Welcome to the very first edition of the Pinstriped Prospects mailbag. This series will be weekly on our site and we encourage all of our readers to send us their questions and they could be features on a future edition of our mailbag.
From Kenny:
I was wondering if you guys see anybody making the leap from the GCL (or DSL?) to Staten Island next year. A lot of names are rumored to be headed to Pulaski and I’ve heard that Staten Island will most likely see a lot of college players who were just drafted again next year so I was kind of curious.
The addition of the Pulaski Yankees will allow the Yankees to have an additional step for players who are too old or experienced for the Gulf Coast League but not yet ready for Class-A baseball. The way I see it, it lines up perfectly so that high school drafted players go to the GCL, junior college drafted players head to Pulaski, with college juniors and seniors going to Staten Island. It will also give the international guys an additional stop before reaching Class-A, going from a complex league like the GCL to the NY-Penn League can be a huge shock for some, it will help mitigate some of that shock.
From A.J:
What kind of impact do you think Greg Bird will have on the Yankees and when do you think he will reach the big leagues?
I would not rule out seeing Greg Bird in the majors in 2015. Bird will more than likely start the 2015 season in Triple-A, his emergence this past season and dominating performance in the Arizona Fall League proves he is ready for it. He is easily a solid long-term option for the Yankees at first base. There is a chance we could be seeing a new young core coming up in the next year or two and Bird will be a part of that.
From Joe:
How far are we from seeing Gary Sanchez? Can we expect a September call up?
Sanchez made a lot of progress this season in Trenton, despite an issue earlier in the season the Thunder manager praised him for the progress he made. It is highly likely you will see Sanchez as a September call up in 2015 at the very least. He will more than likely begin the 2015 season in Triple-A and if he continues to improve can force his way into a call up.
I’d also like to see a comparison of Panik to Refsnyder since many say they’re comparable.
Offensively the comparison is apt but it ends there. Panik is much better defensively at second base, he was a college shortstop who moved to second. Refsnyder was an outfielder who is adjusting to a hard position and defensively needs to improve.
From Kevin:
Who do you see playing at 3 or more levels much like Severino, Lindgren and Rumbelow?
I won’t rule seeing Joseph Harvey or Jonathan Holder rise quickly if they stick as relievers. Ethan Carnes is another option.
Who is your under the radar guy for this Coming season?
Keep an eye on David Palladino, he will have growing pains like most tall pitchers do but I expect him to do well as he climb the ladder.
That is it for this week’s edition of the Pinstriped Prospects mailbag. If you have a question feel free to send it to us here.
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