How Brett Gardner's extension effects the Yankees' minor league outfielders

It may seem silly, but with the departure of Robinson Cano, and the eventual retirement of Derek Jeter, the Yankees couldn't afford to lose another key homegrown player. That is one reason why so many fans were happy with Brett Gardner's surprising extension. Teams may not get extra wins for developing their own talent, but fans still like the idea of teams developing their own talent. The funny thing about this way of thinking is that the Yankees may have blocked a future homegrown star, by retaining Gardner.

The Yankees have a few major league ready outfield prospects, and some of these outfielders are, or were, top prospects. Guys like Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, Tyler Austin, and Ramon Flores were all thought of as possible future starters. Before this offseason, these players seemed to have multiple spots to battle for.

The team looked like it would need replacements at each outfield position by 2015. But now these players just have one outfield spot to fight for.

Some have wondered what the team will do with these players now, or how this affects their development. In my opinion people are overreacting to the Gardner extension. The presence of Gardner shouldn't change anything.  These players aren't going to be less motivated by having one less spot to fight for, and the Yankees shouldn't look to trade a prospect just because they can.

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Alfonso Soriano contemplating retirement after this season

Alfonso Soriano could become the second Yankee to ride off into the sunset, alongside Derek Jeter, and retire at the end of this season, according to George A. King III of the NY Post.

"It depends how I feel," Soriano told The Post Wednesday. "If I'am healthy I will play [in 2015]. If not, I will let it go. It depends how I fell."

Soriano is entering his 14th season in the league, and will be turing 39 in July.

He's coming off of a pretty good  2013 season, in which he hit 34 homeruns and drove in 101 runs, splitting time between the Yankees and Chicago Cubs. In 93 games with the Cubs, he batted .254 with 17 homeruns and 54 RBIs. 

He continued the same pace after being traded to the Yankees in July, hitting .256 with 17 homeruns and 50 RBIs.

Soriano is expected to be the fourth outfielder on the Yankees roster this season -- behind Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brett Gardner on the depth chart -- while spending most of his time as the DH -- something that he has only done 35 times in his career, having spent most of his time in the National League with the Cubs and Washington Nationals.

"If I am the DH I will have to make adjustments." Soriano said. "When the team is playing defense, I will have to find a way to keep my body warm and ready."

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer for Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (HERE).

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Organizational Depth: Outfielders, Part Two

Depth Below AA:

Mason Williams was arguably the Yankees' best prospect coming into the 2013 season. However, he had a shoulder injury at the end of 2012 and while he was ready at the start of last season, he really underperformed. This was in part due to being out of shape.

But it was also due to change in hitting style, as he began slashing at balls, and adopting an Ichiro Suzuki hitting style. He apparently went back to old approach during the Arizona Fall League, and while the results weren't there he reportedly looked like his old self.

Williams really needs to rebound next year because right now the only aspect of his game that scouts agree on is his plus speed, and plus defense. He is more than capable of being a good hitter, so 2014 will be a major year for him.

Mason will begin the 2014 season in AA, but fans will get to see his progress during spring training. It was only a year ago that Williams was considered a top 50 prospect, and the Yankees really need him to return to that level next year.

Williams will probably be joined in AA, by Taylor Dugas, and Ben Gamel. Dugas is an interesting player because he has such a good eye at the plate. Dugas's great eye, makes him a very good hitter, and one that might find a way to hit in the majors. However, Dugas has little else going for him, as he is only a slightly above average runner, and isn't an elite defender.

Dugas had an .799 OPS in High-A last year, so he will most probably be pushed to AA. Considering he will be 24 next season he should move past AA soon. He might not have the highest ceiling, but so far he is putting up good numbers and working his way up the ladder.

In some ways the same can be said about Ben Gamel. Gamel is similar to Dugas in the sense that he might end up as a fourth outfielder. He has a lot more power than Dugas, but he might not have enough to become a starter. He is faster than Dugas and is also a better defender so he has a better chance to become a starter.

The Yankees have always seemed to believe Gamel would hit for more power, and have always been high on him. Gamel will begin the 2014 in AA, where he will try to show that he can be more of a power hitter.

The reason it's so important for some of the above players to have a great 2014 is that the system has a pretty good outfield in Tampa. The Tampa Yankees outfield is projected to feature Aaron Judge, Ericson Leonora, and Jake Cave.

