Yankees Minor League Baseball Blog

John Sickels put out his new Yankees Top 20 prospect list.  Good stuff as always and there’s no surprise that Jesus Montero tops the list here again.  This should be his last time on the list as he should play for the Yankees for the entire season.  Gary Sanchez, another catcher, comes in at number two but he’s only 18 so there’s plenty of time to see what he can do.

From, there, we get into the B’s.  Manny Banuelos (LHP), Dellin Betances (RHP) and Mason Williams (OF) round out the top five.    Banuelos and Betances are close to making their debuts and you could see them with the Yankees in 2012.

I’m a little late with this but in November, Baseball America, published their Yankees top ten prospects list.  While the Yankees will be competing for another title in 2011, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of home grown talent they have in the mix.

Catcher Jesus Montero is the guy everyone is talking about and he tops the list.  With Jorge Posada slowing becoming more of a DH so you could be looking at the Yankees catcher in 2011.  He doesn’t have much more to prove in the minors after a top notch campaign in Scranton so the team either has make room for him or deal him for pitching like they’ve been trying.

Ironically number two is also a catcher, although it’s one who’s a lot further away from making his big league debut.  Gary Sanchez split time at the Yankees’ two short season squad and had good seasons at both.  He’s young (just turned 18) and he’ll make his full season debut this year with the RiverDogs.

Number three is the top pitching prospect, Dellin Betances.  The right hander is getting close after a stint in Double-A last year and he should be ready to play for the Yankees in 2012.  This year, he’ll probably start back at Trenton but we’ll probably see him at Scranton sometime soon.  Manny Banuelos (left handed pitcher, probably about a year away) and Andrew Brackman (could see himself in a Yankees uniform this year as a right handed pitcher) round out the top five.