In the past week, fans at Yankee Stadium got a look at a couple of stellar young outfielders. Too bad they weren’t Yankees.
The buzz about Dodgers phenom in Yasiel Puig and Rays super-prospect Wil Myers, who made visits to The Bronx last week, has been high. But word from the farm doesn’t bode nearly as well for the Yankees’ trio of outfield prospects.
Center fielder Mason Williams (Baseball America’s No. 32 prospect entering this year), fellow center fielder Slade Heathcott (No. 63) and right fielder Tyler Austin (No. 77) perhaps constitute the organization’s outfield of the future. But the group is not faring well in the present.
Heathcott and Austin are in Double-A Trenton, and Williams is in High-A Tampa. With Curtis Granderson a free agent-to-be and Ichiro Suzuki turning 40 in October, the Yankees will be craving 2014 outfield support. But barring significant second-half growth and improvement in the minors, it is difficult to see the support emerging from any of the Yankees’ top outfield prospects.
Entering yesterday, Heathcott was batting .245 with four homers, 32 RBIs, seven steals and a .676 OPS while striking out a whopping 80 times in 269 at-bats. Austin was a bit better, hitting .263 with six homers, 39 RBIs and a .735 OPS. Williams was enduring the toughest season: a .256 average, three homers, 17 RBIs, 10 steals and a .690 OPS — and that’s in A-ball.
“They own those statistics,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “But in all [these] players’ cases, they have gotten out of the gate slow adjusting to their new leagues, but they’ve gotten better over time.”
Here’s a closer look:
SLADE HEATHCOTT
His season is perhaps the most troubling. In the Arizona Fall League last year, Heathcott, a 2009 first-round pick who turns 23 in September, finished third with a .388 batting average. The Yankees did not dismiss the possibility he could earn a trip to the majors this season.
But The Post spoke to multiple scouts last week who cast questions about Heathcott’s long-term future.
“At best right now, he looks like an extra outfielder, if he doesn’t hit,” one scout said, cautioning Heathcott has missed substantial time in his career because of injuries, saying he essentially is willing to let this year slide. “His numbers are poor, and I know that. … They concern me, but they don’t, because I know he’s missing time and at-bats and they’re having him [attempt] to catch up,” he said. “I would be more concerned if the numbers stayed the same [in 2014].”
A second scout was even less enthusiastic.
“Triple-A player,” he said. “I like him, [but] I’ve just seen too many kids like him. Plus, he’s had a lot of injuries. A lot of injuries. He’s got a high ceiling, but the more you see him at the plate, you really have concerns about him ever making adjustments to hit.”
The first scout liked Heathcott’s athleticism, speed and defensive ability, comparing his overall ability with Brett Gardner’s. The second scout, however, believes Heathcott is similar offensively to Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis, which is not a flattering comparison. He said Heathcott has poor plate discipline and trouble with breaking pitches.
Cashman cites Heathcott’s age — as well as that of Austin (who turns 22 in September) and fellow Trenton outfielder Ramon Flores (who is 21 and owns a .666 OPS) — as reasons to keep their struggles in perspective.
“Out of 73 players, [they’re] the 60th, 66th and 70th youngest players in the league,” Cashman said. “They’re not having good seasons, but everything’s age-related.”
TYLER AUSTIN
There appears to be less concern about Austin’s production than Heathcott’s.
“I think he’s gonna be a real good hitter. … If I had to bet on one of the two kids, I’d bet on Austin right now,” one scout said.
“I think he can be a solid everyday guy that might become a middle-of-the-order bat,” another scout said. “I like the way at the plate he stays inside the ball. He’s got good balance, the ball jumps off his bat. … I think he just needs to play. I think that as he plays, he’ll make adjustments [and be fine].”
Austin’s batting average has improved each month after hitting .253 in April. Akron manager Edwin Rodriguez, whose team faced Trenton last week, said he believes Austin will hit 15-18 homers a season in the majors.
“He hasn’t shown that right now this year, but he has that strong body, compact swing and knows the strike zone. Very good plate discipline,” Rodriguez said. “The power is going to start to show up.”
MASON WILLIAMS
The most promising sign despite Williams’ struggles is a solid walk-to-strikeout ratio. Nevertheless, one scout said he thought Williams was “probably a little more passive [with the bat] than he should have been. It’s one thing working a walk but when you’re taking called third strikes.
“I see a guy that has potential. I don’t see a big ceiling to his game. I don’t see the big tools,” the scout said. “He’s good at a lot of things but there’s no big-time tool. There’s not great speed. He’s got good instincts in the outfield, he plays a decent center field, but it’s not over the top [in center].”
The scout did caution, “I would say most scouts probably leave there a little disappointed, but it’s early. Your good players get better as the season goes on, and he has time to figure it out.”
Charlotte manager Brady Williams, whose team played Tampa recently, said, “It looks like the bat speed is there. Just looks like to me that he needs to keep playing.”
Cashman said he isn’t worried.
“He’s still one of the youngest position players in that league,” he said of Williams. “A 21-year-old playing in the Florida State League, he’s hitting [well] in the month of June. Leave him alone and let him play.”