By John Manuel
December 16, 2009


Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2009.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Jesus Montero, c 2. Austin Romine, c 3. Arodys Vizcaino, rhp 4. Slade Heathcott, of 5. Zach McAllister, rhp 6. Manny Banuelos, lhp 7. Gary Sanchez, c 8. J.R. Murphy, c 9. Jeremy Bleich, lhp 10. Andrew Brackman, rhp

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Jesus Montero Best Power Hitter Jesus Montero Best Strike-Zone Discipline Reegie Corona Fastest Baserunner Melky Mesa Best Athlete Melky Mesa Best Fastball Andrew Brackman Best Curveball Arodys Vizcaino Best Slider Mike Dunn Best Changeup Manny Banuelos Best Control Zach McAllister Best Defensive Catcher Francisco Cervelli Best Defensive Infielder Ramiro Pena Best Infield Arm Eduardo Nunez Best Defensive Outfielder Jamie Hoffmann Best Outfield Arm Melky Mesa

PROJECTED 2013 LINEUP

Catcher Austin Romine First Base Mark Teixeira Second Base Robinson Cano Third Base Alex Rodriguez Shortstop Derek Jeter Left Field Curtis Granderson Center Field Brett Gardner Right Field Slade Heathcott Designated Hitter Jesus Montero No. 1 Starter C.C Sabathia No. 2 Starter Phil Hughes No. 3 Starter A.J. Burnett No. 4 Starter Arodys Vizcaino No. 5 Starter Manny Banuelos Closer Joba Chamberlain

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Nick Johnson, 1b Marlins 2001 Nick Johnson, 1b Marlins 2002 Drew Henson, 3b Out of baseball 2003 Jose Contreras, rhp Rockies 2004 Dioner Navarro, c Rays 2005 Eric Duncan, 3b Yankees 2006 Phil Hughes, rhp Yankees 2007 Phil Hughes, rhp Yankees 2008 Joba Chamberlain, rhp Yankees 2009 Austin Jackson, of Yankees

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 David Parrish, c Out of baseball 2001 John Ford-Griffin, of Cubs 2002 Brandon Weeden, rhp (2nd) Out of baseball 2003 Eric Duncan, 3b Yankees 2004 Phil Hughes, rhp Yankees 2005 C.J. Henry, ss Out of baseball 2006 Ian Kennedy, rhp Yankees 2007 Andrew Brackman, rhp Yankees 2008 *Gerrit Cole, rhp UCLA 2009 Slade Heathcott, 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 Gary Sanchez, 2009 $3,000,000 Willy Mo Pena, 1999 $2,440,000

YANKEES LINKS

Yankees' Team Page Yankees Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Yankees Top 10 Prospects 2009 Draft: Yankees (Basic Database) 2009 Draft: Yankees  (Advanced Database) 2009 Draft Report Cards: New York Yankees  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2010 Prospect Handbook

Every Yankees team is measured against the amazing, rich history of the franchise, the most championship-laden in American team sports.

The standard for success is clear. Anything less than a World Series title is a failure.

For the first time since 2000, New York had a season it could consider a success, beating the Phillies in six games for their 27th World Series championship. The Yankees started the year under the cloud of Alex Rodriguez's admitted steroid use, but he and the team put that behind him. The club got off to a 13-15 start before Rodriguez returned from hip surgery on May 8, then won at a .672 clip for the remainder of the regular season before going 11-4 in the playoffs.

Investing $423.5 million in free agents Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett paid huge dividends, while captain Derek Jeter had one of the best seasons of his storied career. Despite playing in just 124 games, Rodriguez reached 30 homers and 100 RBIs for the 12th straight season. Better yet, he erased memories of previous playoff failures by batting .365 with six homers in the postseason, earning his first championship ring.

While the Yankees continued to wield their financial muscle when putting together their big league club, they also got vital contributions from a number of young homegrown players as well. Brett Gardner shared time in center field and provided a jolt with his top-of-the-line speed. Joba Chamberlain failed to convince anyone that he's better suited as a starter than as a reliever, yet he still held down the fourth slot in the rotation. Phil Hughes shined as a setup man, and rookies Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke and David Robertson helped further shore up the bullpen. In the postseason, every New York reliever except for Brian Bruney was a product of the farm system.

Senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman, who has overseen scouting and player development in the organization for the better part of the last 13 years, says the Yankees aspire to more.

"We're not in this to develop relievers, but starters, starting pitchers and impact hitters," he says. To that end, both Chamberlain and Hughes are likely to be given another shot at the rotation in 2010, though scouts who once considered Chamberlain a future No. 1 starter now admit that he's a different animal out of the bullpen.

As for impact bats, New York points to Jesus Montero, the Venezuelan catcher they signed for $1.65 million bonus in 2006. Montero took a significant leap forward last season, dominating Double-A pitching at age 19. The Yankees had similar hopes for outfielder Austin Jackson, who ranked No. 1 on this list a year ago. But after he hit .300 with just four homers in Triple-A, they included him, as well as Coke and 2006 first-rounder Ian Kennedy, in a three-team trade that netted Curtis Granderson from the Tigers.

Several of the system's top pitching prospects had down years, with 2007 first-rounder Andrew Brackman having a truly awful season at low Class A Charleston and Dellin Betances and Jairo Heredia, among others, succumbing to injuries. But Newman said that on the whole, the Yankees' pitching injuries were down. And those setbacks were offset by the emergence of arms such as Arodys Vizcaino and Manny Baneulos, plus aggressive spending in the draft and internationally that landed prospects such as outfielder Slade Heathcott and catchers Gary Sanchez and J.R. Murphy.

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