Baseball America rankings prove Yankees farm still closer to top

See, this is what we’ve been telling you. The Yankees might not have the most top-heavy farm system in the baseball universe entering the 2022 season, but the experts believe their depth still merits inclusion among the better prospect groups in the league.

In other words: Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox are not running and hiding in this department, even though Boston fans on Twitter will tell you otherwise.

Has Bloom’s farm system improved since he took over Dave Dombrowski’s wasteland? Of course. By default.

But while he’s added surprise top pick Nick Yorke and seen Blaze Jordan and Marcelo Mayer fall into his lap, the Yankees have countered with … surprise top pick Anthony Volpe, while seeing international mega-star Roderick Arias and first-round stud Trey Sweeney fall into their laps.

Oh, and they’ve also witnessed countless other in-system breakouts since 2020, from Ken Waldichuk to Hayden Wesneski to Everson Pereira.

Those stars and others at the top of the food chain have the Yankees sitting at 13th in Baseball America’s rankings, just two spots below the Red Sox at 11.

Yankees’ farm system ranks alongside Red Sox in Baseball America’s list.

The one problem? Just because the Yankees are hanging alongside the Sox does not mean the future is going to get any easier in the AL East.

Somehow, the Rays — the only elite team that never sees any farm system dropoff whatsoever, still rank in the No. 2 spot behind the Seattle Mariners after graduating Wander Franco. That seems impossible, but it’s true.

Baltimore, a team that’s spent four years accumulating nothing but prospects — that’s the Astros way! — ranks fourth (and they’d better, because otherwise, this whole thing is a disaster). Boston’s 11th, New York is 13th, and Toronto, minus Vlad Jr. and Bo Bichette, is still a respectable 19th.

The Yankees are keeping pace. Their MLB roster lags behind, though, and the future seems destined to be a five-way dogfight (now that the O’s have moved their fences 87 feet back in left).

Still, trading the entire middle of your farm for Joey Gallo, yet still remaining in the upper half of MLB as the rest of the league’s fans laugh at your trade proposals … feels pretty good. There’s a lot of talent still en route to the Bronx.

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