Youth Parade Leaves Yankees with Roster Crunch Dilemma

Rule 5 Eligible Players

Jorge Mateo (Yankees No. 3 prospect) and Miguel Andujar (No. 7) are near-locks to be protected. A middle-infield speedster and a third baseman developing respectable power aren’t worth risking. Mateo had a down year with discipline issues, but hit a career-best eight homers and handled second base nicely with a .994 fielding percentage in 362 2/3 innings. Andujar posted a solid .817 OPS in High-A Tampa, but struggled upon reaching Double-A Trenton.

The Yankees already have three catchers on their roster, but could protect Kyle Higashioka after his breakout season. Higgy has forced his way onto the radar after hitting .276/.337/.511 with 21 home runs between Trenton and Triple-A Scranton.

Jake Cave and Cito Culver are two more note-worthy position players the Yankees must decide upon. Cave was exposed in the Rule 5 once already. He was gobbled up by the Reds in March and later returned to the Yankees. He slashed .268/.330/.427 with 43 extra-base hits in the minors, so he could experience déjà vu if left unprotected again.

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Culver’s bat finally showed some life. He carried a modest .664 OPS over 398 at-bats, but had more strikeouts (119) than hits (101). His greatest talent is his defensive prowess all across the infield. Culver has positive Range Factors at each position throughout his minor-league career — 6.33 at 1B, 4.50 at 2B, 4.27 at SS and 2.49 at 3B.

Pitchers Dietrich Enns, Brady Lail, Giovanny Gallegos, Mark Montgomery, Ronald Herrera and Tyler Webb are all Rule 5 eligible.

Enns, Gallegos and Montgomery had standout years while Herrera and Webb were satisfactory. Enns boasted a 1.73 ERA and a microscopic 0.4 HR/9 over 26 games (22 starts). Despite the numbers, the lefty has low-profile stuff (read here) which is dangerous in the A.L. East, so he must demonstrate impeccable control to succeed if given the chance. It’s no secret though that the Yankees need pitching.

I’m still a tad surprised Montgomery didn’t receive a big-league invite this September. He dominated the upper minors with a 2.56 ERA and 12.4 K/9, but may have shot himself in the foot with his 4.3 BB/9. Still, the Yankees’ revolving-door bullpen has been all quantity with little quality and Montgomery’s touted slider-fastball combo is worth a look.

Final guess on who’s protected: Mateo, Andujar, Enns and Montgomery. Higashioka is a wild card, depending upon how the Yankees handle their catching situation.