Yankees infielder’s prospect stock is slipping this season

Yankees logo Steinbrenner Field

On the day pitchers and catcher were scheduled to report to camp, the New York Yankees spring training complex at George M. Steinbrenner Field remains empty Wednesday, Feb.16, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)AP

By

A Yankees top prospect isn’t blowing away scouts another year into full-time pro baseball.

Baseball America tabbed switch-hitting shortstop Roderick Arias as one of its fallers in the Yankees’ farm system rankings so far through this season now that he’s facing steeper competition.

MORE: SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE YANKEES NEWSLETTER

“Arias wowed observers in the summer of 2023 in the Florida Complex League but regressed badly after jumping to Low-A Tampa,” Baseball America’s Josh Norris wrote. “The 19-year-old shows flashes of his big-time tools, but his swing has gotten significantly uphill and has left him with gaping holes in the strike zone that he will need to cover in order to regain his prospect stock.”

BUY YANKEES TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER

Arias was one of the best international free agents in the 2022 class, signing with the Yankees for $4 million — the second most of any player that cycle.

Baseball America had him ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Yankees’ system in the preseason, and he’s also fallen out of its top 100 league-wide prospect rankings.

Arias, 19 years old and 6-feet tall, is batting .210/.303/.353 with 119 strikeouts in 300 at-bats at Low-A Tampa. He crushed the Florida Complex League in Rookie ball last season to a .928 OPS, but as Norris pointed out, Arias’ eye needs to improve.

MORE YANKEES COVERAGE

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Gabriel Trevino can be reached at GTrevino@njadvancemedia.com.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.