These Yankees pitching prospects are next ‘under-the-radar' studs to watch out for

Yahoo

19 hours ago

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — The Yankees didn't give up any of their top-ranked pitching prospects at the trade deadline last month, but they did move on from a slew of quality arms.
En route to acquiring six big-league pieces leading up to the deadline, the Yankees traded away a total of seven pitching prospects.
That's been a tradition for this club in recent memory, a way to use depth within the farm system to address needs with the big-league club.
It also gives lower-level prospects an opportunity to take steps forward internally within the Yankees' farm system.
For instance, with the departures of High-A pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Gage Ziehl in two separate trades, the Yankees were able to promote starters Andrew Landry and Xavier Rivas from Low-A Tampa to Hudson Valley. Both Landry and Rivas are unranked prospects by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
'I think both of those guys are under the radar a little bit,' Yankees director of pitching Sam Briend told NJ Advance Media. 'You don't see them popping up in the media very often, but I think they're two big names to watch. They've done some really impressive stuff this year and made big jumps while getting their first taste of full-season ball.'
Rivas was drafted by the Yankees in the 16th round last year out of Mississippi, a left-hander who started his pro career this spring in the Florida Complex League. He had a 5.80 ERA in 10 starts with Low-A Tampa, but since getting called up to High-A Hudson Valley, the southpaw has allowed only one earned run in 12 2/3 innings.
On Friday night, Rivas had 12 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball against Aberdeen, the Orioles' High-A affiliate.
Landry is another 16th-rounder. The right-hander was selected by the Yankees in 2023 out of Southeastern Louisiana, the same program where big-league starter and former top pitching prospect Will Warren played his college ball.
After pitching in only 11 games last year, Landry had a 4.59 ERA in 15 outings with Tampa to start the year. He's up to five starts now in Hudson Valley and in three outings so far this month, he's tossed 16 2/3 frames with one earned run allowed.
'They've been solid in Tampa for us, but they also started making some adjustments after they'd really gotten their feet wet,' Briend said. 'Landry has been up to 98 [mph] now. Rivas punched out 12 the other night and he's got great pitches.'
Briend singled out Herring in an interview with NJ Advance Media in May as a lesser-known prospect to keep an eye on. He was then shipped to Colorado — alongside right-hander Josh Grosz — in the trade for third baseman Ryan McMahon.
Asked about the depth remaining within the Yankees' pitching department, Briend prefaced that he was excited the organization didn't trade away any of their 'horses.' That group is comprised of prospects Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, Carlos Lagrange, Ben Hess and Bryce Cunningham. Cunningham is in High-A Hudson Valley after missing time this summer with a shoulder injury while the other three high-upside arms are in Double-A Somerset.
'You know you're going to lose somebody every year at the deadline when you're in an organization that needs to win now,' Briend said. 'So being able to balance that well and keep a lot of guys that you know are going to hopefully impact the big leagues one day — and then also be able to make moves for the guys who are going to impact the big leagues now — is something that's really exciting. And I feel like we're in a good spot."
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Max Goodman may be reached at [e-mail].