The New York Yankees are known for their homegrown legends, ranging from Lou Gehrig and Mickey Mantle to Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge.
Several historical teams, including Murderers’ Row and the late 1990s dynasty, had players who were part of the Yankees’ farm system. Yes, there were large free-agent signings on those 1990s teams, but outfielder Bernie Williams and Jeter, alongside catcher Jorge Posada, were pivotal.
The team’s farm system also presents a lingering problem, as it has throughout the last decade.
With MLB Pipeline’s new farm system rankings, the Yankees slid to 26, one of their lowest in recent memory. It also marks the seventh consecutive year the team hasn’t ranked in the top 10 in the preseason for their farm system.
Over the last decade, Aaron Judge is the only consistent, high-performing homegrown player from the organization. Too many others were either traded or stalled in the organization, including Deivi Garcia and Estevan Florial. What happened to the team’s farm system?
The Yankees had a string of draft failures in the early 2010s, with several of their high-profile players never really appearing in the big leagues. Only 11 of the 50 players selected in 2011 appeared in the majors, including the injury-prone Greg Bird. First-round pick, outfielder Dante Bichette Jr., never once posted a seasonal OPS over .800 past 2011.
2012 was arguably worse than 2011, with only nine out of 40 reaching the majors. That class included pitcher Ty Hensley, who was out of the farm system by 2014 due to a series of injuries, and outfielder Austin Aune, who never played a full season in the minors. New York did get Judge in 2013, but busted on pitcher Ian Clarkin and third baseman Eric Jagielo.
In 2015, right-hander James Kaprielian was selected 16th overall, and later emerged as the fourth-ranked prospect in the Yankees’ farm system. The team also selected Chance Adams in the fifth round, who became the number 75 prospect in 2018. Adams never excelled in the major leagues even with the team, while Kaprielian was out with injuries from 2016 to 2019 and never truly recovered.
Lastly, in 2016, outfielder Blake Rutherford became the number 37 prospect in 2017 after being selected in the first round. He was put into a package with Clarkin to the Chicago White Sox for third baseman Todd Frazier, and relievers David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle.
Only one player selected in the first round or with a compensation pick during that time became a dependable player out of the eight selected. When combining all first to fifth round selections, 12 out of 31 debuted, but only six played for the Yankees. That includes 2014 draft selection Jordan Montgomery and 2016 fourth-rounder Nick Nelson.
New York did get some value out of later rounds, including sixth-rounder Jonathon Holder in 2014 and Nester Cortes Jr. in the 36th round in 2013. Over 75% of their selections, however, never debuted, and few lived up to their hype.
The Yankees did uncover a few gems, but several international prospects in the early to mid-2010s failed to become long-term impact players.
The team spent $1.6 million on catcher Jesus Montero in 2006 and another $3 million on catcher Gary Sanchez in 2009. Both became top 50 prospects by 2011.
Manny Banuelos became their number one prospect in 2012 after signing him to a $200,000 contract in the late 2000s. He pitched only three games in 2022. Around the same time, they signed pitcher Luis Severino for $225,000 in March 2012. Between 2011 and 2016, excluding Severino, 10 players signed for over a million dollars with the team; only one played for New York.
The team signed 74 international free agents between 2011 and 2016, only six of them debuted. With over $32 million spent in five years, the return on investment produced a flat WAR.
Some players, including Nelson Gomez ($2.25 million) and Omar Luis ($4 million) all ended their careers in double-A or lower. Wilkerman Garcia became their highest-rated international prospect at number five in their system in 2016, but was out of the league by 2019.
The ones that debuted, including Florial, Miguel Andujar, Deivi Garcia, and Oswald Peraza, were underwhelming. Andujar, who signed with the team in 2011, actually was runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2018. The Yankees, however, refused to give him a fixed spot on the roster, and he lost trade and player value.
Florial, on the other hand, made it to the big leagues but never panned out with a net-negative WAR. Peraza showed off his glove at third base, but failed to get his bat going, sitting well below the Mendoza line.
Deivi Garcia actually ranked on the Top 100 twice, being higher-ranked than Wilkerman Garcia in 2016. But after 2020, and making his debut, he had a sudden collapse in all his metrics, including walks and strikeouts.
Sanchez excelled in 2016 and 2017, before a steep decline in offensive performance. Montero was traded to the Seattle Mariners after his 2011 debut with the Yankees, alongside Hector Noesi, for starter Michael Pineda and Jose Campos.
The good news for the Yankees is that several players drafted since 2019 have been steady players on the roster. First-rounder Anthony Volpe, selected in 2019, has been the team’s shortstop since 2023, winning a gold glove in his rookie year.
2020 selection, Austin Wells, is still developing as a catcher, hitting 21 home runs in 2024 and garnering rookie of the year votes in 2024. 2023 first-rounder Spencer Jones, despite having a strikeout problem with a rate over 30%, is poised to make the opening day roster for New York in 2026.
Some of their later selections in previous drafts have also been successful. 2021 saw the selection of Will Warren, who has been a suitable fifth-starter for the team, and Ben Rice in the 12th round, who had an .836 OPS in 2025. Cam Schlittler, their 2022 seventh-round selection, is also burgeoning into a stable rotation piece.
The same cannot be said for the international free agent classes. 2022 top signee Roderick Arias fell out of the top 100 following continued struggles at single-A. It’s a bit too early to say what outfielders Francisco Vilorio and Brando Mayea will do, but early indications suggest they might not be worth the high price tags.
2019 signee Jasson Dominguez, however, is struggling to adapt to the major league level, and he might be going on the same path as Andujar. Alexander Vargas, signed in 2018, also hasn’t broken past double-A and was signed to the Cincinnati Reds.
The level of negligence the Yankees showed during that time frame in the early 2010s is egregious. Strings of draft and international signing failures caused the team to fall off the MLB Pipeline’s top 10 farm systems, and have still not recovered. This team was once known for its deep prospect field, and still cannot hit the sweet spot on most of its selections.
New York has players like Dax Kilby and Pico Kohn who could be valuable if they develop, but it’s still a thin field. It needs a streak of good drafts to return to the farm system radar.
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