by James Vlietstra
February 19, 2024
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This time of year, all the big publications start releasing all of their Top Prospects lists. I follow the Yankees minor leagues about as much as anyone who isn’t paid to do so. A few years back, I was asked to submit my Top 30 Prospects. As well as I knew the names and read the reports, I did not feel qualified to give a full list of players when I have only seen six or eight of them actually play.
So, I decided to use my background in analytics to make a value scale using several different criteria. I then add up the scores and compare the results to the professionals. By taking the emotion out of it and making it purely a subjective list, I have been able to spotlight a couple of players before their breakout seasons.
The criteria I use is the following:
Age. A teenager has more prospect value than a 28 year old.
Proximity to Majors. Someone on the 40-man roster will contribute long before a kid in the Dominican Republic
Ceiling. A lefty specialist is not going to rank as high as someone getting compared with Mickey Mantle.
Position. A Catcher or Left handed starter will always score higher than a DH.
Pedigree. A first round pick or top IFA get the benefit of the doubt over a UDFA.
Previous Season's Production. A player that dominated and earned a promotion fares much better than someone recovering from injuries.
Before I get started with the current Yankees, here are a few players that used to be Yankees prospects and their grades. Some of these players have been promoted from prospect status, some were traded, and others selected away from the team in the Rule 5 Draft:
Anthony Vole 88
Kevin Alcantara 80
Oswald Peraza 74
Drew Thorpe 70
Richard Fitts 60
Trey Sweeney 60
Carson Coleman 60
Matt Sauer 58
Mitch Spence 54
The Yankees farm system has been universally ranked this offseason in the 6-8 range. That’s after trading away several significant pieces to get Juan Soto. They have had as many as 6 of their prospects included in top 100 lists. They could easily graduate 5-6 prospects this season and still see their rankings improve.
One other quick side note is that I did remove Anthony Seigler from the list this year because he scored much higher than potentially deserved because of his position and high draft status. However, his depth in the system indicates he will not be around by the end of the season, especially with the new 165 domestic player cap that will come into effect.
There’s been some glowing reports about some of the DSL pitchers, but until they do it on the field, they won’t get the recognition. However, they could easily move up into the top 10 this year.
Now, the 2024 Yankees top prospect list, with the player scores:
1. Jasson Dominguez 90
2. Austin Wells 86
3. Everson Pereira 76
4. Ben Rice 76
5. Carlos Narvaez 76
6. Roderick Arias 74
7. Brock Selvidge 74
8. Spencer Jones 72
9. Agustin Ramirez 72
10. Will Warren 70
11. Chase Hampton 70
12. Matt Krook 68
13. Jesus Rodriguez 64
14. George Lombard 64
15. Brendan Beck 62
16. Justin Lange 62
17. Brando Mayea 60
18. Danny Watson 60
19. John Cruz 60
20. Abrahan Ramirez 60
21. Josue Gonzalez 60
22. Jorbit Vivas 58
23. Gabriel Terrero 58
24. Jerson Alejandro 58
25. Sean Hermann 58
26. Emmanuel Tejeda 58
27. Edinson Duran 58
28. Jack Neely 58
29. Yoendrys Gomez 56
30. Edgleen Perez 56
31. Sabier Marte 56
32. Willy Montero 56
33. Henry LaLane 54
34. Clayton Beeter 54
35. Keiner Delgado 54
36. Pedro Rodriguez 54
37. Edgar Barclay 54
38. Jace Avina 54
39. Mariano Salomon 54
40. Luis Serna 54
41. Christopher Familia 54
42. Geyber Blanco 54
43. Engelth Urena 54
44. Gabriel Lara 54
45. Kyle Carr 52
46. Yorlin Calderon 52
47. Roc Riggio 52
48. Chalniel Arias
49. Antonio Gomez 52
50. Hans Montero 52
51. Montana Semmel 52
52. Oriel Rodriguez 52
53. Omar Martinez 52
54. Jared Serna 50
55. Luis Ogando 50
56. Anthony Hall 50
57. Jordarlin Mendoza 50
58. Jhon Imbert 50
59. Tyler Hardman 48
60. Zach Messinger 48
61. Dylan Jasso 48
62. Juan Matheus 48
63. Ryan Anderson 48
64. Carlos Lagrange 48
65. Santiago Gomez 48
66. Rafael Flores 48
67. Jackson Fristoe 48
68. Andry Javier 48
69. Eric Reyzelman 46
70. Tyrone Yulie 46
71. Jose Colmenares 46
72. Alexander Vargas 44
73. Luis Gil 44
74. Angel Venitez 44
75. Fidel Montero 44
