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1. Deivi Garcia, RHP

FB CB CH Control Overall 60+ 70 45/50 55 70+

Background: Let’s just dive right into the raw numbers, shall we? Because of a late start to the year, Garcia, who didn’t make his 2018 debut until early June, was limited to just 14 starts between Low Class A, High Class A, and Class AA. Of those 14 starts, the flame-throwing right-hander reached double-digits in strikeouts three times and fanned at least seven on 11 different occasions. And he punched out more hitters than innings pitched in all but one of his starts. But perhaps the most important part of the then-19-year-old’s season was his ability to pound the strike zone: he didn’t walk a hitter in four of his starts; he walked one batter in four other starts; and walked fewer than three batters in all but three of his starts. Garcia, a 5-foot-10 and an oddly specific 163-pound right-hander, racked up a whopping 105 strikeouts against just 20 walks in 74.0 innings of work. He compiled an aggregate 2.55 ERA and a 2.60 FIP.

Analysis: I was as high on Garcia as any prospect in the minor leagues heading into 2018. I ranked the diminutive right-hander as the third best prospect in the Yankees’ system and the 89th best prospect in all of baseball. I also listed the Dominican Dandy among the Top 25 Breakout Prospects for 2018. And. He. Delivered. Here’s what I wrote in last year’s Handbook:

“Poised to be one of the game’s biggest breakout prospects in 2018 – especially if his newfound control/command proves to be a repeatable skill. Garcia isn’t overly big by any stretch of the means; he could stand to put on a few pounds to his slight frame to help ease the rigors of taking the ball every fifth day. As far as the production goes, consider the following:

Since 2006, only four 18-year-old pitchers have posted a strikeout rate of at least 30% in the Appalachian League (min. 20 IP): Garcia, Kolby Allard, Matt Moore, and Juan Santos.

For those counting at home, that’s one better-than-average big league starter (Moore), one top prospect (Allard), and one prospect bust (Santos) to go along with Garcia.

But here’s the kicker: Garcia was the only pitcher to post a K% north of 32%; he finished the year with a ridiculous 37.7% strikeout percentage. There’s a helluva lot of front-of-the-rotation caliber potential here. A lot. Here’s hoping he can navigate his way through the injury nexus without too many dings and dents.”

The owner of two plus-pitches, Garcia attacks hitters with an explosive mid-90s fastball with exceptional late-life as it pops across the plate and an ungodly, late-breaking, hellacious curveball. The breaking ball is among the best in the minors. Garcia will also mix in a heavy changeup that lacks a whole of velocity separation. Garcia’s windup is a bit reminiscent, though not as exaggerated as Luis Tiant or Johnny Cueto. As I remarked in last year’s Handbook: Garcia, unequivocally, has front of the rotation caliber talent. He’ll need to avoid the injury nexus, prove he can withstand the rigors of taking the ball every fifth day, and the changeup needs some refinement. But he’s special.

Ceiling: 5.5-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2019/2020

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2. Estevan Florial, CF

Hit Power SB Field Overall 55 40/55 50 50/55 65

Background: Signed out of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, for $200,000 in 2014. Florial, a supremely gifted center fielder, struggled as he made the leap from the foreign rookie league to the Appalachian League in 2016, hitting a puny .225/.315/.364. But the 6-foot-1, 185-pound slugger, quickly acclimated himself as the club pushed him up to full-season action the following year. Splitting time between Charleston and Tampa, Florial hit a hearty .298/.372/.479 with 23 doubles, seven triples, and 13 homeruns to go along with 23 stolen bases. And the entire world took notice. Deemed untouchable by a variety of reports – including in the talks to acquire then-Pirates ace Gerrit Cole – Florial continued to shine in 2018, despite missing several months due to broken hamate bone, which, by the way, eventually required surgery. In 75 games with the Tampa Tarpons, Florial slugged .255/.354/.361 with 16 doubles, three triples, and three homeruns – as well as 11 stolen bases, though he was nabbed 10 times. His overall production at the High Class A league, according to Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the average mark by 10%.

Analysis: Despite the noticeable downturn in production last season – even before the injury struck – the tools that make Florial so intriguing were still on display: elite eye at the plate, above-average or better speed, strong hit tool, and – of course – the promising power potential, though it came it spurts. The most impressive part of Florial’s approach at the plate: his willingness to shoot balls from foul line-to-foul line. Florial has the tools to be a star. And he’s taking the proper strides needed as well, including trimming down his problematic strike out rate from full-blown red flag territory to merely concerning.

