The Minor League season has come to a close, so it’s time for us to renew our Top 30 prospects. Some players that you like may have been left out because this is a purely subjective ranking. Everyone will have their opinions on players, and that’s fine. I have also left off some players like Ben Rice, Oswald Peraza, etc., because they have “graduated”. For example, Rice and Peraza have played in more than 30 games; Will Warren and Yoendrys Gómez have been left off because they have pitched more than 10 innings. They may still be considered “rookies”, of which the official definition is as follows: “130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues. 45 total days on an active Major League roster during the Championship Season (excluding time on the Injured List).” 

The acronym OFP you’ll see below is an “overall future projection” as to how the prospect is projected to turn out. It’s difficult to say how one player will pan out; there are superstar looking prospects that fizzle out before they get to the Majors, and there are very quiet prospects that aren’t really on anyone’s radar that surprise you when they make the Major Leagues. 

5: RHP Ben Hess – ETA: 2028; OFP: 55; Risk: Extreme 

I’ll be honest, I’m kind of taking a leap of faith with Hess with everything I’ve seen (video, written and stats) by ranking him 5th overall. I’ve said this a number of times: it’s difficult to rank college players in a pro top 30 because the jump to pro ball isn’t always easy. However, Hess seems like he should be able to handle it, especially considering he’s coming from a Division I SEC school (Alabama).  

Just to go over some of the stats Yankees fans can look forward to, Hess holds the ‘Bama career record for K/9 with 13.34 (205 K/138.1 IP). He also had a 5.80 ERA (44 ER/68.1 IP) with a team-high 106 K compared to 35 BB; that’s good for a 13.96 K/9 and a BB/9 of 4.61. Hess was ranked 8th in the SEC in strikeouts, including 35 looking Ks which was good for 5th in the SEC. 

While Hess was used as a starter throughout his 2024 Junior season, he spent his freshman season of 2022 as a starter that moved to the bullpen at the end of the year. The Yankees will likely choose to use him in the starter role but considering how high his K/9 numbers have been, don’t be surprised to see him get moved to the bullpen at some point. 

Given the pattern we have seen the past few years, I would expect Hess to make his professional debut with High-A Hudson Valley in 2025. Hampton did so in 2023, and Carr did the same in 2024. I would also expect that if Hess remains as starter, he’s used as a #1/#2 starter, but it’s a bit too early to project that. There’s some concern about past injuries (Hess missed most of 2023 with an injury), so hopefully he can stay healthy in upcoming years. 

4: INF George Lombard Jr. – ETA: 2027; OFP: 55; Risk: High 

I hate comparing prospects to other players, especially those either in the system or former Yankees farm hands, but Lombard reminds me so much of former SS prospect Trey Sweeney. Like Sweeney, Lombard was also a 1st round pick (Sweeney was selected 1st round in the 2022 MLB Draft), and Lombard also has somewhat of a questionable future with the team. With he and #3 prospect Roderick Arias fighting for playing time in Low-A Tampa, manager James Cooper chose to play Lombard at 2B for a significant part of the season. Lombard also played at 3B in 9 games, but did not do well there, recording a fielding percentage of .750 (5 errors in 20 total chances). Lombard was a better defender at 2B (.974) than at SS (.952), but Lombard ultimately recorded 23 errors in 2024. 

Lombard struggled throughout much of the season offensively, ending his time with Tampa with a slash of .232/.344/.348/.692 (81 games in 2024). His month and change with High-A Hudson Valley did not fare better, as it sometimes does with prospects, as he had a slash while there of .226/.321/.296/.617. Still, despite this and the late power we saw blossom in Tampa, Lombard has good mechanics and needs a very small adjustment to become an elite hitter. Once fans watch Lombard in person for a few games (you can only really see so much from the MiLB TV streams), they should be able to see the solid mechanics Lombard has. A lot of that can be attributed to growing up in a baseball household. His father used to play Major League baseball, and his brother, Jacob, is expected to be drafted in upcoming years. Jacob also attends Gulliver Prep and is part of the Class of 2026 (watch some video from Perfect Game, and you’ll see some similarities there). 

Lombard is ranked at the #4 position because of the high ceiling he has. He’s still extremely early in his career, all things considered, and has lots of room to grow, both physically and in a performance aspect. It’s questionable whether Lombard will hold a role with the Yankees long term, and that may be another commonality he has with Sweeney. I see Arias with a higher ceiling and overall performance potential compared to Lombard, which is why Arias is ranked higher, of course. If I were making the decisions, I would hold onto Arias (read on to learn why) and I would trade Lombard. Still, Lombard holds a lot of potential, and he will likely become a Major Leaguer with one of the 30 teams. 

3: INF Roderick Arias – ETA: 2027; OFP: 55; Risk: Extreme 

This may sound odd but hear me out on this: I see a lot of Jasson Domínguez in Arias. Both had less than stellar initial Low-A seasons, but as time went on, they figured things out. 

Arias really struggled at the plate at the beginning of the season, striking out in 42.9% of at-bats in April (36 SO in 84 AB), but by the time July came around, was down to a 25.6% K rate. Despite the high-ish K rate, Arias still had good plate discipline, working a 12.3% BB%. He still needs to work on his discipline with breaking balls, as that’s his biggest weakness at the plate, in my opinion. 

We did see a lot more of Arias’ power this year, as he had the best BABIP of his short career at .331. Using the comparison to Dominguez, there isn’t as much of a disparity when looking at splits between left and right-handed batting. Arias batted .222/.291/.253/.544 as a right-handed batter (versus LHP) and .235/.346/.430/.776 as a lefty batter (versus RHP). It should be noted that Arias batted as LHB in 374 AB and as RHB in 99 AB. 

I mentioned with Lombard about how the two interacted with each other this year in Tampa. Having two top middle infielders on the same roster is difficult to manage, and seeing Arias and Lombard swap out 2B and SS every few games was really interesting. As was alluded to previously, Lombard is a better SS than anywhere else on the field, so it works out that Arias is a better second baseman than shortstop. 

That said, Arias has had an underwhelming glove throughout his very short career, and that’s the one tool that’s of concern. He owns a .912 fielding percentage in 1108-2/3 innings at SS and had 22 errors this past season in 699-2/3 innings in Low-A Tampa. 

2: RHP Chase Hampton – ETA: 2025; OFP: 60; Risk: Extreme 

Hampton missed most of the 2024 season with various injuries, landing on the IL in mid-August with a groin injury, so we have to base projections off of what Hampton did last season between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset. I think it’s fair to say that Hampton had an off year in 2024 after pitching in less than 20 innings, with 13 of them having been on rehab assignments with FCL and Low-A.  

In his last game with Low-A Tampa (where we can reliably get pitch data from), Hampton threw a mix of four-seamer, cutter, curveball, sinker and a slider, leaning predominantly on the fastball. The fastball and sinker sat low-90s, the cutter sat high-80s, the slider sat low-80s and the curveball sat mid-70s. That’s an excellent range of pitch speeds, and the difference in velocity between the fastball at 94 MPH and the curveball at 76 MPH is exceptional. That said, there isn’t a lot of difference in spin between the 5 pitches, so Hampton has to lean on his pitch location, which in this specific outing was very good. 

Considering that 2024 was a “throw away” season of sorts because of injury, it should seem fair to discount the lesser stats he put up compared to the 2023 season. Hampton threw a commendable 4.37 ERA in Double-A after only throwing 47 innings in High-A Hudson Valley where he made his professional debut. He put up an impressive 2.68 ERA, a 14.74 K/9 and a 3.09 BB/9, but his BABIP was less than stellar at .283 while in Hudson Valley. Hampton then threw a 10.26 K/9 and a 3.17 BB/9 in 59-2/3 innings in Double-A, with a combined ERA in 2023 of 3.63 and a WHIP of 1.14. 

I don’t know if it’s fair to project where Hampton will sit with the Yankees, as his stuff shouts “bullpen” to me. While he was most frequently used in 4-5 inning outings, he has pitched as many as 7 innings in a few instances, throwing 90+ pitches in those outings. He may fare better eliminating the slider, as the cutter and curveball induced more swing and miss in the previously mentioned outing. In some video I saw of starts in 2024, that slider did not show nearly as much movement as the curveball or cutter.

If Hampton is used as a starter, he may fit best as a #3 or #4 starter, although his stats from 2023 in Double-A do line up with a starter like what Carlos Rodón did in 2024. However, I keep thinking of the Yankees’ dynasty era of another homegrown pitcher that had a sharp fastball/cutter combo. It’s entirely possible that’s the direction the Yankees go. Hampton has the confidence and grit needed to be a closer. The possibilities and high ceiling are what make Hampton the top pitcher in the Yankees farm system, but he needs to stay healthy. 

