Yankees Deadline Acquisition Billy McKinney Continues to Struggle

Highly regarded prospect Billy McKinney has continued to struggle in the Yankees system since coming over from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman trade.

Outfielder Billy McKinney looked like a potential steal for the Yankees as the second piece in the Aroldis Chapman trade. 19-year-old shortstop Gleyber Torres was the clear headliner of the deal, but McKinney was a Top-100 type talent in his own right.

Keith Law of ESPN was the most enthusiastic about McKinney before 2016, ranking him 69th on his preseason Top 100 list (Insider subscription required), noting his “beautiful, fluid left-handed swing” and predicting a future as a “high-OBP, high-doubles guy.”

MLB.com (88th) and Baseball Prospectus (74th) also had McKinney in their preseason Top 100 lists, although Baseball America did not.

McKinney is a guy whose value comes exclusively from his hit tool. he’s not particularly fast or strong, and is not more than an average defender. But man did he hit in 2015, putting up a .300/.371/.454 slash line in 433 plate appearances split between High-A and Double-A in the Cubs system.

In mid-August McKinney suffered a hairline fracture in his right knee after fouling a ball of it in batting practice. He missed the remainder of the season, but told reporters he was fully recovered coming into spring training this year.

That may not have been completely accurate, as McKinney has been nowhere near his usual level of production in 2016. He began the year by hitting .252/.355/.322 in 349 plate appearances for Double-A Tennesse, Chicago’s Southern League affiliate.

A change of scenery has not helped McKinney either. In 22 games since coming over to the Yankees since the Chapman trade, McKinney’s struggles have increased if anything. He’s batted .215/.279/.329 in his first 86 PA with the Trenton Thunder.

The former first rounder has always been a one-dimensional player. If he doesn’t hit, he’s not going to give the team much else on the field. McKinney’s margin for error as a prospect was pretty thin because of this.

Even before the knee injury, McKinney’s power production was a concern to scouts. He only hit seven home runs in 106 games last year, and that number has fallen to just three in 110 for 2016. That’s extremely worrying for a corner outfielder.

His poor play this season has dropped Billy McKinney all the way down to 16th in the New York Yankees system according to MLB Pipeline, and it’s possible he could fall even further if he doesn’t show signs of turning things around quickly.

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McKinney seems like a prime candidate to represent the Yankees in the Arizona Fall League this year. Giving him as many at-bats as possible to get himself back on track seems like the only thing the team can do at this point.