The 2026 MLB season, as we know it, is in its dying days. With the Milwaukee Brewers on the verge of winning their first World Series championship after taking a 3-0 series lead on the Rays on Monday night, tonight could be the final day of Major League Baseball for a long time as a lockout looms.
Since the Yankees were eliminated a few weeks ago, we’ve recapped everything from best and worst moments to defensive gems and blunders to beginning our report card series, but there is still one stone left
uncovered — and it has to do with the minor leagues.
Even though their season ended several weeks before the Yankees’ did, we never truly closed the book on them beyond recapping the seasons of the major affiliates, So today, we’ll do one last round of recognition for the Yankees’ prospects in this year’s edition of the All-Prospect Teams.
Catcher: Eric Genther
Level(s): High-A Hudson Valley
Stats: .274/.407/.440, 14 HR, 67 RBI, 36 XBH, 8 SB, 18.6 K%, 128 wRC+, 10.1 CS%, 11 passed balls
The Yankees have traded away a lot of their catching depth in recent years, which has essentially caused the organization to go back to Step 1 with a lot of their development. The strength of that development system under Tanner Swanson has been developing defense, particularly framing, but offense leaves a lot to be desired.
So what if the organization went all-in on their defensive development and emphasized offensive catchers? That’s what we saw this season. Eric Genther was the best catcher in the system this year despite being two years removed from full-time outfield work at Rhode Island before being signed as an undrafted free agent in July 2025 and converted to catcher.
Genther’s first full season saw him bring a mature approach to the Hudson Valley lineup, drawing walks in almost a fifth of his plate appearances, but he had startlingly little power. A mechanical change in May unlocked his power, to the point where he slugged .504 across his last 81 games, as he ultimately finished as the Renegades’ top hitter.
His defense is a tremendous work in progress, as you might expect, but the 24-year-old showed enough to get to Double-A next year… at least with the bat.
Second Team: David McCann
Level(s): FCL (10 G), Single-A Tampa (35 G), Hudson Valley (23 G)
Stats: .268/.354/.544, 17 HR, 56 RBI, 27 XBH, 27.0 K%, 124 wRC+, 14.5 CS%, 6 passed balls (68 G)
In a similar vein, we have another 2025 UDFA out of Virginia Tech in David McCann, who split time at catcher and DH in college and has since split time at catcher and first base in the Yankees’ system.
He got a late start to his season after starting in Rookie ball, but McCann hit the cover off the ball to earn a pair of promotions, where he eventually encountered some hardship in Hudson Valley. Still, he slugged .544 across 263 plate appearances in total and wasn’t so overwhelmed at any point that you’d have current concerns about his bat. Although McCann’s future is likely at first base, keep an eye on him.
Honorable Mentions: J.C. Escarra, Juan Martinez, Manuel Palencia
First Base: Josh Moylan
Level(s): Hudson Valley (54 G), Double-A Somerset (68 G)
Stats: .243/.306/.505, 29 HR, 80 RBI, 51 XBH, 35.7 K%, 107 wRC+
Some positions are deeper than others. First base, a position the Yankees had an embarrassment of riches at the major-league level to the point they traded a Rookie of the Year contender to the Rockies, was likely the shallowest of them all.
I’m going to throw a bone to a guy who fits an archetype the Yankees draft one or two of every year in Josh Moylan, a big-time slugger in college who you take a chance on after the 10th round to see if his prodigal power ever translates. Midway through his third full professional season this summer, it appeared he’d be one of those who didn’t translate.
Then, something clicked when he got promoted to Somerset in late June. After striking out in over 40 percent of his plate appearances in Hudson Valley with 13 home runs in 54 games, Moylan mashed 16 in 68 games while making significantly more contact as the team’s everyday first baseman. His batting average rose from .229 to .254, as did his OBP. A 95 wRC+ in HV turned into a 118 wRC+ in Somerset.
Moylan honestly could fit into the upcoming utility category after playing eight games at third base and 40 games in left field this season, but we needed someone at a shallow first base, so a nod to the organization’s home run champion was in order.
Second Team: Poly Ojeda
Level(s): DSL Yankees/Bombers
Stats: .313/.466/.536, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 13 XBH, 13.5 K%, 140 wRC+ (36 G)
It’s pretty light at first base, so I’ll highlight someone who split time at catcher and first base and put up some eye-popping numbers down in the D.R.
