The New York Yankees have an above-average number of prospects in the Top-100 list, based on simple mathematics. The Athletic dropped their list over the weekend, including four Yankee prospects that seemed to have bright futures if they can continue building and developing their game.
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Yankees land four prospects in the Top-100:
SS Anthony Volpe, No. 8
The Yankees are keen on giving Anthony Volpe a chance to compete for the starting shortstop job this spring. While most agree that he will likely end up back in AAA, continuing his development for the first few weeks of the regular season, he will get called up at some point. Proving consistency at the next level is naturally the next step.
However, if he looks good enough during spring training, I wouldn’t be surprised if manager Aaron Boone demands he stays up with the top team. His ability to create positive contact and showcase elite athleticism on both sides of the ball make him a top prospect — he is bred to be an MLB player. It’s just a matter of his starting position at the next level — shortstop or second base.
Keith Law of The Atheltic projects that Volpe will be a star:
I don’t know for a fact that the Yankees have sat out the free-agent shortstop market because they think Volpe’s a star, but I think Volpe’s a star, so I can hardly blame them.
OF Jasson Dominguez, No. 32
Dominguez has every tool necessary to become a superstar at the next level: speed, power, and athleticism. At just 19 years old, the Dominican Republic native climbed his way to AA Somerset last season, playing just five games. He will start the year in AA once again, earning an opportunity to showcase his quality against higher levels of talent.
At such a ripe age, expecting him to dominate immediately is optimistic, but he showed no signs of slowing down with Hudson Valley in A+ ball. He finished hitting .306 with a .397 OBP across just 40 games, smashing six homers with 22 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Everything about Dominguez screams quality. It’s just a matter of how long it will take him to adjust to the next level and if he will eventually land in centerfield or a corner outfield position.
The body is maxed out, but there’s also no need for him to get stronger or develop more power. I see a guy with three plus-plus tools who is the age of a college sophomore and has earned his way to Double A. What’s not to like?
SS Oswald Peraza, No. 76
Oswald Peraza projects to win the starting shortstop job out of spring training, but he’s not even close to the top prospect on this Top-100 list.
Peraza looked fantastic over a small sample size in 2022 at the MLB level. He hit .306 with a .404 OBP, one homer, and two RBIs, but he is not known to be a contact hitter. His on-base percentage will likely hover around 30%, but you can add plenty of runs saved in the defensive department and hit double-digit homers with ease if he plays more than 100 games.
The question is, can the Yankees live with his inability to get on base at a high clip when factoring in his elite defensive qualities?
He’s got a pretty high floor even if he’s a .290 OBP hitter, because he might be worth 8-10 runs with his glove and hit 15-20 homers. There’s a better player in here, though, if he becomes more selective and less pull-centric.
OF Everson Pereira, No. 86
One of the Yankees’ top prospects is Everson Pereira, an outfielder currently on the 40-man roster but should have an opportunity to compete for the starting left-field job.
Oswaldo Cabrera has the advantage at this point in time, but management has been promoting Aaron Hicks heavily, coming off another down season.
General manager Brian Cashman also mentioned Estevan Florial as a potential solution, but Pereira has good defensive metrics and is coming off a solid season with AA Somerset. He hit .283 with a .341 OBP, five homers, and 13 RBIs but hosted a 30.1% strikeout rate.
Pereira is an interesting player, given he doesn’t hit for power but gets some base with good contact. With that being said, his strikeout rate is far too high to be coined a contact-hitter, but when he does put bat to ball, good things happen. He needs to reduce his chase and whiff rates significantly moving forward.
Given he doesn’t have a defined offensive makeup, I could see the Yankees including him as a potential trade piece in the future. For the time being, they may want to consider including him in the left-field position battle during spring training, at the very least putting his talents on display for other teams.
He’s still a high-variance prospect who could never make enough contact to be a regular, but just by virtue of staying healthy for 102 games last year, he showed that he at least has the potential to be an impact hitter who hits for average and power while providing value on defense.