Midseason Review/New Top 30 Prospects
Notes:
The following prospects are off to the Arizona Fall League:
SS Dax Kilby – Kilby missed most of the 2026 campaign with a hamstring injury, playing only 36 games. In those 36 games (164 plate appearances), he hit .242/.427/.403. That is a tad misleading, as he went 0-for-10 during a rehab assignment in the FCL. For Tampa, his line was .261/.448/.435 (143 wRC+). His 25.3% BB for Tampa ranked him third among all full-season league players with at least 150 PA, trailing Michael Carico (Cubs, 26.4%) and veteran Davis Schneider (Blue Jays, 26.1%).
SS Core Jackson – Jackson is an interesting addition to the list. While he dealt with a few injuries, he compiled 455 plate appearances between Hudson Valley and Somerset, hitting .262/.360/.459 (115 wRC+) with 14 home runs and 41 stolen bases.Will the Yankees use this time to give him more experience at second and third base?
1B Kyle West – West hit 20 home runs and stole 20 bases for Hudson Valley this season. However, he hit only .226/.300/.394 (81 wRC+) with a 29.8% K. As a player limited to first base, he will have to show progress offensively to have a shot at a potential MLB career.
RHP Chris Veach – Veach was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024. In 68 minor league appearances over the last two seasons, he has impressed, posting a 2.30 ERA over 86 innings with a 114/39 K/BB. An injury limited him to 25 games this season.
RHP Mack Estrada – The Yankees’ 11th-round pick in 2024, Estrada has barely pitched. Only 22, he made his professional debut this season, appearing in only four games (one start) in the Florida Complex League. He lacks experience, but the Arizona Fall League is the perfect spot for him to get in some work.
RHP J.T. Etheridge – Etheridge posted a 32.1% strikeout rate in 71.1 innings this season. The undrafted 24-year-old has 161 strikeouts in 112 minor league innings, allowing only eight home runs. His weakness is his walk rate, as he posted an 11.9% BB rate in 2026.
Bottom Line:
Your usual mix of prospects.
RHP Chase Hampton didn’t get through waivers. On September 12th, the Nationals claimed him and assigned him to Harrisburg.
Scranton (76-66; 39-29 in the second half) (Defeated Jacksonville, 6-5. Current records: Rochester (41-29), Indianapolis (41-29), Scranton (39-29), Syracuse (39-30), Worcester (38-30). Those two extra games for Rochester and Indianapolis are playing a big role in the second-half standings with five games left.)
LF Jarred Kelenic: 0-for-5, K
Kelenic is 14-for-66 (.212) since signing. I don’t like seeing anyone struggle, but a hot Kelenic likely = people wondering if the Yankees have unlocked the top prospect from yesteryear.
RF Jasson Dominguez: 0-for-2, R, SB (15), 2 BB, K
C J.C. Escarra: 1-for-3, 2B (15), BB
2B Marco Luciano: 0-for-2, R, SB (5), 2 BB
DH Yanquiel Fernandez: 0-for-3, BB, K
SS Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-for-3, R, SB (12), BB, K
3B Max Schuemann: 1-for-3, 2B (15), 2 R, HBP
1B Ernesto Martinez Jr.: 1-for-3, RBI, BB, K
CF Duke Ellis: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, R, 3 SB (55)
In case you are wondering (why?), Ellis is tied for 19th in stolen bases among all minor league players. The leader (Kane Kepley, Cubs) has 70. Kepley, the Cubs’ second-round pick in 2025, had himself a season: Despite hitting only .243, he owned a .422 OBP thanks to a 20.2% BB rate (he walked 120 times!) and scored 127 runs. Reviewing the data, he had an elite 4.6% swinging strike rate, but a less-than-ideal 21% called strike.
RHP Elmer Rodriguez: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Rodriguez could start on Sunday. If not, this will conclude his 2026 campaign. He made six starts (26.2 innings) for the Yankees and 21 starts (106.1 innings) for Scranton. He pitched well for the Railriders, compiling a 2.45 ERA, but his strikeout rate declined. Additionally, he walked more hitters than you would like to see.
RHP Zach Messinger: (W, 9-1) 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Messinger owns a 3.41 ERA over 71.1 innings (47 H, 30 R, 27 ER, 7 HR, 34 BB, 69 K). I will be surprised if Messinger doesn’t earn at least a cup of coffee in MLB. His ability to be a bulk reliever and even a spot starter is what will get him there.
RHP Yerry de los Santos: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
RHP Chris Kean: (S, 1) 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, HR
Kean wanted to make things interesting.
Somerset (74-64; 37-32 in the second half)
Their season is over.
Hudson Valley (65-65; 35-31 in the second half)
Their season is over.
Tampa (79-51 regular season (43-20 in the second half); 3-1 in playoffs) (Defeated Jupiter, 4-1. The squads will play for the championship tomorrow.)
SS Dax Kilby: 1-for-3, 2B (2), R, 2 BB, K
Kilby excites me. I know I dropped him down some pegs in my midseason Top 30, but that was injury-related. I noted his statistics above, so I don’t need to repeat those. One question surrounding him is his future position. In their Top 30 report, Fangraphs started talking up his defense at shortstop, the first time I saw a major website discuss the possibility that he could stick there. Pipeline still talks him up more as a future 2B or CF.
CF Yostin Pena: 0-for-5, 2 K
Pena played 20 games during the season where he had 5+ plate appearances. He went 0-for only twice. Is that impressive? I don’t know, but it feels like it is.
RF Wilberson De Pena: 1-for-3, RBI, R, CS (2), 2 BB
3B Anthony Potestio: 0-for-4, BB, 2 K
1B Tyce Armstrong: 0-for-3, R, 2 BB, K
C Luis Puello: 3-for-5, 2B (1), R, 2 K
Puello had five 3+-hit efforts in the regular season (three were 4-hit efforts).
LF Diego Castellanos: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 SB (3)
DH Luke Pettitte: 0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 K
A zero-contact day.
2B Luis Escudero: 1-for-4, 3 K
2B Blake Schaaf: 0-for-0
RHP Wyatt Parliament: (W, 1-0) 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Parliament topped out at 95.7 MPH.
RHP Ty Boudreau: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Matthew Tippie: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
LHP Pedro Rodriguez : 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
RHP Greysen Carter (S, 1): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Just like in his first playoff appearance, Carter was amped. He reached 101.2 MPH, and all nine pitches (eight were strikes) were 4-seam fastballs. He wasn’t messing around. Carter’s potential as a high-octane reliever is enormous. He is fascinating to follow and isn’t Rule 5 eligible until 2027.
FCL Yankees (29-29)
Their season is over.
DSL Yankees (33-21 regular season; 0-2 in pool play)
Their season is over.
DSL Bombers (25-29-1)
Their season is over.