2015 Minor League roster predictions

Here’s my best shot at what the rosters will look like next year. The major caveat here is that injuries will happen and I will inevitably be wrong in quite a few spots here. There will also be the minor league free agents the Yankees sign, and whatever International Free Agents the Yankees can get their hands on. I’m not even going to try to predict who will make up Staten Island, GCL1, GCL2, and the Appalachian League team. That said I have been following the farm for years now and I do have a pretty good idea of how the Yankees work with their promotions.

It looks like the talent in Scranton Wilkes-Barre will have the typical Yankees farm distribution. 2-3 potential impact position players, 1-2 potential impact starting pitchers, and 3-4 potential impact relievers. Aside from that the Yankees have a solid player at each position (with the exception of maybe 3B), who could fill in if an emergency arises. The best hitters at this level will be Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin, and Jose Pirela. Roller will look to duplicate last year’s numbers. Bryan Mitchell and Manny Banuelos will look to develop enough consistency to get a shot at a big league roster spot. Ali Castillo really dominated in the Winter Leagues, so he may turn some heads this year as a true option at shortstop.

Trenton will be an interesting team to follow this year. I don’t know which direction they will go with second base. There are quite a few players at this level who will look to reclaim some of their prospect shine. I’m doubtful, however, that Cito Culver, Angelo Gumbs, Mason Williams, or Slade Heathcott will be able to do that next season. Dante Bichette Jr. will have to improve upon last year’s revival if he wants to garner attention as a prospect again. The pitching at this level will be highlighted by Luis Severino and a bunch of guys with a lot to prove. Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, and Jake Cave will highlight the position players at this level.

High-A Tampa does not have the most exciting roster, highlighted by Ian Clarkin. There are a few college bats who could end up being exciting, including Ford and Ty McFarland. Miguel Andujar will be another exciting bat to watch, along with Tyler Wade and Abiatal Avelino. It will be interesting to see how Brady Lail and Chaz Hebert develop. I could see Lail really breaking out this year.

As usual Low-A will have a ton of potential talent. Luis Torrens will look to play his first full season and make a splash. Gosuke Katoh and Dustin Fowler will look to rebound from their difficult first full seasons. I expect Jorge Mateo to make an impact at shortstop, and either Thairo Estrada or Angel Aguilar will make an impact as his backup/DH. Chris Breen is a major breakout candidate. He has legit power and the main question with him will be whether he can cut down on the strikeouts and further develop that power. On the pitching side look out for Gabe Encinas and Ty Hensley. The will headline that rotation and whoever gets slotted in as the other three starters will look to break out.

Scranton Wilkes-Barre Roster

C: Gary Sanchez

Backup C: JR Murphy (unless he is with the major league team)

1B: Kyle Roller

2B: Jose Pirela (unless Refsnyder is not the opening day starter for the Yankees)

3B: Rob Segedin

SS: Ali Castillo

OF: Ramon Flores

OF: Taylor Dugas

OF: Tyler Austin

OF: Adonis Garcia

SP1: Bryan Mitchell

SP2: Manny Banuelos

SP3: Matt Tracy

SP4: Nik Turley

SP5: Zach Nuding vs. Jaron Long

CL: Jacon Lindgren

SU1: Danny Burawa

SU2: Nick Rumbelow

RP: Jose Ramirez

RP: Branden Pinder

RP: Tyler Webb

RP: James Pazos

RP: Mark Montgomery

Trenton:

C: Trent Garrison

Backup C: Francisco Arcia or Kyle Higashioka

1B: Greg Bird

2B: Angelo Gumbs/Jose Rosario

3B: Dante Bichette Jr./Eric Jagielo

SS: Cito Culver

OF: Jake Cave

OF: Aaron Judge

OF: Mason Williams

OF: Slade Heathcott

OF: Ben Gamel

SP1: Luis Severino

SP2: Daniel Camarena

SP3: Miguel Sulbaran

SP4: Taylor Garrison

SP5: Jaron Long (unless he is in Triple-A, in which case it will be Caleb Smith)

CL: Nick Goody

SU: Kyle Haynes

SU: Cesar Vargas

RP: Cole Kimball

RP: Alex Smith

RP: Phil Wetherell

RP: Caleb Cotham

High-A Tampa

C: Eduardo de Oleo

Backeup C: Jackson Valera

1B: Mike Ford

2B: Ty McFarland

3B: Miguel Andujar

SS: Tyler Wade/Abiatal Avelino

OF: Mark Payton

OF: Michael O’Neill

OF: Brandon Thomas

OF: Ericson Leonora

SP1: Ian Clarkin

SP2: Chaz Hebert

SP3: Conner Kendrick

SP4: Brady Lail

SP5: Caleb Smith (If he goes to Double-A, then Rookie Davis or Justin Kamplain)

Jose Campos will eventually be a starter here as well.

CL: Dietrich Enns

SU: Phillip Walby

SU: Stefan Lopez

RP: Connor Mullee

RP: Cale Coshow

RP: Brett Gerritse

RP: Travis Hissong

Charleston

C: Luis Torrens

Backup C: Isaias Tejeda

1B: Connor Spencer

2B: Gosuke Katoh

3B: Renzo Martini, Allen Valerio, or Drew Bridges

SS: Jorge Mateo

Backup SS: Thairo Estrada or Angel Aguilar or Vicente Conde

OF: Dustin Fowler

OF: Chris Breen

OF: Cesar Diaz

OF: Colin Slaybaugh/Devyn Bolasky/Alexander Palma

SP1: Gabe Encinas

SP2: Justin Kamplain (if not in High-A)

SP3: David Palladino/Simon De La Rosa

SP4: Ty Hensley

SP5: Jordan Montgomery/Jordan Foley/Joey Maher