The Official 2012-2013 Yankees Prospect Thread

[x McLovin x]

I don't put much stock in the MLB.com top 100, especially with some of the guys who are included on that list in lieu of Heathcott. After his performance when healthy in 2012 and his ridiculous performance in the AFL, I don't see him being excluded from many other top 100 lists. If he is, it will be misguided.

Hey Phoba, do you think Gumbs or Turley can crack any top 100 lists? I think both prospects did a fairly decent job of increasing their values with their performance this past season. It helps that Gumbs plays an up the middle position and Turley is a southpaw...I think the 90's range is within reach for both.

[Phoba Rama]

Hey Phoba, do you think Gumbs or Turley can crack any top 100 lists? I think both prospects did a fairly decent job of increasing their values with their performance this past season. It helps that Gumbs plays an up the middle position and Turley is a southpaw...I think the 90's range is within reach for both.

Yes to both. Gumbs has more of the tools BA looks for to rank their top 100, so I'd lean towards him as the more likely candidate.

Turley at this point has a lower ceiling but his stuff is still good. If he has even a slight uptick in velocity or stuff this season to go along with a solid Double-A performance he could be top 100.

[x McLovin x]

Yes to both. Gumbs has more of the tools BA looks for to rank their top 100, so I'd lean towards him as the more likely candidate.

Turley at this point has a lower ceiling but his stuff is still good. If he has even a slight uptick in velocity or stuff this season to go along with a solid Double-A performance he could be top 100.

I like Turley's chances of improving his velocity/stuff this season and making the list at some point soon. IIRC, when drafted, he had some pretty decent projectabilty aided by his imposing frame but, just as many other pitchers of his size, had some trouble keeping his mechanics in check. As I understand it, he has taken some big leaps in this area this past season and has shown excellent downward plane on his pitches. The potential to consistently pitch in the mid-90's has always been there for him (I believe he actually peaked around that speed in 2012 but was more 89-92 on the gun) and IMO he has a solid-above average curve and a developing changeup.

There's a lot to like about Turley and I see his ceiling as a solid #2-3 (most likely 3) with average command and an ability to induce groundballs and strikeouts at an above average rate. That's a pretty good package, especially when considering he's a lefty and most lefty starters tend to take a bit longer to develop that righties.

Here's to hoping he can continue his development into what we hope he can become.

[TheHughesUnit]

Cito Culver is on that list but Jordan Cote isn't? For shame!

Thats politics imo. Nick Goody should of been on the list before either Cote or Culver.

[EAGLES3658]

Hey Phoba, do you think Gumbs or Turley can crack any top 100 lists? I think both prospects did a fairly decent job of increasing their values with their performance this past season. It helps that Gumbs plays an up the middle position and Turley is a southpaw...I think the 90's range is within reach for both.

I think it is unlikely this year but both could possibly be in the top 100 next year. If both have good seasons I could see Turley at the bottom of the list and I think Gumbs could easily make it. I'm a fan of Gumbs, he has a lot of tools. If he has a good, breakout season next year at the next level he could fly up peoples list.

[LeoYankee]

With the Yankees talking about budgets so much an extra emphasis has been placed on the farm system, however that hasn’t paid off with one of the top systems in the game as they were ranked at No. 14 by John Sickels of SB Nation.

[x McLovin x]

With the Yankees talking about budgets so much an extra emphasis has been placed on the farm system, however that hasn’t paid off with one of the top systems in the game as they were ranked at No. 14 by John Sickels of SB Nation.

Baseball America had us at 11th in their preliminary rankings but the difference between 11th and 14th is basically negligible anyway. And we'd be ranked much, much higher if our single A guys can repeat their success at AA and if most of the pitchers can stay healthy. Yeah, big ifs, I know, but I think this farm system has top 5-7 potential overall by the end of the season.

[LeoYankee]

Baseball America had us at 11th in their preliminary rankings but the difference between 11th and 14th is basically negligible anyway. And we'd be ranked much, much higher if our single A guys can repeat their success at AA and if most of the pitchers can stay healthy. Yeah, big ifs, I know, but I think farm system has top 5-7 potential overall by the end of the season.

