The next New York Yankees prospect that we will review came to the Yankees via the Sonny Gray trade back in the 2019 offseason. That prospect would be center fielder, Josh Stowers. Stowers was the 2018 second-round pick for the Seattle Mariners. Stowers is a center fielder who has really good speed and is always going to give you a solid at-bat every time it’s his turn to swing. Stowers has a really good feel for the game offensively. He has great plate discipline and his smooth and balanced swing drives the ball to all fields consistently. He is a great baserunner who will make you pay if you’re not paying close enough attention. His speed might be his best overall asset which plays well on both sides of the ball. Last year was his first full year with the Yankees organization, and Stowers definitely impressed.
Impressive First Year
Sonny Gray completely flopped for the Yankees so when it was announced that Stowers was the piece coming back to the Yankees, there wasn’t a ton of high expectations given how bad Gray was in New York. Stowers was a former second-round pick so you know the Yankees had decent expectations, but the fans were just glad to get rid of Gray. In his first year with the organization, Stowers showed that the deal was a good one. In 105 games for Charleston, Stowers hit .273 with an incredible OBP of .386. Again, Stowers’s speed makes him a very dangerous prospect if you combine that with his ability to get on base. In addition to his impressive numbers at the plate, Stowers stole 35 bases. Now, Stowers does a good job of driving the ball to all fields, but he doesn’t do it with a lot of power only hitting 7 home runs last year. He’s not going to have elite power moving forward, but he could be the type of guy who could cause havoc at the top of a lineup.
Where to Improve
I really like Josh Stowers as a prospect. He’s got great speed and the Yankees love his ability to get on base. There are definitely areas that he needs to work on moving forward. Stowers doesn’t read the ball the best from center and he also doesn’t have a very good arm. His speed makes up for some of the areas he lacks, but I’m not sure if his future is going to be in center. Down the line, he might be better in the corners. Other than his defensive traits that need to be fine-tuned, I think Stowers is heading down the right track. I don’t think he will ever be the type of player who will have a lot of pop so I don’t want to see him changing his swing and sacrificing Avg/OBP for power. With his speed, I just want to see him continue to get on base and cause headaches for pitchers and catchers.