Here are the Yankees' 2022 Top 30 Prospects
The Yankees system remains deep despite a series of trades in 2021 that brought in Joey Gallo, Andrew Heaney, Clay Holmes, Anthony Rizzo and Jameson Taillon but cost them Top 100 Prospects Roansy Contreras and Ezequiel Duran and a dozen other notable farmhands. They're especially swimming in shortstops, which may explain why they didn't pursue Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Javier B¨¢ez, Trevor Story and Marcus Semien on the free-agent market this offseason.
Anthony Volpe vaulted toward the top of our Top 100 list and was named MLB Pipeline's 2021 Hitting Prospect of the Year after remaking his body and swing during the pandemic layoff. Fellow Top 100 Prospect Oswald Peraza has better all-around tools than Volpe.
Then there's also 2021 first-rounder Trey Sweeney, one of the best bats in last year's college class and Roderick Arias, the top-rated talent in the 2021-22 international crop. As well as Oswaldo Cabrera, who slugged 29 homers between Double-A and Triple-A last season, and Alexander Vargas, a silky smooth defender who flashes well-above-average speed.
Though New York's five best prospects are all position players -- something that last happened in 2017, when that group included Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres -- they have several interesting arms who may be ready to contribute in the big leagues this season. Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil saw time with the Yankees in 2021, while Ken Waldichuk and Hayden Wesneski have proven much better than their Draft pedigrees (fifth and sixth round in 2019). Luis Medina continues to tantalize with some of the best stuff anywhere in the Minors, though he still is figuring out how to tame it.
Here's a look at the Yankees' top prospects:
1. Anthony Volpe, SS (MLB No. 8)
2. Oswald Peraza, SS (MLB No. 60)
3. Jasson Dominguez, OF (MLB No. 61)
4. Austin Wells, C (MLB No. 96)
5. Trey Sweeney, SS
Complete Top 30 list ?
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2021 preseason list to the 2022 preseason list.
Jump: Hayden Wesneski, RHP (2021: 30 | 2022: 8)
He featured some of the best sink in the 2019 Draft and since has added a four-seam fastball that touches 98 mph and upgraded his slider.
Fall: Deivi Garcia, RHP (2021: 3 | 2022: 28)
His stuff dipped in 2020 despite some big league success, then regressed further as his control fell apart last year.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Anthony Volpe (Trey Sweeney)
Power: 60 -- Jasson Dominguez (Anthony Volpe)
Run: 75 -- Brandon Lockridge
Arm: 70 -- Antonio Gomez (Roderick Arias)
Defense: 60 -- Oswald Peraza (Roderick Arias, Estevan Florial, Brandon Lockridge, Alexander Vargas)
Fastball: 75 -- Luis Medina
Curveball: 60 -- Clarke Schmidt (Luis Medina, Randy Vasquez)
Slider: 60 -- Hayden Wesneski (Yoendrys Gomez)
Changeup: 60 -- Ron Marinaccio
Control: 55 -- J.P. Sears (Hayden Wesneski, T.J. Sikkema)
How they were built
Draft: 14 | International: 12 | NDFA: 1 | Trade: 3
Breakdown by ETA
2022: 11 | 2023: 10 | 2024: 6 | 2025: 2 | 2026: 1
Breakdown by position
C: 3 | 2B: 2 | SS: 5 | OF: 5 | RHP: 11 | LHP: 4