New York Yankees Preliminary Prospect List

by John Sickels on Dec 30, 2025 4:01 PM EST

I started off with 55 names and have that whittled down to 41. I need to cut three more. I am very, very short of space and time. I don't think I can fit Pat Venditte in this year, which disappoints me.

New York Yankees

David Adams 2B
Zoilo Almonte OF
Miguel Andujar 3B
Tyler Austin 3B
Manny Banuelos LHP
Dellin Betances RHP
Dante Bichette Jr 3B
Greg Bird C
Dan Burawa RHP
Cesar Cabral LHP
Dan Camarena LHP
Jake Cave OF
Jordan Cote RHP
Cito Culver SS
Claudio Custodio SS
Rookie Davis RHP
Matt Duran 1B
Ben Gamel OF
Angelo Gumbs 2B
Slade Heathcott OF
Jairo Heredia RHP
Corban Joseph 2B
Tommy Kahnle RHP
George Kontos RHP
Brandon Laird 3B
Melky Mesa OF
Brad Meyers RHP
Bryan Mitchell RHP
D.J. Mitchell RHP
Jesus Montero C-DH
Mark Montgomery RHP
J.R. Murphy C
David Phelps RHP
Brandon Pinder RHP
Austin Romine C
Gary Sanchez C
Ravel Santana OF
Adam Warren RHP
Phil Wetherell RHP
Chase Whitley RHP
Mason Williams OF

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Read More: Jesus Montero (DH - SEA), Austin Romine (C - NYY), George Kontos (P - NYY), Melky Mesa (RF - NYY), D.J. Mitchell (P - NYY), Brandon Laird (3B - NYY), David Adams (2B - NYY), Pat Venditte (P - NYY), Cito Culver (SS - NYY), Dellin Betances (P - NYY), Cesar Cabral (P - NYY), Manny Banuelos (P - NYY), Adam Warren (P - NYY), David Phelps (P - NYY), Corban Joseph (2B - NYY), Zoilo Almonte (LF - NYY), Dante Bichette Jr (3B - NYY)

Comments

Venditte

could you do a prospect profile on him or something one day? i would really like to know some more about him.

Adoptive father of 18th round draft pick and future ace, BRANDON ALLEN

by Nnamdi Asomugha on Dec 30, 2025 4:27 PM EST reply actions

He’s the ambidextrous pitcher right

by boltspeedman on Dec 30, 2025 5:16 PM EST reply actions

Right

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by Brandon C. on Dec 31, 2025 4:35 PM EST up reply actions

three cuts

Jairo Heredia is an instant cut for me, another shoulder surgery. On his path to being the newes Alan Horne, Chris Garcia, Humberto Sanchez, etc. Phil Wetherell would be my next cut. Finally Dan Burawa I like him, don’t get me wrong but meh. Whats up with the hate on Ramon Flores? Also no Isaias Tejada?

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 5:17 PM EST reply actions

hate

I hate very few people and Ramon Flores is not one of them. He belongs on the list and I’ll cut Heredia.

I was looking at Isaias Tejada but his defense was awful and he’s a long way off. Wetherell struck me as a big reliever who could move through the system quickly. I could swap them out but Wetherell seems to me like a guy who could repeat what Chase Whitley did last year.

by John Sickels on Dec 30, 2025 5:32 PM EST up reply actions

Flores, good deal.

Brandon Pinder and Wetherell both could move fast, but I’m favoring Wetherell. With Whitley and Kahnle on the list as well, I just think theres too many pitchers who are locked into the RP role. I might even cut Kahnle too. I really do like Whitley and Montgomery though.

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 5:48 PM EST up reply actions

When did he have another surgery?

I must have missed it. Too bad, he was having a real good bounce back season.

by cookiedabookie on Dec 30, 2025 8:59 PM EST up reply actions

Heredia

I saw it on a site he had it over the winter or at the very end of the season.

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 9:06 PM EST up reply actions

Ben Gamel made the list but Flores didn't?

Honestly don’t get the love Gamel gets.

