Yankees: 3 prospects poised for major breakouts in 2021

These three top Yankees prospects will make moves in the system in 2021.

First, let’s acknowledge the bad: the Yankees’ farm system hasn’t been this bleak since before the team’s midseason sell-off spree in 2016.

Only three Yankees appeared in any “top 100 prospects” list this offseason, and they were the same three candidates you’ve become extremely accustomed to reading about during The Year Without Minor League Baseball: righties Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia, who both appeared in MLB action this past season, and Jasson Dominguez, the wunderkind who hasn’t done anything stateside yet, and just turned 18 on Sunday.

Here’s the good news, though. There’s still plenty of upside yet to be uncovered or realized in the team’s farm system, and the Bombers owe some of that discontent to the fact that ’20 featured no low-level competition of any kind. If you hadn’t already proven yourself enough to gain access to the Alternate Site, then you were entirely out of luck. Enjoy your crudely-fashioned private gyms!

Some of the Yankees’ clear fast-risers have gotten plenty of hype this offseason; others are still hiding in the shadows of the 10-20 spots on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospects list. Some of this team’s possible breakout candidates already rank in the team’s top 10, but their ceilings are much, much higher than their current expectations.

We’re most excited to see Dominguez operate this season, but these three prospects also seem poised to take big steps towards their ultimate ceilings.

3. Kevin Alcantara

Could Kevin Alcantara be among the Yankees’ next great young outfielders?

If Baseball America’s on a fast-riser, than it’s probably time for the rest of us to get on helium alert.

Alcantara, currently ranked 13th on MLB Pipeline’s list and still just 18 years old like Dominguez, is “built like a young Dexter Fowler” (per MLB) and boasts a well-balanced set of tools, earning a grade of 50 or higher in every evaluated scouting metric. Hitting, running, fielding, power, arm…yes, all advanced at a young age, and with only a GCL summer’s worth of development under his belt.

Alcantara aspires to join a Yankees outfield already filled with giants like Aaron Judge and (occasionally) Giancarlo Stanton, and his massive 6-6 frame would fit right into an eventual crew of behemoths. His size is evident in his violent swing, which fans can expect to be refined as he develops and fills out.

This year, having lost a crucial year of growth, expect Alcantara to begin work in the GCL, and potentially move to Low-A Tampa after proving his readiness. By the end of the year, though, you should expect to hear a lot more of his name, and he’ll be a consensus top-10 talent when 2022 rolls around.

2. Oswald Peraza

Yes, he’s the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect, but he should soar much higher.

The Yankees’ pitching plan for 2021 involves tossing nine options at the wall, hoping five or six stick, and praying there’s a clear-cut No. 2 by October.

Whether you agree with it or not, it should be fairly easy to see a world where both Schmidt and Garcia have pitched too many innings at the big league level to qualify for any prospect lists this time next year.

Dominguez, pending pure foolishness, will be the team’s clear-cut No. 1 prospect and most projectable commodity. But the No. 2 spot is right there for the taking, and Peraza could earn that distinction if his power develops as anticipated during this calendar year, which will likely be spent vacillating between Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley.

Peraza’s often been the forgotten talent towards the top of the Yankees’ farm system — but not by the big boys like Baseball America, who could foresee his insertion at shortstop if Gleyber Torres struggles in the years to come, instead of a high-dollar infield addition.

Refreshingly, all reports indicate Peraza used his time off to refine the skills that will be most important to his development; respectfully, the Yankees will never hand their infield keys to an all-glove, no-hit option. Those days are long gone. Every Yankee on the diamond has to mash, to some degree.

The last time we saw Peraza in 2019, he cracked full-season ball by the end of the campaign, logging 46 games at Single-A Charleston and hitting .273 with a .348 OBP, displaying an advanced feel and comfort for the level. The next time we see him, he’ll be two years older and will bring a plan of powerful attack to the table, thanks to his longer-than-ever offseason of launch angle development.

15-20 homers at Hudson Valley isn’t unreasonable.