1: OF Jasson Dominguez – ETA: 2023; OFP: 60; Risk: High

I know I said in the lead-in that I’d be excluding prospects, but I think an exception should be made for Domínguez for the sole reason that he played about a week in the Majors before he went on the IL and needed Tommy John surgery. Domínguez will likely “graduate” by the time the next ranking comes around. Domínguez ended the 2024 MLB season at exactly 100 career plate appearances. 

“The Martian” still has a lot to prove, because left field, as he’s been playing a lot of this time around, isn’t his natural position. You can see he’s been struggling a bit out in left, and his plus speed has saved him a few times. That speed, by the way, looks rather clunky on his stocky frame, but he’s slimmed down quite a bit compared to what I saw in Tampa in his debut season. But, if you look at the stats throughout his Minor League career, his fielding percentages in both LF and CF overall are pretty close. This year seems to be much worse for Domínguez in LF (89-1/3 innings), as he posted a .905 fielding percentage versus .953 in CF (236 innings). 

There’s so much promise in the Dominican prospect and I’d be remiss not to rank him the top prospect. That said, the “sophomore slump” other former prospects have experienced this year is real, so I’m not holding too much against Domínguez this season. Domínguez has been working more walks over last season despite not hitting home runs at a truly insane pace. 

Domínguez has been a predominantly ground ball hitter throughout his career. If you were to rank those types of hits throughout his career, it would be ground balls at 47%, fly balls at 30% and line drives at 23%. It’s worked for him, and with a “hard hit” rate (balls hit over 95 MPH) in the Majors at 52%, getting balls through the gap is crucial if he’s not going to bloop them into the outfield or hit them over the wall for a home run. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s something the Yankees’ coaching staff is working on, or if they’re trying to get him to elevate the hit ball more for a line drive. He has a lot in common with fellow Dominican outfielder, Juan Soto in that regard; both have similar hit ball stats, except that Soto hits the ball harder, on average. 

The progression and maturation of talent by Domínguez that those of us fortunate enough to follow the minor league system has been rather rewarding. I said in a scouting report back in 2021 that he was too stocky to run the speed Yankees scouts had said he was capable of, and even going into the 2023 season, I wasn’t sold on Domínguez’s talents. I still stand by my grades for the most part, bumping the hit tool up to an above-average (55) and the OFP to 60 given he’s made the Majors. Will he be the “occasional all-star” as I noted in that report? That’s for him to prove. 

The post Late 2024 Yankees Top 30 Prospects: 5-1 appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

The acronym OFP you’ll see below is an “overall future projection” as to how the prospect is projected to turn out. It’s difficult to say how one player will pan out; there are superstar looking prospects that fizzle out before they get to the Majors, and there are very quiet prospects that aren’t really on anyone’s radar that surprise you when they make the Major Leagues. 

Today, we continue with our 6th through 10th ranked prospects in the Yankees farm system. 

10: UTIL Jesus Rodriguez – ETA: 2026; OFP: 50; Risk: High 

This ranking may or may not be a surprise if you’ve been following High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset this year, but Rodriguez has been one of those players quietly doing his thing with others like Rafael Flores and Spencer Jones stealing some of the thunder. Rodriguez spent some time in the outfield briefly last season but spent significantly more time in left field this year with High-A Hudson Valley. Mostly, however, he spent his time either at 1B or behind the plate. 

Spending a majority of his season with the Renegades, Rodriguez put up some crazy stats, with a slash of .332/.412/.507/.919 in 56 games along with a wRC+ of 160, and led the organization in hits for a period of the season. Like many prospects, he has dealt with an adjustment period in Double-A, but in the last month of the season (August), batted .234 with an OPS of .633 compared to a BA of .182 and an OPS of .672 (his slugging was higher in July).  

The utility aspect is what really sells me on Rodriguez though. A player that can play C, 1B, and left field well, plus has pop (Rodriguez has had BABIP numbers over .300 throughout his career aside from the short time in Double-A) has me really excited about his future.  

However, Rodriguez is Rule 5 eligible. The Yankees may need to decide if he’s worth protecting or if they want to leave him exposed. They also need to decide if they want to include him as a part of a trade package so they don’t lose him for nothing like they would in the Rule 5 Draft. Given how little 1B depth they have, it would make sense for the Yankees to concentrate on molding him to that role. They have plenty of catchers and outfielders but having that versatility can be useful under injury situations. Look at how useful the versatility of Oswaldo Cabrera was for the Yankees a few years ago. 

9: LHP Henry Lalane  – ETA: 2027; OFP: 50; Risk: High 

Lalane is one of those special prospects you know is going to do serious damage, but fortunately, he’s with the Yankees farm system. Lalane is similar to that of Randy Johnson (although Johnson was 3 inches taller) in that both are/were lefty pitchers. Lalane doesn’t have the heat that Johnson had (that’s #20 Carlos Lagrange’s game), but has a good mix of four-seamer/sinker, change-up and slider. 

Lalane can get the fastball up to 92 but usually sits upper-80s/low-90s, while the change-up sits in the low-80s, and the slider sits in the mid-70s. 

Lalane had some trouble in Low-A Tampa, despite a very limited set of games, and the very limited pitch counts he was on skewed some of his numbers. There is sometimes an adjustment period with pitchers when they make the jump to full-season ball from the complex league because of the bigger stadiums, playing in front of a crowd and at night, etc. 

Lalane shows a lot of promise and threw some impressive games in the complex league last season, but was also inconsistent, like a handful of other pitchers out there. His biggest issue currently is overall command. His pitches are all over the place. If he can sort that out, the potential is there for Lalane to be a top part of a starting rotation in a few years. We don’t really know how long Lalane can go, since he hasn’t gone more than 4 innings since being stateside. 

If there is a major concern, it’s that he has been injury prone of late. He started and ended the 2024 season on the IL. That may lower his stock next time we evaluate the farm, but for now we look forward to the promise Lalane offers. If Lalane can sort out his command issues, he could easily be a #2 or possibly #1 starter in the future, but the command and injury concerns can hold him back. 

8: RHP Trent Sellers – ETA: 2026; OFP: 55; Risk: Medium 

The Yankees have been doing incredibly well with their un-drafted (UDFA) signings lately, and Sellers has shot straight to the top of the list. Oregon State is not necessarily well known for producing a significant number of high-quality prospects, especially pitching prospects, but current MLB’ers Matthew Boyd (2.72 ERA in 2024) and Drew Rasmussen (3.04 ERA in 2024) are fellow OSU Beavers. The most well-known OSU alum to Yankee fans is likely Jacoby Ellsbury; hopefully we see better luck with Sellers. For what it’s worth, the number 1 overall prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft, Travis Bazzana, was drafted out of OSU and was teammates with Sellers.

Sellers spent all but an inning and two-thirds in High-A (he threw in one game for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In Hudson Valley, he threw a 2.09 ERA, and maintained a 10.76 K/9 and 4.06 BB/9. While the latter stats aren’t necessarily mind-blowing, he only allowed 3 home runs all season and was charged with 19 earned runs and 37 walks in 82 innings of work in High-A. Sellers’ BAA (batting average against) was an incredible .148 while his BABIP (batting average, balls in play) was .214. It may be wild to think about this, but from June 25 through the end of the season (Sept. 4, in this case), Sellers only allowed 4 runs, 2 earned. That’s 46-2/3 innings pitched for an ERA of 0.39.

Sellers has a five-pitch arsenal according to Statcast (he threw in one game for SWB): a four-seamer that sit low-90s and hits 93, a cutter that sits high-80s, a change-up that sits low-80s, a sinker that sits high-80s/low-90s, and a slider (only used once) that sits mid-80s. The 4SFB and cutter were the most often used pitches, but the curve was his best “out” pitch.

Although it was an incredibly limited showing in Triple-A for Sellers, we can still see that he was able to handle it in a way. His K rate maintained the same levels as in High-A, although he did walk more batters than what he did in Hudson Valley. It’s not unreasonable to expect to see Sellers in Triple-A next season, considering he should be expected to start in Double-A Somerset. It’s also not unreasonable to potentially see Sellers as a September call-up next season, but with the reluctance of how the Yankees call prospects up, that likelihood remains to be seen, of course. Most likely, he will likely get called up in 2026 unless he’s acquired by another organization in some fashion. Sellers started 9 of the 32 games he threw in, but topped out at 4 innings in an appearance, so he will likely be used as a middle-inning reliever out of the ‘pen or could be used as a starter in a “bullpen game”.

