Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2024 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. OF Jasson Dominguez | 21 | MLB | 2023
The Martian landed in New York on September 1, smashing four home runs in eight games before his season ended due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery with a side of an internal bracing procedure. If his elbow heals well, the 5’9” 220 lb switch hitter should be an option for the major league lineup by midseason. He wasn’t great across 109 games in AA (.254/.367/.414), but that was enough for a 118 wRC+. Can’t complain about that from a 20-year-old. Then he torched Triple for nine games, walking twice as much as he struck out. The plate skills seemed to be mid-leap when he got hurt, and he’s starting to feel a little underrated for the dynasty game.
2. OF Spencer Jones | 22 | AA | 2025
A lowercase Shrek type at 6’6” 235 lbs, Jones should buddy up to Aaron Judge early and often throughout his Yankee career. He even plays centerfield like Judge has been doing lately. He does not, however, lift the ball like Aaron Judge. The 25th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jones hit 16 home runs in 117 games last year across two levels while striking out almost 30 percent of the time in both High-A and Double-A. He also swiped 43 bases in 55 attempts. It’s a unique look where the power should surpass the speed at some point, but if he finds the perfect spot in the Venn diagram of his outcomes, he’d be a rotisserie star.
3. SS Roderick Arias | 19 | CPX | 2026
A physically gifted switch hitter at 6’0” 178 lbs, Arias signed for $4 million in January 2022 then struggled in his DSL debut, slashing .194/.379/.370 in 31 games. This put him on a path to repeat the level in 2023. Hitting might be the hard part for Arias, at least for a little while, but the plus tools he brings across the board will keep him on the infield and give him upside beyond the stat line. If not for a broken finger that ended his season in July, Arias might have made his Low-A debut in 2023 after slashing .267/.423/.505 with six home runs and 17 stolen bases in 27 complex league games. Would have to be included on any short list of prospects with ascending potential in 2024.
4. C Austin Wells | 24 | MLB | 2023
A thick lefty bat who lifts the ball with ease, Wells is a nice fit for his home ballpark. Teams are going to test him on the base paths, but Wells isn’t a total pushover back there and should get plenty of time to improve as long as his bat makes him a viable option. He’s a nice option in OBP leagues after popping four home runs in 19 MLB games in 2023 and recording walk rates better than ten percent for most of his baseball life.
5. 2B Jorbit Vivas | 23 | AAA | 2024
I’ve always had a lot of verve for Vivas, a 5’10” left handed hitter who strikes out about ten percent of the time no matter who he’s hitting against. He hit 13 homers and stole 25 bases across two levels last year and will spend the early part of the season laying in wait for his opportunity to test that right field fence in New York. This trade (of Trey Sweeney for Vivas and Victor Gonzalez) made a lot of sense for the Yankees. Gleyber Torres is a free agent next year, and Oswald Peraza hasn’t hit yet. He may not be a superstar, but Vivas buys them a high-floor chance at a long-term solution.
6. RHP Will Warren | 24 | AAA | 2024
Warren was mentioned as a contender for the fifth starter spot in spring training. He’d be competing with Clayton Beeter and Luis Gil at the moment, but I’d guess the club would like to bring in a veteran or two later in the off-season to shake that up. On the mound, Warren looks a little relievery but repeats well enough to keep all his pitches around the zone, particularly his wipeout slider, which gives him a high-end relief floor if he can’t crack a rotation.
7. SS George Lombard Jr. | 19 | A | 2027
A right-handed hitter at 6’3” 190 lbs, Lombard son of Lombard got drafted 26th overall because he’s a high-floor son of a big leaguer with upside remaining in his frame. He’s got the actions and arm to stay on the infield if he grows out of the shortstop. New York saw enough in four complex league games to send him to Low-A, where he slashed .273/.400/.303 in nine games.
8. C Ben Rice | 24 | AA | 2024
Rice is kind of bland as a backup catcher type, but if the Yankees let him cook a little bit, he could be an incredible fit in that park. To the dismay of good cooks everywhere, Rice was on fire in 2023, blasting 16 home runs in just 48 Double-A games while stealing seven bases and slashing .327/.401/.648. A 12th round pick in 2021, he will have to keep doing incredible things to earn his opportunities, but last year doesn’t look fluky to me. He struck out at an 18.9 percent clip and walked 9.5 percent of the time. I’m just ignoring his Bondsian 15 games at High-A because he was 24, and I don’t know what to do with his .559 on base percentage there except to say he was entering a new level of selectivity that blended well with aggression as the season went along.
9. 2B Caleb Durbin | 23 | AA | 2024
I don’t put much stock in fall league outcomes, as a general rule, and it’s not only the hot fall that grabbed this spot for Durbin, but man what a fall it was. In 23 games, Durbin stole 21 bases, drew 14 walks, struck out seven times and slashed .353/.456/.588. He’s listed at just 5’6” and 185 lbs and makes the most of his tiny strike zone. In 69 games across High-A and Double-A, Durbin struck out just 18 times and drew 26 walks. That’s 99th percentile stuff. He stole 36 bases in 43 attempts and slashed .304/.395/.427 with four home runs. The main reason to have trepidation for our game is playing time. It feels unlikely that he can crack a Yankees lineup, but maybe he could play well enough to get moved at the deadline to a Kansas City kind of club that needs to slap and dash a little more than the average bear.
10. OF Everson Pereira | 22 | MLB | 2023
Pereira flailed in his rookie opportunities, striking out in 38.8 percent of his 103 plate appearances and slashing .151/.233/.194 with zero home runs. Then the Yankees added Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo. Nonetheless, he took this spot over Chase Hampton and Henry Lalane for me partly because I rarely invest in Yankees pitching prospects and partly because it feels early to be out on Pereira, who broke a string of seven straight stints producing a wRC+ well over 100 (average) when he posted a 23 in 2023.
Thanks for reading!