Here’s my list…

1. Jesus Montero C
2. Manny Banuelos LHP
3. Gary Sanchez C
4. Mason Williams CF
5. Dellin Betances RHP
6. Ravel Santana CF
7. Hector Noesi RHP
8. Dante Bichette Jr 3B
9. JR Murphy C
10. Slade Heathcott CF
11. Austin Romine C
12. Adam Warren RHP
13. Brett Marshall RHP
14. Tyler Austin 3B
15. Rafeal DePaula RHP (If he was in the states right now he might be 6th for me)
16. Angelo Gumbs SS/2B/CF
17. David Phelps RHP
Hiroyuki Nakajima If he signs, then I’d throw him in here
18. Claudio Custodio SS
19. Cito Culver SS
20. Taylor Morton RHP
21. Bryan Mitchell RHP
22. Jake Cave CF
23. David Adams 2B
24. Mark Montgomery RHRP
25. Jordan Cote RHP
26. Corban Joseph 2B
27. Zoilo Almonte OF
28. DJ Mitchell RHP
29. Ramon Flores LF
30. Greg Bird C
31. Matt Duran 3B
32. Jose Rosario 2B
33. Isaias Tejada C
34. Graham Stoneburner RHP
35. Gabriel Encinas LHP
36. Wilmer Romero CF
37. Chase Whitley RHRP
38. Melky Mesa OF
39. Abraham Almonte CF
40. Jose Ramirez RHP
41. Brandon Laird 3B
42. Nik Turley LHP
43. Rob Segedin 3B
44. Ben Gamel LF
45. Brandon Pinder RHRP
46. Daniel Camarena RHP
47. Yeicok Calderon RF
48. Evan Rutckyj LHP
49. Rookie Davis RHP
50. Mikey O’Brien RHP
51. Zach Nuding RHP
52. Robert Lyerly 1B/3B
53. Daniel Burawa RHRP
54. Justin James OF
55. Daniel Lopez
56. Brett Gerritse RHP
57. Josh Romanski LHP
58. Eduardo Sosa OF
59. Caleb Cotham RHP
60. Jairo Heredia RHP
61. Connor Mullee RHRP

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 5:21 PM EST reply actions

If Hiroyuki Nakajima signs (which, I think is doubtful, really, given how they want to use him)

He’s not their 17th/18th best prospect. The NPB is a lower level of competition than the Major Leagues are, but he has a very sturdy resume and established tools.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

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by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Dec 30, 2025 9:08 PM EST up reply actions

Where would you put him?

Certainly not in the top 10, not in this system anyway.

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 9:10 PM EST up reply actions

Given, it's not really too fair to actual prospects, given he'd be a rookie, but far from a prospect

Guys who have higher ceilings but are further away and still developing aren’t going to put up the immediate stats that he’d be able to if they were both thrust into full-time starting roles with the MLB club.

Before 2011, Nakajima had a cumulative batting line of .302/.372/.482. For the 2011, when the NPB introduced the new ball that is more similar to the MLB regulation ball and stifled offense across both leagues, he hit .297/.354/.433. His defense at shortstop is sub-average to average- his natural athleticism and speed gives him good range, and he has a strong enough arm, but he sometimes gets sloppy with his throwing and makes more throwing errors than you’d want. He has some speed, steals bases, and has a historically decent stolen base percentage (134 SBs, 39 CSs). He’s 29, and will be 30 midseason, so although he’ll be beginning to decline in terms of athleticism, he’s not going to have it suddenly drop off a cliff.

If you take his .297/.354/.433 batting line with the new NPB regulation ball, regress things a bit to account for coming to the MLB, a .270/.335/.390 batting line is reasonable. Account for maybe 20 steals, and an UZR between ~~5 and 0 lets say, and he’s a 2.0 to 3.0 WAR player~~ very similar to Jimmy Rollins. All of this, of course, is if he were starting full-time, and not serving as Jeter’s caddy.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

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by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Dec 30, 2025 9:28 PM EST up reply actions

I dont think....

John considers him a prospect, since he’s 29 and has played in the Japan Leagues for years. Anyway, he hasnt signed yet, and if all that he’s going to be is a backup, I see no way he signs; he’ll just play another year in Japan, become a FA and then negotiate next year w whoever he wants to. But John might be willing to tell what grade he’d give him if he were considered a prospect.

