Yankees Rival Braves for Top Farm System

The Yankees started the 2016 season on the outside looking in at the Top 10 ranked MLB farm systems. Three significant trades later, and they have catapulted themselves into the discussion of the overall best of the best.

Talk about remaking the Yankees’ minor league system in a hurry! Three huge trades that netted a total of 12 prospects (Adam Warren doesn’t count), and all of a sudden the future looks as bright as it once did back in 1996.

It’s funny, though, when things start to finally go well, there will always be someone that inevitably tries to rain on your parade. That someone this time around is Atlanta Braves fans.

As the 2016 season got underway, the Braves were ranked as the No. 2 minor league system in all of baseball, according to MLB.com, right behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. As for the Dodgers, they themselves will be knocked down a few pegs after dealing away two of the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball; Dodgers’ overall No. 5–pitcher Grant Holmes, No. 8–pitcher Frankie Montas, and No. 13–pitcher Jharel Cotton. 

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Wow, that’s three top 15 organizational prospects for 36-year-old left-hander Rich Hill and outfielder Josh Reddick; who is like a piece of metal to the magnet that is the disabled list. I guess the Dodgers feel their window for a championship is beginning to close.

Back to the Braves. Just the other day, MLB.com writer Jim Callis began expressing his belief that the Yankees have now surpassed the Braves when it comes to organizational depth via highly touted prospects.

Well, Braves fans, without much to cheer for since the year 2013, took the internet, pitchforks hand, shouting just how off base Callis was. Obviously, the Atlanta contingent is still a little bitter about that whole losing in the ’96 and ’99 World Series’ to the Yankees.

But don’t take out your frustration on poor Callis. The Yankees made a number of fine acquisitions over the past week or so, and if you look at the overall rankings of the prospects (as we will in a moment), the Yanks do indeed surpass the still very good Braves farm system.

Since fleecing the Diamondbacks in that lopsided Shelby Miller trade last winter, the Braves currently trout out five Top 100 prospects via MLB.com; notably No. 5 Dansby Swanson, No. 18 Ozzie Albies, No. 58 Sean Newcomb, No. 73 Kolby Allard, and No. 92 Ian Anderson.

While the 21-year-old Swanson may crack the 2017 opening day Braves’ roster, the other four names are at least a season and a half away from reaching the majors.

As for the Yankees, after including the assets acquired from the Texas Rangers via the Carlos Beltran trade, the Yankees now own seven of the Top 100 MLB prospects. This includes No. 22 Clint Frazier, No. 24 Gleyber Torres, No. 25 Jorge Mateo, No. 30 Aaron Judge, No. 37 Gary Sanchez, No. 62 Blake Rutherford, and No. 93 Justus Sheffield.

If my math is correct, seven is greater than five. So what’s the issue, Braves fans? You guys are still very solid, just not No. 1. This is anything you’re not accustomed to, is it?

It will be interesting to see just how quickly the Yankees usher these young men to “the show,” as there are still a few aging millionaires on the 24-man roster to contend with. 2017 should bring an awkward mishmash to the roster, while 2018 could see the Yankees fully unleash the future.

The Yankees also have a few other pitchers down on the farm, that if it weren’t for injuries, could have very well found themselves within that featured 100; ie James Kaprielian, Ian Clarkin, and Jacob Lindgren.

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Basically, the Yankees’ minor league system is now a who’s who of potential potent big league assets. So perhaps the withdrawal of a winning season won’t last as long as it has down south, ya know, in the ATL. Because if this week has shown us anything about losing, is that it makes a loyal fanbase rather salty.