Major League baseball dictates that the New York Yankees have until 6 pm on Friday to protect prospects and put them on the 40 man roster. Any team can claim those that are not protected. The Yankees have some huge decisions to make with little information available to them due to the 2020 minor league season being canceled.
The Yankees and their scouts diligently watch players so that they can know those players they plan to protect, the Yankees and the other 29 MLB teams don’t have that luxury today. The Rule 5 draft will be held virtually on Dec. 10 since the Winter Meetings have been canceled.
According to the New York Yankee website, their 40 man roster presently sits at 36. That means that they have to pick the 4 players they most want to protect. They also could take someone off the 40, giving them another pic, although that is remote. Here are some of the players, most pitchers that they might want to protect and move to the 40 man roster.
Roansy Contreras, a 21-year-old right-handed starter from Venezuela. The 6-foot, 160-pounder went 12-5 with a 3.33 ERA in 24 starts for Charleston in 2019. He is a righty that the Yankees drafted in 2017. He worked his way up from the Gulf League. He moved on to the Staten Island Yankees and then the River Dogs in 2018 and 2019. He is known for his cutter-like fastball and reminds scouts of Luis Severino.
Alexander Vizcaino, a 23-year old that reminds scouts of a young Domingo German, may be the pitcher the New York Yankees may most want to protect.
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“He reminds me of [Domingo] German,†a scout said of the 6-foot-2, 160-pounder from the Dominican Republic, who went 6-6 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 games for High-A Tampa and Low-A Charleston in 2019, and struck out 128 in 115 innings. Vizcaino worked out at the alternate site at the Yankees’ Triple-A complex this past season.
Oswaldo Cabrera, who can also play third and second base. The 21-year-old from Venezuela hit .260 with eight homers, 56 RBIs, and posted a .687 OPS in 120 games for Tampa in 2019. He is a shortstop that the Yankees might want to protect because he will be on the other teams’ radar. He s also a switch-hitter.
Yoendrys Gomez, is a 6-foot-3, a 175-pound right-handed starter from Venezuela, who is 21, went 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA for Charleston and Pulaski (Rookie League) in 2019. Baseball America says, “I think he is a guy who, when it clicks, is going to fly through their system like Deivi Garcia.”
Lastly is Oswald Peraza, a 20-year-old right-handed hitting shortstop from Venezuela who is 6-foot, 176 pounds, batted .263 with four homers, 20 RBIs, and stole 23 bases in 30 attempts for Charleston in 2019.
Peraza and Cabrera stand out in those the Yankees might want to protect because they are shortstop deficient in their minor league system. The Yankees are always interested in protecting up can coming pitcher prospects. These are the most likely to be protected, but other dark horses could emerge.