Where Are They Now? 2007 Yankees Prospects 11-20

Written by Greg Fertel | 03 August 2010

Continuing this series that I started last week:

In 2009, things finally seemed to be going Kontos's way. He started off the season repeating Double-A Trenton, but that didn't last long as he dominated in his four starts there. Upon being called up to Scranton, Kontos continued to pitch decently. In 51 innings, he had a 3.35 ERA, but his strikeout to walk ratio of 39:21 left a lot to be desired. He had Tommy John Surgery in early July of 2009 and is currently working his way back to full strength with the Trenton Thunder. Now 25 years old, Kontos needs to regain his stuff from 2009 and prove that he has a future in the majors.

19. Chase Wright, LHP

The Yankees designated Wright for assignment before the 2009 season and traded him for "prospect" Eric Fryer from the Brewers. The Yankees then used Fryer in the deal for Eric Hinske last season. Wright has not made it back to the majors since his infamous stint with the Yankees. Since the trade, he has pitched for Milwaukee's Triple-A affiliate, but hasn't done too well with an ERA of 4.58 this season.

18. Austin Jackson, CF

From 2006-2009, Jackson steadily rose up the Yankees prospect chart. After doing an admirable job last season in Triple-A, he became the Yankees second best prospect. However, the Yankees opted to trade him in the blockbuster deal that brought Curtis Granderson to the Bronx. While some say that it was a bad trade because, "Austin Jackson could be Granderson some day," I disagree. Jackson does not have the power potential of Granderson and it remains to be seen how well he'll actually hit. This season, Jackson's numbers look great, but have been aided by an extremely high and unsustainable BABIP.

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17. Angel Reyes, LHP

The Yankees signed Reyes out of the Dominican Republic, and pitched well in his first season(2006) in the Yankees organization. After this, though, it all went downhill. Reyes struggled in his second season and then tested positive for steroids in his third year. He has not appeared in a minor league game since 2008.

16. Alan Horne, RHP

When healthy in 2007, Horne pitched great for Trenton all season long. He jumped up the Yankees prospect lists and was going to start 2008 in Scranton. Things didn't go well for Horne, as he succumbed to more injuries. He had more injury troubles in '09 and has yet to pitch this season. He will probably be back at some point this season.

15. Mark Melancon, RHP

He was phenomenal in the minors in 2008 and 2009, which got him into the majors for the Yanks last season. They never really gave him much of a chance, and recently dealt him to the Astros in the deal for Lance Berkman.

14. Christian Garcia, RHP

Hype surrounded him in spring training, as his stuff looked as good as ever. This story took a sharp turn, and Garcia was injured in his opening day start for Trenton.

13. Eric Duncan, 1B

There's no nice way to say this, but Eric Duncan has been a tremendous bust. Baseball America ranked him the 36th best prospect in all of baseball in '05 and the 86th best prospect in baseball in '06. From there, it has been all downhill. He was definitely rushed up the ladder, but I have a hard time believing that he would have been a very good player if he was moved up gradually. He is a career .247/.322/.400 hitter in the minor leagues and spent three seasons struggling in AAA for the Yankees. He is now playing for Atlanta's Double-A affiliate.

12. Jeff Marquez, RHP

Dealt to the White Sox in the heist that was the Nick Swisher deal, Marquez made his major league debut this season, giving up two earned runs in one inning. He has spent most of the past two seasons in Triple-A, where he has struggled.

11. Marcos Vechionacci, 1B/3B

Vechionacci is a guy on this list who was all tools and no results. The Yankees were very excited about him but he never really put it all together. This season, Vechionacci has put together a very nice season under the radar. He is still just 23(although he turns 24 this week), and has put together a .296/.377/.432 line for Trenton this year while mostly playing first base.