Three Baby Bombers land in Baseball America’s Top 100

Baseball America has released its annual list of the top 100 prospects in baseball, and three Yankees farmhands made the cut for 2022. In what is likely no surprise to anyone following the progression of the Yankees’ minor league system, shortstops Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, and outfielder Jasson Dominguez landed in BA’s Top 100. Here is a quick summary of what Baseball America had to say about each of the three. For a more comprehensive rundown of what is behind the paywall, head over to BA and subscribe.

10. Anthony Volpe

Grade: 60/High

Impressively, Volpe was the third-highest ranked shortstop in this entire top-100 class, behind only Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals at No. 3 and a hair behind CJ Abrams of the Padres at No. 9. Baseball America notes that hard contact, with average and maximum exit velocities of 91.5 and 108.3 mph respectively, is representative of Volpe’s embrace of the Yankees’ “hit strikes hard” mantra.

The soon-to-be 21-year-old Volpe’s approach, along with increased strength, led BA to give him future plus grades for both hitting and power. In the field, BA notes that he may move off shortstop eventually, but not for lack of hard work and instinct.

55. Oswald Peraza

Grade: 55/High

The report on Peraza notes that in the space of two years, he went from hitting the ball on the ground at one of the highest rates in all of the minors to roughly the middle of the pack. Putting the ball in the air has led to much better outcomes for the Peraza, who has always hit the ball hard.

With that out of the way, scouts have noted a weakness for breaking balls. Peraza will need to conquer that. In the field, Peraza is likely to stick at shortstop, and given that he reached Triple-A by the end of last season at age-21, Baseball America notes Peraza could very well make his MLB debut in 2022.

87. Jasson Dominguez

Grade: 60/Extreme

Dominguez, who dealt with the challenge of pro ball in 2021 for the first time, improved as the season went on. Baseball America notes that his swing decisions and at-bat quality both improved as the season progressed. In the field, BA notes that Dominguez’s body has changed. He has become much more stocky, raising the question of whether he will stick in center field or if he’ll need to move to a corner. The bright side is that Dominguez only turns 19 in February and he has plenty of time to hone his game in the minors.

Three Baby Bombers in the top 100, with Volpe cracking the top 10? That’ll do. Volpe and Peraza are obviously much closer to impacting the big league club than Dominguez, but the sky remains the limit for The Martian. I’m excited to use my MiLB.tv subscription to watch more of these three in 2022.