Yankees plant six prospects in MLB Pipeline mid season top 100

Over the past few seasons, the moves that Brian Cashman has made has built the Yankees farm system into one of the best in baseball, and that fact was amplified when the MLB released their mid-season top 100 prospects list, a list that features six players in the Yankees system. 

Photo Credit: David Monseur

The six Yankees in order from top to bottom are as follows: INF Gleyber Torres (no. 3), OF Clint Frazier (no. 27), RHP Chance Adams (no. 63), OF Dustin Fowler (no. 79), OF Estevan Florial (no. 91), and LHP Justus Sheffield (no. 94). There were six Yankees on this list last year as well, one of them being Judge and another being Blake Rutherford, who was recently traded to the White Sox and was no. 45 on this year’s list.

It is no surprise that Torres is currently the third best prospect in baseball, but it does come as a surprise to many that Clint Frazier fell 12 spots from last year’s list. Frazier has shown that he has more than an MLB ready bat so far this month, and would probably be ranked in the top 20 if this list came out a month later.

Photo Credit: Anthony J. Causi

Chance Adams and Dustin Fowler both made major jumps this year, going from being outside the top 10 among Yankee prospects last year, to being no. 3 and no. 4 this year. Fans have been particularly excited about Adams, who plays a position of need for the Yanks, and has posted a 1.92 ERA and .174 opponent batting average in the minors this year. It will most likely be a tougher road for Fowler to becoming an everyday starter for the Yanks, as the outfield depth is far superior to the depth of the starting rotation as of now. However, Fowler is projected to be a 20-20 guy and could stick in centerfield when he gets healthy. 

Photo Credit: Rick Nelson MILB.COM

The most surprising member of the six Yankees to make it in the Top 100 was 19-year-old outfielder Estevan Florial, who is having a nice season in A-ball, hitting .299 while swiping 16 bags. Florial is a speed demon, but the most known speed demon in the Yankee farm system did not make the Top 100 this year after making it last year: Jorge Mateo

Mateo was the no. 3 prospect for the Yankees at this point last year, one spot ahead of current MVP candidate Aaron Judge. Yet, Mateo’s drop this year is due to the fact that he struggled in Tampa (A) but has been hitting well over .300 since being moved to AA Trenton. Mateo has been the talk of several trade discussions, as many teams are interested in adding a player who has been forced to move positions and has been overshadowed by Gleyber Torres ever since he arrived from Chicago.

The Yankee rounding out the list is left handed pitcher Justus Sheffield, who finds himself in the same spot in the Yankee system as he did last year, the number six prospect and the second-best pitching prospect behind Chance. Justus, who along with Clint Frazier, was part of the deal that sent Andrew Miller to the Indians, is 7-5 with a 3.09 ERA in Trenton this year.

Even after the trade with Chicago and more potential trades possibly coming this week, the Yankees farm system is still stellar, and it will be interesting to see which prospects can make a real impact in the near future, as three members on the list last year are now on the Major league roster (Aaron Judge, Jordan Montgomery, and Chad Green).

Article by: Matt Luzzi

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