2023 Minor League News & Notes

[Snatch Catch]

Kicking off a new thread for the new year with Pipeline doing a live release of their 2023 top 100.

Three Yankees made the list:


#5 - Volpe

#47 - Jasson

#52 - Peraza


I have a good feeling that the Yankees system is going to produce multiple additional entrants on top 100 lists this season. There's a lot of talent that is on the brink of bubbling to the surface in my opinion - not just lottery ticket, rookie ball kids.

[Yankyfan]

With 5 Rookies making the list, which i frown upon i'm surprised Spencer Jones isn't in there.

[sjb23]

The Yankees have 3 prospects set to break out in 2023 (msn.com)

I'm hoping Trey Sweeney has a big 2023, (along with Spencer Jones!)

"Trey Sweeney really didn’t have the breakout campaign we were anticipating from one of the best bats at the collegiate level in 2021, but reaching Double-A for his age-23 season should be a great test for the young SS. There are legitimate questions about his defense at SS, and many scouts profile him to move to 3B at some point. That being said, keeping him at SS, for now, is the right move until the Yankees know for a fact that Volpe or Peraza is the real deal. He swiped 31 bags in 34 attempts as well, so adding some speed to the infield eventually, alongside his left-handed bat, would make him a dynamic young bat for this franchise.

Sweeney gives the Yankees another left-handed bat in their system, and for a franchise with the short porch in RF, they’ve been uncharacteristically right-handed in recent years. It’s clear that Brian Cashman and the Front Office are beginning to revert back to being left-handed once again, as Austin Wells and Trey Sweeney are both left-handed bats in the higher levels of the farm. This isn’t even mentioning Jasson Dominguez and Oswaldo Cabrera, who are switch-hitters and should be integral to the Yankees over the next 5 years."

[kan_t]

The Yankees have 3 prospects set to break out in 2023 (msn.com)

I'm hoping Trey Sweeney has a big 2023, (along with Spencer Jones!)

"Trey Sweeney really didn’t have the breakout campaign we were anticipating from one of the best bats at the collegiate level in 2021, but reaching Double-A for his age-23 season should be a great test for the young SS. There are legitimate questions about his defense at SS, and many scouts profile him to move to 3B at some point. That being said, keeping him at SS, for now, is the right move until the Yankees know for a fact that Volpe or Peraza is the real deal. He swiped 31 bags in 34 attempts as well, so adding some speed to the infield eventually, alongside his left-handed bat, would make him a dynamic young bat for this franchise.

Sweeney gives the Yankees another left-handed bat in their system, and for a franchise with the short porch in RF, they’ve been uncharacteristically right-handed in recent years. It’s clear that Brian Cashman and the Front Office are beginning to revert back to being left-handed once again, as Austin Wells and Trey Sweeney are both left-handed bats in the higher levels of the farm. This isn’t even mentioning Jasson Dominguez and Oswaldo Cabrera, who are switch-hitters and should be integral to the Yankees over the next 5 years."

Very interesting that they pick Richard Fitts. SO and SO/BB ratio look good but the HR rate is a big concern for someone who relies on command to have great stat at A ball. His velocity really needs to improve in order to be a legit pitching prospect.

[Yankyfan]

Very interesting that they pick Richard Fitts. SO and SO/BB ratio look good but the HR rate is a big concern for someone who relies on command to have great stat at A ball. His velocity really needs to improve in order to be a legit pitching prospect.

When I saw Fitts in HV pitch he was hitting 97 a few times. I didn't see him till the end of the year but Velo didn't seem to be an issue. I just hope they don't Chance Adams him..

[Yankyfan]

High on Sweeney? I think right off he should be playing 3B. Unless u are holding out on value? He has power for sure but as I get older I have found the hit tool has to be there. Sweeney did improve as the year went on but in HV he was missing pitches by such a big margin. I hope he does find it but as of now i'm skeptical.

