Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2025 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. OF Jasson Dominguez | 22 | MLB | 2023
The 5’9” 190 lb switch-hitting Martian will be a “big part” of the 2025 team according to manager Aaron Boone. If he’s 190 lbs, I’m Miles Davis. Not that I’m in any kind of shape to be sniping. Time is a mfr. As is snacking. On the other hand, time plus snacking equals The Itch, so here we are and here we go. If I had to bet right now, I suspect the Yankees will wind up without Juan Soto, paving the way for Dominguez to get a full season of big league at bats. He hit just .179 in 18 games last year, but it’s way different to get dropped into a pennant race fighting for playing time than it would be to open the season with a starting gig. Feels kind of foolish to say this given the hype Dominguez brought into his professional career, especially because I’ve never been as high as consensus on him, but I think we underestimate this dude at our peril.
2. OF Spencer Jones | 23 | AA | 2025
At 6’6” 235 lbs from the left side, Jones belongs in a similar alien-species bucket as The Martian for his combination of power and speed. The 25th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jones took a pretty big step back in 2024, striking out in 36.8 percent of his 544 Double-A plate appearances. That’s 200 strikeouts in 122 games. He still hit 17 home runs, stole 25 bases and generated a 124 wRC+, but the swing-and-miss issues need to improve before he can earn an everyday big league look.
3. 2B Caleb Durbin | 24 | AAA | 2024
I kind of went off about Durbin in last year’s list:
“I don’t put much stock in fall league outcomes, as a general rule, and it’s not only the hot fall that grabbed this spot for Durbin, but man what a fall it was. In 23 games, Durbin stole 21 bases, drew 14 walks, struck out seven times and slashed .353/.456/.588. He’s listed at just 5’6” and 185 lbs and makes the most of his tiny strike zone. In 69 games across High-A and Double-A, Durbin struck out just 18 times and drew 26 walks. That’s 99th percentile stuff. He stole 36 bases in 43 attempts and slashed .304/.395/.427 with four home runs. The main reason to have trepidation for our game is playing time. It feels unlikely that he can crack a Yankees lineup, but maybe he could play well enough to get moved at the deadline to a Kansas City kind of club that needs to slap and dash a little more than the average bear.”
I think I ranted like that because he wasn’t on mlb.com’s Top 30 Yankees prospects, and you might not believe me when I say this, dear reader, but Durbin is still not on that list. He must’ve done something to poison the well over there. Here’s what I wrote the other day in Prospect News: Arizona Fall League Wrap Up or The Painter Plan:
“Yankees 2B Caleb Durbin earned praise from New York Manager Aaron Boone, who said Durbin would be part of the second base picture in 2025 after slashing .312/.427/.548 with five home runs and 29 steals in 24 games. He was caught stealing just one time and set the league record for steals after swiping 29 games in 32 attempts across 82 Triple-A games. He also hit 10 home runs with a .396 OBP and more walks (47) than strikeouts (37) at the highest minor league level. He’s been an Itch-fave for a few years now, so I expect to have him on most of my teams in 2025.”
4. SS Roderick Arias | 20 | A | 2027
A physically gifted switch hitter at 6’0” 178 lbs, Arias signed for $4 million in January 2022 then struggled in his DSL debut, slashing .194/.379/.370 in 31 games. He bounced back in 2023 but only played 27 games (slashing .267/.423/.505) on the complex before a broken finger ended his season. His Low-A line this season in 124 games isn’t ideal (.233/.335/.393 with a 31 percent strikeout rate), but he still generated a 111 wRC+ along with 13 home runs and 37 stolen bases. Not bad for a stateside full-season debut.
5. SS George Lombard Jr. | 19 | A+ | 2027
A right-handed hitter at 6’3” 190 lbs, Lombard son of Lombard got drafted 26th overall in 2023 thanks to infield actions that should keep him on the dirt even if he grows out of shortstop. 2024 wasn’t particularly kind to him, but he still graduated Low-A after 81 games with a 105 wRC+ and finished the season with 29 difficult games in High-A (.226/.321/.296), where he should open 2025 as one of the league’s youngest players. A hot start could even land him in Double-A around his 20th birthday (June 2nd).
6. RHP Chase Hampton | 23 | AA | 2025
Following a strong spring, Hampton was poised to become part of the 2024 pitching staff at some point during the summer. Instead, he battled injuries and pitched just 18.2 innings across three levels. When healthy, he features three plus offerings in his fastball, slider and curveball. The changeup and command are works in progress. Needs a full season of health to develop in those areas.
7. OF Everson Pereira | 23 | MLB | 2023
Pereira appears to have stalled out in the upper minors after hitting just .151 in 27 big league games in 2023 and seeing his AAA strikeout rate go from 27.8 percent in 2023 to 32.4 percent in 2024. Prospect development is not linear, and Pereira still posted a 120 wRC+ in 40 AAA games, hitting ten homers and stealing five bases, so there’s reason to remain optimistic at bargain basement pricing heading into 2025.
8. OF Brando Mayea | 19 | CPX | 2029
Brando didn’t look like much of a contender in 2024 but still managed to hit .281 and swipe 19 bases 35 games on the complex. He’ll have to hit more than zero home runs if he intends to fulfil the promise inherent to a big money signing out of Cuba at $4.35 million. At righty at 5’11” 175 lbs, he’s got plenty of time to add strength and learn which pitches to hammer.
9. LHP Henry Lalane | 20 | A | 2027
At 6’7” 211 lbs with a three-quarters delivery, Lalane pairs a solid fastball with a plus curveball and changeup: a trio that tunnels well and makes him a potential nightmare matchup for lefty-heavy lineups. He pitched just 12.1 innings in 2024 as he battled injuries, so he’ll need a while to build toward something like a starter’s workload, but Lalane’s the kind of guy who could juice through the system in a single season if it all comes together.
10. C Engelth Urena | 20 | CPX | 2029
Urena was a beast on the complex this season, showing great plate skills and slashing .301/.420/.564 with eight home runs and five stolen bases in 40 games. He drew 24 walks (14.8%) against just 19 strikeouts (11.7%). He’s under the radar for prospect purposes because he wasn’t a bonus baby and is currently a tweener as a right-right catcher who might wind up at first base.
Thanks for reading!
