It happens every year. Winter gives way to Spring and the boys of summer make their way to Florida and Arizona to prepare for the upcoming season. This is also the time of year when experts and amateurs such as myself release their organizational prospect rankings and top 100 overall rankings. For those interested, I wait until the prospects receive their affiliate assignments because that plays a significant roll in my process. But regarding rankings in a general sense, there are always those guys who fail to live up to expectations. It's inevitable. If everything in a sport can be predicted with 100% accuracy, it would be a science, not a sport.
There are five players I look forward to watching this year in hopes that they rebound from disappointing 2012 seasons. In no particular order:
Dante Bichette, Jr. (3B) - When Dante was drafted with the 51st pick in 2011, there were some analysts who thought it was a reach by the Yankees. Heading into the draft, he was the 108th ranked player on Baseball America's Top 200 list. He signed quickly and surprised the non-believers with a great .335/.439/.507 slash line and 48 RBIs in 52 games. Prior to the 2012 season, he was a fringe top 100 prospect and an easy selection for the top 10 prospects in the organization. He played in Low A at age 19 which itself is impressive, but the performance was a let down. His slash line fell to .248/.322/.331 in 122 games with only 3 home runs. That's 1 fewer than he had in 52 games in 2011. But Dante works incredibly hard off the field and has stuck at 3B despite predictions that he would have to move to the outfield. If Dante can remain at 3B and get back to 2011 production levels, he'll be back at the top of the Yankee organizational ratings and wear the crown as New York's 3B of the future.
Miguel Andujar (3B) - Miguel received the biggest bonus of New York’s 2011 IFA class ($750,000) and
started his career in the GCL, which was a sign the Yankee brass has a lot of
faith in the young Dominican third-baseman. Statistically, the young man really
struggled in 2012 (.232 BA, .288 OBP, .299 SLG) but I think he’ll really improve
on that this year. One key to look for is where he'll be assigned this summer. He'll surely play rookie ball again, but if he goes back to the Gulf Coast League it would indicate Yankees management still thinks he a lot of him. If he goes to the Dominican Summer League it would make me think they've lost some faith in him.
Ravel Santana (OF) - Ravel's story sounds very similar to that of Bichette. He had a terrific 2011 season with a .296/.361/.568 slash line in the GCL and a .322/.440/.533 slash line in 2010 in the DSL. Unfortunately, his 2012 was a major disappointment with a .216/.304/.289 slash line in the New York Penn short season league. An ankle injury from 2011 may be to blame, even though he did appear in 60 of the team's 75 games. Speed is a big part of Ravel's game and if he can return this year with the kind of speed we saw from him in the past, I think the rest of his game (power, average) will return, too.
Jose Campos (SP) - When New York acquired Jose Campos in the big Montero-Pineda trade, scouts and insiders thought he would take off in their farm system. Unfortunately his Yankee career fizzled quickly after take off due to an elbow injury. Mysteries surrounding the injury abound all summer long and continued when Campos failed to perform in last fall's instruction league. However, George King of the New York Post reported earlier this month that Campos has completed his rehab assignment and will be ready to go in Spring Training. I expect Campos to start over in Charleston and will most likely remain there through at least July. If he stays healthy, my money is on him ranking as New York's top pitching farm hand at the end of the year.
Jake Cave (OF) - Following the 2011 draft, the players getting the most buzz were catcher Greg Bird (now a 1B) and outfielder Jake Cave, both out of high school. They both appeared in the GCL that season, Bird in 4 games and Cave in one. Unfortunately, that one game is still the only professional action he has seen. Cave has battled an injury to his right knee that kept him out of action all of last year. However, he is reporting healthy and ready to go this Spring. He's still young (he doesn't turn 21 until December) and if he performs well in rookie ball he could put himself into the discussion for the top 10 prospects in the farm system.
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