Yankees: A look at first basemen throughout the farm system

Now that football season is over, New York Yankees baseball is right around the corner. Speaking of corners, beyond Luke Voit and Greg Bird, are there any minor leaguers that can add depth at first base?

As I went over in my previous post, there are some free agent first basemen that could fit in with the Yankees. But what about solving the uncertainty of the position with someone internal?

Now officially nine days until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training — soon it will be a full roster of players, each working on their skills to get ready for the grueling season.

This offseason has seen a number of signings and changes, but there have also been some mainstays from 2018. Similar to the way last season ended, Luke Voit and Greg Bird are the incumbents at first base, battling it out for a full-time job.

However, let’s take a look at who in the farm system could potentially get a call-up should the need arise at first base?

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Mike Ford

Of all the designated first basemen throughout the many levels of the Yankees minor league teams, Mike Ford is the readiest of them all. The Princeton University product has spent time in the Yankee farm system since being signed in 2013 as a non-drafted free agent. Fast Forward to this spring, and he is among 21 non-roster invitees to attend camp.

The Seattle Mariners picked up Ford in the 2018 Rule-5 draft, and although was in Arizona with the M’s last season, he failed to make the big league club and was returned to the Yanks.

Ford has been a regular in both Double-A and Triple-A over the last two seasons. In Trenton, just a 20-minute drive from where he once played college ball, Ford has hit .274 over 143 games.

He also slugged 18 home runs and brought in 91 RBIs. While at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Ford’s batting average dipped to .256, but his power coincidently increased. Throughout 125 games, he hit 22 home runs and drove in 73 RBIs.

Ford is as lethal with power as he is disciplined. Over his minor league career, Ford has nearly taken as many free passes (308) as strikeouts (318). In 2017, he averaged almost a walk and a half per strikeout at the plate. It’s remarkable for a player with as much power as Ford to have such an excellent level of patience at the plate.

Ryan McBroom

A 15th round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, McBroom was dealt to the Yanks in the Rob Refsnyder deal. Since coming over, McBroom has shown consistency at the plate and stellar defensive ability for both Trenton and Scranton.

At both levels, McBroom hit .302 in 121 games. He also showed quite a bit of power with 11 home runs in 2018 for the RailRiders. His slugging percentage of .443 was 12th in the International League.

The 26-year-old has also shown solid defensive ability. Over his last six minor league seasons, McBroom has racked up 3796 total chances and committed just 23 errors. That’s good enough for a .995 fielding percentage.

With only a handful of first basemen standing in his way of a promotion, it is entirely possible we see McBroom in the Bronx at some point this season. If Voit doesn’t contribute as he did towards the end of ’18, and the Bird continues to struggle, it could be Ford and McBroom duking it out for a call-up.

Brandon Wagner

Drafted in the sixth round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Wagner still needs more time before making it anywhere near the majors.

Splitting time between High-A Tampa and Trenton last season, Wagner hit .267, but his strongest suit, which is prevalent with a lot of the guys on this list is his power. With 21 home runs in 2018, he ranked behind only Dom Thompson Williams’ 22 long balls.

In the field, Wagner has been relatively steady at first base. In five seasons manning the bag, he’s had 1932 chances and committed 16 errors. As the only first baseman currently slated to be in Trenton, Wagner’s experience gained will undoubtedly help him moving further.

Dermis Garcia

Next is Dermis Garcia, the 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic. Signed from the international pool in 2014, Garcia has spent the last four seasons in the Yankee farm system playing both sides of the diamond.

A majority of Garcia’s game experience has been from third base — in contrast to 2018, where he mostly played first. Unfortunately, Garcia is a bit unreliable at both positions.

Last season in Low-A Charleston, Garcia had 389 total chances at first base in 44 games. During that span, he committed six errors. Over at third base, he had distinctly fewer opportunities (37) and committed one fewer error. At the moment, Garcia’s defense is an issue, but that can certainly change over time.

MLB.com’s Pipeline Prospect Watch currently has Garcia listed as the Yankees 28th best prospect — describing him as a high risk/high reward player. His bat is potentially lethal but comes at a price.

Though power is his carrying tool, he didn’t homer in his ’15 pro debut before bouncing back with 30 homers in 120 games over the next two seasons. Garcia also struck out in 32 percent of his plate appearances, making him the biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the system.