By Greg Corcoran

The arrival of Matt Blake with the New York Yankees has been one of the best things to happen to the organization in the past decade. Coupled with Sam Briend, the duo has been able to transform the Yankees organization to a pitching factory. One of Blake’s greatest skills is turning seemingly ordinary relievers into studs. Recent examples of this are Clay Holmes, Ian Hamilton, and Ron Marinaccio.

It seems like a foregone conclusion that he’ll continue this trend in 2024, but with the talent present on the roster he may not have much work to do.

Clay Holmes is entrenched as the closer. While he has had some tough moments in pinstripes, all closers experience this from time to time. Most importantly, Holmes seems to get it together when it matters most.

There are several players who will be competing for a setup role with Wandy Peralta’s departure. Aaron Boone could use any combination of Tommy Kahnle, Jonathan Loaisiga, and new arrivals Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez in the role. Regardless of which direction he goes, there will be a litany of options.

Behind them are more quality relievers. They also have Ian Hamilton, Nick Ramirez, Ron Marinaccio, Luke Weaver, Cody Poteet, and recent acquisition Cody Morris on the 40-man roster. All of these players have qualities that could allow magician Matt Blake to turn them into effective major league relievers. The Yankees also just traded for lefty Clayton Andrews, who has a mid-90’s fastball, a nasty changeup, and also throws a slider.

By midseason, there will be reinforcements coming if needed. Scott Effross will make his return from back to back surgeries and the recently signed Lou Trivino will be back sometime this summer as well.

There is enough talent on the 40-man roster to put together yet another high-quality bullpen in 2024, but the depth does not end there.

In what now seems like a yearly tradition, the Yankees have acquired several relievers to stash in Triple-A and be ready to help when injuries strike.

Anthony Misiewicz had some promising appearances before the scary injury that ended his season. He will look to pick up where he left off in 2024. The Yankees picked up Yerry De Los Santos, Art Warren, and Kervin Castro in the offseason to supplement their depth.

Will Warren, Clayton Beeter, Yoendrys Gomez, or Luis Gil will begin the year as starters in Triple-A and could be used in the major leagues as relievers if a need arises. All four could be capable of filling the Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito role which is now vacant.

The Yankees also have lefty Edgar Barclay, who made it all the way to Triple-A as soft-tossing lefties and could be called upon at any point to eat some innings.

The three-headed monster of Danny Watson, Jack Neely, and Bailey Dees could make a push this year for major league innings as well. Each of them can hit the upper-90’s and are above 6-foot-7. They are exciting future options for the Yankees’ bullpen.

The minor league system features some other exciting relievers as well. High-velocity reliever Luis Velasquez will likely get significant time in Double-A this year. Spin rate darling Harrison Cohen should also spend most of the season there.

Yorlin Calderon, Sebastian Keane, Mason Vinyard, Geoffrey Gilbert, and Osiel Rodriguez are relievers on the rise who will likely be featured in the High-A bullpen.

Eric Reyzelman, Brian Hendry, Kevin Stevens, and Cade Austin are some names to watch in Low-A this year, and the list goes on. As great as all of this sounds, I still haven’t even mentioned all of the starters below Triple-A who could transition to the bullpen later on. These types often turn out to be some of the best relievers in the league (see Dellin Betances).

As long as Matt Blake and Sam Briend are around, the Yankees will be in a great position to continue churning out high end relievers who make a major league impact. There’s no end in sight. For the foreseeable future, the Yankees will be fortunate to have a group that protects leads and keeps them in games. That’s all you can ask for in a bullpen.

