New York Yankees Breakout MLB Prospects Entering 2024

Entering 2024, we’re examining multiple Yankees prospects on the verge of a breakout season. To qualify as a breakout prospect for this exercise, a player must rank outside the Top 10 Prospects in his organization entering the year.

You can find all of our preseason prospect rankings here and a link to breakouts for all 30 teams here.

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Breakout Prospects

Carlos Lagrange, RHP

Preseason rank: 13
BA Grade: 55. Risk: Extreme.

TRACK RECORD: The Yankees signed Lagrange in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent his first pro season in the Dominican Summer League, where he allowed just 10 hits over 33 innings while striking out 43. He advanced stateside in 2023 and was part of an extraordinarily talented Florida Complex League that advanced to the championship round. His 63 strikeouts were the most in the league since 2018.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lagrange is a big, powerful righthander who cuts an intimidating presence on the mound and has the stuff to match. He primarily uses four- and two-seam fastballs that each sit between 95-97 mph and can reach triple-digits. The four-seamer is a monster, with high spin and horizontal break and a 44% miss rate. The two-seamer comes in a tick slower. His slider sits around 83 mph and induced a whiff rate of 48%. Lagrange has both a curveball and a changeup in his mix, but neither is thrown often and both have a long way to go before they’re truly viable parts of his arsenal. His control and command are below-average but showed improvement throughout the course of the season and he made his movement toward the plate more direct and consistent.

THE FUTURE: Lagrange is part of a pack of high-upside arms lurking at the back of the Yankees’ system. He has the ceiling of a No. 3 starter but could also be a bullpen hammer in the mold of Dellin Betances if he doesn’t improve his control or bring forward a third pitch.

Scouting Grades
Fastball: 70. Curveball: 40. Slider: 70. Changeup: 30. Control: 40.

Jerson Alejandro, RHP

Preseason rank: 25
BA Grade: 50. Risk: Extreme.

TRACK RECORD: Alejandro was the top pitching prospect the Yankees added in their most recent international signing class. He was lauded for his combination of size, athleticism and present stuff. He spent his first season in the Dominican Summer League, where he showed flashes of high-end stuff and struck out 36 hitters in as many innings.

SCOUTING REPORT: Alejandro cuts an intimidating presence on the mound at 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds and shows the stuff to match. His fastball in 2023 sat in the low 90s and peaked around 94, though it was up to 98 in his amateur days. He backs the fastball with a nasty changeup in the low 80s that has flashed plus and might get even better with more use. As an amateur he threw a curveball that flashed average and would be a third pitch to round out his arsenal, but now the pitch has become a low-80s slider with short, sharp shape. He should have average control as he develops into his frame and learns to sync his massive frame.

THE FUTURE: Alejandro will move stateside in 2024, when he will be part of what should be part of another high-upside group in the Florida Complex League.

Scouting Grades
Fastball: 70. Slider: 50. Changeup: 65. Control: 50.