In November, the New York Yankees will face a roster crunch as they determine who to add to their 40-man roster and protect from the annual Rule 5 draft in December. This year, the Yankees have several tough choices to make as so many of their top prospects will be eligible.
The looming roster crunch will force the Yankees to trade some interesting names away, or risk losing them for minimal return in December. We identified 57 prospects that will be eligible this year with many for the first time and several have come into their own.
Last year, the Yankees lost several prospects in the draft and that trend is likely to continue. Below we break down the players who will be eligible for the first.
First Time Eligible
Hemmanuel Rosario – FCL Yankees
Rosario, a 20-year-old catcher out of Puerto Rico, has gone 33-for-226 (.146) in 79 games since 2017. Rosario was moved around a lot in 2018 and 2019 between the two former GCL teams (East and West), Extended Spring Training, and a very brief stint on the Pulaski Yankees and Tampa Tarpons. Rosario does not appear to be much of a power hitter if you look at his stats; he only has 8 doubles and 2 homers in his career, but also a relatively limited number of at-bats.
Luis Santos – FCL Yankees
Santos, a 21-year-old from Mexico, has gone 79-for-362 (.218) in 118 games since 2017. Santos moved his way up from the Dominican Summer League in 2017 to Staten Island in 2019 but is with the FCL Yankees for 2021. Santos doesn’t get many extra-base hits, only having 10 doubles, 6 triples, and 2 home runs in this pro career so far.
Daniel Calderon – DSL Yankees
A 23-year-old pitcher from the Dominican Republic, Calderon has had a rash of injuries that have limited his playing time. 20.2 IP in 2017 with the DSL Yankees, 5.1 IP with the GCL Yankees West club, and no innings as a result of a long IL stint. In those 26 IP, Calderon averaged a 6.23 ERA; 18 earned runs on 20 hits and he walked 22 batters.
Roberto Chirinos – FCL Yankees
Roberto Chirinos is a 20-year-old Venezuelan SS currently on the FCL Yankees team and has been moved around between the Dominican Summer League to Gulf Coast to Pulaski and back to FCL for 2021. Averaging the majority of his at-bats between GCL and Pulaski, Chirinos went 86-for-358 (.240) with 10 doubles and 8 homers.
Jose Martinez – FCL Yankees
Martinez, a 22-year-old third baseman from the Dominican Republic has averaged .215 (54-for-251) since his pro debut in June 2018. Martinez has played with the GCL Yankees and Pulaski Yankees teams mostly, plus a brief stint in (at the time) High-A Tampa in 2019. Martinez hit 12 doubles, 3 triples, and 12 home runs in that time.
Randy Vasquez – Low-A Tampa Tarpons
The 22-year-old Dominican, Vasquez has been stellar of late in Tampa, posting a 0.50 ERA in June for Low-A Tampa. Vasquez was signed in 2018 and shortly joined the DSL team. Since that time, Vasquez has thrown in 124.0 innings, posting a 2.76 ERA; 54 runs on 81 hits (38 earned), and only has given up 9 home runs in his career. Vasquez has been a relative unknown in his career but came into his own in 2019 when he started hitting 98 MPH on the radar gun and continues to show plus stuff.
Anthony Garcia – FCL Yankees
Garcia, a 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has been with the Yankees organization since 2018. In that time, Garcia has gone 47-for-211 (.223), with 10 doubles, 5 triples, and 11 HR. The 6’5” RF is a switch-hitter but hits better as a left-handed batter versus a right-handed pitcher. Garcia is one of the top power bats in the farm system and also one with high potential but injuries have slowed his development.
Mickey Gasper – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades (Injured 60 Day)
The 25-year-old from New Hampshire has had a limited 2021 season, going on the 60-day IL two weeks into the season. That being said, Gasper was the 817th overall pick in the 2018 Draft and has been with the organization since August of 2018. In that time, Gasper has gone 133-for-522 (.255), with 29 doubles and 19 home runs.
Josh Breaux – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
The Yankees’ 2nd round pick in the 2018 Draft has hit 119-for-463 (.257) since he began playing with the GCL Yankees in 2018. Breaux, a 23-year-old Texan, has 26 doubles and 20 home runs and has 86 RBI in that time, and has moved his way up through the ranks: GCL, Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees, Low-A Charleston, and now High-A Staten Island. Breaux has come into his own both at the plate and behind the dish, cementing himself as a top catching prospect in the system.
Ezequiel Duran – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Duran is a 22-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, signed with the Yankees in 2017, and joined the DSL team shortly thereafter. Duran has appeared in 182 games and has gone 184-for-709 (.260), hitting 36 doubles, 14 triples, and 28 home runs within the DSL, Appy-League Rookie Pulaski Yankees, Short Season-A Staten Island Yankees, and now High-A Hudson Valley. Duran dazzles with some high exit-velocity numbers and has shown to be no slouch in the field.
Everson Pereira – FCL Yankees
Pereira, a 20-year-old from Venezuela, has been with the Yankees organization since signing as a free agent in 2017. Pereira has 59 hits in 243 at-bats (.243) in Pulaski, Staten Island, and FCL so far. The Yankees’ #17 prospect, Pereira has 13 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 home runs in his career, along with 31 RBI since he started playing in June of 2018. Pereira was robbed of a 2019 season but has exploded so far in 2021 and is showing why he should still be considered a top prospect.
