Anthony Volpe sits first among five Yankees on ESPN’s top 100 ranking

Feb 2, 2023 - 1:00 PM

The time for baseball is slowly approaching, as the day that pitchers and catchers report to their respective teams continues to creep up. The offseason is coming to an end soon, and for Kiley McDaniel at ESPN, that means ranking prospects and compiling a list of the top 100 in MLB. The Yankees have five total on the list, including an honorable mention. The complete list is here on ESPN+.

To start, Anthony Volpe came in at third overall on the list behind Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles and Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks. McDaniel compares the 21-year-old shortstop to Bo Bichette, Willy Adames, and even Xander Bogaerts. The hope is that Volpe will continue to be an on-base percentage machine that can crank out at least 25 home runs with above-average defense. One thing comes out of reading this article, and it's that the kid is going to be legit.

It takes a bit of scrolling to get to the Yankees' next prospect on the list, but at number 28 comes Jasson Dominguez, whom McDaniels describes as a "refrigerator box filled with dynamite." The power in both his swing and right arm in the outfield is impressive in his big and bulky frame. At just 19 years old, there are so many things to like about his raw talents.

Just below Dominguez at No. 34 is Oswald Peraza, the first Yankees prospect on this list that has gotten a taste of major league playing time. We got a look at everything for a short period in 2022, and the most significant things that stood out were his defense and speed on the basepaths, which McDaniels notes in the article as well. It's unlikely that he will be as big of a star as Volpe, but those two in the middle infield should be something Yankees fans can enjoy as long as they're healthy.

Moving down the list to the other two prospects, it's catcher Austin Wells at No. 58 and another shortstop, Trey Sweeney, at No. 88. Both are players that were noted as more power hitters than anything else at their respective positions, and with Wells, it was pointed out that his defense before recently was not great but has made some improvements. His throwing arm from behind the plate is still a concern, though.

Sweeney being a shortstop standing at 6-foot-4 is an anomaly, as he's only three inches shorter than O'Neill Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the same height as the legendary Cal Ripken Jr. Of course, he's going to need more than height to make an impact in the Yankees' system, but the tools are there.

Everson Pereira was placed as an honorable mention in the article with six other center fielders in that category.

While the Yankees don't have as many high-end prospects in their system as they once did (some of which made it on the list as well) due to trades made for Scott Effross and Frankie Montas this past season, they still have an excellent pool of players that can make a significant impact in the coming years. The Bronx Bombers have consistently had a roster that could contend for a World Series, so even though they haven't had a first-overall pick like some of the other teams with top prospects on this list, they've made intelligent draft decisions, and hopefully soon, they will be rewarded because of it.