The Yankees have a very highly rated farm system going into 2024, even after trading a multitude of players and prospects for Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Alex Verdugo, they still have a potent system. Today I will be going over and giving some blurbs on my top 15 prospects in the Yankees organization heading into this upcoming season.
1. Jasson Dominguez – New York Yankees
We know that the Martian is as polarizing of a prospect as they come. He produced in the upper minors last year starting with a huge hot streak starting in around June when he was with Somerset, the Strikeout to walk numbers paired with elite swing decisions basically propelled him to his eventual major league call up. He has a great mix of discipline and power which has the makings of a very good major leaguer. Though we won’t see him in the majors until probably June at the earliest, Dominguez projects as a corner outfielder that can be a very good hitter and baserunner. Even if he is not as good defensively, it won’t even matter because the tools offensively are that good. Dominguez will likely slot right back into the Yankees lineup as soon as he is fully healthy, and he’s an exciting prospect that we have been waiting to see since 2019, and I think he’ll produce.
2. OF Spencer Jones – Somerset Patriots
Jones has garnered a lot of interest this offseason as he is starting to skyrocket up various prospect rankings. Jones broke into a full year of MiLB play last year. He struggled with the same things that we knew he’d struggle with when he was drafted and that is the strikeouts and swing decisions. A lot of this stems from his swing path issues, which this offseason he has been working on to fix. Jones has all of the tools you would want out of a high ceiling outfield prospect. He has insane raw power, fantastic speed and is great defensively. If he progresses how we expect him to, he could find his way to the Bronx this upcoming year. Jones is a great athlete that if he fixes some of the issues in his profile, he’ll absolutely rocket through the minor leagues, as it would definitely lead to a boost in game power. This offseason Jones was requested in trade talks for pitchers like Dylan Cease and Corbin Burnes, in which the Yankees declined. They believe he could be the next big power hitter to come out of their system, and if he hits his ceiling they’ll have their center fielder for the future. The ceiling is as high as anybody in the majors, but the floor is just as low. This spring Jones has shown a drastic improvement in his swing decisions, though in a small sample, if that carries over to his play this season, he’ll be in the Bronx in no time.
3. RHP Chase Hampton – Somerset Patriots
Chase Hampton emerged last season as one of the premier pitching prospects in the Yankees system. He made his pro debut at High-A this year and absolutely shoved en route to his call up to Double-A. Hampton has the best stuff in the Yankees system, boasting a potent pitch mix that excels at generating whiffs. Though he had some command issues towards the end of the season, that can be attributed to the largest workload over the course of a season that Hampton has ever had. Hampton has the makings of a middle rotation starter, some believe he could be one of the better pitchers in baseball, this is how elite this guys stuff is. We are talking about a guy who is in the mix to pitch for the Yankees this year and could end up being one of the guys they look at if someone in the rotation goes down with an injury. Hampton is arguably the best pitching prospect the Yankees have had since Luis Severino, and the Yankees are hoping they can turn Hampton into a great MLB arm.
4. SS Roderick Arias – Florida Coast League
Arias has shown a lot of promise over his two injury shortened seasons in the DSL and then the FCL respectively. Arias has arguably the best tools in the Yankees system, as he has the makings of a 5 tool player. Arias was the top IFA signing from his class and he will prove why this upcoming season, as he likely starts his season in Low-A Tampa. He has solid game power with some great walk rates. The whiff and strikeout rates are a little bit concerning, but when you’re walking at a 20% clip, you’re going to have success. Arias is also a fantastic defensive player, and I think he will stick at shortstop long term even by when he makes the majors. Arias is still a raw prospect, but he projects as a very good MLB player, and he could be atop this list by the end of he 2024 season. Arias has had his last two years derailed by complete freak injuries, we know last year his season ended with a hand injury after diving into second base, but he is healthy now, and he will be very fun to watch progress this season. Assuming he starts in Low-A Tampa, I think there’s a solid chance he could finish out the year in Somerset.
