New York Yankees: Future Hitting Prospects To Keep an Eye On

This year has been a year of transition for the Yankees.

I know that many fans are frustrated, and you should be. For $200 million dollars, we should be in the playoffs. However, if Cashman sticks to his plan, look for a new influx of homegrown talent.

I am here to tell you which hitters (who have yet to play a game in Yankee Stadium) to look for in the future.

Outfielder - Austin Jackson

By far the best athlete in the Yankees farm system, the outfielder was committed to Georgia Tech as a 3 or 4 star basketball recruit.

Obviously, he chose baseball over basketball and is the highest ranked outfield prospect the Yankees have. He was a very raw player when he was drafted. He was athletically gifted, but lacked the development of his baseball skills. They have started to do that with him, and have seen the results.

He has good speed—faster than Bobby Abreu was in his youth coming up with the Phillies. This will give him good range if he plays centerfield, and he is learning how to steal bases.

This season, he stole 19 bases, he has a plus arm, which is a vast improvement over any outfielder the Yankees have other than Melky.

After tearing it up in single A last season, Jackson has performed modestly in AA.

He is batting .285 and his OPS is .773, but he hit 33 doubles, and this shows he has the ability to develop into a legitimate power hitter. His major issue is striking out, which he did 113 times this year.

Yet, Jackson is still an unrefined prospect, as he improves his baseball skills and realizes how to use his athleticism, he can become a solid 5-tool player.

Projected call-up possibly mid to late 2009, but most likely he will be a major part of the Yankees outfield in 2010.

Catcher - Austin Romine

Though Montero is a catcher know, I believe Romine will the heir to Posada.

He was a second round draft pick by the Yankees in 2007 Draft.

His defense is what sets him apart from Montero, his arm scored almost an 80 on that 20-80 scale. Though he has a strong arm, his quick release is what makes him so effective.

He is a good contact hitter, but is average when it comes to power. Some predict his power to be like Todd Zeile's at best. Now he is in A-ball and is batting .300 with 10 HRs and 24 doubles.

Austin isn't going to match the offensive production of Jorge, but he will not be an easy out in that lineup. His defense will pay it's dividends. I don't seeing him coming up in 2009 at all due to the more experienced and polished Fransciso Cereveilli.

Projected Call-up: 2010

Catcher - Jesus Montero

If you don't know who that man in the picture is, get familiar with that face. He is going to be the best slugger on the New York Yankees. He was signed at the age of 16 in 2006 for $1.6 million.

What he had coming to the Yankees was  power, at 16, he scored an 80 on a 20-80 power scale.

More importantly, he has a great eye at the dish. He doesn't strike out a lot, he is second in all of Class-A baseball in batting average (.326) and has 17 home runs (Top 20). He has 34 doubles, which was 4th in Class-A. (For people unfamiliar with the minor leagues, doubles are a key stat to determine a prospects power). Also, he is batting .350 with RISP. That is something the Yankees sorely miss.

Defensively, he is okay. He's pretty big to be a catcher (6'4", 225lb). If he keeps growing, I see a move to first base, especially with his power and the trust the Yankees farm system has in Austin Romine.

Legitimately, this guy could be a 40 HR guy who hits at a +.300 clip.

That is the ceiling with him. If the Yankees sign Teixera, they can be more patient and let Montero develop in the minors. He would probably DH a majority of the time as well. If they don't find a quality first baseman, Montero could be seen as early as 2010.

Projected Call-Up: Possibly 2010, more likely 2011.

The Yankees don't have too many stand out hitting prospects compared to the stronger farm systems in the MLB. Where their strength lies is in the multitude of quality pitching prospects they have acquired. The ones to watch out for will be in my next article.

Projected 2011 Lineup (Assuming The Yankees Don't Sign Teixera)

1st. Brett Gardner OF

2nd. Derek Jeter SS/OF

3rd. Xaiver Nady OF

4th. Alex Rodriguez 3B/SS

5th. Robinson Cano 2B

6th. Jesus Montero DH

7th. Austin Jackson OF

8th. Juan Miranda 1B

9th. Austin Romine C

If the Yankees sign Teixera, I would put Texiera 3rd, Nady 5th and bump everyone behind them down.

Yankee's Pitching Prospects

Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba