Clint Frazier, Dillon Tate and Gleyber TorresPhoto: AP (2); Getty Images
If a baseball player, by himself, grew as strong in a week’s time as the Yankees’ farm system just did, then there would be calls to test for illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
By trading Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs, Andrew Miller to the Indians and Carlos Beltran to the Rangers, with two players to be named later coming from the Pirates in return for Ivan Nova, the Yankees infused their system with a plethora of talent, much of it highly regarded by the industry.
“Middle of the pack to top five,” was the anonymous assessment by one opposing general manager of how high the Yankees’ minor leagues rose thanks to their transactions. Two talent evaluators from other clubs agreed with that evaluation.
Jim Callis, who writes about amateur and minor-league talent for MLB.com andMLBPipline.com, said he had the Yankees’ farm system ranked between 11 and 15 in the preseason. He intends to publish a new, post-deadline rankings on Wednesday and said the Yankees will be “at or near the top” of those.
Baseball America ranked the Yankees 16th before the season and 18th the prior two years. John Manuel, BA’s editor, said he now regarded the Yankees as having a top-five system.
“They have a strong core of position players: [Gary] Sanchez, [Jorge] Mateo, Frazier, [Aaron] Judge and [Blake] Rutherford, plus young depth like Wilkerman Garcia and Dermis Garcia, Miguel Andujar, Tyler Wade, etc.,” Manuel wrote in an email.
“On the mound, the Yankees still lack depth. Sheffield becomes their top pitching prospect with [James] Kaprielian still banged up and [Luis] Severino no longer prospect/rookie eligible, and Tate slots behind Kaprielian; Ian Clarkin, and a couple of other arms like Domingo Acevedo are interesting, but New York is unbalanced, position prospect-heavy right now. I like the system and the moves they made, but it’s not the number one system for me.”
NEW YORK — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke with reporters at Citi Field on Monday, hours after the trade deadline passed and his club had sent right fielder Carlos Beltran to the Rangers and starting pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pirates.
Here are 7 takeaways from Cashman:
1.) WANTED TO SELL ALL ALONG: Cashman said he knew what he wanted to do before the deadline passed at 4 p.m. for some time, but that his club losing three straight to the lowly Rays over the weekend pushed team executives, including owner Hal Steinbrenner, to sell.
2.) "EXTREME" RETURN: The Yankees were prepared to keep Beltran, Cashman said. He said that Steinbrenner didn't approve the deal that jettisoned the 39-year-old, soon-to-be free agent until 2:30 p.m. The Yankees only made the deal because, Cashman said, they got an "extreme' return. Dillon Tate, a 22-year-old righty, was headliner of the package of prospects they received. Tate was Texas' No. 4 overall pick last year.
3.) PLAYING THE KIDS: Top prospects Aaron Judge, a right fielder, and Gary Sanchez, a catcher, and former top prospect Tyler Austin were among the leading candidates to help the Yankees fill the hole left by Beltran's absence, Cashman said. That's a huge shift in thinking for the Yankees, a team with a long history of old, veteran lineups. Suffering from a left knee mild PCL sprain and bone bruise for three weeks, Judge is set to come off the disabled list Tuesday, Cashman said. According to MLB.com, Judge is the Yankees' No. 4 overall prospect and Sanchez is No. 5. Ranked by MLB.com as the game's 75th best prospect before the 2013 season, Austin has mashed at Double-A and Triple-A (combined .287 BA, 17 homers and a .914 OPS) and forced his way on the prospect map as a corner outfield and first base option.
4.) FIXING TATE: Cashman called Tate a big-time buy-low candidate. At UC Santa-Barbara, Tate's fastball was in the high-90s and he flashed a plus breaking ball. That stuff lasted until this season, where his fastball velocity has dropped to between 93 mph and 95 mph and he's put up a 5.40 ERA in Low-A. Tate will head to Low-A Charleston for the Yankees, where he'll immediately go into the bullpen. While there, he'll work closely with minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell to refine his mechanics, Cashman said.
5.) A-ROD: Nothing has change in regard to Rodriguez's status, the GM said. Recently, Cashman said the Yankees weren't considering cutting the struggling 40-year-old. Rodriguez has been terrible, losing his full-time DH role and turning into a full-time bench player. He's hit .205 with nine homers and 29 RBI in 61 games. He's got a year and $20 million remaining on his deal and there are legitimate questions as to whether the Yankees should eat the rest of his contract and release him if he's going to continue to be unproductive. He certainly doesn't fit into the team's long-term plan of getting younger and more athletic.
