .926 fielding percentage (22 errors).
There were lots of silly errors too. Mis-throws, throws off target, missed catches, etc. It comes down to Arias (and international players in general) being raw, inexperienced talent. Arias’ career fielding percentage at SS is .912, with 43 career errors, meaning more than half of those errors came last year.
Alex Bustamante and Sean Hermann return after missing all of 2024 to injury, and Jackson Fristoe was sent down from High-A Hudson Valley after ending the season with an injury. However, Fristoe did pitch in 11-1/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League (Salt River) but had a 13.50 ERA while out west. He also had a poor BB/9 of 11.1 and a K/9 of 5.6.
Bustamante had a strong start in the first two months of 2023, with a 2.18 ERA and a 0 ERA in May (12-2/3 IP). During this period, he displayed exceptional control and command, consistently striking out batters while minimizing walks and hits allowed. However, his performance declined in June (5.79 ERA, 9-1/3 IP), August (6.94 ERA, 11-2/3 IP), and September (7.36 ERA, 3-2/3 IP). This drop in effectiveness could be attributed to several factors, including injury, fatigue, changes in pitching mechanics, or facing tougher opponents.
Hermann, a native of the Tampa area, returns after missing the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery. This procedure was unexpected given his strong performance at the end of the previous season, during which he maintained a 0.64 ERA over 14 innings in 2 appearances in Sept. and delivered an 8-inning shutout on Sept. 2. However, Hermann faced challenges during most of the 2023 season, with a 5.98 ERA in the first half (allowing 39 earned runs in 58-2/3 innings). His off-speed pitches are particularly impressive, and monitoring their development in the early months will be a key focus.
Edgleen Pérez moves up from FCL after hitting .283 with an .824 OPS. Though not a power hitter, he hit 2 home runs in 2024. Pérez excels at stealing bases, successfully converting 8 out of 9 attempts (89%). As one of the top catching prospects, I ranked him #17 last fall and now he’s #2 behind utility player Jesus Rodriguez.
Engelth Ureña may not be widely recognized, but he warrants attention due to his impressive performance as a backup behind Pérez. Last year, Ureña achieved a batting average of .301 in 112 at-bats, along with an OPS of .984. While Ureña and Pérez share many similarities, their capabilities on the base paths differ. Ureña successfully stole 5 out of 8 bases (63%), with his first professional stolen base occurring last year against the FCL Tigers.
There are many more stories to tell about this team, and I aim to provide comprehensive coverage from Tampa, considering the challenges the Tarpons face with their usual home being lent to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tampa Tarpons will play on Field 2 at George M. Steinbrenner Field this year, which is the field directly off to the right when entering from the parking lot. The stands are visible from the parking lot. The Tarpons have named the field “The Tank”.
If you plan on attending this season, please manage your expectations regarding the fan experience. The setup is similar to high school or junior college baseball, with general admission bleachers, no large video scoreboard, and limited concessions. Based on images posted by the Tarpons on social media, they will be serving limited Pepsi products from a cooler and will have a beer cart. It can be presumed that they will offer some snacks, such as hot dogs and chips.
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