The Young And The Pinstriped

[jon abbey]

Happy to hear better title suggestions, but I wanted to start one collective thread for the incredible wave of U-21 position player talent that Cashman is currently attempting to assemble, so it will be interesting to watch develop (or not) over the years. NY tried something a little similar to this in 2014 by signing most of the entire class, and it did not end up developing anyone.

This time the talent level seems much more impressive, any of these seven could be an All-Star and all are currently younger than Aaron Judge was the day NY drafted him in 2013. I am going to add in Peraza who turns 22 in June and list them in order of how Fangraphs lists them on NY's prospect list:

Anthony Volpe (4/28/01), #12 overall
Oswald Peraza (6/15/00), #40 overall
Jasson Dominguez (2/7/03), #74 overall
Alexander Vargas (10/29/01), #94 overall
Everson Pereira (4/10/01), #8 NY prospect
Roderick Arias (9/9/04), #9 NY prospect
Antonio Gomez (11/13/01), #10 NY prospect
Brandon Mayea (9/12/05), #1 int'l prospect from next class, reportedly signing with NY in January

1 21 year old
4 20 year olds
1 18 year old
1 17 year old
1 16 year old

4 SS
3 CF
1 C

As I said, all of those guys have All-Star upside, all eight could be top 100 prospects a year from now (if Peraza is still eligible). Cashman has made this future hopefuly nucleus a major priority in recent years, it will be interesting to see how many of them he can/will keep in the system as they move up, and how many of them end up blossoming as hoped.

 

[jon abbey]

Vargas and Pereira are probably the most likely of that group to be moved, but Pereira especially has big upside, outhitting Volpe as teammates in high A last year at almost exactly the same age (both turn 21 this month).

 

[Murderer's Crow]

How could they be so sure they’re gonna sign a player next January?

 

[Wingack]

I like the title. Is this just a thread for these specific guys or all prospects.

Toss in Wells and Sweeney and then you probably have all positions covered on the field, which is nice.

 

[jon abbey]

How could they be so sure they’re gonna sign a player next January?

Really? The top int'l prospects lock in at a very young age, my first post here about NY signing Roderick Arias was August 2020 and finally they signed him this January (it should have been July 2021 but things got pushed back because of Covid).

 

[jon abbey]

I like the title. Is this just a thread for these specific guys or all prospects.

Just these guys, no pitchers and no older prospects, we have a general minor leaguer thread too for them. I feel like this group is something Cashman has specifically sold Hal on, and his long-term job may rely on a few of them panning out big.

 

[Wingack]

Just these guys, no pitchers and no older prospects, we have a general minor leaguer thread too for them. I feel like this group is something Cashman has specifically sold Hal on, and his long-term job may rely on a few of them panning out big.

Cool. Just wasn’t sure if this was a new minor league thread for the start of the season.

 

[cromulence]

Oh come on - it has to be "The Young and the Pinstriped". This is going to bother me all season.

 

[jon abbey]

Oh come on - it has to be "The Young and the Pinstriped". This is going to bother me all season.

Heh, what was my first sentence? I changed it.

 

[cromulence]

Honestly, I skipped right past the post itself because the title was too big an issue. It had to be addressed. Thank you.

 

[NYCSox]

Hoping this goes as well as the 2014 international signing “coup” thread.

 

[jon abbey]

Hoping this goes as well as the 2014 international signing “coup” thread.

Fair, I have bumped that one a few times to mock it myself, but this is a much higher level of talent.

 

[NYCSox]

Fair, I have bumped that one a few times to mock it myself, but this is a much higher level of talent.

Indeed you did which is appreciated. FWIW your chances are obviously much better with this group simply by virtue of not being just a bunch of raw 16 year olds.

 

[jon abbey]

It is July 1, so a quick mid-season update here:

Anthony Volpe (4/28/01), #12 overall

The now top five overall MLB prospect has been in AA all season and got off to a very slow start but has been red hot since May 28, over a .900 OPS in 111 ABs. He is also leading the league in SBs with 30, caught just 3 times.

Oswald Peraza (6/15/00), #40 overall

Another one who was young for his level (AAA) and started off very slow, but has been crushing it in June, a .892 OPS in 78 ABs. He is a superb defensive SS by all reports who would almost certainly be an immediate overall upgrade on IKF if and when he gets a chance.

