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The New York Yankees will be our next stop on the farm to evaluate the best prospects on each MLB team. Once the 2020 MLB season begins, it may turn out that Minor League systems will be more important than usual. Franchises are losing money during the pandemic layoff, so many teams will be looking for sources of cheap production. It might also take older players longer to rebound from a long layoff meaning we could see more injuries and more roster moves. We will also see expanded rosters, at least in the early going.
One important question to ask is: How will a long layoff affect prospects? One has to assume the more advanced prospects prior to the work stoppage will be at an advantage, while the more “toolsy but raw” type could be hurt with the lack of repetition and in-game action; throwing or hitting in simulated environments just doesn’t match up to the real thing. Many prospects will have to work jobs during the pandemic just to make ends meet, while players who signed for large bonuses will have an advantage. Other prospects that lack strong discipline and commitment to their craft could struggle to stay in shape.
We won’t really know what the layoff impact will have on baseball in general until things start ramping up. But we do know that a strong prospect pool will continue to be an important element for a successful baseball franchise. We're looking at the Top 10 (or more) dynasty prospects in each organization with an eye to discovering which organizations are best positioned to succeed with their player development when games resume. Make sure to check out all of our prospect content, including Top 50 for 2020 and Top 250 for Dynasty Leagues.
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Quick Synopsis
The Yankees system is all about the arms. The team has a knack for finding hard-throwing arms on the international market. Oh, and they have that offensive beast Jasson Dominguez, too. In total, seven of the club’s Top 10 prospects were found on the international market.
1. Jasson Dominguez, OF
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 37
2020 LEVEL: SS-A
MLB ETA: 2024
He hasn’t even played a professional game yet but the hype train is already working overtime on Dominguez so keep that in mind when investing in him. He has the potential to be a five-tool player with some tossing around Mike Trout comparisons for Dominguez’ potential to be a 30-30 player. Or he could top out in A-ball. The wiped out minor league season will likely hurt many of these lower-level prospects.
2. Deivi Garcia, RHP
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 78
2020 Prospect Rank: 29
2020 LEVEL: AAA
MLB ETA: 2020
After playing at three levels in 2019, Garcia is nearly ready for the Majors at the age of 21. He has a chance to have three above-average offerings, including a heater that tickles 96-97 mph. The things to watch with Garcia are his inconsistent control as well as his lack of size, which could impact his durability as a starter. MLB history is lacking in power-pitchers with 5-foot-9, 165 pound frames.
3. Clarke Schmidt, RHP
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 97
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2021
Schmidt was snagged by the Yankees 15th overall in the 2017 draft out of college but required patience as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. The wait was worth it, though, and he came back showing three above-average offerings and a fastball that was back up touching 95-97 mph. He produced an impressive K-BB of 102-28 in 90.2 innings while inducing a ton of ground-ball outs. The biggest concern with Schmidt is the durability. He’s on the smallish side for a pitcher, has Tommy John in his past, and missed time last year with elbow soreness.
4. Luis Gil, RHP
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 120
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022
A young, power arm, Gil was stolen from the Twins system in a relatively minor trade a couple of years ago. Gil can tickle triple digits with his heater and backs it up with a high-spin-rate slider. The downside on this young arm is that he lacks a reliable third offering and struggles with both his command and control. Gil needs to learn to take a little bit off his stuff at times and focus more on changing speeds while developing a change-of-pace offering to stick as a starter.
5. Albert Abreu, RHP
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 160
2020 LEVEL: AA
MLB ETA: 2021
Abreu has the makings of a frontline starter with three pitches that flash above-average potential. He can work in the upper 90s with his fastball. But he also really struggles to find the plate on a consistent basis, which leads to high walk totals and more hits than you like to see. Because he has a chance for three above-average offerings, the Yankees will likely stick with him as a starter for a while longer but he could also thrive in shorter stints as a high-leverage reliever.
6. Roansy Contreras, RHP
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022
I like Contreras more than the consensus because he has a nice delivery, good control and shows the makings of at least three average offerings. He has less risk than some of the arms ahead of him but also a lower ceiling. He could develop into a reliable No. 4 starter. He can hit the mid-90s with his heater and shows a very good changeup but he needs to improve his breaking ball and sharpen his command. It would also be nice if Contreras could find a way to induce more ground balls which would be the real trick to reaching his ceiling. He has a lot of intangibles that young pitchers lack and is also in a system that’s very good at developing young players.
7. Alexander Vizcaino, RHP
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022
Vizcaino has the potential to develop into a mid-rotation starter given his raw stuff but I think we’ll see him end up as a high-leverage arm out of the bullpen. He can hit triple digits on the radar gun and backs it up with a plus splitter-like changeup. His slider is OK but it more of a “different look” offering than a swing-and-miss weapon. When he’s on, Vizcaino can induce a lot of ground balls.
8. Anthony Volpe, SS
2020 LEVEL: SS-A
MLB ETA: 2023
I was a big fan of Volpe heading into the 2019 draft although most draft analysts had him ranked as more of a second or third round talent. The Yankees agreed with my assessment and nabbed him near the back of the first round and ponied up almost $3 million to keep him away from Vanderbilt University. He doesn’t have a ton of present power, but Volpe shows an advanced bat for his age and backs it up with above-average speed. The instincts and feel for the game are there so if he has the maturity to handle the professional environment, he could really move quickly for a teenaged prospect.
9. Oswald Peraza, SS
2020 LEVEL: A-
MLB ETA: 2022
As with a lot of the Yankees’ prospects, you have to dream a little bit with Peraza. He shows an advanced feel for the bat for his age (19) and he also has above-average speed which could lead to 20+ stolen bases at the MLB level. But this young shortstop also needs to get stronger so he can better impact the ball as he moves up to face stronger pitching. If he can sting the ball more consistently, he could develop into an everyday player with above-average defense at shortstop.
10. Josh Smith, SS/2B
Dynasty Prospect Rank: 242
2020 LEVEL: A+
MLB ETA: 2022
The Yankees’ second-round pick in 2019, Smith showed a strong all-around game in his pro debut with a strong on-base presence (.450 on-base percentage in 33 games) and good speed (17 steals). Smith isn’t the most toolsy player but he’s a smart player with good instincts who looks like a future offensive-minded second baseman with the ability to hit 15+ home runs and steal 20 bases while showing well in on-base leagues.
