New York Yankees Prospect Profile: Number 6 Dustin Fowler

As we continue along with the Yanks Go Yard Prospect Profile series, we move down the MLB pipeline to the 6th-ranked prospect for the New York Yankees, Dustin Fowler.

Scouting grades (courtesy of MLB Pipeline): Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 50

Have you heard this story yet? The Yankees have a speedy, left-handed hitting center fielder with underdeveloped power on his way up the organizational ladder, and he’s slowly becoming one of their highest-ranking prospects. Meet Dustin Fowler, the sixth best prospect in the Yankees system!

The Yankees drafted Fowler out of West Laurens HS (Dexter, Georgia) in the 18th round of the 2013 draft, and signed him for $278,000. The Yankees really wanted to sign him badly, as the offer was the most over-slot amount of any of their picks, according to the MLB Pipeline.

After a season each with the Gulf Coast Yankees and the Charleston Riverdogs, Fowler enjoyed a real breakout in 2015. He started the year back at Charleston, but hit .307/.340/.419 with 35 runs, 4 homers 31 RBI and 18 steals in 58 games, which earned him a call up to A+ Ball and the Tampa Yankees. Fowler kept hitting with Tampa, putting up a .289/.328/.370 slash line with 29 runs, 1 homer, 39 RBI and 12 more steals in 65 more games. The Yankees sent him to the Arizona Fall League for a little more seasoning, and Fowler hit well there too (.279/.313/.410 in 16 games for the Surprise Saguaros). All of a sudden, the Yankees had a real prospect on their hands.

The book on Fowler report is pretty enticing. According to NJ.com, Keith Law said the following about the now 21-year old:

“Fowler is a real tools player. He can hit. He run. He’s coming into some power. If the power comes, you’ve probably got an above-average regular. It seems like he can stay in center field. I got a brief glimpse of him at the end of last year and the tools are pretty evident. He seems like he’s come into his own. He’s a more advanced baseball player than anyone realized in college.”

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me. At 6’0 and 195 lbs, there’s reason to believe Fowler might be able to fill out and get up into Brett Gardner home run territory, which would really make him one of those “do-everything” kinds of players that the Yankees seem to have coveted in the draft over the years.

According to the Pipeline, Fowler’s defense has also been improving. He was once a corner infielder, but has improved enough that the team has moved him to center field (perhaps with an eye on replacing an aging Jacoby Ellsbury, or a departing Gardner some day). He also set a career high with 11 assists last season. Solid!

Based on the scouting report, and his 2015 performance, the Yankees pushed Fowler aggressively this season too, and he began this season on the younger side of players at AA Trenton. So far, he’s responded well for the Thunder, hitting .268/.313/.362. You’d like to see the power numbers jump a little higher if he’s going to get called up even further (Fowler has only cobbled together 7 doubles and 3 triples with 0 homers so far), but he’s barely 21, and will need some time to adjust to the new challenge.

The other thing the Yankees need Fowler to work on his pitch selection. The thing about speed is that it’s useless most of the time when you don’t get on base. Folwer has only walked 51 times in 1,055 plate appearances (4.8%) in his young career, which is way too low. He has to find more ways to get himself on base so that he can take advantage of that 30 SB speed he flashed in 2015.

I have to imagine Fowler will finish this season at Trenton, and might even start next year there too, with a goal to get the call to AAA once he shows he’s mastered the AA level. I look forward to seeing where he is when we’re writing up the prospect profiles next year.