The New York Yankees are one of the more prominent teams in signing high-end international talent. Last year, they secured the signature of Rodrick Arias, the No. 1 ranked international prospect. This year, they landed themselves the No. 9 ranked international prospect in Brandon Mayea, per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
Mayea signed a $4.4 million deal to join the Yankees’ ranks. Out of Cuba, the young outfielder has shown plenty of promise as a young prospect. Mayea will earn most of the Yankees’ bonus pool allocated toward international prospects. The team has Jasson Dominguez climbing the system as one of their international signings from 2019, and he still projects to be an exciting player once he reaches the MLB.
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The Yankees might’ve landed something special in Brandon Mayea:
However, Mayea is an intriguing athlete. He’s a right-handed hitter that has plenty of pop to his bat at 17 years old. Standing at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Mayea is considered a tremendous athlete that can pull the ball effectively. FanGraphs believes he has great contact and fundamentals throughout the process of his swing. The Yankees love hitters that punish baseballs, and Mayea is certainly capable of doing just that.
Considering the Cuban-born outfielder has above-average speed and an exciting bat, there’s a lot to like as a potential starter down the line. He has the range to play centerfield and solid defensive instincts that promote his efficiency.
Since Mayea is a tad older than the average international signing, the Yankees may want to elevate him through their farm system quicker, getting him some action against higher levels of talent to test his strengths. Oftentimes, strengths can turn into weaknesses when players are thrown into the fire, but testing that resiliency and ability to grow is what separates good from great.