Ceiling: 4.0-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2021

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3. Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP

FB CB CH Control Overall 60 55 55 55/60 60+

Background: Because New York – and their fully operational Death Star – is viewed as having limitless pockets, the club’s often looked up through an unfair lens when it comes to player development and minor transactions. Like, you know, when San Francisco released the then-20-year-old right-hander following the 2015 season and the Yankees came calling a couple months later. Loaisiga, who was riddled with injuries between 2014 and 2016, finally made it back to the mound full time two years ago. And he was, simply, dominant. In 11 games between New York’s Gulf Coast and New York-Penn League affiliates the 5-foot-11, 165-pound right-hander tallied a 1.38 ERA with 33 strikeouts and just three walks in 32.2 innings of work. And that proved to be just a harbinger of things to come. Loaisiga rocketed through High Class A and Class AA before making his big league debut in mid-June. The talented right-hander would miss roughly five weeks beginning in early July before oscillating between Trenton and New York for the remaining months of the season. Loaisiga would tally 67 strikeouts against just eight walks in 56.0 minor league innings. He would throw an additional 24.2 innings in the Big Apple as well, recording a promising 33-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Analysis: The owner of three above-average or better pitches. Loaisiga’s fastball comfortably sits in the mid-90s and touched as high as 97 early on in a late-August start against the Altoona Curve. (Note: the 97-mph heater, by the way, was taken opposite field for a homerun by Pirates top prospect Cole Tucker.) Both of Loaisiga’s secondary pitches slide firmly into the above-average category. His curveball, which is often times referred to as a slider, showed remarkable spin during his debut with New York, averaging 2,628 RPMs, roughly 200 RPMs above the league average. His changeup, an upper-80s offering, shows promising dive -and-fade. Because Loaisiga lost so much time due to injury, he’s yet to eclipse the 90-ining threshold in a season. He looks like a potential mid-rotation caliber arm – though it may take another year for him to work up to a full-season’s innings total.

Ceiling: 3.5-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: Debuted in 2018

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4. Roansy Contreras, RHP

FB CB CH Control Overall 60/65 55 50 50/55 60

Background: Another one of these young high octane, nitrous-infused arms that’s sprinkled throughout the Yankees’ development system. New York signed the hard-throwing hurler on the international free agent market three years ago. Contreras made his debut in 2017, splitting time between the club’s foreign and stateside rookie leagues, posting a mediocre 34-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 53.2 innings of work. Last season the front office aggressively challenged the teenager by pushing him to the New York-Penn League and then up to Low Class A. In a career high 12 starts, Contreras fanned 60 and walked just 21 in 63.1 innings. He compiled an aggregate 2.42 ERA and a 3.70 FIP.

Analysis: Already impressive with plenty of projection remaining. Contreras’ fastball sits – rather easily, too – in the low-90s, touching as high as 95 in couple starts that I saw. His curveball needs to find some more consistency as it tends to get loopy on occasion, but when it’s on it shows sharp, late tilt. He will also show a solid-average changeup as well. At full maturity Contreras looks like a solid, middle-of-the-rotation caliber arm. The Yankees have done a solid job limiting the youngster’s workload, so he’s probably pegged for 90- to 100-innings next season. And a second-half promotion up to the Florida State League isn’t out of the question either.

Ceiling: 3.0-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2021/2022

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5. Antonio Cabello, CF

Hit Power SB Field Overall 40/55 45/55 50 50/55 65

Background: Originally signed as a catcher two years ago, New York quickly shifted the prized Venezuelan prospect in a completely different direction – center field. Cabello, who measures in at a 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, made his anticipated debut last season. After a quick six-game cameo in the Dominican Summer League, the Yankees pushed Cabello stateside to their Gulf Coast League affiliate; he quickly responded by hitting .321/.426/.555 with nine doubles, four triples, and five homeruns. He also swiped five bags in 10 total attempts. His overall production, as measured by Weighted Runs Created Plus and Deserved Runs Created Plus, topped the league average threshold by 74% and 56%, respectively.

Analysis: The teenager shows impressive bat speed, though not along the lines of fellow Yankees farmhand Clint Frazier, with plenty of loft to tap into his above-average power potential. And Cabello, equipped with above-average speed, handled the move to center field with aplomb. Given some further development/time, he has the potential to be an above-average. Consider the following:

Since 2006, only one other hitter has bested Cabello’s 174 wRC+ mark in the Gulf Coast League (min. 150 PA): some kid by the name of Juan Soto.

