New York Yankees Prospect Profile Number 13: Ben Gamel

As we continue along with the Yanks Go Yard Prospect Profile series, we move down the MLB pipeline to the 13th-ranked prospect for the New York Yankees, Ben Gamel.

Scouting grades (courtesy of MLB Pipeline): Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

In the 10th round (325th overall) of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, the New York Yankees drafted Ben Gamel out of Bishop Kenny High School.  At just 18 years old, Gamel began his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Yankees where he hit .280 in seven games.

For the 2011 season, he was promoted to the Staten Island Yankees; New York’s Short Season A ball affiliate. Gamel hit .289 with 19 doubles, a triple, and two homers, scored 20 runs and tallied 30 RBIs on the season.  In 2012, he played with the Full Season A affiliate, the Charleston RiverDogs, where he hit .306 with 23 doubles, five triples, two home-runs and 61 RBI over 110 games.

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In 2013, Gamel played for both the Advanced A affiliate the Tampa Yankees and the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, the Trenton Thunder.  Majority of the season was spent in Tampa.  He played 96 games in Tampa, hitting .272 with three home runs and 49 RBIs.  In his brief stint with the Thunder, he hit just .239 with one homer and five RBIs.

Gamel returned to Trenton in 2014.  After a little fine tuning to his game, Gamel became a regular in the outfield for the Thunder.  He was able to improve his stat line, increase his batting average to .261, adding 31 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 51 RBIs over 131 games.

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Gamel was again moved up in 2015, starting the season as the fourth outfielder for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.  He would go on to make 2015 his breakout season.  In 129 games for the RailRiders, Gamel posted a .300 batting average, drove in 64 runs, and did so with career highs in both triples (14) and home runs (10).

Gamel seems to be coming into his own at the plate after working with Yankees minor league hitting coordinator James Rowson.  He has a solid swing with excellent exit velocity, and can hit the ball anywhere in the ballpark.

Defensively, he has adequate arm strength to play anywhere in the outfield, but he doesn’t have great speed.  He does, however, make plays with his instincts and quickness off the ball.  It’s more likely that Gamel will end up a utility outfielder.

Gamel is a good all-around player.  Keep an eye out for him again in the outfield for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2016.