Yankees Prospect Individual Player Updates
by James Vlietstra
June 25, 2021
***
For years now, I have been a minor league junky. While I spend most of my “free” time watching the Yankees, I made sure to read River Ave Blues’ Down On The Farm. Now that they are no longer posting, I eagerly await Sports Kibble’s nightly recap. I once even tried my hand at doing it for another outlet and let me tell you, there’s a lot of time and energy that these guys put into it…
Still, it’s a labor of love, so I bring thus update to our readers.
As of Father’s Day (June 20), the Yankees Minor League System is a combined 108-55.
With this record, the Yankees are, by far, the best organization in the sport. They are followed by The Kansas City Royals (8.5 GB), Tampa Bay Rays (9.5), Pittsburgh Pirates (11), and Boston Red Sox (12). They are a whopping 48.5 games ahead of the “crosstown” Mets.
Obviously the players are performing well. The draft is quickly approaching as is the beginning of the Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League. We are 40+ games into the minor league season. I decided that this a good time to evaluate how many of the Yankees’ prospects are progressing.
Sit back and enjoy. This is a long and extensive list.
First, I am going to use MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 rankings and go through each of the players. Following that list, I will look at some more experienced veterans, then a bunch of unranked prospects, and finally some of the players that the Yankees have recently traded.
Yankees on the MLB Pipeline Top 30
1. Jasson Dominguez 18, OF Ranked in the top 50 by most major publications. Has yet to make his professional debut. Is expected to start in the GCL when they open up.
2. Clarke Schmidt 25, RHP on 40-man roster. Top 100 prospect. Suffered an elbow strain during spring training. Is on the 60-day IL. Rumor has it he is looking good at the complex in Tampa and could be a viable second half option.
3. Deivi Garcia 22, RHP on the 40-man roster. Top 100 prospect. . Has been used to make a couple of spot starts for the Yankees. His performance at AAA Scranton has been less than stellar. In 27.2 IP he has allowed 25 runs, and has allowed 53 runners, including 23 walks.
4. Oswald Peraza 21, SS on the 40-man roster. Began the year with A+ Hudson Valley Renegades and has made the jump to AA Somerset Patriots. He is among the organization’s leaders in almost every offensive category. Could find himself on a top 100 list this off-season.
5. Luis Gil 23, RHP on the 40-man roster. Was recently promoted from AA Somerset to AAA Scranton. Combined he has pitched well, striking out 54 in 35.2 innings pitched.
6. Austin Wells 21, C He’s been right at the heart of the A- Tampa Tarpons juggernaut offense, providing power and speed along with better than expected defense.
7. Luis Medina 22, RHP on 40-man roster. Was the ace of the Renegades elite starting rotation. Was promoted to Somerset. He has struck out 60 in 38.1 innings and more importantly has limited his opponents to 21 walks. Still room for improvement, but markedly better than three years ago. If his next 100 innings continue this trajectory, he’s another top 100 candidate.
8. Yoendrys Gomez 21, RHP on the 40-man roster. Just began his season after an apparent injury. Currently with Tampa, expected to move up quickly. Someone is going to have to pitch once everyone hits their innings limits in the second half of the season. Perhaps he could be an option.
9. Alexander Vizcaino 24, RHP on 40-man. Has yet to pitch this season. I have not heard any updates on him.
10. Estevan Florial 23, OF on the 40-man roster. Has had a quick cameo each of the last two MLB seasons. Began the season in Somerset and after a hot start was promoted to Scranton where he has really struggled with his pitch recognition. This should not be a surprise as he has basically missed three years of development due to injury and Covid. Last week we did see signs of life in his bat. Hopefully this continues.
11. Anthony Volpe 20, SS playing for the Tarpons and is among the organization’s leader in almost every offensive category. If he continues his hot hitting, he could be yet another one making off-season lists.
12. Kevin Alcantara 18, OF Has yet to make his season debut, which means it’s been 20 months since he has been in a competitive game. His star was on the rise at the end of the 2019 season as a 17-year-old. Very intriguing player. Expecting him in GCL.
13. Alexander Vargas 19, SS According to his Baseball Reference page, he doesn’t have a team affiliation. He hasn’t played since 2019. I currently don’t know his status. Expecting to see him in GCL.
14. Josh Smith 23, SS He got a late start to his 2021 campaign. He started in Tampa and was promoted to Hudson Valley after only 11 games. In a system loaded with middle infielders, he may be the best. His V-Rating sits at 1.298.
