Just a few days after Baseball America released its comprehensive top prospect list,
Baseball Prospectus followed suit. No two publications are exactly alike, and while both are superb, they each have their own team of analysts. So the odds are good that although there might be some overlap, the opinions and general thoughts on each prospect will vary.
An excellent example of this idea comes from the differences between their two lists. Both ranked the same three Yankees prospects in the top 100: otherworldly teenage outfielder Jasson Dominguez, and pitchers Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt, who will both probably spend most of 2021 in the Bronx. However, BP had the three Baby Bombers in a different order.
Leading the trio this time was García, who was highly regarded enough to be ranked No. 17 overall. Only three pitchers overall were ranked ahead of the young righty: Sixto Sánchez, Ian Anderson, and MacKenzie Gore. Considering that Sánchez and Anderson had more eye-popping rookie moments in 2020 and Gore has always been an elite pitching prospect, that’s quite the come-up for García (though he was No. 24 last year).
In BP’s write-up of the Yankees’ top prospects, they noted that García showed impressive command in his 2020 big league outings. They also said that while Deivi’s fastball might not have the high-octane speed of others, it manages to fool hitters through “a combination of good shape and a difficult to pick up release point that comes from deception in his delivery and his height.” Since they’re behind a paywall, I don’t want to reveal everything else, but it’s worth becoming a subscriber. They like the kid.
As for Dominguez, the folks at BP weren’t quite sure what to make of him. As previously stated in the BA top prospects post, 2020 was painfully difficult for evaluating non-major leaguers given the absence of minor league baseball, and there was scant information to track down on Dominguez’s progress. He was ranked No. 46 last year, and he fell to No. 59 on this go-around. I wouldn’t read too much into that, as it’s not so much an indictment on Dominguez as much as it is a mere hedge. The tools are still off the charts for him; they just want to actually see the soon-to-be 18-year-old more before placing him higher. Most of the prospects who did pass him simply got to play in 2020.
Schmidt rounded the trio on the BA top 100, and the same thing happened for him at BP. He actually just barely made the cut at No. 96 after not making it at all in 2020. So progress! The staff raved about the righty’s breaking ball, calling it “visually stunning.” It’s a big league pitch. The problem is that Schmidt is going to need more than that, or his future home might be in the bullpen (though his two-seamer has potential).
Missing the cut this year and ranking just below Schmidt on the Yankees’ top ten earlier this month were pitchers Luis Gil and Luis Medina. The odds seem good that with a more normal season in 2021, they might fight their way onto next year’s top 101.