BP Top Prospects: Yankees

1. OF Aaron Judge
2. RHP Luis Severino
3. C Gary Sanchez
4. LHP Ian Clarkin
5. SS Jorge Mateo
6. 2B/OF Rob Refsnyder
7. 1B Greg Bird
8. CF Leonardo Molina
9. LHP Jacob Lindgren
10. C Luis Torrens

1. Aaron Judge

Position: OF
DOB: 04/26/1992
Height/Weight: 6’7” 230 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: 1st round, 2013 draft, California State University Fresno (Fresno, Ca)
Previous Ranking: #10 (Org)
2014 Stats: .283/.411/.442 at High-A (66 games), .333/.428/.530 at Low-A Charleston (65 games)
The Tools: 6+ potential power; 5 potential hit; 6 arm

What Happened in 2014: Judge took on two levels of baseball in his debut season, where the 6-foot-7 monster of a man created plenty of hard contract and showed good on-base skills, but also flashed the expected swing-and-miss.

Strengths: Massive body; bottomless raw strength; moves well for his size; works to keep hands inside of offerings; generates solid bat speed; can barrel up balls hard to all fields; drives pitches with carry when arms get extended; able to hit ball out to any part of ballpark; just scratching the surface of power; arm plays well in right field; quick release; picks up ball well off the bat.

Weaknesses: Long arms lead to some holes in swing; concerns on ability to handle high velocity on inner third; bat speed comes from strength over hands; likes to extend early; leaves him prone to stuff with spin away; still learning how to get more leverage out of swing; power can play down due to hit tool; will miss in zone; defense likely to just be passable down the line.

Overall Future Potential: 6; first-division player

Realistic Role: 5; average major leaguer

Risk Factor/Injury History: Moderate; yet to reach Double-A; hit tool utility.

Bret Sayre’s Fantasy Take: It seems uncommon that a Yankee prospect would be undervalued in a dynasty context, but here we are. Judge is unlikely to be a high contributor in batting average and won’t offer much on the basepaths, but the potential 30-homer power without negative value elsewhere is what makes him a big riser in fantasy. And if you’re in an OBP league, he’s even better.

The Year Ahead: Despite a strong offensive output in the lower levels last season, Judge is still fairly unrefined with some aspects of his offensive game, including learning how to fully tap into his raw power and finding a balance with his extension to help mitigate some of his holes. Given the size and the nature of his long arms, there’s inherently going to be maintenance needed, along with the cognizance to recognize when things are getting out of whack. The hulking outfielder does show advancement with his approach at the plate, typically bringing a plan of execution and, most importantly, the willingness to grind through plate appearances. This aspect of the 22-year-old’s game bodes well for when he reaches the upper minors, likely at some point this season, which will be a strong test for the bat. There are concerns from evaluators that Judge’s hit tool will reach a plateau against more advanced competition. The potential power output is the main draw and his status as a regular hinges on being able to produce at acceptable levels. The view here sees some bumps in the road in the near term, but at the end of the day a future regular emerging.

Major league ETA: 2016