Yankees minor-league report: Matt Sauer

Player: Matt Sauer

Age: 24 (born January 21, 1999)

Team: Somerset (Eastern League)

Position: Pitcher

Bats/throws: R/R

Height/weight: 6-4 / 195

Acquired: 2017 amateur draft, round 2, 54th pick

Background: The California native was drafted by the Yankees out of high school and was immediately assigned to the Pulaski Yankees, an advanced rookie league team in the Appalachian League. Sauer underwent Tommy John surgery early in the 2019 season, before returning to pitch in 2021 with Single-A Tampa. He started 13 games with the Tarpons before finishing the year with High-A Hudson-Valley, where he made eight starts. Sauer began the 2022 season with the Renegades and had a 3.77 ERA in 88 ⅓ innings. He had 100 strikeouts and an 1.25 WHIP. Sauer was hit hard in four starts with Double-A Somerset later in the year before again undergoing surgery to fix elbow and forearm issues.

2023 update: Sauer returned on June 5 and made two starts with the Gulf Coast Yankees. He made one start at Hudson Valley before returning to Somerset on June 23. Over his last 35 ⅔ innings, Sauer has a 3.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 43 strikeouts. He's slowly had to build up his pitch count but threw a season-high 94 pitches in his start against Binghamton on Aug. 12. 

What he’s saying: “I feel a lot healthier and stronger when I’m on the mound this year. I think my stuff is honestly better than it was last year. I’ve had four pitches my whole career and some of them have just been OK pitches, like the splitter and the curveball. It was time to finally dig into them and I think I’ve done a much better job this year of developing those pitches.”

Scouting report: The Yankees No. 25 prospect features a fastball that sits in the low-90’s but can reach 95 mph. His best pitch is a tight, low-80’s slider that can generate swings-and-misses both inside and outside of the strike zone. Sauer also throws a curveball and a splitter, which have become more consistent pitches this season.

What he’s working on: “Getting my strike percentages up… like first-pitch strikes, I need to hone in on those. My whole career, I’ve struggled with my curveball. In terms of velocity, location and just landing it early in counts, I think of really done a better job with it this year. The velo is up and the shape is way better. I’m pretty happy with where it’s at.”

On injuries: “It always stinks being on the IL, but towards the end of last year, I couldn’t throw anymore because my arm was hurting. Going and getting the surgery was really beneficial for me going into this year. This is the best I’ve felt in a couple of years.”

Probable MLB promotion: 2024.