4 Yankees Make ESPN’s Top 100 Prospects List
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel released his top 100 prospects list on Tuesday, and it includes four Yankees.
Unsurprisingly, Anthony Volpe leads the group of Baby Bombers. McDaniel ranked the shortstop sixth overall and compared him to Blue Jays star Bo Bichette. McDaniel also said the 20-year-old “projects as [a] top-10 shortstop.” Here’s more from McDaniel on Volpe:
The biggest change is his power development -- in raw power, loft in his swing, and the in-game utility of it. Lots of offseason work and fine-tuning from the Yankees' player development helped this happen, and the scouting department beat 29 other teams recognizing the elite makeup that could help ordinary tools develop into a potential star package. He now projects as top-10 shortstop, a 3-to-5 WAR, potential multi-time All-Star due to the broad number of ways he can add value. In high school, he looked nothing like Bo Bichette did in high school -- they had almost opposite swings -- but now Volpe kind of looks like the current version of Bichette.
Volpe wasn’t the only Yankees shortstop prospect to crack ESPN’s list. Oswald Peraza came in at No. 25 after a stellar 2021 campaign. McDaniel expects him to start the season at Triple-A after splitting last season at High-A, Double-A and Triple A.
Jasson Dominguez, the Yankees’ most well-known prospect, ranked 32nd. McDaniel said that the 19-year-old center fielder has shed some weight and simplified his swing following his first season of professional baseball.
Finally, Everson Pereira, another center fielder, placed 69th on the list. McDaniel noted that the 20-year-old, who has not played above High-A, is going to strikeout a lot and could be destined for right field. However, Pereira has impressive power and could be in for another big season after hitting 20 homers with a .303 average last year.
MORE:
- Yankees Won't Be Only Team Pursuing This Shortstop
- MLB Insider Suggests Yankees Include Chris Bassitt, Ramón Laureano in Matt Olson Trade Package
- Luke Voit Wants to Stay With Yankees After Lockout
Follow Gary Phillips on Twitter (@GaryHPhillips). Be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
