DEEP COVER
Trade does little to wither Yankees fertile farm crop
T HE YANKEES said goodbye to last year’s touted first-round pick. Gone is another first-rounder, a reclamation project who was posting a 2.62 ERA in High-A. Dealt away is an outfield prospect who was emerging even as the competition got stiffer in Double-A.
Shipping off a few prospects also served to show off just how deep the Yankees go.
In trading away Blake Rutherford, Ian Clarkin and Tito Polo in the deal with the White Sox on Tuesday night that netted Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle, the Yankees’ farm system clearly took a hit — but more graze than direct shot, according to prospect gurus.
A system that MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus had as the second best in baseball entering the season hasn’t dropped far, if at all.
“It takes some time to kind of stack the systems against each other,” Jim Callis, a prospect expert with MLB Pipeline, said by phone. “I still think there’s no question the Yankees have a top-three farm system in baseball, along with the Braves and White Sox, whatever order you want to put them.
“I don’t think there’s even question the Yankees definitely have the deepest farm system. I do our Yankees top-30 prospect list, and I’m not saying this with any sense of hyperbole: I can easily rank 40 or 45 Yankees who belong on most top-30 lists. Their farm system is ridiculous. If you stretch the definition to include guys I kind of like and can see them making the top-30 list some day, you might be able to pull that number up to 50 or 60.”
Jeffrey Paternostro, a senior prospect writer of Baseball Prospectus, echoed the thought.
“This stuff ebbs and flows,” Paternostro said. “They graduated [Aaron] Judge and [Clint] Frazier — not officially yet, but he’ll probably get enough at-bats [to no longer be considered a prospect]. I think they’re still a top-five farm system just because there’s so much depth there.”
Rutherford, the jewel of the blockbuster, was the 18th-overall pick in 2016, a 19-year-old who was holding his own in Low-A Charleston. A toolsy lefthanded hitter, Rutherford’s only true concern was power, having hit just two home runs in 279 at-bats this season — which would be problematic for someone who projects as a corner outfielder. Still, a consensus top-flight prospect who was maturing — and Polo, who was tearing up Double-A — was deemed expendable primarily because of the players he would have to leapfrog.
Judge is an outfield fixture, Frazier looks like one and Dustin Fowler is on the mend. But it doesn’t stop there. Rutherford was not the most impressive, statwise, on his own Charleston team. Estevan Florial, a 19-year-old left-handed hitter who projects as a corner outfielder, was slashing .288/.367/.484 entering Friday, with 11 home runs and 15 steals.
“Florial, along with Rutherford, is one of the most amazing, exciting young outfielders in the minors. Jorge Mateo in all likelihood winds up in the outfield,” Callis said. “Jake Cave has had a pretty good year in the upper minors. He’s ready to fill in if needed. [Tyler] Wade. They just got one of the best outfielders in the international market in Everson Pereira.”
Pereira, whom Baseball America listed as the fourth-best international prospect, reportedly signed for $1.5 million out of Venezuela earlier this month. They also inked Anthony Garcia of the Dominican Republic, an outfielder ranked as the 28th-best prospect in this year’s international freeagent class. As much as the Yankees liked Rutherford and Polo, they have given themselves so many outfield options to turn into major league players, either through rising through the system or additional trades.
In Clarkin’s case, the Yankees stood to lose him, anyway. The 22year-old has dealt with injury after injury since being a 2013 first-round pick, and would have been eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 draft if the Yankees did not protect him on the 40man roster. Which, because of that depth, likely would not have happened.
Still, losing three quality prospects would be difficult for any system to absorb. The Yankees, though, may be the exception.
“The Yankees’ system is so loaded,” Callis said, “that they can afford to maybe trade a little more than other teams might be comfortable with.”