5. RHP Will Warren – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders
Will Warren emerged last season as the Yankees most MLB ready pitching prospect, between Double-A and Triple-A he boasted very good numbers and fantastic stuff. One pitch I want to highlight is his sweeper. It was one of the best pitches at the Triple-A level and has played himself into being a potential option for the Yankees this season. And with the wacky run environment we saw at the Triple-A level last year, Warren could post even better numbers at the major league level than he did in Triple-A last year. Warren is another one of the Yankees mid round draft picks that they find something in his stuff and turn him into a positive asset, and they have definitely done that with Warren. Main issue in Warren’s numbers at Triple-A level last year was the home runs, but that isn’t too surprising given the run environment, even then Warren still posts a solid ground ball rate hovering around 50%.
6. C Austin Wells – New York Yankees
We got a glimpse of what Austin Wells could be at the MLB level at the end of last year. The main concerns with him was always his defense, but at the major league league level he was very solid defensively while also having some good moments offensively. Wells has some great power and his left handed swing was built for Yankee Stadium. Wells will split time with Jose Trevino but I would think Wells gets the bulk of the playing time mainly because of his offensive output compared to Trevino. Wells is a guy that could go out and pop 20 homers, and I don’t think many people would be upset at that. Wells is the future for the Yankees at the catcher position, and he could help the boost the Yankees in the bottom part of the lineup.
7. OF Everson Pereira – New York Yankees
Pereira came up towards the end of the season and we saw a lot of good and bad with him. He has great power but we knew that the main concerns with him was the swing and miss and the strikeouts. He was not too great at the MLB level in the small sample that he had but that should not deplete his stock. Pereira puts up top notch exit velocities and has the makings of a solid major leaguer if he can lower the strikeouts just a little bit. Pereira will only be 23 years old this season, there is still a lot of time for him to put things together at the major league level and be a high impact player. He may not start 2024 on the Major League roster due to the Yankees outfield depth, but more time in Triple-A could be good for his development.
8. SS George Lombard Jr. – Tampa Tarpons
Lombard is starting to fly up a lot of lists this winter, and for good reason. Lombard was drafted last year, he is just 18 years old, and he has all of the tools that you want in an MLB player. We’ll have a much better idea of him as a prospect next year, as he likely starts in Low-A. I want to note that the defensive alignment in Tampa is going to be very interesting, with Lombard, Arias, among other infield prospects who will likely be rotating between shortstop, third base and second base. Though this could be a complete non-issue if Lombard plays his way in spring training to start in Hudson Valley. Lombard has good raw power and could be a very interesting player down the road. He’s so young and has such little pro experience that it’s hard to project him at this point. He has a lot of good tools and I think he will be good next year.
9. LHP Henry Lalane – Florida Complex League
Lalane is another member of the star studded FCL team, and for good reason. Lalane has the makings of an elite starting pitching prospect, the 6’7 20-year old has probably the highest ceiling out of any pitcher in the Yankees system. Lalane has a fastball that hits triple digits on a consistent basis, he also possesses a wipeout curveball as a pitch that helps him gets swings and misses. Though some of the numbers in the FCL don’t look great like the home runs, but when you strike out 34 batters in just over 20 innings, there’s a lot to like there. Lalane is going to be a high riser during the 2024 season, he is believed to start at Low-A, he may fly through the system at an unprecedented rate. There’s a lot to like in his repertoire, and he’s going to rise FAST. I believe he could be a consensus Top 100 prospect by the end of 2024.
10. OF Brando Mayea – Dominican Summer League
Mayea was a top international free agent signing a few years ago, and was pretty good in his first DSL action, especially after not playing in live games because of COVID. Mayea has the upside of a 5-tool type of player who could without a doubt stick in center field. Though he wasn’t as highly touted as Domínguez or Arias when they were signed, Mayea is still a very good prospect who I think by this time next year could be getting some love on top 100 lists. And he was just 17 years old in his first pro season, the only way for Mayea right now is up. I suspect he will begin 2024 at the Florida Complex League, but I’d assume he could be at Low-A Tampa by seasons end. Mayea has very raw tools and a very high ceiling, and I’m very excited to see him play this upcoming year.
