New York Yankees: Franchise's Top 10 Prospects to Get Excited About

Ask any child what they want to be when they grow up and you are sure to get a myriad of answers spanning both reality and fantasy.

Some want to be doctors or lawyers.

A few would like to be Spiderman.

Others look forward to becoming policemen or firemen.

Then there are those who want to be professional athletes.

Many of those children have their career path mapped out at a young age—they know exactly what position and for what team they want to play—perhaps as the starting 1B for the New York Yankees?

Perhaps.

Adults envy children for a number of reasons, one of them being that to a child, nothing is impossible; if they can think it, they believe it can happen. Children dream big.

For the young adults that occupy roster spots throughout the Yankees farm system, from the lowest levels to Triple-A, they are all chasing their dream.

The dream that one day, they will pick up the phone and tell their parents: "Mom, Dad...book a flight to New York. I play in Yankee Stadium tomorrow."

For the vast majority of these players, the dream is never realized.

But for a select few, the dream becomes reality; their wildest fantasy comes true.

They are professional baseball players for the New York Yankees.

After the jump, 10 prospects with exciting futures who one day will be making that phone call.

Begin Slideshow

Corban Joseph, 2B

2011 Stats: .286 BA, .378 OBP, .447 SLG, .825 OPS, 3 HR, 30 RBI

Corban Joseph, 22 years old and a fourth-round pick by the Yankees in the 2008 draft, is currently the starting 2B for the Double-A Trenton Thunder and a candidate for a spot in the 2011 Eastern League All-Star Game.

After being promoted to Double-A towards the end of only his second season as a pro, Joseph struggled with the improved pitching, striking out almost 30 percent of the time and only hitting .216 over 130 AB.

Joseph has a sweet stroke from the left side and a patient approach at the plate, evidenced here as he works a long, bases-loaded walk against the Altoona Curve earlier this month.  

His power is still developing—of his 30 extra-base hits this season, only three have cleared the fences. Six, however, have gone for triples.

With suspect defensive mechanics at 2B, Joseph could find himself switching to 3B, a position he has played previously. LF could be another option for the talented youngster.

Whether he remains an infielder or moves to the outfield, Joseph projects to be a .300 hitter in the majors and if his power develops, an even bigger offensive threat then many believe he will be.

Dellin Betances, SP

2011 Stats: 4-3, 2.37 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 64.2 IP, 42 H, 35 BB, 71 K

Next to Jesus Montero, no Yankees prospect in recent memory has been as highly touted as 23-year-old right-hander Dellin Betances.

Betances has struggled with his command for most of this season—seven of his 13 starts have seen him walk at least four batters, and he has done so in four of his last five. On the season, he is averaging 4.9 BB/9.

When you add in the five batters that he has hit and four wild pitches he has unleashed, it could be said that Dellin is suffering from a case of Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn syndrome.

There is every reason to think that Betances will be able to work through his control issues—his BB/9 last season was a manageable 2.3. 

Even with his current issues, he is still holding opposing batters to a .177 BA. That, coupled with his low ERA and WHIP speak volumes about how good his stuff is when you consider how erratic his control has been—imagine how much better those numbers would be were he at the top of his game.

Betances remains one of the top pitching prospects in all of minor league baseball, and a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is not out of the question before the end of this season.

Whether or not his arrival in the Bronx is in 2012 or 2013, there is no doubt that Betances has a long, promising career ahead of him as a front-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

Mason Williams, CF

2011 Stats: .341/.391/.561/.952, 2 HR, 9 RBI

In only 10 games this season with the Single-A Staten Island Yankees, Mason Williams is quickly showing why the Yankees gave the fourth round pick in the 2010 draft a $1.45 million signing bonus.

A tremendous athlete, Williams can cover a lot of ground in CF, and has the arm strength to get the ball back into the infield quickly and accurately.

As he continues to develop and mature physically, adding muscle to his 6'0", 150 pound frame, his raw power should progress as as result.

With a quick left-handed swing that generates gap power and an approach to hitting that results in favorable counts, Williams speed becomes an asset—anything hit into outfield gaps or down the line is a candidate to go for extra bases.

Still a few years away from seeing any action in the Bronx, Williams should continue to improve all facets of his game and steadily advance through the Yankees' system. 

