The Yankees are routinely one of the best-run organizations in the sport, but this time around, their farm system has dipped slightly compared to last year. There are plenty of reasons for this. They're one of the few teams unafraid to trade prospects, and they graduated several this season. On top of that, a few key prospects took steps back, with Spencer Jones leading the list. During spring training, it looked like Jones had figured out his swing, but once the season started, major contact issues emerged. Jasson Domínguez, "The Martian," also regressed from where he was a year ago. On the positive side, the Yankees added quality arms through the draft, going hard after the college pitching demographic. This is an organization that excels at optimizing pitchers through its "Gas Station" pitching lab. The Yankees' ability to leverage their farm system to upgrade their major league team is commendable, and this current batch of talent could be key if they aim to make a big offseason move to strengthen their World Series chances.
About Our Top 20 Lists
Prospects Live, led by its evaluating team & Director of Scouting Rhys White, is proud to begin rolling out its annual offseason system reports. The team combines industry feedback, our live looks, film, and available data to compile each org. We believe this effort has enabled us to present you, the reader, with our best possible view of the prospects in the organization.
We have constructed this list using the Overall Future Potential (OFP) scale. There is no perfect equation for ranking prospects or assigning value to them, but we believe this method is the best possible approach. Every prospect on this list has been graded based on the tried and true 20-80 scouting scale. An 80 is the highest tool and OFP grade on the scale, reserved for MVP-caliber players or tools. Conversely, a 20 is reserved for non-prospects (NPs). A 50 OFP falls in the middle, indicating our evaluators deem this player a future average major league player. Below the 50 OFP tier are the 45s and 40s, comprising a large majority of players on each list. These are specific-role players, such as platoon hitters, utility players, or low-leverage relievers. Above the 50 OFP tier are the 55s and 60s. A 55 represents a future above-average player, and a 60 OFP designation is reserved for future All-Star caliber players.
In addition to the tool grades and OFP, we will also include a 'Risk' associated with each prospect. We use this to better communicate to you, the reader, whether a grade is more aggressive or conservative in nature. The evaluation team has worked hard to apply both the grades and risk components to better illustrate how each individual prospect stacks up in their respective system and in the baseball ecosystem.
Below you'll find the top 5 players in the system with a full report for the #1 prospect in the system. The full rankings and scouting reports on all top 20 prospects per team will be available on our Patreon at the 55-tier ($5) as we publish them. We’ll also have additional content on Patreon for each team: Honorable Mentions, Top 10 players 25 years and under, and Team MLB Dynasty Rankings.
Top 5 Team Rank and Scouting Report for #1 System Prospect Below
1. Jasson Domínguez, OF
DOB: 2/7/2023, HT: 5-10, WT: 190, H/T: S/R, Acquired: 2019 IFA
Highest Level: MLB, ETA: 2023, Rule V: 40-Man
OFP: 50
Hit: 50, Power: 60, Field: 45, Throw: 55, Run: 55
Risk: Extreme
Scouting Report:
The Martian made his major league debut last year but suffered a right UCL tear in September, which shut down his season. After recovering from Tommy John surgery, he was activated but then suffered a left oblique injury in June, just four games later. He is now 30 at-bats away from graduating from prospect status. Domínguez remains the same athlete he has been since coming stateside, built like an old-school fullback or linebacker. As a switch-hitter, he generates similar plus-plus bat speed from both sides of the plate. His setup is simple: a slight leg kick and a quick bat through the zone. The left-handed swing has more loft than the right-handed one, which tends to get pretty linear, resulting in less impact upon contact and more line drives and ground balls. The left-handed swing, however, has effortless plus-plus power. Domínguez makes solid swing decisions but has some issues chasing pitches out of the zone, especially vertically inclined breaking balls and changeups. He has average range for a center fielder in the outfield with solid jumps, although his reads off the bat can be a bit dicey. Ultimately, he’s likely to move to a corner outfield spot, and the fact that he couldn’t beat out Alex Verdugo for a spot there says a lot about how the Yankees view him. His arm was plus before Tommy John surgery, but it has since scaled down a grade. Jasson Domínguez is one of the highest-profile and most divisive prospects in recent memory. Once considered a sure-fire Hall of Famer, his prospect stock has fluctuated wildly, and he has now settled in as a 50 OFP prospect. He should become a 25-28 homer threat with above-average speed and arm strength, ultimately becoming a below-average defender in a corner outfield position. - Rhys White
Fantasy Spin:
Now a prospect in name only, the Martian has settled prominently somewhere in the creamy middle of the lofty expectations unfairly thrust upon him in his youth – Mickey Mantle, he is not. Still, you should gladly settle for some mix of Randy Arozarena, peak Andrew McCutchen, and peak Carlos Gonzalez. Our prospect rating tool, PLive+, still adores Domínguez, scoring him at 151, good for the ninth-highest mark of any prospect batter in 2024, and projects him for a .271/.349/.453 slash line with 20-plus home runs and 20-plus stolen bases per season, though I personally still value the Martian closer to Rhys’ mark of 25-28 dingers in a year. If the 2024 stat line (even combined through four levels, including MLB) scares you, consider Domínguez missed a ton of time and still produced counting stats projected towards his 2023 levels. He’s a top-ten prospect across the industry when he’s ranked, and I’ve got him towards the tippy-top of my list – our team slotted Domínguez 4th of 500 at the end of the 2024 season. – Drew Wheeler