Which Yankees Farm Team Has the Most Potential Big-League Talent?

The New York Yankees farm system is absolutely stacked with elite prospects, especially following the trade deadline, but which of their minor league clubs has the best collection of talent?

Breaking news: the Yankees are rebuilding with their own young talent. Okay, everyone knows that by now, especially Brian McCann. Everyone also knows that this is not just about the promising young players already up from Scranton but about the many young players throughout the Yankees’ now highly ranked system.

First to the teams that are not at the top. Neither Gulf Coast team has players that seem true standouts but that is to be expected for two reasons. One, if any of them had stood out by now, he would have been promoted. And, two, these guys are so inexperienced that it is hard to get a good read. It is for that reason that I am not looking at either Dominican team. Guys like Dario Unda and Nelson Alvarez are just too far away.

Double A is where it starts to get interesting, but only to show how far the Yankees have come. There are several promising players but not any superstars in the making. Tyler Wade has to be the first player that comes to mind, followed by Miguel Andujar. 

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Seemingly like all middle infielders in the system, Wade has to play both second and short. While his BA will not jump out at you (.274), you have to look at his other skills. His OBP is .372 and he has over 22 stolen bases. He gets on and knows what to do when he is on the base paths.

Now for a warning to all you Gossage-named nerds: look away as I am about to mention your Kryptonite: Intangibles! What makes Tyler almost a lock to get a good look in spring training are his baseball IQ and leadership skills.

The Yanks have made a conscious effort to focus on character because they still remember Shane Spencer. Judge, Bird, Sanchez, Frazier, Rutherford and Wade are all key examples of this philosophy. I am not saying he will beat out guys with more talent. But I am saying his combination of talent and character could put him on the big league team late in 2017.

Miguel Andujar, a power hitting third baseman, has an advantage over other, better players: he plays a position of need at the big league club with no serious competition in front of him at AAA. Andujar has one other major advantage, which is his plus-plus throwing arm. Joe Girardi has made it clear he is not going to play anybody who cannot play defense. Andujar’s arm takes care of that. Full disclosure: I love Miguel Andujar. 

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The other promising players include CF Dustin Fowler, who scouts like far more than I do, OF Billy McKinney, who came over from the Cubs, and Middle Infielder (MIF) Abiatal Avelino. Dustin projects as a fourth outfielder, as does McKinney, which is still very good. I think Avelino is the most promising, although I am in the minority here.

Better suited to playing second base, Abiatal has a .400 OBP. He also has more Total Bases (TB) per at bat than almost anyone else on the team. What makes this so intriguing is that TBs are usually reserved for home run hitters. For an example, see The Judge’s numbers from Triple A.

The Yanks have plenty of power now on the big league team and two more coming (Bird and Frazier). They still need guys to get on base and be smart once they do; Avelino can do that. He could be another Willie Randolph but at least seems likely to be a good role player. But in the Yankees’ flush system, none of these three has enough talent to stick long term. Trade pieces, yes, but Yankees’ regulars for the next ten years, no.

That is not the case in the three divisions vying for the top spot.

Number 3: Tampa Yankees

Counting down to my number one starts with High-A Tampa. They have two MIFs who have so far looked like potential stars, Jorge Mateo and Gleyber Torres. Mateo is one of the Yankees’ two unicorns. A unicorn is someone with either a unique skill or a set of unique skills. The payoff for a player like this can be huge as they can bring a skill that cannot be matched. The risk is that they never develop that skill and become complete busts.

In Mateo’s case, it is his blinding speed; unlike Brett Gardner, he knows how to use it. He combines that with real power to the gaps, whereas most speedsters are slap hitters. Mateo leads his team in TBs. He also has a plus arm but his shaky defense will move him to second or possibly third.

But he also has shown a lack of character and patience. He needs to cut down on his errors and improve on his attitude. However, if he does those things as Gary Sanchez had to do, he can bring a combination of speed and power we have not seen since Rickey Henderson. He COULD be a superstar; I just hope he does not start speaking in the third person.

Gleyber Torres is the other kind of phenomenal prospect in that he is great in seemingly all areas.  He takes his walks, steals bases, and plays the best shortstop of anyone in the system. My guess is the only way the Yankees ever move on from the sterling play of Didi Gregorious is if Gleyber fulfills his promise. The Cubs made no secret that they think he is better than Addison Russel, which is saying something. The most telling stat for Gleyber is about age. Torres is 19 and ahead of schedule while Mateo is 21.

Having potential future middle infielders at one level is good enough to garner this spot. This is especially true when they could both be stars. And, if the baseball gods are kind, Mateo could even be a superstar. But the High A cup runneth over. They have several guys who have the potential to develop into everyday regulars, including Thairo Estrada, Rashad Crawford, Trey Amburgey, and Kevin Cornelius. Obviously most prospects do not make the majors. But if either Torres or Mateo develops into a star and one of the other players becomes a regular on the Yankees or another team, that is still really good.

This group ranks higher than the AA squad because the ceilings are higher for the best of this group. And they are just the third highest ranking team in the Yankees’ system.

Number 2: Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders

Coming in at a surprise second is Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The surprise is that they are not first. If I had written this three weeks ago, this team would have won hands down. But with Sanchez, Judge (the other of the two unicorns due to his size and intimidation factor), and Austin all going up to the big club, AAA falls to the penultimate spot.

The remaining jewel of the team is, of course, Clint Frazier. One of the two true five tool players at any level for the Yanks, Frazier’s power might be equal to that of The Judge; considering Judge is seven inches taller and about 80 pounds heavier, that is quite remarkable. Frazier can probably play center field while he is under 30 but his power numbers profile extremely well no matter where he plays.