By the time incumbent CF Curtis Granderson is ready to slide over to a corner position, Williams could be ready to step in and take over.

Adam Warren, SP

2011 Stats: 6-2, 2.87 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 94 IP, 83 H, 36 BB, 63 SO

23-year-old right-hander Adam Warren has steadily advanced through the Yankees' minor league system, reaching Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in only his third professional season.

Warren's repertoire consists of five pitches which make him effective against batters from both sides of the plate. He has a four-seam fastball, a cut fastball that gets inside against lefties and a two-seam fastball that does the same against righties. He throws all three pitches in the low-to-mid 90's.

Add a 12-to-6 curveball, a ground-ball-inducing circle change and top it off with the best pickoff move the Yankees have seen since Andy Pettitte, and you get a player who is arguably more prepared to pitch in the major leagues then any of the Yankees other, more ballyhooed prospects.

Warren is not going to come in and overpower batters like Roger Clemens did, rather he will mix and match his pitches and change speeds to befuddle the opposition, more in the mold of Greg Maddux.

A likely addition to the major league roster when they expand in September, there is every reason to expect him to be a legitimate contender for a spot in the Yankees rotation for 2012.

Gary Sanchez, C

2011 Stats: .250/.327/.422/.749, 6 HR, 27 RBI

Eighteen-year-old Gary Sanchez, in my opinion, is the best offensive prospect in the Yankees' minor league system.

Already physically mature at 6'2", 220 pounds and still growing, there is a possibility that Sanchez will simply grow too large to remain behind the plate, necessitating a move to either 1B or RF.

Should he remain behind the plate, he will need to continue to work on his defensive mechanics, which have improved each year.

Sanchez also has a powerful throwing arm, a weapon that could be utilized in RF should he eventually have to move there. His arm alone could end the days of David Ortiz-esque players tagging up on the Yankee outfielders.

With the bat, Sanchez has immense natural power and the ability to hit to all fields. Some believe his offensive ceiling is even higher than that of the highly-touted Jesus Montero.

Not wanting to stunt his development by promoting him too soon, Sanchez will play this season with the Low-A Charleston RiverDogs.

Depending on how he finishes the year and where the Yankees project his actual position on the field to be, the speed limit on his way to the Bronx could be increased substantially.

Regardless of what path he takes to the Bronx, Yankees fans should follow his development with interest.

Gary Sanchez has a chance to be something very special.

David Adams, 2B

2011 Stats: .563/.563/.625/1.188, 0 HR, 0 RBI

In the midst of a breakout season with the Double-A Trenton Thunder, then-23-year-old David Adams broke his foot and ankle while trying to break up a double play, prematurely ending his season after less than 40 games.

This injury also stalled the Yankees' efforts to acquire then-Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee, as Adams was one of the important pieces that the Mariners would be acquiring. As we know, Seattle eventually moved Lee to the Texas Rangers shortly thereafter.

Finally healthy and cleared for action, Adams has only recently started playing again, spending a week in Rookie Ball before being promoted to Single-A Tampa. 

Adams is a professional hitter with gap power and the ability to drive the ball to all fields. His defense at 2B is solid and makes him a capable fielder, though gold glove awards are probably not in his future.

Yankee fans should be excited that Adams is healthy and getting back on track. One would expect that he would return back to Double-A Trenton sooner rather then later, though I believe Adams skips ahead to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Fellow prospect Corban Joseph is performing quite well as Trenton's starting 2B and the Yankees certainly do not want to derail his development. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre features outfielder-turned-infielder Kevin Russo as their starting 2B, and at 26 and after a few "cups of coffee" with the Yankees, is not necessarily regarded as a prospect at this point in his career.

Where Adams would fit with the big club remains to be seen, but teams find a place for players like him. 

Graham Stoneburner, SP

2011 Stats: 1-1. 1.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 18 IP, 15 H, 4 BB, 11 SO

Rght-handed hurler Graham Stoneburner, a 14th round pick of the Yankees in 2009, is an intriguing pitching prospect at 23 years of age.

With a history of injury—he fractured his back during his senior year of high school, tore his ACL during his freshman year at Clemson, and earlier this season spent time on the DL with a stiff neck, 2011 is a big year in the youngster's development.

