2017 Yankees Off Season / Spring Training Thread... | Page 4 | Syracusefan.com

2017 Yankees Off Season / Spring Training Thread...

And for Mateo to tear it up early and often this year in the minors. I think he's the guy they hope to trade at top value.
true. this is a trade 'to the Yankees' year for sure.

if they didn't april-early May last year, they might've been the WC.

still no way they make WS and if they did it...would've been a sweep, but they aren't that far off.
 
Farm system rankings: The top 10

For those who don't have Insider:

2. New York Yankees

2016 rank: 13

I’m so glad something is finally going right for Yankee fans, who have been suffering for, like, seven whole years now, but this system is absolutely loaded.

Brian Cashman went bananas once he got the green light to turn the roster over, flipping two very good relievers for enormous packages that gave the Yanks three of their current top six prospects. The other three are all recent first-round picks, and the system is full of the products of the team’s drafts, a side benefit of the end of their trades of prospects for veterans to prop up the aging big-league roster.

The system just keeps on going, with tons of pitching depth, a passel of natural shortstops -- we need a better collective noun for that; a "belanger" of shortstops, perhaps -– who will end up playing all over the diamond, and a lot of outfielders who rake. Even Dermis Garcia, who isn’t among their 20 best prospects, has 80 raw power and finished second in the advanced-rookie Appalachian League in homers as an 18-year-old.

There’s no weakness here. They will trot out teams full of prospects at every level, and several of them will show up in the Bronx this year. I don’t know if Gleyber Torres is the new Jeter or James Kaprelian the new Pettitte, but I’ll take that bet.
 
Farm system rankings: The top 10

For those who don't have Insider:

2. New York Yankees

2016 rank: 13

I’m so glad something is finally going right for Yankee fans, who have been suffering for, like, seven whole years now, but this system is absolutely loaded.

Brian Cashman went bananas once he got the green light to turn the roster over, flipping two very good relievers for enormous packages that gave the Yanks three of their current top six prospects. The other three are all recent first-round picks, and the system is full of the products of the team’s drafts, a side benefit of the end of their trades of prospects for veterans to prop up the aging big-league roster.

The system just keeps on going, with tons of pitching depth, a passel of natural shortstops -- we need a better collective noun for that; a "belanger" of shortstops, perhaps -– who will end up playing all over the diamond, and a lot of outfielders who rake. Even Dermis Garcia, who isn’t among their 20 best prospects, has 80 raw power and finished second in the advanced-rookie Appalachian League in homers as an 18-year-old.

There’s no weakness here. They will trot out teams full of prospects at every level, and several of them will show up in the Bronx this year. I don’t know if Gleyber Torres is the new Jeter or James Kaprelian the new Pettitte, but I’ll take that bet.
somebody remind me in march or so to start:

"Cali's Kaprelian Watch" thread.
 
2017 prospect rankings: 20-1

4. Gleyber Torres, SS, New York Yankees

Age: 2o (12/13/96) | B/T: R/R

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 175

Top level: High-A | 2016: 15

Torres showed up to spring training a little heavy in 2016, but after that, it was all good news for the Yankees’ new heir apparent at short; the Cubs traded him to the Bronx as the main piece in the Aroldis Chapman deal. After that, Torres went to the AFL and led the league in OBP, finished second in slugging and became the youngest winner of the AFL MVP award in the league’s 25-year history. To get this kind of player for two months of a one-inning reliever has to make Yankee fans’ hearts sing.

Torres is an advanced hitter at the plate with a great approach that has him going the other way well with pitches on the outer half, and he makes adjustments from one at-bat to the next like a much older player. He can square up good velocity, although his recognition of off-speed stuff still needs some work.

Although I’ve had scouts question whether he’ll stay at shortstop because of his build, he has a 70-grade arm and great hands, and I think he has enough lateral range that he’s more likely to remain at the position than move to third. He was the second-youngest regular in the Carolina League last year and will play all of 2017 at age 20, starting in Double-A. He has the ability to pick up sliders and changeups -- that's the difference between him and a promotion. He’s the Yankees’ new shortstop of the future, a player with All-Star upside and a very high floor because of his feel for hitting.
 
