BP unveils Top 11 Yankees prospects

by 24 Comments

40-man omission a dose of reality to Duncan
Posada rounds out the 40-man roster

Kevin Goldstein is duly impressed with the Yankees’ organization. He feels they have the arms to compete for a very long time. We know this, but it’s nice to hear an unbiased outsider offer up the same prospect love that we feel.

Goldstein’s piece is subscription-only, but I’ll run down the list for you. Go subscribe to BP, if you haven’t already.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Joba Chamberlain, RHP

Four-Star Prospects
2. Ian Kennedy, RHP
3. Austin Jackson, OF
4. Jose Tabata, OF
5. Alan Horne, RHP

Three-Star Prospects
6. Dellin Betances, RHP
7. Jesus Montero, C
8. Andrew Brackman, RHP
9. Edwar Ramirez, RHP
10. Kelvin DeLeon, OF

Two-Star Prospects
11. Humberto Sanchez, RHP

Under the Under-25 list, Phil Hughes takes the top slot, further proving that the Yanks just should not trade him. Melky Cabrera sits at 9 on that list, but Goldstein admits that the Yanks’ erstwhile center fielder is “a liability offensively when you play him every day.”

40-man omission a dose of reality to Duncan
Posada rounds out the 40-man roster
  • http://www.mvn.com/mlb-yankees Jim Johnson

    Humberto is a 2-star prospect? Was he grossly overrated previously? I was under the impression that he was closer to a 4-star prospect.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.

      Goldstein ranks him as a two-star prospect mainly due to health concerns, and I don’t really blame him. He’s got some good stuff, but he’s never been able to stay healthy. If he can show that his stuff is there and his health is good, he’d probably be considered a three-star prospect. He’s definitely bound for the bullpen at this point anyway.

      • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

        They’ll start him in the minors, but he’ll ultimately relieve in the bigs. People will stop saying the Yanks should leave Joba in the pen once they see Humberto, assuming his arm doesn’t fall off.

        • Count Zero

          This is my biggest “fingers crossed” of 2008. If this guy can get off the ambulance now that he’s finally been under the knife, I could see him being a very big part of our future.

  • Mitchell’s Eleven

    three stars on Edwar is pretty generous, dontcha think?

    • http://www.mvn.com/mlb-yankees Jim Johnson

      Yeah, very generous. I’d put him as a 2.

  • Tripp

    Dellin, Brackman, and Montero. Are they 3 star because of their inexperience?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.

      That and because not everyone in the Yankee organization is a four-star prospect!

      Brackman: No track record of health

      Dellin: Young and in need of better mechanics

      Montero: High ceiling, still young. Goldstein likes Dellin and Montero but as he put it when talking about DeLeon, the “ceiling is tremendous, as is the gap between reality and what you can dream on.”

  • Jesse G.

    Any reason why Melancon didn’t even make the “just missed” list?

  • zack

    Hey, we’re up to 4 positional players out of the top ten, two of whom are 4 stars! Not bad!!

  • Ivan

    Bo (TX): Any chance at all that the Rangers become a player for Santana? 7 years of Santana is worth the prospects it would take to get the deal done.

    Keith Law: (1:14 PM ET ) You only get one year of Santana. This is the big mistake everyone is making – if you acquire Santana, here is what you get: One year of his services at $13.25 million, plus a negotiating window (either a few days before you do the deal, or the full year afterwards). The value of that window is small, especially since you will have to pay him a market salary for those extra years. I think most of the published offers for Santana are too much because of the small value of that window.

    Keith Law is spotty when it comes to his analysis, but he did made a very point there.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.

      Joe’s been making that very same point here for a few days now. People keep thinking of this trade as guaranteeing a multi-year deal for Santana but that’s just not the case. It’s a one-year deal: One year of a cheap Santana for too many good players. That’s why we don’t want to see it happen.

      • http://www.riveraveblues.com Joseph P.

        Yeah, well, guess who made that argument to me in the first place.

      • Count Zero

        I was gonna’ say…haven’t I heard that somewhere before? :-)

  • Ivan

    Hey Ben K,

    Can you post the top ten under 25 prospects for the yanks please.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.

      It’s the same list as above, except insert Hughes at 1 and Melky at number 9. Everyone slides down accordingly.

      1. Hughes (MLB)
      2. Joba
      3. Kennedy
      4. Jackson
      5. Tabata
      6. Horne
      7. Betances
      8. Montero
      9. Cabrera (MLB)
      10. Brackman

  • Adam B.

    Who is Kelvin DeLeon? I don’t recall hearing his name before?

  • Ivan

    yankee fan (SORRY): Am I the only one that feels the yanks will be making the same mistake they’ve made 100 times in the past 10 years? Trading up and coming players that can really help us for once great players that are declining? Santana wasnt nearly as good last year as he was in 06 (not saying he was bad!). Whats better 3 good (not great) years of santana or 8 years of phil hughes in his prime?

    Keith Law: (1:55 PM ET ) Santana was very good this year until the end of August, and then he was bad. That worries me more than just an off year. But yes, to your general point, I think it would be the wrong move on their part to develop some real blue-chip guys and then trade them just as they reach the big leagues. That’s the 1980s Yankees I grew up loving/hating.

    At least Keith is honest right?

  • jason

    DeLeon is an international signing from this year.
    16 years old and a tremendous power prospect.
    Take a look at Pinstripes Plus (subscription required) interview with the new Yankee minor league hitting coordinator who cannot keep his tongue in his mouth when talking about his first impressions of DeLeon in instructs.
    I also think that some of this years draft class (Romine and Angelini) might start climbing up on this list quickly and am surprised by Romines ommission.

  • http://riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    You know, I’ve been looking at this list for a good 3 hours now because something didn’t seem right, and I finally figured it out: Where in the world is Juan Miranda?

    If Edwar gets 2-stars, how in the world does Miranda not get three?

  • giselle

    i am absolutely obsessed with dellin betances. every time i hear his name thrown around trade talks i literally cringe because i can’t take the thought of seeing him go play for another team.

    creepy intros aside, i tend to youtube dellin from time to time and a new video was added a few days ago with his 2007 debut for the staten island yankees. be warned: the cameraman has parkinson’s. it’s still pretty sweet to watch him pitch, though.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5rnEYh2fjE

    • Mac

      The dude is as skinny as Edwar. Whoa.

  • Marcos

    I dont know why but I have a feeling Humberto Sanchez is gonna be sick