By John Manuel
November 10, 2008

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2009.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Austin Jackson, of 2. Jesus Montero, c 3. Andrew Brackman, rhp 4. Austin Romine, c 5. Dellin Betances, rhp 6. Zach McAllister, rhp 7. Alfredo Aceves, rhp 8. Phil Coke, lhp 9. Mark Melancon, rhp 10. Bradley Suttle, 3b

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Bradley Suttle Best Power Hitter Jesus Montero Best Strike-Zone Discipline Chris Malec Fastest Baserunner Brett Gardner Best Athlete Austin Jackson Best Fastball Andrew Brackman Best Curveball Christian Garcia Best Slider Anthony Claggett Best Changeup Alfredo Aceves Best Control Zach McAllister Best Defensive Catcher Francisco Cervelli Best Defensive Infielder Ramiro Pena Best Infield Arm Marcos Vechionacci Best Defensive Outfielder Austin Jackson Best Outfield Arm Seth Fortenberry

PROJECTED 2012 LINEUP

Catcher Austin Romine First Base Alex Rodriguez Second Base Robinson Cano Third Base Bradley Suttle Shortstop Derek Jeter Left Field Xavier Nady Center Field Brett Gardner Right Field Austin Jackson Designated Hitter Jesus Montero No. 1 Starter Joba Chamberlain No. 2 Starter Chien-Ming Wang No. 3 Starter Andrew Brackman No. 4 Starter Dellin Betances No. 5 Starter Phil Hughes Closer Mark Melancon

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2008 1999 Nick Johnson, 1b Nationals 2000 Nick Johnson, 1b Nationals 2001 Nick Johnson, 1b Nationals 2002 Drew Henson, 3b Out of baseball 2003 Jose Contreras, rhp White Sox 2004 Dioner Navarro, c Rays 2005 Eric Duncan, 3b Yankees 2006 Phil Hughes, rhp Yankees 2007 Phil Hughes, rhp Yankees 2008 Joba Chamberlain, rhp Yankees

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2008 1999 David Walling, lhp Out of baseball 2000 David Parrish, c Padres 2001 John Ford-Griffin, of Dodgers 2002 Brandon Weeden, rhp (2nd) Out of baseball 2003 Eric Duncan, 3b Yankees 2004 Phil Hughes, rhp Yankees 2005 C.J. Henry, ss Yankees 2006 Ian Kennedy, rhp Yankees 2007 Andrew Brackman, rhp Yankees 2008 *Gerrit Cole None *Did not sign

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Hideki Irabu, 1997 $8,500,000 Jose Contreras, 2002 $6,000,000 Andrew Brackman, 2007 $3,350,000 Willy Mo Pena, 1999 $2,440,000 Ian Kennedy, 2006 $2,250,000

YANKEES LINKS

Yankees' Team Page Yankees Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Yankees Top 10 Prospects 2008 Draft: Yankees (Basic Database) 2008 Draft: Yankees  (Advanced Database) 2008 Draft Report Cards: New York Yankees  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2009 Prospect Handbook

The last season of Yankee Stadium II figured to end in October. After all, since Major League Baseball added wild cards, there never had been a postseason party that didn't include the Yankees.

Yet when New York played host to the Orioles on Sept. 21, that was it for The House That Ruth Built. In their first season under manager Joe Girardi, the Yankees got within three games of first place in late July, just as they bolstered their roster by acquiring Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates. But New York never got any closer and finished in third place at 89-73, eight games back.

Nothing went as planned, starting with a shoulder injury that limited Jorge Posada to just 51 games. Righthander Chien-Ming Wang went down with a season-ending foot injury in mid-June, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano regressed (with Cabrera sent down to the minors), Joba Chamberlain broke down after moving into the rotation, and young pitchers Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy flopped.

The failure of the Yankees' top young players was especially galling as the Rays and Red Sox rode theirs to the postseason. That subject was a focus of the organization's postseason meetings—trying to figure out why New York's young players haven't translated minor league success to the majors while those on rival teams have.

New York nevertheless re-signed general manager Brian Cashman to a three-year contract shortly after the season ended. Cashman has several significant decisions to make, such as what to do with Chamberlain. The contracts of veterans Bob Abreu, Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina come off the books—they made a combined $48 million in 2008—and the Yankees had more resources than any organization to begin with. That will be even more true with the opening of a new $1.3 billion Yankee Stadium, and they can outspend any club for the services of top free agents such as C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, both of whom would be ideal fits.

The Yankees haven't leveraged their financial advantages well this decade, however. They have spent more than $1.3 billion on player salaries since winning the 2000 World Series, and have seen Boston and now Tampa Bay surpass them. New York's only titles this year came at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Double-A Trenton.

Despite their willingness to spend on draft and international talent, the Yankees have not developed any recent impact players beyond Chamberlain. (Cano would have counted before he regressed offensively and defensively in 2008.) They failed to sign two of their top three picks in the 2008 draft, including first-rounder Gerrit Cole—considered the most electric arm in the class of prep pitchers.

The Yankees did see significant progress from high-dollar investments such as Austin Jackson, who could claim their center-field job at some point in 2009, and catcher Jesus Montero, a $1.65 million bonus baby who had an all-star season in low Class A. Righthander Andrew Brackman, who got the largest draft bonus in club history ($3.35 million) as part of a big league contract that could reach $13 million with incentives, finally got on the mound in Hawaii Winter Baseball. He had Tommy John surgery shortly after signing in 2007 and an appendectomy this July.

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