Yankees: 3 prospects who’ve become untouchable during 2021 season

Sometime around mid-April, the Yankees‘ future changed across every single level of the minor leagues.

Bizarrely, the team’s top prospect catalog seemed to flip on its head once the 2021 MiLB season reignited, featuring a ton of hungry players who felt left behind by the pandemic that canceled a full year of their development.

Several of the names you’ve heard before have taken steps back, namely Deivi Garcia, who lit up the Bronx in 2020, and Clarke Schmidt, who’s barely appeared at all.

Luckily, on the flip side, several names have emerged from deep within the system not just as intriguing pieces, but as potential cornerstones.

You saw it at the trade deadline. Despite the perception that the Yankees’ farm system was quit weak, Brian Cashman was able to spin several 2021 breakouts into both Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo, while keeping the vast majority of his top 15 prospects in-house.

And that’s after he kicked a few additional prospects into the packages to get those two All-Stars’ salaries fully covered, too.

Without the leaps forward they’d made during the 2021 season, there’s no chance Josh Smith and Glenn Otto (as much as we love ’em) could’ve highlighted a package for Gallo. Laughable. Wouldn’t have made it to the final screen of any “Trade Simulator” prior to April. After a sequence of breakouts this season, though, combined with the Rangers’ desire for MLB-ready talent, the Yankees had a deal.

Sure, there might be a few franchises out there with farm systems preferred by the experts (nearly 20, per Baseball America), but we’d wager no other MLB team is having a more impressive year, in terms of unexpected development top-to-bottom, than the Yankees.

When the season began, you’d have been devastated to learn Garcia has become unpitchable and Schmidt hasn’t been able to stretch himself out. As the season ends, though, things have flipped. There’s a good chance both men remain in the system next year and are given a chance to answer some pretty prominent questions, mostly because their respective values have never been this low.

Meanwhile, their legacies have been lapped by a few players who’ve become essential to New York’s future.

These 3 prospects have become untouchable for the New York Yankees.

3. Luis Gil

How can you justify jettisoning Luis Gil at this point? He can’t be removed from the big-league rotation, let alone the minor-league ranks.

There are still plenty of things the rookie has to iron out, but none of them seem to matter much after he was tossed directly into the MLB fire and responded with three consecutive outings without an earned run allowed…against the O’s (welcome), followed by the Wild Card contending Mariners and Red Sox.

Gil’s command isn’t spectacular, something the Sox took advantage of in their most recent matchup (again, to the tune of literally zero runs), and he’s had a few extremely short minor-league starts this year where he’s struggled to hit the corners whatsoever. All told, though, it’s no great stunner his breakout year has ended with major-league success.

In Gil’s first taste of Double-A this year in Somerset, he struck out 50 in 30.2 innings, getting the surprisingly early bump to Triple-A. Once he reached that level, he lost some of his trademark confidence, walking 23 in 30.1 innings and scuffling to find his swagger.

Luckily, the Yankees showed supreme confidence in the righty (and ran into a bare pitching cupboard) and they’ve been summarily rewarded. Don’t even think about asking for Gil this offseason.

2. Oswald Peraza

In most systems, Oswald Peraza would be the absolute very best shortstop and the most impressive performer.

It’s no shame being the second-most stunning in 2021, though.

Leading the second tier of Yankees prospects entering this season behind Schmidt, Garcia and Jasson Dominguez, Peraza has firmly vaulted himself into the top group. Across two levels (High-A and Double-A), the slick-fielding shortstop has popped 13 homers, hit .298, and stolen a very impressive 27 bases.

The Yankees do that? The Yankees do that! Especially the New Yankees post-deadline.

Last offseason, many a trade proposal from fans and experts alike centered on Peraza. After all, he was bursting with potential, but hadn’t quite put together a sterling offensive season in full yet. Plus, Gleyber Torres was still thought of as the no-doubt shortstop (or, at least, middle infielder) of the future in the Bronx. Once DJ LeMahieu was re-signed, the onus fell on Torres to lock down the left side, but most prognosticators believed he’d eventually be competent enough on defense to match his exceptional offense.

Now? After the display we’ve seen from Torres this season, a campaign in which his average defense has sometimes outshone his offensive output, there’s no way the Yankees will easily surrender their young depth at short. They’d sooner trade Torres.

Which reminds us…