As it relates to Spring Training, the Aaron Judges and Gerrit Coles are old news. What about the 26 minor leaguers on display in Tampa, fighting for a chance to play on the big stage?
Let’s narrow it down to the main ones:
Chase Hampton: The Yankees’ sixth-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft earned an invitation to GMS Field this year after putting in the work with their Double-A affiliate.
The right-handed pitcher debuted with the Somerset Patriots on June 15 after being promoted from Single-A; since then, he’s posted a 2-2 record in 11 starts. His fastball, curveball, and slider have shown promise, but his ERA at Somerset stood at a less-than-imposing 4.37 in 59.2 innings pitched.
Will Warren: Picked in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Warren skyrocketed through the minors, landing in Triple-A in May of 2023. With 99.2 innings pitched at Scranton-Wilkes Barre, he accumulated a 7-4 record and 3.61 ERA in 19 starts. In his time on the mound, he’s held batters to a .223 average, courtesy of his wide arsenal: Two-seam and four-seam fastballs, a cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup.
With pitchers reporting to Spring Training on Wednesday, it’s the perfect time for Hampton and Warren to showcase to the organization, fans, and potentially the league whether or not they have the stuff (pun intended) to pitch in Pinstripes.
Spencer Jones: Draft-mates with Hampton, Jones, an outfielder, was the No. 25 overall pick by the Yankees in 2022. He joined Somerset in late August of last year, slashing .261/.333/.406 in 17 games.
He’s the Yankees’ No. 1 ranked prospect by Fangraphs — the lefty showing early power with 20 home runs across his first 573 minor-league at-bats.
Ben Rice: We would be negligent to talk about prospects and fail to mention Rice. The
Dartmouth College alum was selected in the 2021 Draft by the Bronx Bombers, and fast
forward to 2023, he leap-frogged from the Tampa Tarpons to Somerset in 25 games, playing
48 up in Double-A.
In it, he batted .327, but his OBP is up at .401. It’s his slugging, at .648, that shows potential for him to be a power hitter: with 64 hits, he hit 13 doubles, one triple, and 16 homers, totaling 127 bases.
