Baby Bomber Video: A glimpse into the world of Yankees prospects

For pretty much every day of the past few seasons, Tanya has done an excellent job refreshing everyone on what the Yankees' minor leaguers did the previous day. It's really kind of amazing that we have such instantaneous access to these reports whereas just a decade ago, I distinctly remember it being a pain in the ass to try to get any updates on the likes of Phil Hughes and Dioner Navarro.

However, one area where I wish Minor League Baseball would do a better job is in their video department. Finding actual footage of the Baby Bombers can be a hassle, and for some affiliate, like High-A Tampa, it's damn near impossible. Navigating the MiLB Video site can be a chore as well. So to make matters easier for readers who want to get some visuals on these prospects, I thought it would be a good idea to occasionally put up a "Baby Bomber Video" post, where I can either link to or embed some prospect highlights. It's one thing to read about these guys, but it's so much more awesome to actually see them if you can't watch them live.

AAA Scranton

Ramon Flores

After an impressive spring, outfield prospect Ramon Flores wasted no time getting off to a great start in Scranton, hitting for the cycle on Opening Day. This double finished the job, and Flores stands as perhaps the Yankees' best option should they want to make a change to the outfield or if someone gets hurt. In the early goings, he's hitting .271/.340/.625 with four homers. (Here are two of the dingers.) Adequate!

Tyler Austin

If Flores doesn't get the call, then it could also go to Tyler Austin, a former Top 100 Prospect who has worked to rebuild his stock since a wrist injury cut into his production for a good year and a half. This blast was his first at the Triple-A level.

Rob Refsnyder

The second base prospect off to a dismal start to 2015 with five errors in 10 games to go along with a mere .262/.311/.310 triple slash, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include an available video of the PSA favorite. Although he's not ready to replace anyone at the big league level yet, there's still plenty of time to turn it around!

Others

Slade Heathcott: Leadoff homer and home run robbery
Kyle Roller: Dinger
Ben Gamel: RBI single
Jacob Lindgren: Nothing posted :-(, but here's a spring training video to hold you over.
Index

Bonus: WHAT IS THIS

AA Trenton

Luis Severino

After giving the Eastern League a taste of his high potential in five starts at the end of last season, Severino picked up right where he left off with a 0.90 ERA and 1.71 FIP over 10 innings. This clip was from the end of his season debut, when he dominated Columbus over five innings, allowing just one baserunner on a hit and fanning eight. Yeah... good luck with that, kids.

Aaron Judge

If Severino isn't your top Yankees prospect, then it has to be this dude. The Judge wrecked A-ball last year, and in his first taste of Double-A, he's hit .279/.326/.442 with three extra-base hits in 10 games, including this walk-off bomb. Here, have another!

Greg Bird

GREG BIRD

Mason Williams

Man, I don't know if I can trust just a handful of solid games from Mason Williams after two years of breaking my heart, but man. The tools are still there. The defense (as evidenced above) is quite good. There might just be hope yet for the 23-year-old once ranked the 32nd best prospect in baseball.

Others

Eric Jagielo: Double, triple(?), and homer!
Gary Sanchez: Despite a sluggish start, dinger
Jake Cave: Also dinger!
Index

Low-A Charleston

Jorge Mateo

There are no individual videos yet of the Yankees' 19-year-old speed demon, but the 0:54 second mark of this video, you can watch him smack a single, then show off his wheels on a very shallow sacrifice fly. Here's an even better look from the instructional league at how he looks running out of the box, courtesy of FanGraphs writer Kiley McDaniel. Mateo is batting .297/.395/.351 with 13 successful steals in 15 attempts over just 10 games, an absolutely ludicrous pace. That's 80 grade speed. The test will be how the acclaimed shortstop holds up over his first year of full-season ball, but even early on, it's evident why scouts are so excited about him. He's easily the team's best prospect in A-ball.

Also, this is completely unrelated to Mateo, but watch until the end of the clip to see a very nice catch by Brandon Thomas and absolutely amazing video editing. It's... beautiful.

Others

Gosuke Katoh: Walk-off single
Abiatal Avelino: Diving catch
Index