But if he were eligible, of course he’d be in the Yanks top 10, maybe even top 6. He is an elite player and a perennial all-star in Japan, one of the best position players in the league. He’s better than Tad Iguchi, who was ranked #96 overall on BA’s 2005 list. He’s probably better even than Kaz Matsui, who was ranked #7 overall on BA’s 2004 list. BA might be a little more conservative these days in ranking Japanese players, but there arent 10 players in the Yanks system they’d consider better than him. Anyway, BA wont have to worry about this because they’ve already done the Yanks list.

Despite the new Japanese ball, which is supposed to be more like the MLB ball, he still had a great season, not too much change from his past seasons. And what BDMF didnt mention was that Japan also dimmed the lights at their stadiums this year because of the power crisis, which may have had more effect on the hitters than the new ball.

Personally, I’d give him at least a B, probably B+.

by rhd on Dec 31, 2025 12:48 AM EST up reply actions

If he was a B+

I think there would of been teams bidding on him. He got 2.5 million bid from the Yankees. He had little fanfare and his tools seem average. What would you give Darvish, A++?

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 31, 2025 8:04 AM EST up reply actions

Darvish, to me, would be an A+ prospect, yes

John’s said that, to him, an A+ pitching prospect has “four plus-plus pitches, exceptional command and control, a great body, perfect mechanics, no injury history, outstanding makeup, and a brilliant performance record”.

*He possesses multiple plus pitches.
*His command of his pitches is all there.
*He’s pretty big (6’5", 220 lbs) and athletic.
*His mechanics, as I’ve read, seem fine, and he’s made it work these past bunch of years. He doesn’t do any weird major elbow/arm things, and the twistiness he does with his legs/chest, the energy goes into the ball, not his lower back/knees.
*His injury history consists of hurting his wrist throwing the screwball (which he stopped and alleviated) way back in his career, and having shoulder, hip, and back pains in 2009, which cost him a few starts (limiting him to “only” 180 innings). The wrist problems have not plagued him every again, and are a pretty clear case of doing something wrong, stopping, and fixing the problem. His 2009 injuries, so far have not been any sort of lingering issue, nor have they, as evidenced by his 2010 and 2011 seasons, had any impact on his performance ability.
*Not too sure how make-up is different from pitch selection and physical attributes.
*His performance record speaks for itself.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest | 1st place- 2012 AAOP Contest

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Dec 31, 2025 11:06 AM EST up reply actions

Darvish

I’m not putting Darvish down at all. I think he’s going to be an excellent #2 pitcher but no way he’s an A+ Harper’s not even an A+.

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 31, 2025 3:44 PM EST up reply actions

burawa

gotta cut burawa for space. maybe a couple of others too.

David Adams 2B
Zoilo Almonte OF
Miguel Andujar 3B
Tyler Austin 3B
Manny Banuelos LHP
Dellin Betances RHP
Dante Bichette Jr 3B
Greg Bird C
Cesar Cabral LHP
Dan Camarena LHP
Jake Cave OF
Jordan Cote RHP
Cito Culver SS
Claudio Custodio SS
Rookie Davis RHP
Matt Duran 1B
Ramon Flores OF-1B
Ben Gamel OF
Angelo Gumbs 2B
Slade Heathcott OF
Corban Joseph 2B
Tommy Kahnle RHP
George Kontos RHP
Brandon Laird 3B C
Melky Mesa OF
Brad Meyers RHP
Bryan Mitchell RHP
D.J. Mitchell RHP
Jesus Montero C-DH
Mark Montgomery RHP
J.R. Murphy C
David Phelps RHP
Brandon Pinder RHP
Austin Romine C
Gary Sanchez C
Ravel Santana OF
Adam Warren RHP
Phil Wetherell RHP
Chase Whitley RHP
Mason Williams OF

by John Sickels on Dec 30, 2025 5:42 PM EST reply actions

Brett Marshall

I think Marshall should definitely be on the list. Also Taylor Morton had a nice year and could be added. Melky Mesa and one of the relievers (Wethrell or Burawa) are the two guys I would cut. Don’t know much about Andujar, but I would rather see Isaias Tejada who had a nice year then a guy who hasn’t debuted yet.

