The New York Yankees may need reinforcements at the trading
deadline this season and unlike in years past the Bronx Bombers have a couple
of choices. They can go out and get that big named rental by trading away
prospects for the win now or they can stick to the plan, continue the youth
movement and call up their own players for the playoff push. The Yankees have
done this before, remember when Luis Severino was called up back in 2015 after
the July 31st trading deadline? The only way this can happen though
is if you have MLB-ready talent sitting and developing in Triple-A so let’s
focus on those Scranton RailRiders players now that could help the Yankees in
the second half of this season and beyond.
The Yankees system starts and ends with Gleyber Torres and
we all know that. We have spent extensive time talking about him so I won’t
spend too much more time here. Sources close to the New York Post have New York
grooming him to eventually take over at third base for Chase Headley this
season or next so it seems like we will be seeing the 20-year old sooner rather
than later.
The Yankees second best prospect is Clint Frazier and after
a slow start to his Yankees tenure in 2016 the red-headed outfielder who was
the subject of so much drama and attention in spring training has put all that
behind him and is putting together a strong 2017 campaign. At the time of this
writing Frazier has nine home runs and is hitting the ball all over the place
and for extra bases. Frazier has cut down on his strikeouts, although his
strikeout tendencies will likely keep him from ever hitting above .300
consistently, while keeping a steady walk rate. Frazier is shifting to left
field in Triple-A leading me to believe that a Brett Gardner trade may at least
be discussed at this year’s July 31st trading deadline.
The man that has unseated Frazier in center field and moved
him to left is also in Triple-A and also seems ready for the bright lights in
the Bronx. Dustin Fowler is a name we have been hearing for years now and the
time for all fans of the Yankees, not just the ones who follow the minor league
system, may be coming in 2017. Fowler was drafted in 2013, the same season the
Yankees drafted Aaron Judge, and has only gotten better since being drafted.
Fowler also strikes out more than you would like but he walks, he hits for
power and for extra-bases and he steals bases once he gets on. His defense is
more than adequate and he is just an all-around good player. He reminds me a
lot of the dynasty Yankees that weren’t necessarily “great” at anything but
good at everything. Talent wins out and so does hard work and Fowler has and
does both.
The final prospect we will showcase today is Tyler Wade,
another prospect we have spoken of quite a bit here on the blog. Wade is a
prospect that I have admittedly been extremely hard on and skeptical of during
his tenure with the Yankees but he has done nothing to make me feel the need to
post an “I told you so.” Wade is 22-years old and has been playing the field
while with the Yankees, literally. Wade was drafted as a second baseman but the
left-hander has played all over the infield and all across the outfield as the
Yankees try to turn him into their own version of Ben Zobrist. Wade seems to be
developing more power at the plate, although he will never be a huge home run
hitter, but he can find gaps and use his speed to take extra bases. Wade
already has 13 stolen bases at the time of this writing and has been wreaking
havoc on the basepaths all season long. Wade may finally be to the Yankees what
they wanted Rob Refsnyder to be, a player that can handle any position change,
a player that just hits or gets on base and goes out and does his job on a
nightly basis no matter what. Wade should be on the Yankees bench relatively
soon if I were a betting man, and lately I have become one.
Keep an eye out for these men around July and August of this
season. The July 31st trade deadline may allow us to see one or all
of these men in the Bronx this season. Stay tuned.
Oh, and before I forget, do you guys want to hear about how
much I am in love with Chance Adams in the starting rotation for the
RailRiders? I mean I could go on and on again here on the blog about him and
extend this post another few thousand words if you’d like. I just have a
sneaking suspicion my stance on the Yankees right-hander is well known by now
but I would feel remiss if I didn’t include him here on this list because he
will definitely be in the Bronx very, very soon.