Around the Empire: Yankees news - 1/12/23

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: As we lead into the final month before spring training, FanGraphs is putting out its team-by-team projections for the 2023 season. The ZiPS system tags the Yankees to be the best team in the American League, bolstered by a stellar pitching staff and a breakout season for Harrison Bader. Esteban will have more in-depth breakdowns of ZiPS’ prognostications later, but for now, next season is pegged to be a good one.

CBS Sports | RJ Anderson: Breaking news, Anthony Volpe is still the Yankees’ top prospect. The more interesting bits in here are RJ’s focus on the speed both Volpe and #2 prospect Oswald Peraza have in their game, an element the Yankees have prioritized throughout the minors and sometimes struggled to incorporate into the big-league roster. Both Peraza and Volpe are bona fide 30-steal candidates if they can become MLB regulars, adding a long-term edge to the MLB squad.

New York Daily News | Matthew Roberson: The importance of players like Volpe and Peraza is only further highlighted when you realize how little production the Yankees have gotten from internally developed position players. While the club has been able to churn out talented bullpen arms almost perennially, just four of the team’s 20 best position players since 2015 were developed in-house. This inability to develop impact, everyday bats is one reason the team’s been forced to engage in free agency and trades so much more than AL rivals, but hopefully the next crop of prospects helps hedge that.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: The Yankees seem to be just about done for the winter barring a couple more MiLB depth moves, but the one player they may still be on is Bryan Reynolds. The Rangers are reported to be the front runner should Pittsburgh deal their star outfielder, but the Yankees are likely waiting on a final decision to be made before closing the books for good on the offseason.