7: LHP Brock Selvidge – ETA: 2026; OFP: 55; Risk: Extreme 

Selvidge was the Yankees’ starter in the Spring Breakout prospect showcase game this past March, and for good reason. Selvidge went 4 innings in the 7-inning game, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 8 against the Blue Jays’ prospects. His first month of the season (4 starts) went just as well, as Selvidge recorded a 1.71 ERA, but things started falling apart in mid-May. Selvidge may have possibly been trying to throw through an injury as he landed on the 7-day, then the 60-day IL, on July 22. Despite this, Selvidge was still recording games with 6, 8 and 9 strikeouts per 5 to 6 inning appearance and he also recorded the most innings pitched in a season.

Stats aren’t necessarily everything though, as Selvidge has a deadly 4-pitch arsenal. In the Breakout game, Selvidge threw a mix of mid-80s slider, low/mid-90s four-seam fastball, low-80s sweeper and mid-80s change-up. He had the most contact with his slider, but the sweeper, which had nearly twice as much horizontal movement, was his deadliest pitch.

There’s not always a lot of speed difference between pitches like you would traditionally see with an elite pitcher. For example, Gerrit Cole threw a mid-90s 4SFB and mixed that with a low-80s knuckle curve in the game that clinched the AL East for the Yankees on Sept. 26. Selvidge doesn’t have that kind of velo on his fastball, which is fine (neither does Nestor Cortes), but Selvidge also doesn’t have the same kind of pitch movement or command like Cole and Cortes do.

Selvidge has a potential ceiling of a #1 or #2 starter, but needs to get his K% up a bit and his BB% down. Right now, those stats look roughly like that of Carlos Rodón of 2023. Next year, if Selvidge can get back to what I saw in 2023 when he was in Low-A, his stuff can be a good replacement for 2026 when Marcus Stroman is eligible for free agency.

6: OF Brando Mayea – ETA: 2027; OFP: 55; Risk: Extreme 

I’ve seen many top international prospects come through Tampa over the past decade plus that have not necessarily met expectations (Deivi Garcia, anyone?) and Mayea may be one of the first ones that’s really impressed me. Granted, it was only the Complex League in 2024 for Mayea, but there was a lot to like. 

Mayea missed the first few weeks of the FCL season with an injury, but ended the season with a bang, slashing .343/.395/.429/.921 in the month of July with a double, a triple and 4 RBI. Yankees scouts supposedly comp him to Gary Sheffield, but I don’t see it. Mayea doesn’t show elite bat speed, but he does hit consistently in the zone, overall. We didn’t see Mayea hit any home runs this season, so I can’t speak properly on his power, although he did go pretty deep a few times I saw him (I want to say that he went to the CF wall once). 

Not only is his offense impressive, but so is his defense. Mayea runs clean, efficient routes in center field, and he looks like a seasoned fielder out there. His arm, in the very few long throws I saw, was unimpressive, but his frame could take on more muscle, which could improve his long-distance throwing ability. 

I couldn’t find that I had had video of Mayea running to 1B, but if I recall, I had had him timed as double-plus (70) speed. That puts him in with the likes of Anthony Volpe or Jazz Chisholm Jr. 

All of this in a relatively still young package, so I wouldn’t be very surprised to see Mayea in the Bronx before too long… if there’s a spot for him to play. That’s an issue we have seen with other outfield prospects, especially with the high regard the Yankees hold Jasson Dominguez. If Aaron Judge and presumably Juan Soto are in the outfield for the next decade, will there be a battle for that corner outfield spot? Professionally, Mayea hasn’t played anything other than CF, so some experimentation may be coming in the next few years. If the Yankees move him over to left field like how they’ve done with Jasson and find better defensive success than what we’ve seen with The Martian of late, Mayea may be in a competition for the position with Dominguez and Spencer Jones. That may prove to be a lot of fun to watch. 

The post Late 2024 Yankees Top 30 Prospects: 10-6 appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

The acronym OFP you’ll see below is an “overall future projection” as to how the prospect is projected to turn out. It’s difficult to say how one player will pan out; there are superstar looking prospects that fizzle out before they get to the Majors, and there are very quiet prospects that aren’t really on anyone’s radar that surprise you when they make the Major Leagues. 

Today, we continue with our 11th through 15th ranked prospects in the Yankees farm system. 

15: RHP Cade Smith – ETA: 2026; OFP: 40; Risk: Low 

Cade Smith was one of those players that I and a few others were baffled by why he was spending so much time in Low-A. In Smith’s last full month in Tampa (July), he put up insane numbers for the level: a 1.35 ERA, a 12.6 K/9, a 3.6 K/9, a .094 BAA and a 0.70 WHIP. I’ll get to why I don’t like using Major League player comparisons later, but he was as dominant as that of former FSL-er Orion Kerkering, who had a small part in the Phillies’ playoff run last season. If the Yankees were as ambitious as the Phillies were last season with Kerkering, Smith may have gotten the call up to the Majors… if he didn’t get hurt. 

In a game where Smith had 10K in 5-2/3 innings, he threw a mix of a slider, four-seamer, curveball and sweeper. The slider was his most used pitch, leaning on it half of the time, inducing 13 whiffs on 42 pitches (31%). The slider was mostly in the mid-80s, but had a wide range of velo, going from 81 MPH to 89 MPH. The fastball was low/mid-90s with a max of 95 MPH, while the curve and sweeper were low/mid-80s. 

Smith can show some incredible control, nailing the corners on a significant number of pitches, but other times gets really wild. It should be noted that the strike zone in the Florida State League is non-standard, so a ball or strike call here may not apply to the rest of pro baseball. 

Look for Smith to potentially be a #2/#3 starter in a few years, similar to how Rodón and Cortes are used currently, if not in a mix-and-match role like what Stroman is doing going into the end of the regular season. 

14: RHP Bryce Cunningham – ETA: 2028; OFP: 50; Risk: Extreme 

This goes for both Cunningham and Rivas (who you’ll see mentioned next), but the jump from college to pro ball can be tricky. Carr is the closest lateral pick (Carr went in the 3rd round because Yankees didn’t have a 2nd rd. pick in 2023) to Cunningham, and you may notice that he placed at #29. 

I don’t necessarily hold a ton of stock in collegiate stats. There are too many things that are different compared to professional baseball. College uses metal bats compared to wood bats. Pitchers can go longer in an outing; look at how Skenes went over 120 pitches with LSU.   

That said, a strikeout is a strikeout, just like a 4-ball walk is a base on balls. Cunningham had a K/9 of 10.21 in his junior year of 2024 and a BB/9 of 3.61, both solid stats.  

It remains to be seen how the Yankees use Cunningham, but he should place as a #1/#2 starter given how well he did with Vanderbilt. 

13: LHP Xavier Rivas – ETA: 2027; OFP: 45; Risk: High 

As mentioned previously, it can be difficult to place prospects making the jump from amateur to pro ball, but I think Rivas may have been the steal of the draft if he can stay healthy. If he hadn’t had “Tommy John” (UCL reconstruction) surgery, he may have pitched this season and gone top 3 rounds next year as a 5th-year senior. Instead, the Yankees signed him in the 16th round this past July. 

In a previous article with Inside the [Ole Miss] Rebels, he noted that he should be ramping up to a throwing program again by this past August, pending whatever his draft team decides. Basically, his doctor, Dr. Keith Meister cleared him to begin the rehab process. It’s possible he’s a part of “fall instructs”, but with that closed to the public, we won’t know unless video is leaked out. 

While Rivas had a 6.35 ERA in his Junior year (2023), he did record a 11.78 K/9 in 68 innings of work. The Ole Miss coaching staff thought highly enough of Rivas that they wanted to make him their ace. 

Where Rivas slots in with the Yankees is yet to be determined, but it should be fair to expect them to handle him with kid gloves in at least the first season. If they manage to have acquired a gem lefty pitcher for a bargain, he could fly through the system. 

(Rivas is the starter for Ole Miss in this compilation video from YouTube)

12: RHP Eric Reyzelman – ETA: 2025; OFP: 50; Risk: High 

Despite starting the season late due to injury, Reyzelman had an incredible season in 2024. He only allowed 5 earned runs in the regular season, and didn’t allow any earned runs dating to August 15th. That’s a span of 10-2/3 innings without allowing an ER, and only allowing 3 hits, while striking out 16 batters. All of that works out to a K/9 of 13.51 and a BB/9 of 6.75.  

That speaks to how Reyzelman has been throughout his career. He hasn’t pitched a lot given his role as a closer, but he has a career K/9 of 14.13; exceptional K/9 is considered anything over 10. And a lot of this is with the many injuries Reyzelman has experienced. He missed much of 2023, only throwing 7-2/3 rehab innings with FCL, and didn’t really start his 2024 season until the All-Star Break.  

