SSTN Mailbag: Farm Help, Farm Rankings, And A Breakout!

Comments made last night by Brian Cashman on the YES Network's Hot Stove segment last night has had me thinking a lot about the discussions we have in the comments section here at SSTN. Over the last couple of years, we have all expressed a vast array of opinions about the manner in which the Yankees are run, debated how much autonomy the manager has over the lineup, and even argued about Gleyber Torres' best position. When you break it down into those three categories, I think more than 60% of the discussions on this site fit into one of those 3 buckets over the last 2-3 years. In a few short sentences, Brian Cashman actually de-fogged some of the ambiguity around those buckets for Yankee fans. Cashman's comments boil down to the following points:

1. Jazz Chisholm was acquired at the trade deadline last season to play second base. Cashman acknowledged that the defense on the right side of the infield was unacceptable last season.

2. Cashman strongly implied that the Yankees' best defensive configuration last season, on paper, placed Jazz at second base and Gleyber at third base.

3. Two factors changed the plan before it could ever be enacted. First, Aaron Boone preferred keeping Gleyber at second base and moving the newcomer, Jazz Chisholm, to third base. And secondly, part of the impetus for that opinion was Gleyber's staunch opposition to changing positions.

This illuminates a number of points for Yankee fans quite clearly:

1. Many fans assume the Yankee front office doesn't know what it's doing. Many noted the ridiculousness of moving a plus-defensive second baseman in deference to a poor defensive second baseman. Still more fans either stated or strongly implied that the decision to change Jazz's position on the fly was evidence of the front office's arrogance, the idea that "we know more than the rest of the world." We know now, quite firmly, that the front office saw all of the same things we did as fans. The Yankee front office is not stupid.

2. I often wrote about Gleyber's skillset over the years, noting that while he could stay at second base in the short-term, he would eventually outgrow second base. I also noted that his arm was more than enough for third base (evidenced by his throw velocities recorded during his ill-fated stint at shortstop). Many argued with my premise. It turns out the Yankees saw the same things I did; Gleyber just wasn't willing to make the move, probably in deference to his free agent status (middle infielders are more likely to get paid than third basemen...just ask Alex Bregman).

3. Far too many people treat Aaron Boone like a puppet who does every little thing the front office tells him to do. Here, we have indisputable evidence that Boone has autonomy and a firm say in how lineups get configured on the field. Cashman and the front office wanted Jazz at second base; Boone decided to play him at third base. Unless we get some form of rebuttal from Boone regarding the timeline of events here, I think we have to accept the above as fact. Aaron Boone has autonomy as manager, regardless of what accusations are levied to the contrary.

4. The Yankees know that Jazz Chisholm is most valuable as a second baseman. That tells us that the Yankees are almost certainly limiting their infield search to guys who can play third base everyday.

5. Division of labor is alive and well in the Yankee operating structure. The manager and the front office work together, but they have separate tasks.

I feel both a bit better about the Yankee front office, and a bit more concerned after Cashman's revelation. On the one hand, the Yankee front office remains smart and in-touch with what the team needs to be successful. It also understands what makes individual players valuable or less so. Unfortunately, it also represents yet another ding against Aaron Boone's inability to put his guys in the best position to be successful. I understand that he's great at keeping a clubhouse together and his guys really play for him, but he remains unable to do the baseball part at managing effectively. Boone has not exhibited enough growth on that side of the job, and it really makes me wonder why the Yankees are exploring an extension with a manager that makes very clear tactical mistakes. This is something I'm sure we'll continue to explore as time moves along, though a championship in 2025 would go a long way towards shutting me up.

As always, thanks for the great questions and keep them coming to SSTNReadermail@gmail.com. In this week's SSTN Mailbag, we'll talk about help from the farm, farm system rankings, and a big league breakout! Let's get at it:

Jaime asks: Jasson Dominguez is an obvious answer, but if you were to pick one guy with rookie eligibility that comes up and helps the Yankees this season, who would it be?

The upper-level depth in the Yankee farm system has been depleted a fair amount by the triumvirate of graduations to the Majors, trades, and injuries. Yes, Dominguez is the obvious answer to this question, but I do think there are other guys with rookie eligibility who might play a big role in 2025. Let's list some candidates:

• Clayton Beeter, RHP - Beeter came through the system as a starter, but his control issues, injury struggles, and inability to find three pitches to work consistently almost certainly means that Beeter's ultimate home is in the back of a bullpen. Beeter surprisingly made the Yankees' Opening Day roster last season, but an early season shoulder injury derailed most of his 2024 season. However, Beeter returned late in the year as a bullpen option, displaying a significant uptick in velocity and stuff when working in 1-2 inning stints. Even with the lesser stuff he shows as a starter, Beeter has consistently proven that he can strike hitters out, and that propensity will certainly increase as a reliever with a 96+ MPH fastball. Beeter may compete for a bullpen role out of camp.

