Yankees Prospect Profile Number Four: James Kaprielian

As we continue along with the Yanks Go Yard Prospect Profile series, we move down the MLB pipeline to the 4th-ranked prospect for the New York Yankees, James Kaprielian.

James Kaprielian was the Yankees first round pick in the 2015 amateur draft. At 16th overall, he was the club’s highest selection in 22 years, which earned him a $2.65 million signing bonus. After a quick tuneup in the Gulf Coast League, Kaprielian made three starts for Short Season-A down the stretch, striking out 12 batters in nine innings of work while allowing just two earned runs. He even made a playoff start for the Baby Bombers, pitching 3.2 shutout innings against the Tri-City Valley Cats in the NY-Penn League semifinals.

One of Kaprielian’s most appealing qualities as a draft pick was how close he was to being a finished product. A polished college pitcher with four average- to-plus offerings and good command, Kaprielian was expected to rise quickly through the minors. An invite to spring training to start 2016 fueled speculation he could make the jump to the big leagues just one year after being drafted.

Through his first three starts with the High-A Tampa Yankees, Kaprielian lived up to his lofty expectations, striking out 22 in 18 IP while posting a sparkling 1.50 ERA and 0.611 WHIP. A quick promotion to Double-A Trenton seemed inevitable, but on April 25 the team announced it had placed the 22-year old righty on the 7-day disabled list with elbow inflammation. No timetable was given for his return.

The Yankees were coy as to the seriousness of the issue for several weeks, leading to speculation that Kaprielian might be an eventual candidate for TJ surgery. Thankfully, those worries turned out to be baseless. At the May owners’ meetings in Manhattan, Hal Steinbrenner revealed that Kaprielian was progressing well and estimated a late June return to action. While Kaprielian will undoubtedly be treated with caution for the remainder of the season, it will be a huge boost to the Yankee farm system to get him back on the mound given the team’s dearth of high-level starting pitching prospects.

Estimates vary as to Kaprielian’s eventual ceiling. When he was first selected, his fastball reportedly sat in the 88-92 mph range, which caused evaluators to peg him as more of a mid-rotation arm. Since joining the professional ranks however, his four seamer has sat in the mid to high 90s, even touching 99 according to one scout. Whether that velocity spike is related to his recent elbow trouble is an open question, but it certainly has improved his standing among prospect aficionados, with many experts now seeing legitimate front of the rotation potential if he can sustain this new found electric stuff.

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As we continue along with the Yanks Go Yard Prospect Profile series, we move down the MLB pipeline to the 4th-ranked prospect for the New York Yankees, James Kaprielian.

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