Written by Greg Fertel | 30 September 2009

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So here's my list. I'll tell you straight from the start that I contradicted myself dozens of times while compiling it and I hope you won't hold it too much against me. When I looked at these guys I wanted to combine some sort of overall combination of prospects that have a really high ceiling and also guys who have performed well at higher levels of competition. I like to see younger guys who put up numbers but also have received good scouting reports from various sources. In terms of dealing with injured players, I was all over the place. In reading the list, as always, outside of the top 10 much of it is preference. Rounding out the top 30 there were some notable omissions (feel free to mention them below) but I feel pretty good about how things turned out.

I concur with Greg that when I look at this system right now I see a lot more pitching talent than positional talent. Few of the positional players on this list (outside of the top 5 maybe) have a great chance to be much more than backups right now but anything can happen. The positional talent is for the most part scattered at the lower levels and until we see something defining from them, it's really hard to determine their overall trajectories right now. One of the things I felt the Yankees were able to do in this year's draft was inject some decent positional talent into the mix, some of which turns up here.

Be sure to let me know what you think.

 

1.  Jesus Montero C- Consensus top 5 prospect in all baseball is easily the best of the Yankees lot.
2.  Austin Jackson OF- All in all not a bad debut for one of the youngest players to see AAA all year- less K's, more SLG please.
3.  Slade Heathcott OF- Top Yankee draft pick has a lot of ability and all 5 tools to be an outstanding player- now it's time to see how he'll use those skills.
4.  Austin Romine C- Everyone says Romine is the catcher of the future, but his plate selectivity has always worried me - another solid year though without question, definitely like his game.
5.  Zach McAllister SP- Doesn't have outstanding stuff but that's never precluded him from having success in the past, another good season in 09 has him knocking on the Yankees door in 2010.
6.  Manny Banuelos SP- The 18 year old had an outstanding season at A- and his polish and advanced repertoire make him quite a teenager, plus he's a lefty.  
7.  Arodys Vizcaino SP- The late injury is a drag on what had otherwise been a phenomenal season for the hard throwing 19 year old.
8.  JR Murphy C- I have him in the top 10 which is probably unusual but I really liked everything about him and his hot start (which doesn't really tell us all that much) just made me feel bold when drawing up the list.
9.  Ivan Nova SP- There is probably not another name in the top 10 I'm less excited about. Seriously.
10. Mark Melancon RP- I'm really hoping Melancon gets a chance to prove what he can do in the Majors sometime soon, I definitely believe in his ability.
11. Jairo Heredia SP- Started the season a little hurt but was impressive again, in Charleston, at 19. Has the makeup and polish like Banuelos but the potential for a mid 90's fastball like Vizcaino.
12. Jeremy Bleich SP- The lefty struggled in Trenton but he showed why he was a 2^nd rounder in Tampa. 
13. DJ Mitchell SP- Terrific first year for the Clemson Tiger, I might have him higher than most because I just got excited about his debut. Lots to like though, keep an eye out for this GB machine.
14. Adam Warren SP- He had a really great debut and I think with his fastball/slider/curveball combo with good velocity, he could move quickly through the system. 
15.Wilkens De La Rosa SP- A terrific year for De La Rosa who is probably going to end up a reliever, but with his stuff he has a shot of being a very good one.
16. Kevin Russo IF- Again, probably a little aggressively ranked for a future utility infielder but Russo's OBP skills and solid defensive abilities are a big draw for me.
17. Andrew Brackman SP- I get that it was one (horribly) bad year, but I was never high on him to begin with and this year certainly hasn't helped matters.
18. Dellin Betances SP- Ditto with above. He'll be healthy though one of these years and then who knows.
19. George Kontos SP- Another guy with health issues. I really, really like his stuff and command though and hope he can come back from TJ surgery.
20. David Adams 2B- A well rounded player with a good season has some upside but not a whole lot.
21. Michael Dunn RP- Lefty reliever struggled with command just about everywhere but has really good stuff that should turn him into a decent MLB reliever.
22. Dan Brewer OF- Well he can certainly hit. A lot. I really wish he could play just a little defense though. I'm high on him.
23. Damon Sublett 2B/OF- Another middle infielder with good OBP skills, Sublett really surprised me this year, a nice looking player.
24. Kyle Higashioka C- The well rounded Higashsioka failed to do anything seriously spectacular in 2009 but he's still an impressive catching prospect.
25. Corban Joseph 2B/3B- Gets on base and has some pop in the bat. Defensively he's a mixed bag, but the hitting and his numbers should raise some eyebrows.

26. Kelvin DeLeon OF- Everyone notices the K%, but the raw power is unique for the Yankees system right now. Has made some noise and lots of people have their eye on this precocious 18 year old.   

27. Deangelo Mack OF- My personal wacky pick, I've always like Mack's game and his terrific season in Staten Island was enough for me to boost him up here.
28. Neil Medchill OF- A potential power bat, Medchill drew lots of looks this year, recently making the Baseball America top 20 NY Penn league list. Lots to work on still, but the record breaking HRs were too much to ignore.
29. Bradley Suttle 3B- I was really high on him before this season, still has tons of ability despite the injury.
30. Christian Garcia SP- Injuries have prohibited him from making any big progress so far but every time you hear about his abilities you just wonder what a fully healthy year will look like. He snuck on here for me because I think (and hope) 2010 will be that year for him.  

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