After making some trades this past winter for guys like Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, the Yankees were back on the trade market this deadline. New additions like Jazz Chisholm and Mark Leiter Jr. have joined the team and provided a spark, but that’s also resulted in the organization losing some talented prospects. With less than two months to go in the Minor League season, we’re taking a look at the top 30 prospects in the Yankees’ organization after the deadline, a three-part list that we’ll unveil 10 players at a time.
This will cover who we believe to be the top 21-30 in the Yankees’ farm system, and while they aren’t the household names that usually get all of the attention, some seriously talented names in this group could play a role on the Major League team down the road.
No. 30: Eric Reyzelman | RHP | Level: AA | B/T: R/R
While Jack Neely was traded in a two-player package for Mark Leiter Jr. alongside Benjamin Cowles, he wasn’t the right-handed reliever I hoped the Yankees would keep. It was Eric Reyzelman, the power righty out of LSU who spent some time on the IL but has flashed an unbelievable ability to miss bats. This season has been an excellent one for the 23-year-old, as he’s struck out 42.3% of batters with a 1.01 ERA across his 20 appearances this season.
Some of that is skewed by him absolutely dominating against lesser competition in the Complex League and High-A, where he didn’t allow an earned run, but even in Double-A he has a 2.38 ERA and 24.3% K-BB%. The stuff is electric, sporting a riding fastball that sits around 96-97 MPH and a slider that generates two-plane movement. What makes him even more devastating is the fact that everything comes out of a lower release height, so it can be hard to pick up what he’s throwing.
With an arsenal that’s perfect for missing bats in late-game situations, I view Eric Reyzelman as a reliever who has the stuff to compete at the highest level pro baseball has to offer.
No. 29: Carlos Narvaez | C | Level: MLB | B/T: R/R
Carlos Narvaez seems to be the most forgotten guy who I consistently see ranked in the top-30 for the Yankees’ organization. A catcher who likely ends up in a backup role for a team hoping to contend, he brings a lot of valuable skills to the table that should make him a big leaguer. An excellent glove and good throwing abilities should allow Narvaez to provide plenty of defensive value, and the bat is pretty solid as well.
With a 119 wRC+ in Triple-A this season, we’re seeing Narvaez find it at the plate more, but the Yankees haven’t played him much in his most recent big-league stint. There are skills to like offensively, he’s in the 72nd Percentile in SEAGER and the 79th Percentile in 90th Percentile Exit Velocity. The strikeout rates haven’t been so bad that they concern you about his ability to look competent at the Major League level, although I think they’ll prevent him from being an everyday player.
A defensive-minded catcher with power, Carlos Narvaez bodes an eerie resemblance to former backstop Kyle Higashioka.
No. 28: Griffin Herring | LHP | Level: N/A | B/T: R/L
The Yankees used their sixth-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft on Griffin Herring, a two-pitch lefty who dominated out of the bullpen for the LSU Tigers. His slider is his best pitch, getting sharp movement on it and rocking a cool 42.3% Whiff Rate on it during his last collegiate campaign. It’s a plus pitch, but his four-seamer leaves a lot to be desired as it sits at 91.6 MPH with some ride and run, but nothing that would help it overpower hitters.
Furthermore, Herring will need to add a third pitch to make the transition to a starting role. His velocity and depth of arsenal issues aren’t great, but the Yankees are excellent at developing pitchers and Herring has a ton of projectability thanks to his taller frame and great extension. Location is a strength for the southpaw as well, so it feels like improving the stuff could lead to a massive breakout at the MiLB level.
A successful college reliever for a National Champion, Griffin Herring could join a long list of middle-round starters who the Yankees have stolen in the draft recently.
No. 27: Yoendrys Gomez | RHP | Level: AAA | B/T: R/R
I ranked Yoendrys Gomez a bit higher on this list entering the season, and while he’s been pretty solid at Triple-A as a starter, there are a couple of concerns I have. The velocity is down and that means the stuff has declined as well, and while I do think that the potential for him to become a good reliever is there, that’s inherently going to hurt his stock on a prospect list.
He’s got the arsenal depth to make it at the Major League level, but the Yankees should try to get him in a shorter-length role because I’m not sure it’ll work for him as a starter. The outcome of being a solid long-relief guy is still really good for a prospect who was never considered a top-100 prospect or a massive IFA signing, and the Yankees seem to do a great job working their magic on these kinds of arms.
A talented arm who has finally stayed healthy, it’s getting late early for Yoendrys Gomez, who has been on their 40-man roster for a few years now.
No. 26: Jesus Rodriguez | C/3B | Level: AA | B/: R/R
Jesus Rodriguez runs really high line drive rates and makes a ton of contact, but we aren’t talking about just a slap hitter either. There’s some pop in that profile, with eight home runs in 297 plate appearances this season, but there are serious questions about his game. The 157 wRC+ in High-A is great, but will it translate in Double-A where there’s a huge gap in the quality of pitchers?
