The Yankees’ farm system is in a period of transition.
Several of their top prospects from recent years, including Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells, graduated to the MLB level.
Others were included in trades, like Drew Thorpe was last winter in the Yankees’ blockbuster for Juan Soto.
Players like Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira, meanwhile, were once considered among MLB’s top 100 prospects but have since slipped out of most analysts’ rankings.
Those are all factors in why the Yankees did not receive much representation in the latest round of preseason prospect lists.
MLB Pipeline, The Athletic and Baseball America all released their top 100 MLB prospect rankings within the last week, and none featured more than two Yankee farmhands.
Jasson Domínguez came in at No. 21 for MLB Pipeline; No. 22 for The Athletic’s Keith Law; and No. 28 for Baseball America.
George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2023, ranked No. 88 for Baseball America list and No. 98 for Law.
No other Yankee cracked those lists.
Domínguez, too, is set to graduate from prospect status soon, with the Yankees hoping the 21-year-old switch-hitter can win a spot in their outfield.
Nicknamed “the Martian” for his out-of-this-world skill set, Domínguez signed with the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic for $5.1 million in 2019. Domínguez flashed during a brief MLB call-up in September of 2023, hitting four home runs in eight games before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery.
Domínguez was productive at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during an injury-plagued 2024, but he struggled at the MLB level, hitting .179 with two home runs and a .617 OPS in 56 at-bats.
“Domínguez’s electric bat speed and prodigious strength give him well-above-average raw power from both sides of the plate, though he has done more damage as a lefty hitter throughout his pro career,” reads MLB Pipeline’s scouting report.
“After showing a disciplined approach that bordered on passive at times in the past, he was much more aggressive in 2024, getting more pull-happy and chasing more pitches out of the zone. He’s at his best when he lets his pop come naturally.”
Lombard, meanwhile, is a 20-year-old shortstop who hit .231 with five home runs and a .672 OPS across 110 games with the Yankees’ Single-A and High-A affiliates.
Despite that modest production, Law wrote that “under the hood there’s quite a bit to like” about Lombard, who dealt with a hamstring injury last year.
“He did make some hard contact that didn’t show up in his stat line, topping out at 110 mph, and there is still a ton of projection on his 6-2 (or taller) frame to come into more bat speed and eventually in-game power,” Law wrote. “He just wasn’t ready for full-season ball.”
Like Lombard, many of the Yankees’ most intriguing prospects are not close to the majors.
Last week, the Yankees signed 16-year-old shortstop Mani Cedeno out of the Dominican Republic for $2.5 million. Cedeno, whom MLB Pipeline ranked as its No. 11 international prospect this year, is lauded among scouts for his bat speed, athleticism and upside.
In 2022, the Yankees signed another teenage shortstop, Roderick Arias, out of the Dominican Republic for $4 million. Arias was considered the No. 1 international prospect in that year’s class.
Now 20, Arias hit .233 with 13 home runs, a .728 OPS and 37 stolen bases with Single-A Tampa last year.
Lefty-swinging outfielder Spencer Jones, meanwhile, saw his stock take a hit after an uneven 2024.
Originally a 2022 first-round pick, Jones finished last season with a .259 average, 17 homers, a .788 OPS and 25 stolen bases with Double-A Somerset. Those numbers look better, however, when considering Jones hit .205 with two home runs and a .594 OPS through 37 games.
“I think I grew up a lot towards the end of the season, as far as mentally, with my performance and the way things went,” Jones, 23, said on YES Network’s “Yankees Hot Stove” this month. “Just handling the roller-coaster season that it was and growing through it, I think that I’m in a great spot now.”
Midway through last season, MLB Pipeline ranked the Yankees’ farm system 18th among MLB teams. That was fourth in the American League East, behind the Tampa Bay Rays (No. 1), Baltimore Orioles (No. 3) and Boston Red Sox (No. 7).
MLB Pipeline has not released its 2025 preseason farm system rankings, but the Rays, Orioles and Red Sox each had entries toward the top of the individual prospect list.
The Red Sox did particularly well, with Law ranking Triple-A shortstop Roman Anthony as his No. 1 prospect. MLB Pipeline ranked Anthony second, behind only newly signed Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Boston’s Kristian Williams and Marcelo Mayer also made MLB Pipeline’s top 12, while both cracked Law’s top 28. Anthony, Williams and Mayer are all projected to make their MLB debuts this season.
While the Yankees don’t boast that kind of top-end depth nearing the majors, they do have a recent track record of homegrown success. Luis Gil won AL Rookie of the Year last season, while Wells was a finalist. Volpe won a Gold Glove in 2023.
The Yankees prioritized college pitchers in last year’s draft, using 12 of their 20 picks on players who fit that profile. Among them were their first-round pick, Alabama’s Ben Hess, and their second-rounder, Vanderbilt’s Bryce Cunningham.
MAYZA MOVES ON
Tim Mayza‘s Yankees tenure has come to an end.
The left-handed reliever reached a one-year, $1.15 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to MLB.com.
A seven-year MLB veteran, Mayza signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees last July after being released by the Blue Jays. He pitched to a 4.00 ERA over 18 innings with the Yankees in the regular season, then did not allow a run in three postseason appearances.
The Yankees do not have a left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster but could bring back Tim Hill, who remains a free agent after posting a 2.05 ERA in 44 innings with the club last year.