Yankees Prospects

New York Yankees Prospects: Roansy Contreras

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

Back in 2016, the New York Yankees signed a top pitching prospect out of the Dominican Republic that has turned into one of the highlights of their farm system. That prospect was right-hander Roansy Contreras. Since signing with the Yankees and making his professional debut, Contreras has been very consistent for the Yankees. Contreras has a good arsenal of developing pitchers but currently relies heavily on his best pitch, his fastball. His fastball normally sits in the 92-95 range, but he’s incredibly accurate with that pitch. One of the things that scouts love about Contreras is his ability to control the strike zone. I’ve rewatched a few of his outings from last year, and it just seemed like batters were always behind in the count when Contreras was on the mound. His breaking pitches are still a work in progress, but they do show promise. He’s a three-pitch pitcher, with his two best pitches currently being his fastball and changeup. His curveball is the one he’s been working on the most, and if he can perfect it, that will take him to another level.

Consistent & Impressive 2019

In 2019, Contreras had a very good year with Single-A Charleston. In 24 starts, Contreras posted a 12-5 record with a 3.74 ERA. In those starts, Contreras pitched 132.1 innings where he struck out 113 and walked 36 batters. His numbers were extremely solid for a pitching prospect that is only 19 years old. One of the things about Contreras is he’s not an overpowering pitcher. His fastball can get in the mid-90s, but it can lack movement at times which at times can make it hard to put batters away when his breaking pitches aren’t on. The one thing that Contreras really has going for him is his command that I alluded to above. What he lacks in nasty movement, Contreras makes up for with incredible control. If Contreras can learn to add more movement to his three-pitches, he could become a very dangerous pitcher.

Moving Forward

Whenever the season does get started, I want to see Contreras take the next step up to AA. I want to see how he does against better competition as he continues to develop his secondary pitches. Contreras to me could be a reliever when you look long-term. To me, it will come down to the development of his other pitches. If he can develop those secondary pitches to be consistent plus pitches, you move forward developing him as a starter. If not, I think the New York Yankees should pivot him to the bullpen. As a reliever, Contreras is the type of guy who is not going to give out a walk often. He can learn a lot on that consistent fastball then perfect one of those offspeed pitches to be his out pitch. Either way, I’m excited about Contreras as a prospect, and if he continues to develop on the track he’s on now, I don’t see why he won’t be making an impact for the Yankees in a couple of years.

New York Yankees Prospects: Yoendrys Gomez

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

Back in 2016, the New York Yankees picked a Venezuelan right-hander up for $50,000 and that right-hander has turned out to be one of the better pitching prospects in the Yankees farm system. Coming in as the ninth-ranked prospect in the Yankees farm system is a right-handed starter, Yoendrys Gomez. The 20-year-old has really garnered a lot of attention from scouts over his first couple of years and is already ahead of schedule in his development. Gomez stands an impressive 6’3 but only weighs about 180 LBS. Gomez has focused on getting stronger over his first couple of years with the club, and it’s shown in his velocity. His fastball topped out in the low 90s, but now his fastball is topping out around 98 MPH. Gomez has the makings of one of the best pitching prospects the Yankees have produced due to the fact that he’s going to continue to get stronger which will add a little more velocity onto his three dynamic pitches. Gomez features a fastball and curveball which both have plus spin rates, and he features a changeup that has great fleeting movement which is also developing into a plus pitch. Gomez used these tools to springboard to A ball in 2019.

2019 Outlook

Gomez was not supposed to reach Class A ball last year as the New York Yankees were wanting him to continue to add strength. However, after six starts in rookie ball, it was apparent that Gomez was ready to take that leap. Gomez was 4-2 with a 2.12 ERA in his six starts before making that jump. Gomez really showed off his smooth pitching ability which is why a lot of scouts are liking him more and more as time goes on. Once he made the jump, Gomez did struggle just a little. In six starts at Class A, Gomez went 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA although the ERA is a little deceiving. When you look at the pitching statistics across the board, there was not a big enough difference in the numbers to garner a four-run jump in ERA. So for that, I’ll give Gomez a break, but remember, don’t fall in love with ERA numbers when pitchers are developing especially at that level. I saw a tape of Gomez pitching a few times and I’m very impressed with his mechanics. He has a delivery that is very easy to repeat which will help with consistency. I believe he’s going to continue to get stronger which may put that fastball over 100. I’m very excited to continue to watch Gomez progress in the system.

Moving Forward

With the time off, I think Gomez should continue to focus on getting stronger. I believe he has all the makings of a starter that will overpower guys with his fastball, and break their knees with his breaking ball. His fastball/curveball combination could be lethal if he continues to develop the way he is now. That changeup that he has paired with those two will make him even more dynamic. In speaking to a couple of scouts, they think he could develop into being a 2-3 starter in a rotation. He has the makeup and the skills to do it. I think he needs to get a little stronger and continue to work on his consistency and control. I think with another 2-3 years of developing, Gomez could be making the push for a spot in the Yankees rotation. Yoendrys Gomez is definitely a name that New York Yankees fans should be keeping an eye on whenever the 2020 season gets underway.

