Under the Radar Prospects: Yankees

The Yankees are the subjects of this week's installment of under the radar prospects

The New York Yankees are the subjects of this week’s installment of Under the Radar Prospects in which five unheralded players within a team system are identified as players to keep tabs on this season. This week, the five players include a talented infielder with a propensity for drawing walks, a couple of promising starting pitchers, and a slugging outfielder that has already reached the majors.

Caleb Durbin, INF

Short in stature, but large in potential, 24-year-old Caleb Durbin has excelled offensively ever since the Yankees acquired him from the Braves prior to the 2023 season. The Yankees assigned him to High-A to start out his pinstripe tenure and after a blistering 22 games, promoted him to Double-A. Over his 47 games in Double-A, Durbin hit .291/.361/.440 with four home runs and 21 stolen bases with a lowly 4.6% strikeout rate. Durbin capped off his first year with the Yankees with an excellent stint in the Arizona Fall League.

This current season, Durbin is now in Triple-A and is off to another strong start. So far he’s hitting .287/.417/.483 with two home runs and 12 stolen bases over just 23 games played. An on-base machine throughout his career thus far, Durbin currently sports a 17.6% walk rate. Durbin has a 1.73 BB/K ratio, which is the 3rd best among minor leaguers with at least 80 plate appearances.

Despite all of his success, Durbin has received little fanfare from prospect pundits as Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs have all neglected to place Durbin among their top 30-prospects. Regardless, Durbin is excelling at a level that is just a step away from the big leagues.

Trystan Vrieling, RHP

Although 23-year-old Trystan Vrieling was selected in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft, the talented hurler didn’t make his professional debut until earlier this month — Vrieling fractured his elbow, which caused him to miss the entire 2023 season. The Yankees clearly believe in his abilities though as they put him in the Arizona Fall League and have now assigned him to Double-A.