Written by Greg Fertel
|
02 April 2008
MLB 3rd Baseman: Alex Rodriguez (10.0 A++), age 33, under contract until 2017. He's the best in baseball, shows no sign of moving positions, and is locked down until after the Mayans say the world will end. The Yankees will not be needing any of the 3rd basemen in the system unless Alex Rodriguez is injured.
Immediately Available: Wilson Betemit - If Alex Rodriguez goes down this season, Wilson Betemit will man the position, while the Yankee ship sinks. The reality is that the Yankee's fate over the next decade is largely dependent on the health and effectiveness of Arod. He hasn't given us a single reason to worry yet.
Also Available: Alberto Gonzalez, Morgan Ensberg.
Available 2009: Marcos Vechionacci (6.5 C), 22. We're still waiting for Vechionacci's breakout season. There are positive signs heading into this season, and his overall ceiling remains high in the case that he does break out. He has the defensive and athletic ability to be a decent utility player in the case that this does happen, but he's not going to put any pressure on Alex.
Also Available: Mitch Hilligoss (5.0 C).
Available 2010: Braedyn Pruitt (6.5 D), 23. Pruitt had a fantastic season for Staten Island, hitting .345/.458/.447. While it was definitely an impressive debut, Pruitt is probably the least likely of the Staten Island trio to pan out. For one thing, he didn't show a lot of power despite the .345 batting average, but he also didn't have the most impressive of college careers. That doesn't mean that Pruitt is going to fail, but he isn't as exciting as Snyder or Sublett.
Available 2011: Brad Suttle (7.0 D), 22. I might be too conservative with his projection here, but I would suspect Suttle to move fairly slowly in our system. He's already starting down in Charleston, and he has a lot of bats ahead of him in line. He strikes me as a "slow and steady" riser. Suttle is going to need to move somewhere else, and his options are fairly limited. He's already splitting time at 1st base with Brandon Laird, and could probably handle left field if called upon. If he hits, they'll find a place.
Also Available: Brandon Laird, 19 (8.0 D) - Unlike Suttle, Laird does look like a fast riser. I get the sense that if he's going to be successful, it'll come quickly. Like Suttle, expect a position switch if he hits. I'm waiting for full-season ball to become sold on Laird, but if he finds success there, he could rise up the prospect charts very quickly.
Overall Depth Assessment: At present, the Yankees have virtually no depth at the 3rd base position, and do not need it. However, as Alex Rodriguez gets older, his risk of injury increases. By the time he hits 35, the Yankees should have at least 1 backup option available at Triple-A. If he gets injured, we've got problems, but you knew that already.
