This Yankees Left-Hander Is One of the Hottest Pitching Prospects in Baseball

Several top prospects within the Yankees' farm system have gotten off to hot starts this season. 

We've seen Estevan Florial already make the jump to Triple-A, knocking on the door of a big-league promotion. Deivi García continues to develop before securing a full-time role in the Bronx. And names like Trevor Hauver and Luis Medina have produced some jaw-dropping numbers. 

When it comes to the pitchers, however, nobody has started the 2021 minor league season as well as Ken Waldichuk down in High-A.

The left-hander—ranked as New York's No. 27 prospect by MLB Pipeline—has posted a pristine 0.00 ERA over his first 10 innings of the year. He's allowed just six hits while walking five batters.

He's been so dominant for the Hudson Valley Renegades that Waldichuk was named in MLB.com's Prospect Team of the Week. Here's MLB's Jim Callis with more:

An unheralded fifth-round pick out of St. Mary's in 2019, Waldichuk blew away Rookie-ball hitters in his pro debut and is doing the same to High-A competition. He recorded all 10 of his outs Tuesday via strikeout and added seven more in four scoreless innings on Sunday to equal Reds right-hander Hunter Greene for the most whiffs among Top 30 Prospects last week. Waldichuk has worked 10 scoreless innings this season, giving up just 11 baserunners while striking out 19.

Waldichuk was also listed as one of the hottest pitching prospects in baseball entering this week by Baseball America.

Those 19 strikeouts have come across three outings, but one stands out in particular. On May 11, all 10 outs Waldichuk recorded over 3.1 innings pitched came via the strikeout. 

MLB Pipeline lists 2022 as Waldichuk's estimated time of arrival to the big leagues. At just 23 years old, with other pitching prospects ahead of him within the organization, next year may be a tad too soon to project a promotion past Triple-A. If he can continue to pitch like this, however, don't be surprised if this southpaw starts to climb through New York's system as quick as his fastball.

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• Yankees Need More Than Hope on Left Side of the Plate

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