Jasson Dominguez (2/7/03), #74 overall

The much-hyped Martian took a hit to his development with the pandemic right after he signed and he also got off to a very slow start this season, but has been crushing for the last two months, around a .900 OPS in his last 174 ABs and a lot of balls with 110+ exit velocity. He should be promoted on merit soon, unless they want to keep an eye on him in Tampa longer for some reason.

Alexander Vargas (10/29/01), #94 overall

He has shown no ability thus far to translate his prodigious athletic talents to actually being good at baseball, a putrid .513 OPS in low A while leading off all season after last year not even being able to hit enough to get enough to get to Tampa. He is still just 20, though, but is currently looking pretty dud-dy. .

Everson Pereira (4/10/01), #8 NY prospect

I was surprised Pereira didn't start the year in AA along with Volpe, they are almost exactly the same age and Pereira outproduced Volpe in high A last year. Last year the exciting aspect of him was his power (20 HRs at 3 levels in just 188 ABs) and NY thinks he is talented enough to be protecting him on the 40 man currently, even though he is still three levels away from MLB. Anyway, like the above guys, he also started off slow with just 1 HR in April/May combined but he too has woken up more recently, 6 HRs in June.

Roderick Arias (9/9/04), #9 NY prospect

He is on the DSL roster, they are 18 games in, and he has yet to play.

Antonio Gomez (11/13/01), #10 NY prospect

He has not hit much in low A but he is impressive defensively:

View: https://twitter.com/elijfishman/status/1542282358526812164


Brandon Mayea (9/12/05), #1 int'l prospect from next class, reportedly signing with NY in January

Still on track to sign in January.

 

[jon abbey]

The first one of these guys has been promoted to NY, Oswald Peraza.

And new #1 pick Spencer Jones should be added, born 5/14/01 and already looking special in low A, hitting .371 with a 1.008 OPS and 10 SBs in 17 games, a lefty hitting Judge-sized CF.

Also it’s worth noting that Cashman did not move any of these guys at the deadline, choosing to deal a ton of pitching depth in order to keep this group intact for now.

 

[jon abbey]

Happy Brandon* Mayea Day! Today he officially signed with NY for $4.4M according to mlb.com. Fangraphs has him at a 45, which puts him somewhere in NY's #8-15 prospect range immediately.

*It's unclear whether he has actually changed his name to Brando, different places list it as Brandon/Brando, but hopefully he has because Brando seems much cooler.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

Dominguez, Arias, Mayea. This is why Yankee fans who call for Cashman’s head are dumb. He’s been bringing in top young talent from the international market.

 

[jon abbey]

Dominguez, Arias, Mayea. This is why Yankee fans who call for Cashman’s head are dumb. He’s been bringing in top young talent from the international market.

And those three are a big reason NY hasn’t broken the third tax line in recent seasons, as that costs you international spending money. I have not seen NY rumored to any top guys next year, maybe why they’re OK going over the third line this year (about $15M over currently, I believe.)

 

[EvilEmpire]

Happy Brandon* Mayea Day! Today he officially signed with NY for $4.4M according to mlb.com. Fangraphs has him at a 45, which puts him somewhere in NY's #8-15 prospect range immediately.

*It's unclear whether he has actually changed his name to Brando, different places list it as Brandon/Brando, but hopefully he has because Brando seems much cooler.

You've been patiently posting about this day for quite a while. Very happy to see it done.

 

[Wingack]

Happy Brandon* Mayea Day! Today he officially signed with NY for $4.4M according to mlb.com. Fangraphs has him at a 45, which puts him somewhere in NY's #8-15 prospect range immediately.

*It's unclear whether he has actually changed his name to Brando, different places list it as Brandon/Brando, but hopefully he has because Brando seems much cooler.

As someone with the name Brandon, my closest friends often call me Brando. It would be very cool if Mayea stuck with it everywhere.

 

[jon abbey]

You've been patiently posting about this day for quite a while. Very happy to see it done.

It got pushed back when the deadline went from July to the following January. The good news is Mayea already turned 17 in September so hopefully he can move up a bit faster than a 16 year old.

