Yankees Early Season Prospect Review

As the Rays have taken over the George Steinbrenner Field complex in Tampa for the season, I wanted to touch on some things that stuck out to me coming out of Spring Training and at the beginning of this 2025 Yankees and Yankees affiliates seasons. The Yankees had no fear in keeping the prospects and young kids in the majors to start the year. This is a report of how some of the prospects fared in spring and early this year with their affiliates.

At catcher, J.C. Escarra will be the backup to young catcher in his own right, Austin Wells. Escarra hit .302 with 3 home runs in 19 games, almost forcing the Yankees to make him the backup in the Bronx, beating out veteran Alex Jackson, who hit just .214, and prospects Ronaldo Hernandez, Rafael Flores and Omar Martinez. I expect to see Flores in the Bronx in short order if Wells or Escarra get hurt during the season.

Escarra’s 1st big-league hit 👏

Congrats, @jcescarra! pic.twitter.com/9enTul7TE1

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 4, 2025

Ben Rice won the DH/backup first baseman job. This was a surprise for me even though I was cheering for Rice to win the job. With Giancarlo Stanton having elbow issues and DJ LeMahieu having a calf injury Rice took the possibility of DH being his and beat out the likes of Dominic Smith, T.J. Rumfield, Everson Pereira, Tyler Hardman and others for the DH job. Rice hit .242 with 5 home runs this spring, putting himself squarely on the map for the DH job and being a third catcher helped his cause. Smith hit .297 with 3 home runs but the Yankees decided to run with Rice and we shall soon see if that is the right decision. Smith opted out his contract with the Yankees but re-signed later on and was assigned to Triple-A Scranton. I expect Rumfield to make some noise in Triple-A and be called up when the need arises. The same can be said about Pereira. I’m still a fan of Hardman and hope he can stay healthy and have a solid season as he starts with Double-A Somerset.

In the infield, the Yankees kept three all three youngsters in Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza. I really thought they would opt Peraza down to Triple-A since he could use some regular at bats, but they decided to keep him as a bench bat, even after struggling in Spring Training to the tune of a .160 batting average. The real eye popper in spring was the play of George Lombard Jr. and Roderick Arias. Lombard hit .231 with 2 home runs in 28 at bats and looked every bit the top prospect he is. He was so good many Yankees fans clambered for him to start the season with the big league club at third base. Arias hit .375 in just 8 at bats but looked very comfortable and ready for a big season for himself. Lombard will start the season with High-A Hudson Valley and Arias will begin the year at Single-A with the Tampa Tarpons. I really thought Arias would be assigned to join Lombard in High-A, but after struggling with A pitching last year only hitting .233 on the season, a start in Tampa seemed very possible for Arias. If he can hit right out the gate a promotion to High-A could happen in short order. I also feel the Yankees want both to play shortstop and this is a way to keep that in order. Personally, I would love to see Lombard at third and Arias as short in High-A soon, and then promoted accordingly together as their careers progress.

Solid breakout appeal for George Lombard this season.pic.twitter.com/6hPaWaXAxO

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) March 1, 2025

Another infielder I want to mention is Jorbit Vivas. The 24-year-old acquired form the Dodgers in 2003 hit a cool .423 in 27 at bats. He could be every part of the infield or a backup very soon in New York. Jesus Rodriguez also opened some eyes and has a good chance this season to shoot up Yankees prospect lists as he hit .467 in 18 at bats this spring. He’ll begin the season with Double-A. Alexander Vargas also had a good spring hitting .571, making the Yankees remember him after a few down seasons. The 24-year-old will start the season in Somerset and should be another option if the Yankees have an injury and he continues to hit.

The Yankees outfield seemed pretty set from the get go. But some of the kids got good long looks in Spring Training including Jasson Dominguez, Ismael Munguia, Spencer Jones, Pereira, Brendan Jones and Cole Gabrielson. My personal favorite sleeper prospect Brando Mayea only played one game this spring but looked great on the backfields. Dominguez hit .258 but struggled defensively and will continue to work on that on the big league level. Munguia made a very interesting case to be put on the radar with a call-up very likely if he hits at Triple-A. He has the looks of a good backup outfielder as the left hander hit .372 in 20 games and added 3 steals this spring. He started the season on fire with Scranton going 9-20 with multiple 3-hit games and should make his MLB debut if injuries hit. Munguia would become the first Nicaraguan outfielder to debut in MLB. Jones hit .250 showing good pop with 3 home runs and 2 doubles in just 17 games (36 at bats). He showed every bit why he will be a future cornerstone in the outfield for the Yankees and should be with Dominguez in the Bronx in short order.

Spencer Jones POWERS this one out to the opposite field! 💪

📺 MLB Network + @bestwestern pic.twitter.com/4my63EUrQR

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 24, 2025

Pereira looks like he is getting lost in the shuffle, with veterans in the outfield and fellow prospects outperforming him and rising in the outfield rankings. He did hit a solid .280 with 3 home runs and 2 steals in 25 at bats this spring. Look for him in Triple-A and potentially getting a call up since he is on the 40-man roster, but time is running out here. Brendan Jones and Cole Gabrielson both looked solid this spring. Jones hit .313 in 16 at bats and Gabrielson hit .375 in 16 at bats. Look for Jones to begin the season with Hudson Valley and Gabrielson to start the year in Somerset. Both will be fun to watch.

On the pitching side, starter Will Warren looked good striking out 25 in just 23 innings, winning the number 4 job on the big league staff because of injuries to Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole. Cam Schlittler also looked very good in 16.1 innings over 5 games (4 starts) striking out 13 with a ERA of 4.41. Schlittler is another Yankees prospect who can shoot up rankings after rising though the system last year, ending at Triple-A. He will begin this season at Double-A. With a few more injuries or ineffective play, we could see Schlittler in the Bronx.

7K Cam🎥@Yankees No. 12 prospect Cam Schlittler dealt in his Opening Day start.

5.2 IP | 1 R | 3 H | 7 K

82 Pitches (52 Strikes) pic.twitter.com/Qie7n7ipKL

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) April 5, 2025

In the bullpen, Yoendrys Gomez looked great in Spring Training, giving up 0 earned runs and striking out 9 in 11.1 innings, earning a spot on the Opening Day roster as a bullpen arm. Eric Reyzelman, Michael Arias, Harrison Cohen and Leonardo Pestana got some run out of the pen and all are expected to have success during their upcoming seasons. I’m really hoping Reyzelman stays healthy and shows the potential he had in LSU that made him a 5th round draft pick in 2022. Arias should show why he was a top 30 Cubs prospect before being DFA’d, while Cohen shows he can stay healthy and productive. Pestana could be called up to New York if they need some bullpen help, as he’s starting his season in Triple-A.

In all, I’m very excited for the Minor League Baseball season and for the Yankees to try and raise banner 28.