2017 New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects Insider
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Talent Infusion: Draft Report Card
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SEASON IN A SENTENCE: The Yankees took the unusual step of selling off their veterans to embark on a rebuilding phase, but the young players they brought up provided more immediate impact than expected and kept the team in playoff contention until the season’s final week.
HIGH POINT: Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge got their first big-league callups on Aug. 13 and did something never before done in major league history, hitting back-to-back homers in their first career at-bats to lead an 8-4 win over Tampa Bay. It was a historic moment and symbolic of the promise of the franchise’s future.
LOW POINT: The Yankees hovered around .500 all year but could never get much over it, and the result was a fire sale that saw Aroldis Chapman, Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller and Ivan Nova all dealt for prospects at the trade deadline. It was the first time since the early 1970s that the Yankees were active sellers at the deadline.
NOTABLE ROOKIES: Catcher Gary Sanchez put on a historic performance with 20 home runs in 52 games after an August callup to thrust himself into Rookie of the Year contention despite playing less than one-third of the season. He set a major league record by hitting 11 homers in his first 23 games. Infielders Austin, Rob Refsnyder and Ronald Torreyes and outfielder Judge all received their first significant big league time but made minimal impact. Righthanders Luis Cessa (4-4, 4.35) and Chad Green (2-4, 4.73) were serviceable swingmen in the rotation and bullpen.
KEY TRANSACTIONS: Most notably in regards to the franchise’s past and present, the Yankees released Alex Rodriguez in August after he hit .200 with a .598 OPS but retained him as a special advisor in the front office. First baseman Mark Teixeira, another link to the club’s last World Series title in 2009, announced his retirement. The Yankees acquired multiple high-profile prospects from their summer trades, including shortstop Gleyber Torres from the Cubs as part of the Chapman deal, outfielder Clint Frazier and lefthander Justus Sheffield from the Indians in the Miller trade, and 2015 No. 4 overall pick Dillon Tate from the Rangers in the Beltran trade.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Buoyed by some of the franchise’s midseason acquisitions, Scranton-Wilkes Barre won the International League title and Triple-A National Championship. Double-A Trenton and high Class A Tampa made the Eastern and Florida State League finals, respectively, and all four full-season Yankees affiliates posted winning records. Pitching dominated up and down the system, with starters Jordan Montgomery (14-5, 2.13), Chance Adams (13-1, 2.33) and Domingo Acevedo (5-4, 2.61) leading the way at their respective levels.
OPENING DAY PAYROLL: $227,854,349 (2nd)
— Kyle Glaser
| BEST TOOLS | |
| Best Hitter for Average | Gleyber Torres |
| Best Power Hitter | Aaron Judge |
| Best Strike-Zone Discipline | Tyler Austin |
| Fastest Baserunner | Jorge Mateo |
| Best Athlete | Jorge Mateo |
| Best Fastball | Domingo Acevedo |
| Best Curveball | James Kaprielian |
| Best Slider | Justus Sheffield |
| Best Changeup | Domingo Acevedo |
| Best Control | Jordan Montgomery |
| Best Defensive Catcher | Luis Torrens |
| Best Defensive Infielder | Gleyber Torres |
| Best Infield Arm | Gleyber Torres |
| Best Defensive Outfielder | Dustin Fowler |
| Best Outfield Arm | Aaron Judge |
| PROJECTED 2020 LINEUP | |
| Catcher | Gary Sanchez |
| First Base | Greg Bird |
| Second Base | Jorge Mateo |
| Third Base | Didi Gregorius |
| Shortstop | Gleyber Torres |
| Left Field | Clint Frazier |
| Center Field | Dustin Fowler |
| Right Field | Aaron Judge |
| Designated Hitter | Jacoby Ellsbury |
| No. 1 Starter | Masahiro Tanaka |
| No. 2 Starter | James Kaprielian |
| No. 3 Starter | Justus Sheffield |
| No. 4 Starter | Chance Adams |
| No. 5 Starter | Michael Pineda |
| Closer | Dellin Betances |
| TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE | ||
| Year | Player, Pos. | 2016 Org |
| 2007 | Phil Hughes, rhp | Twins |
| 2008 | Joba Chamberlain, rhp | Indians |
| 2009 | Austin Jackson, of | White Sox |
| 2010 | Jesus Montero, c | Blue Jays |
| 2011 | Jesus Montero, c | Blue Jays |
| 2012 | Jesus Montero, c | Blue Jays |
| 2013 | Mason Williams, of | Yankees |
| 2014 | Gary Sanchez, c | Yankees |
| 2015 | Luis Severino, rhp | Yankees |
| 2016 | Jorge Matero, ss | Yankees |
| TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE | ||
| Year | Player, Pos. | 2016 Org |
| 2007 | Andrew Brackman, rhp | Did not play |
| 2008 | *Gerrit Cole, rhp | Pirates |
| 2009 | Slade Heathcott, of | White Sox |
| 2010 | Cito Culver, ss | Yankees |
| 2011 | Dante Bichette Jr., 3b (1st round supp.) | Yankees |
| 2012 | Ty Hensley, rhp | Yankees |
| 2013 | Eric Jagielo, 3b | Reds |
| 2014 | Jacob Lindgren, lhp (2nd round) | Yankees |
| 2015 | James Kaprielian, rhp | Yankees |
| 2016 | Blake Rutherford, of | Yankees |
| * Did not sign | ||
| LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY | |
| Hideki Irabu, 1997 | $8,500,000 |
| Jose Contreras, 2002 | $6,000,000 |
| Andrew Brackman, 2007 | $3,350,000 |
| Blake Rutherford, 2016 | $3,282,000 |
| Gary Sanchez, 2009 | $3,000,000 |
| Dermis Garcia, 2014 | $3,000,000 |
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