The Prospect Notebook: 6/22

Aaron Lichstrahl
1 day ago
5 min read

Garrett Martin

Of all the prospects most deserving of a promotion, Garrett Martin may have lead the way. The outfielder, who turns 26 at the end of the month, has been one of the premier hitters in AA this season. Martin has been a standout power threat, tied for the 2^nd most home runs in and 8^th in ISO at AA. He has also been a standout in the Yankees organization, ranking 3^rd in ISO behind Spencer Jones and Jace Avina. He has also shown some ability on the bases, with 17 steals on the season. Still, this is a nearly 26-year-old we are talking about. So with the promotion to AAA, let's look at who Garrett Martin is and what he could bring to the Yankees.

After two fairly mediocre seasons in ’24 and ’25, Martin broke out in ’26 with a 137 wRC+.

Martin has always had power potential but has found the transition to game power this year, with 21 home runs already on the season. The biggest reason for this is the improved pull air rate. While Martin has exhibited a capability to take the ball the other way, maxing out his pull side power has been the key to this offensive onslaught. For a guy who will never make a ton of contact, making the most of the balls he hits is key.

Speaking of creating chances for contact, while Martin does not have a great eye, he does chase a fair bit, he swings a lot in the zone. With a 42% X-O swing rate, Martin was overcoming his swings out of the zone with a superior number of swings in the zone. Martin doesn’t walk much, but he is also managing a respectable strike out rate, which isn’t the typical approach of a power hitter. Martin has played some center field but looks like a much more capable defender in the corners.

In his first two games in AAA, Martin is already showing how his refined approach can help him get to the majors. While he already has hit a ball 111.3 mph, Martin was also able to hit a 95 mph home run, showing the value of pulling the ball in the air. Martin doesn’t have huge ceiling. While he has yet to show true platoon splits in the minors, the safe floor is he can be a valuable 4^th OF to play against LHP, similar to the role Randal Grichuk originally played.

There may. not be a spot on the team right now, the Yankees will have some questions for their 2027 outfielder, with a gap in centerfield and needing someone to fill it. While I wouldn’t project Martin to fill that role, his ability to play all 3 outfield spots makes him someone who could factor into a roster spot in spring training if he performs in AAA.

Xavier Rivas

As one of my favorite prospects from last year, it is a bit surprising that I have yet to write about Xavier Rivas. It has certainly been an uneven first season at AA for Rivas, who has a 5.36 ERA and 5.39 FIP on the season. Control has been the main culprit for Rivas, with his 12.8 BB% leading to many of his tough outings. Despite that, Rivas has looked more improved in recent weeks, so let’s finally take a look at Rivas in 2026.

It should be noted, Rivas’ numbers are highly skewed by one awful start on 5/28 in which he surrendered 11 runs and 11 hits. When removing this start from his stats, he is at a 3.51 ERA and 3.61 FIP. Even then, his April was fairly uneven, with both up and down performances as well as shorter outings of 2 innings. Since May, Rivas has been going at least 4 innings, and pitching well doing it. With the 5/28 blowup removed, Rivas has a 1.67 ERA and 2.51 FIP in 27 innings.

The key to Rivas’ success has been his ability to miss bats. While he struggles to get consistent chase, thanks to his subpar control, Rivas misses a ton of bats with his splitter and slider. Both of these off-speed offerings are potential plus weapons that leave hitters looking hapless at the plate. His K% on the season is 96th percentile at 34.9%. Narrowing it down to since May (5/28 removed), his K% is an absurd 43.6%. His walk rate in this time is slightly improved as well at 10.9%.

The biggest questions for Rivas moving forward will be fastball velocity and command. The pitch is sitting in the low 90’s, and while it has hit up to 93 on the season, more consistent velocity will help the pitch. Additionally, throwing it more around the zone will benefit his breaking pitches. By getting behind in counts, he is putting further pressure to land his breaking pitches in the zone, which can lead to issues. Rivas is a plus arm with his ability to miss bats, but the next jump to be a legitimate MLB starter will be tested over the next year.

Kyle West

Kyle West was an underrated pick from the Yankees 2025 draft class. A first baseman selected in the 13th round. He got further attention in his brief Low-A stint last summer, posting gaudy exit velocities. This set up West as a potential breakout pick in the off-season. Unfortunately, it started off as bad as you can get, posting a .624 OPS and 61 wRC+ in his first 47 games with a 32.5% K rate and 5.4% BB rate. There was very little plate discipline or hit tool on display with West. While there was some power present with 6 home runs, it was not enough to combat the other weaknesses in his game. While West still has much to show, I do think his last month is worth discussing.

Since May 31st, a sample of 17 games, West his hitting .221/.308/.544 for a .852 OPS for a 110 wRC+. Even narrowing down further, since June 9th (10 games), West is hitting .293/.370/.707 for a 1.077 OPS and 164 wRC+. Since May 31st, he has seen major improvement to his walk and strikeout numbers, adding 4.9% to his walk rate while cutting an exorbitant 9.4% from his K rate.

He’s still not a perfect hitter, the zone contact numbers as well as the swing decisions leave some questions as to how sustainable this hot streak will be. What cannot be questioned is how much better he looks at the plate this month as opposed to the first two months. West is pulling the ball with authority, showcasing his major power in game. While I wouldn’t be moving him into any top 30 consideration just yet, West is a fun hitter to watch and I hope to see more of what we’ve seen in June.

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