[sjb23]

High on Sweeney? I think right off he should be playing 3B. Unless u are holding out on value? He has power for sure but as I get older I have found the hit tool has to be there. Sweeney did improve as the year went on but in HV he was missing pitches by such a big margin. I hope he does find it but as of now i'm skeptical.

Seems like most everyone agrees with this. I think even Arias will be a better SS than Sweeney over the next couple of years.

You're correct, contact rate will be key for his development this season. I'm so done with guys that whiff more than 25% of the time.

Best thing about Sweeney is he's a lefty hitter with good power - usually a nice match for YS. Filling the (future) hole @ 3B would also be a plus for his value. A lefty-hitting 3rd baseman with some power? Probably a nice rarity to have at the ML level.

[TheHugeUnit2]

I think Sweeney could end up being todd fraizer at 3B. Power, hit tool average at best. His defense could play at 3B too.

[Yankyfan]

I think Sweeney could end up being todd fraizer at 3B. Power, hit tool average at best. His defense could play at 3B too.

I think that’s a good comp. Some guys do develop the contact aspect but most don’t.

[Yankyfan]

Seems like most everyone agrees with this. I think even Arias will be a better SS than Sweeney over the next couple of years.

You're correct, contact rate will be key for his development this season. I'm so done with guys that whiff more than 25% of the time.

Best thing about Sweeney is he's a lefty hitter with good power - usually a nice match for YS. Filling the (future) hole @ 3B would also be a plus for his value. A lefty-hitting 3rd baseman with some power? Probably a nice rarity to have at the ML level.

Boy I agree. Contact is key. I’m tired of seeking Antonio Cabello types hitting bombs at 17 . Then see him in Pulaski looking foolish whiffing on breaking balls. It’s like the class of 14 , mostly money wasted on no contact studs that get no where.

[dpbddd99]

Article on Jasson Dominquez

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...zy4-story.html

[sjb23]

Article on Jasson Dominquez

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...zy4-story.html

"As it stands the Yanks currently do not have a set answer in left field next season or beyond and current center fielder Harrison Bader is a free agent after the 2023 season. Should the switch-hitter move as quickly through the minors this upcoming season as he did last year, the Martian could touch down in the Bronx as soon as 2024."

I'm guessing this is the plan.

I can dream about Jasson, future Yankee Brian Reynolds, and The Judge in the 2024 outfield.

[Yankyfan]

Law gave JD a 70 grade as a fielder?? Again these grades must come from SSS of the player.

[Snatch Catch]

https://theathletic.com/4132943/2023...023-keith-law/

KLaw's Top-100 Yankees:

8. Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees

Age: 22 | 5-11 | 180 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 30 in 2019

Last year’s ranking: 10

Volpe got off to a terrible start in 2022, hitting .203/.312/.373 through the end of May — and that’s with a four-hit game on May 28. He’d been working through some swing changes in those two months, but in late May/early June he decided to go back to his old swing, and it showed, as the 2019 first-rounder hit .279/.369/.528 the rest of the way for Double-A Somerset, earning a September promotion to Triple A to finish the year. Volpe has a beautiful right-handed swing — I don’t know why anyone would try to mess with it — that produces a lot of quality contact and keeps the ball in the air for extra-base power, although I think he’ll settle in as more of a high-doubles guy who might hit 20 homers than a 30-homer guy. He’s a 55-60 runner but it plays up on the bases because he has great instincts both for reading pitchers and reading situations. While at shortstop, he’s got great hands and gets himself into the right position to make plays more than most shortstops I see. I caught a lot of Volpe last year, and he was playing a different game than his teammates. We talk about how the game speeds up for some players as they move up the ladder; Volpe plays like the game is too slow and he’s waiting for it to catch up. I don’t know for a fact that the Yankees have sat out the free-agent shortstop market because they think Volpe’s a star, but I think Volpe’s a star, so I can hardly blame them.

32. Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees

Age: 19 | 5-10 | 190 pounds
Bats: Switch | Throws: Right
Drafted: International signing in 2019

Last year’s ranking: 78

Is there a bigger example of a “post-hype prospect” than Dom?nguez? Touted as the next Mickey Mantle as the Yankees gave him their entire international bonus pool when he was 16, he didn’t get to play in a minor-league game until he turned 18 because of the pandemic. He hit a very credible .258/.346/.398 in full-season ball, for Low-A Tampa, in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League in 2021, as one of only three 18-year-olds to get at least 200 plate appearances in the league (along with Alex Ram?rez, also on this list). He returned to Tampa this year as a 19-year-old, still young for the level, improved to .265/.373/.440, moved up to High-A Hudson Valley, hit .306/.397/.510 there, and finished with a week in Double-A Somerset. I’ll recap: He started 2022 with 57 games of pro experience, total, and that’s all he had had since signing in July of 2019. He ended up hitting well enough in High A that he would have finished in the top 10 in the Sally League in OBP and slugging if he’d qualified. Why do I get the sense people think he’s a disappointment? And it’s not like he lacks tools — he has electric bat speed, 70 raw power, 70 run, probably 70 defend in center. He does have work to do as a hitter, and during that one week in Double A you could see he needs to learn to adjust to pitchers who can change speeds on him and locate their secondary stuff more than anything he’s seen before. The body is maxed out, but there’s also no need for him to get stronger or develop more power. I see a guy with three plus-plus tools who is the age of a college sophomore and has earned his way to Double A. What’s not to like?

76. Oswald Peraza, SS, New York Yankees

Age: 23 | 6-0 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
International signing in 2016

Last year’s ranking: 95

The Yankees have an enviable problem in their upper minors: Their shortstop of the future, Anthony Volpe, isn’t actually their best defensive shortstop prospect, who is also a very promising player in his own right. Peraza is a plus defender at short right now, and a plus runner, with enough power that he could be someone’s starter right now in the big leagues. He’s power over hit, however, as he jumps early in the count and needs to be more selective. He only saw about 3.6 pitches per plate appearance in Triple A, and his approach is too pull-oriented; if he tries to use the whole field more, which he can do effectively because he covers the outer third pretty well, he has a chance to be a more complete hitter without sacrificing that much power. He’s got a pretty high floor even if he’s a .290 OBP hitter, because he might be worth 8-10 runs with his glove and hit 15-20 homers. There’s a better player in here, though, if he becomes more selective and less pull-centric.

86. Everson Pereira, OF, New York Yankees

Age: 22 | 6-0 | 191 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
International signing in 2017

Last year’s ranking: Sleeper

Pereira signed for $1.5 million back in 2017, but due to a number of injuries and the pandemic, he entered 2022 with only 108 pro games and fewer than 500 career plate appearances. He finally got a full season in 2022 and showed why the Yanks invested in his future, with some power, some speed, some defense, and some crudeness at the plate that you might expect from a 21-year-old with such limited experience. He’s still a very good athlete who shows excellent bat speed and good carry off the bat, with above-average game power right now that’s trending toward plus; with his contact quality at age 21, he’s got a good chance to end up a 25-30 homer guy at his peak. His approach is still raw, with a strikeout rate of 27 percent in High A and 30 percent after a midseason promotion to Double A, but he also swings at too many pitcher’s pitches and expanding the zone down or away. He’s at least a major-league average defender in center right now, also trending the right way, although whether he ends up plus there depends on how much he fills out physically. He’s still a high-variance prospect who could never make enough contact to be a regular, but just by virtue of staying healthy for 102 games last year, he showed that he at least has the potential to be an impact hitter who hits for average and power while providing value on defense.

[sjb23]

Thanks for posting the above ^^^^^

Interesting that three of the four have a lot of swing'n'miss in them.

I suppose most all young prospects have to work on this very aspect of development.

All-in-all, I'm exciting to see these four progress this year.

It sure would be nice to see a starting pitcher break out this year. Maybe Matt Sauer?