“There’s no better time to talk prospects than April and what better team to feature than our hometown New York Yankees. The Yankees have officially graduated top prospect and former first-round draft pick Anthony Volpe who will be the starting shortstop for the Yankees. But as we have moved on from the New Jersey product, let’s take a look at some of the most exciting prospects on the board for the Yankees heading into the 2024 season.”
By Chris Corso: April 10, 2024
There’s no better time to talk prospects than April and what better team to feature than our hometown New York Yankees. The Yankees have officially graduated top prospect and former first-round draft pick Anthony Volpe who will be the starting shortstop for the Yankees and no longer qualifies as a prospect or a rookie following a season where he slashed 21 homers, hit .209 at the plate, stole 24 bases and knocked in 60 RBIs. Volpe also received the Gold Glove Award at shortstop in his rookie season. He’s now leading the league in hits ten games into the season, and we’ve already expected Volpe to take a huge step at the plate contact-wise as reports have swirled about his improved swing and focus on making contact.
Our preseason prediction was bold with a .270 average, 28 homers, 35 stolen bases, and 70 runs batted in this season which the Yankees brass would be more than happy with. But as we have moved on from the New Jersey product, let’s take a look at some of the most exciting prospects on the board for the Yankees heading into the 2024 season.
4: Roderick Arias: 2TB Score 73
Arias has some of the best potential in the entire Yankees farm system, but I am not so sold yet on giving him a ranking over 75. Arias is one of the top international prospects in his class and is still only 19 years old. He’s flashed some of the highest potential in all of the minor leagues, but still has a long way to go in refining his swing and being a major leaguer. In spring training this year he flashed in his one at-bat with a line drive single the other way from the left side of the plate. So far he has nine homers and 37 RBIs reaching the Florida Coast League Level by the age of 18 in his minor league career.
He’s hitting just .230 from the plate and has a long way to go before he gets his real shot in pinstripes. Arias has some of the best raw skills in the prospect ranks and look for him to take a giant leap to Single-A and potentially Double-A ball over the next few seasons. I’m excited to see this guy figure it out and learn the ropes as I am a sucker for risky and high-potential international projects.
3: Austin Wells: 2TB Score 75
Another first-round pick and projected starter in the Yankees 2024 lineup is catcher Austin Wells. Wells was a first-round pick out of Arizona and already has some MLB experience being called up in the same series against the Astros when Dominguez came up. In 2023 he hit four home runs and hit .229 in his first 70 at-bats. Wells has all the makings of the next great Yankees catcher. He’s got a personality; he’s got a sweet lefthanded swing and he’s got a great mustache.
Wells is hit .300 in spring training and had two homers in 30 at-bats. He’s truly impressed this offseason. I think he’s a bit limited when it comes to his ceiling but for a catcher he has above-average potential hitting and has some work to do defensively at the plate.
It seems like the Yankee brass is ready to give him a real shot of being the primary catcher in 2024 as Jose Trevino can simply not hit a breaking ball. Let’s hope he can continue to get more comfortable at the MLB level. I’m predicting .230, 14 homers and 45 runs batted in this season for Wells.
2: Spencer Jones: 2TB Score 78
Let’s be honest. I was already high on Spencer Jones’ potential. After watching him in the Cape Cod League live a few summers ago and now seeing his success translate in Spring Training, I can see why the Yankees neglected to include him in any trade packages for another high-level starting pitcher this offseason. Jones who I wrote up this offseason, turned heads all Spring Training in Tampa Bay starting out (8-18) with a .444 batting average and a mammoth of a homer run in his spring at-bats for the pinstripes.
He’s knocked in four runs and scored seven times in his first few games. His 6-foot-6 frame and ability to play the corner outfield spots has me super excited for his potential future in the outfield with Dominguez, Judge, and possibly Soto. He’s my second favorite prospect. He is starting out this minor league season in Double A Somerset as the Yankees outfield is currently stacked with Judge, Soto, Stanton, Verdugo and Dominguez on the 40-man roster. See you soon in The Bronx Spencer.
1: Jasson Domingez: 2TB Score 86
I’m teeing this up for all the readers. I am very biased when it comes to Jasson Dominguez. He is one of the sole reasons I got into Bowman card collecting and his first edition autograph card set the collecting world on fire in 2020 when he was just a teenager.
Dominguez started off his MLB career in 2023 with expectations higher than the distance from Earth to Mars. Nicknamed “The Martian” for his out-of-this-world make up as a five-tool prospect, Dominguez signed a 10-million-dollar contract with the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic when he was just 16 years old.
He started off his career with the Yankees at the end of last season and my brother and I were so excited we went to a bar just to watch. What did he do? He hits a homer in his first at-bat on the first pitch against future hall-of-famer Justin Verlander.
In his first 31 at-bats he hit four homers, had eight hits and seven RBIs. It was a shame that he had to get Tommy John surgery ending his season when he tore the tendon in his arm. All reports say he is progressing well and look forward to him being a Yankee for years to come with more upside than any home grown prospect they’ve ever had.
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