New York Yankees

Track Record: Pereira’s career has been stalled greatly by both injuries and the pandemic. His 2019 season was limited to just 18 games because of a severely sprained ankle, and then nearly all his 2020 work was done remotely because of the pandemic until instructional league convened in the Dominican Republic. He entered the year still needing to deliver upon the potential promised by his enviable tool set, then did so in emphatic fashion.

Scouting Report: Pereira’s best tools lie on the offensive side of the ball, where he shows high-end bat speed and exit velocities, as well as a bat path that keeps the barrel in the zone a long time. In combination, those traits helped him produce incredible power numbers, especially once he reached High-A. He finished third on High-A Hudson Valley with 14 home runs despite playing just 27 games with the team. The biggest thing to clean up right now is swinging and missing at pitches in the strike zone, which he did at a rate of 41% all season. On defense he has a chance to stick in center field but will likely move to a corner, where his average speed and strong throwing arm should serve him well.

The Future: The Yankees added Pereira to the 40-man roster to keep him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. He should reach Double-A at some point next season.

Track Record: The Yankees added Vasquez as part of their 2017-18 class, which also included Everson Pereira and the since-traded Ezequiel Duran. He was solid over his first two seasons, during which time he advanced to Rookie-level Pulaski. He came back from the lost 2020 season and was set to be traded to the Rangers in an early version of the trade that brought Joey Gallo to New York. That version was scuttled by an injury to Texas lefty John King, so Vasquez stayed with the Yankees and shot all the way to Double-A.

Scouting Report: Vasquez used a couple of key changes to fuel his big year. First, he added a two-seam fastball to go with his four-seamer. To make that pitch more effective, he lowered his arm slot. The aim was to give Vasquez a pitch profile that was more horizontal, and it worked. His four-seamer sat in the mid 90s and touched as high as 98, while his two-seamer came in a tick lower and played as a potentially average pitch. He showed huge spin—an average of more than 3,000 rpms—on both his low-80s curveball and high-80s slider as well. His changeup came along, but at an average of 88 mph still could use a bit more separation from his fastball.

The Future: Because he signed late, Vasquez did not need to be added to the 40-man roster. He’ll likely return to Double-A, and has a future as a potential back-end rotation piece.

Track Record: The Yankees took Schmidt in 2017 knowing he’d need Tommy John surgery. He had the surgery, then made his pro debut late in the 2018 season. In 2019, he showed the potential the Yankees sought when they drafted him, and developed enough in 2020 at the alternate training site to make his big league debut in 2020. Schmidt strained his pitching elbow in the early days of spring training, which kept him out until a rehab appearance on July 26 and limited him to just 6.1 big league innings in 2021.

Scouting Report: At his best, Schmidt mixes an excellent two-seam fastball with a hard, low-80s curveball which rates as the best in the system. He also added a slider this season to give him more options and a more natural pairing with his sinker. The slider checks in at around 86 mph on average and is understandably behind his curveball. Schmidt also has a four-seam fastball in roughly the same velo range as his sinker, as well as a changeup in the high 80s, but his two-seamer and curveball are his clear money pitches. The next step will be for his command and control to improve.

The Future: Because his workload was so small in 2021—just 44.1 innings between the minors and majors—it is hard to envision Schmidt as a viable rotation candidate in 2022. It is more likely he’ll either head to Triple-A or be utilized as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

Track Record: After signing in 2015, Garcia and his signature curveball rose through the system on the way to a spot as its top pitching prospect. He made his big league debut on Aug. 30, 2020, and opened a game in the Yankees’ playoff series against the Rays that year. This season, the wheels came off. His command and control vanished, and his 68 walks were the most by any pitcher in the organization.

Scouting Report: A great deal of Garcia’s issues with control and command stem from the introduction of a slider and a delivery that has gotten out of whack as a result. Specifically, he started to fly open with his stride and his arm slot wandered, leading to a lot of pitches sprayed all over the zone but particularly high and to his armside. The drop in his arm slot was particularly noticeable on his curveball, which lacked any semblance of its former dominance and was his least-thrown offspeed pitch. A lot of analytical components point to Garcia’s rebound potential, but he must first fix his mechanical issues and rebuild his confidence after a season that was 180 degrees from what was expected.