Poly Ojeda, signed out ot Venezuela in January during a time of transition in the international scouting department, was one of many DSL breakouts this season who posted an extremely mature approach at the plate for someone who doesn’t turn 18 until Veterans Day. In a league where strikeouts are abundant, he only went down on strikes 13.5 percent of the time. Could he be stateside at just 18 next year?
Honorable Mentions: Tyce Armstrong, Tyler Hardman
Second Base: Juan Torres
Level(s): DSL Yankees
Stats: .385/.470/.644, 8 HR, 63 RBI, 36 XBH, 26 SB (6 CS), 7.3 K%, 169 wRC+ (53 G)
It was only 53 games, but it was enough to give Juan Torres his flowers after a historically good year down in the Dominican Republic.
In his age-18 season after already impressing in 2025, Torres took it to another level by hitting a staggering .385 with a DSL-record 26 doubles, a microscopic strikeout rate, and a top-five RBI figure in DSL history. He is historically productive for a player who strikes out as little as he does down in the DSL:
Torres is not quite my Organizational MVP, but he’s absolutely in the top three. A whole lot of history was made in the Yankees’ Rookie ball systems this year, and you can argue he made the most history. Since one of his teammates on a similar trajectory was promoted midseason, he has an argument for one of the best individual seasons the D.R. has ever seen. Think about that.
Second Team: Luis Escudero
Level(s): FCL (6 G), Tampa (52 G)
Stats: .281/.454/.538, 11 HR, 30 RBI, 22 XBH, 18 SB (2 CS), 17.2 K%, 159 wRC+ (58 G)
Another player who had a partial season but dominated when he was on the field, the 5-foot-8 Luis Escudero packed a mighty punch down in Tampa as a key cog in that incredible lineup down the stretch. The under-the-hood numbers suggest he significantly outplayed what he was expected to do, but he stands as a guy who could be one small tweak away from rising fast after this big-time breakout.
Honorable Mentions: Marco Luciano, Connor McGinnis
Shortstop: George Lombard Jr.
Level(s): FCL (2 G), Somerset (20 G), Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (56 G)
Stats: .284/.411/.498, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 37 XBH, 14 SB (9 CS), 21.2 K%, 141 wRC+ (78 G)
While he finished the season as the shortstop of the New York Yankees in the postseason, George Lombard Jr. started the year down in Somerset as the team’s top prospect. He was promoted partially out of desperation, but it’s not like he didn’t deserve it.
A hand injury limited him to just 78 games in the minors before his early August promotion, in which he was extremely impressive. Lombard hit the cover off the ball in April to earn his way to Scranton and overcame some early struggles to eventually look the part of someone who could hack it in the big leagues. There were a bunch of good shortstop seasons, but his was the best, even with the partial season.
Second Team: Jackson Lovich
Level(s): Tampa (78 G), Hudson Valley (34 G)
Stats: .287/.361/.512, 24 HR, 89 RBI, 49 XBH, 41 SB (9 CS), 28.6 K%, 123 wRC+
Those who’ve kept an eye on the minor leagues for a while might recognize the name of the 22-year-old from Missouri after his six-game cameo in Tampa last year where he tore the cover off the ball, but it took a bit of an adjustment for him in 2026 to get to Hudson Valley after opening the year with way too much whiff.
Lovich eventually figured it out and rode some good batted-ball luck to an impressive 134 wRC+ in 34 games with the Renegades, where he also stole 20 bases to be the first Yankees prospect to hit as many home runs and steal as many bases as he did since Rubén Rivera back in 1994. Now that’s a name.
Honorable Mentions: Dax Kilby, Stiven Marinez, Core Jackson
Third Base: Coby Morales
Level(s): Somerset
Stats: .282/.372/.479, 21 HR, 81 RBI, 46 XBH, 21 SB (10 CS), 24.8 K%, 129 wRC+
The former 18th-round corner infielder continues to grow each and every year. He’s gone from a pure slap hitter with extremely little thump in 2024 to a more well-rounded hitter in 2025 to Somerset’s best and most consistent hitter in 2026.
He’s someone who’s continuing to improve and adjust with each level. He’s added more power while maintaining the strikeout rate he had as a singles hitter down in A-ball. He was also one of five bats in the organization to have 20/20 status this year, joining Lovich, DJ Gladney, Wilberson De Pena, and Kyle West.
