One of the most exciting parts of spring training is watching younger prospects develop.
We all know the script by now. The starters only play 2-3 innings in the earliest of the meaningless spring training games, and then the youngsters take over. Some are lucky enough to parlay strong springs into making the Opening Day roster.
The Yankees are a team that will surely be taking a good long look at their younger players this spring too. Pitchers and catchers report in a month and New York still has holes to fill. There’s no consistent option in left field, shortstop is a question mark with at least three names in the mix, and the bullpen is anyone’s guess.
This means that this won’t be a typical Yankees spring training. On top of prepping for a hopeful World Series run, there could be competition for open roster spots. Thus, let’s take a deeper look at some prospects.
For this short series, we’ll be looking at three tiers of Yankees prospects: Untouchable cornerstones, trade chips, and last gasps. This will be your reference list for each:
Untouchable Cornerstones: Anthony Volpe (No. 1 in the organization), Jasson Dominguez (No. 2), Oswald Peraza (No. 3), Trey Sweeney (No. 6), Spencer Jones (No. 7).
Trade Chips: Austin Wells (No. 4), Everson Pereira (No. 5), Yoendrys Gomez (No. 12), Jhony Brito (No. 22)
Last Gasps: Deivi Garcia (No. 24), Estevan Florial, Matt Sauer.
A small handful of these players have a legitimate shot at making the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. For some, it might even be making the main roster or likely moving on to another team.
Thus, starting Monday, we’ll take a look at each tier and the Yankees prospects within them. Who’s destined to debut in pinstripes this year and potentially wear them for the next decade? Which players are not so much playing in the Yankees minor league system as they are auditioning for potential trade partners?
Furthermore, which former top prospects are down to their last shot and, more importantly, why?
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