What Has Caused The Turn Around of the Yankees Farm System?

Mandatory Credit: MiLB.com

It was only a few years ago when the only thing the Yankees had down in the farm system was some nice uniforms, a bat dog and a multitude of under-performing and unbelievable unimpressive prospects. Perhaps we’ve become so accustomed to saying that their system is dead weight that we’re finding it harder and harder to wake up and smell the coffee.

The truth is, that we as a recently disgruntled fan base have repeatedly failed to notice, is that the Yankees’ farm system has been trending upwards for the past two seasons. Maybe we just like to hear our own voices when we complain about our minor leagues but we seem to overlook actual facts in order to fail that complaint. The Yankees organization get a lot of heat for their handling of the system for the past decade or so now, but in the last two seasons, the Yankees have done a lot to improve their minor league squad and it’s gone largely unrecognized (Unless you’ve read my work before in which case you’ve heard this soap box rant plenty of times).

With two of their most recent standouts getting league-wide attention along with a multitude of other young up and comers making their names more and more known it’s time to stop saying the same old thing and start giving the system it’s dues. But what exactly has caused this turn around?

Realizing that Gambling in Drafts Only Works In Fantasy Sports

Mandatory Credit: MiLB.com

The Yankees have had a reputation of making bad draft choices in recent years, often taking chances on unpolished high school players or gambling on young stars that may not sign with the team after the draft (i.e. Current Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace Gerrit Cole). But the past couple drafts have seen the blueprint change. In the 2013 draft, the Yankees selected college outfielder Aaron Judge out of Fresno State and third baseman Eric Jagielo out of Notre Dame (Both in the first round). That same draft they took high school left-handed starter Ian Clarkin late in the first round.

Yeah, the Yankees fell into that old pattern with this one, but Clarkin’s selection came late in the first round after the selection of Judge and Jagielo, which lowers the risk and increases the possible reward. Also, Clarkin’s initial ranking placed him much higher up in the first round but his stock fell due to questions about whether or not he would sign with a team or go to college. When the Yankees did agree to sign him, baseball agreed they got away with a steal.

Has this draft class paidd off? In his first full professional season, Clarkin has gone 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA and 75 strikeouts, while Jagielo has batted .256 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI. Judge has turned himself into one of the premier prospects in the Yankees’ system, while raking in the minor leagues, batting .308 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI.  The success of the 2013 picks have only been bolstered by this year’s new players including reliever Jacob Lindgren (2.16 with 48 K’s in 25 innings) and Mark Payton (.320 batting average with 4 home runs and 21 RBI in 48 games) both of whom were drafted out of college. It’s clear that this new crop of talent has come up big for the organization early on in their development.

Throwing Around Money South of the Boarder

Mandatory Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects.com

Another old and worn out… let’s go with the word “stereotype” about the Yankees’ farm system is that they put so much money into free agency that it costs them by taking draft picks from the team (I’m talking about the qualifying offer here). The words “They can’t spend money on young prospects” come to mind. But this is false. You can spend money on young talent, just not here in the United States.

You may or may not know that every year a lot of teams throw a ton of money at players from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela,  Curaçao, Korea and a multitude of other countries in Latin America and Asia where the MLB Draft does not apply. How young are these guys? Well their ages range from 15 to about 20-years-old and their contracts are long enough to have them in the Majors ready to make an impact while still in their prime without rushing them through the system.

The Yankees have had a lot of success with international prospects with stars like Robinson Cano, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and Melky Cabrera all coming from their home country as teenagers and developing through the system. Currently six of the Yankees top 20 prospects were acquired through this process. Among them are the lights out right-handed pitching phenom Luis Severino (6-5 with a 2.46 ERA and 127 K’s in 2014) who has skyrocketed through the system ranks and currently holds the top spot in the organization rankings. Power hitting catcher of the future Gary Sanchez (.270 average 13 home runs and 65 RBI) was signed out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2009 and continues to improve his all around game.

This season the Yankees went all out, bolstering the minor leagues with young players from outside the country. The Bombers locked up shortstop Dermis Garcia (Dominican Republic) who has been described as a big hitter with a big arm to go along with it. Third baseman Nelson Gomez (Dominican Republic) was widely considered the best power hitter of the bunch when he signed with the Yankees. Shortstops Wilkerman Garcia (Venezuela) and Hyo-Jun Park (Korea) and catcher Miguel Flames (Venezuela) were widely sought after players who are huge pickups for the Yankees organization. The Yankees future could be greatly improved by the development of these players.

Not Going To Give Up On You

Mandatory Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner/Pinstriped Prospects.com

Oh how giving up on prospects has come back to haunt us. There are too many to go through to even mention their names, but the Yankees’ habit of losing patience with their young talent has been a killer on the farm for a long time. The front office would often trade off their prospects that are taking too long to develop or not posting numbers they’d like to see and would eventually see that move come back to bite them.

That motto seems to be taking a bit of a turn as of late as some players have been given more and more wiggle room to develop and polish their tools. Third baseman Dante Bichette  Jr. felt a lot of heat going into 2014 after two rough seasons. Eric Jagielo was waiting to overtake him and he had lost his ranking on the organization’s top 10 prospect list. But the team stuck with him and it payed off as he batted .264 (A solid 50 points higher than the last season) with 10 home runs and 68 RBI, earning himself a promotion to Double-A Trenton.

Former top prospect Manny Banuelos lost a lot of his mojo after undergoing Tommy John Surgery and struggled greatly early in the season. The Yankees showed a lot of patience with him and his recent outings have been great. The most sterling example of the Yankees recent change of tactics is Dellin Betances, who has transformed himself from a failed starting pitching farm hand into perhaps the most dominant reliever in baseball, a direct result of a long process to keep a guy like Betances in the game. The Yankees will need to keep this going in the future as recent successes would show.

Hands Off! They’re Mine!

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Oh the trades. So many future stars lost forever. Fred McGriff, Jay Buhner, Jose Rijo and so many others all found great success with other teams over the years. The old “Prospects are not proven” mantra. But lately this too has changed (I know right! I was shocked too!). The telling story goes like this. During this past trade deadline the Philadelphia Phillies offered the Yankees their ace pitcher Cole Hamels in exchange for some of the Yankees best prospects (Presumably Aaron Judge and Luis Severino and others).

Hamels, still fairly young and under team control for multiple seasons ahead is still among the best pitchers in baseball. A few years ago this deal is a no-brainer for the Yankees. Of course they take that deal! That’s a safe bet. If that deal was offered in say 2005, Cole Hamels would be wearing pinstripes as we speak. But, the Yankees said no. Yup I was shocked too! They refused to part with their top prospects Judge, drafted and excelling in the minors and Severino, scouted, signed and dominating in the minors. They kept their home grown players instead of shipping them off to Philly in exchange for a legitimate Major League ace. If that isn’t a telling sign that their whole attitude about developing their own talent I don’t know what is. An easy “Yes” a few years back is now a hard “No” today. The program is changing, people and the Yankees are holding on to their boys.