Yankees Under The Radar Prospects

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Prospects in each Yankee affiliate that deserve some love for very under the radar, promising performances

Low-A: Tampa Tarpons

David McCann - (22 || 5’10 195 || RHB - C)

David just got promoted at the time of writing this to High-A in effort to make room for newly drafted Bear Harrison — though it should be pointed out that this promotion was well warranted given his Low-A performance.

In 35 games and 130 PAs with Tampa this season, McCann:

• .288/.377/.514

• 27.7 K% - 10.8 BB%

• 5 HRs

McCann was one of the 2025 UDFAs from Virginia Tech. What stands out about McCann’s profile is his ability to hit balls hard often, lift the ball in the air, and make decent swing decisions. While his K-BB% is nothing to be head over heels about, McCann is rocking a decent 25.7% Chase rate despite also swinging in zone a bunch at a 77% clip. In college McCann was never as aggressive of a swinger as he is now, though baked into his profile has been someone that’s been able to swing in zone a lot without sacrificing much chase out of the zone. This has held particularly true across all pitch types through college and his pro career as well, something that most other guys struggle with in Low-A ball. His chase% against fastballs, offspeed, and breaking: 24.5%, 25.0%, and 29.2%…all of which are above average (relative to other chase rates per pitch classification).

What holds McCann back is the weak bat-to-ball skills (specifically against non-fastballs), being unable to draw walks to balance out the K’s ,a lack of eye popping EV’s despite a 48% Hardhit rate. McCann is rocking a 32% Whiff rate on the season which lines up rather well with what his hit tool looked like in college. While he struggles making contact with fastballs as well, whiffing at a 28% rate against them, he particularly struggles connecting with breaking pitches. He’s rocking a 41% Whiff rate against breaking balls and only batting .185 against them.

And while I did mention he hits balls hard frequently, he has yet to showcase any eye-popping exit velos that jump off the screen: EV90 currently sits at 102.8 and his MaxEV in pro-ball is 108.8.

Overall, I think McCann’s been really impressive in Low-A and might showcase some more of that underlying pop in his bat in High-A to finish off the season. I’d like to see those BB’s go up and for him to keep slugging along.

Sabier Marte - (22 || 6’5 167 || RHP)

If you were to go and look at Sabier’s 4 starts in his Low-A career this year, you’d call me crazy for throwing him on this list. To be fully transparent, I’ll give you his stats through his 4 starts right now:

• 15.0 IP

• 4.80 ERA || 7.70 FIP

• 14.5 K% - 10.1 BB%

• 20% Whiff + 23.7% CSW

• And only a 41% GB rate

I don’t throw Sabier on this list because of anything to do with his metrics and entirely do to his physical frame + stuff. In case you skipped Sabier’s height/weight…he is a 6’5 165 pound guy; he’s got lengthy arms and a frame that is PLEADING to gain more weight. Despite basically being a stick on the mound, Sabier throws 94-95 already with his 4-seam/sinker while his cutter sits at a low 86-87 mph. His cutter doesn’t have much velo separation from his changeup/slider, which also sit in the mid 80’s (something that also presents as an issue), but I am projecting that Sabier puts on more weight into his frame and gains quite a few ticks on his fastballs.

My vision for Sabier doesn’t stop at his weight though; it’s clear from watching Marte his mechanics are really underdeveloped and raw for what they could be — especially as a fastball heavy pitcher. Here is some video from my friend over at YankeesFarm (leave him a follow) showing him throw on the mound a bit. Long arm action and explosive delivert…a lot of clear inefficiencies in his delivery that the Yankees should be able to clean up (as they did with Schlittler) to help him transfer energy more effectively out of his throwing motion.

Sabier is a 5 pitch pitcher: fastball trio + slider + changeup. The fourseamer and cutter grade out exceptionally well despite the lack of swing/miss and command from either pitch. Despite being 6’5, Sabier doesn’t get too good of extension which also likely hurts the way batters see his fastballs.

Overall, this pick is more about where I project Sabier in a year when the Yankees have time to work with him state side to tidy up his mechanics, throw him on an offseason physical conditioning regiment, and see the results trickle down next season. It’s promising to me that Sabier already grades out well across his fastballs and the Yankees have plenty of knowledge/experience working within this niche. I think Marte has serious potential to become a front line SP prospect next season.