Matt Sauer – Low-A Tampa Tarpons
The 22-year-old was the Yankees’ Round 2 pick (54th overall) in the 2017 draft, and has pitched in the GCL, with Staten Island, Charleston, and is now in Tampa. Sauer had Tommy John surgery after having only thrown 8.2 innings in 2019 with Charleston so this year is a different year statistically speaking. All told, Sauer has thrown 134 innings, giving up 120 hits and 67 runs (59 earned) in that time, along with 6 home runs and 57 walks. His ERA in that time is 3.96
Barrett Loseke – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
The 24-year-old Oklahoman has not thrown a lot of innings in his pro career thus far, only having 68.2 IP under his belt. In that time, he has given up 50 hits and 30 runs (25 ER), along with 5 HR and 28 walks. Loseke has played with the GCL team in 2019, Staten Island in 2019, and is currently in Hudson Valley.
Brandon Lockridge – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
The 5th Round pick of the 2018 Draft, Lockridge made his pro debut shortly after being drafted and has posted a .251 average in that time. Lockridge has played for the GCL Yankees, Staten Island, Charleston, and Hudson Valley, and has gone 172-for-684 in 174 games, with 42 doubles, 10 triples, and 16 home runs.
Daniel Bies – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades (Injured 60 Day)
A 6’9” pitcher out of Woodinville, WA, Bies was put on the 60-day IL just before the 2021 season started, so all of his stats are from the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Bies was with the GCL team, Pulaski and Staten Island in 2018, and Charleston, Tampa, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2019. In those two seasons, Bies posted a 3.32 ERA in 122 innings pitched, giving up 108 hits, 56 runs (45 earned), 6 home runs, and 40 walks. Bies is currently out, after undergoing Tommy John surgery but before his injury he showed himself to be an intriguing bullpen arm that could move through the system quickly.
Josh Maciejewski – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Maciejewski, a 2018 draftee out of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, has had a little taste of everything in the short time he’s been with the Yankees organization. Maciejewski has been with the GCL team, Staten Island, Charleston, Tampa, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and back to Hudson Valley. Maciejewski has posted a 3.33 ERA in the 137.2 innings he’s pitched, giving up 67 runs (51 earned) on 112 hits. Maciejewski has also given up 13 home runs and 45 walks.
Tanner Myatt – Low-A Tampa Tarpons
A 23-year-old out of Florence-Darlington Technical College, Myatt made his pro debut only a day after being drafted in 2018. Since then, Myatt has thrown 76.2 innings, giving up 43 runs (41 earned) on 44 hits, good for a 4.81 ERA. Myatt has been with the GCL team, Staten Island, Charleston, Hudson Valley, and Tampa.
Matt Pita – AA Somerset Patriots
Pita was a 12th round pick in the 2018 draft and has gone 92-for-448 in 143 games, good for a .205 batting average. Pita has hit 27 doubles, 4 triples, and 3 homers, along with 43 RBI in his career with GCL Yankees, Tampa, Staten Island, Charleston, Tampa, and Somerset.
Isaiah Pasteur – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
The 25-year-old drafted out of George Washington in 2018 has gone 69-for-336 (.205), with 17 doubles, 3 triples, and 10 home runs. Pasteur has played with GCL Yankees, Pulaski, Staten Island, Charleston and is now in Hudson Valley. Pasteur is legitimately one of the fastest runners in the Yankees farm system.
Kyle Gray – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades (Injured 60 Day)
Gray was put on the 60-day IL on Opening Day, so his stats are limited to games in 2018 and 2019. The 2018 draftee out of West Virginia has played with Staten Island, Charleston, and Tampa in the two years he’s played so far. In that time, Gray has hit 117-for-546 (.214), with 26 doubles, 6 triples, and 12 home runs.
Nick Ernst – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
Ernst, a 2018 draft pick from Miami (Ohio), only has 56.1 innings under his pro belt with 30 innings in Staten Island and 26.1 in Hudson Valley. Ernst has given up 37 runs (33 earned) on 49 hits in that time, good for a 5.27 ERA.
Derek Craft – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
A 6’8” right-handed pitcher drafted out of Texas-San Antonio, Craft has quickly moved through the Yankees’ system this year, only spending 6 games and 8.2 innings pitched in Tampa before being promoted to Hudson Valley in the middle of June. Craft owns a 3.86 ERA average for 2021; he threw 8.2 innings in Tampa, with 3 earned runs on 6 hits and has thrown 7.2 innings for Hudson Valley, with 4 earned runs on 6 hits.
Justin Wilson – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades (Injured 7 Day)
Wilson is a right-handed pitcher out of Vanderbilt that has also moved quickly through the system, skipping Low-A in favor of going to High-A Hudson Valley this year. Wilson threw a 1.46 ERA in 24.2 IP in Short-Season Staten Island in 2019, giving up 4 earned runs on 13 hits in that time. This year, Wilson is at a 4.76 ERA in 11.1 IP, with 6 earned runs on 8 hits.
Charlie Ruegger – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
A pitcher from the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, Ruegger had a 1.80 ERA while in Staten Island in 2019 (3 earned runs on 9 hits in 15 IP), and had a 7.86 ERA in Charleston the same year (39 earned runs on 58 hits in 44.2 IP). Since being promoted to Hudson Valley, Ruegger has a 9.93 ERA (25 earned runs on 30 hits in 22.2 IP), and currently has the highest walk rate of his pro career with 16 walks so far.
Reid Anderson – High-A Hudson Valley Renegades
A 2018 Ivy League draftee from Brown, Anderson has been consistent this year between AA Somerset and High-A Hudson Valley regarding his pitching. Anderson started the year in Somerset before being sent down in mid-June. In Somerset, Anderson threw a 3.95 ERA (13.2 IP, 6 earned runs on 9 hits), while in Hudson Valley, Anderson currently owns a 3.86 ERA (16.1 IP, 7 earned runs on 12 hits).
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