The Yankees' Next Wave Is Coming: Meet the DSL Breakouts of 2026
Heading into the 2026 season, there wasn't much for fans of the Yankees' international pipeline to get excited about. Beyond hoping Stiven Mariñez would take the next step and Juan Torres would prove his breakout 2025 campaign was no fluke, the outlook was relatively bleak.
The catching pipeline, once stocked with names like Austin Wells, Agustin Ramirez, Antonio Gomez, Jesus Rodriguez, and Rafael Flores, had been largely depleted by trades and graduations. But after spending the previous two International Free Agent (IFA) classes replenishing that talent, the Yankees were about to see their investment pay off. Within weeks of the Dominican Summer League (DSL) season, an influx of young talent was turning heads and giving the organization one of its most encouraging starts in recent memory.
For the first time in more than six years, the Yankees entered the season without a headline-grabbing, top-tier bonus baby. What they lacked in star power on paper, they quickly made up for on the field. An intriguing group of young hitters came out swinging, several pitchers emerged as legitimate standouts, and a class largely defined by unknowns began to deliver.
Combined with a group of 2025 signees finally putting the pieces together, the Dominican pipeline was suddenly looking a lot deeper than anyone anticipated.
Here's a look at some of the breakout prospects we saw this season.
Yostin Peña
I'm going to assume you've heard of Yostin Peña, and what he did this season and skip past his origin story.
The Yankees signed the Dominican outfielder in late December 2025, and what followed in 2026 was one of the most exciting breakout seasons in the organization since I've covered it.
At 6'4 and 205 pounds, he already has the kind of physical frame that jumps out at you. On the season he hit for average, hit for power, got on base, and stole 30+ bases. He's a true 5 tool prospect. At 18, his combination of power and speed makes him very special.
Peña didn't just put up big numbers at the DSL, he dominated with daily highlights and was on pace to shatter the RBI record there. He hit so well that the Yankees gave him the rare promotion from the DSL straight to Single A Tampa and he kept right on hitting!
Peña went on finished the year slashing .354/.431/.608 W/1.039 OPS, 29 XBH, 14 HR, 80 RBI and 37 stolen bases across the DSL and Tampa.
After dominating the Dominican Summer League, the Yankees sent him straight to the Florida State League. That's a significant jump in competition for an 18-year-old, and he still hit .323 with six home runs and 10 stolen bases in 24 games for Tampa. Although the pitching improved, the production continued.
It will be interesting to see how he fairs against more advanced pitching, and while one monster season doesn't automatically make someone a star, but when you take his age, size, and production, it's easy to get very excited about what we witnessed and what could come.
Peña is still very early in his career, and he's a very exciting prospect to watch that could potentially be the Yankees No. 1 Prospect come some time in 2027.
Poly Ojeda
Poly Ojeda is proof that sometimes the most interesting prospect in an international signing class isn't the guy who gets the biggest bonus.
The Yankees signed Ojeda out of Venezuela for just $30,000 in January 2026. The 17 year old catcher wasn't a headline names in the class, but he sure made people pay attention once the season began.
In 36 games, Ojeda slashed .313/.466/.536 w/ a 1.002 OPS with 13 XBH, 5 HR, 29 RBI.
He walked more than he struckout, drew 28 walks and struck out just 20 times in 148 plate appearances. He posted an excellent 18.9% walk rate and 13.5% strikeout rate, showing patience and making solid contact.
At just 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, Ojeda showed some solid pop, posting a .223 isolated power mark and slugging 5 home runs over 36 games. The power is an early bonus; but so is the plate discipline.
That said, it's still a fairly small sample size and Ojeda has some ways to go as I expect him to repeat the level since the Yankees have some other catching prospects higher in the pecking order, but for a $30,000 signing, the Yankees have to be encouraged by what they saw in 2026.
Ojeda went from an under-the-radar international signing to one of the more intriguing young bats in the class.
Cesar Lopez
Fellow 2026 IFA Catching prospect Cesar Lopez (17), signed for $150,000 and made him one of the Yankees bigger investments in the 2026 class, and with his rookie seasons that Yankees have to feel good about it.
Baseball America tabbed Lopez as one of the Yankees' IFAs to watch entering the DSL season, describing him as a defense-oriented catcher with impressive agility and flexibility behind the plate, along with a strong arm.
Lopez finished the season slashing: .289/.444 | .889 OPS | 3 HR | 121 wRC+
His 15.4% walk rate and 14.5% strikeout rate stood out for a young catcher making his professional debut. The power this early on was nice, but his approach stood out. He was a near 1:1 BB-K (30-31) and for a teenager showing early power, it's a promising sign.