The Future: After a rough 2021 season, Garcia will head back to Triple-A to try to start fresh and re-establish some of his dented prospect stock. He’s an extraordinarily driven, competitive pitcher, and he has age still firmly on his side, but there’s a lot of work to be done.

Track Record: After a 2017 season in which he was the system’s most ballyhooed prospect, Florial’s progress came to a screeching halt thanks to a series of injuries to his hands and wrists in the next two seasons. He was limited to 149 non-rehab games over those seasons, then spent 2020 at the team’s alternate training site. He got off to a hot start in 2021 at Double-A, then looked completely overmatched after a promotion to Triple-A.

Scouting Report: As ever, Florial has plenty of strong tools. Internal evaluators rate his defense and throwing arm as the best among the system’s outfielders, and his athleticism also grades out as the organization’s best. He still is capable of hitting the ball plenty hard—his exit velocities in the minors maxed out at 111 mph—but he still swings and misses far too often, particularly at pitches in the strike zone, and he struck out at a nearly 31% clip in Triple-A. To that end, the Yankees have been working with Florial to find a bat path that keeps his barrel in the zone for a longer amount of time. They’ve seen some month-over-month results, but he still needs plenty of seasoning. His speed and athleticism will give him plenty of chances to stick in center field, but his bat will determine how often his name is written into the lineup.

The Future: Florial made a few cameos in New York and hit his first big league home run, but overall still showed he had plenty of holes to close if he is to ever live up to his potential.

Track Record: Beck is the younger brother of Tristan Beck, who also pitched at Stanford and was the Braves’ fourth-round pick in 2018. The younger Beck shined for the Cardinal in 2021, helping lead the team to a national seed and a berth in the College World Series. The Yankees liked his pitch mix, polish and competitiveness, and signed him for $1,050,000 in the second round.

Scouting Report: Perhaps the most important development affecting Beck’s draft stock was his spike in velocity. His fastball moved from an 88-92 mph offering to a 91-96 mph pitch in his final year in college. The Yankees like Beck’s slider the best out of all his offspeed pitches, but project his low-80s changeup and high-70s curveball to each be at least above-average. As an amateur, scouts preferred his changeup as the best of that trio, followed by his slider and curve. He also should have above-average control once he reaches his peak. The entirety of Beck’s repertoire should be accentuated by his feel to pitch and intense competitive streak.

The Future: Beck did not pitch after signing, but his pedigree and age will likely allow him to leap immediately to High-A Hudson Valley once the 2022 season begins. He has the potential to pitch in the back of a rotation thanks to his arsenal, pitching acumen and a body built to eat innings.

Track Record: Entering the season, Selvidge was on a track that could have seen him become the first Arizona prep lefty to go in the first round since Matthew Liberatore in 2018. Instead, his year didn’t quite go as planned, and he fell somewhat. He regained his stock a bit thanks to MLB’s new draft combine, and the Yankees felt confident enough to take him in the third round.

Scouting Report: As an amateur, Selvidge’s bread and butter was a fastball that peaked at 95 mph and a pair of breaking pitches which each projected as at least average. His low-80s slider was a potentially average pitch, while the Yankees believe his curveball—which he’d scrapped earlier in the season—could get to plus as it develops. His changeup, thrown in the low 80s, showed tumble and was thrown with good arm speed and conviction, but is less developed and consistent than his other three pitches. Selvidge’s command and control wavered during his senior season, but the Yankees believe it could get to average as he rebounds. He also earned raves for his makeup and competitive streak as an amateur.

The Future: After getting his feet wet in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, Selvidge should slide into the rotation at Low-A Tampa in 2022. He’s got the ceiling of a No. 4 starter.

Track Record: In a normal world, Dunham would have heard his name called at some point in the 2020 draft. With the draft shortened to just five rounds because of the pandemic, however, Dunham went unpicked and instead signed with the Yankees as a free agent a week later.

Scouting Report: In his first test as a pro, Dunham showed an intriguing combination of power and speed and finished the year as one of just seven minor leaguers with 13 or more home runs, 28 or more stolen bases and fewer than 100 strikeouts. He hit the ball plenty hard, with an average exit velocity of 89.2 mph and a maximum of 111 mph. The next step is getting Dunham to hit the ball in the air more often to make the most of his bat-to-ball skills and hard contact. Defensively, he likely fits as a left fielder who can use his plus speed to cover plenty of ground.

