TOP 5 YANKEE PROSPECTS OF 2012: #1

#1. Manny Banuelos

LHP (6-7, 3.75 ERA, 129.2 IP, 8.7 K/9, 4.9 BB/9, 9.0 H/9, 1.550 WHIP,
20 games at AA Trenton, 7 games at AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre)

A quick look at the numbers will tell you that Dellin Betances actually had a better season than ManBan. In addition to having a lower ERA, higher K/9, lower H/9, and better WHIP, Betances' BB/9 is virtually identical to Banuelos'. With all the hype surrounding Manny, it's hard to believe 2011 was only his age 20 season, which makes him 3 years younger than Dellin. For reference, when Betances was 20 years old, he spent most of the season in Single-A Charleston. No matter how you slice it, Manny is incredibly young and is perhaps the most unfinished project of all the Yankees' top pitching prospects. He displayed uncharacteristically bad command and control this past season, but given that prior to 2011 his command was usually cited as his best attribute, I expect it's either a blip or trouble harnessing the velocity he added late last year.As for the stuff, it's all there and better than ever. He still sits 92-95 with the fastball, has an excellent change-up that's proven to work against Major Leaguers (see Youkilis, Kevin), and a curve ball that has gone from decent offering to true plus pitch over the past couple of years. He'll need another season in the minors to regain the command that made him a top prospect, but by the beginning of 2013 the wait for Banuelos should finally be over.

Big league comparison: Ricky Romero

If you haven't yet seen #5 through #2 of BYB's Top Yankee Prospects of 2012, they are:
#5 Jose Campos
#4 Gary Sanchez
#3 Dellin Betances
#2 Mason Williams

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--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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