Ryan Garcia
We’re going to roll out our entire top 30 list for the New York Yankees’ organization shortly, but for now we’re updating our top 10 for the system with write-ups on how I view them at the moment.
There have been some brand-new additions to the top 10 and as a result, there have also been players who slid off it for a variety of reasons.
Bryce Cunningham, Chase Hampton, and Pico Kohn have slid off of the list and will feature right outside of the top 10 (11-16 range) in our top 30 update which will be out after the July 4th weekend.
READ: NY Yankees just got the worst kind of injury clock
Yankees No. 10: RHP Jack Cebert
Overview: A right-hander with a three-quarters armslot, Cebert has an excellent feel for spin that has allowed him to develop a wide array of weapons with the Yankees. He can throw a four-seamer, sinker, sweeper, curveball, and cutter while having a changeup he’s flashed on occassion as well. The 91-94 MPH fastballs plays up more due to his excellent extension and the movement he gets on these pitches, and it allows him to set-up his breaking balls for strikeouts. He has a tendency to miss in-zone with breaking pitches and get punished severely when he does due to his lack of overwhelming velocity.
Conclusion: Jack Cebert projects for a backend starter role with some middle-inning reliever outcomes in here as well if he’s on a stronger rotation.
Yankees No. 9: INF Kaeden Kent
Overview: Kaeden Kent has a short-and-simple swing which allows him to generate a lot of contact in-zone, and his barrel control has resulted in elite-level line drive rates. Kent has excellent coverage of the zone which makes him difficult to strikeout, a foundational skill that makes him a more polished hitter than most in the system. His baserunning abilities have been a plus and he’s looked solid at shortstop, which is a positive for his MLB viability. I am skeptical of his plate discipline and the lack of serious impact contact limits his ceiling, which is why I view him as a fringe top-10 prospect in the system rather than a lock to remain here all season.
Conclusion: A versatile infielder with speed and a strong hit tool, I think Kaeden Kent could be a solid utility option for an MLB roster with the skills to make shortstop his home.
Yankees No. 8: RHP Thatcher Hurd
Overview: An athletic right-handed pitcher with elite spin rates, Thatcher Hurd has an excellent feel for moving his pitches up-and-down the zone with precision. His four-seamer sits between 92-94 MPH with elite vertical movement and good extension that allows him to get better results than the radar gun would suggest it should. Hurd’s strikeouts come from his breaking balls though, as he has a curveball and slider with good movement that are very distinct from each other and create headaches for lefties and righties. I have to provide grace with these two criticisms since this is his first organized action since tearing his UCL, but the arsenal isn’t deep enough and the command is not reliable enough for me to rank him higher in this list just yet.
Conclusion: While his flaws should not be hand-waved since the command issues stem from his days with the LSU Tigers, I think Thatcher Hurd has gaudy pitch quality scores with upside to become a no. 3 starting pitcher.
Yankees No. 7: OF Spencer Jones
Overview: Spencer Jones is an incredible athlete who hits the ball hard, runs the bases well, and can flag down balls in the outfield that are difficult for similarly-talented defenders to get to due to his long limbs. Everyone knows that Jones is a brilliant talent, and he’s been fine in his early MLB action, but I’m still very worried about his contact rates and believe he is trending towards being a non-factor for the Yankees in 2026 when Trent Grisham returns. He is striking out over 41% of the time in his MLB career so far and it’s caused him to not even make enough contact to launch homers at a regular rate.
Conclusion: Spencer Jones does look like he deserves a shot in the big leagues, which many prospects in a top 30 will fail to reach, but the downside he presents will make it nearly impossible for any contender to justify planning out 100+ games for him in their offseason plans.
Yankees No. 6: RHP Ben Hess
Overview: Ben Hess has a good fastball that has two-plane movement and solid extension between 93-94 MPH, spinning it incredibly well which allows him to attack the top of the zone for whiffs. His sweeper and curveball create whiffs and called strikes as well with a changeup that he’s flashed serious upside with thanks to the depth he generates on that offering. What has caused him to slide a spot on this list is the injury he suffered midseason that he is yet to bounce back from, lacking the command or polish at the moment to consistently put hitters away. I am going to allow him some more grace, but we cannot ignore a guy with shaky command sliding further back from last season.
Conclusion: The Yankees have helped Ben Hess come along and make strides with his secondaries to become a legitimate 50-55 OFP guy in their system, but I hoped for more after an excellent 2025 season. If his command returns back to form, the addition of his new hard slider could be the missinhg ingredient for a no. 3-4 starter at the MLB level.