Aaron Judge was one the Yankees three first round picks last year, and while he didn't get any game time last season, it is believed he will begin the year in High-A. According to Keith Law, Judge has the ability to be a top 50 guy next season if he performs the way he should.

He truly has all-star potential, as he could develop plus power. Despite his size he isn't a bad runner and can currently handle center field. He won't bat for high average, but he could be a .260 hitter in the majors, and his on-base percentage would be a lot higher.

Judge could begin the season in A+ and would probably spend some time there, because he isn't really polished yet. Judge has more upside than the other two outfield options and will probably be the one who gets to play center.

That isn't to say Leonora and Cave aren't good options; they both were very productive last season. Leonora's strong year kind of came out of nowhere as he really struggled in the GCL last year. Leonora hit.295/.337/.347/.812 between the GCL and Sally league. This performance put him back on the prospect map.

Leonora is a good runner, who seems to have power potential and a good hit tool. His numbers in a great pitchers park suggests that he may be a true prospect. Tampa will be a good test for him, and we should soon learn whether he is more than a one year wonder.

Like Leonora, Jake Cave also kind of came out of nowhere as the former 6th round draft pick has only appeared in one game since being drafted in 2011, due to injuries. For a while it seemed like he would be the systems new Slade Heathcott, a talented player who can't stay on the field, but he put up a healthy season last year.

He really did well last season considering just how little he played over the past few seasons. Cave had a .748 OPS in a pitchers league, and in a terrible hitters park. While observers would want to see more homerun power, he did finish third in the league in doubles, and based off his age and his hitting environment, homerun power should come as he advances through the system.

The Yankees  A-Ball team outfield is also has talent, but none of their players are as proven as the guys in Tampa or above. The Charleston Riverdogs outfield will probably feature the likes of Michael O'Neill, Brandon Thomas, Daniel Lopez, and Yeicock Calderon.

All of these players were disappointing last season and may be running out of time to turn things around. Thomas, and O'Neill who were just drafted last year have the best chance to turn things and there's less urgency for those prospects to perform next season.

Brandon Thomas, was a 8th round pick last in 2013, after enduring mononucleosis in his last college season. His illness seemed to have hampered his tools in his final season and affected his performance in Low-A. His draft stock was actually higher in 2012, as the Pirates took him with their 4th round pick.

Baseball America ranked Thomas as the best athlete taken by the Yankees in 2013 draft, and he does have raw power potential. In general Thomas was supposed to have a nice combination of tools when he was drafted, but he really struggled in his debut.

Likewise O'Neill, was also abysmal in his debut, but has some nice tools. O'Neill was  the Yankees third round draft pick, and is probably best known for being Paul O'Niell's nephew. O'neill's best tool is his speed, and BA claimed he was the fastest Yankee pick. His speed will allow him to play center long term.

O'Neill also has some pop, but his lack of plate discipline may stop him from ever reaching his potential. But O'Neill was ranked relatively high before the draft so it is way too soon to give up on him, even if he struggles a bit next year. 

However Calderon and Lopez both have to breakthrough next season, as they have been stuck on the same level for a couple of seasons now.  Calderon is known for his power, but so far has shown little else in his minor league career. His big weakness is his defense and he often looks like a DH trying to play the outfield. Calderon does have good bat speed, but doesn't have the greatest approach at the plate. Calderon will be 22 next season, so he will really have to start moving through the system. Last year in A-Ball he had sub .600 OPS. 

Lopez's struggles were even worse, as he couldn't even hit his way out of the NYPL, a league that Calderon dominated. Lopez's main strength is his speed, and none of his weaknesses are as glaring as Calderon's. However he has struggled since excelling in the GCL league two seasons ago. While it was once believed that he could develop into a decent offensive weapon he really has shown very little potential in the past couple of years. 

Sleepers:

The Yankees biggest sleeper in this category is Leonardo Molina. Molina was the Yankees biggest international signing this year. Ben Badler ranked him as the 5th best international free agents. Molina has plus-plus speed, and is considered a good defender. He also has a good hit tool. Molina truly has great potential and if he makes it to the GCL next year he will be one of the youngest players there. 