He’s shown flashes in his first 13 games with Somerset, and I do believe his excellent ability to generate sweet spots will play wherever he goes, but the glove is another question entirely. Andres Chaparro was left unprotected by the Yankees twice in the Rule-5 Draft due to the lack of any defensive value, and while he has the offensive upside to be a legitimate MLB hitter, this league values the ability to play the field.
There’s always intrigue around a prospect who just hits wherever they go, but if Rodriguez find a position, maybe that intrigue turns into serious value down the road.
No. 25: Gage Ziehl | RHP | Level: N/A | B/T: R/R
Gage Ziehl is the second player from the 2024 MLB Draft on this list, and the Yankees made a strong pick with the former Miami Hurricane. The right-hander has a solid four-seamer that sat at around 93 MPH with roughly 18 inches of Induced Vertical Break and that’s a pretty strong profile. His money pitch is an excellent slider with good two-plane movement that picked up a ton of whiffs, and I think he can see his collegiate success translate to the professional scene.
He’ll need to find a reliable third pitch, and I also wonder if we could see his four-seamer usage go down a bit because it sat at roughly a 46% usage rate and it’s really not the kind of pitch you’d rely on that much. Either the Yankees need to help him add more velocity or they’ll need to help him develop a third pitch and dilute the fastball reliance a bit to get some other secondaries involved.
A bulldog who tossed 100 innings last season, Gage Ziehl is a fiery competitor with the foundation to become a backend starter.
No. 24: Ben Shields | LHP | Level: AA | B/T: R/L
Sure, we could sit here and immediately discount Ben Shields because he’s a 25-year-old in Double-A, but this is a first-year player who has immediately hit the ground running. He had a 2.75 ERA and 34.8% strikeout rate in High-A before coming up to Double-A and crushing, posting a 1.95 ERA in five outings with a 25.9% strikeout rate. He does a great job generating groundballs and utilizing his excellent secondaries to play up a fastball with some unique characteristics.
His fastball gets a lot of arm-side run while sitting at 92-93 MPH, and the ability to keep the ball on the ground while missing bats is extremely encouraging. Shields got crushed in a spot start in Triple-A, but if you ignore that start that was made out of necessity and not because he was ready, he’s been one of the best starters in Minor League Baseball this season.
Ben Shields may be an older pitcher at a level full of guys younger than him, but he has a 1.99 ERA and 30.7% strikeout rate in his last 10 turns through the rotation and the stuff is a plus tool.
No. 23: Caleb Durbin | UTL | Level: AAA | B/T: R/R
It was a strong start for Caleb Durbin, who was rocking a 132 wRC+ through his first 47 games at Triple-A, but then he got hit in the hand and missed two months (which didn’t rock). The versatile 24-year-old has a plus hit tool that comes with some really good spray angles as well. It’s awesome to see that he ranks in the 90th Percentile in Pulled Flyball% given that he doesn’t generate much raw power, and his patience allows him to work walks.
On the basepaths, he has the speed and aggression to swipe a ton of bases at the next level, but the problem with ranking Durbin is that he doesn’t hit the ball with much authority. It’s a product of his 5’6 frame, and while he’s maximizing it as much as he can, I don’t know if he can be viewed as a future everyday regular the way you would look at someone like Anthony Volpe or Austin Wells when they came up.
An underdog who has become used to being overlooked, Caleb Durbin could just rocket to another level like he has in each of the last two seasons.
No. 22: Cam Schlittler | RHP | Level: AA | B/T: R/R
Cam Schlittler is another success story out of Hudson Valley, as the right-hander recently received a promotion to Double-A thanks to his incredible season. He posted a 2.60 ERA and 30.3% strikeout rate in 17 starts with High-A, and while an ugly start in Triple-A (similar situation to Ben Shields) muddy the overall numbers on the season, his stuff is really enticing.
His four-seamer is more of a cutter and sits around 94 MPH, and he has some excellent secondary pitches including a wicked slider that he can use to put batters away. His weird fastball generates a ton of contact on the ground, sporting a groundball rate of 55.7%, and Schlittler could find himself in the top 15 of this list if he’s able to shove in Double-A. He stands at a ridiculous 6’6, meaning he’s getting a lot of extension as well, and I wonder if he’s capable of bigger things in 2025.
A tall righty with the stuff to overwhelm opposing hitters, Cam Schlittler could use Somerset as a launching pad for his professional career.
No. 21: Francisco Vilorio | OF | Level: DSL | B/T: R/R
This wasn’t the season I was hoping for from Francisco Vilorio, but the right-handed hitting outfielder is in his first professional season and shouldn’t be judged on that debut too harshly. He doesn’t get to climb up this list, but he does earn a spot in the top-30, and I think that’s pretty fair all things considered. I love the power and I love the upside, but there’s a point in time where that has to translate into results.
We’ll see if that happens next season, but consider this more of a “strike one” than a pass for what was a pretty underwhelming campaign in the Dominican Summer League.