Yankees: 5 Prospects Most Affected by Minor League Season Cancellation

The New York Yankees prospect pool took a hit when the minor league season was cancelled.

As we long have expected, news dropped on Tuesday that the 2020 Minor League Baseball season will not take place, leaving many Yankees prospects in the lurch.

Unlike MLB action (which will be constantly threatened by the pandemic in the ensuing weeks, too), MiLB teams had no method to subsist without fans in the stands, and once their gate receipts were destined to be null and void, there was no point in completing the campaign.

Well, except for that little insignificant detail called…player development. Some Yankees prospects on the verge of big league success have now been doomed to the 60-man pool in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while others still won’t be doing much of anything.

We hope no one’s growth is forever stunted, but these five Yankees top prospects would’ve vastly preferred not to take the year off.

5. Deivi Garcia

New York Yankees top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia needed a full 2020 season.

Deivi Garcia rose all the way to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2020 as a 20-year-old. Buoyed by a strong showing in Tampa and Trenton, he was the NYY’s Futures Game nominee.

But once he got to the highest level, his numbers sputtered — 1-3, 5.40 ERA, 20 walks and 45 Ks in 40 innings. Yes, he’s just a kid. But he did nothing to prove he was ready for a big league cameo, nor did he assuage concerns that his small stature will eventually force him into a relief role and short spurts of effectiveness at the highest levels.

Garcia’s shown exceptional strikeout stuff, but has a ways to go to prove he’s a starter, and not simply an electric relief option. If he gets the chance to dominate with the Yankees this season, it likely won’t be in the rotation — and that’s not really what he needed in 2020, with plenty left to prove at Triple-A.