Yankees Top 10 Prospects Midseason Update

It has been an eventful start to the year in the Yankees minor league system. Here’s a look at how the team’s top ten prospects have fared in the early going.

With the Yankees’ recent focus on building from within, the club’s farm system is arguably the best it’s been since before the Dynasty Years. Not only does New York have three Top 100 talents, but there is impressive prospect depth at every level of the organization.

Before the season, Yanks Go Yard profiled each of the top 30 prospects in the Yankees system, but a lot has happened down on the farm since then. It’s time for a look at what each of the team’s top prospects have done in the first half of 2016.

1. Jorge Mateo– .266/.323/.396 (112 wRC+) with 26 SB in 340 PA for High-A Tampa

[Prospect Profile]- Mateo’s stock has taken a hit recently when the Tampa Yankees announced he had been suspended two weeks for violating team policy. George King of The New York Post cited a source who claimed Mateo had complained to team executives about not receiving a promotion to Double-A.

Prior to the incident, Mateo has been in extended slump, which makes the whole situation even more puzzling. Despite his struggles, he had been chosen to represent the Yankees in the upcoming 2016 Futures Game, but was scratched from the roster because of the suspension.

On the bright side, he was recently named the number 19 prospect in the game on Baseball America’s midseason Top 100 list. He moved up seven spots from before the season.

2. Aaron Judge– .263/.357/.472 (140 wRC+) with 16 HR in 367 PA for Triple-A Scranton

[Prospect Profile]- Aside from a miserable month of May, Aaron Judge has exceeded all expectations this season. He’s established himself as one of the International League’s premier power hitters (he was recently named to the upcoming Triple-A Home Run Derby) and looks to be on the cusp of a big league promotion.

An insane power surge in the month of June led to Judge’s selection as the International League Player of the Month. Like Mateo, Judge has also climbed the prospect ladder the last few months. He jumped from 76th on Baseball America’s list before the season all the way to 42nd in their recent midseason update.

The Yankees and Judge did receive some bad news Saturday, when the big man was diagnosed with a PCL strain and a bone bruise in his left knee. He is expected to miss at least 3-4 weeks.

3. Gary Sanchez– .281/.321/.487 (131 wRC+) with 9 HR in 243 PA for Triple-A Scranton

[Prospect Profile]- Sanchez has appeared to be on the verge of cracking the Yankees roster all year. He was in the running for the backup catcher job in spring training, was brought up briefly to DH with A-Rod on the disabled list, and even began working out at first base because of the big league club’s shortage of depth at the position.

A cracked bone in Sanchez’s hand kept him out several weeks, but he has bounced back well and is once again raking for the Railriders. He held steady at 36th on Baseball America’s Top 100 list in their recent midseason update.

4. James Kaprielian– 1.50 ERA and 11.00 K/9 in 18.0 IP (3 GS) for High-A Tampa

[Prospect Profile]- After an impressive stint in big league spring training camp and three dominant starts for High-A Tampa, fans were already beginning to pencil Kaprielian into the big league rotation after the All Star break. Unfortunately, the Yankees 2015 first rounder has been sidelined since April with what was first deemed “elbow inflammation” and later, “a right triceps strain.”

Both diagnoses are often precursors to the dreaded TJ surgery, so fans shouldn’t underestimate the severity of the problem here. He did some throwing at the end of June, but apparently still felt discomfort in his right elbow. Kaprielian has almost certainly pitched his last game for the Yankees this season.

Kap somehow managed to crack Baseball America’s Top 100 at number 99 after being left off prior to the season. He must have just missed the cut previously.

5. Wilkerman Garcia– .173/.218/.269 (38 wRC+) in 55 PA for Short Season Pulaski

[Prospect Profile]- The 18-year-old has gotten off to a slow start following an aggressive assignment to the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League. Not a whole lot to be concerned about here though. Not only is it a tiny sample size, but Garcia is 2.6 years younger than his average competition. This will no doubt prove a challenging year for him, but at some point his lauded tools should take over.

6. Dustin Fowler– .273/.301/.396 (91 wRC+) with 17 SB in 353 PA for Double-A Trenton

[Prospect Profile]- Fowler has started to heat up after a slow start to the season, slashing .302/.309/.492, leaving his overall numbers just a tick below his usual level of production. Of course, with his plus defense in centerfield and speed at the top of the lineup, Fowler adds a lot to the Thunder even when he’s not hitting his best.