New York Yankees Top 5 Prospects
The Yankees used to be one of the worst systems in baseball. Then, a combination of good drafting and - *gasp* - keeping the players they drafted re-located them to the top ten organizations in baseball. Now, due to the graduations of Hughes/Joba/Kennedy, along with Tabata being all Tabata-y and a Pirate and all, the Yankee system seems to be heading back towards a bit of a dry spell.
1. CF Austin Jackson
Who?: Jackson is a very toolsy outfielder who had a huge breakout in High-A last year, hitting .345/.398/.566 in 284 PA. His .294/.367/.442 line this year may look like a bit of a disappointment in comparison, but for the most part the only diffence is that he’s less lucky this year. He’s walking more, but he also only has 9 HR all year. Jackson is a great defender, with good contact skills and a good plate approach. The only question remaining is whether he can develop 20-25 HR power.
Projection: If he develops power, he’ll be among the best CF out there. If he doesn’t, he’ll still be a pretty damn good one.
2. C Jesus Montero
Who?: That ‘C’ beside his name is for decoration as much as anything, because Montero is certainly not going to be a catcher. He is, however, going to be a very fine hitter. Montero already had a very advanced batting eye for his age, but he had never showed his tremendous raw power in game situations. Perhaps that’s starting to change:
308 AB in April/May/June: 7 HR
121 AB in July/August: 6 HR
Whether his power will come now or later, Montero is surely one of the best young hitting prospects in the minors.
Projection: Montero’s bat has the potential to be the best of anybody on the Top 100. With his level of refinement, he might even see the majors at some point in 2010, but 2011 is more realistic.
3. C Francisco Cervelli
Who?: Cervelli missed most of the year after having surgery on his right wrist, only coming back from his rehab assignment on August 5th. Cervelli is a very good defensive catcher with a good plate approach, and while he doesn’t have a ton of pop, he does possess some gap power.
Projection: Cervelli should be an average to above-average catcher, and a suitable enough replacement for Posada when that time comes.
4. RHSP Christian Garcia
Who?: Garcia is a power righty who throws a low-mid 90s FB and a power curve. He’s shown good production and has developed some very good control in the last 3 years, but he’s shown a complete inability to stay healthy. He’s only pitched 88 innings from 2006-2008, with various injuries, most notably an oblique injury that cost him four months in 2006 and elbow surgery which cost him all of 2007 and some of 2008 as well.
Projection: If he stays healthy, Garcia has mid-rotation potential.
5. LHSP Zach McAllister
Who?: McAllister is a kind of pitcher that I really like. To start with, he has tremendous control of a sinker/slider/change repertoire. (18 walks in 137 IP). He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters, sitting at or under 20%, but that’s okay for McAllister. All of his pitches have a lot of nice, downward movement, which leads to a 55% GB rate.
Projection: McAllister won’t be a star by any means, but he should be a reliable pitcher at the back of a rotation.
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