Glad he's still a Yankee

As the trade deadline approached last week, I was prepared to lose a few beloved Yankees prospects. I know that Brian Cashman said he was going to hang on to his top guys, but I figured that was posturing. Well, it turns out it wasn't. The Yanks made one small deal for Dustin Ackley, and while they did give up two potentially useful players, they held on to the top guys.

Gary Sanchez wasn't one of the "untouchable four", but I have to believe he wasn't far behind. I do think he would have been moved in the right deal, and yesterday we heard that the Braves asked for Sanchez for Cameron Maybin, which would have made no sense since the Yanks are pretty set in the outfield. I'm glad that deal wasn't done.

Odds are that several of their top prospects will "bust", but I really do have a lot of hope for a few of the Yankees' prospects, especially at the upper levels of the minors. It's good to see impactful players on the cusp of helping out the big league team, notably with Luis Severino making his MLB debut tomorrow night. It's unfair to expect him to be an ace right now, but if he can be a serviceable starter over the next two months, that will be extremely valuable.

Sanchez has come a long way since he was signed as a 16-year-old. He is unfairly compared to Jesus Montero, but he's become a more complete catcher than Montero ever was. His bat has been playing out well and may be his calling card to the majors. Since his promotion to AAA, he's hitting .289/.400/.556 with 3 homers in 14 games (15 homes between AA and AAA).

For now, my Gary Sanchez cards, like the one above, are safe!