2013 draftee Kendall Coleman was one of Baseball America's sleeper prospects from last years draft. BA's Conor Glassey wrote that Coleman is the type of bat teams should be patient with, and implied that Coleman has good power potential down the road. Based off his recent pics on Twitter, Coleman looks to be in good shape, and should begin the 2014 season in the GCL or NYPL.

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Josh Sabo is a Minor League writer for Yanks Beat Blog.

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Organizational Depth: Outfielders, Part One

Outfield is the last category of this series, and it might be the deepest position in the farm system. This is especially true for the major league ready section, which features players that spent the majority of the year in AA. Like the SP and RP categories, the OF category will be broken down into two parts. The first part will look at players who spent most of the year in or above AA.  

Major League Players:

The Yankee prospect closest to being a Yankee starter is Zoilo Almonte. Almonte made the team last year but his time in the majors was cut short due to an injury. Almonte doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he has some power and is a switch-hitter so he does have some appeal. Almonte has decent tools, but none of his tools are plus.

Almonte has always been an aggressive hitter, that had an all-or-nothing approach at the plate. But in 2014 it had looked like he finally became more selective in AAA, as he doubled his walk rate. This resulted in the loss of some power but overall he had good numbers at AAA last season.

However, he really struggled in his short stint in the big leagues. Almonte had a WRC+ of 55 in 34 games. This is a very small size and he might be a better player than Ichiro Suzuki at this point of their careers. If he can't beat out Ichiro for the Yankees 5th outfielder spot he will either end up in AAA or traded. Considering he kind of looks like a fourth outfielder, it may be in the Yankees best interest to trade him.

After Almonte, the Yankees have two former consensus top 100 prospects who could begin the year at AAA, and have a legitimate chance to rebound. Slade Heathcott, and Tyler Austin are two big reasons why so many changed their stance on the Yankees system but they both have the ability to make the majors next season.

Slade Heathcott, has one of the highest ceilings in the organization but has been injured for basically his entire career. In my opinion, games played is his most important stat. Last season he was relatively healthy and set a career high in games played.

Heacthcott is the type of player that plays the game too hard. Nothing can stop him from hustling on every play. This style of play leads to a lot of injuries, and he has had multiple shoulder and knee surgeries in his career.

When healthy he looks like a future big leaguer, but his lack of playing time means he is a bit more raw than he should be. He currently strikes out over 20 percent of the time, but that number is improving, and most project him to be an above average batter in the future.

He has or had the potential to be a five tool player, but at the moment his two strongest tools are his speed and his defense. He still has an above average arm despite undergoing shoulder surgery, which is pretty remarkable.

Slade didn't display his hit or power tool in 2013, until the end of the season. By August he really began to show he could play baseball at a high level (.852 OPS after the All-Star game). Unfortunately, he wasn't able to finish the year healthy.

Likewise, Austin's season also ended early because of injuries, as he was forced off of the Arizona Fall League because of a lingering wrist injury. This injury bothered him for most of the season and took away much of his power. Because of this his numbers look very pedestrian last season, and some are now pegging him as a fourth outfielder.

He still has one big supporter in Keith Law, who noticed he was injured before it actually was announced, based off of how his swing looked. When healthy he shows gap power, and should be able to hit enough homeruns to be a corner outfielder. His defense in right is average, and he has a strong arm. Additionally he steals a surprising amount of bases for a guy without good speed.

 Austin should be given the chance to redeem himself in either AA or AAA next season, and is an interesting player to watch in spring training. He'd be even more interesting if the Yankees allowed him to practice third-base.

The last player in this section is Ramon Flores. Flores played the 2013 season as one of the youngest players in the Eastern League. While he didn't show much power and struggled initially he didn't do so badly considering his age.

Right now his only real strength is his ability to work counts and take walks.  While that is a very important aspect of baseball he needs to do hit for more power to be considered more than a fourth outfielder. He isn't fast, and he isn't a great defender so he really needs to become the type of offensive player scouts believe he could be.

Power is the last tool to really develop, so he still has time, but the Yankees are starting to stockpile outfielders throughout their system, so he will really need to breakout soon. In his defense he is working hard on his power and has gained a lot of muscle in recent years. So far the results aren't there, but if the power comes he will become a pretty good offensive player.

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Josh Sabo is a Minor League writer for Yanks Beat Blog.