 

[jon abbey]

This quote is from Mayea's trainer, still nice to read:

"Angelo Ramos, who along with his brother Jamie has trained Mayea for the past three years, believes there’s potential for his client to eventually become one of baseball’s very best players if he hits his ceiling.

“He’s a five-tool player,” Ramos said in a phone interview. “The player who I would compare him to is Mookie Betts. Mayea has good swing speed, his contact is almost always hard and he has a good launch angle. On defense, he is a future Gold Glove winner and capable of playing center field. He’s super fast and runs a 6.2 to a 6.4 in the 60-yard dash. He’s got a cannon of an arm. Off the field, he’s a leader who is always motivating others. His intelligence is also well above others for his age.”"

https://theathletic.com/4098541/2023/01/17/brandon-mayea-yankees-signing/

 

[jon abbey]

Bump...

Alexander Vargas (10/29/01), #94 overall

He has shown no ability thus far to translate his prodigious athletic talents to actually being good at baseball, a putrid .513 OPS in low A while leading off all season after last year not even being able to hit enough to get enough to get to Tampa. He is still just 20, though, but is currently looking pretty dud-dy. .

Vargas was the one dud here but has quickly turned things around. As written earlier, he was so bad in low A last year that NY left him exposed in the rule 5 and no one took him. They promoted him to high A and things seem to have clicked for him thus far, a .905 OPS in 64 PAs, and a red hot last 6 games: 10 for 25 with 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HRs, and 5 walks, .400/.500/.880, 1.380 OPS.

For context, Vargas is still just 21, six months younger than his teammate Spencer Jones, he has a .905 OPS to Jones' .939. Vargas is a switch-hitting, slick-fielding SS who will be back on top 100 lists quickly if he keeps this up. This is one of the better bits of news for NY so far this year, a dud now looking like a keeper or a nice trade chip.

 

[jon abbey]

View: https://twitter.com/hvrenegades/status/1654969601715757058?s=46&t=0GHHaPVUX26Io0V2HIcS0g

 

[terrynever]

Homer and walk for Jasson D on Saturday. OBP at .391. OPS around .750. He’s getting comfortable as he sees more of the league.

 

[jon abbey]

Gonna bump this one, here is and intro from the first post from April 2022 above:

Happy to hear better title suggestions, but I wanted to start one collective thread for the incredible wave of U-21 position player talent that Cashman is currently attempting to assemble, so it will be interesting to watch develop (or not) over the years...

Cashman has made this future hopefuly nucleus a major priority in recent years, it will be interesting to see how many of them he can/will keep in the system as they move up, and how many of them end up blossoming as hoped.

So let's do an update, the list from that first post, in prospect order from then:

Anthony Volpe (4/28/01)
Oswald Peraza (6/15/00)
Jasson Dominguez (2/7/03)
Alexander Vargas (10/29/01)
Everson Pereira (4/10/01)
Roderick Arias (9/9/04)
Antonio Gomez (11/13/01)
Brandon Mayea (9/12/05)

And I added four more to those 8:

Spencer Jones-NY's 2022 1st round pick
George Lombard Jr-NY's 2023 1st round pick
Jorbit Vivas-received in the Victor Gonzalez/Trey Sweeney deal this winter from the Dodgers, a top 15 prospect for both teams.
Agustin Ramirez-a young catcher already on NY's 40 man roster even though he just made it to AA last year.

So the first thing that really strikes me is that in 23 months, Cashman has not traded or given up on a single one of those initial eight guys (and has added more to the core), many of whom are developing as expected. Let's reorder them as of now:

(1-4)

Anthony Volpe (4/28/01) He needs to hit better this year but SS AL Gold Glove as a 22 year old rookie is pretty cool.
Jasson Dominguez (2/7/03) Just stay healthy, please. Switch-hitting demolition, cannot wait to have him 4th behind Judge this year.
Spencer Jones (5/14/01) A faster LHH Judge-sized 22 year old who hit one 470 in his first spring AB this weekend? Yes, please.
Roderick Arias (9/9/04) Still so young, but I think the guy who will bump Volpe to 2B, maybe in 2026.

Those four I think are pretty much untouchable, at least for anyone who would actually be traded.