Second Team: Roderick Arias
Level(s): Hudson Valley (938 G), Somerset (35 G)
Stats: .267/.349/.435, 16 HR, 84 RBI, 45 XBH, 38 SB (14 CS), 30.0 K%, 107 wRC+
The full-season numbers of Roderick Arias do not come close to telling the full story of his season, one that had plenty of twists and turns. The former uber-prospect revived his stock after a miserable two years in Tampa and a dreadful first two months in Hudson Valley, with an exceptional finish to the season, slashing .305/.377/.521 with a 133 wRC+ in his final 83 games across two levels.
Arias still strikes out too much, but is finally doing enough damage for it to be less debilitating. He’s still extremely athletically gifted and just turned 22 years old. He popped some big exit velocities and displayed tremendous arm strength, splitting time at shortstop and third base this year.
Honorable Mentions: Richard Matic, Oswaldo Cabrera [best of luck in Cincy, ol’ pal]
Outfielders
Yostin Pena
Level(s): DSL (37 G), Tampa (24 G)
Stats: .354/.431/.608, 14 HR, 80 RBI, 29 XBH, 37 SB (5 CS), 14.1 K%, 147 wRC+ (61 G)
A name nobody knew this time last year, it’s been an unbelievable start to Yostin Pena’s pro career. In the span of a few months, he went from just another guy in the DSL to arguably the best prospect in the entire organization and is my Organizational MVP for 2026.
After being on pace to shatter the DSL record in RBIs through 37 games, Pena became the first Yankee to skip the GCL/FCL in nine years and continued to wreak havoc on Single-A pitching in a completely alien way. Most hitters going from the FCL struggle initially in full-season ball since the minor league contraction, but this guy has been a complete freak.
Pena boasts insane exit velocities for someone who’s listed at 18 (but has some prior age controversy), has a cannon of an arm as a passable center fielder, and has blistering speed. He’s the very definition of a toolshed and someone the Yankees found for under $400,000 after he was cut by the Cardinals last year. The sky is truly the limit for this guy, and he’s someone who should be all over Top 100 lists next spring.
Isaias Castillo
Level(s): DSL Yankees
Stats: .294/.408/.629, 14 HR, 49 RBI, 35 XBH, 28 SB (3 CS), 30.0 K%, 132 wRC+ (50 G)
Isaias Castillo didn’t make the history that Torres did or have the earth-shattering season that Pena did, but he boasted some of the most impressive power that has ever been seen in a teenager in the Dominican Republic. He’s one of five players to ever hit 14 home runs in a DSL season, and although he had a much bigger hole in his swing than some of his contemporaries, he consistently hit the ball hard whenever he made contact. Not bad for an 18-year-old.
Wilberson De Pena
Level(s): FCL (56 G), Tampa (21 G)
Stats: .312/.374/.594, 20 HR, 77 RBI, 44 XBH, 25 SB (9 CS), 22.4 K%, 129 wRC+ (77 G)
Speaking of history, nobody made more of it than Wilberson De Pena. While some of the people he rubbed shoulders with had one or two statistical categories that stood out, De Pena was historically good at everything. He became the first FCL Triple Crown winner in over 40 years and broke the all-time FCL record in home runs, RBIs, and total bases.
De Pena struggled once he got to Tampa in August, but ran into some bad luck, coupled with struggling to lift the ball. He’s only 19 years old and is already looking like a major steal after being acquired from the Angels for Oswald Peraza, but has a long way to go.
Second Team: David Carrera, Jose Castro, Garrett Martin
Two Rookie ball guys and someone whose season was cut short due to injury. Carrera was extremely impressive in his third season in the DSL, as the 20-year-old slashed .333/.502/.594 in 52 games with a higher walk rate than strikeout rate. Castro, who’s 21, coming off a strong year in the FCL, slashed .328/.488/.492 with 31 stolen bases in 42 games.
Martin was another one of those Moylan-type prospects who was stagnating despite incredible ability and massive power, but broke out in a big way starting in spring training. Prior to a season-ending injury in late June, he mashed 24 home runs with 18 stolen bases and a .570 slugging percentage in just 71 games, most of which were in Somerset.
Honorable Mentions: DJ Gladney, Wilson Rodriguez, Jace Avina
Utility: Hans Montero
Level(s): Tampa (98 G), Hudson Valley (17 G)
Stats: .239/.366/.415, 13 HR, 57 RBI, 38 XBH, 42 SB (8 CS), 24.4 K%, 109 wRC+
Giving credit to some guys who played all around the diamond this year, it was nice to see Hans Montero break out of Tampa after nearly three years to make his debut in High-A late in the year. He leveled up on the basepaths with a career-high in stolen bases and cut down on what was an incredibly high strikeout rate while not sacrificing his ability to go gap-to-gap.
