New York Yankees Prospects: Yoendrys Gomez

Back in 2016, the New York Yankees picked a Venezuelan right-hander up for $50,000 and that right-hander has turned out to be one of the better pitching prospects in the Yankees farm system. Coming in as the ninth-ranked prospect in the Yankees farm system is a right-handed starter, Yoendrys Gomez. The 20-year-old has really garnered a lot of attention from scouts over his first couple of years and is already ahead of schedule in his development. Gomez stands an impressive 6’3 but only weighs about 180 LBS. Gomez has focused on getting stronger over his first couple of years with the club, and it’s shown in his velocity. His fastball topped out in the low 90s, but now his fastball is topping out around 98 MPH. Gomez has the makings of one of the best pitching prospects the Yankees have produced due to the fact that he’s going to continue to get stronger which will add a little more velocity onto his three dynamic pitches. Gomez features a fastball and curveball which both have plus spin rates, and he features a changeup that has great fleeting movement which is also developing into a plus pitch. Gomez used these tools to springboard to A ball in 2019.

2019 Outlook

Gomez was not supposed to reach Class A ball last year as the New York Yankees were wanting him to continue to add strength. However, after six starts in rookie ball, it was apparent that Gomez was ready to take that leap. Gomez was 4-2 with a 2.12 ERA in his six starts before making that jump. Gomez really showed off his smooth pitching ability which is why a lot of scouts are liking him more and more as time goes on. Once he made the jump, Gomez did struggle just a little. In six starts at Class A, Gomez went 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA although the ERA is a little deceiving. When you look at the pitching statistics across the board, there was not a big enough difference in the numbers to garner a four-run jump in ERA. So for that, I’ll give Gomez a break, but remember, don’t fall in love with ERA numbers when pitchers are developing especially at that level. I saw a tape of Gomez pitching a few times and I’m very impressed with his mechanics. He has a delivery that is very easy to repeat which will help with consistency. I believe he’s going to continue to get stronger which may put that fastball over 100. I’m very excited to continue to watch Gomez progress in the system.

Moving Forward

With the time off, I think Gomez should continue to focus on getting stronger. I believe he has all the makings of a starter that will overpower guys with his fastball, and break their knees with his breaking ball. His fastball/curveball combination could be lethal if he continues to develop the way he is now. That changeup that he has paired with those two will make him even more dynamic. In speaking to a couple of scouts, they think he could develop into being a 2-3 starter in a rotation. He has the makeup and the skills to do it. I think he needs to get a little stronger and continue to work on his consistency and control. I think with another 2-3 years of developing, Gomez could be making the push for a spot in the Yankees rotation. Yoendrys Gomez is definitely a name that New York Yankees fans should be keeping an eye on whenever the 2020 season gets underway.