New York Yankees top prospects
The New York Yankees have a number of interesting prospects. Here is a quick primer as the baseball winter meeting get under way, and all of you baseball junkies wait for spring training.
The most interesting prospect is Jesus Montero. He is a 22-year-old C/DH who was with the big team for 18 games in 2011. In that time, he hit .328 with 20 hits, four home runs, and 12 RBI. He is currently the third highest rank prospect according to Baseball America. Since being signed by the Yanks in 2006, he has produced at every level. The last two years he has been with the Triple A team in Scranton, PA.
The Yankees also have another near elite prospect in Catcher Gary Sanchez. This 18 year old is the 30th ranked prospect, and is very sound defensively. However, his batting average has fallen off a bit, as he has moved through the Yanks system. He spent 2011 with the Single A team. He has a few years to mature and work on his offense.
They also have one of the best LHP prospects in Manny Banuelos. He spent 2011 in Double A, and eventually Triple A. In seven games with Scranton, he went 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA. He also registered 30 strikeouts. It looks like he has good stuff, but might also need a few years to mature.
At 6 foot 8 and 255 pounds the Yanks hope Dellin Betances will one day develop into a dominate starting pitcher. He has all the intangibles, and after going 4-6 with a 3.42 ERA at Double A Trenton the Yanks moved him up the Triple A team. There he struggled a bit going 0-3 with a 5.14 ERA. At age 23 they need him to figure all this out and take the next step in his development.
The Yanks also have 2010 fourth round draft pick OF Mason Williams. He is just 19 and has done quite well in the lower minors. He spent 2011 with the Staten Island Single A team and hit .349 with 94 hits, but only 3 home runs. He also had just 41 strike outs in 298 plate appearances. We should look for him to take the next step in his development in 2012.
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