2017 prospect rankings: 40-21

28. James Kaprielian, RHP, New York Yankees
Age: 23 (3/2/94) | B/T: R/R
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 200
Top level: High-A | 2016: 87
Complete methodology

Kaprielian came to spring training throwing fire, touching 97 mph regularly, a whole level of arm speed beyond what he had shown at UCLA. Then he carried it through four regular-season starts before his elbow barked and the Yankees shut him down -- for the entire season, as it turned out, only bringing him back for the Arizona Fall League. In his first outing there, he was throwing 94-97 in three dominant innings with a hard slider clocked anywhere from 82-89 mph, complemented with a string-puller changeup in the mid-80s. That’s three plus pitches from a guy who is now built like a brick house.

There’s a little effort to his delivery, although less than you’d expect given that stuff, and just a minimal leg kick to get his rhythm going, but I can’t see changing a thing now that he’s completely recovered from the injury. Had he done this all season last year, he’d be in the top 20. I’ve got him ranked here to reflect the greater risk of a catastrophic injury that I think he has compared to pitchers who have never missed this kind of time. But do not mistake the ranking for a lack of faith in Kaprielian the pitcher, who has ace probability commensurate with those near the top of the 100.

27. Clint Frazier, OF, New York Yankees
Age: 22 (9/6/94) | B/T: R/R
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 190
Top level: Triple-A | 2016: 72


Frazier was the headliner in the package of prospects going to the Bronx for Andrew Miller, having reached Triple-A as a 21-year-old after a year and a half of raking his way up from A-ball. He has absolutely electric bat speed that produces above-average power, probably never in the 30-homer range but certainly 15-20 on a consistent basis with high batting averages and a lot of doubles.

Frazier has also boosted his contact rates since a rough go of things in his first full year in pro ball, although I think his swing is so fast and hard that he can be overconfident and chase offspeed stuff, when he needs to learn to lay off. Frazier has played all over the outfield in pro ball, but he’s going to be pushed to a corner, more likely left, by faster and rangier players in center. Given how he’s hit to date, with consistently high BABIPs because he makes hard contact, he’s one of the best bets in the minors to hit .300+, and with moderate power and 50-60 walks a year that would make him at least an above-average regular.

22. Blake Rutherford, OF, New York Yankees
Age: 20 (5/2/97) | B/T: L/R
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195
Top level: Rookie | 2016: NE


Rutherford was a top five talent in the 2016 draft, but concerns about his age (he turned 19 a month before draft day), position (he’s going to be a corner outfielder) and signability dropped him to the Yankees’ pick at 18th overall, making him one of the biggest steals of the first round. Rutherford can flat-out hit, and he already has some power with a reasonable chance to be plus in the future. He spent most of his summer in the Appy League before an injury ended his season, hitting .382/.440/.618 in 100 plate appearances and posting the highest average and OBP of any teenager in the league.

Rutherford has a mature approach at the plate and a very clean swing, although he can roll over his front foot too often, which may make him vulnerable to lefties with better breaking stuff as he moves up the ladder. He’ll play center for now, but he’s not a major-league center fielder and I think he’ll ultimately end up in right. He’s so likely to hit that I have him stuffed on this list despite the positional concerns, and I think he’ll move quickly through the low minors so that draft-day concerns about his age disappear before this year is out.
 
2017 prospect rankings: 60-41

44. Aaron Judge, RF, New York Yankees
Age: 25 (4/26/92) | B/T: R/R
Height: 6-7 | Weight: 275
Top level: MLB | 2016: 36


Judge struggled with contact in the majors -- with 42 strikeouts in 95 plate appearances. But that’s nothing new for him: Judge punched out in 29 percent of his PAs in his first month in Double-A, then cut it to 23 percent for the next six weeks and was promoted to Triple-A, whereupon he did the same thing: 28 percent in his first Triple-A stint in 2015 and down to 24 percent in 2016, after which he came to the majors.

Judge is enormous -- 6-foot-7 and listed at 275 pounds -- with a strike zone to match. Covering the inner third and the outside corner simultaneously has been an ongoing challenge for him, with pitchers at each level commanding the ball better to exploit this issue. He has shown that he can tighten up his discipline after some time at each level, though doing so in the majors will be the hardest challenge he has faced.

