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2017 New York Yankees Top 10 Prospects Insider



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SEASON IN A SENTENCE: The Yankees took the unusual step of selling off their veterans to embark on a rebuilding phase, but the young players they brought up provided more immediate impact than expected and kept the team in playoff contention until the season’s final week.

HIGH POINT: Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge got their first big-league callups on Aug. 13 and did something never before done in major league history, hitting back-to-back homers in their first career at-bats to lead an 8-4 win over Tampa Bay. It was a historic moment and symbolic of the promise of the franchise’s future.

LOW POINT: The Yankees hovered around .500 all year but could never get much over it, and the result was a fire sale that saw Aroldis Chapman, Carlos Beltran, Andrew Miller and Ivan Nova all dealt for prospects at the trade deadline. It was the first time since the early 1970s that the Yankees were active sellers at the deadline.

NOTABLE ROOKIES: Catcher Gary Sanchez put on a historic performance with 20 home runs in 52 games after an August callup to thrust himself into Rookie of the Year contention despite playing less than one-third of the season. He set a major league record by hitting 11 homers in his first 23 games. Infielders Austin, Rob Refsnyder and Ronald Torreyes and outfielder Judge all received their first significant big league time but made minimal impact. Righthanders Luis Cessa (4-4, 4.35) and Chad Green (2-4, 4.73) were serviceable swingmen in the rotation and bullpen.

KEY TRANSACTIONS: Most notably in regards to the franchise’s past and present, the Yankees released Alex Rodriguez in August after he hit .200 with a .598 OPS but retained him as a special advisor in the front office. First baseman Mark Teixeira, another link to the club’s last World Series title in 2009, announced his retirement. The Yankees acquired multiple high-profile prospects from their summer trades, including shortstop Gleyber Torres from the Cubs as part of the Chapman deal, outfielder Clint Frazier and lefthander Justus Sheffield from the Indians in the Miller trade, and 2015 No. 4 overall pick Dillon Tate from the Rangers in the Beltran trade.

DOWN ON THE FARM: Buoyed by some of the franchise’s midseason acquisitions, Scranton-Wilkes Barre won the International League title and Triple-A National Championship. Double-A Trenton and high Class A Tampa made the Eastern and Florida State League finals, respectively, and all four full-season Yankees affiliates posted winning records. Pitching dominated up and down the system, with starters Jordan Montgomery (14-5, 2.13), Chance Adams (13-1, 2.33) and Domingo Acevedo (5-4, 2.61) leading the way at their respective levels.

OPENING DAY PAYROLL: $227,854,349 (2nd)

— Kyle Glaser

BEST TOOLS
Best Hitter for AverageGleyber Torres
Best Power HitterAaron Judge
Best Strike-Zone DisciplineTyler Austin
Fastest BaserunnerJorge Mateo
Best AthleteJorge Mateo
Best FastballDomingo Acevedo
Best CurveballJames Kaprielian
Best SliderJustus Sheffield
Best ChangeupDomingo Acevedo
Best ControlJordan Montgomery
Best Defensive CatcherLuis Torrens
Best Defensive InfielderGleyber Torres
Best Infield ArmGleyber Torres
Best Defensive OutfielderDustin Fowler
Best Outfield ArmAaron Judge
PROJECTED 2020 LINEUP
CatcherGary Sanchez
First BaseGreg Bird
Second BaseJorge Mateo
Third BaseDidi Gregorius
ShortstopGleyber Torres
Left FieldClint Frazier
Center FieldDustin Fowler
Right FieldAaron Judge
Designated HitterJacoby Ellsbury
No. 1 StarterMasahiro Tanaka
No. 2 StarterJames Kaprielian
No. 3 StarterJustus Sheffield
No. 4 StarterChance Adams
No. 5 StarterMichael Pineda
CloserDellin Betances
TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE
YearPlayer, Pos.2016 Org
2007Phil Hughes, rhpTwins
2008Joba Chamberlain, rhpIndians
2009Austin Jackson, ofWhite Sox
2010Jesus Montero, cBlue Jays
2011Jesus Montero, cBlue Jays
2012Jesus Montero, cBlue Jays
2013Mason Williams, ofYankees
2014Gary Sanchez, cYankees
2015Luis Severino, rhpYankees
2016Jorge Matero, ssYankees
TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE
YearPlayer, Pos.2016 Org
2007Andrew Brackman, rhpDid not play
2008*Gerrit Cole, rhpPirates
2009Slade Heathcott, ofWhite Sox
2010Cito Culver, ssYankees
2011Dante Bichette Jr., 3b (1st round supp.)Yankees
2012Ty Hensley, rhpYankees
2013Eric Jagielo, 3bReds
2014Jacob Lindgren, lhp (2nd round)Yankees
2015James Kaprielian, rhpYankees
2016Blake Rutherford, ofYankees
* Did not sign
Oswald Peraza (Photo By New York Yankees Getty Images)

Prospect Report: Peraza Blasts Two Longballs In Scranton

The Yankees' infielder carded the fourth multi-home run game of the year, a pair of Giants put forth impressive performances and an Angels outfielder is showing remarkable gifts against more experienced competition.

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY
Hideki Irabu, 1997$8,500,000
Jose Contreras, 2002$6,000,000
Andrew Brackman, 2007$3,350,000
Blake Rutherford, 2016$3,282,000
Gary Sanchez, 2009$3,000,000
Dermis Garcia, 2014$3,000,000

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