2018 Yankee Prospect Thread

[Fan_since_Boggs]

There is speculation that C.Adams will get the start on Saturday against the Red Sox. Wow. Of course, the Yankees would first have to put Adams on the 40 man roster but they do have a spot.

 

Sheffield can't go on Saturday--I believe he pitched Thursday night. In contrast, Adams is scheduled to pitch in AAA on Saturday.

 

It is also possible that the Yankees will go with a bullpen game on Saturday. Nothing official yet, but Lynn and Cessa definitely aren't pitching on Saturday.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Fan_since_Boggs

[moonslav59]

I've been on the road traveling with family, but I did scratch my head over the Yankee deals.

 

Adam Warren for slot money. 1.6 WAR since 2017 (2.45 ERA and 1.02 WHIP)

 

How much did you guys lose in farm depth with the Lynn and other deals?

[jacksonianmarch]

Not much in farm depth. We dealt off lower level guys. What f***ing baffles the s*** out of me is why Sheff is still in the minors. The guy is left handed, which the Sox don’t do well against, he’s been entirely dominant and is gaining nothing from the minors. Chance has been inconsistent at best in AAA this year, yet he’s coming off his best start (7.1IP 0ER). I don’t think it’s a good matchup for a kid who’s developed command issues

[bkzwhitestrican]

High A Tampa Yankees lost in extra innings while throwing a no hitter. How crazy is that.

 

On the bright side, Deivi Garcia continued to dominate, throwing 7 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 12 Ks

[Kimmi]

High A Tampa Yankees lost in extra innings while throwing a no hitter. How crazy is that.

 

On the bright side, Deivi Garcia continued to dominate, throwing 7 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 12 Ks

 

That is crazy. It's the kind of thing that makes baseball the best sport in the world.

[jacksonianmarch]

Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt and Roansy Contreras are jumping up prospect lists. They made Tate and the other pitchers expendable.

[jacksonianmarch]

Sheff goes another 5 scoreless. That brings his total up to 107IP. The kid hasn’t gone past 130 IP his MILB career. My bet is they’ll let him go 5-6IP per start for his next 3 starts then get him a start or two in the playoffs which should get him over 130IP. Then he’ll head to the AFL where he’ll get another 20-30 IP which should allow him to get up to the 150-160 mark on the year. This would put him in the 180-190 category for next season, which should squarely put him into our rotation plans. With Lynn and Happ in the rotation and the rest of the guys seeming healthy, I think they’re sticking with Sheff’s development

[moonslav59]

Sheff goes another 5 scoreless. That brings his total up to 107IP.

 

Wow, 107 scoreless innings. He should be in the bigs!

 

(LOL)

[jacksonianmarch]

I’m perplexed by the BA ranking of our system then the write ups. They don’t jive. We have one of the deepest systems in baseball. We have low minors guys breaking radar guns. High velocity kids at young ages, so many it’s insane per Josh Norris. Yet because we graduate Torres and Andujar, we drop to 17th? MLB pipeline has us at 10, which I think is a bit more reasonable.

 

BA has separated itself out by listing farm systems as listing farm systems with the most proximal impact. I get that, but say that outright. Don’t just slam a farm for having graduated players and having a really deep lower level pool that hasn’t had the chance to move up yet. Either way, the pundits are saying what I’ve been saying here. The depth is ridiculous and part of the reason why we parted with some prospect who were at the upper levels so we could make room for those guys coming up

[bkzwhitestrican]

I’m perplexed by the BA ranking of our system then the write ups. They don’t jive. We have one of the deepest systems in baseball. We have low minors guys breaking radar guns. High velocity kids at young ages, so many it’s insane per Josh Norris. Yet because we graduate Torres and Andujar, we drop to 17th? MLB pipeline has us at 10, which I think is a bit more reasonable.

 

BA has separated itself out by listing farm systems as listing farm systems with the most proximal impact. I get that, but say that outright. Don’t just slam a farm for having graduated players and having a really deep lower level pool that hasn’t had the chance to move up yet. Either way, the pundits are saying what I’ve been saying here. The depth is ridiculous and part of the reason why we parted with some prospect who were at the upper levels so we could make room for those guys coming up

 

I think the ranking is fair. We have tons of highly talented prospects who are Single A or lower. We don't really have many impact prospects at higher levels. There's Sheffield. Mike King has kinda burst onto the scene this year as well. But other than that our top higher level guys have had down years or have been injured.

