No team has traded more prospects since the start of last year than the Yankees, who have parted with 17 players who appeared on organization Top 30 Prospects lists. And in December 2024, they dealt two guys who couldn't crack their Top 30 but went on to have strong rookie seasons in the Majors in Carlos Narváez and Caleb Durbin.
Those transactions contributed to New York making the playoffs for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, as did homegrown rookies Jasson Domínguez and Cam Schlittler. All of those departures and graduations also took an obvious toll on the farm system, leaving it with less depth than most.
The Yankees still have an impressive collection of top-end talent in the Minors. Right-handers Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez -- the latter acquired from the Red Sox for Narváez -- both could make an impact in New York this season. George Lombard Jr. is a potential 25-25 shortstop who's a little further away, and he could be supplanted as the organization's top prospect by sweet-swinging Dax Kilby, a supplemental first-round pick last July.
Outside of Domínguez, many of the Yankees' high-profile international signings from the last decade have been unable to make enough of an impact to reach the big league level. As a result, they did not retain international scouting director Donny Rowland when his contract expired in November and hired Mario Garza, who has been with the organization in a variety of roles since 2011, in January.
Here's a look at the Yankees' top prospects:
1. George Lombard Jr., INF (MLB No. 32)
2. Carlos Lagrange, RHP (MLB No. 79)
3. Elmer Rodríguez, RHP (MLB No. 82)
4. Dax Kilby, SS (MLB No. 94)
5. Ben Hess, RHP
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list.
Jump: Carlos Lagrange, RHP (2025: 19 | 2026: 2)
He rebounded from back inflammation and control woes in 2024 to rank third in the Minors in strikeouts (168) and strikeout rate (33.4 percent) last year.
Fall: Roderick Arias, SS/3B (2025: 7 | 2026: NR)
The top-ranked prospect in the 2022 international class signed for $4 million but has slashed just .221/.331/.358 in two seasons in Single-A, while also regressing defensively.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is plus and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 60 -- Dax Kilby
Power: 65 -- Spencer Jones
Run: 60 -- Dax Kilby (Spencer Jones, Stiven Marinez, Mani Cedeno)
Arm: 60 -- Core Jackson
Defense: 60 -- George Lombard Jr.
Fastball: 70 -- Carlos Lagrange (Allen Facundo)
Curveball: 60 -- Ben Hess (Cade Winquest)
Slider: 60 -- Ben Hess (Harrison Cohen, Chase Hampton, Carlos Lagrange, Tony Rossi, Cade Smith)
Changeup: 60 -- Xavier Rivas (Bryce Cunningham)
Control: 60 -- Brendan Beck
How they were built
Draft: 19 | NDFA: 2 | International: 6 | Trade: 2 | Rule 5: 1
Breakdown by ETA
2026: 7 | 2027: 10 | 2028: 11 | 2030: 1 | 2031: 1
Breakdown by position
SS: 6 | OF: 3 | RHP: 15 | LHP: 6