Yankees 2018 Pre-Spring Training Prospect Ranking: 6-10

Brendan Kuty

Matt Linder

Now, it is time for the fifth installment of my Yankees Top 30 Prospect ranking, 6-10.

Bill Mitchell

10. Dillon Tate – SP
-2017 Performance: Tate rebounded nicely in his first full season with the Yankees organization after a difficult 2016.  He began the year in High-A, where he pitched 58.1 innings with a 2.62 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 46/15.  Dillon earned a promotion to Double-A for his final four starts.  With Trenton, he had a 3.24 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 17/9 across 25.0 innings.

-Strengths: Tate possesses an arsenal of power stuff.  He uses a max-effort delivery to generate a mid-90s heater.  His slider is a true strikeout pitch.  It has tight spin, which produces late break and a lot of swings and misses.  Dillon’s third offering is his changeup.  On its best days, his changeup flashes plus potential with good diving action.  A three-pitch mix with two plus pitches and potential for a third is a solid foundation to build upon.

-Weaknesses/Concerns: Tate missed the beginning of the season due to a shoulder problem.  Although he finished the year healthy, arm injuries for a pitcher are always worth monitoring.  Additionally, Dillon struggles with consistency.  Inexplicably, there are some starts in which his fastball velocity dips and his off-speed pitches lack depth.  Also, while he is able to throw strikes, his pitch location needs development.  Due to his inconsistency and unimpressive command, he may be a long-term power arm out of the bullpen.

-2018 Outlook: Tate will probably start the year in Double-A and if all goes to plan, finish up in Triple A with Scranton.  Dillon has a chance to regain his status as a former top prospect with a strong 2018.

Greg Corcoran

9. Thairo Estrada – INF Age: 21
-2017 Performance: Estrada followed up his strong 2016 season with an even better 2017 campaign.  In Double-A Trenton, Thairo slashed .301/.353/.392 with six home runs, but had a terrible stolen base success rate of 47% (8/17).  After his successful regular season, he played extremely well in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .342/.381/.430 over 20 games.

-Strengths: Estrada possesses every tool except power.  He rarely strikes out thanks to excellent contact skills.  Thairo has a compact and level swing which produces line drives, but limits his power potential.  His high leg kick allows him to stay back and hit the ball to all fields.  Also, Estrada’s ability to keep his weight back allows him to recognize pitches and draw walks.  Defensively, he has the arm strength and range to play shortstop.  However, the Yankees have moved him all over the infield to increase his positional versatility and he has taken to both third and second rather quickly.  Thairo possesses plus speed which helps him take the extra base and cover ground defensively.

-Weaknesses/Concerns:  Estrada’s biggest flaw is his lack of power.  He is not a big guy – listed at 5’11” and 185 lbs – so he uses his speed and contact approach to hit for a high batting average.  The lack of power does limit his offensive upside.  Also, he will need to improve his base stealing tactics because over the past two seasons he only has a 58% success rate.  A player with his natural speed should be a far more efficient base stealer.  Lastly, Estrada was shot in the hip during a botched robbery in late January.  Although all reports suggest he is not seriously harmed, there might be lingered affects that are worth keeping an eye on.

-2018 Outlook: There is a slim chance that Thairo wins the starting second base job out of spring training.  However, the more likely destination is Triple-A Scranton.  Estrada appears to be blocked at the non-first base infield positions by Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar and to a lesser extent, Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes.  Therefore, he could become the future utility player if/when he proves better than Torreyes or he could be packaged in a trade.

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8. Luis Medina – SP Age: 18
-2017 Performance: Medina began the season in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) with one of the Yankees affiliates.  In the DSL, he threw 15.2 innings with a 5.74 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 17/10.  Although the numbers were not impressive, the organization liked what they saw.  With Rookie Ball Pulaski, Luis logged 23.0 innings and had a 5.09 ERA, while striking out 22 and walking 14.  Overall, the statistics are underwhelming, but scouts raved about his potential.

-Strengths: Luis has eye-popping stuff.  His plus fastball sits in the high-90s, which is extremely rare for an 18 year old (essentially a high school senior) and as he physically matures, he could add even more velocity.  That is a scary proposition for opposing hitters.  Both his curveball and changeup have potential to be strikeout pitches.  Repeating a common theme of this series and throughout baseball, Medina’s breaking ball has a high spin rate, which positively correlates to swings and misses.  Luis’ quick arm action effortlessly whips through his delivery, which allows him to generate easy velocity and excellent snap to the curveball.  Although the changeup is not as advanced as the other two pitches, it shows signs of promise. 