The most recent Statcast data we have for Reyzelman is from August 2022, where he threw 24 pitches with Low-A Tampa. He used a 4-pitch mix of sinker, changeup, curveball and four-seamer. I typically group the sinker and fastball together with Savant data in the FSL, so those pitches sat low-90s with a max of 95 MPH. The changeup sat around 80 MPH, while the curveball sat in the mid/high-70s. 

Considering Reyzelman pitched all of 38-2/3 innings this year and he threw an ERA under 2 (1.93) in Double-A, it’s very possible we see Reyzelman in the Bronx next year if he’s not used as a trade piece at some point. 

11: OF Spencer Jones – ETA: 2025; OFP: 50; Risk: High 

Are we starting to see the cracks in Jones’ game? Possibly, as 2024 was by all accounts the worst year he’s had to date. That said, a .259 batting average and .789 OPS is nothing to sneeze at, but there are a few concerns worth noting.

First and foremost is that K%. Yes, it’s what the data nerds are drooling over, and striking out 200 times in 544 plate appearances is not great. The reason that number (the percentage, not the actual number of times) is concerning is that the pitching is only going to get more advanced from here on out. If Jones has any plan to be successful in the Majors, he needs to rein in the strikeout percentage and be a bit more patient at the plate. If there’s anything positive to look at with his plate discipline, it’s that he has maintained the same high walk rate of 9% or greater (9.9%, specifically in 2024). 

Something that Jones has is power and hit ability, and while his batting average was the lowest in 2024 compared to the rest of his short pro career, his BABIP was at its highest since he’s played in full-season ball at .401. That also translates to a higher wRC+ over last year at High-A Hudson Valley; 124 in 2024 vs 114 in 2023. His slash was not great towards the end of the season, hitting 44 for 145 for a .233/.189/.418/.607 with a 31% K% and 6.9% BB%.   

The comparison with Jones often is that of a “lefty Judge” and I was one of those who put his opinion in on that as soon as I saw Jones take his first pro at-bat in 2022. The similarities are there. But just as Anthony Volpe may not be “the next Jeter”, the same can be said for Jones. When Aaron Judge was in AA, nearly all of his stats were better than the year Jones had this past year. The only marks where Jones excels are speed and BABIP. Is it fair to compare prospects to other Major Leaguers? Not always. Let’s get rid of this one. 

While the most significant talking point of Jones’ 2024 season has been his elevated K% (37.8%), that shouldn’t diminish the potential Jones can have with the Yankees, or possibly another team. The strikeout rate did set him a bit lower in the ranking, given the pitching in AAA will be better than that of what he faced in AA, that will likely be the true test in whether he’ll be capable of dealing with Major League-caliber pitching. 

Jones absolutely has the talent to be an everyday starting outfielder, but as of now does not have the right path to get to the Bronx. It’s difficult to project him to go one way or another given his previous, albeit limited, history of an elevated K% and while the power is absolutely there, hitting one in less than 3% of at-bats is not necessarily going to make you an all-star. I hope Jones can prove me wrong next season, because Dominguez already has. 

The post Late 2024 Yankees Top 30 Prospects: 15-11 appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

The acronym OFP you’ll see below is an “overall future projection” as to how the prospect is projected to turn out. It’s difficult to say how one player will pan out; there are superstar looking prospects that fizzle out before they get to the Majors, and there are very quiet prospects that aren’t really on anyone’s radar that surprise you when they make the Major Leagues. 

Today, we continue with our 16th through 20th ranked prospects in the Yankees farm system. 

20: RHP Carlos Lagrange – ETA: 2027; OFP: 45; Risk: Extreme 

The Yankees have drafted many tall American-born-and-raised pitchers in recent years, and Lagrange adds a Dominican flair to that list. The 6-foot-7 righty uses his size to reach triple digits on his fastball. 

Lagrange mostly uses that double-plus fastball, a four-seamer, which sits in the upper-90s, and a cutter that sits in the upper-80s, and an infrequently used mid-80s slider and upper-80s change-up. The incredible velo on the fastball is fun to see, but it doesn’t matter if he can’t throw it where he wants it to go. Command will be a significant thing for Lagrange to work on in the coming months and years, because aside from any potential injuries that may arise from throwing at that kind of speed, the below-average command may hinder his progress.  

That said, despite Lagrange’s rather elevated ERA in his limited time in Low-A this season (6.91 in 14-1/3 IP), he maintained an exceptional K/9 of 11.93. His trouble is that with the below-average command comes a lot of walks, at a rate of 8.16 BB/9. Lagrange needs to lower that to under 3 to be considered “average”. If he can sort out the command and get the walks down to under 3, or even better under 2.5, he has the potential to be a top 10 prospect. 

19: C/1B Engelth Ureña – ETA: 2027; OFP: 45; Risk: Extreme 

To be fair, Ureña would be much higher on a top 30 list with other organizations, but the Yankees are so deep with talent that he sits in the top 20. My caution with Ureña is that he missed all of 2023 to injury, along with much of 2022. He has played all of 51 games of pro baseball, so we don’t know how “durable” he can be, especially in the role of catcher.  That shouldn’t diminish his talents, but should be something to be aware of, and drops him a little lower in this list. 

Ureña batted a slash of .301/.420/.564/.984 in 2024 with the rookie-level FCL team and drove in 31 RBI in 133 at bats. Ureña had one of the highest wRC+ on the team at 161 and spent more time at 1B (127-1/3 innings) than behind the plate (84 innings). 2024 was Ureña’s first year playing 1B, and he was perfect, with 108 total chances and no errors recorded. The same can’t be said while as catcher, where he allowed 16 stolen bases in 18 chances, throwing out 2 runners.

I wouldn’t totally rule out Ureña moving up in the list next season, but he needs to be able to prove he won’t be injury prone. His stats are solid, but there’s lots of depth in the catcher role in the Yankees’ system (there are three catchers on this list).  

18: RHP Zach Messinger – ETA: 2025; OFP: 45; Risk: Medium

Messinger has proven to be yet another gem of a mid/late draft selection, as the 13th round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft has had an ERA of 3.06 through the 2024 regular season. While Messinger didn’t have the solid K/9 and BB/9 stats of last year in High-A (10.48 and 4.92, respectively), it should make sense to exchange a bit of compromise there when he gave up half of the home runs year-over-year compared with last year (1.21 HR/9 vs. 0.54). Also consider that Double-A is considered a significant jump over both Single-A levels, given the advanced competition. 

Messinger shows a mix of a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a low-80s change-up, an upper/mid-80s slider and a curveball (I didn’t see it thrown, so I don’t have velo). The fastball and change are his go-to pitches; the fastball has some late rise which very much confuses batters, while the change has some curveball-type vertical movement. Control is above-average if not excellent, then tailing off to average as the game goes on, allowing 3.36 BB/9, and 5.60 K./9. In his last 10 starts (totaling 59 IP), he only allowed 12 ER for an ERA of 1.83.

Depending on how aggressive the Yankees are in the upcoming 2024/25 off-season into Spring Training with their prospects, there’s a good possibility that Messinger is one of the September or even mid-season call-ups. Messinger would fit as a back-end starter or potentially in a long reliever role, and has a chance to be a #1 or #2 starter if he can really fine-tune that command. In the specific game I saw versus Hartford (8/15), he threw a decent game, but had a rough 2nd inning where he allowed 3 runs, including 1 HR. His month of May should be looked at in the off-season and Spring Training as one to mirror going forward as he had the best K/9 (11.71), a decent BB/9 (2.60) and solid ERA (1.95) in that span. Those are some of the best stats within a month he held all season.

17: C Edgleen Perez – ETA: 2028; OFP: 45; Risk: Extreme 

Perez was one of the most impressive players on the 2024 FCL team in my opinion given the total package offered and is yet another incredible IFA catcher signing by the Yankees, including that of Agustin Ramirez, who was part of the trade with Miami for Chisholm. 

Perez has a loud bat (.283 BA, .346 BABIP, 138 wRC+) with decent at-the-plate numbers (20.8% BB%, 16.2% K%), but also has good defensive skills. While he may not have the most elite pop time, there are still a few years until he’s potentially MLB ready. Actually, Perez has only nabbed 1/4 (24.85%) of base stealers in the two years he has played pro ball, so the Yankees have a lot of work to do.

The concern, if any, with Perez is that he was signed so young; he just turned 18 in May. I look at that in a positive light: the Yankees can make a more significant impression in how to become an excellent catcher. There’s no reason Perez doesn’t start in Low-A Tampa next year, and depending on how that goes, he may be on your Top 10 radar sooner than later. 

