Everybody loves the New York Yankees farm system, but there are a handful of top prospects that should be available this July.
The youth movement for the New York Yankees has been nothing short of fun.
Looking at Gary Sanchez‘s historic surge in 2016 and now Aaron Judge‘s MVP pace here in 2017, there’s a reason why everyone wants to give the kids down on the farm a chance in the Bronx.
However, not everyone can emerge into superstars and for general manager Brian Cashman, he has the ability to ship some of his top prospects away and still have a plethora of youth ready to make a Major League impact.
For a team that enters a crucial American League East showdown with the Baltimore Orioles on top of their division by three games, it’s the ideal position to be in.
So, which players should go? Will it be top prospect Gleyber Torres? Injured pitching prospect James Karpielian? How about young stud Clint Frazier? Here are the four prospects that should be considered as “touchable” as the trade deadline draws near.
Dustin Fowler
Fowler is on an absolute tear down in Triple-A and owns an authentic argument that he should be given a shot in the Bronx very soon.
In 53 games, the outfielder owns a .295/.339/.542 slash line with nine home runs and an International League-leading seven triples.
New York’s eighth-best prospect’s stock is at an all-time high. Considering his Rule-5 eligibility, the glut of outfield prospects currently in the organization and the return you could get at the deadline from a package including Fowler, Brian Cashman could cash in on this Top-10 prospect.
Blake Rutherford
If the Yankees are in a position to pull off a move for a frontline starter, their first-round pick from the 2016 draft shouldn’t be untouchable this early in his career.
He has struggled with injuries throughout his first full year in professional ball with the Charleston Riverdogs but has nonetheless slashed .280/.355/.394 en route to being selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star team.
The reason why he’s on this list is that if the Yankees are around 10 games over .500 at the deadline, get Greg Bird healthy and bring Aroldis Chapman back into the mix the argument exists that they are on starter away from a legitimate run.
Instead of throwing together a package headlined by Torres, Frazier or Justus Sheffield, a relatively unknown in Rutherford, who has the upside of being an “athletic left fielder” for the Yankees, would have some sellers coming.
Jorge Mateo
The logic behind this is pretty simple: Mateo sits behind Torres, Tyler Wade right behind him and Didi Gregorius seems to be the future at shortstop at the Major League level. Plus, he seems to be wearing down his time with New York.
Mateo slashed just .254/.306/.379 — career lows in each category — last season for High-A Tampa along with being tabbed with a two-week suspension for violating an unspecified team policy.
Here in 2017, his on-base percentage has dipped to a new career-low at .287 and the Yankees ought to cash-in on his offensive ceiling of a .275 hitter with 15 homers per season before he completely flares out.
Thairo Estrada
While everyone is hyped over Gleyber Torres, Estrada is finally making a name for himself as the Yankees’ 29th-best prospect.
On the year for the Trenton Thunder, Estrada is slashing .332/.404/.442 with nine doubles, two triples and three homers in 51 games. Going under-the-radar for so long and finally breaking through brings an interesting option to the table: using him as a trade chip.
Estrada will eligible for the next Rule 5 Draft which means if the Yankees don’t add him to the 40-man roster, they’ll likely lose him. Tyler Wade, Clint Frazier, Gleyber Torres and Dustin Fowler are all Rule-5 eligible as well so Estrada might not be protected when the time comes.
Thus, there could be an interest to flip Estrada or package him in a deadline deal for a starter. With the way he’s playing, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a suitor.
