Storylines;
SS in the low minors: We have a number of very promising shortstops from Tampa (Wade) on down, with guys like Estrada and Angel Aguilar likely to get reps at 2B out of necessity. A couple of the IFA prospects we signed are SSs too and will likely come north. How they get reps for all of these guys and try to make sure theyre all on age and ability-appropriate development tracks will be a challenge for the organization.
The IFA spending binge: Some, maybe all, of the big-ticket IFA signings will come north. How they manage to perform will impact where this farm is at in 2-3 years in terms of trade value and the ability to start impacting the major league club. Early looks at some of these guys, this spring and in instructs, have been positive. Dermis Garcia is a name you should remember, his power potential may be a legit 70 grade. Nelson Gomez, Juan De Leon and Wilkerman Garcia are a few more you should remember.
Prospects to Watch:
Disclaimer: These rosters are not finalized and so the destinations for these guys are not set in stone. Some are more speculative than others. Either way these are not exhaustive lists; some names are left off consciously, some more or less by accident.
Scranton:
The outfield: A hopefully healthy Slade Heathcott and a rejuvenated Tyler Austin make up 2/3 of a very talented trio. Ramon Flores is unheralded because he doesnt have a standout tool, without Heathcotts plus speed or Austins now-power, but he is patient with a sweet swing and the power could come. Ben Gamel and Taylor Dugas are 4th OF types.
The bullpen: James Pazos, Branden Pinder, Mark Montgomery, Danny Burawa and Tyler Webb (and potentially Jacob Lindgren as well) could give a couple MLB pens a run for their money. Pazos, Pinder, Burawa and Lindgren all have big fastballs, while Lindgren has that wipeout slider. Nick Rumbelow and Nicky Goody are former LSU closers, both with big fastballs and solid control (Goody is rehabbing from TJS so his command is still coming). Montgomerys velocity drop diminishes his ceiling but he still has his slider, and though Webb sits around 91 MPH he still managed to K 94 in 68.2 IP with his array of big-league pitches.
Trenton:
Greg Bird: Ive been talking about this kid since before he was taking meaningful reps. Best bat in the system. Patient, controls the strike zone, works counts, student of the game. Has above average power now, could be plus as he matures. Hell be in Scranton by midseason, Id guess, maybe sooner.
Eric Jagielo: Casual observers thought Jagielo would be the rounded hitter and Judge the low-average power bat. The opposite proved true. Jagielos .259 at Tampa wasnt bad, his .354 was pretty good, but his 16 HR in 309 Pas was the standout stat. Likely not a long-term 3B but hell be in their plans if he can show that sort of power over 550 ABs.
Aaron Judge: All-around top prospect, does everything well and still has that developing stroke. Needs to work on controlling the strike zone but just an all-around great first season.
Jake Cave: A gamer, a guy who finds a way to have a positive impact in every game he plays. Strong defense, cannon arm, still working on turning that speed into impact baserunning. Patient, pesky hitter who hit .294 across two levels. Gap power now (9 triples last year) but some indication he may be starting to tap homerun potential. If hes a threat for 12-15 HR a season or more he could emerge as an elite prospect.
Mason Williams: Positive feedback on his offense this season but he has a long way to go. Defense is probably the best outfield D on the farm, hes a highlight reel, and he can be an impact baserunner if he gets on regularly. But if he cant fix the swing to start making consistent contact hes not much of a prospect.
Luis Severino: Everything that can be said has. Has two plus pitches and could be a good starter with just the FB/slider. If the change becomes an above average to plus offering he could be elite. Some durability concerns based on the way he delivers the ball but to date he has been healthy.
Caleb Smith: Lefty struggled a bit after a mid-season promo to High A so he could start there. Heavy FB in the low to mid-90s range, when hes on he pounds the lower half of the strike zone. Plus change, his curve and slider are developing. If he can throw three or four pitches for strikes he has mid-rotation upside, maybe a little better. If the secondary stuff doesnt come along hes a back-end guy.
Dan Camarena: Four-pitch lefty with superb control, his problem is that hes still high-80s on his FB most of the time. Crafty but with a small margin for error.
Jaron Long: Fast-rising UDFA, basically Camarenas profile except a righty and if anything a little slower on the FB. Unlike Camarena though he had no learning curve, progressing three levels in a season and maintaining his performance. Could be at SWB too.
Johnny Barbato: BP arm we got for Shawn Kelley. Very effective as a AA closer last year, as long as hes healthy.
Tampa
Miguel Andujar: An odds-on favorite for a 2014 breakout. Will be 20 years old all season, 39 XBH (10 HRs) as a 19-year old in Low A, 2nd half slash line of .319/.367/.456. As of now a superb hitting prospect, but his power will develop and could make him an elite one. Should project as an above-average fielding 3B.
Tyler Wade: Likely the starting SS, solid hit tool with patience but he needs to develop at least gap power if hes going to be more than a defense-first SS. Fast enough to factor in the speed game. Will be 20 all season.
Michael ONeill: Speed in spades (42 SBs last year), above average power (10 HRs), Ks are his Achilles Heel. Numbers improved markedly as the season went on, .235 1st half and a .275 2nd half, K rate down to around .20% from almost .30%.
