MLB insider shares Yankees source's doubts on club's approach and strategy as club's top prospects continue to struggle in the majors
Over the past few seasons, the New York Yankees have modified their approach to building a championship roster. The club has made a conscious effort the give youth a chance.
In 2021, Clarke Schmidt was provided an opportunity to show what he could do. In 2022, Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera were called up. This year, Anthony Volpe, Everson Perreira, Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells all made their MLB debuts.
All of these players excelled at the Triple-A level but many have found it difficult to adjust to the majors. Aside from Volpe, none of them have been able to established themselves as regular day-to-day starters. Dominguez has started well but it is still too early to call him as a success story.
Per a recent article in ESPN, one Yankees source questioned why the club's prospects struggle to develop and succeed at the highest level:
"Why don't our players improve more consistently once they reach the big leagues?"
The Yankees have already hired a new hitting coach in former Cincinnati Reds star Sean Casey. That only addresses one of the issues. The other coaches and scouting department will also share some responsibility.
"Yankees rookies Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells have a moment before their first MLB game Friday in Houston." - Randy Miller
The club has focused more on analytics over the past few years. This could be another area the organization examines during the offseason.
Yankees prospects have struggled to find consistency in the majors
Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza were called up to the MLB in 2022 and both had strong finishes to the year. This season, however, they have failed to match their 2022 offensive output.
Cabrera started on Opening Day against the San Francisco Giants but has had difficulty finding any consistency. His batting average has dropped 35 points to .212. He has an abysmal .583 OPS and has managed just four home runs and 25 RBIs in 92 games.
"The first MLB home run for Jasson Dominguez comes against Justin Verlander." - Jamie Gatlin
Peraza has bounced around between the majors and minors. He has a .157 batting average and is yet to record a home run in over 30 games.
New York fans have high expectations for Dominquez and Wells, but they have been burned before.
At this point, the failure to develop potential talent into top-tier stars seems to be a concerning trend for the organization. It is an issue that Hal Steinbrenner will need to address during the offseason.