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Greg Corcoran

NYY Undergrounds continues the top 70 prospects series with numbers 51-60

51. Mason Vinyard – 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, RP, RHP, 24-years-old – The Yankees have done a nice job picking up solid undrafted free agents the past couple of years. Vinyard is another example of that. He had a 3.12 ERA, 74 K : 29 BB, and a .194 average against in 60.2 innings this year. He earned a mid-season promotion to High-A, where he performed even better than Low-A. Much like Cohen, Vinyard has a two-seam fastball, changeup, and slider and all of them have good movement profiles. Similarly, he has also struggled with the walk. The fastball is low-90’s and currently tops out at 94. The one thing he has on Cohen is his height. He gets more of a downward plane on his pitches, and this also portends more opportunity for a velo boost in the coming years. Vinyard made it to High-A in his first full season and could move quickly through the system as a reliever. He’ll likely start in High-A again next season and could be in line for a quick promotion if he has a good offseason.
52. Kiko Romero – 5-foot-11, 185-pounds, 1B/3B, LHB, 23-years-old – The Yankees drafted Romero in the 7^th round this year out of Arizona and he held his own in his first taste of professional baseball. Romero proved in college that he has some pop in his bat, hitting 21 homeruns, 17 doubles and four triples in 59 games. You can’t expect those numbers to translate to wooden bats, but he did manage to hit three homeruns, seven doubles and a triple in 29 games between the FCL and Low-A. He finished the minor league season with a .229/.364/.395/.758 line. Romero is known as a good hitter, and I expect him to come into 2024 and improve greatly on those numbers. Not known for great defense at third base, Romero is expected to be a first baseman at the next level. The Yankees have a penchant for working with players to develop their skills at third, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Romero makes the switch at some point much like Tyler Hardman. Romero puts on impressive exit velocity displays, which the Yankees’ analytics department tends to like. He doesn’t have much speed to speak of, which is what you’d expect from a corner infielder. He’s a sleeper and breakout candidate for next year and will likely begin the year in High-A given his experience and success in one of the best college divisions.
53. Antonio Gomez– 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, C, RHB, 21-years-old – 2023 was a year where Gomez took a step back in his development all while other catchers in the system took huge leaps forward. This is a setback for him, but it’s certainly not the end of the line. Last year at this time, it was expected that by the end of the 2023 season he would have to be protected from the Rule V draft. At this point that’s not going to happen; he is at a low risk of getting selected. He hit a disappointing .236/.291/.326/.617 this year with three homeruns, 18 doubles and a triple. He struck out more and walked less than 2022. It’s not all bad news though. Gomez is and always has been a plus defensive catcher. He’s got quickness, framework, and a plus arm. All of this means he will continue to get opportunities, especially with his size and long-term power potential. One down season does not end a career, and Gomez has the talent to turn it around if he puts in the offseason work and makes the right adjustments. He’ll likely be back at High-A next season and hopefully finds his stroke.
54. Nick Judice – 6-foot-8, 230-pounds, RP, RHP, 22-years-old – Judice was the Yankees 8th round pick in the 2023 draft, and he immediately strikes me as the type of guy the Yankees could turn into a breakout starting pitcher. At the least, he has shutdown reliever potential. The Yankees sent him directly to their training facility rather than have him pitch in games, which tells me they saw something they could work with him in their scouting. If it’s a third pitch, he’ll likely be a starting pitcher next year. If it’s velocity, strength, and engaging his lower half then he likely stays a reliever. He currently works with a 92-95 mph fastball that has hit the upper 90’s a few times. He also has a wipeout slider and throws from a wide angle. He’s an exciting pitcher no matter how you slice it, and depending on how he looks coming out of the training facility we could see next year’s version of Chase Hampton or Danny Watson. I’d be happy with either.
    

    Nicholas Judice (@YD_RedSox | @ULM_BSB | '23) allowed one run in 4 innings w/ 7 Ks and 2 BBs. FB 91-93, SL 83-86, CH/SPL 81-84. Worked both off-speed pitches to both sides of the plate w/ the SL varying shapes and missing the most bats@B_Sakowski_PG #PGCape pic.twitter.com/A7DTmtVXpJ

    — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) June 20, 2023

55. Cade Smith – 6-foot-1, 190-pounds, SP, RHP, 21-years-old – The Yankees snagged Smith in the 6th round of the draft out of Mississippi State, where he struggled in an abbreviated 2023 season after a good 2022. Smith has a 92-95 mph fastball that has reached 97 and has 20 inches of vertical break. He also has a hard slider and a feel for his curveball with the makings of a changeup. His main drawback is control, but the pitch mix sounds awfully familiar. His repertoire is eerily similar to a guy the Yankees once drafted in the 8th round, Will Warren. The Yankees did the same thing with Smith as they did with Judice, sending him to the training facility. He’s one of the highest prospects on my radar as a breakout candidate for 2024. Cade will likely begin in High-A if the adjustments have resulted in increased command.
56. Gabriel Terrero – 5-foot-6, 169-pounds, 2B, SH, 18-years-old – Terrero spent his first minor league season in the DSL and has what is becoming a familiar profile in the Yankees’ system. He’s small in stature, contact oriented, athletic, speedy, and possesses surprising power for his size. He hit .299/.407/.533/.940 in the DSL this year with 35 K : 22 BB in 37 games. Terrero hit seven homeruns, nine doubles and a triple with 14 SB on the year. He has been billed as a candidate to become the next Keiner Delgado or Enmanuel Tejeda, which is high praise.
57. Jared Wegner – 6-foot-0, 220-pounds, OF, RHB, 24-years-old – Wegner was the 9^th round pick in the 2023 draft and came out of the gates performing well right away. In college, he had 15 homeruns and showed a mature approach collecting 33 walks in just 43 games. When he got to the minor leagues, it was more of the same. He hit .275/.341/.513/.853 with four homeruns, seven doubles, and 25 K : 8 BB in 24 games. Wegner is another exit velocity darling, with an average of 93 mph and frequently reaching 110. Scouts feel he is a bit too slow for the outfield, but the Yankees will undoubtedly give him the tools to increase his quickness. He can hit and as a result the Yankees plan to challenge him quickly. He’ll likely start 2024 in High-A and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Double-A before long.
58. Edgar Barclay – 5-foot-10, 200-pounds, RP, LHP, 25-years-old – The Yankees don’t have many left-handed relievers in their farm system, which gives Barclay some value. He answered the bell this year with a 3.91 ERA and 100 K : 44 BB in 78.1 innings despite being moved back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Barclay is a low-velocity pitcher with exceptional movement on his pitches. His fastball gets a ton of natural tail to it, and his changeup drops off the table with 12-18 inches of horizontal break as well. His curveball has good downward movement, and he uses all three pitches frequently. He finished strong in Triple-A where he was being used as a fill in starter. His fastball dips below 90 often but reaches 92-93 as well. Barclay could be a useful bullpen arm as soon as next season and will likely begin back in Triple-A.
59. Carlos Narvaez – 5-foot-11, 190-pounds, C/1B, RHB, 24-years-old- Carlos Narvaez is going to be a major league baseball player. Whether he ever does that with the Yankees largely depends on factors outside of his control. Narvaez lacks the impressive ceiling of Austin Wells, Ben Rice, or even Antonio Gomez. What he does have, however, is the skills to be a very good catcher at the major league level and a bat that should at least earn him a backup catcher role in the future. This year he hit .239/.370/.397/.766 with 12 homeruns and 18 doubles with a 108 : 64 K : BB. He spent most of the year in Scranton-Wilkes Barre and is ready for a major league role if a position opens. Narvaez is eligible for minor league free agency this offseason and will likely find a job if the Yankees don’t add him to the 40-man roster.
60. Engelth Urena – 5-foot-11, 196-pounds, C, RHB, 19-years-old – Engelth was someone scouts and teams were excited about heading into the 2023 season and many were expecting a breakout. Unfortunately, he got hurt and we will have to wait until next year to see that happen. Urena has all the tools to make him successful as a catcher. He makes contact, is patient, has power, and plays a plus defensive catcher. Last year he hit three homeruns in just 11 games in the DSL and had a .932 OPS. He’s a player to watch in 2024 as another catcher who could break out in this system. He’s one of the first names I can think of that could go from outside of the top 50 to inside the top 20 in just one season if he can stay healthy. Given the missed opportunities in the FCL this year, the Yankees may opt to send him straight to Low-A if he comes to camp looking ready. If not, we’ll see him in the FCL next year and he could quickly become a much more recognizable name.

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