The rotation: Tampas rotation is all prospect. Ian Clarkin probably has #2 upside, safe bet is 3-4. Polished with command and control, could get to Trenton at mid-season. Rookie Davis has a big FB and a lot of talent but his 4.93 ERA last year was surprisingly bad. Brady Lail was probably better than his 3.62 ERA last year, with superb control of his entire arsenal (26 BB in 134.1 IP). Gabe Encincas could be the best of them all, drawing rave reviews this spring as he comes back from TJS. He has multiple FB looks and can sit mid-90s. His change and curve are improving and his control is still coming along, but there are few pitchers in the org with a bigger ceiling. Domingo German is the kid we got in the Prado trade, I dont know a ton about him. Throws low to mid 90s with excellent control but needs to develop secondary stuff to become a top prospect.
Charleston
Jorge Mateo: The highest ceiling in the org, Mateo is one of the fastest players in baseball. Talking 60-70+ steal potential. Power potential. Some swing and miss, but the power and speed combo is Reyes-like, and most who see him think he can be an above average defensive SS going forward.
Abiatal Avelino: If he hadnt missed much of 2014 with injury hed be the primary SS at Tampa this year. Doesnt have the standout tools that Mateo does but does just about everything well. Projects to hit for high average with patience, impact baserunner, above average or better defense. Power tool is missing but hes not Tyler Wade, he has some long-term HR potential.
Dustin Fowler: 9 HRs in half a season for Charleston as a 19 year old, disciplined hitter with the ability to hit for average going forward. Does everything reasonably well not unlike Jake Cave though with less speed but if the power tool comes along he could be a very good corner OF prospect.
Drew Bridges: Power, patience and hit tool have drawn comps to Greg Bird. Big, powerful man who might have to move off 3B but his bat will be his calling card.
Thairo Estrada: Like Avelino a kid who does just about everything well but lacks a standout tool. Could get time at 2B or could play SS at NYP.
Domingo Acevedo: Huge kid with a huge ceiling, 67 with a 100 MPH FB and decent control considering his size, he reminds people of Betances. Plus change with a developing slider, he needs to put it together this year.
Ty Hensley: Nobody really knows what we have with the kid. He is finally healthy but he will need to show that low to mid-90s FB and that hammer curve that made him a mid-first rounder. If the change can come along too he could be special.
Austin DeCarr: Big kid with a mid-90s FB and a hammer curve, he could start at Charleston or he could start at SI or even Pulaski. Very excited to see what the kid can do.
And there should have been a break prior to Greg Bird to indicate that he began the Trenton prospects.
He has power, not sure if he can be anything more than a .250 hitter in the majors. I'm thinking he will be a version of Graig Nettles but with some fielding issues.He is not exactly a speed demon on the bases either. Very nice young man, very dedicated. Outstanding teammate.
So will that be enough? Or is he a trade piece now?
Oh and you did not mention Taylor Dugas - he doesn't fit the prototype of a Yankee outfielder but the kid has hit wherever he goes. He was a terrific hitter in college. Now at age 25 - what do the Yankees do with him? He is on base 40% of the time consistently. He seems like a throwaway piece now.
Jagielo is not the hitter Bird is and probably doesn't quite have the power ceiling that Bird or Judge do, and it may be that absent injuries he ends up part of a deal for something we need, but he does have now power and he should hit well enough and get on base enough that he can play in a major league lineup.
I've read some conflicting thoughts on Severino's delivery. The guy from Fangraphs had a great article back in January on how he doesn't get how so many people consider him an injury risk.
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Confirmed....Domingo German is in NYC. Tommy John seems to be in his future. Via his instagram
Definitely gonna go check them out when they come to CT.
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So, the Yankees have gone from 11 ('13) to 13 ('14) to now 18th? How are the dropping? That seems to be moving in the opposite direction of how I see things.
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a bit bearish but acknowledging that some successes out of IFA could cause them to climb in a hurry. Link - ( New Window )
So, the Yankees have gone from 11 ('13) to 13 ('14) to now 18th? How are the dropping? That seems to be moving in the opposite direction of how I see things.
Yeah I don't particularly care for the logic and other outlets are more bullish, but they're positive about a number of prospects and they acknowledge that the potential is there to scale the rankings. Having two firsts and a huge draft pool this year could help.
Acevedo, Mateo, Katoh, Avelino Fowler to Low-A. #yankees
Mateo and Acevedo are probably the two biggest prospects the Yankees have below Trenton.
Clarkin, Rookie Davis, Encinas, Lail, Andujar, Wade to High-A #yankees
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Tyson Blaser revealed on Twitter that his playing career is over. Reached Double-A with #Yankees
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neat RT @baseballexis: Just spoke to #Yankees prospect/2012 first-rounder Ty Hensley, who had #TommyJohn surgery last Monday.
neat RT @baseballexis: Just spoke to #Yankees prospect/2012 first-rounder Ty Hensley, who had #TommyJohn surgery last Monday.
Wow. No reason to ever think he can stay healthy at this point.
I know you can't predict injury, but this Yankees brass sucks major balls at drafting. You almost have to try hard to not pick any impact players from the draft year after year.