Around the Empire: Yankees news - 1/30/17

MLB.com | Jonathan Mayo: MLB Pipeline recently unveiled their top 100 prospects. In which, the Yankees’ Gleyber Torres was ranked as baseball’s third best prospect. From the top 100, it’s interesting to see who is best at what aspect of the game. For instance, Jorge Mateo is listed as being the fastest prospect for the second year in a row and Torres was in the running for having the best overall bat.

Beyond the Box Score | Henry Druschel: As the author of this piece indicates, “it’s hard to criticize a move that contributes in any way to a World Series victory.” However, the Cubs paid a steep price for Aroldis Chapman. Without many weakness, the one thing the club needed was a dominant bullpen arm, and so they were set on getting Chapman regardless of the cost. And while it won them a World Series and they have players who would potentially block Torres, Torres’ stock has skyrocketed since the trade. So while they’re riding happy now, if Torres lives up to or exceeds his potential, it’s one they might one day regret.

Times Leader | DJ Eberle: The Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders recently unveiled a new alternate logo at their FanFest. The “Baby Bombers” logo was unveiled with the help of Tyler Austin and co-owner Andy Ashby. Along with Austin and Ashby, Russ Canzler and Matt Wortherspoon (who came without a spoon) were in attendance for FanFest. Fans had an opportunity to meet and greet players while taking photos. The Baby Bombers logo had been in the works since Austin made his MLB debut with Aaron Judge and they both hit home runs back-to-back.