[jacksonianmarch]

https://nypost.com/2018/08/13/its-been-a-while-since-yankees-farm-system-was-this-underrated/

 

This is the article I am referencing where the NY Post interviewed Norris and Callis. I don't know how you can say a farm system is among the deepest in the game then rank them in the bottom half. I don't get that comment. I understand that proximity is important, but making that comment is confusing

 

Here is Callis' quote “I still think they have one of the deepest systems in baseball,” said MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis

 

How do you say that then rank them 17th? I don't understand it

 

Here is a Norris quote. “They have so many guys who throw mid- to upper 90s, it’s kind of insane,” Norris said

[jacksonianmarch]

One trade that seemed to have worked out in our favor was the Garrett Cooper and Caleb Smith deal to the Marlins for Michael King and INTL money. King was drafted out of BC in the 12th round and initially was sitting in the 80s. He has since elevated his velo into the 92-94 range topping out at 96. He throws a hard sinker as well as 2 good secondary pitches and solid command. He squarely fit into the mid to back end of a rotation pile. Well, things have changed this season. The Yanks made their tweaks and he's been unstoppable. The Yanks got him after he finished his A league debut in 2017. All he has done is rip his way through the minor leagues and is now clearly in the prospect picture in NYY and around MLB. His cumulative effort on the year is 155.1IP 115H 31ER 27BB 148K for an ERA of 1.80, a WHIP of 0.91, 8.6K/9IP, 1.6BB/9IP and a stupid 5.5K/BB. Add in that his groundball rate is elite and you have a guy who is clearly in the rotation picture or the trade picture for next season. Considering he spent all year in the SAL in 2017 and has rocketed up to AAA is amazing. Also, consider his last start in AAA, he threw 6 perfect innings with 6K's. His AAA line is just stupid. 1.09ERA, 27/4 K:BB, 0.64WHIP in 5 starts. Keep an eye on him.

 

Another name to keep an eye on is Deivi Garcia. He turned 19 3 months ago and is all the way to High A. He started in extended and saw a promotion to long season A ball in June. He did very well in the SAL, striking out 63 in 40.2IP and working to a 3.76ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. After some moves, the vacuum pushed him to High A, where he has just taken off. 5 starts. 1.27ERA, 0.95WHIP, 11.1K/9IP 2.6BB/9IP. This is a kid who started the year sitting in the low 90s and topping out at 96. Now he is sitting in the mid 90s. His curveball is just deadly and his change has come along. His command and poise at a young age is rare and he is cementing himself as a true top 100 prospect. Expect to see him at the back end of the end of season top 100 prospect lists.

[notin]

https://nypost.com/2018/08/13/its-been-a-while-since-yankees-farm-system-was-this-underrated/

 

This is the article I am referencing where the NY Post interviewed Norris and Callis. I don't know how you can say a farm system is among the deepest in the game then rank them in the bottom half. I don't get that comment. I understand that proximity is important, but making that comment is confusing

 

Here is Callis' quote “I still think they have one of the deepest systems in baseball,” said MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis

 

How do you say that then rank them 17th? I don't understand it

 

Here is a Norris quote. “They have so many guys who throw mid- to upper 90s, it’s kind of insane,” Norris said

 

Most organizations, and certainly Baseball America, rank prospects on the likelihood of being impact players.

 

I think their point was that the Yankees have a large quantity of players who might make an impact, the quality of that impact from many of them might not be so great. A future utility infielder, for example, is a future major leaguer. While this is a good thing to have, it doesn't really increase the impact from the farm substantially.

 

But it does allow for one more minimum wage player on the team, increasing the available budget. However, this is likely not taken into consideration when measuring the impact of the farm, and it should not be.

[jacksonianmarch]

The Yanks have had, on the whole, a bad farm season year. This is in stark comparison to the major league squad, where we will likely have 1 and 2 in the ROY voting. Consider that, if the Yanks do have 1 and 2 in the ROY voting, they will have had 4 players in the top 2 over the past 3 yrs. They also had #6 last year in Montgomery, not too shabby. But I digress

 

They've got a really strange farm now, with all the moves made. We've got one real blue chip offensive prospect who's season was wrecked by a broken wrist in Florial. Other than that, we've seen more guys tank than rise. On the tank side, Thairo Estrada has missed almost the whole year recovering from a gunshot wound in the offseason. Tyler Wade continues to prove he will be a utility guy and maybe a third tier MIF at the big league level. Dermis Garcia showed he at least belonged in long season, but his K rate only marginally improved and his power took a small step back. The most likely guy on the offensive side to be a big league starter is Kyle Holder, and that's because he has the best glove maybe in the entire league, but he can barely hit his weight. Hoy Jun Park continues to show amazing OBP capability and speed, but the hit tool is lacking. The offensive list goes on and on. They clearly added to the farm in a big way with Cabello, Salinas, Seigler, Rosario, Rojas, Garcia, Breaux and Green, yet they're only in short season. So I get the proximity component in the rankings on the offensive end. They've got guys with the talent, but aside from Dom Thompson-Williams, nobody really took the reigns offensively in the long season leagues. DTW, btw, has been awesome with a near .900OPS and 3 steals away from a 20/20 season.