But numbers, even the great ones he has put up throughout his young pro career, do not reflect the best reason he is the Yanks’ top prospect. No, Frazier is special because of his uber-competitive attitude.

This is a guy who will not just run through a wall, he will challenge the wall to a contest of strength—and win! He would play very well on a good team. On a Yankees’ team already filling up with great young power hitters, he will push himself to be the best of that group. This is Slade Heathcott with a more durable frame, better power numbers and no drinking problem [Full disclosure: I still love Slade Heathcott].

And if you want to know about his character, well, just read the fine article by Randy Miller at NJ.com. You will want him on that center field wall, you will need him on that wall.

Next up, for me at least, has to be Rob Refsnyder. Whatever the Yankees see in Aaron Hicks, despite his numbers, they fail to see in Refsnyder, again despite his numbers. Oh, Aaron Hicks. All I have ever seen from Ref is a guy who hits when he gets regular at-bats, works hard to improve his defense, and makes plays to help his team win. He might be at Triple-A to work more at third in anticipation of an off-season trade of Headley but I think his future is a super-utility, everyday player.

Then there is Kyle Higashioka, the defensive-minded catcher whose bat seems to have caught up to his glove. OFs Jake Cave and Ben Gamel could both be playing at the big league level either as starters or as fourth outfielders if they were not blocked by…I just cannot say his name again.

Even OF Ceasar Puello has that potential when you consider his .409 OBP and 18 stolen bases. And I have not even mentioned 1B Greg Bird, who I include here because he would have been at Triple A because Mark Teixeira was always going to start for the Yankees.

That makes six players who seem very close to playing at the highest level. Again, they will not all make it but the fact that they are all performing at such a high level at AAA means they will all get a look from somebody. Look for Frazier, Bird, Ref, and Gamel all to play for the Yankees at some point in 2017. That is more than any other level will produce for next year.

Even that, however, was not enough to secure the top spot. No, that honor goes to the Pulaski Yankees.

Number 1: Pulaski Yankees

As these guys are so young, predicting success is harder but recognizing talent remains the same. They have four of the top 18 ranked position players, according to some outside rankings, and two of the top six. And the potential is amazing, only this time I am going to start at the bottom.

The main thing many of these prospects possess is power. That is usually the last aspect to develop but these boys are developing quickly. At 6’ 3”, third baseman Dermis Garcia leads the Appalachian League (Appy) in home runs (12) and has 50% more than the next closest guy on his team. He is also fifth in walks in the entire Appy.

None of the other power hitters in the that league even come close to those walks. As much as I love Andujar, he might just hold the spot until Dermis comes along. This team also boasts ranked prospects Donny Sands, whom they have converted into a catcher, and OF Leonardo Molina, who has all the tools but has not yet produced.

It is unranked CF Estevan Florial who helps push the Pulaski Yankees up on this list, although it is again because of his amazing potential. According to Brian Cashman, Estevan is so highly thought of that he is the only player Cash ever got a request for in a trade who had not yet played in the states. His power is also well above league average, which is very promising for a center fielder.

One of Estevan’s best attributes is that he profiles as a true center fielder. As much as I dream of a powerful outfield manned by Frazier, Rutherford and The Judge, this group would sarcrifice speed. If Estevan can develop, he might make the Yankees think they only need two of the aforementioned group so that the collective outfield unit can get to any ball hit.

Next is MIF Wilkerman Garcia, still more potential than production. His plus arm, plus speed, good defensive footwork and bat control through the zone are all reasons he is ranked as the sixth best prospect (again, excluding pitchers) in the system. As always with slightly bigger infielders, the question is, can he stick at short? The Yankees right now think yes (or is that YES?). These Appy players have as much talent at their level as any farm team.

However, there is one player who pushes the Pulaski Yankees into the top spot: Blake Rutherford. He is the other five-tool player I mentioned earlier and the better of the two. While he will never hit for the power that Frazier did even in high school, he is a much better all-around player—and Frazier projects as an All-Star! He seems to have it all: at 6’3”, he already has the body built to last [Frazier by comparison is only 6’1” but the competitive chip on his shoulder makes him seem much taller].

He was the best hitter on the gold-medal winning U.S. National team just last year, so he has history of success among other great players his age. He seems to be humble and have a great attitude and work ethic.

And unlike some of the other people at this level and others, he already has the numbers, which, by the way are just stupid. He is batting .408. Let me just say that again: .408. The next closest BA in the entire league is .349 (Allen Cordoba).

He has 31 hits and 49 TBs in 21 games, both vitally important stats when projecting a player. He leads his team in OBP and triples; the next closest guy had to play twice as many games to hit half as many triples. And he is second on the team in both slugging and OPS.

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Finally, he grew up a hardcore Yankees fan, which makes him a true believer. We already know that trying to lead the cherished team of your youth to a title adds something extra to the effort and the fan appreciation. He is currently the Yankees’ fourth ranked position player. I think he moves up that list when the season is over. With his combination of skills and attitude, Blake Rutherford is simply the best position prospect in the Yankees’ farm system and a real potential superstar.

All that and I never even mentioned Low A, and they have Luis Torrens, Mandy Alvarez and Hoy Jun Park. I am curious to see what you think of the rankings and to hear yours.

But no matter how you see the Yankees’ minor league teams, this is an exciting time. Even if a small number of these players ever come close to their potential, the Yankees’ farm teams will still produce an extremely young and talented big league team for years to come.