Cabello has a shot to develop into a legitimate five-tool player down the line.

Ceiling: 3.5-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2022

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6. Albert Abreu, RHP

FB CB CH Control Overall 70 60 60 40/45 60+

Background: Abreu originally signed with the Astros for $185,000 all the way back in 2013. But Houston would flip the talented, enigmatic right-hander – along with Jorge Guzman, who would later be dealt to Miami in the Giancarlo Stanton deal – to the Yankees as part of the Brian McCann swap after the 2016 season. Abreu’s season got off to a rough start last year; he wouldn’t make his 2018 debut until the end of April courtesy of a problematic appendix. And he would miss another month or so with an extended stint on the DL. Ignoring his three-game rehab assignment in the Gulf Coast, Abreu was limited to just 13 starts with Tampa and one more with Trenton, throwing 67.2 innings with 69 strikeouts and 30 walks.

Analysis: In terms of pure stuff, very few players in the minor leagues can go toe-to-toe with the hard-throwing right-hander. When he’s healthy, Abreu’s fastball sits – easily – in the mid- to upper-90s, reaching as high as 98 mph earlier last season. His curveball is a hellacious, knee-bending offering that hovers anywhere between 80- and 84-mph. And his changeup, often the lagging pitch for a lot of young hard-throwers, adds a third plus pitch to his arsenal. But here’s the problem with Abreu: he’s been in professional ball for five seasons now, four of which were outside the foreign rookie league. Of those four, he’s surpassed the 100-inning threshold just once. And the year that he did eclipse the triple-digit mark, he did so by 1.2 innings. Abreu’s still only entering his age-23 season, but if another injury-shortened campaign is added to his resume it might be time to start thinking about shifting him into a relief role.

Ceiling: 3.5-win player

Risk: High

MLB ETA: 2020/2021

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7. Clarke Schmidt, RHP

FB CB SL CH Control Overall N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 60

Background: The Yankees took a page out of another fellow big market franchise’s book, the Washington Nationals, and selected Clarke Schmidt with the 16th pick in 2017 draft. Schmidt, of course, underwent Tommy John surgery a couple months prior to the draft. Finally healthy, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander made eight brief appearances in the low levels last season, throwing 23.1 innings with 30 strikeouts and just six walks to go along with a 3.09 ERA.

Analysis: Since there’s little to report, here’s what I wrote prior to the 2017 draft:

“Despite succumbing to a pretty serious – albeit all-too-common – arm injury, I wouldn’t count Schmidt out as a potential first round pick. Lucas Giolito, Erick Fedde, and Jeff Hoffman were all recent top picks in spite of undergoing similar procedures. Schmidt has been impressive over his last 170+ innings for Head Coach Chad Holbrook: he’s struck out 199 and walked just 45. The lone red flag – though, it’s a doozy – has been his propensity to surrender the long ball; his homerun rate was 0.78 HR/9 during his freshman season, 0.73 the following year, and 0.45 through his nine starts in 2017. And just to add some context, consider the following:

Schmidt, by the way, accomplished the feat as a sophomore. Assuming his medicals come back clean, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Schmidt go in the Top 20 picks to an aggressive, forward-thinking team could sign him to a below-slot bonus. Again, assuming that he comes back healthy, Schmidt looks like a mid-rotation starter with upside if he can keep the ball in the ballpark.”

For the record, he coughed up one homerun in 23.1 innings last season, though it was against inferior competition. By all indications, the promising right-hander returned to full health. A brief cameo in the Eastern League is quite reasonable in 2019.

Ceiling: 3.0-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2021

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8. Josh Stowers, CF

Hit Power SB Field Overall 45/50 50 80 50/55 55

Background: After plucking Stetson right-hander Logan Gilbert with the 14th overall pick, Seattle had to wait another 40 selections until making their second selection: former Louisville center fielder Josh Stowers. A two-year starter for long-time Manager Dan McDonnell, Stowers earned a few awards and tips to the proverbial cap after a stellar junior campaign: D1Baseball All-America Third Team, NCBWA All-America Third Team, ABCA All-South Region Second Team, and ACC Championship All-Tournament Team. Stowers left the Cardinals as a .323/.449/.525 career hitter, including batting .336/.477/.559 with 14 doubles, four triples, and nine homeruns while going a perfect 36-for-36 in stolen bases during his final season. After coming to terms on a slightly below-slot deal, Seattle sent the speedy outfielder to the Northwest League, where he promptly impressed: he slugged .260/.380/.410 with 15 doubles, five homeruns, and 20 stolen bases in 58 games. His overall production, as measured by Weighted Runs Created Plus, topped the league average mark by a solid 26%.

