The Yankees Shortstop Depth is Disgusting… In a Good Way

The New York Yankees have a gluttony of shortstop prospects right now and it’s absolutely disgusting… in a good way. As we all know by now, because even people under rocks have cell service and Wi-Fi these days, the Yankees traded Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs for their top prospect Gleyber Torres who joins elite company at the shortstop position in the Yankees farm system. The intention of this post is to showcase some of this talent a bit.

Gleyber Torres is the Yankees top prospect according to my post-trade Top Prospects list we posted on the blog this week while fellow shortstop Jorge Mateo was bumped to second. Torres and newly acquired outfielder Billy McKinney also bumped a fellow shortstop Wilkerman Garcia down from the 8^th position to the 9^th position while Tyler Wade finished 12^th on the list. Those are the names you likely know, here are a few that you may not.

Hoy-Jun Park was one of the many names the Yankees signed during that international free agent haul from a few seasons back and has absolutely been tearing up Pulaski since his signing. Thairo Estrada is another who has been toiling around in short season ball while Abi Avelino just got the call up that Jorge Mateo was hoping for in Trenton this week.

Some of other shortstops who may see either second base or their base in their future due to development and/or the absolute logjam the Yankees have going on right now at the position include Vince Conde who was drafted out of the University of Texas, Kyle Holder who was drafted last year by the organization and Angel Aguilar. Conde seems to be more polished than Holder despite both being college picks in the draft while Aguilar seems to be the farthest from the Major Leagues in the group.

This impressive list of stars is why you don’t worry about acquiring a Torres in a Chapman trade. You don’t worry about having a young and impressive shortstop in Didi Gregorius already in the Major Leagues because shortstops are shortstops for two reasons. Well maybe more than two reasons but two main reasons, arm strength and the range and flexibility that allows you to go all over the diamond. That translates well at second base and it translates at third base as well. And if it doesn’t you can always trade from a strength and get the positions filled that you need so don’t fret Yankees family, having too many shortstops is a good problem to have.

Ian Desmond and the New York Yankees?

Earlier on during our annual Prospects Month I discussed the state of the Yankees farm system and specifically showcased New York's plethora and stable of upcoming shortstop prospects. I broke all these shortstops down to future shortstops, assuming they stay in this organization, and future third or second baseman, again assuming they stay here in the Bronx, but the Texas Rangers gave me something else to think about when they signed former Washington Nationals shortstop and second baseman Ian Desmond. The Rangers did not sign Desmond to replace Elvis Andrus at short or to take over in the infield at all though, the team has plans of having him play in left field in Arlington Park in 2016. Is this something the Yankees could conceivably be doing with all their shortstop talent they have down on the farm?

Truth be told the Yankees have a ton of outfield prospects as well but none of them are the "can't miss" or blue chip prospects that every team covets. Ben Gamel won the MiLB Player of the Year Award in 2015 and Mason Williams, Dustin Fowler, Slade Heathcott and others look to be very usable and capable MLB pieces going forward but outside of Aaron Judge the Yankees are lacking true impact and game changing talent. Could the Yankees use all their shortstops to build a complete team full of versatility and flexibility? In a word, yes!

For the sake of consistency and not contradicting myself I will leave the likes of Jorge Mateo, Thairo Estrada, Hoy-Jun Park and Wilkerman Garcia at the shortstop position since we kept them there in previous posts here on the blog. This leaves, and this is obvious an incomplete list but I picked the most notable shortstops left in the organization, Cito Culver, Abi Avelino, Tyler Wade, Vince Conde, Angel Aguilar and Kyle Holder as potential outfielders for the club. Could any of them hack it? No pun intended.

Culver's biggest issue as a Yankees prospect has been his inability to hit, not to defend, and you need a certain amount of offense out of any outfielder leaving Culver on the outside looking in once again. Meanwhile Avelino is a small guy standing at 5'11" and weighing in at 186 lbs and has seemingly shown little in the power department hitting just seven home runs in four professional seasons. Avelino is just 21-years old but it seems unlikely he'll ever have the bat to carry him in the outfield at the Major League level. The same can be said for Wade and Holder, although Holder is still considered raw with the bat and elite defensively in the middle infield, but Angel Aguilar may have a true shot.

Aguilar is just 20-years old and has already shown a patience at the plate that could lead towards big power numbers and a higher batting average. Aguilar also has the frame for an outfielder standing at 6'0" and 170 lbs. with plenty of time still to grow into his frame and add power. As a member of the Gulf Coast Yankees Aguilar played center field, albeit for a single game, and did not look out of place giving the Yankees a glimmer of hope if they choose to move the talented middle infielder to the outfield. The Yankees need to move someone, probably multiple people, off the shortstop position to make room for them all and Aguilar may be the best bet to move from the shortstop position to the outfield.

The Future of the Yankees System - The Shortstops

The New York Yankees have spent the last few seasons not only trying to compete at the Major League level year in and year out the team has also been working towards, maybe even hard towards, building a true and legitimate farm system. The system and the men running this system are presumably new at building a farm system from the ground up so there were obviously some hiccups along the way but the team seems to have finally got it. Not only is the team finding spots for their emerging talents on the MLB roster but they are also finding ways to prop up their prospects for trades to fill out the rest of the roster. The Yankees were once stacked at the catcher position, the outfield position and the right-handed reliever position and the Yankees latest area of focus has seemingly been the middle infield. The Yankees have stockpiled a stable of shortstops and second baseman that will either have a future with the big league Yankees or have a future as trade bait that bring players back to New York.

