This week, Yankee bloggers jubilantly reported that we have three prospects in MLB's "Top 100." They are Jorge Mateo (30th) Aaron Judge (31st) and Gary Sanchez (59th). Cause for celebration, right? (Yes, it is. I'm not putting us down.) Trouble is, if you add the other scores, we're in second place in the AL East.
Here's the breakdown in our Division, with the number of prospects on MLB's Top 100.
Boston 4 prospects (ranked 7th, 17th, 25th, 39th)
Yankees 3 (30th, 31st, 59th)
Tampa 3 (14th, 43rd, 81st)
Toronto 1 (42nd)
Baltimore 1 (85th)
Other AL teams with more than three: Minnesota (6), Houston (5), Texas (5). Don't get me wrong: Three prospects isn't bad. It's just middle of the pack, that's all.
The difference-maker here is a name we mention way too often, Yoan Moncada, the 7th best prospect in baseball. (Alas, why go there again?) But one point, constantly made by Yankee enabler websites, is that this list underestimates our youth movement, because it does not include Greg Bird and Luis Severino. Both accumulated too much MLB playing time last year to still be considered "prospects."
Trouble is, if you compare our youth wave with Boston's - Betts, Bradely, Swihart, Bogartes, et al - we're still running behind. Every team has a Greg Bird and a Luis Severino. The Yankees only look exceptional when they compare this year's roster to those of previous years, when the farm system was sucking air.
There is hope. Three kids on the list, plus Bird and Severino. But right now, if you're looking for the next Core Four, a better place to look would be in Boston. And that should be cause for alarm.
It almost doesn't matter. Other teams will bring their prospects up and let them play, even become everyday starters. We'll trade them for a 35 year old schmendrik. Or let them rot in Scranton until they become so frustrated their stats die, and the brass will smugly smile and say, 'I knew he wasn't that good.'
ReplyDeleteNone of that is news. The question this year is, how fast and how badly do at least three Yankees aging veterans get injured, and what does the team do in response? That Bird thing last year seemed really out of character.
JOHN M. YOU ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY.....THE FUNNY PART OF IT IS, EVEN IF WE GIVE OUR SCRANTON SLAVES A REAL SHOT ON THE BIG CLUB FOR A COUPLE OF GAMES, AND THEY PRODUCE, AND EVEN WIN US A GAME....THEY ARE DOOMED TO BE DEMOTED IMMEDIATELY AND/OR TRADED (SEE ROB REFSNYDER AND RAMON FLORES)...,I STILL CAN'T GET OVER NOT GIVING REFSNYDER THE CHANCE TO TAKE OVER 2ND BASE AFTER THE ALL STAR BREAK (AFTER HE WON A GAME FOR US IN BOSTON, OF ALL PLACES)!!! ....WITH CASHMAN AND THE REST OF OUR MYSTERY SCOUTING STAFF AND BRASS, THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER WITH PLAYERS FROM ANOTHER ORGANIZATION (MINOR OR MAJOR LEAGUE)................. THE GREG BIRD SITUATION DID SEEM OUT OF CHARACTER FOR US, BUT SOMETIMES THAT IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE A PROSPECT A REAL SHOT...HE ACTUALLY IMPRESSES!!!....AND WHAT IS BIRD'S REWARD??? ............DEMOTION!
ReplyDelete"OUR SCRANTON SLAVES"
ReplyDeleteFWIW, this made me laugh.
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