16: OF Francisco Vilorio – ETA: 2030; OFP: 45; Risk: Extreme 

There’s not a lot of video to work with here given Vilorio isn’t stateside yet, so bear with me. Vilorio was the top IFA the Yankees signed in 2024, so given it’s his first year in pro ball, he’s just learning how to ride a bike with training wheels. I don’t look too much into DSL stats, so the K% of nearly 33% and batting average under .200 doesn’t concern me. Vilorio only played in 42 games with the DSL Bombers (one of the two DSL teams the Yankees have).  

Vilorio had a success rate of 67% with stolen base attempts (8-for-12), so once he gets in more games, especially in FCL where he’ll face a mix of international and American players, we should get a better idea of how his jumps are, what his speed is like, etc. I did see part of one game where he stole second, and he got a very good jump, going before the pitcher even threw the ball. Vilorio showed good speed, but I could not find a broadcasted game to actually time speed properly, so I’m unable to score him appropriately.

As far as his defense goes, we can really only scout the statline, as the saying goes (you’re supposed to never scout the statline, but there’s not much choice here). Vilorio committed 5 errors in 70 total chances with 64 putouts and 1 assist for a fielding percentage of .929. 

The post Late 2024 Yankees Top 30 Prospects: 20-16 appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

The acronym OFP you’ll see below is an “overall future projection” as to how the prospect is projected to turn out. It’s difficult to say how one player will pan out; there are superstar looking prospects that fizzle out before they get to the Majors, and there are very quiet prospects that aren’t really on anyone’s radar that surprise you when they make the Major Leagues. 

Today, we continue with our 21st through 25th ranked prospects in the Yankees farm system. 

25: RHP Harrison Cohen – ETA: 2026; OFP: 40; Risk: Low 

Cohen was an undrafted free agent selected out of George Washington in 2022, and ever since he debuted in 2023 has been dominant. Even in a brief 3-1/3 inning stint in AA Somerset, Cohen didn’t allow any runs and threw an above-average 8.1 K/9 but walked too many batters at a 5.40 BB/9. This year, Cohen is throwing his usual excellent 10+ K/9 and had an insane 0.47 BB/9 for an ERA of 0.93 in 2024. Some injuries sidelined him for much of the 2024 season, so there may be some future concern there, but the injury didn’t seem to affect his throwing abilities, obviously. 

Cohen has something in common with Mariano Rivera in that he’s a bullpen piece and only throws a fastball (a four-seamer, specifically) and a cutter. He also has a change-up and slider that Yankees PD is playing with, but they’re thrown so infrequently that it’s almost worth saying he doesn’t have them in his arsenal. The fastball is mid-90s with a max of 96 and the cutter sits in the mid/upper-80s with a max of 89 MPH. 

24: RHP Cam Schlittler – ETA: 2026; OFP: 40; Risk: Low 

Schlittler has had a decent year between High-A and Double-A, maintaining a K/9 of 11 or greater, in part because of a plus slider and above-average fastball that both induce a lot of whiffs. Schlittler is one of the many excellent middle-of-the-draft picks (7th round, 2022; $205,000 bonus) the Yankees have selected over the last few years.

If there was anything to be concerned about with Schlittler, it’s his BABIP. When a batter makes contact, it’s at a nearly 40% rate (.390) in Double-A Somerset. He was down to .264 in High-A, a career low rate. His ERA has been floating around the 3.80-4.20 mark throughout the season. Most of his contact was against that fastball.

The fastball (mid-90s, max 96) has a lot of sweep to it and runs away from his throwing arm across the plate but doesn’t have enough movement to justify calling it a slider or sweeper. The slider (upper-80s) has more of a tail at the end like a cutter would. Schlittler has a below-average curveball (low-80s) that he uses infrequently and has poor command. Command overall is average, and an improvement in command and control would move him significantly up the ranking.  

23: RHP Clayton Beeter – ETA: 2026; OFP: 40; Risk: Low 

Part of the return in the trade with the Dodgers for Joey Gallo (one-for-one), Beeter has been exceptional in Triple-A this season, throwing an ERA of 2.53 in 32 IP, despite missing significant time to injury. The injuries and missed time he’s experienced in the past 18 months drops him down the list significantly. If he can stay healthy, Beeter can play a large role with the organization, if he’s not used as a trade chip for another player. 

It’s a little curious why the Yankees have him sitting in the Minors with stats like he’s putting up. A 12.44 K/9 in Triple-A is exceptional, and that’s likely why the Yankees have been slowly moving him to the bullpen and using him in the back end of games. In his first game with AAA Scranton this season, Beeter threw an even split of a four-seam fastball and slider mix. The fastball sat mid-90s with a max of 98 MPH and the slider sat mid/upper-80s with a max of 90 MPH. 

Beeter’s biggest challenge right now, and the reason aside from injury why he’s ranked so low, is that his command is average if not below-average for where he is in the system right now. In the aforementioned outing, he threw 24 pitches, with 15 of them hitting the strike zone. That said, hitters swung at half of his pitches, with only two of those pitches landing outside of the strike zone. 

If Beeter worked on his command and stayed healthy, he could move up the ranking next year, if he didn’t already make the Opening Day roster for the Yankees. The shoulder injury is a concern, though, since he was just shut down for a few months. Is it possible Beeter ends up fine and doesn’t need surgery? Yes, of course. Still, keep the injury in the back of your mind when watching his outings this year. It’s also possible that the reason he’s being used in the bullpen is because that allows them to get Beeter some innings without putting unnecessary strain on his shoulder and arm. 

22: OF Brendan Jones – ETA: 2026; OFP: 40; Risk: Low 

Jones (no, not that one) quickly got off to a hot start once he started playing in Low-A Tampa at the end of July, proving to be one of the better picks of the 2024 Draft. The Yankees didn’t select a lot of bats, but he has proven to have been a solid choice in the limited time he’s played for the organization. Jones has shown in only 24 regular season games that he has the bat, power and arm to play pro baseball. 

Jones is a tricky one to project, especially given the limited sample size. Some prospects can have really hot first few weeks as a pro player, especially in the lower levels, and fizzle out once they get to Double-A and Triple-A. It should be expected to see him spend a majority of the 2025 season in High-A, or at least the first half, unless he blows the socks off of Yankees PD management in Spring Training. It is entirely possible to see Jones start in Double-A, depending on what depth looks like going into 2025. Like many outfield prospects, the depth and logjam in the outfield (Spencer Jones, Jasson Dominguez, Everson Pereira, etc.) will likely hinder promotion speed throughout the system.  It’s also possible that Jones starts the 2025 season in Low-A Tampa.

All of Jones’ scouting scores are above-average (55) or better, and he’s got 80-grade speed (3.80 seconds or better as a RHB). Based on the trend he was on in the short time he played with the Yankees org. In 2024, he was on pace to hit 20 home runs, and stole 18 bases in 104 PA and has yet to have been caught stealing. 

To be honest, he probably deserves to be higher on the list, but I’m holding out to see what next year looks like. If he keeps this pace up, and hits closer to .300, Jones could land in the Top 10. 

21: LHP Geoffrey Gilbert – ETA: 2026; OFP: 40; Risk: Low 

Despite throwing only 7 innings and landing on the injured list at the end of April, Gilbert shows a lot of promise in the bullpen. Gilbert allowed only 1 hit and 1 walk in his short stint with High-A this season, with an incredible .043 OBP and 0.43 WHIP. In his last 5 appearances of 2023 with Low-A Tampa (7 IP, 1 ER), he threw a 1.29 ERA, allowing 1 hit and 4 walks, good for a 0.71 WHIP. 

Gilbert leans on a four-pitch arsenal: four-seamer, changeup, slider and sinker. Gilbert doesn’t have a ton of velo, which is fine. It’s the command that is a concern, or at least it was last season according to ABS data (all pitch data here is sourced from last season). Using the eye test, Gilbert threw several excellent pitches. In one game, the slider (upper-70s/low-80s) looked like an above-average to plus pitch, and almost resembled the tumble of a curveball. Batters stood in the box confused because they didn’t know what was coming in. The fastball is an average pitch, with velo sitting low to mid-90s, with a max of 94 MPH. Gilbert also has a changeup he used that sat low-80s, and used a slider that sat at 90 MPH. A pitcher with less-than-average velo, say like Nestor Cortes, is not unusual, if they have pitches with a lot of movement like Cortes has with the sweeper slider and his low to mid-90s fastball (almost identical pitch to that of Gilbert). Gilbert is still extremely early in his pro career, with only 56 innings under his belt, so he can still experience lots of improvement.

The post Late 2024 Yankees Top 30 Prospects: 25-21 appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

The acronym OFP you’ll see below is an “overall future projection” as to how the prospect is projected to turn out. It’s difficult to say how one player will pan out; there are superstar looking prospects that fizzle out before they get to the Majors, and there are very quiet prospects that aren’t really on anyone’s radar that surprise you when they make the Major Leagues.

