Yankees Top Prospect Countdown: #6 Dante Bichette Jr.

#6 – Dante Bichette Jr.

Bats: R            Throws: R
Height: 6’1”    Weight: 215
D.O.B.: 9/26/92          Highest MiLB Level: Low-A

Stats:
2011 (Rookie; 2 games at Low-A): .335/.440/.507; 248 PA, 203 AB, 34 R, 17 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 3 SB, 31 BB, 43 K

There’s not a whole lot to say about young Dante Bichette Jr. outside of projections simply because he has not yet spent enough time in the minor leagues. Bichette Jr. was drafted by the Yankees in the 2011 Draft with their first pick (51^st overall) and agreed to a $750K deal. The third baseman was set to attend the University of Georgia before agreeing to a deal with the Yankees, and his rigorous baseball upbringing is evident in his skills and physique. Notice that Bichettte is already 55 pounds heavier than the #7 prospect, Ravel Santana, despite being just slightly shorter.

As you’d expect from such a large guy, Bichette is strong at the plate and projects to have excellent raw power, so much so that he was named #1 on Baseball America’s list of Top-20 Gulf Coast League prospects. But with 43 strikeouts in just 54 games there is still a good deal of tinkering to be done with Bichette’s swing and plate discipline. The good news is that the 19-year old has plenty of time to work on that, and he is already off to a great start.

To see our prospect countdown so far, check out:
#10 – Slade Heathcott here,
#9 – J.R. Murphy here,
#8 – Austin Romine here, and
#7 – Ravel Santana here.

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