Yankees 2017 Top 20 Prospects List with Scouting Reports
12. Albert Abreu
The newest live arm in the Yankees growing stable, Abreu was one of two flamethrowers the team got in return from the Houston Astros for Brian McCann. The 21-year-old has a pretty polished and well-rounded arsenal for his age. Besides a mid-90’s fourseamer that can touch 99, he throws a curve, slider, and change that all look like potential average or better MLB offerings.
The control is still a work in progress, he walked 13.2% of the batters he faced in 2016 (5.1 BB/9), but still managed to put up a respectable 3.72 ERA in 101.2 IP between Low and High-A because of his ability to miss bats (10.2 K/9).
11. Miguel Andujar
The 21-year-old tore up High-A in his second go-round with Tampa last year, hitting .283/.343/.474 with 10 homers in 251 plate appearances, earning himself a midseason promotion to the Eastern League.
Considering he was 3.3 years younger than his average competition in Double-A, the .266/.323/.358 slash line he put up in the second half is pretty respectable, and he went on to prove his breakout was no fluke with a very strong showing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League.
Andujar’s standout tools include plus pop from the right side of the plate and an absolute cannon that more than makes up for his sometimes shaky glove work at the hot corner.
10. Tyler Wade
Wade is one of the more divisive Yankees prospects. Some see nothing more than a run-of-the-mill utility infielder, while others see a potential solid starter at either middle infield spot. The major hole in his game is a lack of power, but all of his other tools project as MLB average or better.
He’s a plus runner who has stolen 82 bags over the last three seasons, gets on base at a good clip (career .350 OBP), and projects as an above average fielder at both second and short. The team also experimented with putting Wade in the outfield for the first time in the Arizona Fall League, which suggests they may be trying to increase his versatility for a bench role in the near future.
9. Justus Sheffield
Sheffield has been somewhat overshadowed as the second piece New York got in the Andrew Miller deal, but he’s a potential above-average starter with swing-and-miss stuff who should be ready to test his mettle against Double-A competition next year.
The 20-year-old lefty is still a little raw. He’s had trouble throwing strikes at times and his secondary offering could still use some fine-tuning, but that’s not unusual for a pitcher his age. He ranks a notch behind a few of the club’s other pitching prospects in my mind because he lacks true front-of-the-rotation potential, but still looks like a quality pitcher who could be in the mix for a rotation spot by 2018.