Yankees Notes for 2/4, Part 2

Other recent articles:

Cody Bellinger thoughts
Ryan Weathers acquisition
2/4, Part 1

1. The Yankees claim OF Yanquiel Fernandez from the Rockies

If you don’t know the drill by now, you should. This is more musical chairs at the bottom of the 40-man roster. To make room for him, they designated RHP Dom Hamel for assignment. The Yankees claimed Hamel on January 27th. If he is claimed, he will go to his fourth organization since September.

Fernandez, signed for $295,000 in 2019, made his MLB debut in 2025, hitting .225/.265/.348 with five doubles and four home runs in 52 games. He spent most of his time as a designated hitter, but also started 16 games in right field and one game in left.  This is not a versatile kid, as most of his minor league career was also spent in right field.

Before the 2024 season, Fernandez was a Top 100 prospect, with Pipeline the most bullish (72nd). He was also ranked by Baseball America (92) and Baseball Prospectus (87).

He gained most of his prospect shine because of his power profile. As a 19-year-old in 2022, he hit .284/.340/.507 with 21 home runs and 109 RBI in 112 games for Fresno (A). He followed that up with a 25-home run campaign in 2023, though he struggled in his first taste of Double-A (.206/.262/.362 with eight home runs in 56 games).  He hit better as a 21-year-old in 2024 (.283/.339/.439), but struggled again when promoted to Triple-A.

Hamel was once the Mets Minor League Pitcher of the Year and would have been in the bullpen mix. He still might be, if he clears waivers.

Bottom Line:

Once again, there is no need to go crazy.  They value Fernandez more than Hamel. That’s it. Next week, they might value someone over Fernandez.  Being on the bottom of 40-man rosters means you’d better have an Uber Premium account.

2. Baseball Prospectus has a different perspective on the Yankees’ system

Their annual Top 101 Prospects list comes with a twist:  George Lombard Jr. is not the top prospect in the system.

Rather, Dax Kilby (40th) takes the crown over Lombard (42), Elmer Rodriguez (60), Carlos Lagrange (61), and Ben Hess (89). Pipeline, Baseball America, Keith Law, CBS Sports, and ESPN did not rank Hess.  Prospectus is the first major site to rank five Yankees’ prospects in the Top 100.

Hess was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2024 out of Alabama. He made his professional debut in 2025, compiling a 3.22 ERA (2.50 FIP) over 103.1 innings, with an impressive 33% K. His walk rate was on the high side (10.9%), though he reduced it somewhat after being promoted to Double-A (9%).

Just like with Rodriguez and Lagrange, one can argue between Hess and fellow 2024 draftee Bryce Cunningham, though Cunningham was limited to 54.1 innings and didn’t pitch in Double-A (he probably would have if his season didn’t end early).

3. CBS Sports ranks four Yankees’ prospects

First of all, this is the first list that didn’t place Konnor Griffin at the top, as they ranked the Pirates’ prodigy third. They instead went with SS Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers. This isn’t crazy, as McGonigle is regarded as a top prospect as well. Also ahead of Griffin is SS Jesus Made (Brewers).

As for the Yankees, once again, we have some fluctuation:
26. Lombard Jr.
47. Rodriguez
49. Lagrange
84. Kilby

Prospectus is bullish on Rodriguez/Lagrange. CBS takes it a step further, placing them in the Top 50. For what it is worth (nothing), I am likely to place Lagrange higher than Rodriguez on my Top 30. My mind can still be changed.

R.J. Anderson, who compiles the CBS Sports list, proclaimed that Lombard Jr. could make his debut before his 21st birthday in June. Bullish, indeed. Like some others, he thinks Lagrange could be destined for a bullpen role. We will probably have a better answer on that as the 2026 season unfolds.

There is no doubt Kilby’s offensive upside is enormous. If evaluators feel he can shift from shortstop to center field, he doesn’t lose much (if any) positional value.

As for Lombard Jr., opinions seemingly vary. That is not true, though. He is ranked anywhere from 20th to 46th, but with essentially the same analysis on every site.  Dynamic player, should stick at shortstop, batting average is not likely to be a strength. It comes down to how those tools are evaluated and how much importance each expert places on them. It also comes down to how they evaluate other players in Lombard Jr.’s grouping.

Bottom Line:

Let’s take a look at where sites have ranked the Yankees’ prospects. I will add more sites as I see them. Note that Keith Law stated in a different article that Kilby was his first cut, hence his 101st ranking. Additionally, ESPN’s Yankees list included where they ranked a few other prospects beyond their Top 100.

The table below renders differently on Desktop vs. Mobile devices.