New York Yankees Prospects: Alexander Vizcaino

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

If there is one New York Yankees prospect that has flown under the radar, it would be right handed starter, Alexander Vizcaino. Vizcaino was signed as an international free agent when he was almost nineteen which is late for elite international prospects. Another tell was the fact that the Yankees signed him for just $14,000, but that low risk/high reward investment might be paying off for the Yankees. Vizcaino has a really dynamic fastball/changeup combination. Reminds me a lot of current Yankees reliever, Tommy Kahnle. Vizcaino’s fastball sits in the mid-90s but he did hit triple digits a few times in 2019. His changeup sits in the low 90s with incredible drop to it. Scouts have graded both pitches as “Plus Plus” pitches when he’s on top of his game. 2019 was a turning point for this young Yankees pitcher.

Coming out party

Vizcaino made 21 stars in 2019 where he had a 6-6 record with a 4.38 ERA. In the 115 innings that he pitched, Vizcaino struck out 128 batters, but he had a WHIP of 1.31 and opponents were hitting .261 off of him. The strikeouts came off the heels of his two top pitches, but in watching him, it seems like his breaking ball is one of the main issues for Vizcaino at this stage. In watching tape, his slider doesn’t seem to have a lot of sharp break. The pitch has a tendency to either hang in the zone where it’s easier to hit, or is so far out of the zone it’s easier to lay off. Vizcaino definitely has incredible arm talent, but the lack of a true breaking ball is hurting him currently. Now honestly I’m nitpicking when it comes to the Yankees seventh ranked prospect. Vizcaino climbed there after the 2019 season because scouts saw his devastating two pitch combination. As is, he’s projected to be a mid-tier starter but a very high end reliever. 2019 was definitely a coming out party for the right hander from the Dominican.

Reliever or Starter?

You could probably guess that when 2020 starts, I’d really like to see Vizcaino continue to develop his slider. He’s ahead of the game right now with two devastating pitches, but he needs a third if he wants to be a starter. To me, the Yankees need to use this season to figure out where they want to go with Vizcaino. In all honesty, he could be in the majors as a high leverage reliever sooner rather than later, but if they want to develop him as a starter, he’s got a ways to go. He needs to work on his command a little, but the raw arm talent cannot be questioned. The Yankees farm system is loaded with arms, but Vizcaino’s arm might intrigue me the most. Not many prospects have two plus plus pitches like Vizcaino which is why watching him progress will be very interesting. Time will tell if he’s a starter or reliever, but there’s a lot of reason to be excited about Alexander Vizcaino.

New York Yankees Prospects: Everson Pereira

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

One of the most dynamic prospects in the New York Yankees farm system is stud outfielder, Everson Pereira. Pereira was signed by the Yankees in 2017 and the Yankees gave him a $1.5 million signing bonus. Pereira has a lot of tools that make the front office very excited when watching him play. Pereira has shown great maturity for his age and seems more seasoned as a baseball player than the normal 18-year-old prospect. Pereira comes in ranked as the 13th best prospect in the Yankees system but has a lot of room to grow into being one of the best prospects in the system. Pereira possesses one of the best pure swings in the system. Do not be fooled by his numbers this early in his career.

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Advanced for his age

Back in 2018, Pereira really showed the New York Yankees a lot when they had him in rookie ball. In 41 games, Pereira hit .263 and drove in 26 runs. Pereira opened a lot of eyes considering he was just 17 years old. The Yankees moved him up to A- for the 2019 season and he did struggle a little. In 18 games, Pereira only hit .171 and struck out 26 times. In looking at the tape, a lot of the mistakes that Pereira was making at the plate seem to be coming from a lack of experience. While he has advanced skills, he can appear to be anxious at times and chases a lot of bad pitches. As he continues to get more experience, I believe that his eye will get better and those strikeout numbers will go down. Pereira has tremendous speed but hasn’t shown it as much as he should. He’s only stolen six bases in 59 minor league games. Pereira’s speed is one of the things that can take him to the next level, so I would like to see him become more aggressive on the bases.

Where to go from here?

Pereira is a really solid prospect for the Yankees. He is very good in the outfield, he has really good speed, and he does show promise with his approach at the plate. I think in a couple of years, Pereira has the potential to turn into a really solid MLB contributor for the Yankees. Whenever the season gets underway, I want to see Pereira cut down on the number of times he’s swinging at bad pitches. A lot of his strikeouts are avoidable with a better eye. I really want to see Pereira also become more aggressive when it comes to running. He’s got really good speed, and I would like to see him utilize it more.