Jose M. Rodriguez - (22 || 5’11 160 || RHP)

Last season Jose started 5 games in Low-A for 28.0 IP before getting moved to the bullpen this season. His SP debut didn’t go so great, after posting a 5.14 ERA through his 5 outings. This year however, through 25 relief outings in 43.2 IP, Jose M. Rodriguez (JMR to make things easier for myself) has posted a 2.47 ERA, 3.05 FIP, and 19.2 K-BB%.

Jose isn’t a huge mound presence and gets poor extension, but presents opponents with a 5 pitch arsenal of plus offerings that get elite chase rates and miss a TON of bats.

• 27% FF

• 21.8% Sinker

• 18.3% Changeup

• 15.3% Curveball

• 13.1% Slider

• 4.5% Cutter

Table from Thomas Nestico (@TJStats on twitter) via his website

Through a healthy sample size for each pitch, Jose M. Rodriguez has managed to garner elite 1) whiff rates 2) chase rates and 3) quality of contact control across his entire arsenal (partly besides his breaking balls). His velo sits 95-97 and he does struggle throwing strikes (59% Strike rate & sub-46% zone rates across his fastballs). While he doesn’t get great extension and is a rather small mound presence, he gets decent ride + velo through a short release height which allows his fastball to play up in the zone better. His curveball has great two-plane depth with good spin and his slider is a sharper, less two-plane offering with about 6-7 mph of separation from his curveball.

Jose will need to hone into throwing more strikes if he wants to stick across higher levels of play; hitters in High-A/AA will be more willing to take walks and chase less, even though his stuff is amazing. We have seen the same correction happen for Allen Facundo in High-A, where his High Chase%, low Zone% great stuff didn’t garner the same chase/K-BB control that it did in Low-A. But there is plenty of room for command issue error while Jose grows into becoming a stronger RP, as his stuff is elite enough to perform well in the zone or get chase away.

I thought the Yankees would let Jose ride out trying to mold himself into a SP, but this seems like a great avenue for him to rise quickly with better fastball command. He was just recently promoted to High-A, so the adjustments will need to start soon.

High-A: Hudson Valley

Eric Genther - (24 || 6’1 200 || LHB - C)

Those who have been following my work for a bit might’ve noticed I like Genther more than Yankee prospect nerd consensus seems to. I’m well bought into what Genther has been able to do at the plate and what he could turn into with some improvements to his quality of contact. Genther excels in two areas really well: he makes excellent swing decisions with a very patient approach and makes a lot of contact. He’s only registered a 20% Whiff rate, 85% z-Contact rate, and a mere 18.5% K rate. He’s getting on base at a .398 clip and plays a more than serviceable catcher role with some outfield professional corner outfield experience in Low-A last year (though none this year).

However, he hasn’t slugged well enough to project as a starting corner OF or stating catcher. Slugging only .420 with 10 HRs through 393 PAs. Genther has trouble lifting the ball in the air with a 50% GB rate. He has more underlying power in his swing than he’s shown in games through his pro career; at times, you’ll see Genther leave the yard opposite way/dead center. I would love to see Genther lift some more balls in the air and do a little more damage on contact. He certainly has the power to tap into that you’ll see at times.

Wilson Rodriguez - (21 || 6’0 186 || LHB - OF)

Wilson Rodriguez’s name started to pick up more steam this year within the Yankee prospect world, but his production + projection is still undervalued (in my opinion) for what he’s shown us so far. While his season is finished due to an unfortunate injury sidelining him on the 60-day, Wilson can feel at peace knowing his 2026 High-A debut was a resounding success.

• In 364 PAs:

• .259/.379/.427 (.806 OPS)

• 8 HRs + 20 SBs

Wilson’s year, in my opinion, can be split into two parts: the first half where he cared less for his slug and more for his contact/on base abilities; the second half where he realized he can do both effectively because he is talented enough to swing fast/hard through the ball and still make a lot of contact with a good approach. Rodriguez’s underlying metrics on the year are worth salivating over:

• 19% Chase - 64.7% z-swing

• 19.7 K% - 15.9 BB%

• 24.6% Whiff + 82.5% z-contact

• 43% GB rate

Across the board, awesome plate discipline and bat-to-ball abilities with a fine affinity to get balls in the air. As per Thomas Nestico ‘s “10 Hidden Gems in MLB Trade Deadline Buyers’ Systems” article, Wilson Rodriguez was the feature for the Yankees. Written in the article was:

Blended into that profile is a 105 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity and a 46.4% hard-hit rate. Rodriguez has also swiped 20 bags and has the makings of a legitimate big-league player if he can improve his launch angles and tap into his budding raw power.