The Future: Dunham will likely move to Double-A Somerset, where he’ll give his strong contact and on-base skills their first test against more advanced pitching.

Track Record: The lost 2020 season limited Gomez to remote training, while a shoulder injury kept him from debuting until a month into the 2021 season. His year lasted 23.2 innings before he contracted Covid-19 and had to go on the injured list. Beyond that, Gomez had elbow surgery, which will cost him an undetermined amount of time.

Scouting Report: When he was on the mound in 2021, Gomez showed the same live arm as always. His four-seam fastball averaged 95 mph and topped at 99 while showing excellent shape, particularly in regard to its vertical break. He backed the fastball primarily with a slider—a newer pitch in his repertoire—in the mid 80s with an excellent amount of the horizontal sweeping action that has become en vogue of late. He still boasts a third pitch changeup in the high 80s. The pitch could become more effective if it gains more separation from his fastball.

The Future: The Yankees added Gomez to their 40-man roster after the 2020 season, but they will have to wait until his elbow is healed to reap those benefits.

Track Record: After two years at McLennan JC, Breaux intrigued scouts with his power both on the mound and in the batter’s box. As a pitcher, he brought his fastball into the upper 90s. As a hitter, he showed huge raw juice. The Yankees liked him more as a hitter and spent their second-round choice on him in 2018. Injuries and the pandemic limited him to just 81 official games (plus five more games in the Constellation Energy League during the shutdown) entering 2021.

Scouting Report: Early in the season, it looked as if the book on Breaux would be the same as ever: Big power, lots of swing and miss and little chance to stick behind the plate. As the year went on, he made some changes and saw big results. First, he stood taller in the box and narrowed his stance. He also worked with Yankees coaches to eliminate some of the bigger moving parts in his swing while also improving his swing decisions. The changes worked, and from June 1 through the end of his tenure with High-A, Breaux hit .290/.340/.590. He regressed upon reaching Double-A, but overall the year included some of the most positive markers of his career. He has a plus arm behind the plate, but he needs to get to it more quickly in order to throw out more runners. He also needs to improve his blocking and receiving.

The Future: If Breaux can continue to build upon the strides he made at the beginning of the season, he could have a future as an offense-oriented backup. He’s likely to return to Double-A in 2022.

Track Record: Of the 17 pitchers the Yankees drafted and signed in 2017, five have already made their big league debuts—each with a different organization. Marinaccio could become the sixth at some point in 2022. New York’s player development staff pointed to Marinaccio before the season as a player to watch, and he delivered with 105 strikeouts, the most by any pitcher in the minors who threw fewer than 70 innings.

Scouting Report: A major piece of Marinaccio’s breakout centered around a velocity spike. His four-seam fastball jumped roughly five mph from 2019 until 2021 and now averages around 95 mph with a peak of 98. He pairs the fastball primarily with a dastardly changeup that averaged around 84 mph and got swings and misses at a near-elite rate, as well as an average separation of more than 10 mph from his fastball. Marinaccio also has a slider in the low 80s with excellent sweeper break that got plenty of swings and misses as well. Working in concert, the three pitches give Marinaccio weapons to neutralize hitters from both sides of the plate.

The Future: Marinaccio was added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He’ll likely make his big league debut in 2022 as a reliever who can work multiple innings per outing.

Track Record: The Yankees inked Gomez, who ranked as the No. 14 player available in his signing class, in 2018. He opened his career by ranking No. 5 on the 2019 Gulf Coast League Top 20, then placed No. 10 on the 2021 list.

Scouting Report: Injuries and the pandemic limited Gomez to just 15 professional games entering 2021, when he more than tripled that total by playing in 46 games between the FCL and Low-A. For now, Gomez’s loudest tool is his throwing arm, a true plus-plus weapon which helps him regularly produce pop times below 2.0 seconds. He needs lots more polish when it comes to receiving and blocking, both of which scouts have pegged as inconsistent at best. At the plate, he needs to improve his plate discipline. He believes he can hit anything, which leads him to swing at anything. He has power to his pull side, but scouts also noted that he needs to close a hole on the outer half before he can tap into his raw juice regularly. As would be expected from a catcher, Gomez is a well below-average runner.

