Now that the 2015 season is over for the Yankees, the club will look to 2016 and beyond to try to build up in their quest for a 28th World Series championship. The 28th may come differently from many previous championships, as baseball today relies on the skills of young talent drafted and developed by an organization rather than talent signed through free agency. This fall and winter, we here at Bronx Pinstripes will be outlining the top 30 Yankees prospects. Our top 30 will be coming in a series of articles over the coming days. Something to note is that players like Luis Severino and Greg Bird were not included because of the length of their major league service time. Other players like Bryan Mitchell are listed as honorable mentions for the same reason. Players who only showed up for brief late-season call-ups are still included. This first post will start the countdown and take us through #21. For the record, of the players shipped to Cincinnati in the Aroldis Chapman deal, Rookie Davis would have slotted in at #5, Eric Jagielo at 15, and Tony Renda at 26. Players’ primary position(s) and most recent minor league team are listed.
30. Leonardo Molina– OF- GCL Yankees1 (Rookie)- Molina hit for only a .654 OPS this season, but is still one of the younger players in the GCL despite this being his second pro season. Molina turned 18 late this season and has the raw tools to develop into a five-tool player. He hit only .247 at the dish and may struggle with contact, but as the young Dominican develops, he should begin to hit for power. He may lose some of his speed as he fills out, but he has plus potential for both power and speed. Combined with solid defense, Molina has the potential to move up Yankees prospect lists, but it may take him a few years to do so.
29. Juan De Leon– OF- DSL Yankees2 (Dominican Summer League)- De Leon is one of the raw talents the Yankees found on the international free agent market in the 2014-15 cycle, and he was highly regarded. That has yet to translate, as De Leon had a prodigious total of 66 strikeouts in just 186 at bats, though he was able to post a .709 OPS thanks to some power and drawing walks. It’s very early on for the 18 year-old, but he could be a solid center or right fielder with decent speed and a plus arm.
28. Nestor Cortes– SP- Pulaski (Advanced Rookie)- The 20 year-old impressed in the Appalachian league, putting up a 2.26 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. Cortes is a bit undersized and a bit older you would want a top prospect to be, but the converted former reliever has done a good job in the rotation, also walking only 10 batters this season. His problem is that he gives up a lot of fly balls, including 7 home runs allowed this season, but if he can keep up the high strikeout and low walk totals, he may have room to develop.
27. Thairo Estrada– 2B/SS- Staten Island (Short-Season A)- At just 19 years old, Estrada has a lot of time to develop, and has the most potential to grow when it comes to hitting for contact, defense, and speed. Estrada stole 8 bases with the “Baby Bombers,” but he has the potential to steal 20 bases in a given season. The Venezuelan does not hit for much power, but will likely improve his .267 average. Estrada’s defense is his best tool, and he committed 11 errors in 320 chances over 63 games. If Estrada’s bat develops, he could be a high-tier prospect, but he’s not there just yet.
26. Trey Amburgey– OF- Staten Island (Short-Season A)- Including Amburgey, the Yankees’ 13th round pick in the 2015 draft, on this list is speculative on our part. Between the GCL Yankees and Staten Island, Amburgey hit for a .346/.399/.523 AVG/OBP/SLG line in 214 at bats, including 5 home runs, 46 runs, 30 RBI, 22 total extra base hits, and 21 stolen bases on 25 attempts. In addition, he made only two errors in the outfield. This is a player who could stick in center field thanks to his speed and also has hit for ridiculous average. He’s likely due for regression and he may not hit for as much power as his 2015 numbers might indicate, but even taking that into account, Amburgey has a combination of speed and presence at the plate to move quickly through the Yankees’ system.
25. Luis Torrens– C- Charleston (A- DNP in 2015)- Torrens was well-regarded entering last season, but missed all of 2015 after needing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. The Yankees decided that the former shortstop would be best behind the plate, and he is best regarded for his defense. In his first two seasons, he mastered throwing out runners, as he was able to gun down 41% of base stealers, but also had 18 passed balls in 52 games behind the plate in 2014. Torrens hit only .256 with a .331 OBP and 3 home runs in 227 at bats when he last played. Still, Torrens should improve his defense as time goes by, even if his offense has a low ceiling.
24. Chaz Hebert– P- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA)- Hebert, 23, had a cumulative 2.55 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, striking out 108 batters in 134 innings while spending most of his time in High-A Tampa. But that doesn’t do justice to how Hebert turned on the jets in his last ten starts of the season, which included two in AAA. He allowed five earned runs in that ten start span, while putting up an astounding 42:6 K:BB ratio. Hebert also earned the chance to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, where he had a less favorable 12:10 K:BB ratio and a 4.40 ERA, albeit in just 14 1/3 innings mostly out of the bullpen. With four pitches, a cutter, two-seam fastball, changeup, and curveball, Hebert has the arsenal to possibly make it as an eventual back-end or spot starter if all goes right.
23. Jordan Foley– P- Charleston (A)- Foley was a 5th round pick in the 2014 draft for the Yankees and has not looked back since. Foley spent most of his time with Class-A Charleston apart from a two appearances for AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He struck out an impressive 93 batters in 84 innings while giving up only a .224 average to opposing hitters. Foley had bad luck with his record, going 3-7, but he had a 2.88 ERA in 17 starts with Charleston. He can touch 97 mph with his fastball, plus he has a splitter-change and a slider that both sit in the low-mid 80’s. His big issue, however, is his control. Foley issued 36 free passes in just 84 innings, which contributed to his relatively high 1.23 WHIP. His good stuff but iffy control seem to point to his eventual conversion to a reliever, but he may still have the ceiling of a #4 starter if he improves his control a bit.
22. Cale Coshow– P- Trenton (AA)- At 6’5” and 260 lbs, Coshow has a naturally large frame that allows him to touch the mid-to-high 90’s on his fastball. After converting from the bullpen, Coshow had 15 starts between Tampa and Trenton, putting up a 7-4 record with a 2.62 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, 60 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 79 innings. Coshow also offers a cutter that comes in around 87-89 mph, as well as a low 80’s changeup, both of which are works in progress. Still, when I saw him pitch in August, he got three punchouts using off-speed pitches, so those have been coming along as he gets more innings under his belt. If his off-speed pitches continue to develop, he could be a fast riser, but if not, he may end up returning to the bullpen, where his fastball should also help.
21. Abiatal Avelino– SS- Tampa (A-Advanced)- Avelino, pictured at the top of this article. did not post great numbers in Tampa, where he spent most of 2015, batting .252 with just a .309 OBP, 4 HR, and 23 RBI, but merits inclusion thanks to his upside. Avelino will only be 21 on Opening Day next year, and also stole 38 bases in 405 at-bats in High-A (and 16 more in just 20 games for low-A Charleston.) In addition, the Dominican has a solid glove for someone his age, putting up a .949 fielding percentage in 39 games at short for Tampa. The Yankees system is backlogged with shortstop talent, but Avelino is good enough to put himself into the conversation and may end up netting a good return as a trade chip if he ends up blocked by the talent in front of him.
Honorable mentions: Ben Gamel, Tyler Austin, Dermis Garcia, Bryan Mitchell.
Check back in on Wednesday for part 2 of the Bronx Pinstripes Yankees Top 30 Prospects, where we’ll cover the prospects ranked #20-11.
Photo via Rolling Thunder blog on milb.com.
