Experts look at Estevan Florial and see two different people — appropriate for a prospect who made it to the US under the name Haniel d’Oleo.
One is a five-tooled future star, a 20-year-old with lightning bat and foot speed, projectable power and a quality glove and arm who teases as the Yankees’ center fielder of the future.
The other is a youngster who has trouble picking up pitches and struck out 148 times in 420 Single-A at-bats last season.
If Florial is the team’s most polarizing prospect, the system itself isn’t.
The four leading top-100 prospect lists have been released before spring training officially starts, with the Yankees cramming five or six from their ultra-loaded system onto each ranking. The Mets, after a few years of turning prospects into major-league help, may have bottomed out, with just two players making distant appearances on the lists.
For the Yankees, Florial was the most confounding, coming in as high as 26 (on Baseball Prospectus) yet getting shut out completely from the ESPN ledger. Florial, who will be at camp this year, is praised for his ability but cautioned for his rawness. The criticism has been in identifying off-speed pitches from fastballs, a skill he has time to hone.
Gleyber Torres is unanimously the team’s top jewel, ranking from 3-6 between Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, ESPN.com and MLB.com. The 21-year-old infield prospect, who fronted 2016’s Aroldis Chapman trade, will jockey for a starting spot this year.
Other Yankees prospects who got some early recognition are right-handers Chance Adams, Albert Abreu and Freicer Perez, lefty Justus Sheffield and infielder Miguel Andujar.
The Yankees painted a rosier picture than the Mets. Andres Gimenez, a 19-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, checked in on two lists after his strong showing in Single-A Columbia last year. Gimenez, whose year was cut short by a torn labrum, slashed .265/.346/.349 and stole 14 bases in 347 at-bats.
The Mets have a system of intriguing arms, and David Peterson might be the most. Their first-round pick last year did not pitch much professionally after a long college season at Oregon, and ESPN named the lefty as the 58th best prospect in baseball.
Here’s the full tally:
Yankees
3. Gleyber Torres
26. Estevan Florial
51. Chance Adams
57. Justus Sheffield
100. Albert Abreu
6. Gleyber Torres
38. Estevan Florial
41. Justus Sheffield
59. Miguel Andujar
77. Albert Abreu
81. Chance Adams
5. Gleyber Torres
16. Justus Sheffield
54. Miguel Andujar
73. Freicer Perez
99. Albert Abreu
5. Gleyber Torres
44. Estevan Florial
48. Justus Sheffield
65. Miguel Andujar
74. Albert Abreu
75. Chance Adams
Mets
82. Andres Gimenez
94. Andres Gimenez
58. David Peterson
None