Yankees: In search of their next great starting pitcher

Lower-level risers

Dillon Tate worked all offseason to refine his three-pitch arsenal (fastball, slider and changeup), and so far, it has proved successful. Tate is getting ahead early in counts, spotting the fastball around the strike zone with pinpoint control before unleashing last season’s go-to pitch, the slider, for the punch-out.

Holding the opposition to a .157 batting average, Tate will look to keep up his early promise if he expects a promotion to Triple-A Scranton, sometime this summer. The Yankees’ No. 11 prospect continues his renaissance since coming over from the Rangers in the Carlos Beltran deal.

At 23, Jonathan Loaisiga is older than your traditional High-A shooter. Following his release from the Giants organization in late 2015, the Yankees picked him up the following spring.

Since coming to the Yanks, the right-handed native of Nicaragua has looked poised to make up for lost time. Ranked third in strikeouts and seventh in ERA in the Florida State League, Loaisiga recently struck out nine batters in five innings of two-run ball.

At 5’11” and 165 lbs, Loaisiga’s size and three-pitch repertoire (fastball, curveball and changeup) may eventually play better out of the ‘pen, but for now, he’s moving up the Yanks’ prospects board, coming in at No. 14.

Unfortunately, there is no Albert Abreu or Domingo Acevedo currently on this list because both are on the DL and will need extra time to work themselves into shape. As the season chugs along, we’ll also keep an eye on right-handers Luis Medina, Freicer Perez and Trevor Stephan, among others.

Still, questions remain if the Yankees do indeed have a No. 1 or No. 2 type shooter within their minor league system, which may lead them to look outside the organization for reinforcements.