30: OF Jackson Castillo – ETA: 2027; OFP: 40; Risk: High 

Castillo was very impressive in many facets of the game, from his bat to his fielding. Castillo, a lefty bat, maintained a batting average over .300 in the few games spent with High-A Hudson Valley (he lost a week in mid-August to a 7-day IL stint). Castillo held a wRC+ of 148 in High-A and 131 in Low-A, plus had a K% under 20%. In the last 7 games of the regular season, Castillo batted .381, recording a hit in 6-of-7 games, including a game versus Jersey Shore where he went 3-for-5 and hit 2 doubles. Impressive stuff given his small-ish 5-foot-9 frame. 

Castillo spent most of the season in CF (607.1 innings) and has only committed 2 errors. He runs efficient routes, but his arm is an underwhelming average. 

29: LHP Kyle Carr – ETA: 2027; OFP: 40; Risk: High

Carr debuted this past April with High-A Hudson Valley, which surprised some given the rocky start he had there. Carr settled in once the calendar flipped to June, throwing his first career shutout in 5 innings of work. While Carr is capable of solid outings, throwing a 0.95 ERA in the first 4 outings in August (2 ER in 19 IP), but then had a rough 7 hit, 6 run, 4 earned runs where he threw in 4 innings of work in the last start in August. 

Carr’s K/9 and BB/9 are about average and given he has been capable of 8 strikeouts in a game, the challenge for next season will be to see more of that. Carr has a mix of fastball that sits upper-90s and a slurvy slider looking pitch as a breaking ball that sits low-90s. Both pitches have good command, but what needs some work is getting batters to chase, since he doesn’t have a true breaking ball. 

Of balls in play, Carr has a nearly 50% ground ball rate, with nearly equal splits of line drives (22.9%) and fly balls (27.4%). Also, Carr has a BABIP of .313, which is a little concerning. It should also be noted, however, that Carr was part of a combined no-hitter this past July, as seen in the video below. The talent is absolutely there, but like other arms in the lower levels, he must become more consistent. You may get a shutout, or you may get a blowout, but this is what the Yankees expected for a 3rd round selection.  

28: 2B/SS Enmanuel Tejeda – ETA: 2028; OFP: 40; Risk: High 

Tejeda had a handful of injury issues this past year, ending his season in June after tumbling down the 1st base line, suffering a lower leg injury and landing on the full-season IL in late July. That said, despite only playing in 48 games, Tejeda batted well over .300 (.326 between FCL and Low-A), and likely would have been promoted to High-A at some point in the season had been not been injured so much.

Tejeda has a very polished swing for an international player in only his 3rd year of pro ball and is just as smooth on the field. Tejeda, if his leg is healed for the start of the 2025 season, should start at High-A. 

27: Trystan Vrieling – ETA: 2026; OBP: 40; Risk: High 

Vrieling has not had a great season, despite a strong first few games with Somerset in April. His ERA stayed close to 5 for much of the season, and has an average K/9 of 8, and average BB/9 of 2.80. Vrieling’s mid-90s fastball has some late sink to it, and he also has a mid-80s cutter he uses as an “out” pitch where the bottom falls out just before it hits the plate, along with a high-70s/low-80s curveball. Vrieling’s command is not great but does flash brilliance at times when he happens to catch the corner of the zone. 

Vrieling may be better used down the road as a middle-inning reliever, where he only pitches an inning or two. While he has limited splits in the latter part of a game, Vrieling has only allowed 1 hit and no runs in 7 IP between the 7th and 9th innings of games this season. 

26: C/1B Rafael Flores – ETA: 2026; OBP: 40; Risk: Low 

Flores, a UDFA selection out of Rio Hondo Junior College in California, has been impressive even since his first pro game back in 2022, where he had a very small sample size of 7 games but went 6-for-14 in the regular season with 2 homers and 2 RBI (4 games) 6-for-11 in the playoffs with 3 RBI (3 games). Since then, he’s averaged a .272 BA and an OPS of .809 and has a wRC+ of 150.

Flores is a lot like Ben Rice in that while he’s a capable catcher, he seems to fit best at 1st base. Also like Rice, Flores packs above-average power in that plus bat. Given he spent most of the season in AA Somerset and did well there, he may begin 2025 with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre if the Yankees feel aggressive enough. 

The post Late 2024 Yankees Top 30 Prospects: 30-26 appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

8/3/24

Did we witness Boones turn into a leader?

Last night was another horrible loss by the Yankees, but that was not the most important thing that was not the most important thing that happened during the game. Torres thought he had hit a HR, and instead of putting his head down and running, he walked out of the box admiring his hit. The ball didn’t leave the park and Torres was held The play was only magnified in the next couple of bats when Torres could not come around and score and was thrown out of the plate. As we have seen in Boone’s career as a manager, I was completely expecting him to let that go. After completing the next inning on defense, we saw Oswaldo Cabrera come in for Torres as Boone benched him for his lack of hustle. We then saw an exchange between Aaron Boone and Torres in the dugout. I believe I witnessed Boone’s balls finally dropping last night, and he gained a great deal of respect from the fan base, which he has been lacking with that one move. This fan base has been begging for accountability, and we finally started to see it last night. That was a bigger step forward in the right direction than anything else I have witnessed this season from Boone. While we know this team has the talent and the players to go out and win anything, we have always said they would have to win despite Aaron Boone. Last night, by taking Torres out of the game, Boone took a step in the direction that makes me believe that maybe Boone can finally be that manager who can lead this team into the playoffs and in a deep run toward the champions this year.

While it is a step in the right direction, we need to see more of Aaron Bone holding players accountable. If Boone starts actually to manage like a true manager, this team will become even more dangerous than it already is with the improvements they made at the deadline. This is a massive step in a positive direction for the Yankees.

We have been preaching to wait to judge this team till after the deadline. This team still has issues that must be sorted out, especially in the rotation and bullpen. But we still have some apparent solutions for coming back from injury in the next few weeks. We still have several high-leverage relievers on the way back, which should significantly improve this bullpen for this month. We have Burdi, Effross, Trivino, and Hamilton on their way back. I also wouldn’t be surprised if this team didn’t pick up another reliever from the outright waivers market that we have seen develop at the end of august each of the last couple years. No matter what, this bullpen will improve as we build towards the playoffs.

Trouble in the rotation?

Marcus Stroman has not looked good going back into July, Nestor Cortez also has not looked good, especially on the road for most of the year. At some point, you have to wonder if Nester and Stroman will find themselves in the playoff rotation. The good news for us is we have Clark Schmidt, who was arguably our best-starting pitcher before he got injured. Schmidt Looked like he had taken a big step forward in his development this year and was absolutely in the running to be an All-star before the injury. We also know that Schmidt is preparing to start his rehab program and should return in the next few weeks. We also saw a player that I am very high on in Warren make his debut in a spot start against a very tough Philadelphia Phillies lineup last week. While he struggled in the first two innings, Warren bounced back and had a great start, considering it was his first start in the Major League. I would not be surprised if we saw Warren get at least another handful of starts down the stretch so the Yankees can better understand what they have with Warren as they build her postseason run. While I do not believe he is a playoff starter, he could be a solid option to eat some innings down the stretch and impact the playoff roster as a reliever.

Overall, the roster’s pitching should improve over the next month as we get pitchers back from injury. While it is still being determined if this should be a much better rotation, it should be a much better rotation and bullpen when all these players return later this month.

The new look lineup

With The trade deadline acquisition of Jazz Chisholm and getting Stanton back from injury, this lineup looks completely different. We have seen Alex Verdugo put Into the leadoff spot into the leadoff spot, where he should have been hitting all year. This is the spot in the lineup he should stay in till the return of Dominguez later this season; I do believe that Dominguez has to be part of this team if they are going to make a deep run into the playoffs. He is too dynamic of a player not to be in the Yankee’s everyday lineup as they build for the playoffs.
Austin Wells is blossoming into the hitter that the guys who watched him coming up through the farm system knew could be given consistent playing time. He is locked in at the plate in the cleanup spot and has been our best cleanup hitter all year. He is providing Judge protection in this lineup, which we desperately needed.
Stanton’s presence in this lineup must be noticed, and the addition of Jazz hitting 6th is a massive upgrade for this team. The part of the lineup that has looked massively improved is the bottom 1/3rd of the lineup. Torres has looked much better at the play for the last three weeks.. He brings production and some consistency to that lineup in the 7th spot in that lineup. That is the exact spot in the order where you want to see  Torres hit on a championship-caliber team. Ben Rice is struggling a bit right now, but from the 8th spot in the lineup, we can handle that as we build towards the playoffs.

