Jesus Montero, Gary Sanchez, Manny Banuelos listed on MLB.com’s Top 50 prospects

In MLB.com’s Top 50 Prospects list for 2011, Jesus Montero ranked ninth, Gary Sanchez 32nd and Manny Banuelos 35th.

Montero is the top-ranked catcher on the list. Before the Yankees acquired Russell Martin, Montero was expected to assume the starting job in place of Jorge Posada. Now, he’ll likely have to work his way to the majors during the season.

Yankees top prospects [Baseball America]

I like to check in on Yankees prospects during the season from time to time, but the offseason gives me a chance to analyze them more closely.

Baseball America is the go-to source for MLB prospects, and Trenton Thunder beat writer Josh Norris got a hold of its 2011 top 10 Yankees prospects before it released them. Without further ado, here are the top 10 (in comparison to last year):

What happened to…?
Arodys Vizcaino was traded to the Braves in the Javier Vazquez deal … Zach McAllister went to the Indians in the Austin Kearns deal … J.R. Murphy had a rough year in mid-A ball … Jeremy Bleich underperformed in AAA.

New guys…
Dellin Betances made a name for himself, again, last year in high-A and AA … Hector Noesi shined in AA last year and earned a promotion to AAA … Eduardo Nunez had a brief stint in the majors last year, showing he could hit, run and field … Brandon Laird showed great power numbers for AA and earned a promotion to AAA.

Draft picks: Heathcott and Murphy signed

The Yankees selected outfielder Slade Heathcott and catcher J.R. Murphy in the first and second rounds in this past first-year player draft in June. Today, on signing deadline day, both have been confirmed signing by Lane Meyer of NoMaas.org.

It’s nice to see Heathcott signed after last season’s first rounder Gerrit Cole was left unsigned. Cole chose UCLA instead of jumping to the minors straight from high school.

According to Jim Callis of Baseball America, Heathcott signed a $2.2M bonus (double than expected). Also, Meyer has reported that the Yankees have signed their top nine picks and 13 of their top 14.

More details of the contracts to come when available.

Yankees draft Slade Heathcott and J.R. Murphy

Day 1 of the first-year player draft was last night, and the Yankees drafted outfielder Slade Heathcott (29th) and catcher J.R. Murphy (76th).  The rest of the 50 rounds will shape out over the next couple days.

29. Slade Heathcott
Here is a report on Heathcott:

Heathcott, a powerful left-handed-hitting outfielder who is coming off ACL surgery on his left knee, is currently playing in the state tournament for Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas -- his semifinal game is Wednesday afternoon. Heathcott, a third-team all-state selection, has plus power to all fields, a strong arm from the outfield and above-average speed despite his recent surgery.

My take:  As MLB Network’s analysts mentioned, the Yankees did a nice job of drafting to their ballpark.  Most of the home runs at Yankee Stadium have gone out to right field; guys that bat lefty like Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira have taken advantage of the short porch.  Heathcott is only 18 years old, but there’s nothing wrong with thinking about the future.  Check out MLB.com’s in-depth scouting report on Heathcott here.

76. J.R. Murphy
Here is Keith Law’s report on Murphy (h/t Steven Schwartz of the Yankees Universe):

Murphy is a recent convert to catching who has taken to the position well enough that he should stay there in pro ball. He’s a top-100 prospect because his bat is likely to be an asset at that position. Murphy has a short swing with good bat speed but a flat swing plane that probably will produce line drives but not much power. Behind the plate, he has good energy and an above-average arm, but he hesitates before throwing as if he’s unsure of himself. That will cost him if he doesn’t smooth out his motion. His feet are still a little slow, again as if he’s uncertain where to go, so this all may be a function of inexperience. He has good hands and has learned the position quickly. His bat probably would have played if he had stayed in the outfield or at third, but he has the potential to be an above-average regular as a backstop.

My take:  Interesting selection here.  You’d think with all of the youth they have at the catching position already, they wouldn’t need to go this high to get another.  I’m talking about Jesus Montero, Austin Romine and Francisco Cervelli.  Anyway, it sounds like Murphy has a lot of potential because of how fast he has learned the catching position.  It will be fun to see all of these young catchers develop over the next 5-10 years.

Draft Links:
Here is MLB.com’s complete draft coverage, and you can also follow the draft on twitter here.