The Future: Gomez made his full-season debut in 2021 and is likely to return to Low-A. Right now, he has the ceiling of a defensive-minded backup with the skills to hit toward the bottom of an order.

Track Record: Lockridge was a second baseman for the first part of his college career before converting to the outfield, where his high-end speed would be more of an asset. He showed a burner’s skill set and an improved eye in his draft year, leading the Yankees to take him in the fifth round. In 2021, he was one of just three players in the minor leagues to hit 16 or more doubles, 13 or more home runs and steal 18 or more bases while playing in 75 or fewer games.

Scouting Report: Above all, Lockridge has the speed and power traits which teams covet. Thirty-eight percent of his career hits have gone for extra bases, and his stolen base efficiency increased greatly in 2021, when he was successful on 18 of 20 tries. In Hudson Valley, Lockridge suffered a 70-point dropoff in batting average when hitting against righthanders. Upon moving to Double-A, that hole seemed to close. Though his numbers against lefties were still much better, he produced an .870 OPS against righties. If that improvement can be maintained, Lockridge’s path to the big leagues became much clearer.

The Future: Lockridge was left exposed by the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft, which was delayed until the end of the lockout. Lockridge at his peak could provide speed, power and solid defense in center field.

Track Record: Ridings lasted three seasons with the Cubs before being dealt to the Royals in 2019. He stayed two seasons with Kansas City before signing with the Yankees as a minor league free agent. Ridings carved at the upper levels in 2021 before earning his first big league callup.

Scouting Report: Ridings’ calling card is his high-velocity fastball. In the minors, the pitch touched 100 mph and averaged roughly 97. But velocity is only part of the reason the Yankees have tabbed Ridings’ heater as the best in the system. The pitch also shows well analytically, with plus or better marks in terms of spin rate as well as horizontal and vertical break. Put simply, the pitch is hard, lively and very difficult to hit. The key to Ridings’ ascent, however, lies with the improvement of his breaking ball. The pitch, a tight, high-80s slider, got swings and misses more than half the time in the minor leagues. Ridings’ work with Yankees strength guru Eric Cressey has also helped create a more fluid delivery.

The Future: Ridings is a powerful reliever with a massive frame and two excellent weapons to dominate hitters. The Yankees added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Track Record: Way started his career at Division II Belmont-Abbey (N.C.) before moving to Northwest Florida State JC in his draft year, which was limited to 40 innings because of the pandemic. He spent his first official season as a pro between both Class A levels.

Scouting Report: Way relies mainly on a mix of four- and two-seam fastballs, as well as a slider and changeup. He also added a cutter during the remote-training sessions during the 2020 shutdown. His slider is by far his most commonly used pitch, thrown nearly as often as all three of his fastballs combined. The slider is a sweepy pitch, with a nearly elite 14 inches of horizontal break and a swing-and-miss rate of 50%. Way’s sinker and four-seamer each averaged between roughly 94-95 mph, and the four-seamer showed exceptional horizontal break at the top of the zone. Way’s changeup is still a bit of a work in progress and needs to show more separation from his fastballs to be more effective. His extremely loose arm and slinger action led to command and control issues, and he got crushed in a small sample at High-A.

The Future: Way will likely return to High-A to begin 2022, and has the stuff to carve out a role as a reliever. To do so, he’ll need to greatly improve his ability to throw quality strikes.

Track Record: The Mariners popped Sears in the 11th round in 2017, then shipped him to New York with righty Juan Then in exchange for reliever Nick Rumbelow. Sears broke out in 2021 and finished No. 3 in strikeouts (136) and strikeout percentage (32.8) in the system.

Scouting Report: Sears works with a three-pitch arsenal of a low-90s fastball, mid-80s changeup and a low-80s slider. His fastball shows well in plenty of analytical characteristics, including horizontal break and vertical approach angle—and was the most effective pitches in his mix despite average velocity and spin rates. Sears’ slider—which has been recently introduced into his mix—is the more effective of the two offspeed pitches, garnering a swing-and-miss rate of nearly 46%. His changeup is a clear third pitch, and scouts believe it could have a ceiling as an average offering. He showed excellent control in 2021, with just 2.7 walks per nine innings and a strikeout-to-walk rate of roughly 4.7 over 106 innings.