New York Yankees Prospects: Nick Nelson

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

There is another New York Yankees starting pitching prospect that is getting ready to knock on the door of the major league rotation. Right-hander Nick Nelson has progressed a lot over the last couple of seasons and is inching closer and closer to the majors. Nelson was drafted in the fourth round by the Yankees in 2016 and is currently the 16th ranked prospect in the New York Yankees system. Nelson has worked his way up to AAA over the last couple of years with a dominant fastball and ever-developing breaking balls. Nelson has a fastball that just explodes out of his hand usually sitting between 92-96 MPH topping out as high as 98. Nelson had a very impressive 2019 that has a lot of scouts thinking he could be ready for the majors sooner than later.

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Impressive 2019

Despite missing the beginning of 2019 with shoulder issues, Nelson bounced back to have a fantastic season. Across three levels in the minors, Nelson posted an 8-3 record with a 2.81 ERA. In 89.2 innings, Nelson struck out an impressive 114 batters and walked 43. The walk number was encouraging because it went down from the previous year and Nelson threw one more inning than he did the year before. Walks have been one of the concerns about Nelson due to his lack of consistency with his offspeed pitches. While Nelson’s fastball is very good, his offspeed pitches need a little work. His curveball currently is his best offspeed pitch, but again he struggles to throw it for strikes. Over the last year, Nelson really worked on the development of his slider. If he can turn those two pitches into consistent plus pitches, Nelson could develop into a really good starter at the major league level.

Moving Forward

When the season gets underway, I want to see Nelson continue to develop his slider and curveball. I watched a couple of his outings last year, and his curveball was really good when it’s on. He’s still figuring out the slider since it was a pitch he really didn’t at to his repertoire until last year, but I think he’s coming along well with it. I have confidence that he will be able to get that pitch to the point where it is a consistent threat. The Yankees have a very deep farm system when it comes to starting pitchers. I’m very curious to see if the Yankees continue to progress Nelson down the starter path or alter him to the bullpen. The sooner he’s in the majors, he’s more than likely going to be pitching out of the bullpen unless injuries force the hand of the Yankees. Either way, I think Nelson is a very valuable piece that the Yankees have in their farm system, and I’m curious to watch him progress over the next year.

New York Yankees Prospects: Anthony Seigler

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New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

With the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, the New York Yankees selected the talented switch hitting catcher, Anthony Seigler. Seigler was high on a lot of draft boards, and was an intriguing prospect in a number of ways. One of the main things that stood out about Seigler was the fact that he was a switch hitting catcher and a switch pitching pitcher. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Seigler could throw from both sides with a fastball that could touch the upper 80s. The New York Yankees loved Seigler’s athleticism for the catcher position. In watching him in high school, Seigler displayed the ability to field balls in the dirt and had a quick trigger arm that could nail runners on the base path. Seigler looked to be a guy that the Yankees could groom to be their catcher of the future assuming the day will come where Gary Sanchez moves off the position. However, Seigler has hit a few speed bumps in his first couple of years with the organization.

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Bumpy Road

One of the things that the New York Yankees scouts wanted to see from Seigler in his first couple of years, is for him to gain strength and make more consistent contact at the plate. In his first year, Seigler didn’t show a lot of pop, but he did look solid in his 24 games that he played in. He had a batting average that sat in the mid-200s and an OBP that was closer to 400. Seigler’s lack of speed in his swing did cause him to ground out a lot, but there was definitely promise. He was rated as the second-best position prospect the Yankees had before last year, but he has dropped off quite a bit. Seigler has been hit with the Yankees injury bug and only played 30 games last year. In those 30 games, Seigler was not very impressive. He didn’t hit one ball out of the park and he had a batting average of .175. Now, injuries could have played a big role in his numbers last year, but it is definitely something that gave scouts pause. Seigler dropped to the fifteenth ranked prospect in the system due to his lack of performance and continuous injuries through his first couple of years in the minors.

Something to Prove

Now, I think there are a lot of positives about Seigler, he just needs to stay healthy. He needs to show the Yankees front office that he is capable of driving the ball more consistently. Again, the power numbers are something that the Yankees love to pay attention too and Seigler just does not drive the ball. He has one home run in 54 minor league games. As alluded to above, a lot of that has to do with his lack of bat speed causing him to be late on a lot of pitches. If Seigler can improve his bat speed and add a little strength, he could be the game changer the Yankees envisioned when they drafted him. A switch hitting catcher who plays really good defense and has decent pop. Whenever the season starts, I want to see more consistent hitting from Seigler. I want to see him drive the ball through the air and not just drive it into the ground. Another thing is I want to see him go through the season and stay healthy. We’ve seen many prospects derailed due to their inability to stay healthy. I still think Anthony Seigler is a really good prospect, he just has a lot to prove to the Yankees.

