Three Yankees prospects have cracked Baseball America’s Top 100 list this year, and Anthony Volpe — the team’s No. 1 prospect via MLB Pipeline — made it into the Top 10.
Volpe rounds out that group at No. 10 overall, as the former first-round pick’s stock continues to rise.
He hasn’t made it past High-A ball with the Hudson Valley Renegades, but there is a chance he could make more noise this season, his third in minor league ball. Last year at both A-ball levels, Volpe slashed .294/.423/.604 with 27 homers, 35 doubles, and 86 RBI. He also had 33 stolen bases, 78 walks, and an OPS of 1.027.
The Yankees’ shortstop question this offseason has revolved around whether to spend on a big-time free agent or have a stopgap player come in to make way for someone like Volpe. Oswald Peraza, who comes in at No. 55 on the list, is also a potential solution.
The Yanks don’t have just one but two top prospects who play at short. Peraza projects to reach the bigs before Volpe, as he’s played some Triple-A ball and could find himself starting the season there.
He had eight games in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, but played most of his ball in Double-A Somerset, slashing .295/.348/.466 with 16 doubles, 12 homers and 40 RBI over 79 games. Known as someone with very soft hands at short, he’s the perfect defensive weapon the Yanks are searching for.
And finally we can’t forget about who many believe to be the crown jewel of the Yankees’ farm system: Jasson Dominguez.
The soon-to-be 19-year-old comes in at No. 87 on the list, but that could rise dramatically depending on how his second minor league season goes.
Unfortunately for Dominguez, no minor league season occurred in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, so he couldn’t start his career right away. But he got his shot in Tampa with the Tarpons last year, hitting .258/.346/.398 with nine doubles, five homers, and 18 RBI. He had seven stolen bases (caught three times) and 21 walks to 67 strikeouts.
The above is not too shabby for your first year as a pro, but Dominguez certainly wants to be better this time around. If he performs well enough, he could see some games in Double-A this season, which would set him up nicely for 2023. His projected MLB debut is 2024.