Examining the New York Yankees’ Minor Leagues – The Third Basemen
by James Vlietstra
February 22, 2021
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The Third Basemen:
Gio Urshela has shored up the Yankees’ defense at the hot corner while providing surprisingly positive offense. He is coming off off-season surgery which may slow him down slightly at the beginning of spring training, but there is no doubt that he is the starting third baseman on the club.
Behind him is one of the most lethal bats on the team. Unfortunately, Miguel Andujar just currently doesn’t have a position on this team. For his sake, I hope he comes out of the gates white hot and General Manager Brian Cashman gets knocked over with an offer for him.
The Yankees don’t have any minor league third basemen on their 40-man roster, nor on their top 30 prospects list. There are plenty of options that normally play second or short that can get reps over at third base if necessary.
Former first round pick Kaleb Cowart was signed to provide depth over the offseason. The 28-year old will be in Scranton to start the year. 26-year old Armando Alvarez was in Scranton in 2019 and he is also likely to return.
26-year old Andrew Velazquez will provide lots of versatility down in Somerset. He can play all around the infield as well as the outfield.
James Nelson is another player brought in for depth. The 23-year old will be a good stop-gap for Hudson Valley.
A couple of 22- year olds will get their opportunity in Tampa. Oliver Dunn and Nelson Gomez teamed together in Charleston in 2019.
Some other third basemen that you can expect to see include:
Andres Chaparro, 21 SI
Javier Reynoso, 20 GCL
Fonts Vallejo, 20 GCL
Marcos Cabrera, 19 DSL
Enter Castellano 2019 IFA