(Note: New York acquired Stower from the Mariners after the publication of the Handbook.)

Analysis: After a lengthy history of questionable early round selections, veteran General Manager Jerry Dipoto did well by grabbing Gilbert in the opening round and following it up with Stowers 40 picks later. The former Cardinal star is, simply put, a better version of organization-mate Braden Bishop – which means he has a shot at developing into a solid, average starter at the big league level. Oozing premium, top-end speed, Stowers complements it with solid power, a decent hit tool, and a potential plus-eye at the plate; he walked in nearly 18% of his plate appearances with Louisville last season and followed that up with a 15.2% showing in short-season ball.

Ceiling: 2.5-win player

Risk: Moderate

MLB ETA: 2021

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9. Everson Pereira, CF

Hit Power SB Field Overall 35/55 40/55 45 50/55 55

Background: The word spread quickly on July 1st, 2017. The Yankees snagged one of top prospects on the international scene, agreeing to a pact with Pereira worth a cool $1.5 million. Pereira, a 6-foot, 191-pound center fielder, handled himself well as the club aggressively pushed the then-17-year-old outfielder straight into the advance rookie for his debut last season. In 48 games with the Pulaski Yankees, the Venezuela-born prospect batted .263/.322/.389 with eight doubles, two triples, and three homeruns. He also swiped three bags in five total attempts. Pereira’s overall production, as measured by Weighted Runs Created Plus and Deserved Runs Created Plus, was 12% and 26% below the league average mark.

Analysis: As expected with a 17-year-old making his professional debut in the Appalachian League, there was a lot of good and a lot of bad parts of his game, the latter being quickly exposed by the older competition. The good: the teenage outfielder’s tools were on display from the get-go, including impressive power potential, a solid eye, promising hit tool, and a strong glove in center field. The bad: he punched out in nearly one-third of his plate appearances. The Appalachian League – typically – hasn’t been overly kind to 17-year-old hitters; since 2006 there have been a total of 17 of them to receive at least 150 plate appearances in a season. Ten of those 17 posted a wRC+ of 88 or below.

Ceiling: 2.5-win player

Risk: Moderate to High

MLB ETA: 2022

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10. Trevor Stephan, RHP

FB SL CH Control Overall 55 55 50 55 45+

Background: Much to the Yankees’ credit, though it’s often overlooked, the free-spending organization does an exceptional job of finding talent outside the opening round of the draft. Take, for instance, right-hander Trevor Stephan. Originally taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round in 2016, Stephen, who was coming off of a dominant second season at JuCo Hill College, transferred to the SEC and join the ranks of the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Texas native spent a year twirling gems for the Razorbacks and improved his draft stock enough to convince the Yankees to use the 92nd overall pick on him and – eventually – hand him a bonus just shy of $800,000. After a brief – albeit incredibly dominant – debut in the New York-Penn League, the front office aggressive shoved the promising right-hander up to High Class A to start 2018. Stephen would remain with the Tampa Tarpons for seven starts before heading up to the Eastern League. He would throw a combined 124.1 innings between both stops, posting an impressive 140-to-38 strikeout-to-walk ratio to go along with a 3.69 ERA.

Analysis: Working exclusively from a low-effort stretch, Stephan’s low three-quarter release point adds some deception to his repertoire – though the low release causes his ball to move back on the plate when he’s trying to throw it in on left-handers at times. He complements the above-average offering with two solid secondary pitches: a tightly wound slider with late, cutter-like movement and a solid changeup with some arm-side fade. He has a tendency to try to back-door left-handers early in the count with his slider. Stephen has the arsenal – and subsequent control – to develop into a solid backend starting pitcher. But that low three-quarter release may ultimately push him into a relief role. With respect to his production in Class AA last season, consider the following:

Since 2006, here’s the list of 22-year-old pitchers to post a strikeout percentage between 24% and 26% in the Eastern League (min. 75 IP): Kelvin De La Cruz, Zack Wheeler, Michael Fulmer, and – of course – Trevor Stephan.

Ceiling: 1.5- to 2.0-win player

Risk: Low to Moderate

MLB ETA: 2019

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Statistics provided by FanGraphs, BaseballReference, BaseballProspectus, ClayDavenport, and TheBaseballCube.