One of the most significant transformations we have seen since the All-star break has been with Volpe, especially hitting 9th. We have seen him struggle for an consistent spot in this lineup all year. His hitting 9th is the perfect spot in the lineup where he can hit without pressure. It’s also like he can be a 2nd leadoff hitter and use that same approach that we saw flashes of him being an elite player in the leadoff position earlier in the year. Volpe can be a spark plug at the bottom of that lineup, and he can use all his tools to help this team become a much better team going forward from the 9th spot.

One thing is obvious: this team still has issues, but they can be sorted out over the next month and a half. None of the improvements we have coming back matter as much as what we saw from Boone last night when he held Torres accountable. What we need for this team to have its best chance to win in the playoffs is strong leadership from the manager. If Boone continues to hold players accountable and be a true leader, this team has a better chance of winning in the playoffs. Boone is growing some balls, which might be the X factor as we move forward into the post season

The post Did we witness Boones turn into a leader? appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

The two big names the Yankees were tied to did not get traded to the Yankees for one reason or another. I understand why the Yankees did not chase Jack Flaherty. The injury concerns are just, and especially so, considering the issues plaguing the organization. While unavoidable, if Clarke Schmidt had stayed healthy and kept throwing at the rate he was, would the Yankees have chased more pitching? You could also ask the same if the bullpen performed better as a whole.

That said, let’s review the moves the Yankees made this week.

July 27, Trade: UTIL Jazz Chisholm Jr. for C Agustin Ramirez, INF Jared Serna & Abrahan Ramirez (Miami)

For those of us that follow prospects closely, this move hurt the most. Agustin Ramirez was having a strong year in the Minors, hitting a combined 90-for-335 (.269) with 69 runs batted in. Ramirez’s power turned heads this season while with AA Somerset, where he hit 16 homers out of his 66 hits, nearly ¼ of the times he made contact.

If there’s a positive story out of this, it’s that Jared Serna was instantly promoted to Double-A (Pensacola), something the Yankees were incredibly hesitant in doing for whatever reason. Serna batted 86-for 340 (.253) with 58 RBI while with High-A Hudson Valley. Serna also hit a surprising 13 home runs.

Abrahan Ramirez wasn’t as well known as the other two considering he spent all of 2024 to date in rookie league FCL, but as far as pure stats go, Ramirez had the best numbers of the three traded. Ramirez had a slash of .348/.447/.513/.960 in 49 games (158 AB) with the FCL Yankees and drove in 24 runs with only 2 homers. Ramirez is much more of a doubles hitter than anything else and has a profile like that of Anthony Volpe in that regard when Volpe was in the lower levels.

Acquiring Jazz Chisholm Jr., or even the rumors that that may happen, was incredibly divisive among Yankees fans because of what appeared to be a self-centered attitude. Those expectations seem to have been quelled after 4 games with the Yankees where the career .250 hitter made history by hitting 4 home runs in the first 3 games with the Yankees. Chisholm has played 3 games at 3B, the first time in his career, and 1 game in CF. The utility that Chisholm can provide may prove to be huge in the coming years with the Yankees because he can play 2B, SS, 3B and CF.

Considering they traded away Ben Cowles to the Cubs, there’s no standout 2B prospect in the Yankees’ system in the if/when situation they let Gleyber Torres walk next year. Oswald Peraza would be the natural pick considering he’s already on the 40-man, but he has 33 games of career experience at the position, and his fielding percentage there is poor at .942. If he’s ready next season, Caleb Durbin would be my pick, given that he has 132 games at 2B, and has a .990 fielding percentage.

July 28, DFA: INF J.D. Davis designated for assignment

After another “Arson Judge” type tweet by NY Post reporter Jon Heyman where he tweeted “JD Davis to Rays” (and quickly deleted it), what had really happened was that Davis was designated for assignment to open a space for Chisholm.

Davis earned the ire of many Yankees fans after struggling with a yikes-worthy wRC+ of 20 while in the pinstripes. Davis only played in 7 games while with the Yankees, but also only recorded 2 hits in 19 at-bats, with a single, double, and an RBI.

July 29, DFA: OF Jahmai Jones designated for assignment

Jones played significantly more than Davis did at 33 games, and all things considered, wasn’t as terrible as the Yankees fan base made him out to be. Jones slashed .238/.304/.381/.685 and recorded a wRC+ of 97.

For what it’s worth, that’s better stats than what fellow outfielder Trent Grisham is putting up this year (.186/.297/.364/.661; 89 wRC+), although Grisham has played in nearly double the games and is a Gold Glove.

July 30, Trade: LHP Caleb Ferguson to Houston for RHP Kelly Austin and IFA pool money

This, to me (and this is the only opinion you’ll see here), was the best move the Yankees made all week, possibly better than that of Chisholm, Jr. primarily because Austin has solid numbers with High-A Asheville (2.70 ERA, 26.2 IP, 32 K, 1.09 WHIP) and the Yankees have been consistently good of late with signing good IFA talent in the Caribbean.

It can be fair to say that it may be hard to tell how well a prospect will perform just by going off stats in the A levels. Austin has thrown a 0.90 ERA in 10 IP with Low-A Asheville, and a 2.70 ERA in 23-2/3 IP with High-A Fayetteville. Austin has an opposing batting average of about .200, an excellent K/9 of 10+, and has nearly even splits of ground balls to fly balls.

July 30, Trade: RHP Mark Leiter, Jr. for INF Ben Cowles and RHP Jack Neely (CHC)

“They traded who for that guy?!”, said a text message sent to fellow prospect hugger, Carlos, as I was waiting for a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday.

It was obvious the Yankees didn’t value what Jack Neely was doing this year as a reliever (and one they could have most definitely used in the Bronx), and if we’re honest, Ben Cowles has been a bit of a surprise this season. Going with a seasoned reliever where the Yankees knew what to expect instead of taking a chance on a RHRP they already had in the organization seems to be what they were going for here. Age can be a concern here; Leiter Jr. is nearly 9 years older than Neely, but they knew what to expect when they made the deal.

While Cowles wasn’t the flashy prospect like 2022 classmate Spencer Jones has/hasn’t been (that’s for another discussion), his stats are strong this season and speak to how you’ll never know what kind of performance you’ll get out of prospects. Cowles slashed .294/.376/.472/.848 in 88 games with Double-A Somerset, while maintaining a wRC+ of 140. A significant reason that the Yankees got rid of both Cowles and Neely was that they were both Rule 5 eligible in December, and it was fortuitous to get something now than lose them for nothing in December. That was a common theme among all the prospects the Yankees traded.

Jack Neely has really garnered attention for how he had been performing in Double-A Somerset and had recently been promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. His fastball/slider combo helped net him a 2.61 ERA in AA and 3.38 in AAA, with Neely throwing an incredible 14.81 K/9 in the 31 innings he pitched with Somerset. It seems apparent now that the Yankees were likely trying to expose Neely to scouts with the promotion to SWB.

While the Yankees have already used Leiter Jr. in 2 games, he recorded a 4.21 IP in 36-1/3 innings of relief with the Cubs this season, while also netting a K/9 of 13.13 and a BB/9 of 3.22. Those last two are good stats, but the ERA is a bit of a concern. For comparison, Holmes has a K/9 of 9.07, a BB/9 of 2.42 and an ERA of 2.82 through 44-2/3 this season. The Yankees closer has received complaints from the Yankees’ fan base, but his stats are good of late.

July 30, Trade: RHP Enyel De Los Santos and Thomas Balboni, Jr. for OF Brandon Lockridge (SDP)

Despite the fact that I probably hold Lockridge in a higher regard than the Yankees ever did, this seems to have been a solid return for an outfield prospect the Yankees had no room for. Hopefully Lockridge gets a shot to play the outfield in San Diego.

Thomas Balboni was the biggest part of the deal that caught my attention, as he has a truly insane 15.71 K/9 despite a somewhat elevated 5.24 BB/9 and an ERA of 4.46 through 34-1/3 innings with Low-A Lake Elsinore. He was originally sent to Low-A Tampa, but ultimately ended up at High-A Hudson Valley. He joins fellow Northeastern alums Sebastian Keane and Cam Schlittler, all three pitchers also a 2022 draft pick, in Hudson Valley.

Getting Enyel De Los Santos was a bit of a head scratcher. De Los Santos is a long reliever, and while he may be used in bullpen games given he can give the team needed length, he will likely be used to platoon with Luis Gil soon with Gil hitting an innings limit. De Los Santos had decent numbers with San Diego this year, throwing a 4.46 ERA in 40-1/3 innings pitched with a 10.71 K/9 and a 2.90 BB/9. If there’s a concern with De Los Santos, it’s that about half of balls in play are fly balls (51.4%), so he would have to lean on the outfield to get outs. In that respect, the Yankees have one of the best, if not the best, outfield in the Majors with Grisham, Judge, Soto, and Verdugo.

