Baseball America has released its annual top 10 prospect list for the New York Yankees yesterday. There are some surprises with a lot of low-level prospects making the jump into the top 10 with some guys falling out of it. The official list can be found here.
The group is without Luis Severino and Greg Bird as they exceeded their rookie limits last season. Without those two on the list, Baseball America ranks shortstop Jorge Mateo as the Yankees top prospect leading into the 2016 season.
New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects https://t.co/MZyZ7VQ6uU
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) December 21, 2015
Mateo might come of a bit of a surprise at the top spot since his projection to the majors is still some years away. However, there is no denying Mateo’s talent or ceiling. After playing his first full season in pro ball in 2015, Mateo hit .278/.345/.392 between Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa. He also lead the organization with 82 stolen bases. Mateo has tremendous speed with an above-average glove that seems to translate well to the majors. His continued development will be crucial for the Yankees but if he stays healthy, there is no reason to doubt he will be the teams top prospect for 2016.
Coming in at number two is catcher Gary Sanchez, who broke out in the Arizona Fall League, leading the league in home runs. The 23-year-old is coming off the best season of his minor league career this past season. He hit .274/.330/.485 with 18 homers between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton. He was an eventual September call-up for the Yankees and projects to be the leading candidate to be Brian McCann‘s backup catcher for the upcoming season.
The prospect that comes in at number three is seen by many as the Yankees best minor league hitter. Aaron Judge, who led several top prospect lists for New York in 2015, is put at number three from Josh Norris of Baseball America. After mashing in Double-A with a .517 slugging percentage and 12 home runs in 63 games, Judge struggled making the leap to Triple-A. The hope is that with a big season in 2016, the 6’7″ right fielder will essentially replace Carlos Beltran on the big league roster for 2017.
The players ranked four-to-seven are all new to the list. 2015 first-round draft pick James Kaprielian grabs the number four spot on the top ten list. When drafted, many said he was the closest arm to being big league ready. After a strong first season, expect Kaprielian to take a big step forward, possibly reaching the Bronx by September.
Kaprielian is then followed by two starting pitchers. 6’7″ Domingo Acevedo and Rookie Davis come in at five and six. Acevedo had a strong 2015 campaign posting a 1.69 ERA in 11 starts for the Staten Island Yankees. The Yankees believe Acevedo can be a Severino-type prospect in 2016 so keep an eye out for him. Davis is an up-and-coming prospect. Davis has a spot on the 40-man roster so a September call-up is not out of the realm of possibilities but the Yankees hope he continues to pitch well and wind up in Triple-A at some point.
Tyler Wade ranks at number seven for the Bombers. The 20-year-old shortstop is flying up the system. The Yankees love Wade’s character which is why they moved him to Double-A last season. He has a good glove with good speed but struggled some in Double-A and the Arizona Fall League.
Rounding out the final three spots are Rob Refsnyder, Wilkerman Garcia and Dustin Fowler. Refsnyder is a fan favorite, a player everyone would love to see be given the opportunity to play everyday. However, with the newly acquired Starlin Castro being slotted into the Yankees everyday second baseman, Refsnyder does not seem to have a spot on the big league roster. The 23-year-old is a solid hitter but questions about his glove have given the Yankees reason for concern. Garcia is the third shortstop to crack the top 10. The 2014 signee had a breakout season in 2015 in the Florida Gulf Coast League. Baseball America believes he has the potential to be a five-tool prospect. Finally, Fowler rounds out the top 10. Fowler’s breakout year at Low-A, High-A and the Arizona Fall League put him in the top 10 ahead of guys like Mason Williams and Slade Heathcott. The outfielder can do a little of everything and scouts are starting to believe he can be an everyday player in the future.
Some notables left out of the top 10 are Heathcott, who had a solid debut in the Bronx and projects to be a fifth outfielder as well as Williams. Along with those two, Ian Clarkin and Jacob Lindgren are highly touted pitchers who dealt with injuries in 2014 and catcher Luis Torrens who had shoulder problems. If Torrens can come back healthy, he can become a top prospect for the Yankees.
