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.

Fans weigh in on Lee-Yankees deal

The Yankees haven’t finalized anything yet, but when Joel Sherman, Buster Olney and Mark Feinsand are reporting a deal is imminent it’s looking like a done deal.

To clarify, the expected deal is (links to career stats):

Yankees Get

Cliff Lee

Yankees Give to Mariners

Jesus Montero, David Adams, Zach McAllister

Here’s what my Twitter followers thought of the deal. See below for a few of my responses.

Consensus: 66% are all for it, 22% want more moves after the deal is made and 11% think it’s unnecessary.

Responses:
@twittel1 – Interesting idea to put Vazquez in the bullpen rather than Phil Hughes. I’d prefer to trade Vazquez to restore some of the prospects they would lose in the Lee deal. 

Adding another bat would be nice, but when you have pitching like the Yankees (CC, Lee, Pettitte, A.J. & Hughes) you can get away with the hitting they’ve already got (an MVP favorite, Jeter, A-Rod & Tex).

@dylan555 – Two points. First: Even if it is just a rental the World Series is for the Yankees to lose. Best rotation in baseball + a surging offense + Mo = Deadly. Second: Even if the Yankees don’t get a window to re-sign Lee once they get him, they’ll still have an exclusive window to sign him in the offseason. Do you expect any other teams to push for Lee as hard as the Yankees will this offseason no matter if this deal gets done?

@Deka002 – You might be right, but it seems Brian Cashman doesn’t want to put things to chance.

My Overall Take:
You guessed it, I’m FOR the trade. For once, the Yankees finally have depth in their organization and can afford to trade some prospects without cleaning the whole system.

P.S.: Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter to participate in future polls.

Kevin Lawn Award Winners announced

The Yankees announced this year’s Kevin Lawn Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year as Austin Romine and Zach McAllister, respectively.

From the press release:

The annual awards are dedicated to Kevin O'Brien Lawn, the son of longtime Yankees Vice President and Chief of Operations Jack Lawn, who passed away in 1999.

Yankees Minor League prospects update

It’s been too long since I’ve checked in on the Yankees’ farm system. The one big thing that needs to be mentioned is that stud hitter Jesus Montero broke his middle finger and will miss the rest of this season. He may play winter ball, but that is yet to be determined.

Also, from RAB:

Baseball America polled scouts, managers, etc., and named Austin Jackson the Best Batting Prospect in the Triple-A International Leage (subs. req’d). Zach McAllister has the Best Control and Reegie Corona is the Best Defensive Second Baseman in the Double-A Eastern League.

Nice to see some prospects being honored.

Triple-A: Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees
Austin Jackson OF: He has held a very consistent .302 BA/.362 OBP/.420 SLG this season, and is still stealing bases at a high rate (21/25). The downside? In 110 games, 103 strikeouts. Yuck. Also, just four homers and 52 RBI isn’t exactly producing for Triple-A. However, he remains the most likely outfielder due for a September call up.

Zachary Kroenke LHP: If he keeps up his current pace, he will likely join Joba Chamberlain as the only two current Yankees from Nebraska. Kroenke is dominating Triple-A out of relief with a 7-1 record and a 1.07 ERA. He doesn’t have blazing stuff, but its tough to argue with a 1.09 WHIP. I expect to see Kroenke in pinstripes as a September call up.
Full Triple-A stats here.

Double-A: Trenton Thunder
No hitters are opening eyes in Double-A now that Montero is gone. Jorge Vazquez was having a good year, but he is also out for the year.

Zach McAllister RHP: The 6-foot, 6-inch right hander is having a nice season for Trenton, and is probably the best starting pitcher prospect in the entire system (maybe Dellin Betances). McAllister is 6-4 with a 2.14 ERA. He can hit 93 MPH, and has good control of his 2-seam fastball. You might see this guy pitching for the Yankees in 2010, but more realistically in 2011.
Full Double-A stats here.

High-A: Tampa Yankees stats here.
Low-A: Charleston RiverDogs stats here.
(All of the used stats are prior to action on 8/16.)

Yankees minor league prospects update

Here is an update on how some of the best Yankees prospects are doing in the minors.

Triple-A: Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees
Austin Jackson OF: AJax is a a five-tool player has been one of the top Yankees prospects since he joined the team in 2005. He had a moderately good year in Double-A last year, but his potential alone earned him a promotion. He is raking against Triple-A pitchers, batting .341/.413/.452. His power numbers have dropped way down, but the Yankees aren’t worried about that; young hitters tend to gain power over time. It is definitely possibly he makes his MLB debut as a September call-up, or maybe even before then if there is an injury to a current Yankees outfielder.

George Kontos RHP: Kontos was drafted by the Yankees in the 5th round of the 2006 first-year player draft. The righty has tremendous upside. He hits low to mid 90s with his fastball, and his best pitch is a nasty slider. His strikeout numbers in the minors have been good, but not great. The real key with Kontos is being consistent. If he can straighten himself out, he will also be expecting a call in September.

Full Triple-A stats here.

Double-A: Trenton Thunder
Jesus Montero C: Montero is the best Yankees prospect right now, and he’s only 19 years old. The Venezuelan native is working his way through the minors at a rapid pace. His bat is his best attribute by far, but has catching needs some work. However, he’s still just 19 and has improved a lot over the past couple seasons. In 48 games with High-A ball this season, he hit .356/.406/.583 with eight homers and 37 RBI. Those numbers earned him a promotion to Trenton. Remember this guy’s name.

Zach McAllister RHP: The 6-foot-6-inch third round selection of the 2006 June draft has pitched lights out in the minors. He’s currently sporting a 1.61 ERA in Trenton, which is only a slight improvement over his numbers in A-ball. McAllister is not a strikeout pitcher, but features excellent control. His go-to pitch is his 2-seam fastball that hits 93 MPH and acts like a sinker. McAllister could be a regular starter in the Bronx within the next two seasons.

Full Double-A stats here.

High-A: Tampa Yankees stats here.

Low-A: Charleston RiverDogs stats here.

(All of the used stats are prior to action on 6/11.)