Yankees Top Prospects Entering 2020 Season

The New York Yankees may be one of the youngest and most promising teams in baseball, but the retirement of CC Sabathia, plus the release of Jacoby Ellsbury and the uncertainty of Brett Gardner's return begs some questions about the roster. Starting as soon as next season, we could see a few young men emerge from the Yankee farm system to join the MLB.

6. Anthony Volpe

A New Jersey native, Volpe grew up a Yankee fan before the team selected him out of high school in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Volpe is a good-fielding shortstop, though his arm strength may force a move to second base. He does not hit for much power, but has a little bit of pop and can still hit for average.

5. Luis Gil

The 21-year-old Gil has been pitching in the Minnesota Twins and Yankees organizations since he was 17, though he has yet to play above A-ball. However, he pitched very well in his last stop at Single-A Charleston, where he pitched to a 3.32 ERA in 17 games. There, he averaged under five innings a start, so his length and game management must improve, but his 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings is impressive.

4. Deivi Garcia

Garcia may need time to develop after recording a 5.40 ERA in his time at Triple-A Scranton last year, though that could also be due to his heightened number of relief appearances to conserve his arm. His upside: a WHIP below 1.00 with three combined teams in the 2018 season, meaning he should be able to limit traffic on the basepaths.

3. Clarke Schmidt

The 23-year-old Schmidt is as developed as anyone on this list. After three years at the University of South Carolina, Schmidt went in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He has a 3.39 ERA in two full years in the minors, including a 2.37 ERA in three games at Double-A Trenton at the end of last season. Most notably, he limits the extra bases, allowing just five home runs in 114 career minor league innings.

2. Estevan Florial

Florial is an above-average hitter with some pop and good speed on the basepaths, totaling 48 steals over the last three years in the minor leagues. He is also flexible and can play all three spots in the outfield, though he does a far better job in center and right. This is a monster year of development for Florial, who's regressed a bit the past few seasons while battling injuries.

1. Jasson Dominguez

The Yankees signed the No. 1 ranked international prospect for the most money ever offered to an international free agent this past summer. Dominguez is a switch-hitting outfielder who excels about equally in all five tools. He has insane power, and his speed is top-notch. He has enough range to play center field, and he's also received comparisons to Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Bo Jackson, and Yasiel Puig. Yup. He's 16, and we'll have to wait a while, but this could be exciting.