With the New York Yankees’ offseason taking a massive halt here in January, ESNY turns its attention to a handful of under-the-radar prospects.
There is a wave of youth and excitement for the New York Yankees as the movement to get younger is in full swing.Some have already made household names for themselves as “prospect fever” is finding its way across Yankee-land.
This fever started with Gary Sanchez, who was called up (for good) on August 3 of last season and hit 20 home runs in 52 games including a four-game span in which he smashed a home run in each of them — a feat accomplished by just two other catchers in Yankees’ history since 1990.
Even before the Kraken, however, it was Greg Bird in 2015.
Earning his promotion via a Mark Teixeira broken leg, Bird hit the most home runs (11) in Yankees history by a rookie that played in less than 50 games.
Tyler Austin, another Baby Bomber, is sixth on that same very list.
Among them, there are other highly touted Yankees’ farmhands who haven’t had that same impact quite yet. You know: Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier, Gleyber Torres, James Kaprielian and Jorge Mateo.
Then, beyond all the kids getting all the attention, there are under-the-radar prospects that may not be the sexiest of names in the Yankees’ system, but have the potential to make a major league impression down the road.
They won’t make much noise, but their performances have been undeniable. ESNY breaks down who has put up the numbers without the acknowledgment they merit.
Rashad Crawford
When you’re involved in a trade that includes the profoundly praised Gleyber Torres, you’re understandably going to be considered a mere throw in.
Brought over in the deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to the World-Champion Chicago Cubs, Rashad Crawford has the potential to bud into a legitimate major leaguer in time.
Last season, playing the whole year in the Florida State League, the 23-year old slashed .264/.341/.380 slash line with 26 steals in 33 attempts (78.8%).
After coming over to the Yankees organization, however, he slashed .291/.381/.364 in 127 plate appearances while seeing a 32 point leap in OPS.
Crawford may not have been that high of a pick (taken in the 11th round in 2012), but he has a high ceiling with an athletic body. Not to mention the general increase in stolen bases since rookie ball.
In addition to his speed and impressive offensive output in Tampa, he didn’t make a single error in 239 total innings in the outfield.
“He’s a plus-plus runner, plays a really good center field and he’s got a nice looking swing,” Tampa Yankees manager Patrick Osborn told Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “He’s a kid who wasn’t a high pick, but he has a really high ceiling. His potential really hasn’t been tapped into yet.”
It’s hard to presume how fast he advances through the system with the plethora of outfield prospects on the farm, but if Crawford can continue to develop and improve, he could make things interesting.
Nick Green
No not the infielder that played 46 games for the Yankees in 2006, we’re talking about the 21-year old that started his minor league career on the wrong foot, but found himself in Charleston.
Originally drafted in the 35th round by the Yanks in 2013, Nick Green opted to attend Indian Hills Community College for one season as opposed to professional ball.
He was then taken by the Texas Rangers in the seventh round of the 2014 draft and signed a $5K signing bonus, but was brought back to New York as one of the pieces in the Carlos Beltran trade from last year’s deadline.
In five starts between Staten Island and Single-A Charleston, Green went 4-1 while only surrendering four runs in 27.2 innings of work (1.30 ERA) and maintaining an opponent’s slash line of .200/.245/.250.
In three minor league seasons in the Texas organization, the righty owned a 6-8 record and 5.15 ERA (108.1 IP, 100 H).
Green’s fastball was one of the main causes of his success in 2016 as it not only averages 93-95 miles per hour but contains good sinking action. He also compliments it with a curveball and changeup — two pitches in dire need of seasoning.
2017 will be a big year for the kid, as he will enter his first full season in the system. Green will be heading to Charleston again in hopes to become a promising arm in a system that hasn’t had a ton of luck producing starters.
Thairo Estrada
Thairo Estrada was signed in November 2012 as an international free agent for $49K and has quickly established himself as one of the better infield prospects in the organization.
After slashing .268/.340/.346 in 80 career games in rookie ball, Estrada, who moved to second from short, found himself in Staten Island for the entire 2015 season and slashed .267/.338/.360 in 63 games.
Thanks to a .306 batting average before the All-Star break, Estrada earned a spot on the New York-Penn League All-Star team and by the time 2016 rolled around, the Charleston RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League was his initial destination.
In 35 games, the second baseman slashed .286/.324/.429 and stole 11 bases before seeing himself in High-A Tampa by May 23.
