I live in New Jersey in the summer and see a lot of New York Yankees minor league games. Perhaps I’m suffering from recency bias, but the development of the Yankees minor league players did not go well.
I know the Yankees, fans, and fantasy managers love Spencer Jones. I saw him play a lot (at least 100 at-bats), and he strikes out A LOT. He can’t hit an inside fastball, and his swing is exceptionally long. He has power and speed, but unless he gets shorter to the ball, I worry that he’ll hit enough to make it. Roderick Arias didn’t hit, and while I didn’t see him play, I’ve gotten reports that he can’t pick up spin and expand the strike zone. Henry Lalane was hurt and never got it going. Those were three Top 100 prospects entering the season, and while Jones is still on that list, Arias and Lalane are not.
On the positive side, George Lombard had an excellent season. He needs to get stronger, but he can hit with more speed than I initially thought. Several of the Yankees’ Complex players also had great seasons, but I said that last year and those hot players in 2023 did not translate well in Low-A this season.
Finally, there is Jasson Dominguez. I maintain that he has star potential, but injuries caused him to miss considerable time, and the Yankees had to play Alex Verdugo more than I’m assuming they wanted down the stretch. I think that will change in 2024.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Jasson Dominguez
- Biggest Mover: George Lombard Jr.
- Biggest Disappointment: Spencer Jones, Henry Lalane, and Roderick Arias
- Emerging Prospect: Juan Matheus
