Ranking the 10 most valuable young players in the Yankees' organization

No. 5 - Cam Schlittler

Cam Schlittler is ranked as the Yankees' No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 5 by FanGraphs Prospect Report. Schlittler is 6 foot 6 and 230 pounds, topping out at 98 mph on his fastball.
It seems impossible to be truly injury-proof as a pitcher in modern baseball, but a frame that big does make one hope he can withstand the wear and tear of full major league seasons.

In 2024, he threw 120 innings and led the Yankees organization in strikeouts while also inducing a 51.2 percent groundball rate. A combination of high strikeouts and keeping the ball on the ground bodes incredibly well for his success, and that has continued into 2025.

In 2025, he has continued his development by maintaining his strikeout rate while cutting his walk rate. He has 64 strikeouts a 2.38 ERA in 53 innings. The only thing preventing him from being higher on this list is that he has only one appearance in Triple-A (which was a year ago), and fastball velocity alone does not denote success at the major league level (although it helps).

At 24 years old, there's no need to rush, but if he continues to avoid hard contact and fly balls, he could compete for a back-end rotation spot next as early as next year. Schlittler was promoted to Triple-A on Tuesday afternoon.

No. 4 - Ben Hess

Ben Hess is another big-bodied pitching prospect, listed at 6 foot 5 and 255 pounds. MLB Pipeline has him as the third-highest rated prospect in the Yankees organization, and FanGraphs Scouting Report plops him at 10. Hess pitched for three years at Alabama, where walks got him in trouble, but in his third and final year in the NCAA, he struck out 106 hitters in only 68 innings. He sits in the mid 90s with his fastball velocity, but his curveball is what got him drafted in the first round.

Given he was just drafted last summer, his only professional experience is in 2025, where he has 59 strikeouts and a 4.05 ERA in 40 innings pitched at High-A. Walks were his Achilles' heel in college, and 24 walks in eight starts does not bode well.

However, he's young, he's got good stuff, and the Yankees organization has done a good job at reigning in wild pitchers. With some of the curveballs like the ones on display here, Ben Hess should be on Yankees fans' radar.

No. 3 - George Lombard Jr.

George Lombard Jr. is where this list strays away from lottery tickets and wades into "real deal" territory. He was drafted straight out of high school, where he debuted and has stayed atop Yankees prospect rankings. In spring training, you couldn't throw a stick without hitting someone who was buzzing about how athletic Lombard Jr. looked. He's currently the only Yankees prospect listed in the top 100 on MLB Pipeline (number 44), but that's mostly because the next two players on this list have already graduated from prospect status.

He just turned 20 years old this week, and was promoted to Double-A midseason. He's struggled a bit, hitting only .195, but he has a .360 on-base percentage, walking at the same rate he strikes out. He also has seven stolen bases in nine attempts, and has played all over the infield.

With his age, his plate discipline, and his electric defense at shortstop, Lombard Jr. has bought himself a long time to develop. Very few people have any doubt that he has the athletic tools necessary to become a successful pro ballplayer. The main thing he needs to do is cut down the number of swings and misses at pitches in the zone. Having great discipline won't mean much if pitchers realize they can blow velocity by him.

Still, all things considered, people are very excited about Lombard Jr.

Anthony Volpe is still very young and has proven he can excel at shortstop, but it's always fun to have a highly ranked shorstop prospect in the organization. Now, the video we selected above is as cherry-picked and unfair as it gets... but remind you of anyone? Perhaps any other Yankees shortstops?