New York Yankees: Why This Spring Is Huge for Yankees Prospect

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The New York Yankees are set to report to Spring Training next month, and all of Yankee universe was in a tizzy over Jasson Dominguez’s signing. While not expected to be “major league ready” until 2024 (which would make him a 21-year-old), people are heralding him as the next Mike Trout. Which makes this a crucial Spring Training for the Yankees another highly regarded outfield prospect. No, not Clint Frazier (although he needs to RAKE this spring if he wants his 4th outfielder spot back from Mike Tauchman). I’m talking about Estevan Florial.

Florial Still Shows Promise

Consistently regarded as a 5 tool player, Florial’s statistics show that he’s a more than capable ballplayer. It’s hard to take seriously the reports about Dominguez’s prowess because a highlight reel of him bashing dingers is just that. A highlight reel meant to make him look good. 

Meanwhile, Florial’s track record indicates he is inching his way closer to cracking AA, and even AAA. Depending on his performance this spring, it could mean he finally plays above advanced A ball for the first time in his career, a step in the right direction for a team with fragility in all three outfield positions on the major league level.

But Florial is Also Injury Prone

Part of what has hindered Florial’s development in the minors is he’s just as injury prone as Hicks, Judge, and Stanton. In 5 seasons of minor league play, he’s played in less than 400 games, his highest total coming in 2017. Now, yes, he was shot in a mugging attempt in his home country, which isn’t his fault. But in 2018, he missed time due to surgery, and last season suffered a wrist fracture during Spring Training, sidelining him till June. 

With the center field being his strongest position, and Hicks being almost as fragile as Jacoby was, there is a path for Florial by the end of this year, beginning of 2021 to make it to the bigs. But his defense is truly only a marginal improvement over Frazier’s. I do believe Frazier (like Andujar) can make a radical enough improvement to his defense to make them both Gold Glove caliber players either this OR next season. But if you can’t stay healthy, you don’t get to play, because someone else has your job. And if Florial can’t get out of spring healthy, he may never get a chance to get past Tampa.

He’s feeling the pressure right now. I just hope it doesn’t force him to blow it once the exhibition games start this spring.

New York Yankees: New Top Pitching Prospect

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A few weeks ago, I came under a little fire from New York Yankees fans when I wrote an article about Deivi Garcia being a little overrated. The New York Yankees hype machine has made some folks believe that the impressive 20-year-old is on his way to being the next Pedro Martinez. However, using the eye test and talking to a few scouts, I just didn’t see it from him. I personally think his future is in the bullpen, but that is another topic for a different day. One of the scouts that I spoke with told me that he really liked Clarke Schmidt a lot more than he liked Garcia. Schmidt was the Yankees first-round pick back in 2017, and the Yankees were fortunate to grab him with the sixteenth pick. Many around the industry felt that Schmidt had top ten pick stuff, but due to his Tommy John surgery, he fell down to the Yankees. The pick was seen as risky by some, but the Yankees took a chance on Schmidt, and it’s looking like that chance might just pay off.

Schmidt’s Impressive 2019

Clarke Schmidt jumped in the recent prospect rankings after a very impressive 2019 season in the minors. Rising all the way to AA, Schmidt posted a 6-5 record with a 3.47 ERA and striking out 102 batters in 90.2 innings across all levels in 2019. Schmidt was extremely impressive in his three starts at AA going 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA, striking out 19 batters in 19 innings. Schmidt jumped all the way into the top 100 baseball prospects for MLB.com coming in at 88th overall. Deivi Garcia dropped in these rankings to 92nd overall making Schmidt the top-ranked pitching prospect in the Yankees farm system according to MLB.com. However, it wasn’t just the MLB pipeline that ranked Schmidt ahead of Garcia. Baseball America also released its top prospects for the Yankees, and they also ranked Schmidt ahead of Garcia. Schmidt flashes a mid-90s fastball, and projects to have two above-average off-speed pitches in his changeup and slider. Garcia has electric stuff but mainly features a two-pitch mix and is tiny in stature while Schmidt stands 6’1 coming in at 200 lbs.

Down the line

Despite it sounding like it, I’m really not trying to downplay Deivi Garcia. Yes, I understand he’s 20, but I just don’t see top of the rotation talent with him. I do see him developing into a very dominant reliever where he can focus on accenting his fastball with his high level curve. Schmidt on the other hand, could very well join fellow South Carolina Gamecock Jordan Montgomery in the Yankees rotation down the line. Schmidt has the stuff, the stature, and all the makeups to be a solid middle of the rotation kind of arm that can slide right in behind Gerrit Cole and Luis Severino. If neither are used as trade chips, I really do think Schmidt and Garcia will be impactful Yankees for years to come. However, in my opinion only one of them will be impacting the Yankees from a spot in the starting rotation and that one is the Yankees new top pitching prospect, Clarke Schmidt.