Stoneburner has four pitches in his arsenal—his two most effective being a fastball that sits in the 94-97 range and a sinker in the 92-95 range. He is still developing his slider and changeup, both of which are effective strikeout pitches when he has command of them, something that needs to happen more consistently for him to advance.

His career minor league numbers are not far off of his limited performance this season: 10-9, 2.29 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 161 IP, 123 H, 38 BB and 150 SO.

If Stoneburner can continue to progress there is no reason to think that he, along with his teammates at Double-A Trenton, Dellin Betances and Manuel Banuelos, could not comprise 3/5 of the Yankees starting rotation in 2013.

Nik Turley, SP

2011 Stats: 4-6. 2.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 82.1 IP, 70 H, 21 BB, 82 SO

At 6'6" and 230 pounds, 21-year-old left-handed hurler Nik Turley makes for an impressive physical specimen on the mound.

Drafted in the 50th round of the 2008 Draft by the Yankees, Turley was at the front of the rotation for the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs until Tuesday, when he was promoted to the High-A Tampa Yankees.

Turley primarily relies on his fastball as his go-to pitch, which sits in the low 90's. He has been working on refining two other pitches, a slurve that when he has command of it, is baffling to hitters and sits in the 70-72 range.

The tall lefty also has been working on a changeup, and with large hands, could develop an effective split-finger fastball as well.

Keep an eye on Turley's progress at Tampa—if he is as effective as he was with Charleston, a promotion to Double-A Trenton before the end of the season is not out of the question.

Turley is still years away from making an impact in the Bronx, but it is nice to know that Manny Banuelos is not the only left-handed pitching prospect that the Yankees have.

Dante Bichette Jr., 3B

2011 Stats: .105/.357/.158/.515, 0 HR, 5 RBI

Son of former Colorado Rockies slugger Dante Bichette, Dante Jr. was the Yankees first-round pick in the 2011 draft.

He has been playing professional baseball for about a week.

Bichette has tremendous power—the ball explodes off of his bat when he makes contact. Defensively, he has good hands and a strong, accurate arm—something that may eventually push him to a corner outfield position if his path at 3B is blocked by Brandon Laird or someone else.

He obviously has a long journey ahead of him before he reaches the major leagues, but the 18-year-old projects to be a big-time contributor, according to Yankees scouting guru Damon Oppenheimer: 'We thought [he] had an impact bat and the potential to hit for big power in the middle of the order... [he] possesses the desire and drive to be a special major leaguer.'

Whether his ultimate position on the field is at 3B or in a corner outfield spot like his father, if Dante Bichette Jr. turns out to be anywhere near as good as Dante Sr., the Yankees and their fans will be very excited that they took him with their selection.

Jesus Montero, C

2011 Stats: .286/.341/.399/.740, 5 HR, 26 RBI

There is virtually nothing I can tell you about Jesus Montero that you do not already know.

He is a man who seemingly has no position in the major leagues—he wants to catch, he continues to catch for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but neither the Yankees or the 'experts' are convinced that he is an everyday catcher in the major leagues.

What everyone does agree upon is that once his bat is unleashed in the majors, pitchers will quickly learn not to give the phenom something he can hit.

Montero has power and the ability to drive the ball to all fields, and was ranked the No. 3 prospect in all of baseball coming into this season.

Put little stock into his less-than-spectacular numbers thus far in 2011—Jesus Montero is the real deal.

Whether or not he struts his stuff with the Yankees remains to be seen, but the chance to see what he could do with that short porch in RF at Yankee Stadium should get people excited once he arrives.

Closing Thoughts

I tried to not include many of the 'usual suspects', but the fact remains that both Dellin Betances and Jesus Montero are top prospects with bright futures and one cannot help but get excited at what the future holds for them.

However, what good is a story when you simply re-hash the same information over and over? There are only so many times we can read about Montero and the "Killer B's" before our heads explode.

So while there are obviously a number of others who are considered big-time prospects in the Yankees system who could have been included on this list—including Manny Banuelos, Brandon Laird, Austin Romine and David Phelps—I chose to dig deeper and find some other names to get excited about for once.

As many of the current stars on the Yankees begin to wind down their careers, it is comforting to know that there is help on the way...and more rookies for the veterans to publicly humiliate.

Is there a prospect that gets you worked into a frenzy?

Let's hear about them in the comments section below.