11. LHP Brock Selvidge – Hudson Valley Renegades
Brock Selvidge is a prospect that I think will turn a lot of heads in 2024. Selvidge has a solid pitch mix led by his fastball and changeup. The fastball sits in the mid 90s and is probably his best pitch. His changeup and cutter also play very well off of that. We saw Selvidge dominate in the Spring Breakout game a few weeks ago, where he threw 4 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts in a 7 inning contest. Selvidge could move fast depending on where he starts this upcoming year. I believe he should start at Double-A, but even if he doesn’t he will be there by midseason. If he starts at Double-A he could be knocking on the door of the major league roster by September. Selvidge is still only 21 years old, the Yankees drafted him out of high school and could look to develop him into a quality rotation piece.
12. INF Jorbit Vivas – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders
Vivas was acquired in the deal with the Dodgers that send him alongside reliever Victor Gonzalez to the Bronx in exchange for Trey Sweeney, a prospect who Yankees fans figured wasn’t going to get much playing time in the majors with the club. Vivas put up some solid numbers in Double-A Tulsa in the Dodgers organization last season, he showed some solid power as well as the ability to control the strike zone and make hard contact. He had a cup of coffee in Triple-A and didn’t play as well, which is expected fresh off of a call up. Vivas showed some solid potential in Spring Training and will start the season in Triple-A, he could be an impact player down the stretch for the Yankees. Especially because of his ability to play other positions. If he is put at third base or shortstop, he can man those positions, but he isn’t an amazing defensive player outside of second base, there are concerns about his arm strength there.
13. C/1B Ben Rice – Somerset Patriots
Ben Rice had an absolutely huge breakout season last year. He’s one of these players that lost a year of development because of the pandemic, he was drafted late by the Yankees in 2021 and broke out in 2022 in Tampa before getting hurt. His 2023 season was insane, 20 home runs, a 1.049 OPS. He gets on base at a high clip while also managing the strike zone very well, when he makes contact he really barrels the baseball, he’s posted up high exit velocity numbers throughout his minor league career and his spring training play this spring. If someone like Anthony Rizzo gets hurt, after the injury to DJ LeMahieu, you can make a convincing argument that Rice should be the first choice to play first base. He has a very good offensive profile for the major league level, I believe he’ll be a contributor on this team at some point this upcoming season, weather it be early due to injuries, or late due to a September call up.
14. RHP Carlos Lagrange – Florida Complex League
Carlos Lagrange has a slightly similar profile to Henry Lalane. Both are huge and throw gas. Lagrange is a much more raw prospect however, as he has multiple plus pitches but has a lot of problems with control. The fastball is his only real plus plus option right now. His slider and changeup are inconsistent and aren’t controlled well. If Lagrange is able to control his arsenal he can very easily and quickly develop into a very interesting and talented starting arm. Lagrange didn’t exactly prevent runs last year, but he struck out a lot of batters. Though he didn’t need fantastic command to strike out players in the FCL, his development of command is going to be what decides if he’s a rotation arm or a bullpen arm. I think he’ll eventually become a bullpen arm, some have compared him to former Yankees reliever Dellin Betances, and that is a very solid comparison if he is destined for the Bullpen. I am very excited to see how Lagrange does this year.
15. C Agustin Ramirez – Somerset Patriots
Ramirez broke out in a big way last year, he went from Low-A to Double-A by the end of the season. Highlighted by slashing .384/.430/.714 in High-A as well as 9 home runs in 27 games. Ramirez has great raw power and showed his ability to put up consistently high exit velocity numbers. But he needs some work defensively, he has some solid arm strength but his framing and pitch blocking needs some work. Ramirez was protected from the Rule 5 Draft in November and is on the Yankees 40-Man roster, so the Yankees seem to be high on him. When he comes up, I think he and Austin Wells could form the best offensive catcher tandem in baseball, but he still has some ways to go.
Honourable Mentions:
Though they didn’t make the list, there are some other very good prospect in this system that I wanted to list off as HMs.
LHP Kyle Carr
OF Francisco Vilorio
RHP Clayton Beeter
INF Emmanuel Tejada
BS Reports 
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