If there’s one place the Yankees are pretty set right now, it’s the middle of the infield. Between Didi Gregorius evolving into an all-star caliber player before our eyes and Gleyber Torres getting off to the perfect start to his career, it’s hard to see them needing any depth in the foreseeable future. That being said, you can never have enough talent up the middle in the draft.
Things look pretty good at Triple-A with Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada serving as double play partners right now. Both have performed well in previous seasons, though they are currently struggling in 2018. The two are just 23 and 22, respectively, so there’s still plenty of time to wait on their bats to come around. No matter what side of the second base bag they end up on, we know their gloves are going to carry them.
Wade was supposed to be a factor on the major league team this year, but the bat never showed up, and it still hasn’t in Scranton. He should ultimately prove to be a solid backup infielder at some point because he’s shown the ability to play six different positions in the minors. It might be time to lean into that skill a bit and hope the bat catches up.
Thairo Estrada, meanwhile, is coming off an offseason where he was shot in the hip, so it should not be surprising that he’s progressing slowly. Once he gets back up and running, he should go back to being a hitting machine. He may never end up being a power hitter, but Estrada can hitting for a high average and knows how to take a walk. That’s still useful, especially if you can hack it up the middle.
The unfortunate thing is that the organization’s depth falls apart a bit after that. Neither 2013 second-round pick Gosuke Katoh or 2015 first-round pick Kyle Holder have managed to develop much of a bat. Holder may have had an impressive spring training, but he’s still recovering from an injury. Hoy Jun Park and Wilkerman Garcia, international signings from 2014, have still not managed to develop their bats in the States. Garcia could still turn things around, considering he’s just 20 and just now getting his first taste of A-ball.
Estrada is the only middle infield prospect to be included in the team’s top 30 prospects who has already hit the majors. When seven of your top ten are pitchers, it might be time to think about diversifying in the upcoming draft. It’s nice to think that the Yankees are all set with Didi and Gleyber, but it’s important to keep adding to a strength so that you can take advantage of that depth.