The New York Yankees’ farm system has been one of the better ones in baseball for the better part of a decade — on the lighter side. There’s no denying that the Yankees have placed a massive amount of attention on their farm, and the development of the young players. It is crucial for every team’s long-term success and prosperity, that teams put together a solid farm system. New York has produced boatloads of talent over the history of their ballclub, but over the last few years especially, light has been shone on all the talented youngsters within the Yankees’ minor league system.
With the MLB having dropped their Top 100 Prospects coming into the 2020 season, I figured I’d touch on the Yankee players on the list — and also mention a name or two that I feel was undeservingly left off. With that here are the Yankees in the T100 and their respective rankings:
54. Jasson Dominguez (OF / 16 YO — turns 17 in a week)
88. Clarke Schmidt (SP / 23 YO — turns 24 in a week)
92. Deivi Garcia (SP / 20 YO)
I personally think that all three of those players are lower than they deserve to be, specifically Deivi Garcia. With that, however, to see a sixteen-year-old in Jasson “The Martian” Dominguez, crack the list at 54 is absolutely mind-boggling. The man is a freak of nature and looks to be the next generational talent when he pushes the major league roster.
The three Yanks mentioned
54. Jasson Dominguez — Jasson Dominguez is arguably the most valuable prospect in all of baseball. That statement may be seen as a stretch, or a bold statement, but when you look at all his abilities and contributing factors, it makes him a definite candidate. Dominguez, the soon to be 17 years old, is likely going to see AA baseball this upcoming season — at again, only seventeen years old. He’s already an intimidating 5’11, 190 pounds of muscle, he looks like a mini Giancarlo Stanton. I expect nothing but massive things out of him and think he is a future Yankee legend and superstar.
88. Clarke Schmidt — Schmidt is honestly somewhat of a surprise to me, or at least I would’ve expected him to be below Garcia — no disrespect toward Clarke. With that, Schmidt flashed potential and great skill prior to his TJ. His numbers across the minors have been very consistent, never posting an ERA above 3.85, and never posting a K/9 below 9.00. The only thing I worry about with Schmidt is that his K numbers have fallen a bit since his surgery, aside from three-game stint this last year in the Rookie league. I think Schmidt can very likely make the MLB roster this upcoming season at some point, especially with his age, look for him to fight for a spot in the bullpen this Spring.
91. Deivi Garcia — I had liked to think that Garcia would’ve cracked the T75, due to how impressive he was this last year. Across High A, and AA baseball, Garcia posted a K/9 of roughly 15.4, and paired it with an ERA and FIP of 3.6 and 1.9. Those numbers are exceptional, and he flew through the minor leagues and ended the year at AAA — and he’s only 20. I think Garcia is going to be an ace and has the caliber and talent to do so. Naturally, with any raw talent, he comes with worries — his size at only 5’9 160 lbs, and the fact that his BB/9 wasn’t below 4.00 at any point in 2019. However, look for Garcia to continue to rise through the ranks and expect him to have caught the eye of every GM looking to solidify their future.
The Guys that didn’t make the cut
A few of the names I was somewhat — but not very — surprised to see miss the list were: Estevan Florial, Luis Gil & also Thairo Estrada. I am a massive fan of Florial and I think his talent and abilities outweigh his overall rank right now, due mainly in part to his injury bugged seasons the past two years. Flo is a guy that can make a huge impact on the team with his power and speed combination. He roams center with quickness and long strides allowing him to cover a great range, and his bat speed and pop combo can very well lead to him hitting 20+ HR’s a season paired with 20 stolen bases as well.
As for Gil, I think that he’s one of the most under-appreciated talents in the entire minor leagues. In his first season across A baseball, at 21 years of age, he managed to pitch 83.0 innings en route to an ERA and FIP of 2.39 & 2.50. His K/9 was an astounding 12.14 and paired that with a K% of 32%. The K/9 would’ve ranked third this last season in the entire Major Leagues — yes there’s the massive talent gap and obvious difference in ability from A and MLB levels — but the point is that the kid has absolutely electric stuff and makes people swing and miss at an extraordinarily high rate. Add to that his HR/9 was a 0.11 across those 83.0 IP. Again, for comparison to how incredible a 0.11 HR/9 is, the MLB low in 2019 was Charlie Morton at 0.69. Gil is a name to watch and he is sure to rise through the levels this next year.
Estrada is one of the less talked about names, but I think he has value and will likely see a spot on the major league roster this upcoming season. Thairo brings a solid glove and the ability to play second base, shortstop, and third base. With that, he’s an above-average base-runner with quality speed. Not to mention he’s a consistent .270 hitter in the making, and much like Joe Panik, rarely strikes out — saw his K% increase in ’18, after posting a solid stint from ’13-’17. I think Thairo’s best comparison would be as mentioned, Panik, and that’s a solid utility guy right there.