We all know the list of impressive shortstops the Yankees have in their minor league system but how many will stick at the position and how many may have to switch positions is something that many may not know going forward. New York has seemingly found the replacement to Derek Jeter in Didi Gregorius but who may be the next Derek Jeter?

We'll start with the man who wants to be the next Derek Jeter, Jorge Mateo. Mateo is arguably the Yankees best prospect in the entire system and is coming off a strong season where he stole 82 bases across various minor league systems. Mateo is the obvious choice to be a future MLB shortstop, whether that be with the Yankees or with another MLB club. He has the speed, the bat and the defense to stick long term.

Thairo Estrada was held back to continue his development in short-season ball not because he wasn't ready for a full season but because the Yankees system is that stacked at the position. Estrada showed a great bat with doubles power and an even better batting eye taking almost as many walks as he recorded strikeouts in 2015. This all happened while Estrada was still the youngest player in the New York/Penn League.

Hoy-Jun Park benefited from the Yankees adding another affiliate in Pulaski and he tore up the Appalachian League. Park stole bases, hit for power and hit for extra base hits while giving the organization zero doubts about his ability to play professional baseball despite still being a teenager.

The final prospect that looks likely to stick at the shortstop position is Wilkerman Garcia. While Jorge Mateo is ranked as the best Yankees prospect overall and the best shortstop in the system to some but to others Garcia will be the better of the two when all the dust is settled. You don't take a talent like Garcia and move him off the shortstop position unless you absolutely have to, and you shouldn't have to if you're the Yankees.

TGP Top 29 Prospects List - #16 Abi Avelino

We're nearing the halfway point of this countdown and we're nearing the meat and potatoes of the New York Yankees farm system. The studs, the future stars and the good players that will fill a role and quietly have a great MLB career. As you near the Top 10 the players stop being so interchangeable and start being more discussion worthy although today we're only at #16. That doesn't mean that Abi Avelino's spot on the list and status within the organization is up for discussion but it does mean he is quite the Yankees talent at shortstop.

Avelino is yet another middle infielder New York has down on the farm. Avelino broke though as a shortstop but has played second base as well as the second base position looks to be locked down for quite some time by Didi Gregorius. Despite entering his fifth professional season with the Yankees Avelino will be just 21-years old for the entire 2016 season. Avelino spent much of his last season with the High-A Tampa Yankees meaning that he could begin knocking on the door with the Trenton Thunder on Opening Day 2016.

Avelino is a high contact guy, high batting average guy, high on-base percentage guy, stolen base threat, strong defender and basically everything else you would want out of a middle infielder coming up through your system. Avelino ranks ahead of Tyler Wade in my opinion and also sits ahead of Hoy-Jun Park while sitting behind Jorge Mateo for the top spot in the system. Avelino is not a name many casual fans know but his game, his ceiling and what he brings to the team and organization is anything but casual.


16. Abi Avelino
17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos

TGP Top 29 Prospects List - #17 Hoy-Jun Park

The New York Yankees have not sent a team to travel to Korea in quite some time but they did just that when they decided to sign their top athlete and shortstop Hoy-Jun Park. Park signed with the Yankees as an 18-year old amateur player in 2014 and has made an immediate impact for the club at a position the team is suddenly stacked in. Park became the first ever Korean-born international free agent to sign with the Yankees but it's not the sideshow that attracts me to Park it is his pure talent that has him ranked so highly on my list.

Park is not only an average and contact type hitter but he has been known to add a little bit of pop to the ball every once in a while. He is still growing into his body and he may never be a double digit home run guy but he has gap power, speed and a batter's eye to boot making him a tough at bat for any minor league pitcher. If you don't believe me though here is MLB.com's scouting report on Park when the Yankees signed him in 2014. It's only gotten better and it's only gone up from here as he has impressed with the Pulaski Yankees and every minor league affiliate stop he's made since signing.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60

Park and his teammates from Yatap High School in South Korea spent more than a month in the United States playing against top high school teams from California earlier this year. There’s a real possibility the young infielder will get a chance to see a lot more of the country in the near future.

A legitimate shortstop prospect, Park has the tools to stay at the position as he develops. What’s more, some scouts think he has the potential to be above average in every facet of the game, except for power. That said, there’s the belief that he could still hit at least 10 home runs when he gains strength. He can also spray the ball to all fields.

Scouts view him as a good defender with solid fundamentals and compare him to Tampa Bay infield prospect Hak-Ju Lee. Park has been scouted heavily by the Yankees.

17. Hoy-Jun Park
18. Luis Torrens
19. Cale Coshow
20. Chance Adams
21. Miguel Andujar
22. Jonathan Holder
23. Tyler Wade
24. Nick Rumbelow
25.Jordan Montgomery
26.Trey Amburgey
27. Ben Gamel
28. Austin DeCarr
29. Thairo Estrada
30. James Pazos