Top 10 Yankee Hitting Prospects

1. Jesus Montero - Montero was a teenage power hitting terror in the Sally League last year. Though he played in a park that suppressed his power, he put up a system leading BA ang got better as the season wore on. He also did it while making substantial improvements to his catching game. His power is off the charts and his eye is good, though his walks need to go up if he wants to force pitchers into his happy zone, which is pretty big as he can get his arms out there and nail the away pitches. He could start moving this year if he gets off to a hot start in Tampa.


2. Austin Jackson - AJack is developing in fitst and starts. Because of his celebrated high school basketball career he missed a lot of development, but he has shown major flashes of being a big time hitter. He did well in AA as a young player for the league and was MVP of the championship series. Still, his home park held him down and he didn't have a very good fall league in Ariziona. But, he still has crazy bat speed and all the AA and could break out at any moment. Stay tuned, and don't give up on this kid.


3. Austin Romine - Another power hitting catcher with what seems like a good eye, but not enough walks yet. Like Montero, he clearly has a loud, Yankee type bat, and those are the kind of hitters the Yanks like to hold onto. He too could get moving if he gets off to a hot start in Tampa where he will once again split catcher and DH with Jesus Montero.


4. Bradley Suttle - Suttle made huge progress after a terrible fall season in `07. The swith hitter has shown some patience and some pop and put up consistently good ab's when he was healthy for Charleston this year. He needs to stay healthy and turn his power potential into now power if he wants to get moving.


5. Brandon Laird - I almost ranked him ahead of Suttle cause he's shown now power, but Suttle has a more patient approach and that's what the Yanks are looking for from their kids now. Laird's power, though, is impressive and he has made some progress at first, and may have to stay fresh at third and learn left field if he wants to stay with the Yanks all the way.


6. Eduardo Sosa - Since a lot of the more advanced prospects like Nacci, Sublett, Adams and others have been banged up or had other issues, we're going lower levels for the next few. Sosa is a pure CF who suprised a bit this year by showing more patience and a bit more power than anyone was projecting from his right off the bat. He'll be one of three OF prospects coming to the states this year who could really race up our rankings. Originally seen as a possible Johnny Damon type with a better arm, he may also end up with a better eye and better pop!


7. Kelvin DeLeon - DeLeon has an even bigger upside as a hitter than Sosa does. A right fielder by design, DeLeon is a big, patient, sweet swinging power hitter. He'll be coming to America this year and could even start out in Charleston. His power is now, and it's not very far behind Montero's. So far, he's also showing an eye and an ability to make adjustments.


8. Abraham Almonte - Almonte had a terrible second half last year, but before that he showed patience and switch hitting power. During his monster slump he hit a lot of hard outs, so the thought here is that a lot of it was bad luck. He'll probably have to start in Charleston again, but he could get promoted quickly if his AB's stay strong and his luck comes back. He may be the fastest player in the organization.


9. Carlos Urena - the man, the myth, the guy who's finally coming over. Urena has had a weird career. After lighting it up beyond all expectations during ST 2007, they sent him back to the Dominican cause they thought he was getting a big head. I'm not kidding. Last year he started out well, then got shot in a grocery store robbery. He was then the star of instructs this past fall and he's finally coming over. A natural CF he could start in Charleston in left, or start in one of the short season leagues. He remains one of the most talented prosects in the system.


10. Colin Curtis - Curtis is going to be in AAA this year and is a good outfielder who's shown everything but the power they've projected for him. They did some mechanical work on his swing to try to bring out more power, so we either will or won't see the fruits of that this year. He could get called up if he gets hot and stays hot. He has some patience and tends to take good ab's.


Others considered: Marcos Vechionacci, Damon Sublett, David Adams, Garrison Lassiter. This will probable be a big year on the hitting sides as more of the younsters and recent picks establish themselves.