In Keith Law’s 2016 edition of the annual top-100 list, four Yankee prospects were named.
OF Aaron judge was ranked no. 36, SS Jorge Mateo ranked 55th, catcher Gary Sanchez is listed two spots behind Mateo at no. 57, and RHP James Kaprielian was listed at no. 87.
He ranked the Yankees the 13th best farm system in the major leagues. Recently, Law listed out his top-20 Yankees prospects.
- OF Aaron Judge
- SS Jorge Mateo
- C Gary Sanchez
- RHP James Kaprielian
- LHP Ian Clarkin
- OF Dustin Fowler
- SS Wilkerman Garcia
- RHP Drew Finley
- SS Kyle Holder
- SS Tyler Wade
- RHP Brady Lail
- OF Ben Gamel
- LHP Jacob Lindgren
- RHP Luis Cessa
- C Luis Torrens
- OF Mason Williams
- RHP Trey Amburgey
- 2B Rob Refsnyder
- 3B Miguel Anujar
- RHP Chance Adams
There are some surprises on Law’s list.
The first is 2B Rob Refsnyder listed at no. 18. He is ranked top-eight on both MLB.com and Baseball America’s lists. Minus the defense, Refsnyder is arguably the most proven prospect at the plate with gap power and a knack for making solid contact.
Another is his ranking of SS Kyle Holder at no. 9—one spot ahead of fellow SS Tyler Wade. Holder was known at USD for being a plus defender, but has yet to show any upside at the plate. Law still believes Holder “doesn’t have to hit that much to be a big leaguer, thanks to his defense.” Holder hit just .213 in 56 games in Staten Island with an OPS of .527. The younger Wade already has 29 games in Double-A from last season, and despite hitting just .204 there, he hit .280 with 31 steals in 98 games with High-A Tampa.
Dustin Fowler at no. 6 is higher than any other prospect list, while young lefty Ian Clarkin still cracked Law’s top-5 despite not pitching an inning in 2015. Drew Finley at no. 9 is also higher than any other list.
The void of RHP Domingo Acevedo in Law’s top 20 is probably the biggest surprise of all. The international signee in 2013 went 3-0 with a 1.81 ERA across Staten Island and Charleston in 2015. He struck out 54 in 49.2 innings pitched with a 1.11 WHIP. Acevedo topped out at 103 miles per hour with his fastball and complemented it with what some scouts say is a plus changeup. He’s Baseball America’s no. 5 Yankees prospect.
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