Yankees: 4 Unexpected Prospects Who Will Contribute in 2020

The New York Yankees will have to make use of their strong prospect pool in 2020.

Heading into a 2020 season unlike any other, the New York Yankees will have to utilize their prospect depth in ways they never intended to.

Without a minor-league season, some of the team’s high-ceiling pitching prospects may need to follow the Joba Chamberlain path for one strange summer only, joining the big league bullpen, moving from the 60-man pool to the bigs.

Some of the Yankees’ relief prospects, too, might need to prepare to jump a level or two, especially after proving a little something during Summer Camp.

Expect the unexpected this season. These four Yankees might be a bigger part of your summer than you thought they’d be.

4. Nick Nelson

The Yankees may rely on Nick Nelson’s advanced feel, and he showcased it Monday night.

Nick Nelson likely wasn’t a hot commodity for many fans prior to his emergence in Monday night’s exhibition finale, but the moderately-heralded pitching prospect put himself on a lot of fans’ radar. It goes without saying that his inclusion in Monday’s game also said plenty about the way the organization views him.

Currently ranked by MLB Pipeline as the team’s 16th-best prospect, Nelson could become essential in the big league bullpen in a hurry.

A starter by trade, he dotted 98 at the corners and followed with a side-winding changeup in 1.2 scoreless innings against the Phillies.

Nelson turned heads on Monday and, until Mike Ford sent the game into oblivion, surprisingly dominated the social media conversation. New York will probably find a way to use him on their shuttle.

2. Adonis Rosa

Adonis Rosa had an adorable cameo with the Yankees in 2019.

25-year-old Adonis Rosa got exactly one chance to show the Yankees what he was made of last year, closing out an 8-3 win over the Orioles with two one-run innings before being sent back to Scranton.

As tenuous as the “trust” he established there is, it still counts for something, and we wouldn’t be shocked if Rosa were called upon to make a similar “spot start” or something of the like in this unconventional season.

Rosa’s stuff isn’t overwhelming, and he’s conditioned to allow contact rather than wipe hitters away, but the stability he provides is good for something in 2020, with so many pitchers without MLB backgrounds fighting to fill gaps.

He appeared to harness something at Scranton last season, going 6-0 with a 3.88 mark in 13 outings (eight starts), walking just 14 men in 60.1 innings pitched. That command, control, and poise could definitely be worth something in a season unlike any other, even though he’s currently off the 40-man roster.

1. Brooks Kriske

The Yankees think they have a relief ace in Brooks Kriske.

Brooks Kriske shares something with Medina and Nelson: 40-man roster pedigree. However, unlike the rest of the top prospects who were added this offseason, Kriske was a relative unknown.

Protecting Kriske meant the Yankees left some previously prominent names exposed, and they certainly had their reasons. The 26-year-old got a late start to his career, but dominated at Trenton in 2019, whiffing 64 in 48.2 innings pitched to light a fire under the Yankees.

Kriske threw the eighth inning in Monday night’s spectacle at the Stadium, and made it clear this would not be his final impression on that stage.

If New York needs a more experienced bullpen arm from their shuttle squad at any point, we’d bet on Kriske arriving before Nelson. But in terms of dominating the narrative, these two men drew even on Monday, leaving Philadelphia in their wake.

Neither doing the exact same thing in September would surprise us.