by DFarr on Dec 30, 2025 6:01 PM EST reply actions

+1 for Marshall

by rhd on Dec 30, 2025 8:54 PM EST up reply actions

+1

Marshall should be on the list. Also would like to see Nik Turley, Jose Ramirez, and Graham Stoneburner on the list. Seems too early to cut Rob Segedin. Possible cuts would be Whitely, Weatherell, Kontos.
I would trade those three out for Marshall, Turley, and Ramirez.

by cookiedabookie on Dec 30, 2025 8:56 PM EST up reply actions

Kontos

I can understand him being on the list. He’s not great and certainly not as worthy at Marshall but he’s going to be in the big leagues next year and might end make it out of ST as the mop up man until Joba is ready. Projection of the 2012 BP, Mo, K-Rob, Sori, Wade, Logan, Kontos and a long man, maybe DJ Mitchell or even Garcia if we get a legit #2 somehow.

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 9:08 PM EST up reply actions

Fair enough

switch Kontos with Melky Mesa.

by cookiedabookie on Dec 31, 2025 1:32 PM EST up reply actions

Melky

Yeah I never was a fan of Melky v1 or Melky v2. I would like to see how he does in ST though. Who do you like more Mesa or Z. Almonte?

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 31, 2025 3:46 PM EST up reply actions

Z

by John Sickels on Dec 31, 2025 4:07 PM EST up reply actions

Almonte

And it isn’t really close for me.

by cookiedabookie on Dec 31, 2025 5:24 PM EST up reply actions

+1

for Marshall and Morton over Mesa and Whitley.

Morton could be flipped with a lot of arms in the low minors though: Nik Turley, Evan Rutckyj, Gabe Encinas, Evan DeLuca, and Mikey O’Brien. Morton was far more dominant than the others in the past season though (aside from Turley who got shut down in July).

I also have always like Stoneburner and I know the injury hurts a lot, but it would be nice to see him on the list still.

Jairo Heredia and Isais Tejeda would be the next two but I just don’t see space for them.

by sjkqw on Dec 30, 2025 11:58 PM EST up reply actions

Another #1 for Marshall.

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by Frank Campagnola on Dec 31, 2025 3:12 PM EST up reply actions

+1*

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by Frank Campagnola on Dec 31, 2025 3:13 PM EST up reply actions

Andujar

was the Yankees big get in this year’s IFA market. I don’t know too much about him either.

by TheHughesUnit on Dec 30, 2025 6:05 PM EST reply actions

Venditte

Really hope he makes it to the majors some day. Met him while he was playing in Staten Island. Nice guy, got an autograph from him. He write with his Right hand btw.

by Metsfan on Dec 30, 2025 8:38 PM EST reply actions

Danny Lopez...

should be on, too. Very good stats, age-appropriate, and apparently has great speed (9.4 Speed rating at Fangraphs, along w 27 SBs in 208 ABs). Good size at 6’2" for a CFer.

I’d also consider Turley and Abe Almonte.

by rhd on Dec 30, 2025 9:26 PM EST reply actions

Gamel

Gamel and Andujar can go IMO. Can’t see having a non-elite guy like Andujar over guys who have actually played and Gamel is too much of a tweener to me.
Add in speedster Daniel Lopez and someone like Tejada or former 50th round draft pick Nick Turley.

by TheClaymore on Dec 31, 2025 4:44 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Agree on Nik Turley

Turley has become one of my favorite Yankees sleeper prospects this year. He is a 6’7" lefty with a low 90s fastball. He was drafted in the 50th and final round of 2008, but signed for sixth round money, $125,000, to break his commitment to BYU. He has moved along slowly in the Yankees system. This year, as a 21 year old in Charleston, he had a 3.53 FIP, a 9.0 K/9, and a 3.90 K/BB. He made two starts in Tampa before a broken hand from a line drive during his second start there ended his season prematurely. I expect big things from him in Tampa next year.

by cookiedabookie on Dec 31, 2025 5:27 PM EST up reply actions