 

But on the pitching end, we have everybody. I would venture to say we have the deepest pitching system in the minors, and it aint close. Also, we brought in a ton of pitching talent in 2017 both via INTL and draft modes. From Sheffield at the top to now Swanson, King, Abreu, Loaisiga, Adams, D. Garcia, Schmidt, Stephan, Otto, Lehnen, German, Acevedo, Whitlock, Contreras, Sauer, Nelson, Green, Depaula, etc etc etc. The list is deep. Nobody can match the velocities or the stuff of our pitchers.

[jacksonianmarch]

Well, this past week was interesting as the regular season ended today.

 

Dermis Garcia launched 2HR today. He played the entire season as a 20 yr old and while his first half was awful, his second half OPS was .827 and he hit 15HR's in 88 games. The kid has power, we will see if he can harness it next year likely in the FSL

 

Albert Abreu finished 2018 on a good note, debuting in AA and throwing 5 hitless innings. It's been somewhat of a lost year for Abreu, initially missing time with an appendectomy then having shoulder fatigue, but he finished well. He is still a top 100 prospect and the plan is to let him get through an offseason healthy and likely debut in AA next season

 

Domingo Acevedo had two month long DL stints this season, one arm related, another from a concussion sustained from a BP line drive. Acevedo was supposedly big league ready and even spent a day on the big league roster, but this year was mostly a wash due to injury. He will head to the AFL to add to his innings.

 

Deivi Garcia got the call to Trenton to finish out the season. He tossed 5 hitless innings in his last start of the year at a new level. He hasn't even turned 20 yet and won't do so until 6 weeks into the big league season next year. The kid is incredible, and is clearly on the radar for the big club except for his innings. He's only at 74IP as most teenagers get capped in the 80 range. If one considers the 30-40IP rule per season, he won't be ready for even a partial season big league load until 2020.

 

Michael King finished the year strong, beating Pawtucket with a brilliant 6IP 1ER outing. The kid has been nothing short of spectacular. He's allowed more than 3ER in a start once in 24 starts this season. He's allowed 3ER twice. The other 21 outings have seen him allow 2 or less earned runs. That is absolutely fantastic. He's also shown that he gets better with each promotion. If he starts out hot in AAA in 2019, he will likely have a spot on the big league club

[jacksonianmarch]

End of season top 10 from BA

1. Sheffield- now dealt to SEA

2. Florial

3. Loaisiga

4. Pereira

5. Seigler

6. Cabello

7. King

8. D. Garcia

9. Contreras

10. Abreu

 

Estevan Florial is a legit CF prospect who had a bad start to 2018 then broke his hamate bone. He never really recovered. His OBP was solid, but his hit tool was down and his power suffered. The Yanks pushed him to the AFL this fall and he was awful. It really was a lost season for him. Despite all this, he doesn't turn 21 until this coming Sunday and was already in High A. He likely gets pushed to AA as the FSL is a notorious pitcher's league and he needs to get used to the breaking balls anyway. His ETA gets pushed back a year so they can improve on his approach. He is a legit 5 tool player, but needs to rebound from what was a lost 2018.

 

Jonathan Loaisiga was an intriguing name coming into the year, and he didn't really disappoint. He was picked up as an MILB FA after TJS. We rehabbed him and he finished 2017 looking like a budding ace. He shot through the minors and ended up making 4 starts for us before shoulder fatigue shut him down for a bit. His short MiLB numbers for 2018 were scintillating. His first stint in NY was actually really good after 4 starts. He returned as a pen arm and wasn't very good. He is now a top 100 prospect and likely headed for the AAA rotation. As a member of the 40 man, he will likely function as our 6th starter

 

Everson Pereiera was a top INTL signee in 2017. He skipped over the DSL and GCL and came to the Appy league shortly after his 17th birthday. He was facing mostly college graduate arms and really held his own. He is a defensive ballhawk in CF. His speed is top notch. He slashed a .263/.322/.389 in 167 AB's and showed enough for BA to have him top 4 in our system. His approach needs refinement as one would expect and his penchant for the K is far too high, but he has the ability to be a 5 tool player and has an outside chance of debuting in the long season leagues at the age of 18

 

Anthony Seigler is a switch hitting, switch throwing catcher who was drafted with the promise of a top notch hit tool, stellar defensive tools and developing power. He missed some time with various ailments in his debut season which limited him to 24 games. In those games, he showed the ability to make contact and take walks. He hit a respectable .266 across two levels and walked more than he struck out. His power was virtually non-existant in his debut season. I expect Anthony to start in the NYP this year for SI. He will turn 20 in season, but the Yankees take FOREVER developing catchers. They probably have him on the track to replace Sanchez assuming they let him play out his years of control as a catcher. This puts his needed ETA four years in the future. They may take that long to develop him, but the tools are there and more importantly, his defensive game is sound.

