Yankees Watch Six Prospects Rise in Top 10 List

Currently, George Lombard Jr. is the New York Yankees clear-cut No. 1 prospect.

The shortstop is the No. 20 overall prospect in all of baseball, by far the highest of any Yankees minor leaguer.

While the Yankees have five players in the Top 200, it's not all about how their prospects match up compared to the rest of the league.

When looking at their organization in particular, the Yankees latest Top 10 list saw one player drop three spots while six players all increased their ranking. It's not like this team has the best farm system in baseball, far from it, but it's great to see so many new faces making their presence felt.

Two Yankees Burst Into Top 10 As Others Rise

Yankees SS George Lombard Jr — Feb 22, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; New York Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. (96) is congratulated after he scored a run during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel compiled a list of each team's Top 10 prospect rankings. When it came to the Yankees, the only player that fell in their Top 10 was Spencer Jones. Even though Jones is projected to be the first player to hit the big leagues this season, his fall from No. 2 to No. 5 is notable.

Jones was the only player in the Top 10 to see a down arrow attached to his name which is extremely interesting. Elsewhere, six players rose in the rankings including Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz who skyrocketed from No. 6 to No. 2.

The right-handed pitchers rise is notable as he passed up Dax Kilby who used to be No. 5. Now, Kilby sits right behind Rodriguez-Cruz at No. 3.

Elsewhere, RHP Bryce Cunningham jumped from No. 8 to No. 6. Fellow righty Chase Hampton saw a slight rise as he went from No. 9 to No. 8. Finally, two new players joined the Top 10 as SS Kaeden Kent sits at No. 9 with RHP Thatcher Hurd rounding out the list.

McDaniel on Yankees Top 10

Yankees OF Spencer Jone — Mar 4, 2025; Clearwater, Florida, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones (78) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the third inning during spring training at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"The system has been gutted by trades and graduations, leaving mostly recent high draft picks at the top," he said. While the Yankees didn't have to give up all of their top prospects, it took them quite a bit to bring in Ryan Weathers. Pitching depth was going to be crucial to their 2026 season, so it's a move that they needed to make after losing out on the likes of Edward Cabrera, Freddy Peralta, and even Tarik Skubal.

McDaniel added, "Rodriguez-Cruz was acquired in the Carlos Narvaez trade, and Lagrange was an international signee. Lombard, Kilby, Jones and Hess were all first-round picks, while Cunningham was an overslot second-round pick. Kent and Hurd were third-round picks. Hampton was the best value as a sixth-rounder, but he has thrown 18.2 innings in the past two years so this season's performance will go a long way toward the verdict on his prospect status."

At this point, Yankees fans can only sit back and wait to see what happens with their top prospects. Depending on how their depth looks, some could easily be traded by the deadline, or they could be promoted to help get this team to the next level.

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