Or 25th if these guys bust. Arghhhhhhhhhh.

[infernoscurse]

people put too much stock on rankings. i could care less if we were 2nd or 24th as long as we develop the right players to fit the need. in 2005 we ranked 24th yet that year we produced 2 key guys that came up and helped us in robinson cano and chien ming wang

[x McLovin x]

people put too much stock on rankings. i could care less if we were 2nd or 24th as long as we develop the right players to fit the need. in 2005 we ranked 24th yet that year we produced 2 key guys that came up and helped us in robinson cano and chien ming wang

I understand what you're saying but I respectfully disagree.

We also spent on major league players with reckless abandon back then...every year we'd be pretty set on the major league roster and we'd have one or two openings at most every year for a minor league fill-in, usually due to injury.

The only problem now is that the organization is currently fiscally conservative to a fault and it has contributed to our projected dearth of major league players on the roster for 2014 and beyond. I doubt all those holes will be filled with free agent acquisitions so we're going to need several impact players to ascend from the farm system in the next couple of years. Having said that, wouldn't you say that a higher ranked farm system is more likely to produce those high impact players to fill all of those roster holes than one that isn't highly ranked?

[infernoscurse]

no, cause you could be dead last on the ranks yet have a mike trout in it. not that we have a mike trout but our ranks are low not because we dont have talented guys that can step up right now , its cause the amount of guys we have are still in low ball or need things to go right to be ranked as high prospects. every year BA grades system based on players touting them as great and come up to the show and do nothing reason why the ranks are flawed and mostly just entertainment for us prospect lovers

right now i can name 5 guys that come come fro mthe minors and help this team

[yankeefan54]

Yankees ruin there prospects so who cares if the 1 or 30.

[CostanzaNumba0]

no, cause you could be dead last on the ranks yet have a mike trout in it. not that we have a mike trout but our ranks are low not because we dont have talented guys that can step up right now , its cause the amount of guys we have are still in low ball or need things to go right to be ranked as high prospects. every year BA grades system based on players touting them as great and come up to the show and do nothing reason why the ranks are flawed and mostly just entertainment for us prospect lovers

right now i can name 5 guys that come come fro mthe minors and help this team

Define "help"? I know this system pretty well and aside from montgomery in like the 7th inning, there is no one close to the majors that will put up better than league replacement numbers this season. Our guys are in High A ball. It is what it is.

[dayners81]

Define "help"? I know this system pretty well and aside from montgomery in like the 7th inning, there is no one close to the majors that will put up better than league replacement numbers this season. Our guys are in High A ball. It is what it is.

I think you'll see guys like Romine, Warren, Marshall, Adams, possibly Turley, Mesa,both the Almontes and Joesph could help this team at some point this yr. Are any likely to be big contributors probably not but at they could definitely step up and help this team at some point this yr.

As far as ranking the farm systems goes I agree it really doesn't matter where your ranked because all it takes is developing one guy like Cano or an Ace pitcher that can massively change a team. So it really doesn't matter where your ranked from that point of view.

On the other hand if u look at it from most scouts/ talent evaluator perspective its pretty impressive that were in just about everyone's top 15 without having much of anything special that close to MLB ready. The only reason we were ranked that high is because of the massive high ceiling depth of talent we have from high A down. With a good yr from our system and our top 4-5 prospects continue to develop we could easily have a top 5 system next yr. If they don't screw alot of these kids up, especially the young pitching, like they ve been known to do we'll have a solid base to build from with in as well as having the assets to pull of big deals. Lots of if's in their but we definitely have the talent

[AFG-NYC]

If you look back at our history our top prospects never really pan out. Its the under the radar prospects that contribute the most to the team. Robinson Cano is our best offensive player right now but he was almost a throw in with the Arod trade, but Texas did not take him. Chin Min Wong came out of now where and was winning 19 games a year until he blewout his shoulder. Melky was a key contributor, Grandner, Robertson, Nova, Phelps were all under the radar guys. Sometimes its about getting an opportunity, some guys dont have the tools but they have the mental mindset to be major leaguers.

The only time rankings, and top prospects matter are when you're making a trade. You need 2-3 top ranked prospects to land a top player.