6.) HERE COME THE JUDGE? Cashman said Judge has played his way into big-league consideration. If Judge returns from the disabled list and picks up where he left off, Cashamn said, he'll get a shot. Judge was hitting .261 with 16 homers and 54 RBI at Triple-A before his injury.
7.) NO APOLOGIES FOR SELLING: Cashman said the Yankees recognize that they need to look toward the future. They don't need to forget about the present and hope they can surprise some times, but, Cashman said, their history of winning makes becoming sellers all the more permissible. ""We've been contending for a long time, and we're damn proud of that," he said. "That's a hell of a run. That run of contention and being legitimately considered a team that could win a championship on a year-in, year-out basis has gone on for a long time. There's, from my perspective, no shame in anything we've tried to address today."
Brian Cashman struck again, this time landing the Rangers Top 5 prospect Dillon Tate for veteran Carlos Beltran.
Brian Cashman continued his raid of top prospects, making yet another haul as the 2016 deadline came to a close. This time he shipped off veteran Carlos Beltran for three Texas Rangers prospects, including last year’s fourth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Dillon Tate.
Tate is the 6-foot-2, 165 pound right-hander out of UC Santa Barbara. His collegiate career saw him excel in two roles, closing out games in 2014 while transitioning into a top line starter in 2015. As a closer, he went 2-1 with 12 saves, striking out 46 and walking 17 over 43.1 innings pitched, posting a stingy 1.45 ERA. The following year as a starter, he went 8-5, striking out 111 over 103.1 innings while walking just 28. He posted another impressive ERA of 2.26.
Tate is light, so he does throw with some effort. Here is his delivery, one is which he has been able to be relatively consistent with, in a video from FanGraphs.
The Rangers kept him as a starter and the then-21 year old found his way to Low-A Hickory by the end of his 2015 half season debut. He struggled this season in Hickory as a full time starter, going 3-3 with a 5.12 ERA behind a 55-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has been hit hard, as opponents have registered a .376 BABIP on a .311 BAA, but he has kept the ball in the park, allowing only five home runs.
Much of his struggles have been from a bum hamstring he suffered in April, because he has two pitches that are well advanced for the Sally. He has a mid to high-90s fastball and a devastating slider that bites in the high-80s, but have been a bit inconsistent since the early season injury. When he regains full form, he is usually in command of his pitches, maintaining their velocity and movement with ease. He has an improved changeup, but still needs work for him to be a successful top end starter at the advanced levels of minor league ball.
Last season was a grind for Tate, the longest of his career, so a slight fall off this season shouldn’t be too worrisome. He adds yet another elite prospect to the rebuilding Yankeesfarm system. With two advanced pitches already, the Yankees could toy with him out of the bullpen, especially with the recent departures of Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller and bullpen arms being a need. Still, the Yankees will likely see what Tate has in the rotation before making any decisions.
Joining him in the Bronx will be his Hickory teammate Eric Swanson. Swanson is a 22-year old right hander that was putting together a nice season in Hickory despite a few bumpy starts of late. The 2014 seventh rounder — who stands at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds — was 6-4 for the Crawdads, posting a 3.43 ERA and 78-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 81.1 innings consisting of 15 starts and four relief appearances. He is coming off an injury-riddled 2015 that saw him pitch at least an inning at four levels (including Triple-A), but only appearing in ten total games, all out of the bullpen.
Nick Green was also added into the trade. Green is 21 years old and was the Rangers seventh rounder in the 2014 MLB Draft. The 6-foot-1, 165 pound right-hander has not made it out of Rookie ball in his three professional seasons, currently pitching for Spokane in the Northwest League. He has a 6-8 record over three seasons, sporting a 5.15 ERA, striking out 85 and walking 45 over 108 career innings.
Swanson could provide some nice organizational depth in a farm system that is thriving right now (seriously, Scranton-Wilkes/Barre, Trenton and Tampa all have at least 60 wins and are at least 20 games over .500, while the Charleston RiverDogs were the Sally Southern first half winners), but Tate is the clear steal of the trade here. Brian Cashman has revamped this farm system in a matter of days, and their top ten prospects are a smorgasbord of top-flight talent from different teams.
The days of the Yankees farm system being an afterthought are long gone, and Tate’s addition may just make them the best in the game.
NEW YORK — Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke with reporters at Citi Field on Monday, hours after the trade deadline passed and his club had sent right fielder Carlos Beltran to the Rangers and starting pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pirates.