(5-6)

Oswald Peraza (6/15/00)
Everson Pereira (4/10/01)

Both have gotten sporadic MLB ABs at a young age and have not done much yet to show they deserve more, still both very young and talented. Peraza I think also is kind of untradeable currently as he is the main backup for all of 2B/SS/3B and there's not an obvious replacement in house unless Cabrera shows something. Jeter Downs? Jordan Grishams? Yoiks. Pereira I think is NY's main real trade chip right now, meaning most value for a guy they'd actually move, but I'm glad they have not. He should start every day in AAA to start the season if guys are healthy.

(7-8)

George Lombard Jr. (6/02/05)
Brandon Mayea (9/12/05)

Both 18 and presumably so far away, but both very exciting. Someone in the semi-know on Twitter today suggested that Lombard might start in high A despite being drafted out of high school last summer.

(9-10)

Jorbit Vivas (3/9/01)
Agustin Ramirez (9/10/01)

I'm adding these two because they are both still 22-23 and already on the 40 man. Vivas is maybe the frontrunner to be NY's 2B in 2025 assuming Gleyber goes elsewhere to get paid, Ramirez had 9 HRs in 112 ABs in high A and a 1.144 OPS, forcing NY to add him to the 40 man this winter even though he is still a few years away.

(11-12)

Alexander Vargas (10/29/01)
Antonio Gomez (11/13/01)

I was going to write 'duds' but I see they are both just 22 still!

Both great athletes and very good defensively at SS and C respectively, but also both have not been able to progress at all as they've shown no signs of being able to hit at any level, let alone MLB. Both spent the full year in high A last year, Gomez had a .617 OPS, Vargas .590. Both went untaken in the rule 5, so NY gets another year to see if they can figure it out.

Also Austin Wells will still be a rookie this year, NY's 2020 1st round pick, but he is too old for me to include in this as he turns 25 this summer.

 

[jon abbey]

Lombard Jr. (SS), Vivas (2B) and Ramirez (C) have all really impressed in their first couple games this spring:

Vivas has 2 HRs in 3 ABs in 2 games, the report on him is an Arraez-type, great contact 2B, not a lot of power, adequate defensively.

Lombard Jr. was just drafted last summer out of high school and is still 18, but is in big league camp and walked and homered in his first two professional ABs.

Ramirez has batted balls of 109.1, 108.3 and 107.2 already, that's an impressive week for some MLB hitters.

 

[mefck]

Thanks for putting all of this together.

One thing I am finding fascinating to watch this year more than in years past is who gets into spring training games and why. The push and pull in getting the major leaguers the appropriate work to get ready for the season and getting a better look at the prospects and those on the fringe.

In some ways, I can see why some say Spring Training may be too long, but these games seem essential even if they do not "count."

 

[jon abbey]

Thanks for putting all of this together.

One thing I am finding fascinating to watch this year more than in years past is who gets into spring training games and why. The push and pull in getting the major leaguers the appropriate work to get ready for the season and getting a better look at the prospects and those on the fringe.

In some ways, I can see why some say Spring Training may be too long, but these games seem essential even if they do not "count."

I think this has changed a lot in the last few years, like so many things in the sport. So for instance Lombard Jr as a 18 year old kid who should be a freshman in college, no way he gets a big league camp invite ten years ago. But guys move faster now, more specialized training and a system that encourages teams to move younger players faster, and Lombard Jr is here and hitting a HR on the first weekend of spring training.

 

[Wingack]

View: https://twitter.com/pitchingninja/status/1762089442058109312?s=46&t=-M7K07aV9oTvsCKHtZkfZQ


Might need to keep an eye on this guy.

 

[jon abbey]

This thread is just for position players, Matt Blake and his remarkable development team should get their own thread.

But yes, that was Warrecker's first professional batter faced ever and he made it to Pitching Ninja! Crazy!

 

[Wingack]

This thread is just for position players, Matt Blake and his remarkable development team should get their own thread.

But yes, that was Warrecker's first professional batter faced ever and he made it to Pitching Ninja! Crazy!

Dang. I forgot. Sorry bout that.

 

[Wingack]

This fun.

View: https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1765839994810151284?s=20