Beginning soon, we’re going to start getting prospect rankings from Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs and MLB.com. Here is my attempt at a top-10, caveating that I’m mostly synthesizing information from stats and the bits of video and Twitter reports we get throughout the year. Minor league levels are where I expect them to start next season.
Anthony Volpe (SS, Triple-A)
What else is there to say about Anthony Volpe? After a rough start to the season, he looked like his 2021 breakout self when the weather warmed up. He’s a team leader. He’s clutch. He was one of the youngest players at his levels last year. Volpe looks increasingly like a well-rounded, all-around star. Volpe is going to be ranked very highly on a lot of top prosect lists next year.
Jasson Dominguez (OF, Double-A)
After he failed to live up to unrealistic expectations like being compared to Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle, Dominguez quietly had a phenomenal year. He climbed all the way to Double-A and the Arizona Fall League as a 19 year-old. He improved as the season went on, lowering his strikeout rate and hitting some very big home runs. I think he’s going to be the biggest surprise of rankings season, possibly in the top 10 league-wide.
Oswald Peraza (SS, MLB)
The number one complaint of the fan base late in the season was not playing Oswald Peraza. When he did play, he hit. He looked incredible on defense. He’s fast. Peraza suddenly seems like a very safe bet to be a quality MLB shortstop, and a solid bet to be a star one. Like a lot of Yankee prospects, he started the season painfully slow, but turned it on mid-May. Peraza has nothing left to prove in the minors. Squint a little bit and you’ll see Trea Turner.
Austin Wells (C/DH, Triple-A)
I’ve heard scattered comments that Wells has been improving his defense at catcher. I’ll believe that when I see the scouting reports come in from non-Yankee sources. That said, Wells can flat-out hit. He was consistent all year, hitting .277/.385/.512. If he can catch, he’ll be one of the best hitting catchers in the league. If he can’t, he’ll still end up as a solid corner outfielder or 1st baseman.
Andres Chaparro (3b, Triple-A)
Chaparro is easily the breakout player of the year for the Yankees. The organization promoted him aggressively to Double-A and were rewarded with a .296/.370/.592 batting line and 19.9% strikeout rate. He’s likely heading for a 40-man spot before the Rule V draft. Also, check this out:
Spencer Jones (OF, High-A)
Jones was an exciting first round draft pick and did not disappoint. He hit .344/.425/.538 in 25 games at Low-A, playing exclusively in centerfield. Even better: he struck out only 18.9% of the time. Even given the competition he played against at Vanderbilt for three years, you couldn’t ask for more from your top pick. I wonder if the Yankees will push him through the minors quickly.
Everson Pereira (OF, Triple-A)
I was ready to give up on Pereira after a slow start. The best power hitter on a game-for-game basis in 2021 hit just .274/.378/.356 with a 27% strikeout rate through the end of May. After that, something clicked. He hit .278/.333/.533 the rest of the way, finishing the last two months of the season at Double-A as a 21 year-old. Peirera is on the 40-man roster, but still very young. I doubt that he’s in the Yankee plans for 2023, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up as the team’s left fielder by the playoffs.
Yoendrys Gomez (SP, Double-A)
A pitcher! Gomez survived the trade deadline onslaught of high minors Yankee starting pitchers. He didn’t pitch a ton in 2022, but when was on the mound he was dominant. That said, there’s a big drop off between Pereira and Gomez.
Randy Vazquez (SP, Triple-A)
Another pitcher! Vazquez is less dominant than Gomez, but has actually, you know, stayed healthy for the last two years. Think more Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears than Luis Severino. The Yankees need starting depth. After Schmidt, Vazquez is next on the pecking order.
Roderick Arias (SS, Low-A)
Arias was the top international free agent in his class a year ago. His age-17 season didn’t go terrible—Arias played a full DSL season—but it also ended with a .194/.379/.370 batting line and 32.8% strikeout rate. Yikes. He’s young. Jasson Dominguez shows us never to bet against athleticism and talent. But there are vast graveyards of talented 16 year-old prospects who never did much of all in the minors. Wait and see.