Yankees' top pitching prospect among 19 NRIs
The Yankees announced their non-roster invitees for Spring Training 2020 on Monday, bringing 19 players to big league camp.
One of them is Clarke Schmidt, New York's No. 2 prospect in 2019 and the No. 88 prospect in baseball entering '20, according to MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old right-hander, who had a 3.47 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 90 2/3 innings in the Minors last season, will be attending his first Major League Spring Training.
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Alexander Vizcaino, a 22-year-old right-hander who was the team's No. 13 prospect in 2019, will also be at his first big league camp.
There will also be a large group of MLB veterans in camp who are signed to Minor League deals with New York.
Those include multiple catchers who can compete with Kyle Higashioka to be Gary S¨˘nchez's backup -- 36-year-old Chris Iannetta, 39-year-old Erik Kratz and 33-year-old Josh Thole -- as well as utility and bench player types like infielder/outfielder Rosell Herrera and outfielder Zack Granite.
The Yankees also invited a slate of pitchers with big league experience, including right-handers David Hale, Dan Otero and Nick Tropeano and left-handers Luis Avil¨˘n and Tyler Lyons.
Along with all those players, the Yankees' remaining NRIs are right-hander Domingo Acevedo, catcher Kellin Deglan, outfielder Thomas Milone, catcher Wynston Sawyer, outfielder Trey Amburgey, infielder Chris Gittens and infielder Kyle Holder.
The non-roster invitees include eight pitchers, five catchers, two infielders and four outfielders. In total, New York has 59 players expected to report to Major League Spring Training.