-Weaknesses/Concerns: The main downside with Medina is his age.  He is still years away from impacting the major league club and during that time a lot can change.  Also, like most young pitchers, he struggles to repeat his delivery, causing his control to be erratic.

-2018 Outlook: Since Luis is only a teenager, it is likely he starts the year in Extended Spring Training before joining a Short Season affiliate.  Depending on his development, he could end up pitching in Staten Island, which is a higher level of Rookie Ball than Pulaski.  I expect Medina to shoot up prospect rankings during his first full year in the states.  Luis’ stuff is overwhelming and his upside is impossible to ignore.

Sandy Tambone

7. Domingo Acevedo – SP Age: 23
-2017 Performance: Acevedo was well-travelled last season.  He started the year in High-A Tampa, where he threw 41.1 innings with a 4.57 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 52/9.  This strong performance earned Domingo a promotion to Double-A, where he spent most of the year.  In Trenton, Acevedo logged 79.1 innings, had a 2.38 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 83/17.  He finished the very end of the year with two spot stars in Scranton.  He had trouble throwing strikes in his brief 12.1 innings, but I would not read too much into it.  Domingo was at the end of a long season and fatigue probably set in.  Overall, Acevedo had an excellent season, throwing a career-high 133 innings with a 3.25 ERA and 142 punch-outs.

-Strengths: Domingo’s best trait is his elite fastball velocity.  He generates the mid-to-upper-90s using his towering size – listed at 6’7” and 250 lbs - and high-effort delivery.  Acevedo couples the plus heater with an above-average changeup.  He is able to maintain consistent arm speed and the pitch has good velocity separation from his fastball.  Despite his size, Domingo throws a lot of strikes and attacks hitters with his heater.  Lastly, his unorthodox arm slot and motion creates deception for batters.

-Weaknesses/Concerns: Acevedo’s lack of a reliable third pitch is his biggest flaw.  His slider shows signs of promise, but for years it has lagged behind his fastball and changeup.  It is not an out-pitch at this point.  Although Domingo effectively pounds the zone, he does not exhibit consistent command.  Also, Acevedo struggles holding his velocity deep into starts.  For these reasons, there is speculation he might end up in the bullpen as a dominant reliever.

-2018 Outlook: Since he only made two starts in Triple-A, I expect Acevedo to start the season in Trenton and eventually work his way back up to Scranton.  Since there are still some areas of development for Domingo, he will likely spend all season in the minors, but if he shows improvements to his command and slider, he could make his MLB debut late this season.

Zach Bland

6. Albert Abreu – SP Age: 22
-2017 Performance: Abreu missed a lot of time with injuries, but when he was healthy, he showed quality stuff and tremendous upside.  After two “tune-up” starts in Rookie Ball, Albert joined the Riverdogs in Low-A.  In 14.2 innings with Charleston, he had a 1.84 ERA and a K/BB of 22/3.  Abreu earned a promotion to High-A, where he spent two stints on the disabled list.  With Tampa, he logged 34.1 innings with a 4.19 ERA, while striking out 31 and walking 15.  The Yankees sent Albert to the Arizona Fall League (AFL) to make up for missed time.  In the AFL, he pitched to a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings, but the K/BB ratio of 23/14 was not stellar.

-Strengths: Abreu has a plus fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has reached triple digits.  He pairs the heater with a knee-buckling breaking ball.  The shape of the pitch exhibits varying degrees of vertical and horizontal break each time he throws it (not a bad thing), but I do not believe it is two intentionally distinct pitches.  He is able to generate elite velocity on his fastball and devastatingly late bite on breaking ball thanks to an incredibly quick and effortless arm action.  Although it is his third pitch, the changeup flashes above average potential.  Albert also exhibits a repeatable delivery.

-Weaknesses/Concerns: The biggest red flag with Abreu is the injuries.  He missed a significant portion of the season with a shoulder problem.  Also, he could do a better job of incorporating his lower-half into his motion, which would take some of the stress off his arm.  In terms of his pitches, Albert simply needs to refine them and work on their command.

-2018 Outlook: Abreu will likely begin the season in High-A.  Barring injury, a mid-season promotion to Double-A is probable.  Albert has the tools to become one of the 30 best prospects in all of baseball, if he stays healthy.

So that rounds out prospects 6-10. Check back in a couple of days for prospects 1-5.

If you have any questions, comments or criticisms feel free to reach out to me at mattlinder2@gmail.com