Can the worst of the bunch catch up to the New York Yankees?
Remember when the New York Yankees were so widely perceived as the team that bought championships that it literally became a joke. The notion had built up for decades. In 2010, however, it actually became a joke for writer Avl Sinensky. He started a piece in March of that year as follows:
"“Completing a week that featured a whirlwind of activity and intense negotiations, sources inside the New York Yankees organization revealed late last night that they will be holding a press conference this morning to announce that they have acquired the rights to the Florida Marlins’ 2003 World Series Championship.”"
Later in this piece, Sinensky explained the Evil Empire had done this because the MLB Commissioner denied their plea to suspend the 2009 season midstream and declare them World Champions for a lot of cash. This and other fictional actions in the article are attributed to Hank Steinbrenner’s ire at the backfiring of “his strategy of doling out hundreds of millions of dollars to sign top players.”
That comedian’s clot of unfunny phrases pointed to a coming change in Yankees thinking that would take a while. The Bombers now have one of the most productive farm systems in baseball, and current snapshots of their and lesser teams’ top prospects help illustrate that. Reinforcing the notion are other random facts such as one promising young sportswriter (Gary Phillips) working through a series of articles he has a market for that focus on the ten top Yankees prospects.
Let’s get back to that snapshot comparison, though. How about lining up the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, the team New York beat in the ’09 World Series? How do they compare regarding top MLB prospects they currently have? Let’s throw in the Baltimore Orioles as well. They’re a division rival of the Yankees. Also, the Phils and O’s are currently last place teams. Can they hope to catch a team like the wealthy, now home-grown Yankees?
According to MLB Pipeline data, the Yankees have four minor-league prospects among the 80 top ten players by position (counting eight “positions” – right and left-handed pitchers, catcher, all the infield positions, and “outfield”). In contrast, the Phillies and Orioles together have a total of six players scattered among those 80.
More discouraging for Baltimore and Philadelphia, however, are the facts the O’s have only two players of the six, and two of the Phillies’ four players listed are not “prospects,” but players who have reached the majors already after significant minor league experience (Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford). One of Baltimore’s two top prospects, Austin Hays, has played 20 games with the Orioles, but for argument’s sake, let’s say he’s still a minor leaguer since he’s only played one real year of professional ball.
While there is a glimmer of hopeful news from the Baltimore and Philadelphia farmers, that’s undercut by the rankings of the Yankees top ten players and where those players are in the minors.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
New York has the number one MiLB shortstop (Gleyber Torres), the number three third baseman (Miguel Andujar) and left-handed pitcher (Justus Sheffield), and the number five second baseman (Nick Solak). All have played at Double-A minimally. Torres and Gleyber have played at Triple-A, and both hit over .308 at that level. By contrast, Philadelphia’s top two, real minor leaguers are now at high Single-A and Triple-A; Baltimore’s two ranked prospects are both Double-A players.
Philly’s second baseman Scott Kingery, an actual number one like Torres, seems the victim of a perpetual Philadelphia problem, being blocked by a major leaguer who hasn’t been moved. Indeed, the Phillies signed their current second baseman, Cesar Hernandez, to a new contract mere weeks ago. This is probably related to postponing Kingery’s first free agency year.
Baltimore’s most promising prospect is Hays, an outfielder who has hit .329 at the Double-A level. He is the number six outfielder. An Oklahoma State product, he moved all the way from high Single-A to Baltimore in his first full pro year. In Baltimore, he hit a homer, drove in eight, and showed a need to work on hitting secondary pitches. He does have a sweet, short stroke.
Next: Trevor Hoffman’s emotional Baseball Hall of Fame selection
So, no, the top level of “the near future” for the Phillies or Orioles doesn’t quite measure up to the immediate New York Yankees promise. And that’s to say nothing of Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, both second full-year players this season.