But if Judge gets that back down to that 25-30 percent range, he’ll be an offensive force because the contact he makes is so hard. He has real 30-homer power, even at that contact rate, and he has shown enough patience that I think he’ll walk 60-plus times a year. With his athleticism -- he’s an average runner -- and plus arm, he’d be an asset in right field, all of which adds up to more than just an everyday player.
 
2017 prospect rankings: 100-81

88. Justus Sheffield, LHP, New York Yankees
Age: 21 (5/13/96) | B/T: L/L
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 195
Top level: Double-A | 2016: NR


Sheffield went to the Yankees in the Andrew Miller trade, which netted New York two top-100 prospects and filled a specific gap in the Yanks’ system for an upper-level left-handed starting pitcher prospect. Sheffield is a little undersized but is an excellent athlete and works from 92-95 mph. He complements that with a present plus changeup and fringy breaking ball, repeating his delivery well but occasionally slipping into a tendency to overthrow.

He threw well for the Yankees’ High-A affiliate after the trade and made one start in Double-A against the powerful Reading Fightin’ Phils lineup, punching out nine of the 19 batters he faced. So he’ll start 2017 in that higher level even though he doesn’t turn 21 until May. His stuff right now would play in the majors, although the lack of an average breaking ball limits his ceiling. If that doesn’t change, he should end up an average major league starter, with the potential for more if he develops a better third pitch.
 
Maybe I'm too old or something, but I absolutely hate whenever any team does crap like this.

All the Spring Training caps are like that.

That's why MLB has separate caps for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc...

$$$
 
All the Spring Training caps are like that.

That's why MLB has separate caps for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc...

$$$
I know it'$ the real rea$on they do thi$ $tuff. I understand the components, people buy and collect them, etc., but that one is just plain ugly.
 
I know it'$ the real rea$on they do thi$ $tuff. I understand the components, people buy and collect them, etc., but that one is just plain ugly.
Hey, they can't all be gems like this.
Ugly.jpg
 
I know it'$ the real rea$on they do thi$ $tuff. I understand the components, people buy and collect them, etc., but that one is just plain ugly.

I think it looks fine...The Yankees typically don't get too radical with their uniforms like some other teams...they are usually very mindful of tradition and their branding and don't stray too far from it...I never really worry about The Yankees in this area...
 
New York Yankees: Top prospects report

The Yankees went all-in on rebuilding last summer, dealing Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran at the deadline, then trading Brian McCann this winter, netting them three of their top six prospects on this list and three others in their top 20. The major league roster is much younger already, but the Yankees could use more upper-level pitching to help fortify the team’s old, injury-prone rotation.



1. Gleyber Torres, SS (Ranked No. 4)

2. Blake Rutherford, OF (Ranked No. 22)

3. Clint Frazier, OF (Ranked No. 27)

4. James Kaprielian, RHP (Ranked No. 28)

5. Aaron Judge, OF (Ranked No. 44)

6. Justus Sheffield, LHP (Ranked No. 88)

7. [URL='http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33832/jorge-mateo']Jorge Mateo
, SS

8. Tyler Wade, SS

9. Chance Adams, RHP

10. Miguel Andujar, 3B

Non-top 100 guys

Jorge Mateo is an 80 runner who should be able to play an above-average shortstop, but he hasn’t made much quality contact and the speed may not be enough to overcome the bat’s deficiencies. He’s not a terribly disciplined hitter (or fielder), but he could get away with that if the contact he made was hard; so far, it hasn’t been. Tyler Wade is the better shortstop and hitter but without the standout tool, and I worry about Wade’s durability given his slight frame. He can stay at shortstop and makes better-quality contact right now, performing better at a higher level at the same age as Mateo. You could flip these guys, but there’s enough industry faith in Mateo’s speed and body -- and perhaps reputation -- that I left him one slot above Wade.

Chance Adams is a short right-hander with an average fastball without plane or sink, although he had success at age 21 in High-A and Double-A last year and could reach the majors this season. He has three pitches, including an above-average curveball, and if his size or durability becomes an issue, as I heard from some (but not all) scouts who saw him, he could be a David Robertson type in relief too.

Miguel Andujar had his best year yet with the bat, repeating High-A and moving up to Double-A at age 21, showing good contact rates and pop while playing above-average defense at third. There’s a potential everyday player here.

