This offseason the Yankees have gotten some excellent reviews on their farm system, and as ESPN drops their top 100 list ahead of the 2024 season, Kiley McDaniel places six different prospects from the organization on his list. Headlined by Jasson Dominguez (#21), the Yankees also saw Spencer Jones (#56), Roderick Arias (#60), Will Warren (#69), Chase Hampton (#81), and Austin Wells (#82) make the cut, giving the Yankees some of the most representation on the list.
With the Yankees continuing to get high-praise from various prospect outlets, things are looking bright for the future of the organization.
Yankees’ Farm System Continues to Get High Remarks
Something that the Yankees have done extremely well over the past few seasons is develop prospects into highly-valued talent, as among their six top 100 prospects, two of them were drafted in the sixth and eighth rounds. They also selected Drew Thorpe outside of the first-round in 2022, who finished as the 64th ranked prospect according to ESPN. It’s an extremely deep farm system riddled with talent on both sides of the ball, and it’s unsurprisng to see Dominguez at the top.
The switch-hitting phenom was one dominant in the second half, climbing all the way up to the Major Leagues and swatting four home runs in eight games before suffering a UCL tear that will require Tommy John Surgery. He isn’t expected to return to action until the summer, but the talent is undeniable. Contact became a tool he developed rapidly, cutting his strikeout rate down to just 17.2% after the All-Star Break in his stops at Somerset and Scranton.
Usual suspects on top-100 lists for the Yankees include Spencer Jones and Chase Hampton, who emerged out of the 2022 MLB Draft class and are mainstays on these lists. Jones possesses incredible upside as a toolsy outfielder with speed, power, and defense, generating plenty of value from his play in centerfield. Issues with his hit tool and plate discipline raise alarms about whether the bat will translate or not, but he’s still a very green prospect.
Chase Hampton came out of Texas Tech with a fastball-curveball profile but quickly added a cutter and sweeper with the Yankees, and has blossomed as a result. He struck out 33.1% of batters faced last season and has a four-seamer with plenty of vertical carry that headlines a profile full of excellent secondaries. Hampton is a brilliant right-hander with the upside to become a frontline starter, and there’s a lot of intrigue in what he could provide in 2024.
The Yankees’ third-ranked prospect was Roderick Arias, the switch-hitting shortstop with excellent athletiscm and power who had his season cut short in the Florida Complex League due to injury. His hit tool is a bit concerning and he hasn’t played in full-season action yet, but there’s a lot to drool over in his raw physical tools, and he’s a couple of tweaks away from becoming a star prospect in the organization.
Austin Wells, who will likely serve as the Yankees’ starting catcher this season, impressed down the stretch behind the dish and with the bat. His left-handed swing is perfect for the Bronx, and while he was more aggressive at the MLB level, it came with some serious power and a 116 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Wells will continue to work on his defense, but he’s built an excellent reputation in their farm system as a guy pitchers like throwing to.
Will Warren, who we interviewed yesterday, finds himself on ESPN’s top-100 after just missing Baseball America’s and being in consideration for Baseball Prospectus’ top-101 list. He ranked ahead of Chase Hampton as their best pitching prospect on this list, and the right-hander sports a brilliant sinker-sweeper profile that has been refined due to a solid four-seamer and cutter to help him fend off lefties. Expect him to get MLB innings in 2024 as he’s currently in Tampa preparing for the season with some of the heavy-hitters like Aaron Judge.
There’s a bright future ahead for the Yankees, who sport one of the best rosters in the American League, but also one of the best farm systems in baseball, and they could be sustainable winners for the forseeable future.