Yankees 2017 Top 20 Prospects List with Scouting Reports

20. Nick Solak

The Yankees 2016 second rounder has mostly flown under the radar among prospect evaluators because of his lack of flashy tools, but the 21-year-old second baseman out of the University of Louisville can flat out rake, hitting .321/.412/.421 in 279 plate appearances with short-season Staten Island in the NY-Penn League.

With his advanced approach at the plate, underrated defense at the keystone, and above-average speed, Solak could be a quick riser through the system. He’s a sleeper candidate to unseat Starlin Castro within the next few years.

19. Taylor Widener

In their 2016 Draft Report Card (subscription required) for the Yankees, Baseball America was glowing with their praise for Widener, listing him under Best Fastball, Closest to the Majors, and Best Late-Round Pick for the club’s 2016 draft class.

An absolute steal as a 12th-round selection, the 22-year-old righty pairs a mid-90’s fastball with a plus breaking ball and developing change. Widener also has excellent command, which combined with his deep arsenal makes me wonder if the team shouldn’t try him out in the rotation next season. If they don’t, he should cruise through the minors and could even reach the Bronx by next summer.

18. Domingo German

German was one of the team’s top pitching prospects after coming from Miami in the Nathan Eovaldi trade, but missed the entire 2015 campaign and a good chunk of 2016 to Tommy John surgery. He showed few signs of rust in his 10 starts split below Low and High-A upon his return this year, pitching to a 3.08 ERA and striking out 19.2% of the batters he faced (6.9 K/9) while walking 5.6% (1.8 BB/9).

The Yankees showed their faith in the 24-year-old righty by unexpectedly adding him to the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. It may take a little time to build up his innings, but he’s got an upper-90’s fastball, a credible changeup, and solid command. All the pieces for a mid-rotation starter are there when he’s back to full strength.

17. Wilkerman Garcia

As a 17-year-old in the Gulf Coast League, Garcia was the first member of the Yankees famous 2014 international draft class to really make a name for himself among prospect hounds, hitting .281/.396/.347 in 150 plate appearances against much older competition while flashing impressive athleticism at shortstop.

In retrospect, assigning Garcia to the Appalachian League at 18, where he was 2.5 years younger than the average ball player was probably aggressive. He struggled to a .198/.255/.284 line in 239 plate appearances with Pulaski, but retains all of the incredible physical tools that wowed scouts the year before.

Repeating the level would probably be advisable, and this time I wouldn’t be surprised by a monster breakout that pushes Garcia into the team’s top 10 by next year.