No Depth? No Problem. How the Yankees’ 2026 IFA Class is Already Restocking the Backstop Position

---

For the last two years, Brian Cashman has aggressively used his catching depth to improve the major league roster:

• Kyle Higashioka was traded in the Juan Soto deal.

• Antonio Gomez stalled, and became a pitcher.

• Agustin Ramirez became one of the centerpiece prospects sent to Miami.

• Carlos Narváez was moved in the Elmer Rodriguez deal.

• Jesus Rodriguez was dealt as part of the Camilo Doval package.

• Rafael Flores was traded in the David Bednar package.

• Austin Wells graduated.

• Ben Rice transitioned to first base.

One by one, what was once considered one of the deepest catching pipelines in baseball has thinned out completely.

Heading into 2026, not a single catcher would make the Yankees' Top 30 from any known publication, a fact the front office had to have been well aware of. This wasn't an accident and it's not neglect, but the direct cost of how Cashman’s front office has done business.

Cashman has traded more Top 30 prospects than any other GM over the last two years, 17 of them to be exact, and a decent chunk of the collateral damage over the years has come from behind the plate. It's the one position that the Yankees have consistently packaged into deals because they knew they could go back to the well and restock it.

So the front office did what the front office always does when the catching well runs dry...it went back to the international free agency market. Within this new crop, the Yankees have assembled an intriguing group of young international catchers that could begin making their way to the Florida Complex League over the next year or two.

These are not nearly finished products, they are represent the next wave of the Yankees catching pipeline.

Alessandro Rodriguez |  17 | 🇻🇪 | 5’10 180 | R/R | 2025 IFA Class

.342/.451 - .951 OPS | 8 XBH - 2 HR, 24 RBI | 15.7 BB% - 11.8 K% | 126 wRC+

In the 2025 International Free Agent Class, Donny Rowland’s team signed several catchers including a sixteen year old Venezuelan named Alessandro Rodriguez who played sparsely, but this season is having a breaking year, and just yesterday was named to the DSL All-Star team!

The right handed hitting Rodriguez has the most complete profile of the catching group, as he's demonstrated remarkable maturity at the plate and possesses exceptional bat-to-ball skills. He’s walking more than he is striking out with a 1.33 BB/K in 23 games this season. He's hitting .470 wOBA and 132 wRC+ with .154 ISO and an improved Walk Rate of 17.8%, to a 12.1 K%.

Alessandro makes good decisions at the plate as shown by his Z-Contact% of 99% with an impressive 6.2% Whiff Rate. He's very patient at he plate (37.6% Swing rate), and doesn't miss when he attacks in or out of the zone, 20.35% Chase rate. For his age, he's very selective.

As is expected at this age, the defense is a work in progress. He's still developing at the position, and several of his defensive miscues were of the throwing error variety, but as he matures and gains more reps these should subside. Yankees development staff will continue to work with him to improve in this area, which can usually be the swing factor in whether an athletic, offensive-oriented catcher like Rodriguez sticks at the position long-term or slides to a corner or DH.

Cesar Lopez | 17 | 🇻🇪| 5’8 170 | R/R | 2026 IFA Class 

.289/.444 - .889 OPS | 7 XBH - 3 HR, 16 RBI | 15.4 BB% - 14.5 K% | 121 wRC+

Cesar Lopez was the secondary signing to Kenneth Melenedez in this IFA class but Baseball America's scouting on him tells you exactly what the Yankees think they're getting: a 5-foot-8, 170-pound backstop who's defense-first, with the agility and flexibility behind the plate that scouts want to see in a catcher this young, a strong arm, and enough of a track record, he represented Venezuela at the U-15 World Cup back in 2024 that this isn't a total dice roll on tools alone.

The early returns in games have been solid, especially from a teenage defensive-oriented catcher adjusting in his first pro season. The bat has been much better than expected, and he has shown good strike zone judgement with a 15% Walk Rate and 15% Strikeout Rate.

If Lopez turns into even an average bat, the glove-first foundation Baseball America flagged makes him a safe long-term catching bet in this group.

Poly Ojeda | 17 | 🇻🇪 | 5’8 170 | R/R | 2026 IFA Class

.354/.500 - 1.038 OPS | 6 XBH - 3 HR, 20 RBI | 17.4 BB% - 11.6 K% | 152 wRC+

Ojeda is the value name in this catching class. A $30,000 bonus is pocket change relative to what the org spent on Melendez and Lopez, but the pre-season scouting on him from Baseball America flagged him as athletic behind the plate, projectable to stick there, with solid contact skills for a young catcher hitting right-handed.

