Most Popular Article of the Week: 2015 Postseason Yankees Farm System Top 30 Rankings

by: Ben Embry (guest contributor from The Bronx Empire)

The Yankees farm system had a terrific year in 2015. Luis Severino forced his way to the Majors and met even the most optimistic fans' expectations. Greg Bird similarly arrived in the Bronx and quite possibly Wally Pipp'ed the team's All Star 1B stalwart Mark Teixeira, (ok probably not but on a team more progressive than the Yankees it might be possible). Slade Heathcott, Mason Williams, Rob Refsnyder and other prospects all gave the team strong contributions. The future is bright. Ironically this will result in the farm system being ranked lower next year than it did at the beginning of 2015 because Severino and Bird graduated due to their service time in August and September.  This just goes to show: farm system rankings aren't the end-all-be-all.

First, before the rankings I have a disclosure: I am not a scout. I do not communicate directly with scouts. I do not regularly watch the prospects in person, on television, or on the Internet. My opinions are informed by websites and publications such as Baseball America, Fangraphs, and ESPN.com and interactions with fans and writers on social media. I am simply a fan who is expressing his opinion; take it for what it's worth.

Ok, here are the Yankees' top 30 prospects:

Rank	Name	POS
1	Aaron Judge	RF
2	Jorge Mateo	SS
3	Gary Sanchez	C
4	James Kaprielian	SP
5	Wilkerman Garcia	SS/3B
6	Domingo Acevedo	SP
7	Jacob Lindgren	RP
8	Rob Refsnyder	2B/LF
9	Eric Jagielo	3B/1B
10	Rookie Davis	SP
11	Tyler Wade	SS
12	Ian Clarkin	SP
13	Hoy-Jun Park	SS
14	Miguel Andujar	3B
15	Abiatal Avelino	SS/2B
16	Luis Torrens	C
17	Jake Cave	CF
18	Mason Williams	CF
19	Brady Lail	SP
20	Angel Aguilar	SS/3B
21	Slade Heathcott	CF
22	Drew Finley	SP
23	Domingo German	SP
24	Dustin Fowler	CF/RF
25	Austin DeCarr	SP
26	Juan de Leon	CF/RF
27	Dermis Garcia	3B
28	Leonardo Molina	CF
29	Thairo Estrada	SS
30	Nelson Gomez	3B

Let's compare the last list to this one.  First, players who were in the previous rankings but not this one, (including previous ranking):

1. Luis Severino (graduated)
4. Greg Bird (graduated)
22. Kyle Holder (out of top 30)

And now, the players who were not in the previous ranking but are now in this one, (including current ranking):

5. Wilkerman Garcia
14. Hoy Jun-Park
30. Nelson Gomez

For those who like deep dives, here's a top 30 hitters list:

Rank	Player	Position	Born
1	Aaron Judge	RF	1992
2	Jorge Mateo	SS	1995
3	Gary Sanchez	C	1992
4	Wilkerman Garcia	SS/3B	1998
5	Rob Refsnyder	2B/LF	1991
6	Eric Jagielo	3B/1B	1992
7	Tyler Wade	SS	1994
8	Hoy-Jun Park	SS	1996
9	Miguel Andujar	3B	1995
10	Abiatal Avelino	SS/2B	1995
11	Luis Torrens	C	1996
12	Jake Cave	CF	1992
13	Mason Williams	CF	1991
14	Angel Aguilar	SS/3B	1995
15	Slade Heathcott	CF	1990
16	Dustin Fowler	CF/RF	1994
17	Juan de Leon	CF/RF	1998
18	Dermis Garcia	3B	1998
19	Leonardo Molina	CF	1997
20	Thairo Estrada	SS	1996
21	Nelson Gomez	3B	1997
22	Jhalan Jackson	OF	1993
23	Kyle Holder	SS	1994
24	Tyler Austin	RF/1B	1991
25	Ben Gamel	RF	1992
26	Miguel Flames	C/3B	1997
27	Diego Castillo	SS/2B	1997
28	Trey Amburgey	OF	1994
29	Alexander Palma	RF	1995
30	Tony Renda	2B	1991

And now, the pitchers:

Rank	Player	Position	Born
1	James Kaprielian	SP	1994
2	Domingo Acevedo	SP	1994
3	Jacob Lindgren	RP	1993
4	Rookie Davis	SP	1993
5	Ian Clarkin	SP	1995
6	Brady Lail	SP	1993
7	Drew Finley	SP	1996
8	Domingo German	SP	1992
9	Austin DeCarr	SP	1995
10	Jordan Montgomery	SP	1992
11	Cale Coshow	SP/RP	1992
12	Jonathan Holder	SP	1993
13	Jeff Degano	SP	1992
14	Simon de la Rosa	SP	1993
15	Ty Hensley	SP	1993
16	Vicente Campos	SP/RP	1992
17	Nick Rumbelow	RP	1991
18	Nick Goody	RP	1991
19	James Pazos	RP	1991
20	Josh Rogers	SP	1994
21	Tyler Webb	RP	1990
22	Gilmael Troya	SP/RP	1997
23	Alexander Vargas	SP	1997
24	Johnny Barbato	RP	1992
25	Luis Cedeno	SP/RP	1994
26	Jordan Foley	SP/RP	1993
27	Chance Adams	RP	1994
28	Miguel Sulbaran	SP/RP	1994
29	Chaz Hebert	SP	1992
30	Caleb Smith	SP/RP	1991

Well, let me know what you think. My Twitter handle is @thebronxempire and my email is bembry24@gmail.com. I'll update the list this fall after the season. Ok, have a good day!