Yankees' teenaged phenom might be unlocking something in the shadows at Single-A

Top-10 New York Yankees prospect Roderick Arias was supposed to be among the young Yanks who'd transcend their current rankings this season. Paired with Henry Lalane and flamethrower Carlos Lagrange, New York was set to redefine the top tier of their farm system, perhaps landing a few breakout names in experts' updated Top 100s throughout the season.

Instead, Arias, Lalane, and Lagrange all operated in relative obscurity, for one reason or another, as the field failed to outpace the previous top dogs. Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez still remain the Yankees' top two prospects, and most outlets didn't see fit to rank beyond that pairing in their final midseason updates. Jones slid down the Top 100 lists he did make; Dominguez should've graduated prospect status months ago, and yet here we are.

But while Lagrange and Lalane barely produced or participated in the 2024 season, Arias overcame the burden of expectations to post some relatively impressive numbers as the season wrapped.

Now 20 years old (as of Sept. 9!), Arias ripped 13 homers, 21 doubles, and stole 37 bags in his first full campaign in the minors. Despite an unsightly 171 strikeouts, evocative of the biggest all-or-nothing boppers in the game, he still managed to take his walks, too, OBPing .335 despite a .233 average.

Yankees top prospect Roderick Arias finally clicking with Tampa Tarpons

It wasn't a season to remember for Arias, necessarily, but it was akin to Anthony Volpe's rookie season in MLB. The counting stats will impress you. The day-to-day won't necessarily. Plenty of flaws. Plenty of raw talent. And he did it all at age 19 in full-season ball, and will have the entirety of 2025 ahead of him as a 20-year-old in High-A Hudson Valley (assuming he doesn't get traded after this hard-to-parse season).

Arias at second base and defensive whiz George Lombard Jr. at shortstop opening next season as a double-play combo in Fishkill represents a prospect attraction for Yankee fans, especially the way Arias closed, posting .803 and .785 OPS marks in July and August (followed by, yes, a hilarious small-sample-size 1.032 in September).

It's too soon to tell if he's figuring it all out, per se, but he's certainly figured out that his raw tools won't carry him to the bigs without a bit more instruction. That's what 2025 is for, seeing as it's all still in there.