There, he hit .292/.355/.375 in 83 games finishing his year with an overall slash line of .290/.346/.391 with an OPS of .737 and 28 extra-base hits (16 doubles, two triples and eight home runs).
Heading into 2017, he’ll likely bounce around between third, second and short but due to the trillions of shortstops the Yankees have in the system, he’ll likely continue to see time at second and third.
Some scouts, thanks to his speed and plus arm, could envision Estrada making the switch to outfield, but what’s guaranteed is that he’ll bounce around positions with the Tampa Yankees next year.
Promotions are hard to predict, as there is tons of depth at every level, Estrada will likely continue to fly under the radar — especially with Jorge Mateo and Gleyber Torres around.
Taylor Widener
One of the newest members of the Yankees’ farm, Taylor Widener impressed in his first taste of professional baseball.
The right-hander was selected in the 12th round of the 2016 June Amateur Draft from University of South Carolina after maintaining a 3.59 ERA across 57 career games (14 starts) in the NCAA.
What’s interesting to most is how dominant he was as he worked his way up into Single-A Charleston in just half a season in the organization.
With Staten Island, Widener struck out 25 batters in 15.1 innings (14.7 K/9) and didn’t allow a single run while batters hit just .043 against him.
In seven games (one start) with the RiverDogs, the 22-year old maintained a 0.78 ERA and in his only start in a game against Columbia Fireflies, Widener struck out seven in four innings of work while surrendering just one hit.
In South Carolina, his fastball sat in the 90-93 m.p.h. range but with the Staten Island Yankees, Widener was reaching as high as 97.
Out of the 2016 draft class, in which all the attention leaned towards Blake Rutherford, Widener is considered to not only have the best fastball, but is also considered to be the closest prospect to the majors out of the bunch.
Adonis Rosa
Adonis Rosa was signed as an International Free Agent back in 2013 and began his career in the Dominican Summer League the following season.
Armed with a low-90’s fastball with excellent control and his go-to pitch in a changeup, he was able to maintain 1.62 ERA striking out 31 batters in 39 innings of work.
Placed in rookie ball in 2015, Rosa started his professional career off right as he recorded a 7-2 record with a 3.93 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 42 batters in 55 innings including a 2.77 ERA in five July starts.
After participating in extended Spring Training to begin the 2016 season, the 22-year old reported to Staten Island to begin his regular season in the New York-Penn League.
Rosa gave up only five runs in 34 innings (1.32 ERA) featuring an opponent’s slash line of .189/.244/.303 before earning a promotion to Single-A.
As a member of the RiverDogs, Rosa posted a 2-5 record with a 2.86 ERA in eight starts but in his last 18 innings (three starts), he didn’t allow a single earned run and struck out 20 batters compared to just three walks.
If I were the Yankees, I’d start Rosa off in Tampa to see if the next level will adjust to his two-pitch punch with an average curveball, or to see if he could shine bright again.
Judging by how fast pitchers can work their way through a system, this kid could climb the ladder rather quickly if his current output is a model of consistency.
Giovanny Gallegos
The native of Mexico opened the 2016 season in Double-A Trenton coming off a year in which he commanded High-A Tampa (1.86 in 30 games) in his first go around as a full-time reliever.
Even with the improved opposition, he did not miss a single beat.
In 17 appearances, Gallegos surrendered just four runs in 33 innings of work (1.09 ERA) while striking out 14.5 batters per nine innings and surrendered just 20 hits among the 124 batters faced (.171 BAA).
The righty then earned a promotion to the Electric City of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he picked up right where he left off as he did following his call-up to Trenton.
Batters at the Triple-A level hit a mere .178 off Gallegos while he struck out 53 batters in 33 innings and recorded two saves — including the final out of the Governors’ Cup.
Interestingly enough, Gallegos maintained a 0.45 ERA vs left-handed batters — a very rare statistic for a right-hander — and finished his season astonishingly strong with a 0.59 WHIP after the All-Star break.
He’s not even a top-30 prospect in the organization but managed to stick himself onto the 40-man roster and has given himself a genuine opportunity to get a well-deserved ride on the Scranton Shuttle in 2017.
Gallegos did have Tommy John surgery early in his professional career, but has seemingly put that behind him not only with results but an increase from 91 m.p.h. to as high as 95 m.p.h. on his fastball velocity.
He also contains three off-speed pitches in his arsenal which incorporates a slider that sits in the high-70’s, a curveball and changeup.
One of the major facets of his game that makes him engaging is the reality that he’s a reliever that doesn’t rely on two pitches and finds ways to get you out.