New York Yankees: 1st-Quarter Stock Up, Stock Down for Top 10 Prospects in 2014
May 12, 2014 · Peter F. Richman · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The New York Yankees (19-17, 2nd AL East) and their minor league affiliates have just wrapped up the first quarter of the 2014 season, and every rung of the organization has reached at least the 35-game mark.
A month-and-a-half of baseball has unfortunately—and much too rapidly—begun to resemble the ever-changing personnel in 2013 that ultimately missed the playoffs. But the best news is that the Bombers still remain in prime position to make a midseason, and late-season, push for the postseason. Because, despite plenty of injuries to, and shuffling of, the Bronx pitching staff, it has been New York’s timely hitting that has continued to bail the club out and preserve its perch near the top of the AL East.
Since the start of the season, we’ve updated the stock reports for the top 10 prospects—including a one-month update following April and weekly updates since Opening Day—that have provided various glimpses into the progress, value and outlook of top young talent. And some of the top players, like catcher John Ryan Murphy (No. 3), center fielder Slade Heathcott (No. 2) and catcher Gary Sanchez (No. 1), could not only put together breakout performances the next short years, but could also significantly impact the big league club.
Only one top-10 prospect (Murphy) has made large contributions to the big league team in 2014, but it remains crucial to keep tabs on the best young organizational talent. The Yankees can both project their rising stars while looking ahead to open roles in 2015, and they can continue to determine who’s already MLB-ready in order to be prepared should more injuries create further major league roster needs.
Based on individual stats and trends from recent seasons, 2014 first-quarter performances and outlooks for each player’s fit and production in the bigs, the following breaks down the first-quarter stock of all top-10 Yankees prospects.
NYY Organizational Roundup for 2014 1st Quarter
(MLB, AL East) New York Yankees: 19-17, 2nd
(AAA, IL North) SWB RailRiders: 19-16, 3rd
(AA, EL Eastern) Trenton Thunder: 23-14, 2nd
(A, FSL North) Tampa Yankees: 16-19, 4th
(A, SAL Southern) Charelston RiverDogs: 19-16, 4th
(SS, NYPL McNamara) SI Yankees: N/A; season begins June 13, 2014 vs. Brooklyn.
*Top 10 rankings in this report refer to a start-of-the-season breakdown from Apr. 3, 2014.
**All statistics updated through game action on May 11, 2014 and courtesy of milb.com, baseball-reference.com and yankees.com unless noted otherwise.
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