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We are now at the point in the offseason where things are pretty slow. This year is a little different thanks to the Astros’ whole mess, but other than that, this time of year is for some sparse trades and signings.
It’s also for prospect lists. In the past couple days, Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus’ lists have come out, while MLB Pipeline’s will come out today.
Finding out what prospects could someday turn into superstars is good and all, but it’s only part of the fun of following minor league baseball. Another part is finding fun and interesting names. Minor league baseball has so many teams and so many spots that there’s good ones on nearly every roster.
This might not be as useful as the Yankees’ top prospect lists that you may read over the next couple weeks, but let’s go through the minors and find the best names currently in the Yankees’ system.
10. Juan Crisp
The British may call him Juan Crisp, but in the US, you may know him was Juan Chip.
9. Raimfer Salinas
Just try to say the name “Raimfer” out loud and it’s easy to see why he belongs on this list.
8. Trey Amburgey
Amburgey remains someone that you can reliably put in the back half of best name lists. Even years after I was first aware that he existed, I still want to say “Trey Hamburger” when I see his name.
7. Borinquen Mendez
There is something extremely amusing about the fact that his first name contains two separate parts that each come one letter short of a word.
6. Josh Breaux
Breaux is indeed pronounced “bro.” What makes that even better is that Josh has a brother who plays baseball at Alabama and had been drafted by the Phillies back in 2017. So not only does the guy with the last named “Bro” have a brother, but that brother’s name is Joe aka “Joe Bro.”
5. Thowar Martinez
You know the old live action Batman television show from the ‘60s with Adam West? You know how in the fight scenes when onomatopoeias flash up on the screen? “Thowar” sounds like it could be one and that’s how this name ended up on this list.
5. Sincere Smith
Adjective as a first name is a pretty good way to find yourself on a list of best names. Sincere Smith fits that bill. We can only hope there is someone named something like Jolly Patterson or something like that on the way.
4. Brandom Sanchez
That is not a typo. His name is not “Brandon.” The Yankees do, in fact, have a pitcher in their system who goes by the name Brandom. Also, his middle name is listed as “German,” which brings us to the next name on our list.
3. Frank German
If you read the name as written above, then it doubles as what you would call an open and candid person from Berlin. However flip it and do the “Last name, First name” thing, and it becomes a food.
2. Edgar Barclay
Not only is Barclay a 15th round pick from the Yankees’ 2019 draft, but the pitcher is also a member of the British House of Lords!
1. Janson Junk
As long as he’s in the system, it’s just going to be hard to surpass Mr. Junk. It’s got a real life word that’s amusing to have as a name. It’s got alliteration. It’s got ability for puns, especially considering that he is a pitcher. Please let him end up in the majors someday, we need to make these jokes.