The New York Yankees drafted Ben Gamel out of Bishop Kenny High School with the 325th overall pick in the 10th round of the 2010 First-Year-Player Draft.
At 18-years old Ben traveled to Tampa after signing on August 18, 2010 to begin his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Yankees. In 7-games with the Rookie-league affiliate he hit .280 with 7 hits, 1 double and 3 walks.
The Yankees liked what he saw and promoted him to the Short Season Staten Island Yankees for the 2011 season. With the Baby Bombers he hit .289 with 19 doubles, 1 triple and 2 homeruns in 55 games. He drove in 30 runs and walked 24 times as a 19-year old playing against 20-21 year olds.
In 2012 Gamel hit .306 in 110 games for the Charleston RiverDogs, smacking 23 doubles, 5 triples and 2 homeruns while driving in 61 runs. He opened the 2013 season with the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League where he hit .272 over 96 games before earning a brief 16-game cameo with the Trenton Thunder at the end of the season. With Trenton he hit just .239 over 67 at bats. He used that chance to make adjustments to take him into 2014.
Ben returned to the Trenton Thunder in 2014 where he was the regular left fielder for the Yankees Double-A affiliate. In 131 games he hit .261 with 31 doubles, 3 triples and 2 homeruns and 51 runs batted in.
Gamel really put himself on the prospect map with a breakout 2015 season in Triple-A. He started the season as the fourth outfielder off of the bench but after several injuries at the MLB level he found himself in the lineup every day.
Ben made the most of the opportunity and opened up many people’s eyes with a big performance. He hit .300 over 129 games for the RailRiders with 28 doubles, 14 triples and 10 homeruns. It was the most triples he hit in his career and the most homeruns he hit in his career. He also drove in 64 runners, a career high in RBIs.
Gamel was rewarded in the off season when he was added to the Yankees 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft but he finds himself low on the depth chart thanks to the strong depth New York has in the outfield.
Ben is a grinder, not a particularly toolsy outfielder. His arm is average and does not have great speed but he gets good jumps on the ball to make up for it. He profiles as a fourth outfielder in the major leagues.
You will find Gamel patrolling the outfield once again for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2016.
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