Albert Abreu (11) was acquired from Houston in the Brian McCann trade. He throws 93-96 mph with a decent breaking ball; he looks like a starter and his delivery works, but his command and feel aren’t there yet, and he struggled while starting in 2016. It sounds like the Yankees plan to develop him in that role, as they should.

Dustin Fowler (12) has a broad mix of tools -- some power, some speed, enough range to play center -- and the bat speed to hit for average, but he’s so aggressive that he hasn’t shown any OBP ability since Low-A. I don’t know if it’s a poor approach or just a kid facing older competition for the past year and a half, but he has enough raw ability to be a top-10 guy in almost any other system.

Lefty Ian Clarkin (13) was healthy all season, pitching in the low 90s with a good curveball; Double-A will be a good test of his ability to use his two above-average pitches to get guys on both sides of the plate, as hitters there will lay off the curveball if he can’t locate it.

Dillon Tate (14) regained a little of his old velocity later in the year, but nowhere near enough to make him more than a middle relief candidate; he was throwing 93-95 mph from the pen in the Arizona Fall League and it was pin-straight, although he did show an above-average changeup and slider. I’m not sure I’ve seen a guy fall this far that fast, as Tate was the fourth overall pick in 2015 (by Texas) but traded for two months of Carlos Beltran 13 months later.

Domingo Acevedo (15) can hit 100 mph but has a violent delivery that’s going to hold him back from starting. He had success at both A-ball levels last year, walking fewer guys than I would have expected, but there’s no big league starter with that delivery. Drew Finley (16), on the other hand, had a beautiful delivery out of high school, throwing 90-93 mph with a plus curveball, but the Yankees tweaked his mechanics, costing him velocity and some bite on his curveball. This will be a big year for him developmentally.

Shortstop Wilkerman Garcia (17) flopped in the Appy League last year, but he was just 18 years old; with his swing and the high likelihood he stays at shortstop I wouldn’t give up on him. Outfielder Esteban Florial (18) was born in Haiti; he’s toolsy, with 55 to 60 power and plus running speed, and could end up with five plus tools. The biggest question is his ability to hit. The Yanks pushed him to the Appy League at age 18 last year, and he was awful for a month and then hit well in August. I think the real message was that he was young and inexperienced for that level.

Shortstop Kyle Holder (19) is at least a 70 defender, but it’s probably a 30 bat; the contact he makes isn’t good enough to make him more than an emergency backup right now. Right-hander Freicer Perez (20) is 6-foot-8 and throws up to 98 mph already with good angle; he’s currently in search of a good breaking ball. Their 2016 third-rounder Nolan Martinez (21) throws 88-93 mph with a huge spin rate on his fastball and good depth on his curve, but needs more power to the latter pitch and to develop a reliable changeup.


Right-hander Nick Nelson (22) was the Yankees’ fourth-round pick in 2016 and was pumping 96-97 mph in instructional league with a big curveball. He also walked a man an inning in the Appy League, so he’s a work in progress. Infielder Oswaldo Cabrera (23) played short and second but his arm will force him to the latter position; he’s an average defender with a promising hit tool. Right-hander Jorge Guzman (24), acquired along with Abreu in the McCann deal, has hit 103 mph and will sit at 99-100, but lacks deception or secondary stuff.

2017 impact: I assume Aaron Judge will get the bulk of the playing time in right field for the Yankees, but beyond him just bullpen spots are probably open to prospects, maybe one for Adams at some point, and perhaps lesser guys like Dietrich Enns or Domingo German.

The fallen: Tate wasn’t the only ex-first round pick the Yankees acquired last July. Billy McKinney was taken at the end of the 2013 first round by Oakland, traded to the Cubs in the Jeff Samardzija/Addison Russell deal, and then thrown into the Aroldis Chapman trade along with Gleyber Torres. He’s a left fielder with a pretty left-handed swing and an idea of the strike zone, but didn’t hit at all in 2016, and the projections from high school that had him getting to average power aren’t coming to fruition.[/URL]
 
I think it looks fine...The Yankees typically don't get too radical with their uniforms like some other teams...they are usually very mindful of tradition and their branding and don't stray too far from it...I never really worry about The Yankees in this area...
I agree.

its just for Spring Training and to they only wear the full Pinstripe's on ST Opening Day, so to have it on the hat is ok by me. the Pinstripe look...IS, the Yankees. everyone else should have to pay a trademark fee.
 

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