As MLB Lockout Persists, Top Prospects Enter The Spotlight

As MLB’s lockout persists, some of the focus is on minor leaguer such as New York Yankees prospect … [+] Jasson Dominguez. (AP Photo/Gabe Christus)

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One of the staples of spring training is the interest in top prospects and with the MLB-imposed lockout dragging on and no progress being made in the various meetings, those prospects are coming more into focus for all 30 teams whether they are contenders or teams hoping to revitalize their fortunes.

As MLB threatens to cancel regular-season games if a deal is not reached by Monday, getting closer looks at notable prospects and those looking to make a mark is a welcome respite for fans waiting for the lockout imposed by commissioner Rob Manfred and all 30 of his owners.

Another distraction is the list of prospect rankings released by FanGraphs, which announced its top 100 prospect list on Wednesday hours before MLB’s owners threatened paychecks of players by saying it would not play all 162 games as currently scheduled.

Leading the way was Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, the top overall pick in 2019.

Rutschman was followed by Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City), Grayson Rodriguez (Baltimore), Julio Rodriguez (Seattle) and Spencer Torkelson (Detroit) and it is a group expected to reach the majors at some point in this season, which will get underway as soon as the lockout imposed by all 30 owners concludes.

As the Yankees figure out what their next move will eventually be in an uneventful offseason before the owners locked out the players, they learned five of their players were on the FanGraphs list.

Leading the way is Anthony Volpe, the New Jersey native and shortstop, who was ranked as the 12th-best prospect after producing a respectable .604 slugging percentage at two minor league levels last season. According to FanGraphs, some evaluators believe Volpe could hit 20 to 25 homers at some point once he reaches the majors and become the latest in a long line of stellar Yankee shortstops.

New York Yankees first-round draft pick Anthony Volpe speaks to reporters before a baseball game … [+] against the New York Mets, Monday, June 10, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Then came shortstop Oswald Peraza at No. 39, who hit .294 for Double-A Somerset last season and who according to FanGraphs could be viewed as a second base possibility if Gleyber Torres struggles again this season.

The progress made by both seems to be among the reasons the Yankees did not pivot towards Marcus Semien or Corey Seeger in the free-agent frenzy ahead of the lockout imposed by owners. Their progress and status of being almost ready for the major leagues is why the Yankees might pursue a stopgap veteran shortstop instead of going after free agents Carlos Correa and Trevor Story.

The third player on the list was right-hander Luis Medina, who was ranked No. 60. Medina is known for his electric stuff from his three-plus pitches that includes a fastball frequently touching triple-digits similar to when Luis Severino first arrived on the scene back in the 2015 season.

The biggest name other than Volpe is Jasson Dominguez, who was ranked No. 73. Domnguez has been a notable name in prospect circles even since he signed as an international non-drafted free agent in July 2019. Back when the Yankees signed Dominguez to a team-record $5.1 million signing bonus, ESPN had him pegged as the most highly regarded international prospect from Latin America in a decade and he already was being compared to Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle

At 19, Dominguez is renowned for his massive strength to produce exit velocities consistently in the higher percentile. And a day after Anthony Volpe told reporters in Tampa his dream was to play shortstop for the Yankees, Dominguez said he wants to become a regular for the Yankees as quickly as possible.

“My goal this year is to stay healthy,’’ Dominguez said. “I know if I stay healthy, the other things I can control.”

Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark, left foreground, and chief … [+] negotiator Bruce Meyer, second from left, arrive at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. Baseball labor negotiations moved to the spring training ballpark from New York as players and owners join the talks, which enter a more intensive phase with perhaps a week left to salvage opening day on March 31. (AP Photo/Ron Blum)

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Whenever the major league version of the game returns from the lockout unanimously imposed by owners, Dominguez will be closely monitored and the anticipation will increase, especially if he continues to acquit well again after hitting .258 with five homers and 18 RBIs to go along with a .744 OPS in 49 games for Single-A Tampa.

The last Yankee prospect on the FanGraphs list is shortstop Alexander Vargas, who was named as the 93rd-best prospect.

Normally we are in the point of spring training where pitchers of all kinds are being heard from whether it’s the aces, the closers, those coming back from injury or those trying to solidify a spot like left-hander Lucas Luetge did a year ago after not pitching in the majors since 2015.

Until the circumstances change, fans will learn and hear more from top prospects than perhaps they normally would.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryfleisher/2022/02/23/as-mlb-lockout-persists-top-prospects-enter-the-spotlight/