The New York Yankees have managed to acquire players, such as Anthony Rizzo and Joey Gallo, in the recent past without giving up their very best prospects.
They have managed to keep shortstop Oswald Peraza, pitchers Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, and Deivi Garcia, and catcher Austin Wells, just to name a few.
The top two spots in the Bombers’ system, however, are occupied by Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe.
Yankees fans should be very happy to have both in the system.
Here is why.
2. Jasson Dominguez
Dominguez is extremely toolsy, and while he didn’t exactly light the world on fire during his first professional season in the United States, the year was positive for him.
He started the season with seven Rookie-level games to get his feet wet, then played 49 games in Low-A.
Overall, he hit .252/.353/.379 in 56 minor league games, with five home runs.
There are, obviously, things to improve on his game: for example, he struck out a whopping 73 times in 241 plate appearances.
He also took 27 walks, which shows there is potential in the plate discipline department.
The Yankees will have all the patience in the world, because we are talking about a 18-year-old prospect who lost a whole year of development with the 2020 pandemic.
He was two or three years younger than his peers, and was about average offensively, so that’s a positive development.
The Yankees have big plans for Dominguez: he has good speed despite his thick build, and his power projection and ability to play center field could make him a very valuable player someday.
JASSON DOMÍNGUEZ GOES YARD!!!
OUR FUTURE pic.twitter.com/OEcAvwHHD5— Adrian (@adrian_g_26) July 16, 2021
Yankees fans should definitely be excited about him.
He could potentially start next year at High-A, but a quick promotion isn’t expected unless he completely forces the Yankees’ hand.
1. Anthony Volpe
There may not be a prospect in minor league baseball who developed and advanced more as a ballplayer than Anthony Volpe.
The Yankees’ young infielder earned MLB Pipeline’s Hitting Prospect of the Year recognition, and with good reason.
Between two levels, Volpe hit .294/.423/.604 with 113 runs scored, 35 doubles, six triples, and 27 home runs.
Oh, and he stole 33 bases, too.
Additionally, he offers a solid glove at shortstop.
Volpe’s rise to stardom is starting to influence the Yankees’ approach in the offseason.
He starred at Low-A and High-A, yet there are people in the Yankees front office who don’t want to commit a 10-year deal for a Carlos Correa type of player because Volpe could be ready to handle shortstop for the Bombers in a year.
That’s why players such as Andrelton Simmons have appeared on New York’s radar.
Whether or not the Yankees should invest on a Correa or Trevor Story type is a discussion for another time, but it goes to show that Volpe is highly-regarded in the organization.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe, Yankees #1 prospect, said that he thinks the work he put in when there was no minor league season is what led to his success
Volpe says he’s not focused on what the Yankees plan to do with the shortstop position this year pic.twitter.com/OUb8INbRgA
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) December 7, 2021
The fact that he is solid defensively is somewhat refreshing, given that the Yankees haven’t had a good fielder at shortstop in a while.
It seems reasonable for Volpe to start next season at Double-A.
If he succeeds there, a mid-season promotion to Triple-A isn’t out of the question, which would put him on track to debut in 2022.
He is that good.
NEXT: 3 Potential Trade Targets For The Yankees After The Lockout