15. Ezequiel Duran 22, 2nd. Has displayed power and speed and good defense as he has been an offensive leader for the Renegades.
16. TJ Sikkema 22, LHP currently on the 60-day IL. Has not pitched at all since 2019.
17. Everson Pereira 20, OF Has yet to make his season debut.
18. Albert Abreu 25, RHP on 40-man roster. Has been very effective out of the bullpen for both the Yankees and the RailRiders. Expect him to get more and more opportunities.
19. Josh Breaux 23, C The starting catcher for the Renegades hasn’t displayed the power that he’s typically known for, but he’s getting lots of experience which is key to his development
20. Brandon Lockridge 24, OF Injuries have slowed him early on this season. He needs to stay on the field and prove what he is capable of.
21. Antonio Gomez 19, C Yet to make his season debut.
22. Anthony Seigler 22, C Has only played in a limited amount of games for the Renegades due to early season injuries. So far he hasn’t produced much.
23. Trevor Hauver 22, 2nd. Came out of the gate this season on fire but has cooled considerably since. Still amongst the organization’s leaders in most offensive category. Playing in Tampa.
24. Beck Way 21, RHP Got a late start to the season but is slowly getting his feet wet in Tampa.
25. Ryder Green 21. OF Has yet to make his season debut. He is another player that doesn’t show a team affiliation. I am assuming he plays for GCL Yankees.
26. Matt Sauer22, RHP Spent the pandemic recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Currently slowly easing back into playing with the Tarpons.
27. Ken Waldichuk 23, LHP Did not allow a single run during his entire tenure with The Hudson Valley Renegades. He was truly dominant there. . Was promoted to Somerset which could springboard him to a Top-10 ranking or bury him like it has many others.
28. Glenn Otto 25, RHP Piling up the innings and strikeouts for Somerset. That’ll help increase his value in the off-season and next year.
29. Jake Sanford 23, OF Getting lots of hits for Tampa, but as of now mostly singles to go along with lots of strikeouts.
30. Hayden Wesneski 23, RHP Another Renegades pitcher that simply dominated with high strikeouts and low runs. Was also promoted to Somerset. Part of a very intriguing pitching rotation.
***
Triple-A Options
The Yankees currently have several big league players that have really struggled this year. They recently traded Mike Ford to open up a roster spot. Rougned Odor is a potential DFA candidate. Even Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner could be replaced if they don’t turn it around soon.
Every year there are lots of players that are brought in to play in AAA and are emergency only options.
Here is how some of these people are playing so far:
Nick Goody 28, RHP A legitimate Major League option. He’s 4-1 with a 2.55 ERA. In 17.2 IP he has struck out 29 batters. He also has A 0..792 WHIP and 14.8 k/9
Kyle Barraclough 31, RHP was 4-0 with a 3.21 ERA along with 24 k in 14.2 IP before opting out and signing with the Minnesota Twins.
Luis Garcia 34, RHP 1-1 3.94 ERA 11 Saves 16 IP 18 K
Greg Allen 28, OF was injured when he would have gotten his opportunity in the Bronx. .712 OPS
Socrates Brito 28, OF Has played to a .799 OPS
Rob Brantly 31, C has been very productive with a .859 OPS in 22 games.
Robinson Chirinos 37, C Through 12 games he’s put up an even better.965 OPS
Derek Dietrich 31, 2nd has really struggled through 29 games with only a .711 OPS but his June has been remarkably better than his May.
Max McDowell 27, C Played in 19 games between Somerset and Scranton with a .573 OPS.
Andrew Velazquez 26, SS In 34 games he has a .702 OPS
Sal Romano 27, RHP He recently signed with the Yankees and has thrown only 11.2 innings so far.
Adam Warren 33, RHP He is 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA and has struck out 17 in 20 innings pitched.
Asher Wojciechowski 32, RHP Has yet to play.
Kaleb Cowart 28, IF Has yet to play.
Matt Bowman 30, RHP has not played
Justin O’Connor 29, C hasn’t played
Reggie McClain 28, RHP 3-0 1.06 ERA 17 IP, 16 K 0.941 WHIP
Addison Russ 26, RHP pitched for Scranton and Somerset 13.1 IP 16 K
Stephen Ridings 25, RHP For Somerset has a 2-0, 0,61 ERA, 2 saves. 14.2 IP, 24 K, 0.545 WHIP, 14.7 k/9
***
Other Notable Prospects
The following players are not part of MLB Pipeline’s top 30 prospects, but are in varying points of development. Some have been in the system for 7+ years.