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What will Ichiro's role be with the Yankees this season?

The Yankees locked Ichiro Suzuki up on a two-year contract last winter, leaving them stuck with him for one year too many. Last year was one of his worst in professional baseball, and it would be easy to see this being his last season before retiring -- that's far from a guarantee, though.

After signing Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran this winter, the Yankees have given themselves more than enough outfielders heading into spring training.

They've already released Vernon Wells after designating him for assignment back in January, and it could be possible that Ichiro is the next outfielder the Yankees move.

But for now, however, Ichiro is still on the Yankee's roster, and they're still in line to pay him the $6.5 million they owe him in 2014.

Even this late in his career, at 40-years-old this season, Ichiro can give the Yankees some speed on the bases, some slap hits into the gap here and there, and he'll stay on the field for the full season -- he's never played less than 140 games in a season since coming to the MLB from Japan.

Having been very durable and always in the lineup, Ichiro shouldn't be able to expect that same kind of playing time in 2014.

If you're looking at the depth chart, it won't be hard to see Ichiro at the bottom of the outfield list, coming in behind Beltran, Ellsbury, Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano. And because of that, I just don't see him fitting into Joe Girardi's game plan each day.

Like I said above, Ichiro will be able to pinch-run off of the bench, and could even be a late-game option at the plate for Girardi if he's looking to send an experience hitter at the plate -- and Ichiro has more than enough experience with the bat.

I'm not saying that Ichiro won't get in at least 100 games this season, because he can still help the team (not as much as he could five years ago) in a few ways. But it would be more reasonable to expect him at least 120-130 games, not the 150 that he's been averaging in the Major Leagues.

Right now, the Opening Day lineup projects to have Gardner in left, Ellsbury in center, and Beltran in right. Soriano will act as the fourth outfielder and spend most of his time as the DH, cycling though that position with Beltran and Derek Jeter, two players near the end of their careers that will certainly need a break from the field a couple times a week.

It would not surprise me at all if the Yankees were to move him before heading to Houston for Opening Day, possibly trying to trade him for a another bullpen arm. Should he stay with the team through the first few months, though, you can expect a much lesser bench role for Ichiro. He'll likely be the fifth outfielder, if the Yanks even decide to carry that many.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

Follow @GavinEwbank

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Vernon Wells wants 'one more year' with Yankees

The Yankees made several major splashes in free-agency this winter, including the additions of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran in the outfield. After adding those two pieces, the Yankees' roster now holds six outfielders, leaving both Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells as the two odd men out.

But Wells doesn't want to leave New York, he wants to stay at least one more year after being traded to the Yankees from the Los Angeles Angels at the end of Spring Training last year.

"Hopefully I'll get one more year with" the Yankees, Well said on MLB Network Radio Thursday.

Brett Gardner and Alfonso Soriano also join Wells, Ichiro, Beltran and Ellbury in the crowded outfield. The Yankees have been getting plenty of call on Gardner, but have no intent on moving him. He'll likely be the starting left fielder with Ellsbury in center and Beltran in right field to start the season.

Soriano figures to spend most of his time as the DH, while also swapping in and out in the outfield with Beltran. Both Beltran and Ellsbury have a history of injuries, so the Yankees could decided to keep a fifth outfielder, leaving as Wells would be the top choice to go.

"There's possibly one spot" up for grabs in the outfield, Wells said, "depending on if there are any moves made between here or there. But I've learned not to concern myself with things I have no control over. All I can control is getting ready for spring training and going in, and being ready to help the team in whatever what I can. Whatever role that I end up playing, whether it's there or somewhere else, I have to be ready and ready to produce."

Wells got off to a good start last season for the Bombers, hitting .300 in the month of April with 6 homeruns and 13 RBIs. But his production dropped badly over the rest of the season, hitting just 5 more homeruns and finishing with a .233 average in 430 at-bats.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman said carrying six outfielders on the Opening Day roster isn't ideal, and it wouldn't easy to move Wells to anyone looking for him. He's owed $2.4 million in 2014, and his salary won't count against the luxury tax cap for the Yankees.

When the Angels traded him to the Yanks, they agreed to pay $29 million of the remaining $42 million on his deal. They paid most of the $13 million left last season, and LA will pick up most this season.

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