This season, he played 48 games at first base, 30 games at second base, and 15 games at third base, while also playing two innings in left field. He used to be a shortstop, but hasn’t played it since 2023.
Second Team: Luis Puello
Level(s): FCL (7 G), Tampa (73 G)
Stats: .257/.328/.489, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 35 XBH, 10 SB (6 CS), 27.4 K%, 107 wRC+
When the Yankees traded Jesus Rodriguez to the Giants in the Camilo Doval trade last summer, they had a hole in the “catcher who can also play four different positions” department. Luis Puello, who made his Single-A debut this summer, looks to fill that hole.
There’s some real thump in that bat, one that saw him hit three home runs this season, but the intrigue is around the 20-year-old’s defensive profile. In 35 games behind the plate, he committed 10 passed balls and caught under 18 percent of runners, so maybe it’s at first base, left field, or right field, which he’s played at times over the last three seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Anthony Potestio, Max Schuemann
Starting Pitchers
Brendan Beck
Level(s): Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Stats: 135.1 IP, 2.93 ERA, 3.15 FIP, 1.06 WHIP, 20.6 K-BB%
How big is the gap between Triple-A and the majors? A guy who had an ERA in double figures in his first taste of the major leagues turned around and won the International League’s Top Pitcher Award. Brendan Beck was statistically the best pitcher in the entire system, doing the bulk of the work in a RailRiders no-hitter on June 5th and fanning a dozen two months later — all as someone who doesn’t seem like much of a prospect. The 27-year-old is a nice story after pitching a grand total of 34 innings from the day he was drafted in 2021 to the end of the 2024 season, but what is his future?
Beck is on the 40-man roster, so he avoids the Rule 5 limbo he had last offseason, but he doesn’t throw hard enough or have the type of stuff to offset his poor fastball to be big-league viable. Does he get put in the bullpen? Is he used in a small trade? Does he spend another year at a level he’s already conquered as “break glass in case of emergency” depth with one of the deepest rotations in baseball?
Elmer Rodríguez
Level(s): Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
Stats: 106.1 IP, 2.45 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 1.31 WHIP, 11.4 K-BB%
One rung ahead of Beck in the rotation pecking order is Elmer Rodríguez, who looked better in his big-league cameo but still not enough that it’s inherently likely he’s on the Opening Day roster next year. He was great with his command up the minor league ranks, but struggled to throw strikes in Triple-A consistently despite always managing to strand enough runners to post the best ERA of any starting pitcher in the system.
Tyler Boudreau
Level(s): Tampa (21 GS), Somerset (1 GS)
Stats: 106.2 IP, 3.29 ERA, 3.86 FIP, 1.04 WHIP, 18.3 K-BB%
A 2025 undrafted free agent, Tyler Boudreau had a great debut season down in Tampa and even struck out six in 3.1 innings in a small cameo in Somerset. His secondaries play a lot better than his fastball, but the soon-to-be 24-year-old will need to replicate his success next year in Hudson Valley to really give himself a chance at a big-league future.
Justin West
Level(s): Tampa
Stats: 113 IP, 4.06 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 18.5 K-BB%
West started the season with some growing pains, but ended it as the most effective starter in the system. The 22-year-old finished the season by pitching to a 2.23 ERA across his final 10 starts, averaging six full innings per start. He just got better and better over the course of the season, and the 2025 18th-rounder out of Louisville should also be in Hudson Valley next year.
Cesar Acosta
Level(s): DSL Yankees
Stats: 51.2 IP, 3.31 ERA, 3.35 FIP, 1.01 WHIP, 24.1 K-BB%
We’ll close by saluting a pitcher deep down on the farm, as Acosta’s second summer in the Dominican went better than the last. Still just 19 during the season, he made great improvements all across the aboard and gave up just one homer across his 11 starts, all while fanning 70 batters with a 5.4 H/9. The Venezuelan righty was a tough customer and will be one to watch stateside in 2027.
Second Team:
Allen Facundo
Luis Serna
Rory Fox
Xavier Rivas
Henry Lalane
Relief Pitcher Honorable Mentions
Tony Rossi
Ben Grable
Thomas Balboni Jr.
Yovanny Cruz
Hayden Merda
Matthew Tippie
Chris Kean
Kervin Castro
