New York Yankees Prospects: 2024 Midseason Top 30 Update

Notable Risers 

Agustin Ramirez, C

After breaking out and earning a spot on the 40-man roster over the offseason, Ramirez crushed Double-A pitching for the first part of the season before advancing to Triple-A on June 19. The 22-year-old has been the team’s best-performing offensive prospect over the first half season, but questions linger about where he’ll ultimately land defensively. 

Ben Rice, C/1B

The Yankees took a flier on the Dartmouth-educated Rice in the 2021 draft and were rewarded with a player who broke out in 2023 and reached the big leagues in 2024. New York summoned Rice for his first big league callup on June 18 to patch the hole in the lineup and at first base left by the injured Anthony Rizzo. He made a memory on July 6 when he became the first Yankees rookie to hit three home runs in a game.

Notable Fallers

Kyle Carr, LHP

After intriguing evaluators in spring training, Carr’s stuff dropped significantly during the regular season. Poor results followed at High-A, and scouts reported a pitcher who came nowhere near matching the pedigree of a player selected with the 97th overall pick in the prior year’s draft. 

Roderick Arias, SS

Arias wowed observers in the summer of 2023 in the Florida Complex League but regressed badly after jumping to Low-A Tampa. The 19-year-old shows flashes of his big-time tools, but his swing has gotten significantly uphill and has left him with gaping holes in the strike zone that he will need to cover in order to regain his prospect stock. 

Notable New Additions

18. Jack Neely, RHP

BA Grade: 40/High

Track Record: Neely began his career at Texas, then transferred to Ohio State in 2021, after the sport resumed post-pandemic. He worked to a 6.10 ERA in his lone season with the Buckeyes but also struck out 62 hitters in 41.1 innings. The Yankees popped him in the 11th round in 2021, then let him get his feet wet in Low-A. In 2023, he was one of the system’s most dominant relievers and was the only pitcher in the minors to strike out 100 hitters without making a start. He reached Triple-A on June 19.

Scouting Report: Neely cuts an imposing figure on the mound at 6-foot-8 and 245 pounds, and he gets outs with a pair of pitches that each grade as plus or better. His fastball averaged 95 mph and touched a tick higher with plenty of life through the zone. Neely’s biggest weapon, however, is his slider. The pitch sits in the mid 80s with short, sharp life and more sweep than depth. He threw the pitch nearly half the time and got whiffs at a 58% clip. His arsenal plays up thanks to the deception in his delivery, and he ties everything together with above-average control and command that’s maybe a tick below. 

The Future: Now that he’s reached Triple-A, his big league debut could come later this season. He has the stuff to be a late-game weapon.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 65 | Control: 55

21. Rafael Flores, C/1B

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Flores played his college ball with Rio Hondo (Calif.) JC and also played with the Alaska Goldpanners—a barnstorming summer college team—after the 2022 season. He went undrafted in 2022, but the Yankees signed him as a free agent. He got into four games in the Florida Complex League after signing, then spent all of 2023 at High-A Hudson Valley where he split time between catcher and first base. He returned to High-A to begin the 2024 season and was promoted to Double-A on June 26.

Scouting Report: Flores is one of the best ball-strikers in the entire Yankees’ organization, which also contains hard-hitters like Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones and Agustin Ramirez. To wit, as of July 1, Flores’ 108.6 mph 90th percentile exit velocity was the best in the system among his peers with more than 100 balls in play. To make the most of that thump, he’ll need to get the ball in the air more often. Evaluators also suggest he might be getting too crouched over the plate, which leads to him having to move up before he can attack pitches located in the upper tier of the strike zone.

The Future: Now at Double-A, Flores is a sneaky prospect who could jump further onto the radar if his hard-hit rates begin translating into more production.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Speed: 20 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 45

22. Edgleen Perez, C

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Perez signed with the Yankees out of Venezuela in March of 2023, then put together a pro debut in the Dominican Summer League that showcased a discerning eye, bat-to-ball skills but little in the way of power. He moved to the Florida Complex League in 2024 and continued showing an exemplary knowledge of the strike zone as well as one of the better defensive skill sets from a catcher in the league. 

