Hey there Pinstripe Alley. My name is John, and I am a self-professed Phillies fan. If that statement didn't make you click away, then let me tell you a bit about myself. I do sports writing on my own site, which includes looking at the Phillies minor-league system quite a bit. However, I can only do this so much for my own team, so I've started to look at other systems across the MLB. I've made posts on the Marlins, Rays, Orioles, Blue Jays, and Red Sox systems. I look to finish the AL East now by seeing what there is in the Yankees farm system. Everything I say here is my first impression of what I say, so keep that in mind when you read what I write.

Luis Severino and Aaron Judge are the top 2 here, no doubt. Severino gets a 60 future value from both Fangrpahs and mlb.com, which is rare. When both sites agree on a player's value, that means he is pretty well scouted. I'm sure a lot of you guys here know all about Severino, but I'll give the quick highlights: plus to plus-plus fastball 94-97 with an easy delivery, along with a plus change, a slider that is in the works but can be above average and command that is average flashing above average. I like his potential, but I would like to see him develop either his command or slider before I'll call him a #2 starter. Cole Hamels managed to be a 2-pitch starter for his first couple years, but to become the star pitcher he is today he needed a third pitch. Severino has that potential in his slider, but until he gets that thing to at least consistently average, he looks like a 3-4 starter to me. Aaron Judge is a brand new kind of prospect to me. The only guy I've seen with more raw power is Kris Bryant. Joc Pederson doesn't come close, neither does Rafael Devers, the Red Sox power prospect. Judge stands 6'7"; not the usual build for a hitter. His swing obviously generates power, but his contact is in progress right now. In High-A last year and AA this year, his average stayed a bit above .280, but through 43 games in AAA his average has fallen to .247. It may be a cause for concern, as his wRC+ of 117 and wOBA of .345 are both above average, but not great like they were in the first half of this year and last year. He will probably start next year in AAA, so that should be a good way to gauge if his contact issues are at least a bit more solved. There isn't much to worry about in the field, as he has a decent glove with a plus arm as well as average to above average speed. Corner outfielder looks to be where he'll stay, but that's no cause for concern. Judge has potential to smash 15-25 homers easily, but as we're seeing with Pederson in the second half this year, you can't hit home runs if you're struggling to get contact.

While not at Severino-Judge level, there are still guys in the system with above average potential. First baseman Greg Bird and shortstop Jorge Mateo are the next best two position players in the farm after Judge, but going into this year it was hard to tell who was the better of the two. Fangraphs put Bird 3; mlb.com has Mateo there. Bird has made his major league debut and has already had his first 2-HR game. Bird has plus raw power and his hit tool has shown a lot of improvement this year. In 39 games this season at AAA before being called up to the pros, Bird was slashing .301/.353/.500. While a bit high, he still has the potential to hit .275/.360/.470 with 25 homers. In addition, he is decent in the field, which means he should be able to stay in the field and play first. What that means for Texiera is beyond me, but Bird looks to be able to be the guy that steps in after him. While with Bird you know what you'll get, Mateo is completely wide open. With 80 speed that immediately caught my eye, Mateo also has the defensive potential to stay at shortstop in the future. While his glove is average as of now, he is still young, giving him plenty of time to work on it. His raw power is average, but his hit tool still needs developing. It has the potential to be above average, as can be seen with Mateo's torrid start at High-A, slashing .344/.385/.525 through 15 games. Mateo will be the best position prospect after Judge come this offseason as Bird looks to be with the major league team for the forseeable future. However, Bird is much lower risk and I think he'll provide better offensive contribution. Plus, this:

In this year's draft, the Yankees picked righty James Kaprielian is now the #5 prospect in the Yankees farm system according to mlb.com. This is what they had to say about him:

If he hadn't been so intent on attending UCLA, Kaprielian might have gone in the first two rounds of the 2012 Draft, but he instead dropped to the Mariners in the 40th. He played a key relief role on the Bruins' 2013 College World Series championship club and served as their No. 1 starter the next two seasons. The Yankees drafted him 16th overall in June and signed him for $2.65 million. Kaprielian was one of six first-round picks on the U.S. collegiate national team's pitching staff in 2014, and while he might have the lowest ceiling of that group, he also might be the safest bet among them to become a No. 3 starters in the big leagues. He has tremendous feel for pitching, advanced control and command for his age and a durable frame. His stuff isn't bad either. Kaprielian has a vanilla 89-92 mph fastball that plays up because he locates it well, and both his curveball and changeup are plus pitches at time. He also can mix in an average slider to give batters a different look.

LHP Ian Clarkin and 2B Robert Refsnyder are the only guys left in the system that get at least a 45 FV from Fangraphs. Clarkin has two above average pitches in his fastball and curveball, but his command and changeup are both average. The best way to describe him is a Severino-lite with one catch; he hasn't pitched at all this year because of elbow inflamation. He probably won't pitch at all this season with the end of the minor league season nearing, but he might make it to whatever fall or winter league the Yankees do depending on how his elbow heals. If he comes back from injury looking more or less the same, he has back end rotation potential to me. Robert Refsnyder has average tools across the board with a hit tool that flashes above average, but his fielding is really holding him back. His footwork needs improving, and his average arm prevents him from becoming a utility man, so any move would be to the outfield. He could get it together and become a decent second baseman that can hit decently, but then again, his defense raises a lot of red flags.

One thing I like to do is find a guy I see some potential in, but he needs some work so he isn't at the top of prospect lists. In the Yankees minor leagues, that guy is Hoy Jun Park, a Korean shortstop the Yankees signed with a $1 million signing bonus. At just 19 years old, Park has time to develop, but he already has plus speed from the left side of the plate and has shown some gap power in the advanced rookie league. With his speed, that can mean a lot of triples. In the field, park has a plus arm and the fielding instincts to stay at shortstop. In a system stacked with shortstops, don't be surprised to see Park or another shortstop as part of a trade to acquire some big league talent.

The only big hole I see in the Yankees system is that most of their prospect talent is at the top of the system (pros/AAA) or in the rookie leagues (GCL/DSL/Short-Season A). A-AA has some prospect talent, but there is still a considerable gap between the top and the bottom. There isn't much of a way to address this problem without trading away someone you might need considering the Yankees need to fend off the surging Blue Jays. The most likely candidate to me would be Texiera, as you have his successor in Bird already at the pros and Texiera will become a free agent after 2016. If the Yankees aren't as good next year as they are this year, then maybe he can bring back some A-AA prospects? Just my speculation. The Yankees are playing well with the veterans they have though right now, and there system isn't as bad as I imagined from a team that I've always known to use their money to bring in championships.

~John Town, Philadelphia Sports Voice