Right now Poly is simply mashing! Sporting a .526 wOBA and a 163 wRC+ over his 90 plate appearances this season. His 5 HRs gives him an .261 ISO, showing some good early pop. He's currently showing good strike zone awareness, sporting a 16.7 BB% to 12.2 K%!

Still adding strength to his frame, Ojeda flashes intriguing bat speed and enough athleticism to remain behind the plate long term. His offensive game remains raw. Ojeda's showing average (79.8%) in-zone bat-to-ball skill, and a lower pull-air rate (16.9%) but there are flashes. If he learns to pull/lift the ball better, it could translate to more in game power as he matures.

Of the three 2026 international catching signees the Yankees are running out in the DSL right now, Ojeda is the one with the least name recognition but making the loudest noise. Worth keeping an eye on for exactly that reason.

Stalen Ramirez | 17 | 5’11 160 | R/R | 2015 IFA Class

.321/.426 - .855 OPS | 4 XBH - 1 HR, 10 RBI | 11.8 BB% - 14.7 K% | 111 wRC+

After missing his entire professional debut in 2025 due to injury, Ramirez wasted no time establishing himself as one of the Yankees' most intriguing young international prospects. Signed during the 2025 international class, the 17-year-old has hit the ground running, slashing an impressive .321/.426/.429 (.855 OPS) through his first run with the DSL Bombers.

Ramirez has consistently demonstrated one of the more advanced hit tools in the Yankees' DSL system, combining excellent barrel control with a mature, disciplined approach at the plate. His ability to control the strike zone and produce quality at-bats has stood out from the opening weeks of the season, giving the Yankees confidence that his offensive production is sustainable, rather than just early-season results.

While Ramirez signed as a catcher, his bat has been too important to leave on the bench. With the Bombers carrying significant catching depth, the organization has maximized his plate appearances by deploying him at catcher, first base, right field, and designated hitter. That versatility has kept his bat in the lineup nearly every day.

Long term, however, his future behind the plate will be the key factor in determining his prospect trajectory. If Ramirez continues to develop defensively and earns the opportunity to catch on a more consistent basis, his combination of advanced contact skills and on-base ability could elevate him into one of the premier catching prospects in the Yankees' international pipeline.

Juan Martinez | 18 | 🇨🇴| 5’10 160 | R/R | 2026 IFA Class

.392/.490 - .971 OPS | 7 XBH - 14 RBI | 15.6 BB% - 8.3 K% | 143 wRC+

Juan Martínez stands out from the rest of the Yankees' DSL catching group for one simple reason: he's from Colombia. That's notable because the Yankees have historically found almost all of their international catching talent in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Whether it's coincidence or a sign that Omar Garza's international scouting department is expanding their reach, Martínez is an interesting player to follow for more than just his origin.

The bat is what has opened some eyes this season. Martínez has been one of the most productive offensive catchers, hitting just under .400 while posting a .469 wOBA and 133 wRC+, all without leaving the yard once. Those numbers aren't being driven by power, they're being driven by an advanced pure hit tool.

His underlying metrics back that up. Martínez owns an impressive 9% strikeout rate while posting an 87.4% zone-contact rate and just an 8.4% whiff rate. Simply put, he puts the barrel on the ball. He consistently works quality at-bats, uses the entire field, and continues to show improvements in both his strike-zone awareness and overall approach from pitch to pitch.

Defensively, there's still work to be done behind the plate, as there is with most teenage catchers. But when you pair this kind of bat-to-ball ability with continued defensive development, there's a real opportunity for Martínez to separate himself as he moves through the Yankees' system. If the glove keeps progressing, the bat has a chance to carry him a long way.

The Bigger Picture

It'll be interesting to check back on this group in August, once there's a fuller season sample and some actual defensive data that could better indicate whether a teenage catcher can stick at the position — to be a legitimate catching prospect to build on.

None of these five are walking into the Bronx tomorrow, or any time soon. That's not the point of a DSL feature. The point is that the pipeline that dried up over the last two years of aggressive trading, the one that used to reliably produce a Sánchez or a Higashioka type every few cycles is being actively rebuilt. Five catching prospects under the age of 18 (three true 2026 international free agents, two 2025 holdovers) getting reps over the summer is the first step in that process.

And the pipeline doesn't stop with this group. In next year's 2027 IFA class, the Yankees' top bonus baby is the best catcher in the class, right-handed masher Sebastian Perez is expected to haul in a signing bonus near $2M. Add in two catchers taken in the third and fifth rounds of the 2026 draft, and the picture gets clearer: this isn't a one-summer experiment. It's a position group getting rebuilt from three different pipelines at once through IFAs, and the draft.

The names listed here won't mean much to most people yet. But check back in two or three years, and one of these five might be the reason nobody remembers what the catching pipeline looked like when it was empty.

---

Every Prospect. Every Level. Every Day.