The Future: Like fellow breakout reliever Ron Marinaccio, Sears was added to the 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 Draft. He has a future as a multi-inning reliever.

Track Record: The Yankees inked Garcia for $500,000 in 2017 on the strength of a tool kit fronted by positively preposterous power from both sides of the plate. He led the Gulf Coast League with 10 home runs in 2018, then dealt with injuries and was limited to just six games in 2019. He was the only minor leaguer in 2021 with 14 or more home runs in fewer than 130 at-bats.

Scouting Report: Garcia hits balls hard, often. Scouts graded his raw power as easily double-plus from both sides of the plate, and his average exit velocity of 91.4 mph ranked among the system’s very best. His maximum exit velocity of 116 mph was the highest in the organization. Garcia has improved the quality of his at-bats by leaps and bounds, and his chase rate is surprisingly low for a player who still struck out in nearly 33% of his plate appearances. He played mostly first base and didn’t look great doing it, so he’s likely a DH in the big leagues. His 20-grade speed makes that outcome even more probable.

The Future: After a smashing turn in Low-A, Garcia could return there for more seasoning in 2022. His likely future is as a player who keeps getting chances thanks to true light-tower power.

Track Record: As an amateur, Vargas was expected to sign with Cincinnati. Instead, the Yankees added him to a haul that also included future trade pieces Kevin Alcantara and Maikol Escotto. He showed promise in his first season as a pro—split between the two complex-league affiliates—before repeating the Rookie-level Florida Complex League in 2021.

Scouting Report: Vargas has continued to add strength to his frame and now checks in at a much more formidable 162 pounds, but he still has a long way to go. His average exit velocity in 2021 was roughly 83 mph, among the lowest in the entire system. As he continues to gain strength, the Yankees believe his raw tools will be better amplified. Outside evaluators would like to see more consistency in his game. They note the potential for plus defense and plus speed, but also that he gets lackadaisical and takes plays off. Sometimes he’ll make the highlight-reel play, other times he’ll boot routine grounders. They also note a tendency to get out of his approach and become too much of a free-swinger.

The Future: After two years in the lowest levels of the minor leagues sandwiched around a pandemic, Vargas will need to move up at least to Low-A Tampa.

Track Record: Under normal conditions, the Yankees would have added Montero to their system on July 2, 2020. Instead, the pandemic scuttled the traditional signing day and the two sides made it official when the period opened on Jan. 21, 2021. He made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, which began play in July.

Scouting Report: Montero ranked as the No. 23 prospect available in the class once the period opened. He was lauded as an amateur for a well-rounded skill set that included 55-grade speed, a strong arm and soft hands, all of which should help him stick at shortstop in the long run. Offensively, he has a short, compact swing from the right side that’s geared more for line drives than home runs. Understandably, he still needs to add strength to his frame to get the most out of his bat. His 83 mph average exit velocity was among the lowest in the system.

The Future: Montero’s likely next stop is domestic extended spring training followed by the Florida Complex League. He projects as a glove-first shortstop who hits toward the bottom of an order.

Track Record: Weissert has slowly wound his way through the system. He’s been exclusively a reliever from the moment he entered pro ball and excelled in his time in both 2019 and 2021 at the upper levels of the system. Internal evaluators grade Weissert’s slider as the system’s best.

Scouting Report: Weissert’s slider, thrown nearly 46% of the time, is a low-80s pitch that shows outstanding spin at nearly 2,800 rpms on average as well as an elite 19 inches of horizontal break. To make the slider even more effective, Weissert will need to throw it for strikes more often. Weissert primarily pairs the slider with a two-seam fastball which averages around 93 mph and has improved its shape and sink after work with the Yankees’ pitching development team. Weissert also has a four-seam fastball and a changeup, but he works primarily as a sinker-slider pitcher. Improving his strike-throwing ability would make all of Weissert’s stuff play up.

The Future: Weissert is likely to return to Triple-A to begin 2022. His ceiling is as a low-leverage reliever.