The article on George Kontos got me thinking about how many right-handed pitching prospects the Yankees have in the organization. Not just players but legit prospects litter every level. The have major league ready talent (Joba, Ian), prospects a step away(Marquez, Horne, Sanchez) and a ton of high upside kids at the lower levels(Heredia, Betances, Brackman, etc.). Below is my ranking of the top Yankee starting pitching prospects. I omitted Steve White due to his age but the list is long and deep on talent.
- Joba- Number one pitching prospect in baseball
- Ian Kennedy- People forget HE was minor league pitcher of the year. He dominated in 07.
- Alan Horne-Eastern League pitcher of the year, four plus pitches.
- Andrew Brackman - Has more upside then maybe any other pitcher in the draft.
- Humberto "the Dirty" Sanchez-Was a top prospect before the injury. Could be a real force if healthy.
- Delin Betances-Raw but a potential number 1 starter.
- Jeff Marquez-15 Wins in '07. From BA Marquez has the chance to become a workhorse groundball machine who fills the No. 3 or 4 slot in a rotation.
- George Kontos-We all know he's the Yankees' "Best Kept Secret"
- Jairo Heredia- Ranked 15th best Prospect in the GCL by Baseball America
- Zach McAllister-Still developing but my breakout prospect for '07. I love this kid.
- Chris Garcia - Elbow injury cost him all of '07 but from BA in '06 Yankees officials believe Garcia has almost as much upside as Hughes.
- Ryan Pope- Hardball times thought he was a steal in the third round
Most of these kids will turn out to be nothing but the sheer number almost guarantees one of two will emerge. I count five players who could develop into Aces - Brackman, Betances, Joba, Heredia and Garcia. Of those five if two develop the Yankees are in very good shape.
