BBB Top Prospect Countdown: Honorable mentions and how it went down
In
our second season running, the BBB will be bringing you what will become our
annual prospect countdown list, starting at 30 and running all the way down to
the top prospect in the organization. I anticipating updating this list
midseason as well as at the 2016 season’s conclusion. We will post the next prospect on the list daily. So with that, welcome to the official BBB Top Prospect countdown!
How it Went Down:
Our
prospect team of myself (Chad), James, Phil, Sammy and Julian each did extensive
research in putting together our list of our top 35 prospects in the Yankee
organization. After doing this, I compiled the list and averaged where each was
ranked amongst the five of us, and that is how the BBB’s collaborative top 30
was decided after brief debates on where certain prospects should lie.
Due to the selectiveness of this list, there were a few notable players who were left off and have a real shot at making this list by midseason when we re-rank or by the end of the season with some players graduating off the list and others having their stock fall. Let’s take a look at some notable prospects left off of our list in alphabetical order by last name to avoid speculation as to how close they were.
Honorable Mentions:
OF
Lane Adams
Lane
Adams didn’t make the cut simply because of him recently becoming a Yankee. Adams
is a 6’4” outfielder and designated hitter that the Yankees claimed off of
waivers from the Kansas City Royals, where he was the team’s 28th
prospect according to MLB.com. Adams hits to a .270/.344/.414 slash line in 7
career seasons in the minor leagues. At age 26, he is hardly considered a
prospect anymore and he should see time between triple-A and in the major
leagues in 2016. He was recently designated for assignment by the Yankees but
the team should hold onto him for organizational depth.
 |
| Photo Via The Kansas City Star |
OF
Trey Amuburgey
Trey
Amburgey has just one professional season under his belt and he is rapidly
climbing on many prospect lists after hitting .346 with an OBP of .393 and a
.523 slugging between the Yankees gulf coast league team and the Staten Island
Yankees in 58 games. He also hit 11 doubles, 6 triples and 5 home runs. He will
likely start with the Charleston RiverDogs and will look to continue climbing
levels and spots in our rankings. Expect to see him on our updated midseason
rankings almost surely.
 |
| Photo Via Baseball Essential |
3B
Miguel Andujar
Turning
just 21 years old by Opening Day, Andujar is likely the Yankees top 3B prospect
in the organization, and he is knocking on the door in our top 30 list. In four
seasons, Andujar has progressed slowly but he looks to start in Tampa with the
potential to reach Trenton early in the season. If he can improve offensively
and solidify himself with the Thunder, he will likely earn his way to our list
by midseason.
 |
| Photo Via River Ave Blues |
RHP
Johnny Barbato
We
once interviewed Barbato for our site and if you haven’t read it, I encourage
you to do so following your completion of reading our honorable mentions (Click
HERE
to view article). As the return piece in the deal that shipped Shawn Kelly to
the Padres in 2014-2015 offseason, Barbato had a solid first professional
season with the Yankees. However, the story is what happened after Barbato’s
promotion to triple-A as he never looked back from there. Barbato went 4-0 with
an ERA of 0.36 in 14 appearances that included 3 saves with Scranton. With a
fastball in the mid-90s and a plus knuckle curve, Barbato may already be MLB
ready and he will be knocking on the door during Spring Training. Expect him to
start in Scranton but he will likely get the call to the Bronx by the summer.
 |
| Photo Via Pinstriped Prospects |
RHP
Austin DeCarr
Austin
DeCarr missed out on our top 30 list due to his injuries. If we were ranking
players on pure “stuff,” he may have made the list as a hard-throwing
right-hander. Unfortunately, DeCarr may not pitch at all in 2016 although he
looks to return from Tommy John Surgery at some point during the year. If he
can get back to his former 3rd round status that he was once at, he
may crack our top 30 by the end of the year.
 |
| Photo Via http://www.ccp-photografix.com/p51202334/h247A55E0#h247a55e0 |
LHP
Jeff Degano
As
the Yankees 2nd round pick in the 2015 draft, Degano has a lot of
question marks coming out of Indiana State University. He’s already undergone
Tommy John Surgery which caused him to miss the entire 2013 season and he does
not have much professional experience. In 2016, we should start seeing whether
the Yankees are projecting him as a starting pitcher or a major leaguer, but at
23, he should be making his way to the big leagues at a quick pace if he pans
out.
 |
| Photo Via Baseball Essential |
Our
final honorable mention is shortstop Kyle Holder, the Yankees 30th
overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft in the compensation round for losing David
Robertson. Holder is an honorable mention because he is probably the best
fielding prospect in the Yankees organization. As a slick fielder, Holder’s bat
needs some polishing before reaching the major leagues. He hit .348 in his
final year of college at the University of San Diego but regressed in his first
season of pro ball hitting an abysmal .213. Some comparisons have him as a “Brendan
Ryan 2.0” but we will have to monitor his progress when he starts in what will
probably be Charleston.
 |
| Photo Via Baseball Essential
OF
Leonardo Molina
Hitting
the international pool in 2013, some considered Molina to be the most athletic
prospect in the pool. The Dominican Republic native has good size at 6’2” and
weighs 180 pounds. With his combination of strength and speed, some scouts
consider him to have 20/20 potential at the major league level once he fully
develops and begins hitting the ball better in the minors. Although he has yet
to impress, his youthful age at 18 makes him an honorable mention and someone
that could definitely make this list by the end of the season.
Photo Via Pinstriped Prospects
LHP
Jordan Montgomery
Montgomery
is a guy that is tending to crack many top prospect lists but did not crack our
top 30. The 6’4” lefty out of the University of South Carolina was drafted in
the 4th round of the 2014 draft and has pitched well as a starter in
the minor leagues. He went 10-8 with an ERA of 2.95 in 134.1 innings between
Charleston and Tampa. At 23 years old, Montgomery may start in Trenton and
could make it to the Bronx very soon.
Photo Via MILB.com
3B
Donny Sands
The
Yankees 8th round pick of the 2015 draft is a name to look out for
in 2016. The 19-year-old third baseman hit a very impressive .309 with an OBP
of .395 in 55 games in 2015. He currently has gap power but his line drive
swing and good (and not fully developed) size should help him increase his
power numbers. He’s said to have an incredible work ethic so this is a prospect
we will be monitoring in 2016 and beyond.
Photo Via Pinstriped Prospects
So there you have it, a few prospects who just missed the top 30 cut and can be heavily advocated to being included in the Yankees official top 30 prospect list. Stay tuned for prospect #30 in our BBB prospect countdown coming tomorrow, with #29 coming the next day. |
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