As the Yankees beat up on Washington - (because, of course, they do) - it's worth wondering: Who represents the future of this team?

Last night, a leisurely soak in the tomato can hot tub...

The Death Barge clobbered poor Washington- a Triple A-level team, 23 games behind in the NL East, which is tanking for the '26 first draft pick. In doing so, the Yankees solidified their modern legacy: Bullies against cupcakes, cupcakes against contenders. 

It's embarrassing to root for a team that so cravenly chokes in the face of true competition. You almost prefer an honest meltdown. If they're going to humiliate us, at least give us the decency of inferiority. We can laugh, rather than cringe. But that's our Yankees: Beat the mattress against Washington, crap the bed against Boston.

Seriously, how else should we measure last night? The Yankees bludgeoned a team that was 25 games below .500, on a losing streak, with the third worst record in baseball. But throughout the beating - the game was never in doubt - you couldn't dispel a sense that Washington will regroup, rebuild and win a championship before we do, because the Yankees are stuck in an endless loop, where we always beat the midgets and then fall apart in October. Other teams get younger, with lineups around age at 23. We're always chasing wild cards and pushing 32. 

So... who represents the future of the Yankees - the bulwarks of the next five years, as Giancarlo Stanton departs and Aaron Judge enters his twilight. Who will rise to lead this team?

Last night, you could argue that the next Yankee generation turned out. Jasson Dominguez hit his 10th HR of the year. Ben Rice hit the longest homer of his MLB career. And Anthony Volpe played errorless ball, mainly because he didn't play.

But right now, Boston and Toronto look flush with young, ascending stars, and the Rays never stay down for long. Who will the Yankees have in, say, 2028, to give us hope?

Well... in the name of Dax Kilby... let's look at some candidates...

1. Dominguez? The Martian has - well - come down to earth. He's hitting .256 with 10 HRs and 43 RBIs. It's not what we hoped for: The next Juan Soto. But he's only 22. Should we worry that he won't see any RH at-bats for the rest of 2025, which means a lost year of development? Could he become the next Oswaldo Cabrera? That is, they decide he can't hit from one side, and clip his wings as a switch-hitter? I'd like to think The Martian will become a star, but has he shown it? He's still botching balls in LF. That's a bad sign. 

2. Rice is having a breakout season - .241, 21 HRs, 48 RBIs - at catcher and 1B. By this time next year, he should be a regular at one of the positions. But it's relevant to consider his age: He's 26, near prime. I think he's for real, though the Yankees love to trot out bogus stats that suggest players are hitting better than we think. He's got a high barreling of the bat percentage. They can make numbers jump through hoops.  

3. Volpe. Look, I don't wanna get mired here. We've all seen what we've seen. It's been three years, and everybody is tired. Nobody wants to see a local boy fall apart - again - but it's starting to look as though he needs to play in another city, for another team. That will be one of the saddest outcomes in modern Yankee history. He can still turn it around. But if he flounders over the next few weeks, his days here will be numbered. It's a tough city.  

4. George Lombard Jr. He's 20, acrobatic, hits for power and - at 6'2" - conveys a Jeter-esque profile at SS. But but BUT... he's hitting .211 with 6 HRs at Somerset. Early in the year, he lit up High Single A. We hoped he'd rise through the system and maybe take over SS next year, if Volpe fades. Now... dunno who will play SS next year. If Volpe fails, would the Yankees sign a free agent SS, or push this guy into the Majors, (as they did with Volpe.) He still draws great hope. But that .211 haunts him from every scoreboard.

5. Spencer Jones. The big guy. He's hitting .287 at Scranton, though his BA is dropping. He has 16 HRs in Triple A - 32 on the year, counting Double A - most in the minor leagues. He's 24 and strikes out way too much. On most rebuilding teams, Jones would have been already called up this year. (If the Yankees were out of the race, they could have traded Trent Grisham and installed Jones in CF. But that's not how they roll.) Jones is still most famous for being 6'7", but that won't help him in the Show. I wonder if there is a path for him on the Yankees, especially if they re-sign Grisham.  

6. TJ Rumfield. Get it? That's a joke. Of course, they will never give Rumfield a chance. He's 25, hitting .302 with 15 HRs, 82 RBIs and a quality defense that has won him minor league gold gloves at 1B. He's 6'5" and bats LH. I don't know why he is so incredibly lost at sea, but rest assured: He is. 

And once they're done beating Washington - and the White Sox, who follow - maybe so will be the Yankees.