Yankees Dermis Garcia Putting on a Show with Pulaski

Coming into Wednesday, 18-year-old Yankees prospect Dermis Garcia has 10 home runs in his first 22 games in the Appalachian League.

One of the most exciting members of the New York Yankees famed 2014-2015 international spending spree has been causing a stir with the Pulaski Yankees. 18-year-old Dermis Garcia, who received a hefty $3 million bonus back in July of 2014, is leading the Rookie Appalachian League with 10 home runs after his first 22 games played, and ranks third in the league with a .708 slugging percentage.

Listed as the ninth best international free agent of the 2014 class by Baseball America (subscription required), Garcia has always had elite power potential. Here’s what BA’s Ben Badler had to say about him at the time of his signing with the Yankees:

Garcia, 16, has the best raw power in Latin America, generating huge loft from the right side and putting on a show in batting practice, though several scouts believe his game hitting will need time to catch up. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Garcia has a plus arm and will likely fit at third base or right field. He trained with Moreno Tejada.

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As predicted, his first taste of pro ball did not go smoothly. The Yankees assigned Garcia to the Gulf Coast League as a 17-year-old, and he seemed overmatched, hitting .159/.256/.188 (46 wRC+) in 78 PA while missing time with injury. He struck out in a worrying 32.1% of his trips to the plate.

In similar playing time this year, Garcia is hitting .264/.386/.708 (177 wRC+). Strangely, his strikeout issue has actually gotten worse (36.4%), but he is finally showing off his prodigious power in game action.

On Tuesday, Garcia homered for the fourth straight game in Pulaski’s 10-8 victory over the Danville Braves. During that stretch, he is 6-for-15 with six runs scored and five RBI. Josh Norris of Baseball America tweeted a video of Garcia’s laser shot:

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In their second season as a Yankees affiliate, Rookie Pulaski has one of the more intriguing collections of minor league talent in the system to watch. Alongside Dermis in the infield is Wilkerman Garcia, another member of the 2014-2015 international class who ranked as the Yankees fifth best prospect prior to the season.

Also of note is rising star Estevan Florial, another 18-year-old international signing with five tool potential. All three look primed to make major jumps up the various prospect lists in 2017.