While I don’t have access to his quality of contact statcast data, his 90th percentile Exit Velo being 105mph and his hardhit% being 46.4% corroborates what I said about his second half of the season being more leaned into his slug profile…this kid has more raw pop than he’s shown through most of his minor league career and his next step will be to put that to use. From the beginning of the season to the beginning of June, he slugged 2 HRs in 226 PAs. After his series with the Frederick Keys, something clicked and he proceeded to slug 6 HRs in 138 PAs from then on out, while still maintaining quality bat-to-ball/plate discipline.

Oh did I mention Wilson Rodriguez also plays a superb OF with great range; I can see him finding a path in CF though most of his Yankee minor league career has been in the corners.

Double-A: Somerset Patriots

Toni Rossi (27 || 6’3 230 || RHP)

Toni Rossi is a stuff’d out, east-west RP prospect that throws Sinker-Slider-Changeup who has put up an astonishing year in both High-A and AA. Rossi’s main pitch is a wipeout, two plane slider with loads of sweep to it that pairs well off of a mid 90’s sinker that carries good ride and separation from his changeup. Rossi gets pretty good extension for about a below average release height, allowing his sinker to play up better in the zone.

On the year in AA Rossi’s performance look as such:

• 17 Outings

• 19.2 IP

• 3.20 ERA || 3.41 FIP

• 26.5 K% - 6.0 BB%

• 35% Whiff + 30.8% CSW + 17.8% SwStr

• 31% Chase and 47% GB

Rossi’s stuff has been quality enough to suggest he is likely due for some much needed positive regression away from a ridiculous 15.4 HR/FB off of an arsenal that has exceeded well in keeping balls on the ground, whiffing bats, and getting chase. If Rossi continues to shred through AA hitters, the Yankees may be able to use him next year in the back end of their pen.

Triple-A: Scranton Railriders

Garrett Martin (26 || 6’3 217 || RHB - OF)

Garrett Martin is a name that flew completely under the radar entering the season but a name that has caught quick traction after a monstrous Spring Training that showcased elite bat speed, ridiculous 115+ mph EV’s, and solid defense in CF; talking heads in the Yankees org took notice and told media members how much they liked Martin. Garrett’s season was cut short earlier before the end of June from an injury right as he was promoted to AAA; to say Martin’s promotion to AAA was warranted would’ve been an understatement. Garrett absolutely TORE through AA, slugging so many HRs he was within the top 3-5 hitters in ALL of minor league baseball through ALL levels before his promotion. And he doesn’t hit cheapies…this guy rakes baseballs when he makes contact.

• Through 291 PAs in AA before his promotion:

• .270/.344/.568 (.912 OPS)

• 21 HRs + 17 SBs

• All of which while playing a very competent CF with pretty good range and a good arm.

Garrett carried with him an aggressive swing profile that likely would’ve prevented him from advancing very far higher up in his professional career. However he began to swing less and less and less before his promotion, causing him to finally walk more while keeping K’s at a low. THIS was ultimately was drove a much needed promotion to AAA.

On the season in AA, Martin’s swing% finished at 50.9% very much on the higher side with a measly 8.9 BB%. In the calendar month before his promotion, Martin swung at a 46% rate with 24.6 K% - 11.5% BB; in the two weeks before his promotion he swung at a 44.9% rate with a 21.9 K% - 13.7 BB%. With these adjustments, Martin was able to be more selective, draw his walks, not have his weak bat-to-ball skills abused by opposing pitching, and continue to slug baseballs at a ridiculous rate.

I really enjoyed seeing Martin make those adjustments and I have belief in who he is as an athlete that with some time to adjust to AAA pitching next season, he could make a strong case to help the big league club in CF next season, with a hole open for him to potentially grab/platoon with Spencer Jones.

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Every Prospect. Every Level. Every Day.