With Spring Training under way as of February 25th the Yankees' are looking better than ever--talent wise. Prospects Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, David Robertson, Christian Garcia, Dellin Betances and many others are lighting up the stage in Florida as I write this. Below is the most recent rankings of the Yankees' farm system. You'll notice that the Yankees aren't the top farm system in the Bigs but have some serious depth as well as some very good athletes...In parenthesis is the player's potential/prospect quality.
1. Jesus Montero C (A+)- Montero is as close to an A+ prospect as you'll find in the minors now and throughout the past twenty years. He's going to take over as a 35-40 homerun threat as Ivan Rodriguez retires. Scouts give him a perfect 80 for his power on the scouting scale. One scout Yankee's scout says he has an "A-Rod bat" which is a pretty nice complement for a young catcher. He'll probably move to first if he gains any more weight but he does have a rocket arm so staying at catcher is still a possibility. All he needs to improve is his footwork.
2. Austin Jackson CF (B+)- Jackson has a ton of range in the outfield and makes it to first in 4.2 seconds. His power has decreased sum as he shortened his swing in favor of contact. He hi .345 in 2007 and has averaged about 32 stolen bases per full season in the minors. He has an all around package but isn't spectacular at any one aspect of the game. Like McCutchen he's overrated because of his athleticism rather than his minors stats.
3. Dellin Betances RHP (B+)- For a guy that has been listed as tall as 6'9", is only 21 and throws a 93-97 mph fastball and an absolutely dominating knuckle curve Betances hasn't gotten that much press. He will soon. With Charleston in 2008 Betances pitched 22 games, 115 innings and struck out 135. His era was a solid 3.67 and he won nine games. His only minus is his breaking ball control which will improve with his delivery. He's learning a changeup with Nardi Contreras this spring.
4. David Robertson RHP (B+)- Robertson showed his stuff off after being called up with the Yankees before tiring and getting shelled. The potential is there though. The kid throws 92-96 with a hammer 12-6 curveball clocked at about 80 mph. In 30 innings with the big club he struck out 36, and in AAA he struck out 51 in 35 innings and gave up only 20 hits and his era was a sparkling 2.06. Hughes and Kennedy got all of the hype but Robertson may
be the most ready pitcher for the majors in their system. He could be the Yankees' version of Papelbon once Rivera's arm finally falls off.5. Austin Romine C (B+)- Romine is the son of former MLB catcher Kevin Romine and has some good genes to be successful. His arm is the best in the minors as a position player, not just catcher and runners are quickly learning to not test him. He gave up 18 past balls in 2008 so he needs some work behind the plate but his .300 batting average and nice line drive swing shows that his bat is maturing at a nice rate. He's still young and has some work but he is more major league ready than Montero at this point. He's a good all around player kind of like Lou Marson is for the Phillies.
6. Andrew Brackman, LHP, (B)- "Breakman" hasn't pitched a professional inning with the Yanks thus far due to a shredded elbow. Fresh farm surgery Brackman has looked pretty decent lately according to Yankees' coaches and my man Nardi Contreras. He won't throw 98 like he did in college but his 2 seamer that runs 91-94 and his riding four seamer from 92-96 are pretty darn good anyway. He also throws a nice knucke curve. He's huge at 6'8" but like B.J. Ryan, he may be more suited for a late inning set-up or closer's role. Could be a nice heir to Mariano.
7. Phil Coke LHP (B)- Coke was once a low-grade prospect for the Yanks' system before this year and has since turned into a fantastic reliever after being converted from a pretty-good-starter in the minors. Kind of what the Yankees' hoped Ohlendorf would do. Coke pitched 118 innings, struck out 115, had a 2.51 ERA and won 9 games with AA Trenton in 2008. His numbers as a reliever with the Yankees sparkled-- in 14.2 ip he gave up only 8 hits, 2 walks and 1 earned run.
8. Christian Garcia, RHP, (B)- Garcia throws a 92-95 MPH fastball with plenty of life and a sharp curve as well as a tumbling change. He was drafted right out of and was a victim of TJ surgery before dominating last year. In 49.2 innings pitched in 2008 he struck out 60 and had a pretty sexy 2.90 era. His stuff is good but he may be converted to a reliever due to his durability issues by the time he gets to the MLB.
9. Mark Melancon, RHP (B)- Melancon came back from TJ surgery and pitched extremely well in 2008. In AA he pitched 49 innings, struck out 47 and had a 1.81 era and had comparable numbers in Scranton. Melancon has some good stuff--kind of a Brett Cecil type. He throws 92-95 mph fastballs and a nice hard slider that runs about 80-84. His real plus is that he's super efficient and rarely pitches himself into a full count or an 8 pitch at bat. In his career he's only given up a little more than 6 hits per 9 innings.
10. Wilkins De La Rossa, LHP (B-)- Originally De La Rossa was an outfielder with a rocket arm, decent speed and a crappy bat. The Yankees converted him to pitcher in A ball and he has since been a fierce presence. He throws 92-96 and has two pretty sweet breaking pitches. He's a K machine like Betances and struck out 110 in 90 innings with Charleston in '08 and only gave up 60 its. At 6'0" 155 he's going to have to add some bulk to avoid being a glass-armed Scott Kazmir but as of now he looks pretty good.
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