Baseball America has released its Top 10 prospects for the Yankees heading into the 2020 season, and while some prospects make perfect sense on the list, one certain omission stood out.
Estevan Florial, once the Yankees' top prospect, has fallen off the Top 10 list. This came after a down year in High-A ball with a .237/.297/.383 slash line with eight homers and 38 RBI over 74 games.
So, with Florial off the list, here's how it looks:
- OF Jasson Dominguez
- RHP Clarke Schmidt
- RHP Deivi Garcia
- RHP Luis Gil
- INF Oswald Peraza
- INF Anthony Volpe
- RHP Luis Medina
- RHP Roansy Contreras
- RHP Alexander Vizcaino
- RHP Albert Abreu
Looking at these prospects, a few stand out. The first is the 16-year-old wunderkind in Dominguez taking the top spot. There is also the big leap for Peraza to No. 5 as well as Schmidt coming in at No. 2 -- a player the Yankees could very well see in the bigs this season.
But first let's take a look at Dominguez...
Jasson Dominguez -- BA Grade: 65, Risk: Extreme
When BA came out with their initial grades for Dominguez, it was astonishing. They went like this:
- Hit: 60
- Power: 70
- Run: 70
- Fielding: 60
- Arm: 60
Those are the types of numbers you find in some Double-A and even Triple-A prospects. So you can understand why Dominguez sits at the top of the Yankees' list.
The only reason why his risk level is so high is because of his age. But there's no denying that his ability to hit for power as a switch hitter, insane speed that matches a strong arm, and many other traits spells out a future All-Star if all goes according to plan. As BA put it in its write-up on Dominguez: "His power, speed and athleticism rank among the best in the organization, which gives him the highest ceiling in a system filled with young, high-upside prospects."
Dominguez has been hitting advanced pitching for years, which includes knocking a 95-mph fastball over the wall from the left side of the plate during a showcase. He hasn't played a professional game yet, only seeing time with the Yankees' Dominican instructional league. But, once he gets to the Minors, watch out because he could has a very fast track up to the Bronx.
Clarke Schmidt -- BA Grade: 60, Risk: High
This is a prospect Yankee fans can easily see in pinstripes this season if he can repeat what he did last year. Back in 2017, the Yankees took him with the 16th overall pick despite understanding he needed Tommy John surgery.
Since he's returned, Schmidt has been proving the Yankees right in their gamble to draft him.
He owned a 3.84 ERA in 12 games with High-A Tampa, which included 69 strikeouts over 63.1 innings. Then, once he was promoted to Double-A Trenton, Schmidt was even better with a 2.37 ERA over three starts (19 innings). He allowed only five earned runs and one homer, while striking out 19 and only walking one.
Schmidt has a mid-90s fastball, a deceptive changeup and a slider that has been billed above-average. BA projects him to be a mid-rotation starter one day, and his first tryout to prove that could come later in the Yankees' regular season.
Oswald Peraza -- BA Grade: 55, Risk: Very High
How big exactly was this leap for Peraza? Well, MLB Pipeline had Peraza as the Yankees' 29th-best prospect last season. So yeah, that's pretty good.
Peraza went from short season Staten Island ball to Low-A Charleston quickly in 2019, and saw success with the promotion. He had a .273/.348/.333 line with two homers and 31 RBI over 46 games.
But it isn't Peraza's bat and "sneaky strength" that impresses BA the most. It's his consistency in the field, at shortstop to be specific. "He shows smooth actions in the field and a strong arm that should keep him at shortstop," the publication wrote.
With a 4.1 and 4.2 second sprint to first base from home, that speed is another plus surrounding a very intriguing Yankee prospect as well.