It's encouraging what Lopez showed in his first season. A 17-year-old catcher who gets on base at a .439 clip, draws nearly as many walks as strikeouts and shows some power is absolutely worth keeping an eye on.
Juan Martinez
Another catching IFA rounds out the list. Juan Martinez is an 18-year-old catcher signed out of Colombia, who put together a really impressive first debut season. He hit .359/.443/.472 w/ a .915 OPS. He ripped 12 Doubles, 2 Triples, drove in 29 runs and stole 21 bases over 42 games.
Martinez’s biggest strength right now is his ability to make contact, and he made lots of it. He kept his strikeouts low (9.6 K%), uses the whole field and showed a patient approach at the plate (13.6 BB%), posting a .443 OBP.
Martinez didn’t hit a home run this season, but he did hit 12 Doubles and 2 Triples, for a .472 slugging percentage. He’ll need to add strength and show more extra-base impact as he matures. He was one of the team leaders in stolen bases with 21, which add to his offensive profile.
Overall, Martinez has a promising offensive foundation built on contact, plate discipline and on-base ability. He’s not a power hitter at this stage, and his defensive development will be a major factor in his progression. The FCL in 2027 should give us a better idea of where his game stands against tougher competition.
Martinez capped off his season when he was named a 2026 DSL postseason All-Star.
The Yankees have been adding young catchers internationally, and Lopez is part of a group that includes Poly Ojeda and Juan Martinez. It's far too early to know which players will ultimately develop into legitimate prospects, but having multiple young catchers worth tracking is certainly encouraging.
Germayhoni Beltre
The Yankees signed Beltre out of the Dominican Republic, reportedly for $100,000, and the 17 year-old shortstop put together a pretty interesting first season in the DSL.
Baseball America tabbed Beltre as one of the more notable Dominican signings in the class, highlighting his strength, athleticism and potential versatility around the infield.
Over 47 games, Beltre hit .287/.424/.408 with an .832 OPS, scoring 44 runs, driving in 26 and stealing 25 bases. He also ripped 11 doubles and a triple while drawing 30 walks against 26 strikeouts. Beltre walked more often than he struck out, and his .424 on-base percentage shows that when the hits weren't dropping, he was still able to get on base. Add in 25 stolen bases, and you have a young player who can create opportunities.
There’s a long way to go, but for a 17-year-old in his first professional season, Beltre showed a solid combination of contact, plate discipline, on-base ability and speed that makes him worth keeping an eye on.
The 2025 IFA Class
The best performances in the Yankees' DSL system weren't limited to players who signed in January.
Several members of the 2025 IFA class took massive steps forward, and three names in particular made it impossible to ignore what was happening.
Isaias Castillo
A year after, Isaias Castillo posted a .730 OPS, he closed out 2026 as one of the most dangerous power hitters in the entire Dominican Summer League.
The 18-year-old outfielder finished with:
.294/.408/.629 | 1.038 OPS | 14 HR | 132 wRC+
Castillo took a massive step forward. The 14 home runs weren't just a personal improvement, they led the DSL.
Castillo hit 13 more home runs than he did the previous season, by namely getting more lift in his batted balls. He dramatically changed his batted-ball profile, cutting his ground-ball rate from 50% to 25% and the results were undeniable.
Castillo's 14th homer was the most ever by a DSL Yankees prospect at the time.
The outfielder had a monster season at the plate. Castillo slashed .294/.408/.629 with a 1.037 OPS, blasting 14 home runs and driving in 49 runs over 50 games. He also stole 28 bases, scored 71 runs and collected 18 doubles and three triples. He wasn’t just hitting home runs, he was finding ways to impact the game all over the field.
And remember, Castillo turned 18 in June. He spent most of the season playing at 17 years old. That kind of jump is hard to ignore.
Castillo also showed a good eye at the plate, drawing 33 walks and posting a .408 on-base percentage. But I’m not going to ignore the concern, either: he struck out 72 times in 240 plate appearances, a 30% strikeout rate. That’s something he’ll need to improve as he moves up against better pitching.
Still, there’s a lot to like here. Castillo dramatically improved his ability to drive the ball in the air, cutting his ground-ball rate from roughly 50% to 25%. That helped turn his power potential into actual production.
He was also named a 2026 DSL postseason All-Star and earned DSL Player of the Month honors in June.
Castillo is one of the most intriguing Yankees bats to watch heading into 2027, and he should begin the season at the Florida Complex League where he'll get a chance to show that his 2026 season wasn't a fluke.
Juan Torres
If Castillo was the power story, Juan Torres was the pure hitting story.
The 18-year-old Dominican infielder came off a 2025 season where he lead the Yankees organization in batting average, with a .359 and in 2026 was one of the best hitters in the DSL all season and flirted with something that would have been remarkable at any level, as he slashed: .385/.470/.644 | 36 XBH - 8 HR, 65 RBI
Torres flirted with .400 and finished with an impressive 1.114 OPS, 26 Doubles, eight Home Runs and a 159 wRC+.
He also led the league in hits and RBIs while ranking third in batting average. And perhaps even more impressive was the improvement in his approach.
He strikeout rate dropped from 11.8% to an incredible 7.2%, while his walk rate jumped from 3.5% to 11.3%.
At one point late in the season, Torres was threatening to become the first qualified DSL Yankees hitter to finish a season hitting .400. He ultimately settled at .385. That's still an extraordinary accomplishment.
The power improved. The plate discipline improved. The contact remained elite.
The next test will be whether Torres can carry that offensive profile at the Complex League, and he should be one of the most exciting IFA's to make his stateside debut for the Yankees.
Stiven Mariñez
Finally there's Stiven Mariñez.
Stiven Mariñez might be one of the more interesting young position players in the Yankees’ system heading into 2027. The shortstop has already shown he can get on base, make solid contact and steal bases. This season, he added something else to the mix: power.
Mariñez hit .315/.444/.545 with a .989 OPS in 54 games for the DSL Yankees. He collected 63 hits, including eight home runs and seven triples, drove in 42 runs and stole 39 bases. Another player who made a massive jump from one season to the next.
In 2025, Mariñez hit .275/.424/.375 with a .799 OPS and just one home run. This year, his batting average climbed to .315, his slugging percentage jumped from .375 to .545, and the power began to show up as he jumped from one home run to eight.
He also cut his strikeout rate from 22.4% to 12.4% while maintaining an excellent 16.4% walk rate. That's the combination I want to see from a young hitter: making more contact, continuing to draw walks and doing more damage when he connects.
And then there's the speed. Mariñez stole 39 bases in 2026 after swiping 22 the previous season. He isn't just getting on base, he's putting pressure on the defense once he gets on.
Defensively, Mariñez has been viewed as a slick-fielding shortstop, which makes his offensive development even more exciting. If he can continue to handle shortstop while his bat keeps progressing, his overall profile becomes that much more impressive.
The left-handed hitting shortstop is definitely a player to watch in 2027!
The hitters may have generated most of the attention, but the Yankees also had legitimate pitching performances in the DSL. Two names in particular stood out for me.
Cesar Acosta
Cesar Acosta took a huge step forward this season as he went from a pitcher who struggled to find his footing in 2025 to leading the DSL in strikeouts in 2026.
In 2025, Acosta was 1-5 with a whopping 8.33 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP over 31.1 innings. He walked 35 batters, struggled to keep runners off base and had a season he'd probably like to forget.
Fast-forward to 2026, and the story completely changed.
Acosta finished 4-1 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP, while striking out 70 batters over 51.2 innings of work. He cut his walks from 35 down to 21 while increasing his workload by more than 20 innings. Acosta went from struggling to get outs consistently to missing bats at an elite rate for the level. His 70 strikeouts in 51.2 innings work out to more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings. He wasn't just benefiting from better results, he was missing bats and doing a much better job of limiting damage.
Now, we are talking about the DSL, and Acosta still has plenty to prove as he faces more advanced hitters at the next level, which should be at the Florida Complex League.
Fredy Penuelas
Fredy Penuelas quietly put together one of the best seasons in the Dominican Summer League. The left-hander finished 2026: 8-0 | 1.56 ERA - 1.00 WHIP | 52.0 IP | 56 K
That 1.56 ERA ranked among the league leaders in the DSL.
Penuelas was one of the most reliable arms in the Yankees’ stable on the island. He put together an outstanding campaign, going 8-0 with a 1.56 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP over 52 innings of work. He rung up 56 batters, allowed just 33 hits while gaving up just nine earned runs all season. He went on to earn a spot on the 2026 DSL postseason All-Star team.
It was a remarkable development for Penuelas, who struggled badly in 2025.
In his first professional season, he posted a 10.23 ERA and a 2.23 WHIP across 22 innings, allowing 28 hits and walking 21 batters with 21 strikeouts.
Just a year later, Penuelas was a completely different pitcher.
He would drop his ERA from 10.23 to 1.56. His WHIP improved from 2.23 to 1.00. All while more than doubling his workload, throwing 22 innings to 52 and more than doubling his previous year strikeout total.
He's 19, and should be heading to the FCL next season where he'll need to show that this success can translate when he moves beyond the Dominican Summer League.
If he can carry over the command and run prevention he showed this season, he'll be an interesting left-hander to follow as he works his way through the Yankees' system next season.
2027 is lining up to be a very good year for the Yankees lower levels, especially at the Florida Complex and Tampa.
Every Prospect. Every Level. Every Day.
Comments