Prospect Oswald Peraza may be Yankees’ next homegrown shortstop

Part 4 of a series that analyzes the main perspectives of the Yankees

While it is obvious that the Yankees’ minor league players are playing for the organization, it cannot be denied that they are also showing their talent for other teams that want to acquire them.

After the 2018 season, the Yankees used Justus Sheffield, a 2014 first-round pick of the Indians they obtained in an exchange for Andrew Miller, to acquire James Paxton from the Mariners. During the 2017 season, the Yankees sent outfielder Blake Rutherford, his first-round pick in 2016, to the White Sox for Todd Frazier. Right-hander Sony Gray came from the Athletics on the 2017 trade deadline for right-hander James Kaprielian, a first-round pick in 2015, and Jorge Mateo, a well-respected infielder who could also play in center field. Catcher John Ryan Murphy, a second-round pick in 2009, was traded to the Twins by Aaron Hicks after the 2015 season.

Although the Yankees will always be players in the free-agent market, as they were after the 2019 season when they signed Gerrit Cole with a nine-year contract for $ 324 million and infielder DJ LeMahieu before the start of the 2019 season. At two years, Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino and Kyle Higashioka are great local players.

Like the highly-qualified pitching prospects, Clarke Schmidt and Deivi García.

His path to the prospect list is shortstop Oswald Peraza, who will turn 20 in two weeks. 6-foot, 165-pound Venezuela played at Staten Island (short season) and Low-A Charleston last season when he was 19.

Most impressive was his bat, providing better numbers when he jumped from Staten Island to Charleston.

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“It has a good barrel feel, good barrel awareness. He can run, he’s an elite defender and he plays the game the right way, “said David Adams, a Staten Island manager last season and a former Yankees infielder in 2013 when he played in 43 games.” He’s one of those guys that show up every day. “

In 18 games for Staten Island, Peraza hit .241 (19 for 79) and in 46 games for Charleston, he hit .273 (50 for 183). Combined Peraza hit .263 with a .332 on-base percentage and stole 23 bases in 30 attempts.

“He’s a guy who can play shortstop every day. I don’t think there’s any doubt about moving him somewhere else, “said Adams of Peraza, who was rated the Yankees’ No. 5 prospect by Baseball America after last season.

Since Peraza appeared in three major league exhibition games this past spring training, and there were probably no minor league games this summer due to the coronavirus, the Yankees could include him in a 20-man “taxi squad” to train and stay ready, if necessary.

As for the future, if Peraza continues to improve as he progresses, he could eventually allow the Yankees to trade Gleyber Torres from short to second. But first, he would probably have to overlook Kyle Holder, who played last season at Double-A Trenton when he was 25 and a .264 minor league hitter. Scouts rave about Holder’s confident hands. It was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2015.

“[Peraza] He’s an interesting guy, “VP of baseball operations Tim Naehring said before the start of last season.” He has a good tool across the board and projects himself as a guy who stays at shortstop along the way as a defender. above average. “