• Yoendrys Gomez, RHP - Gomez is out of options, but for the first time last season, he stayed healthy for an entire season. The Yankees really limited his innings, but he maintained health and his stuff for a whole season. Given his significant durability concerns, I can't imagine that Gomez will remain a starter. There is also a new problem here: Gomez, who was always praised for good control and emerging command over all of his pitches, suddenly has a control problem, posting well below-average walk rates in each of the last two seasons. What remains intact is his stuff though, so if he's healthy, it wouldn't shock me to see Gomez grab a long-relief role if the Yanks find a taker for Stroman. Gomez is out of options.

• JC Escarra, C/1B/3B - I love Escarra, and I think he'll hit in the big leagues with an average hit tool and enough power to produce doubles and possibly double-digit homers. He also is significantly better behind the dish than I realized after my live look at him at the end of the summer, and I think it's telling that the Yankees haven't acquired backup catching help yet. One of Escarra or Rice might be ready for the job, but it wouldn't surprise me if the Yanks pick up a catcher off the scrap heap by the end of Spring Training. That said, I think the Yanks will give Escarra a chance to earn a spot, and he might just run with it. Everson Pereira, OF - Yes, he's still around, and he still matters. Pereira has all of the tools to be a very good big leaguer, but his inability to recognize off-speed and breaking pitches might be his undoing. He's a good defender in the outfield corners, with gobs of raw pop, but he needs significant refinement in his swing decisions. All it would take is one injury to make Pereira a real big league option this season.

Of these guys, I think Beeter is the guy most likely to make a significant impact in 2025. Beeter could very quickly grab a job and be a back-end bullpen option as soon as mid-season. If that happens, it's likely we're talking about a 1.5-2.5 WAR reliever, which is pretty darn impactful.

David B. asks: What is your take on the Yankees['] falling farm system rankings? Does something need to be done to fix the minors now that the Yankees don't have hardly any high end prospects.

I alluded to my take above, but I'll be a bit more explicit here. The Yankee farm system, which was consistently ranked somewhere between 5 and 12 the last few seasons, has largely fallen to the middle-back end of the pack in most farm system evaluations, with just 1-3 guys considered top-100 prospects. Frankly, I expected the Yankees' farm system rankings to fall off, and they actually fell of less than I expected, as the Yankees had a very good draft and have uncovered some interesting guys in the international market, such that the upper levels are a bit thin, but the depth of the system is reasonably strong and will likely be stronger again with another draft under their belts.

In the last 5 years, the Yankees have graduated the following players who were considered either top-100 prospects, or top-5 prospects in the Yankee system:

• Anthony Volpe

• Austin Wells

• Luis Gil

• Clarke Schmidt (really, it was only 2021 that he was considered a top-100 prospect still)

Here are the guys they've traded that match the aforementioned description:

• Luis Medina

• Ken Waldichuk

• Hayden Wesneski

• Agustin Ramirez

• Kevin Alcantara

• Ezequiel Duran

• Drew Thorpe

• Roansy Contreras

That's a lot of guys who have either been traded or graduated up to the big leagues! The Yankees have had a problem converting position player prospect capital to performance at the big league level, but truthfully I think that's an issue with the big league staff, not the minor league staff.

The Yankee minor leagues are in solid shape; the Dodgers have the best development program in sports, and the Yanks aren't that, but they're not that far off either.

Steven A. asks: If you were going to pick one breakout player on the Yankees this year, who would it be?

Austin Wells, and I don't have to think about it too much. He got so, so unlucky to begin the year (his batted ball contact quality was too good and his BABIP too low to continue mediocre offensive performance) and then largely performed the way his contact quality suggested through the bulk of the summer. I think he would have won Rookie of the Year had he not gotten hurt at the end of August. He played through it, but it was clear he wasn't the same hitter for the rest of the year.

I think Wells will be an All-Star in 2025 with stellar defense and 450 well above-average at-bats against right-handed pitching. If he can even tread water against lefties, he's a star.