Baseball America has released their “Top 10″ list for current Yankees prospects and their “Best Tools” list for Yankees minor leaguers. See below:
TOP TEN
PROSPECTS |
| 1. |
Mason Williams, of |
| 2. |
Slade Heathcott, of |
| 3. |
Gary Sanchez, c |
| 4. |
Tyler Austin, of |
| 5. |
Jose Campos, rhp |
| 6. |
Brett Marshall, rhp |
| 7. |
Angelo Gumbs, 2b |
| 8. |
Manny Banuelos, lhp |
| 9. |
Ty Hensley, rhp |
| 10. |
Rafael De Paula, rhp |
|
BEST
TOOLS |
| Best Hitter for Average |
Tyler Austin |
| Best Power Hitter |
Gary Sanchez |
| Best Strike Zone Discipline |
Taylor Dugas |
| Fastest Baserunner |
Mason Williams |
| Best Athlete |
Mason Williams |
| Best Fastball |
Jose Ramirez |
| Best Curveball |
Bryan Mitchell |
| Best Slider |
Mark Montgomery |
| Best Changeup |
Brett Marshall |
| Best Control |
Caleb Cotham |
| Best Defensive Catcher |
Austin Romine |
| Best Defensive Infielder |
Cito Culver |
| Best Infield Arm |
Cito Culver |
| Best Defensive OF |
Mason Williams |
| Best Outfield Arm |
Slade Heathcott |
|
So, does this list excite you or make you yawn?
It was a bad year for the farm system overall but with some cause for optimism (for Mason Williams, Gary Sanchez and the future of our bullpen with guys like Montgomery and Cotham).
Does this list excite me? No, not especially. But it doesn’t leave me feeling dejected either. The perception of a minor league system (in December) is colored by what transpired in the previous season. As we know, a minor league system can look terrible one year and outstanding the next. There is enough in this list to see cause for optimism.
It’s time to shit or get off the pot with Romine and Banuelos, however. Spin them off for useful pieces today because their value has plateaued and the last time the Yankees dithered with a prospect, we ended up trading Montero for Pineda (who I think is useless).
It’s interesting to see these names NOT on the Top Ten list:
Dante Bichette
Cito Culver
J.R. Murphy
Austin Romine
Rob Segedin
Adam Warren
Andrew Cave
Robert Lyerly
Dellin Betances
Jeremy Bleich
Is that because they are now busted picks? Or, is it because the Top 10 list is SO GOOD that they got bounced out? I think it’s the former and not the latter.
@ Steve L.:
Pick your spots more carefully:
-Jeremy Bleich hasn’t been in any BA top-10 list so why would he appear now, after logging only 33 IP this year while coming off injury? Totally disingenuous to include him.
-Dellin Betances had a catastrophic 2012 season, failing to build on the promise of 2010 and 2011.
-Again, Lyerly has never appeared in a BA top-10 list so why would he appear now? He played in five games this year and was a college bat of modest upside.
-All the players in the 2012 edition of the top-10 are better than Bichette or Culver. This is a good thing.
-Rob Segedin? As with Lyerly/Bleich, I’m not following why you’re asking about a guy that was never deemed worthy enough of top-10 list praise.
-Adam Warren has plateaued into what he was always supposed to be: a back-end starter with the floor of a likely MLB middle reliever. He would’ve gotten more play this year if not for the Yankees’ preference for MLB vets like Freddy Garcia or for the fact that his facimile David Phelps beat him out for the spot-starter/reliever role. Again, this is a good thing because it means the Yankees have depth at this position.
I have a sick, sick feeling that this is 1982. Hank put Cashman in a corner w/ A-Rod, the Yankees strangely passing up taking a flyer on some of the international talent the last couple of years, nothing in the high minors. I wouldn’t bet my life for Derek’s house and past girlfriends that the Yanks are being prepared to be sold. If the Yanks are really sticking to the salary cap, there is nothing to look forward to for 2-3 years.
At least the bullpen, and back of the rotation part is covered. Steve, it’s pretty much ‘put up, or shut-up’ for Cashman this off-season, no?
KPOcala wrote:
Nah. He’s Teflon. Nothing sticks to him. If the Yankees go backwards and/or fail this season, he’ll escape the blame. He always does…
KPOcala wrote:
Why? That would imply that the only things to look forward to are big, splashy moves and, based on your other comments, it would also seem that you don’t like that approach.
Seems contradictory to want a more organic approach to team-building and to lament that the Yankees will be doing just that over the next few years as they work towards the luxury tax threshold reset of 2014.
Steve L. wrote:
Cashman serves at the pleasure of his employers. To say that nothing sticks to him means that your ire should be directed at his superiors and not at the man himself. It’s not like he’s going to just quit his job because you think he’s bad for the team.
Clearly the Yankees higher on the food chain must think Cashman is competent enough to keep his job and the consensus around baseball is that he is indeed a good GM. You may disagree but the only people that share your opinion are a segment of spoiled fans. Most baseball insiders and Cashman’s own employers think you and your cohort are wrong.
@ MJ Recanati:MJ, I’ve never been one of those “organic approach” purists that seem to dominate the blogs. The Yankees have always had the resources to build from within, and to buy what they wanted. The fact that the media/fans want to paint a contrary story doesn’t make it true. But, look at organization. “ManBam” “best lefty prospect since Guidry”, well he’s at least 3 years away, the other killer “B”‘s aren’t. What was regarded as an organizational strength, pitching,triple A last year seems to have evaporated. No prospects that will help the Yanks for possible 3 years. Now we come to “The Money Machine” itself. Some good players, yes. But A-Rod and Jeter could drop off the cliff at any time now. The line-up isn’t scary. Well, it scares me. I came across someone asking Mike Axisa yesterday during a chat if trading Granderson and Cano a haul. In his opinion, 2 top-tiered, plus 3 second tiered prospects. (Forgive the segues, I’m in a hurry). When I saw that, I thought, “why not”. Blows ’13′, but gives salary relief, prospects, and chance for Cashman to still field a decent team. No chance it happens, but the thought of giving Cano the bank makes me ill….FWIW, your right, Cashman does ‘serve at the pleasure of his employers’, which make me believe that the Steins are looking to prep the team for sale…..
Again, sorry for the ramble. No time for any sort of polishing……
KPOcala wrote:
And could be reestablished in another year. Someone in the system could step up, it has happened before.
@ Raf: Raf, your right, naturally being a fan I had to toss in some hyperbole. But, (I know that this stuff is almost meaningless) I can’t think of many/any? buzz about anyone in the mid to high levels that generate buzz, pitching wise. Of course, many ‘can’t miss’ prospects do, and I’d say that the pitcher that has deception, repeats his delivery, and can read a hitter’s bat is more important than velocity, or even the magical “electric stuff”. Still it’s disconcerting the way the minor league organizationally seemed to fall back. Maybe they’ll sign 3 phenoms out of Polynesia, and Cashman scales the Empire State Building w/o gear…
@ KPOcala:
Not all prospects have to be guys we know about for years and years. All it takes for a prospect to make himself a known commodity is a good season in winter ball or a good season in the Arizona Fall League or a good season in the minors. In other words, just because you don’t think the system looks good today, doesn’t mean that at this time next year the system can’t impress you with the exact same players.
Brandon Belt is a great example. One great minor league season and everyone went nuts for him
@ MJ Recanati:Well, your right MJ. But it’s that old small sample size thing. On the bright side, a lot of HOF’s are guys that suddenly put it together, I remember when everyone (ok, not HOF) laughed at the Yankees trading the highly touted Roberto Kelly for Paul O’Neil, and the Bernie Williams would be “speed player”…