Billy McKinney New York Yankees
(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

New York Yankees baseball is done for the season … or is it? Check out these top prospects in the farm system who are doing work in the Arizona Fall League.

Let’s do a little math here. Arizona is hot. The New York Yankees are in Arizona. Therefore, the Yankees are hot as well.

And that is no lie. The Arizona Fall League has a plethora of Yankees prospects and they are all getting their shot at some summer ball as they work their way up to the big leagues.

Gleyber Torres got work there last year, as did Greg Bird. They dominated and got some extra work in, especially Bird who missed the entire 2016 season due to injury.

This season, the Yankees have sent big names like Justus Sheffield, Thairo Estrada and Estevan Florial and they are already seeing incredible shows from their prospects.

It just goes to show that the future is indeed bright in the Bronx, as on display in Arizona. Let’s take a look at how these guys are doing in the desert.

Billy McKinney

The multi-talented prospect ranked 23rd in the Yankees’ system is taking on a whole new challenge. As Elite Sports NY reported earlier this week, he’s been trying his hand at first base during this AFL season.

I guess the change has been good for him. McKinney has posted a .321/.394/.571 line in seven games and leads the AFL in RBIs with 12.

In those 28 at-bats, he has struck out only four times, a stellar sign for a young player who is still developing. With his 55 games in Triple-A this season included, he is making a great audition for a spot on the New York Yankees at some point soon.

Thairo Estrada

If you haven’t heard his name recently, you’ve been living under a rock. Thairo Estrada has been absolutely crushing it in Arizona at every turn.

Playing in nine games at shortstop, the no. 17 ranked prospect in the Yankees’ system has 15 hits in 38 at-bats, good for a .395 batting average.

Those stats are only accentuated by his most recent performance, where he went 4-for-5 yesterday. He also crushed his first home run on Tuesday.

He’s making a name for himself and I wouldn’t be surprised if his prospect rating shifts after this stellar performance.

Albert Abreu 

The Yankees received him as a part of the Brian McCann trade and the right-hander has been nothing short of incredible since joining the Scottsdale Scorpions in Arizona.

The 6-foot-2 starter from the Dominican Republic has pitched in three games in Arizona and has a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings to show for it.

During those 15 innings, he’s also retired 15 batters via the strikeout. This past week he was named the AFL Pitcher of the Week for his dominant performance.

If he keeps this up, the no. 7 prospect in the Yankees’ system will be on his way to the Bronx sooner than we think.

Estevan Florial

Here we go to the no. 3 prospect in the Yankees’ system. Estevan Florial has taken centerfield by storm in his short stint in Arizona.

Florial has a .344/.400/.469 line in eight games at 19 years old. 19. Years. Old. Despite a recent slide, he’s had some incredible games this month.

On Oct. 19, he posted a 3-for-5 night. But that wasn’t his finest moment, as he went 4-for-5 with three runs scored on Oct. 12. Hopefully he can pick it up again and if he does, he’ll be raking in the awards for the rest of the AFL season.

Justus Sheffield

Sorry, folks, it’s not always all positive. In fact, Justus Sheffield has struggled in his time in Arizona.

He started out strong, pitching five innings of one-hit ball in his first start. Since then, he’s given up five runs in nine innings of work.

But it’s not all bad. He’s only got a 3.21 ERA and hopefully he can turn it around. Still the no. 4 prospect in the system, we’re hoping that he gets more experience this fall in Arizona.

We’ll continue updating you on all of the doings of the AFL but right now, the Yankees are killing it.

The big boys or the Baby Bombers, it doesn’t matter. These names tied to the Yankees are all stars.


Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.