On Monday, the BA experts unveiled their 2018 version of the annual rankings, and 21-year-old infielder Gleyber Torres comes in at No. 6 on the list, along with five fellow Yankees farmhands.
Outfielder Estevan Florial (No. 38), lefty starter Justus Sheffield (No. 41), third baseman Miguel Andujar (No. 59), right-handed pitchers Albert Abreu (No. 77) and Chance Adams (No. 81) round out the group, making the Yankees one of five teams with at least six prospects on the list.
The Braves (8), Brewers (6), Padres (6) and Rays (6) are the other members whose clubs have diligently revitalized their minor league systems, however, the Yankees are the only team among that quintet to finish with at least 90 wins last season.
Torres remains the most intriguing prospect in the Yankees organization entering the 2018 season, after his 2017 campaign abruptly ended following Tommy John surgery on his (non-throwing) left elbow after injuring it sliding into home plate last June.
Prior to that moment, Torres had begun to really get his legs under him at the Triple-A level, slashing .309/.406/.457 in his first 23 games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, up from his .273/.367/.496 line over 32 outings in Double-A before that.
With no clear-cut starter penciled in to begin the new year at second base (or third base for that matter), Torres has a golden opportunity to prove himself capable of being an everyday player in the big leagues with a solid spring training. Fans are certainly clamoring to see the new young infielder stretch his wings in the Bronx, but these things can't be hastened.
Here's what Yankees senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman said about Torres's outlook heading into 2018 before the team traded away Starlin Castro and Chase Headley:
"[Torres] is in a better position than a year ago, but he's coming off an injury. We'll just see how the winter plays out with it all ... The easy thing to say is Gleyber comes to major-league camp and competes but starts at Triple-A because that's the safest route. But I'm not denying anybody the chance to make the club and push their way into the mix."
With both Castro and Headley's previous posts vacated, Torres has an even better chance to be a part of the Yankees equation next year.
If nothing else, the Yankees continue to reap the benefits of the "rebuilding" period they underwent from the tail-end of 2016 to their return to the ALCS last October.
Built for the present and the future, it seems as though the Yankees are in as good a position as any team in the league to establish themselves as a perennial championship contender for the next several years.