Scouting Report: Perez doesn’t have the eye-popping offensive tools of Yankees catching prospects of years past, but he puts the bat on the ball and rarely swings at anything outside of the strike zone. His power has jumped as well, with 90th percentile and max exit velocities of roughly 102 and 110 mph. The 18-year-old is also extremely passive at the plate, with a swing rate of nearly 33% that ranks near the bottom of all players with 100 or more plate appearances. Perez is a compact, mobile receiver who is adept at blocking pitches and uses a plus throwing arm to control the running game. He is a below-average runner. 

The Future: If he continues developing, Perez has the skills to be an everyday catcher who sticks behind the plate and hits toward the bottom third of an order. 

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Speed: 40 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 60

23. Sabier Marte, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Marte signed with the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic in 2022, then spent the next two years in the Dominican Summer League, where he teased with a combination of projection and pitchability. He moved stateside in 2024 and showed the beginnings of improved fastball velocity and an improved slider.

Scouting Report: Marte is still tall and skinny, but his fastball has touched up to 96 mph this season while averaging around 92. He throws two varieties of the pitch—a four-seamer and a two-seamer—and complements them with a slider and a changeup. His changeup is his best present offspeed pitch, though the slider can flash late break, as well. At times it will become loose and loopy, and he does not show a consistent feel for spin. Marte would be well served to continue packing on good weight both to add future crispness to his mix and also to help him withstand the rigors of a full season.

The Future: If he continues adding strength to his frame and can show a more consistent feel for spin, Marte might have a chance to fit toward the back of a rotation. Full-season ball is his next step. 

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Changeup: 55 | Slider: 50 | Control: 50

28. Benjamin Cowles, 2B

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: Cowles was drafted by the Yankees in the 10th round of the 2021 draft out of Maryland. He wound his way slowly through the minor leagues over his first three pro seasons before undergoing a bit of a breakout campaign in 2024 at Double-A Somerset, where he’d begun making more contact than in past seasons.

Scouting Report: Cowles’ offensive gains this season have a lot to do with increased bat speed and a shift toward a lift-and-pull approach in the box. He shows solid raw power but is more of a doubles hitter in games. Cowles’ likely defensive home is at second base, where his fringy arm strength will fit better than it does at either of the spots on the left side of the infield. He is a below-average runner.

The Future: Cowles’ strong season has raised his prospect stock enough to give him a chance to reach the big leagues. Even so, he likely fits as a second-division regular or bench player on a first-division club if everything breaks right in the coming years

Scouting Grades: Hit 50 | Power: 45 | Speed: 40 | Fielding: 40 | Arm: 45

30. Zach Messinger, RHP

BA Grade/Risk: 40/High

Track Record: Messinger was taken by the Yankees out of Virginia in the 13th round of the 2021 draft. He’s steadily wound his way through the minor leagues until having a bit of a breakthrough this year at Double-A Somerset, where he’s fit in nicely in a rotation led by fellow prospects Brock Selvidge and Trystan Vrieling.

Scouting Report: Messinger’s pitch mix has changed a bit this season. He’s gotten rid of his cutter and now throws two versions of a slider—a sweeper and a gyro—as well as his four-seamer and changeup. The gyro version has been the most effective of the two offerings and plays to hitters of both hands. He throws strikes at a solid rate and has cut his walk rate by nearly half from what it was in 2023, a year spent mostly at High-A Hudson Valley. 

The Future: Nothing in Messinger’s arsenal is particularly overwhelming, but he has just enough stuff to one day fit as a bulk man or spot starter in the big leagues, with the upside for more if any of his pitches takes a step forward.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Changeup: 40 | Slider: 55 | Control: 50

Significant Injuries

Jasson Dominguez, OF

After recovering from Tommy John surgery to close the 2023 season and tearing up the minors in his rehab tour, Dominguez suffered a strained oblique muscle that was expected to keep him out up to eight weeks. 

Everson Pereira, OF

The injury bug continues to bite Pereira, who had Tommy John surgery in June and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. 

Caleb Durbin, 2B

After a strong start to the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Durbin suffered a right hand injury after being hit by pitch and was placed on the injured list on May 24. He was moved to the 60-day injured list on July 2.