Overlooked Yankees prospect dealt away in Camilo Doval trade is dominating in AFL

When the New York Yankees acquired Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants, they sent a large package of four prospects out West in exchange for the 28-year-old righty. While that might seem like a lot in exchange for the one-time All-Star, it was really more of a quantity over quality situation. Or, at least, that's how it seemed at the time.

Of the four youngsters, only two ranked in lthe Yankees' top-30, and both were towards the back half. Right-handed pitcher Trystan Vrieling was the Yankees' No.19 prospect (per MLB Pipeline), while catcher and corner infielder Jesus Rodriguez ranked 25th among the Baby Bombers. The two other farmhands, infielder Parks Harber and lefty Carlos De La Rosa, were both unranked.

Now, though, Harber is putting on a show in the Arizona Fall League as he looks to continue to defy the odds.

Parks Harber is putting on a show in the Arizona Fall League after being dealt by the Yankees in the Camilo Doval trade

In addition to having an A-plus baseball name, Parks Harber has proven to be the epitome of a grinder in his young career. Signing with the Yankees as an undrafted player, Harber embarked on his professional journey in 2024, playing 23 games at Single-A Tampa and slashing .269/.389/.449 in the small sample.

If you wanted to write that off as beginner's luck, try again. Harber began 2025 at Tampa, but a .972 OPS in 20 games earned him a promotion to Hi-A Hudson Valley, where he began to turn heads alongside top prospect George Lombard Jr. He'd play in 34 contests for that squad, posting an .884 OPS prior to the trade. After the deal, he continued toiling in Hi-A for San Francisco, slashing a red-hot .333/.454/.644. In total, his collective minor league line for 2025 came in at an impressive .323/.420/.550 with 13 homers in 79 games.

For the six-foot-three, 225-pound 24-year-old, that sizzing performance has continued in the Arizona Fall League, where he's posted a 1.317 OPS through his first 13 games, which ranks third in the autumn showcase.

Meanwhile, there was much excitement when the Yankees acquired Doval, who looked to be trending back towards his All-Star ways after a down 2024 campaign. With substantial team control, youth, and an electric right arm, the hope was that he could be a fixture in the bullpen for a long time.

A 4.82 post-trade ERA threw a big bucket of cold water on those sentiments, as the Yankees will now look to rebuild a problematic bullpen that Doval (among others) was supposed to solve back in July.

Meanwhile, Harber is looking like a hidden gem that has been given away. As impressive as his accomplishments were in the lower minors, he was much older than the majority of his competition. In the AFL, though, that's not the case.

His road to the bigs isn't exactly smooth from here on out, but the more statements he makes, the further along he gets. It might sting to give up a diamond in the rough, but given the odds of him doing anything in pro ball, he's easy to root for and should be a guy to keep an eye on moving forward.