This week we asked:
Which Yankees prospect are you most excited to see in the big leagues?
Our writers responded:
Matthew Cohen – I’ve always been a big fan of pitchers who don’t walk a lot of batters. I was a big fan of Jordan Montgomery who was very solid before he was injured. So my favorite minor leaguer is Miguel Yajure.
Yajure walked fewer than 2 batters per nine innings at high A and AA last year while striking out almost 9 batters per 9 innings. He’s still only 21 years old He’s the kind of prospect that can come in and perform well without much fanfare and the kind of underdog, out of nowhere prospect that I love to root for when he does.
Derek McAdam – There are two names that come to mind. In the short term, I am excited to see outfielder Estevan Florial. Florial has been a big name in the farm system for several years now and might be heading to the Bronx later on in the season in order to provide depth. Long term, I am excited for Jasson Dominguez. Even though he will not be at the Major League level until at least the 2022 season, it is still fun to see the hype around this teenager. Being compared to Mike Trout and Bryce Harper is no small feat and very rare, and Yankees fans might be waiting on a superstar in the making to make it to the Bronx.
Lincoln Mitchell – When my sons were 10 and 8 years old, they joined a travel baseball program in Manhattan. I took them to their first practice at a park near our home. When I got there, one of the players kept hitting every ball pitched to him out of the playground a distance of probably 300 feet. I thought to myself that my sons would never be able to compete if all the players were that good. That player was nine, so was not on either of my sons’ teams, but he was by far the best player there. Over the next months, I got to know him and his parents a little bit. He was a very nice boy and his parents seemed like good people and loving parents. I later learned from my son’s coach that the family moved to New Jersey as that would allow their son to pursue his baseball more easily. I am sure there were other reasons as well. The coach of my sons’ team was a great guy who stayed in touch with the family and offered them some advice from time to time. This year the Yankees made that boy their first round draft pick, so I am looking forward to seeing Anthony Volpe in pinstripes and wish him a long and successful career with the Yankees.
Jacob Gaba – I’m mostly excited to see Deivi Garcia reach the big leagues. Aside from Severino, we haven’t really seen a great pitching prospect have success in the majors for the Yankees in a while. Severino still also has a lot to prove. It will be exciting to see the two of them in the rotation together once Garcia makes it.
Mike Whiteman – Deivi Garcia would be the prospect that I would say I’m most excited to seeing in pinstripes. He has special talent.
I actually think the minor leaguer we may see the most in 2020 is Mike King.I could see him turn in a Jordan Montgomery 2017-like performance if circumstances give an opportunity.
Paul Semendinger – For this I decided to try to find a little-known guy so I went to fantraxHQ and read-up on the Yankees top prospects. I recall reading about Canaan Smith last summer and am intrigued. The site states, “Smith’s tools aren’t loud and raw like most players above him. Rather, Smith’s tools fall in the 50 to 55-grade range across the board with no major weaknesses.” I like a solid and stead quality ballplayer. Every team need a few players like that. Mark me eager to see Canaan Smith in action!
Ethan Semendinger – One thing that I truly believe the Yankees need year after year is a top-of-the-line starting left-handed hitter. I understand that a point can be made with advanced statistics that shows that it doesn’t matter as long as they can hit, but then a huge advantage with the short porch in right field is not being fully taken advantage of. That’s why I’m most interested in Estevan Florial (OF). He’s projected to make the big leagues in 2021, and according to scouts has extremely good power, speed, and arm strength around solid fielding and contact ability. He needs to work on his plate discipline with increasing his walks and cutting down on strikeouts before he makes the necessary jumps to Double and Triple-A ball.
Outside of Florial, other prospects that aren’t Jasson Dominguez (OF) and Deivi Garcia (RHP)- both of whom everybody should be excited for- guys like Anthony Volpe (SS), Anthony Seigler (C), and Antonio Cabello (OF) are also guys I’m excited about their development.
Tamar Chalker – I’m excited to see Clarke Schmidt. Since he had TJ surgery right before the Yankees drafted him in 2017, he hasn’t had a lot of professional experience, but last season was impressive. I think there is a good chance he makes his MLB debut this year and I’m intrigued to see how he does.
Andy Singer – The easiest answers are Deivi Garcia and Jasson Dominguez. Everyone who reads SSTN knows that I spent the second half of the 2019 season trying to will Garcia’s way to the Bronx, so obviously I’m ready to see his arrival. Dominguez might me the most highly touted prospect the Yankees have had since either Brien Taylor or Jesus Montero. That said, there is one player that has jumped to the top of my radar heading into 2020.
Luis Medina has always had top-of-the-scale stuff with all 3 of his pitches, and he remains projectable and athletic. The missing piece was his ability to find the plate, even before we start talking about command. By the beginning of last season, it was beginning to look like Medina would not fulfill all the promise many had projected. However, something seemed to click, and Medina finished the season at A+ Tampa. Medina looked fantastic at the end of the season, and he looks primed to prove that his newfound control is ready to stick. With his stuff, Medina could rise quickly through the minor leagues if he can control the baseball and have even a bit of command.
No pitcher in the Yankees’ system possess Medina’s potential on the mound. He has true Ace upside, and he may have found the missing piece to the puzzle. Try to stop me from drooling.