What didn’t happen

The Yankees were tied to (then Tigers) RHSP Jack Flaherty along with Rays INF Yandy Diaz and RHRP Pete Fairbanks leading up to the deadline. None of those rumored deals happened, with the Yankees deciding that Flaherty’s past injuries not a risk they wanted to take, per Ken Rosenthal. Cuban baseball reporter Francys Romero tweeted about an hour prior to the deadline that the Yankees were “making a final push for Yandy Diaz” along with the Astros.

The Yankees also didn’t deal Nestor Cortes, Gleyber Torres or Alex Verdugo as had also been rumored to happen.

Brian Cashman reiterated his confidence with various aspects of the team between speaking to media on Tuesday evening and while on the Michael Kay Show on Wednesday afternoon. He also acknowledged that “this particular pen group is less swing and miss than what we’re used to”, adding that he was trying to bolster it more than anything with Leiter and De Los Santos.

At the end of the day, the Yankees did get relievers to help the bullpen out, and they added a bat with pop and a versatile glove in Chisholm Jr. Was it the flashy trade deadline fans wanted? Not at all, but a lot of it makes sense, given the Yankees traded away talent that was all Rule 5 eligible currently or will be in December, so getting some kind of return, even if not the best players that were rumored to be available.

The post Yankees 2024 Trade Deadline Postmortem appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

8/1/2024

What does this lineup look like after the trade deadline?

The Yankees desperately needed help in the infield, so they went out and got that player in Jazz Chisholm. No matter how you look at the Jazz trade, the Yankees have a better player back than they had coming into the deadline. The problem surrounding Jazz has always been health concerns and attitude. In these first five games of his career as a Yankee, you can see the talent and why the Yankees were willing to give up so much to get him. Initially, coming into this trade deadline, most of us were expecting Torres to be dealt and expecting Jazz to take over second base and become a leadoff hitter. We got that all wrong. I do not believe the Yankees intend to make Jazz the everyday second baseman or leadoff hitter. They see him as likely their everyday third-baseman and middle-of-the-order solid bat. The Yankees went out and got the right guy in Jazz. He adds an energy and flare that the Yankees sorely needed. We can see why CC and Jeter were so excited about him coming to the Yankees.

Let’s look at what this lineup looks like around the time September rolls around. To start with, Alex Verdugo will be on the bench when Jason Dominguez returns. Dominguez is the better player and brings dynamic to this team with his power and speed and an elite approach at the plate from both sides, which we still need to improve throughout the lineup. I believe that they have Dominguez in mind as our future leadoff hitter. He brings incredible bat-to-ball skills and can work his way into deep counts and punish the opposing pitcher’s mistake. His ability to hit from both sides of the plate makes him dynamic at the leadoff position. He also has elite power and elite speed. So everyone knows, hitting leadoff is nothing new to Dominguez because that’s where they penciled in going through the system. If you put Dominguez in front of Soto, who is in front of Judge, that is easily the most dynamic 1-2-3 in baseball

The First 3 

1 Dominguez CF/ LF SH
2  Soto RF ‘LH
3 Aaron Judge LF RH

That has the potential to be the best 1-2-3 in all of baseball.

The middle of the lineup

4 Austin Wells C LH
Over the last two months, we have seen Wells blossom before our eyes since the Yankees started getting him regular playing time. If you look back at Austin Wells’s numbers for the last two months, you will see that he’s arguably been the most valuable catcher in the American League. Concerns were coming through the system about his defense, and he has put all those concerns to bed. He does a great job handling the staff and is a solid defensive catcher. He is their long-term plan behind the plate. The one thing you have always known about Austin Wells is that he can hit. He hits; in college, he hit in the minor leagues, and now, given the regular playing time, Wells is proving he will hit at the MLB level. Hitting him behind Aaron Judge actually will give Judge excellent protection. Wells works counts well and he has sneaky power and a great eye at the plate. I believe he can be a .275 hitter with 25 to 30 home run power as the primary catcher. Hitting Clean up and catcher should be Wells for the foreseeable future.
5 Stanton DH RH
Coming into this year, I wanted Stanton Gone. I have always thought we should pay for that roster spot and move on from Stanton. Was I wrong about that? Absolutely! We saw the difference in the offense without him in the lineup. His presence alone is a decisive point in this lineup. Stanton has looked much better at the plate this year, and I still believe there is something left in that tank that can contribute to this team from now on. I was wrong that Stanton should be gone, and Stanton should stay at least through next year.
 6 Jazz Chisholm 3rd LH
When we made the deal for Jazz, he should hit leadoff and play second base. It’s a good thing Brian Cashman is a lot smarter than I am. Chisholm brings everything that you want as your everyday third baseman. He has the arm and can play the position, which solves a long-term need for this team. There were concerns about Jazz and his attitude while on the Marlins. He’s always been one of the two best players on that team, but he has never had a solid team around him, especially elite veterans like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Chisholm has always had a talent that has never been the issue, but his ability to reach the ceiling of a star-caliber player has been questioned for several years. Adding Chisholm to guys like Juan Soto and Aaron Judge and being allowed to go to the playoffs and compete for a World Series every year bring out the best player in Chisholm. He brings power from the left-hand side at the plate and has some opposite field power. Chisholm also can steal bases by batting him in this spot in the lineup. It allows him to use his power-speed combination to drive on runs or, when he gets on base, manufacture runs with his speed. I think this will end up being one of the great trades the Yankees made in the long term

The bottom three

7 Gleyber Torres 2B RH
While most of us are tired of seeing him at second base, this organization must believe in his abilities. They easily could have traded Torres but decided to stick with him at second base, at least for the rest of the season. We all know that when Torres gets hot, he can be a very, very good hitter. In this position in the lineup, he brings power, and when he’s on, he can be an incredible hitter. If Torres is your seventh hitter in the lineup, you have a stacked lineup.
8 Ben Rice 1B LH
When Rice debuted, you could immediately see the ability in the bat. His ability to work counts, take walks, hit for average, and hit for significant power make him a solid young talent. Rice is a player that I have liked since his emergence on the scene last year. Rice is our first baseman of the future and should be the long-term answer there. One thing about Rice already, as you can see, is that he has the clutch gene. We’ve seen the three-home run game early in his career and the ability to get on base and even run. Rice is a good enough hitter to hit anywhere in the lineup. You put this line about with Rice as your eighth hitter, and you have an incredible lineup.
9 Anthony Volpe SS RH
Anthony Volpe is still developing. We’ve seen flashes of the great player he can be. His ability to go the other way and to be a terror on the base path makes him the perfect 9-hole hitter. Hitting him 9th here is actually like a second leadoff hitter. Hitting him here makes him dynamic in the 9th spot. Until he develops more, this is the perfect spot to use his speed and ability to get on base and steal bases. With him 9th, this almost becomes a circular lineup, which is what every team dreams up.

Overall lineup
1 Jasson Dominguez CF SH
2 Juan Soto RF LH
3 Aaron Judge LF RH
4 Austin Well C LH
5 Giancarlo Stanton DH RH
6 Jazz Chisholm 3rd base LH
7 Gleyber Torres 2nd Base RH
8 Ben Rice 1st base  LH
9 Anthony Volpe SS RH

Final Thoughts

We have all been heavily critical of Brian Cashman and, for the most part, deservedly so, but if you look at the construction of that lineup, it now has every piece you need to go the dynasty-like team. You have two players on that roster over the age of 30. You now have speed, athleticism, the ability to hit for power, the ability to score runs, and the ability to win championships. This is currently one of the best young lineups in all of baseball. Cashman has been trying to get younger and more athletic for years and has done it right before our eyes without even thinking about it. There is a core of the future here, and Juan Soto, Jasson Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm, Austin Wells, Ben Rice, and Anthony Volpe can seriously play together for the next ten years.

Our lineup has everything you want, and we still have the pieces in the farm to improve the team however we want. Yes, they gave up some good prospects, but the prospects they gave up were never going to get a shot with the Yankees. I hated losing Agus Ramirez, but they dealt with the position of strength in the system to get a young, dynamic player in Jazz Chisholm that we did not have in our system. Cashman has done an excellent job assembling a lineup that will compete with anybody scoring runs for the foreseeable future. If the pitching is there this lineup can win in October. This team is now one of the best and most talented lineups in all of baseball, and we have to see if they can put it together to win a championship, not only this year but for multiple years in the future.

The post What does this lineup look like after the trade deadline? appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.