March 11, 2012; Tampa Bay, FL, USA; A detail of a New York Yankees painted logo on the field for a spring training game between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
I am a die-hard Yankees fan. Not only that, before I became co-editor of Grading on the Curve, I was the Head of Minor League Coverage for FanSided’s Yankees site, Yanks Go Yard. I knew the minor league system pretty well last season. That’s why I am a bit confused by MiLB.com’s 2014 Yankees Organizational All Stars.
Why, for example, is Peter O’Brien the best backstop in the Yankees’ farm system for 2014? He didn’t even finish the season on the Yankees as he was shipped to Arizona for Martin Prado. O’Brien has massive power, but down in the New York/Penn League on the Staten Island Yankees, 18-year old Luis Torrens made a name for himself. The young backstop threw together an impressive 21-game hit streak and improved in every aspect as the season progressed. Sure, O’Brien’s home run numbers were out of this world, but he has serious plate discipline issues, waling just 41 times in well over 400 plate appearances this season. I like O’Brien and his potential, but I feel that the honor should go to someone who finished the season a Yankee.
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There were other misses (why Zoilo Almonte and 29-year old Adonis Garcia made it over youngsters like Jake Cave and Taylor Dugas is a bit strange as is no mention of Greg Bird), but they did cover five of the best that the Yankees have to offer. These aren’t the Yankees farm hands of the recent millennium that have garnered the Yankees rankings in the bottom third of baseball’s farm systems. These are five players that could make a difference as soon as 2015.
The Yankees made a big splash in the first round of the 2013 nabbing outfielder Aaron Judge, third baseman Eric Jagielo and fellow lefty Ian Clarkin. While Clarkin is the best left-handed option in the system, Caleb Smith was a pleasant surprise in 2014.
Smith was drafted in the 14th round of that same draft and has put together consecutive strong seasons. This season, his first as a full-time starter, Smith tallied a 10-9 record with a 3.67 ERA over 27 starts split between the Low-A Charleston RiverDogs and the High-A Tampa Yankees. Smith’s season evened earned him a few honors. He earned the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week Award after hurling six innings of shutout ball with 13 strikeouts in a start against the DelMarva Shorebirds. He was also a SAL Mid-Season All Star.
The 23-year old lefty had a tough transition upon his promotion to High-A but once he settled in, he finished the season strong. Despite getting dinged up in his last outing of the year, Smith strung together a three game win-streak in which he didn’t allow a run in consecutive starts. Smith is a ways away and will have to deal with Clarkin in front of him, but the Yankees know they found a gem in the middle rounds of the 2013 draft.
March 10, 2013; Dunedin, FL, USA; New York Yankees infielder Jose Pirela (97) works out prior to the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
It is my hopes that Jose Pirela breaks camp with the big league club in 2015. He had a brief appearance at the end of the 2014 season when Prado’s season ended abruptly with an appendectomy. Pirela became a Yankee favorite when he got the 2-out hit that brought Derek Jeter to the plate for his final, story-book at bat at Yankees Stadium.
Pirela was arguably the best player on the 2014 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The accolades speak for themselves. Pirela won the International League Player of the Week Award in early June en route to him earning Player of the Month for June honors. He was a Mid-Season and Post-Season All Star. And in September, he got his first taste of the big show.
It wasn’t that Pirela slashed .305/.360/.542. It wasn’t that he drove in 60 runs from the leadoff spot. What makes Pirela most impressive is that the 25-year old everyday second baseman for the RailRiders moved around and learned new positions upon the promotion of second baseman-of-the-future Rob Refsnyder.
For the first time in his young career, Pirela played games in center field, right field and first base rather successfully. More importantly, the transition didn’t make him miss a beat with his bat. If Pirela can have a big spring training, he can break camp as one of those ultra-utility players that the 90s Yankees prided themselves on like Luis Sojo, Clay Beringer and Enrique Wilson. The big difference is that Pirela has a great bat.
Aaron Judge
Judge may already be my favorite Yankee. One of the trio of 2013 first round draft picks by the Yankees, the 6 foot 7 inch, 230 pound beast is already drawing comparisons to Giancarlo Stanton. And with Carlos Beltran’s age and health, there is going to be an opening in right field very soon.
Judge had a monster first professional season in 2014. He romped through Low-A ball at Charleston slashing .333/.428/.530 over 234 at bats en route to earning South Atlantic All Star honors. His promotion to High-A Tampa saw a minor drop off but nothing to show concern as he went for .283/.411/.442. He then had a great showing in the Arizona Fall League earning one AFL Player of the Week Award as well as being one of 22 players to make the 2014 AFL All-Prospect Team.
The sky is the limit for Judge. He is a bit sloppy in the field, but he didn’t look clueless. He simply made rookie mistakes, but they were limited. Judge will start the year at Double-A and most likely finish it at Triple-A. While 2016 should be his realistic due date in the Bronx, don’t completely rule out a September call up just yet.
Rob Refsnyder
Refsnyder made a name for himself in college winning the Most Outstanding Player in the College World Series for Arizona in 2012. He was then drafted in the 5th round by the Yankees that same year. This season, he went from another name in the organization to a top five prospect with an outside shot at making the team in New York.
Refsnyder had a decent rookie and sophomore season, but he put himself on the map at Double-A Trenton. In 60 games there, he went off for a .342/.385/.548 slash line while belting 6 home runs and driving in 30. His promotion to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was equally promising. He finished the season there at .300/.389/.456 hitting more home runs (8) and driving in more than at Trenton (33) as well.
Realistically, Refsnyder should play one more season in Triple-A to hone his skills at second base having only played the position full-time for two years transitioning from the right fielder he was in college. Stephen Drew has been signed to play second base, but he has been a shell of his former self the past few seasons. If Refsnyder plays as well as he did last year, it isn’t out of the question that he could replace Drew by midyear.
Mandatory Credit: milb.com
Just how good was Severino’s 2014? He went from being outside the Top 20 Yankees prospects to one of the top prospects in baseball. He is the Yankees unquestioned top prospect and all though he probably won’t be rushed and allowed to pitch a full season in SWB, there are little that doubt that he is ready for the big show.
Severino dominated at every level he pitched at this season. He worked his way up the ladder from Low-A Charleston, to High-A Tampa and finishing the season on the Trenton Thunder posting a 2.79, 1.31, and 2.52 ERA respectively. He struck out 127 over 113.1 minor league innings in 2014. His WHIP? A microscopic 1.06. Severino has the goods.
He earned a Pitcher of the Week Award on his stop in Tampa and pitched in the MLB Futures Game in Minnesota, striking out Texas Rangers home run masher Joey Gallo in his one inning of work. The righty is only 20-years old, so there is no rush to get him to the bigs, as he should be stretched out and prepared for a full seasons workload before jumping to the Bronx. His stuff is electric and he is exciting to watch, so Yankees fans are counting the innings until he is an anchor in the rotation.