Yankees No. 5: LHP Henry Lalane
Overview: Entering 2026 I did not include Henry Lalane in the top 10 due to his fastball quality declining sharply aftew a slew of injuries from 2024-2025. The Yankees have watched that crappy 91-92 MPH fastball become a strong 93-95 MPH heater with good extension and ride that sets the foundation for a nasty mix. Lalane’s changeup is a perfect pitch for a left-handed pitcher to have while his slider has a Whiff% of over 50% on the season. Lalane has been one of the top-performers in the system this season, but the command is still a question mark to me and his two-seamer needs work if he wants to truly realize his potential at the Major League level.
Conclusion: A tall left-hander who has gobs of potential, Henry Lalane projects to be a mid-rotation starter with serious upside to become a Game 2 guy for a playoff team. Welcome back big guy.
Yankees No. 4: RHP Elmer Rodriguez
Overview: A wirey right-hander with an athletic delivery and a kitchen sink of pitches that can move all over the zone, I still remain optimistic that Elmer Rodriguez can contribute in a playoff team’s rotation one day because of his 94-96 MPH fastball/sinker which are paired with a cutter, curveball, changeup, and sweeper. We’ve seen his cutter velocity creep up a bit as he’s gotten behind it more which could be the perfect adjustment for him since he can zone that pitch for easy strikes and soft contact.
The command is the clear issue here despite him not having great Stuff+ scores as I believe his pitchability and damage contact prevention will make up for the mediocre K rates. He cannot run a walk rate in the double-digits if he wants to make it at the Major League level, and it’s no sure thing that he overcomes these issues.
Conclusion: Elmer Rodriguez, much like Will Warren a couple of years ago, will be compared to Michael King due to their delivery and repertoire, but he’s more of an Invincible variant of the Padres’ right-hander than a carbon copy. Not the same level of spin capacity or command, more of a mid-rotation guy than a $20+ mil AAV Game 1-2 starter.
Yankees No. 3: SS Dax Kilby
Overview: He’s barely played in 2026. I love the skillset and think there’s a real world where he’s the Yankees’ best prospect of the bunch listed here, but how do I evaluate a player who was just drafted that missed nearly the entire season right after? When healthy he’s displayed plus running skills with a flat swing that allows him to both make a lot of contact and hit the ball hard. His defensive home is unclear since I don’t think he looked all that smooth at shortstop, but I think there’s some A.J. Ewing-athletic traits that could allow the Yankees to move the prep shortstop to centerfield or second base.
Conclusion: Dax Kilby is a tantalizing talent who has the upside to become an untouchable prospect in the eyes of Brian Cashman and his front office, but there’s a ton of variance here as a prep infielder and not enough of a resume at the pro level to group him with George Lombard Jr. anymore.
Yankees No. 2: RHP Carlos Lagrange
Overview: The raw talent allows Carlos Lagrange to edge out fellow top-100 prospects like Dax Kilby and Elmer Rodriguez in my eyes. His power fastball clocks in at 100 MPH regularly with improved shape from previous seasons, and the addition of a two-seamer has made him even harder to predict. Lagrange has a sweeper, slider, and changeup with some belief on my end that his slider has upside to get even better if he can either get more depth or velocity on it. He has obvious command issues, that plague him both in the walk rate and the danage contact allowed, hanging breaking balls in the middle of the plate or spraying heaters around the plate that aren’t going to fool batters.
Conclusion: Carlos Lagrange has pitchability and a deep mix to go with elite velocity, but the lack of reliable command and the injury risk create a very clear reliever outcome. If he makes any strides with his command, Lagrange could genuinely become the Game 2 starter for the 2028 New York Yankees.
NOTE: Carlos Lagrange is undergoing an MRI on his shoulder and is currently on the 7-Day IL.
Yankees No. 1: George Lombard Jr.
Overview: A patient infielder with a wide array of skills that allow him to impact the baseball diamond, George Lombard Jr. has ascended from a good top-100 prospect to one of the top 10-15 prospects in MLB. He displays an outstanding glove in the infield and I think he could win a Gold Glove at shortstop due to his range, athleticism, and arm talent. The raw power has started to improve as he’s become a much better hitter than what we saw during the 2025 campaign, and he was quickly adjusting to Triple-A pitching before an injury to his hand that he sustained during a collision at second base. His contact rates have not been great which does concern me and his hit tool isn’t anything to write home about, giving me some worries about what his K% and AVG will look like at the MLB level.
Conclusion: George Lombard Jr. pairs elite swing decisions with good exit velocities, but lacks the barrel control to become a high-average hitter with low strikeout rates at the moment. He’s an incredibly gifted defender which will put less pressure on him to become an excellent hitter, reminding me a lot of what Dansby Swanson has become after a few rough stints in the big leagues from 2016-2018.
More about:New York Yankees
