It was a busy couple of days leading up to the trade deadline for the Yankees’ front office; even busier than some may have expected. Dealing out Aroldis Chapman to Chicago only proved to be the beginning of what can only be described as a fire sale orchestrated by Brian Cashman. Sure, we’ve pretty much given up on this season and have to spend the rest of the summer watching meaningless baseball, but now the Yankees are in a position to return to their usual precedent of dominance in just two or three years. The Yankees had a top-10 farm system a week ago and now they have created a clear top-5 farm system. Some are even arguing that they have the best collection of young talent in baseball. Brian Cashman absolutely out-did himself.
The Yankees have received a ton of young talent these past couple days. In fact, it became a bit difficult to keep track of all the high-ceiling players that now occupy the Yankees’ farm system. That’s why I came up with the idea to present you with each of the players that the Yankees received from the major trades they made. Let’s see who’s behind door number one…
From the Aroldis Chapman trade…
1. Gleyber Torres (SS)
Torres is a big bodied shortstop with above average agility and arm strength that will allow him to remain at the position all the way to the big leagues. At bat, Torres has a great line drive swing that also allows him to incorporate gap to gap power. At 19 years old, he is the youngest player in High-A ball and is currently hitting .275. Pundits around the league have praised Torres and consider him to be one of the top young talents in the game. Still very young, the Venezuelan native has time to develop into a very productive big leaguer. Torres has a lot of Yankee fans excited and rightfully so.
2. Billy McKinney (OF)
At 21 years old, McKinney hasn’t developed like most pro scouts have expected him to. A former first round pick for the Athletics in 2014, his power numbers are not where most corner outfielders should be. However, this could be a great buy-low, sell-high opportunity for the Yankees. Just a year ago, he shined in High-A ball, hitting .345 through 29 games before getting called up to Double-A. McKinney’s struggles in Double-A could be attributed to his youth. It may take some work, but McKinney has the potential to develop into an everyday player at the big league level, or at least a valuable trading chip. After all, he was the Cubs’ fifth ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline.
3. Rashad Crawford (OF)
Crawford is a guy with a ton of raw talent that has yet to materialize into production. His speed and pure athleticism makes him a threat on the base paths and a great fit at centerfield, but he has yet to show he can consistently hit at the professional level. He is currently batting .167 in High-A ball this season with a .259 OBP. At 22 years old, Crawford is extremely raw but has time to develop his skills and work on his consistency.
From the Andrew Miller trade…
1. J.P. Feyereisen (P)
The former 16th round selection in the 2014 MLB Draft, Feyereisen was a top Division 3 prospect during his time at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In 33 relief appearances during his stint with Double-A Akron this season, Feyereisen was 4-3 with a 2.23 ERA and five saves; good enough stats to earn him a spot on the 2016 Eastern Mid-Summer All-Star team. Don’t sleep on this former D3, 16th round pick because through just a couple of years, he has proven he can compete against professional hitters.
2. Ben Heller (P)
Another guy who was considered a “throw-in” in this deal, Heller was selected out of the 22nd round in 2013. The 24 year old has really come into his own this season, compiling 12 saves and a 1.43 ERA, while holding opposing hitters to a .159 average. Heller commands all his pitches really well, but his arsenal his headlined by his fastball, which was ranked as the “Best Fastball” in the Indians organization at the beginning of this season. Currently assigned to Triple-A Scranton, Heller could see a call up to the Big Leagues as early as next season if he continues his recent pattern of success.
3. Justin Sheffield (P)
The 20 year old lefty is ranked as the 95th overall prospect by MLB.com. Sheffield flaunts a 95-96 mph fastball with movement and a hard-breaking curveball. Throughout his professional career, the former first round pick has struck out 138 batters and recorded a 3.31 ERA in 127.2 innings pitched. Control has been the main problem for Sheffield, but, being as young as he is, he has plenty of time to work on that. Now being regarded as one of the Yankees top pitching prospects, Sheffield is on pace to develop into a productive middle of the rotation guy.
4. Clint Frazier (OF)
Last, but certainly not least, is the former 5th overall pick in 2013, Clint Frazier. Ranking as the number 27 overall prospect by MLB.com, Frazier is a player with a huge upside. Combining a ton of power with above average speed, Frazier will become either a center fielder or right fielder at the major league level. Spending a majority of his time in Double-A Akron, he is batting .273 with 13 HRs and 48 RBIs this season. He is currently playing for Triple-A Scranton. There is so much to be said about Frazier as pundits around the league have been raving about him for years. Expect Frazier to be a big part of the Yankees for years to come.
From the Carlos Beltran trade…
1. Nick Green (P)
There’s not much to get excited about Nick Green. Obviously he is still young at 21 years old, but he has yet to show that he has the potential to succeed at the highest level. Green was 2-2 with a 4.98 ERA in 7 starts with Single-A Spokane this year. In his three year minor league career, he has compiled a 6-8 record and an ERA of 5.15. Green will need a lot of improvement if he wants to work his way up the minor league ranks.
2. Erik Swanson (P)
Swanson is similar to Green in the respect that he needs a lot of improvement to be a prospect to get excited about, but I believe he has more upside. The 22 year old was a South Atlantic League mid-summer All-Star selection this year after going 6-4 with a 3.43 ERA with Single-A Hickory. Throughout his three year minor league career, he is 8-6 with two saves and a 3.52 ERA. Swanson has bounced around the Rangers’ farm system, playing at least one game from rookie ball to Triple-A. Currently assigned to Single-A Charleston, consistency is the main thing holding him back.
3. Dillon Tate (P)
Tate was a highly touted prospect coming out of college. He was selected by the Rangers with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft and proceeded to dominate his first bit of professional competition. He let up just one run over six starts at the Single-A level. Going into 2016, Tate was ranked as the 69th best prospect in all of baseball. However, through 16 starts this season, Tate would go 3-3 with a 5.12 ERA for Single-A Hickory. Tate’s second year struggles are what allowed the Yankees to acquire him. I think this was a great buy low move for Brian Cashman. Tate has great stuff that includes a fastball that ranges from 92-98 mph and hard slider that comes in at 85-89 mph. I wouldn’t take Tate’s recent performances to heart because the ability is there for him to be a very successful MLB pitcher.
