Wednesday, February 17, 2016

2015 Prospects: What Went Right & What Didn't


The New York Yankees system as a whole had a great season in 2015 and this was no more evident than when the likes of Greg Bird and Luis Severino came up and made huge impacts with the club last season. Bird and Severino were talked about a ton in 2015 but there was a lot that went right with the system as a whole last year that wasn't talked about. Also, admittedly, there was some that went wrong as well last season which we will also showcase here. 



So it's a "do you want the good news or the bad news?" type question and usually everyone goes with the bad news first so we will too. What went wrong?

  • Miguel Andujar was expected to have a breakout season like Jorge Mateo did last year and he didn't. Andujar continued to strikeout far too much in High-A with the  Tampa Yankees and the 20-year old once again seems plagued by the slow start. See Mark Teixeira for much of his tenure with the Yankees. 

  • Gosuke Katoh was expected to make big strides in 2015 as well and he just fell short of that last season unfortunately. Katoh did well at Pulaski but I believe he was too advanced in his development there. Unfortunately he proved that when he reached Charleston with the Riverdogs. 

  • The final disappointment last season was Drew Bridges who could have made a push for out Top 29 Prospects List if he had played another position. Bridges had some great production in 2015 and started out well in the short-season leagues but he struggled once he hit Staten Island. As a third baseman hitting just .211 at third base for the Staten Island Yankees is not going to cut it. Not now and not next season either. 





Alright the bad news wasn't THAT bad, so what's the good news?

  • Jorge Mateo went from the outside of many Top 50 and Top 100 prospects lists and is now a staple on all of them. Mateo stole 82 bases last season between two A-Ball levels and may have stolen 100 if he was not injured at the end of the season. His defense is strong and his offense is coming around. 

  • Speaking of top Yankees shortstops what about Wilkerman Garcia at age 17? Not many knew the name Wilkerman Garcia last season but this season I have seen him place on many Top Prospects lists and has even been named the next big thing in the Yankees system. Some even think that Garcia is and will be better than Mateo and that's quite the compliment. 

  • The final thing that went right was Domingo Acevedo who took the biggest strides in 2015. Acevedo won the New York-Penn League Pitcher of the Year Award and was sent to the Arizona Fall League  where he showcased his 100+ MPH fastball in both levels. He could see two or even three levels in 2016 as he looks to be on the fast track to the Major Leagues. 

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