USA Today’s Top 100 Names You Need to Know Features Four Yankees

The Top 100 names that you need to know in Major League Baseball this season brought to you by the outstanding crew over at the USA Today. We brought this list to you last season and it has just one Yankees prospect or player on it, Luis Severino, and this time around New York boasts four players on the list. Those players are Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, Robert Refsnyder and Aaron Judge. Surprise, surprise right?

The Top 10 list is pretty impressive with Corey Seager (Dodgers), Kyle Schwarber (Cubs), Byron Buxton (Twins), Steven Matz (Mets) and Luis Severino of the Yankees filling out the Top 5 followed by Aaron Nola (Phillies), Michael Conforto (Mets), Ketel Marte (Mariners), Byung-Ho Park (Twins) and Stephen Piscotty of the Cardinals rounding out the Top 10.

Here is the write up for Severino:

5. Luis Severino, LHP, Yankees: After bursting onto the prospect radar with a brilliant 2014 that saw him pitch his way to Class AA ball, Severino seized an opportunity to join the Yankees’ big-league rotation in early August. The right-hander will be 22 on opening day, and his three-pitch mix built around a mid-90s fastball bodes well for his future. 

And the write up for Sanchez:

40. Gary Sanchez, C, Yankees: A long-heralded prospect on a slow journey through the minors, Sanchez re-established himself as the Yankees’ catcher of the future with a strong 2015 season split between Class AA and Class AAA and a great performance in the Arizona Fall League. Sanchez, 23, has hit at nearly every level and reputedly has a great arm, but some mechanical kinks behind the plate and the presence of veteran Brian McCann mean he is likely ticketed back to Class AAA. 

It’s Refnsyder’s time to shine: 

57. Rob Refsnyder, 2B, Yankees: The addition of Starlin Castro blocked Refsnyder’s route to steady big-league playing time, but the 24-year-old likely has a major league future as a platoon bat or a reserve infielder. Though Refsnyder doesn’t particularly excel in any one facet of the game, his good on-base skills and improving defense suggest he’ll earn a role with the Yankees in the not-too-distant future. 

And finally it’s Judge’s time to rule:

90. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees: Judge, 23, stands at 6-7 and 275 pounds and boasts shocking athleticism for a man of his stature. In his second year as a pro player in 2015, Judge struggled against Class AAA pitching and has yet to turn his massive size into massive power numbers, but his smooth swing and imposing frame get scouts excited.

This Top 100 names you need to know list began way back in 1997 and is still going strong today in 2016 so be sure to CLICK HERE and check out the original post and give those guys a click or two for their hard work. There are – other names to read as well that are not Yankees related and it’s a long read so it will give you something to do while we wait for pitchers and catchers to report to spring camps.