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Prospect rating season is in full swing, and Keith Law is preparing to release his 2019 standings on where baseballs top talent ranks. Before the list goes live, he teased us with the first 10 to miss the cut. Two Yankees fell into this category, and one of them is pretty intriguing.
The 101st man on Law’s list is center fielder Everson Pereira, who signed with the Yankees in 2017 out of Venezuela. Only 18 years old, Pereira made his pro ball debut with the Pulaski Yankees last season and impressed in 41 games. He slashed .263/.322/.389 and had issues keeping his strikeouts down, but his speed and defense shined while on the field. Unfortunately Pereira was injured so he didn’t get to fully showcase his skills, but Law projects him to be capable of rising into the top 50 with a full season ahead of him.
Pereira’s inclusion, let alone near miss at top-100 status, is a great sign for the Yankees farm going forward. Drained of its blue chip talents via promotion and trade, and with an emphasis on pitching talent near the top, another outfield prospect rising in the ranks would do well to replenish the Yankees’ stock. It seems they’ve hit it well with Pereira so far.
The other man on the outside looking in for Law is Estevan Florial, and this comes with a little less surprise. Florial is hit-or-miss for some scouts. He hasn’t produced enough contact to utilize his skill set effectively, and Law dings him here as well. Florial’s 2018 was cut down by a hamate injury, and the 21-year-old center fielder is staying in Tampa for the time being. Florial, however, could prove to be a fast riser if he can make the adjustments necessary to compliment his tools.
We’ll have to wait and see if there are any other Yankees that crack the full list when it comes out, but these projections are cautiously optimistic for the lower levels of the minor leagues. More of the Yankees’ fire power in the farm is around Double and Triple-A, but if Florial’s projection doesn’t cut it, odds are there aren’t many others that could.