The Athletic just published its roster of Best MLB Players Under Age 25. The Yankees have nobody on it. (But they do have Gerrit Cole.)

All year, sun or clouds, the Yankiverse rains nonstop, felony-grade hype upon its fans. It's a Honey Mustard, Sea Salt & Vinegar, with Barbecue Flavor Crystals and slathered in Secret Sauce. It's Schlittler, Lagrange, the Martian! Throughout the month of March, we drink heartily from the trough and sing, "These little town blues are melting awaaaay..." 

But they don't melt away. They linger. And while we do have hopefuls - Dax Kilby is the latest to be marketed like an Amazon Mystery Box - our farm system ranks 25th (in MLB), behind the Dodgers (2nd), Mets (8th) and every other organization in the AL East. By most accounts, the Yankees are a tired old team, past its sell-bye date, which should be playing canasta rather than baseball.  

Today's Athletic - sports off-ramp for the NY Times - offers a roster of the Best MLB Players Under Age 25. It's a glimpse into the industry's future. These are the Skenes, the Anthonys, the Crow-Armstrongs, players who are already stars, who will likely shape the next decade. 

Not only did no Yankee make this team, but nobody appears on the list of Honorable Mentions. No Martian. No Schlittler. No Jones. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nobody. A full-stop swing and miss.

Meanwhile, Boston and Baltimore both list three players (including Honorable Mentions), the Mets have two, and Toronto and Tampa add one, each. 

Full disclosure: I hate these rankings. The are bogus, crapola click-bait, always laced with caveats such as "if he stays healthy" and "possible breakout." Screw that. Who isn't a possible breakout? The reason we hear about Dax Kilby is that - unlike most Yank prospects - he "broke out" last year. If anybody in our system hits, he'll vault to the top of our shit-pile faster than you can say Zolio Almonte. 

But the Yankees are old and getting older, and - age-wise, at least - closer to a collapse than a breakout. 

On that happy note, yesterday, Gerrit Cole pitched a shutout inning. He gave up two hits and slithered out of a jam. It didn't matter. He was just showing off. My guess is that if a ball were hit to first base, Cole would point to the bag, rather than run to it. (That's a joke.)

He's got a long way back, and one raging question remains: Is he a Justin Verlander, or a Tim Lincecum? That is, can he develop a second career as the wise-old pitcher, powered by guile and bile? Or will his fall be sharp, painful and instant? Once his fastball loses a few mph, will he be done? We donno. But we will soon learn.

Somewhere out there, there exists - in theory - a roster of the Best MLB Players Over 35. The Yankees should dominate it. So, where to, from here?