 

Antonio Cabello can hit and he can fly. He was drafted as a "catcher" but was quickly converted to CF. He has speed to burn and offensive chops to be a top notch hitter with power over time. He played the entire 2018 season as a 17 year old. He got a cup of coffee in the DSL then moved stateside to the GCL and raked. His .308/.427/.522 line in the GCL was incredible. Consider that as a 17 yr old, he struck out only 34 times in 40 games while walking 21 times, you have the makings of a top notch contact hitter with power who knows the zone, can walk and can steal bases (he stole 10 in 46 games). The kid can absolutely rake and IMO, should be higher on the list. I doubt the Yanks push him past all the short season leagues, but his bat may push him to long season sooner rather than later.

 

Michael King was acquired in a 40 man dump deal with Florida that got us extra INTL funds. He found extra velocity and effectively dominated the minor leagues. He allowed 2 or fewer runs in all but 3 starts this year. He ran through the minors and finished in AAA, where he was absolutely dominant in 6 starts (1.15ERA). He struck out almost a batter per inning, he walked only 29 in 161IP and his ERA over 3 levels was a miniscule 1.79. He is mostly a sinker, slider, change guy whose sinker jumped up to the 93-96 range and hence he started striking people out and getting great GB rates (GO/AO 1.42). He likely isn't going to shake the mid rotation starter projection just because he is a sinker/slider guy, but he is squarely in the 6th-7th starter depth position for the big league club and will be in AAA to start the year with Loaisiga

 

Deivi Garcia was a beast in 2018. He turned 19 in May and started the year in Extended ST. He skipped the short season leagues due to need and went to Charleston where his peripherals outperformed his ERA (3.76). When the deadline deals were make, he was pushed to High A where he dominated and finished the year in AA where he tossed 5 no hit innings. His overall stat line for 2018 was absurb for a guy who turned 19 in season and finished in AA. 74IP 2.55ERA 0.95WHIP 12.8K/9IP 2.4BB/9IP 0.6HR/9IP 5.33K/BB. And that is a kid who doesn't turn 20 until May 2019. His stuff flashed up as expected, with his fastball sitting in the 92-95 range, but it was the command of his curve and change that really jumped out. He has the makings of an absolute monster and he isn't even done growing into his body yet.

 

Roansy Contreras was the big acquisition of the 2016 INTL FA class for us as we were limited to a $300K max due to our 2014 outlay. Contreras had a reasonable good debut in 2017, but really exploded in 2018. His FB velocity jumped into the mid to high 90s, yet his command didn't suffer. His curveball has plus spin and is effectively unfair in the lower minors and he has started working on his change. His numbers really popped in 2018 and saw him finish the year in long season as an 18 yr old. He just turned 19 2 weeks ago and might be ticketed to High A for 2019.

 

Incredible to see Abreu drop down to 10th when he was still listed as a top 100 prospect as little as 3 months ago. Abreu still showed the top notch stuff, but he missed time with arm fatigue and an appendectomy. He tops out at 100mph and has an absolutely lights out slider. His change is good too. When he takes the mound, he has dominated. He returned too soon after shoulder fatigue and gave up 8ER in 0.1IP, but outside of that, he dominated again. He finished the year healthy with a 5 inning no hit performance in AA and should stay there for 2019. He remains a guy with tantalizing stuff who has trouble taking the mound. If he can stay healthy, he will ascend to the very top of pitching prospect, not just in the system, but the game

 

Overall, I like their list. I like that they aren't just tossing players with long season experience on a list and are going by talent. The lower levels of our system are totally stacked. I think the next man up on this list with Sheff now gone is probably Clarke Schmidt. He is the 2017 first rounder we drafted after having TJS. He returned towards the end of 2018 and dominated in short season ball. 30/6 K/BB ratio in 23.1IP over 8 appearances. Only 16 hits and a high GB%. He was in consideration for a top 10 draft slot when we took him and now that he is healthy, he is gonna shoot up prospect rankings. His velocity returned as well, which will be very key for him