Raimfer Salinas 20, OF Has not played
Oswaldo Cabrera 22, SS Hitting his highest OPS since 2016 for Somerset
Freicer Perez 25, RHP Hasn’t played since 2018
Ronny Rojas 19, 3B Hasn’t played
Dermis Garcia 23, 1B Not surprisingly leads the organization in HR and Strike Outs. Playing in Somerset.
Hoy Park 25, SS Having by far his best career year with Scranton. Even adding Centerfield to his defensive chops. He’s on the verge of a call up.
Trey Amburgey 26, OF Also having his best career year for Scranton. Fans are clamoring for his immediate promotion.
Braden Bristo 26, RHP 4-0, 0.46 ERA. Has allowed 14 base runners and one run in 19 innings Pitched for Scranton.
Tanner Matt 23, RHP 19 K in 13.2 innings for Hudson Valley
Saul Torres 22, C Third string catcher for Renegades.
Donny Sands 25, C In the organization since 2015. He’s having his best season ever for Somerset
Anthony Garcia 20, OF Hasn’t played. Baseball Reference shows no team affiliation
Matt Krook 26, LHP For Somerset, he’s 1-1, 2.15 ERA 29.1 IP, 44 k, 0.886 WHIP
Diego Castillo 23, SS Another best career year, .995 OPS for Somerset
Andres Chaparro 22, 3B Having a big year in Tampa
Pat DeMarco 23, OF Very productive year for Tampa
Kyle Holder 27, SS Spent most of the year on the IL after being returned from the Rule 5 Draft
JP Sears 25, LHP 3-0, 1.97 ERA 27.1 IP, 46 K, 15.1 k/9 for Somerset
Janson Junk 25, RHP 2-1, 1.03 ERA 35 IP 43 k 0.857 WHIP, 11.1 k/9 for Somerset
Connor Cannon 23, 1B Was part of the return for Mike Tauchman. Hasn’t played. Known for injuries and HRs
Shawn Semple 25, RHP moved from Somerset to HV after lots of moves last week. He has excelled.
Nick Ernst 24, RHP Leads the organization with a 16.8 k/9 rate for HV
***
Undrafted FA & IFA
Here are some of the undrafted free agents and IFA the Yankees have signed within the past year:
Elijah Dunham 23, OF (from Evansville, IN) Was promoted from Tampa to HV and is having an incredible start to his career.
Connor Pellerin 21, RHP only has 4 innings pitched
Trevor Holloway 24, RHP has 42k in 27.2 ip. Leads organization in wins
Carson Coleman 23, RHP has been pitching for Tampa
Aaron Palensky 22, OF performing well in Somerset
Ocean Gabonia 19, RHP there’s no team affiliation
Blane Abeyta 22, RHP Has been getting hit hard in Tampa, but in his defense, the offense has been pummeling their opponents and he’s just finishing up the game.
Jarod Lessar 24, RHP hasn’t played
Clay Aguilar 22, LHP has limited innings for Tampa
***
Traded Away
Here are some of the former Yankees prospects that were recently traded.
Frank German 23 , RHP has struggled in AA for Red Sox
Maikol Escotto 19, SS A- for Pirates. Tearing the cover off the ball
Canaan Smith 22, OF .816 OPS for Pirates AA affiliate
Roansy Contreras 21, RHP on Pirates 40-man. In AA 3-1, 2.03 40 ip , 57 k
Miguel Yajure 23, RHP on Pirates 40 man. Split season between AAA and Pittsburgh
Antonio Cabello , 20 OF has a .473 OPS for the Texas Rangers low A team
Josh Stowers 24, OF Has a .815 OPS For Rangers AA squad
Thairo Estrada 25, SS Proving he doesn’t belong in AAA for the San Francisco Giants.
Trevor Stephan 25, RHP selected in the Rule 5 by Cleveland Indians. Has 3.67 RRA and 31 k in 27 IP
Garrett Whitlock 25, RHP selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Red Sox. Is 2-1, 1.57 EEA 36 k in 34.1 ip
Mike Tauchman 30, OF has an OPS of 0.558 for the Giants
***
Stay tuned, soon, for another update!