Here are 7 takeaways from Cashman:
1.) WANTED TO SELL ALL ALONG: Cashman said he knew what he wanted to do before the deadline passed at 4 p.m. for some time, but that his club losing three straight to the lowly Rays over the weekend pushed team executives, including owner Hal Steinbrenner, to sell.
2.) "EXTREME" RETURN: The Yankees were prepared to keep Beltran, Cashman said. He said that Steinbrenner didn't approve the deal that jettisoned the 39-year-old, soon-to-be free agent until 2:30 p.m. The Yankees only made the deal because, Cashman said, they got an "extreme' return. Dillon Tate, a 22-year-old righty, was headliner of the package of prospects they received. Tate was Texas' No. 4 overall pick last year.
3.) PLAYING THE KIDS: Top prospects Aaron Judge, a right fielder, and Gary Sanchez, a catcher, and former top prospect Tyler Austin were among the leading candidates to help the Yankees fill the hole left by Beltran's absence, Cashman said. That's a huge shift in thinking for the Yankees, a team with a long history of old, veteran lineups. Suffering from a left knee mild PCL sprain and bone bruise for three weeks, Judge is set to come off the disabled list Tuesday, Cashman said. According to MLB.com, Judge is the Yankees' No. 4 overall prospect and Sanchez is No. 5. Ranked by MLB.com as the game's 75th best prospect before the 2013 season, Austin has mashed at Double-A and Triple-A (combined .287 BA, 17 homers and a .914 OPS) and forced his way on the prospect map as a corner outfield and first base option.
4.) FIXING TATE: Cashman called Tate a big-time buy-low candidate. At UC Santa-Barbara, Tate's fastball was in the high-90s and he flashed a plus breaking ball. That stuff lasted until this season, where his fastball velocity has dropped to between 93 mph and 95 mph and he's put up a 5.40 ERA in Low-A. Tate will head to Low-A Charleston for the Yankees, where he'll immediately go into the bullpen. While there, he'll work closely with minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell to refine his mechanics, Cashman said.
5.) A-ROD: Nothing has change in regard to Rodriguez's status, the GM said. Recently, Cashman said the Yankees weren't considering cutting the struggling 40-year-old. Rodriguez has been terrible, losing his full-time DH role and turning into a full-time bench player. He's hit .205 with nine homers and 29 RBI in 61 games. He's got a year and $20 million remaining on his deal and there are legitimate questions as to whether the Yankees should eat the rest of his contract and release him if he's going to continue to be unproductive. He certainly doesn't fit into the team's long-term plan of getting younger and more athletic.
6.) HERE COME THE JUDGE? Cashman said Judge has played his way into big-league consideration. If Judge returns from the disabled list and picks up where he left off, Cashamn said, he'll get a shot. Judge was hitting .261 with 16 homers and 54 RBI at Triple-A before his injury.
7.) NO APOLOGIES FOR SELLING: Cashman said the Yankees recognize that they need to look toward the future. They don't need to forget about the present and hope they can surprise some times, but, Cashman said, their history of winning makes becoming sellers all the more permissible. ""We've been contending for a long time, and we're damn proud of that," he said. "That's a hell of a run. That run of contention and being legitimately considered a team that could win a championship on a year-in, year-out basis has gone on for a long time. There's, from my perspective, no shame in anything we've tried to address today."
We dodged a bullet with the lack of severity of Judges injury. I hope they dont rush him back b/c that can get serious real fast.
We dodged a bullet with the lack of severity of Judges injury. I hope they dont rush him back b/c that can get serious real fast.
He's coming off the DL today. Apparently it wasn't very serious at all. He's been working out over a week and taking BP. I don't know how long it will take him to get his stroke back, but once he does he could be in NY pretty fast. That's the impression I got last night from Cashman's statement. Sanchez will be coming up tomorrow. I think Tyler Austin should be up and given a chance to show what he can do at 1st base too. The kid deserves at least a look, even though Bird's the heir to Tex there. Austin can also play both corner outfield spots and even 3rd in an emergency. Let these guys at least get their feet wet now. It can only help going into next year.
BG was thinking about you with all these trades for prospects.....you must be in baseball heaven pal!!
lol Craner, longtime. I just made a post about you the other day ! Nothing good, I promise. I thought you were driving Trump's bus around. lol
It's probably going to be a lean couple of years but they've picked up some talented young pieces. If some of them pan out they could have a nice base for when they get under the luxury tax limit in a couple years and Hal's ready to spend some money again. There's a great FA class after that 2018 season.
Always good to hear from you my friend. Stay well.
