The New York Yankees are blessed with one of the best lists of prospects in both leagues. One of the reasons is that they have made good use of the international markets. This year they have picked up the number one international prospect in Rodrick Arias, yet another shortstop to bolster the minor league position. In 2019 they acquired phenom Jasson Dominguez, their number one prospect since then. But as time marches on, so do those rankings.
Here is a look at the rankings from FanGraphs in February 2021:
- Jason Dominguez, center fielder. Age 17.10, expected arrival 2025, FV 50.
- Deivi Garcia, starting pitcher. Age 21.7, expected arrival 2021 FV50.
- Oswald Peraza, shortstop. Age 20.6, expected arrival 2022 FV50.
- Clarke Schmidt, starting pitcher. Age 2025, expected arrival 2021 FV50.
- Alexander Vargas, shortstop. Age 19.3, expected arrival 2023 FV50.
Since then, there have been some significant changes. Jasson Dominguez has slipped out of first place and now sits at number four on the list. The main reason for the slip is that he didn’t have an overwhelming 2021 at the Tampa A level, even though he remains a powerful hitting from both sides of the plate.
Deivi Garcia slipped from number two to number ten. After a promising season at Scranton and at the Stadium, he had a horrible season at the AAA Railriders in 2021. So here are the 2022 FanGraph rankings.
- Antony Volpe, shortstop. Age 20.7, expected arrival 2024 FV60.
- Oswald Peraza, shortstop. Age 21.6, expected arrival 2022 FV50
- Luis Media, right-hand pitcher. Age 22.7, expected arrival 2022 FV50.
- Jasson Dominguez, center fielder. Age 18.9, expected arrival 2025 FV50.
- Alexander Vargas, shortstop. Age 20.2, expected arrival 20.2 FV50.
The 2022 list is quite a turnaround from just a year ago. Anthony Volpe wasn’t even in the top ten last year and now sits at the best the Yankees have to offer. He had a stellar year between two teams, Tampa Tarpons and the Hudson Valley Renegades; he hit 27 homers driving in 86 and with a .294 batting average while remaining a good defender at short.
Also, Oswald Peraza and Luis Media had good years last season as well. Peraza advanced three steps to AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He hit 18 home runs between the three teams, driving in 57 with a .297 batting average. Luis Media had a 6-4 record with an ERA of 3.81, with two teams advancing to the Somerset Patriots.
My only problem with these rankings is that they placed Deivi Garcia ahead of Luis Gil. Gil made great strides for the Yankees last season, striking out more hitters than Garcia. Gil pitched in six games with an ERA of just 3.07 and a higher (0.4) WAR than Garcia. Look for other Yankees prospects to make an impact this season. You will surely see Clarke Schmidt on the mound sometime this season. You may also see Stephen Ridings on the mound.