Yankees spring training guide: 31 notes for 31 hitters, from Arias to Judge to Volpe

Only the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, had a better offense than the New York Yankees last season.

It remains to be seen if the Yankees can produce as much as the plate without having Juan Soto at the top of their lineup.

With less than a week to go before the start of spring training, heres one thought for every hitter expected at the Yankees camp in Tampa, Fla.

Advertisement Catchers J.C.

Escarra Its been a long road for the soon-to-be 30-year-old catcher.

Before 2024, it had been three years since Escarra played affiliated baseball, having spent time in the American Association, Atlantic League, Puerto Rican Winter League, Mexican League, Mexican Pacific Winter League, and the 2023-24 Caribbean Series.

Escarra is now fresh off of winning the LIDOM batting title after hitting .363 in the Dominican Winter League.

Yankees officials love his offensive potential, but the club already has a left-handed hitting starting catcher in Austin Wells.

He posted a .930 OPS for Scranton Wilkes-Barre this past season.

Escarra could become the teams backup catcher if he continues hitting.

Rafael Flores Flores was an undrafted free agent and has skyrocketed up the Yankees best prospect lists.

The 24-year-old hit 15 home runs in 65 games for Double-A Somerset last season and finished his 2024 season with a 149 wRC+.

He can also play first base, which is important considering the Yankees long-term plan for the position is still unsettled.

Hes someone to watch out for this year if he continues doing damage at the plate.

Alex Jackson The Cincinnati Reds traded Jackson in the deal that also netted the Yankees relief pitcher Fernando Cruz for catcher Jose Trevino earlier this offseason.

Jackson, 29, is a defense-first catcher who has a career .456 OPS in 302 MLB at-bats.

Omar Martinez Martinez posted a 128 wRC+ for High-A Hudson Valley in 2024.

Hes just 23 years old and still has a long way to go to reach the majors, but the Yankees inviting him to camp shows theres some promise here.

Jesus Rodriguez The Yankees protected Rodriguez from the Rule 5 draft in December.

The 22-year-old is listed as a catcher, but he has experience in the infield outside of shortstop.

Hes best as a corner infielder, but his value only increases if he can become adequate defensively behind the plate.

He posted a combined 144 wRC+ in High A and Double A in 2024.

Advertisement Austin Wells Wells enters spring as the Yankees starting catcher after opening 2024 as Trevinos backup.

The 25-year-old hit clean-up in 39 games this past year, posting a .760 OPS.

He wore down as the season progressed, posting a 22 wRC+ in September.

If he can stay healthy, Wells has a chance to become one of MLBs best overall catchers.

Infielders Roderick Arias Arias was once viewed as a no-doubt top-100 prospect, but hes fallen off lists this offseason after a disappointing year with Low-A Tampa.

He struck out 31 percent of the time and his chase rate was 32 percent.

There are obvious flaws in his offensive approach that need to be cleaned up.

His defense also left much to be desired, as he committed 22 errors at shortstop.

Theres no reason to give up on Arias yet though, as he wont turn 21 until September.

His contact-quality metrics remain encouraging, and with a few tweaks, he can reclaim top-100 status.

Oswaldo Cabrera Cabrera enters camp as one of the potential starting options for the vacant infield spot; however, the soon-to-be 26-year-olds value is in his positional versatility.

Hes a valuable bench option to have because he can play everywhere on the field.

Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Chisholm pulled the ball 48.5 percent of the time after getting traded midseason to the Yankees.

Now if he can hit the ball in the air a bit more (he had the highest ground-ball rate of his career in 2024), Chisholm has 30-plus home run potential and could be an American League All-Star.

He just turned 27 years old and is entering his prime.

Buy Chisholm stock.

Paul Goldschmidt The 2022 National League MVP had the worst season of his career in 2024 after posting a 100 wRC+, but he still ranked in the 92nd percentile in hard hit percentage.

That could signify the 37-year-old is not a washed-up veteran just yet.

DJ LeMahieu When camp opens, LeMahieu will be the odds-on favorite to be the Yankees Opening Day third baseman.

It would appear to be a mistake based on recent history.

The Yankees will point to the 36-year-old being a two-time batting champion, but he won both honors in 2016 and 2020.

Its irrelevant to what kind of hitter he is in 2025.

Advertisement George Lombard Jr.

The youngest player in camp at 19 years old, Lombard ranks as the Yankees No.

2 prospect, according to The Athletic s Keith Law.

He likely wont stick at shortstop but could project as the Yankees long-term option at either second or third base if he continues progressing in the years ahead.

Oswald Peraza This could be the end of the road for Peraza in the Yankees organization.

The former top Yankees prospect is out of minor-league options, meaning if hes not on the 26-man roster to open the season, hell be placed on waivers.

Hes just 24 years old and could have a future elsewhere, but its unlikely itll be in New York even with him being in the mix to win the starting third base job.

Pablo Reyes Reyes has a 78 wRC+ in 572 career plate appearances.

The 31-year-old spent time with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets in 2024, but the super utilityman likely is just minor-league depth for the Yankees.

Ben Rice There may not be space available on the major-league roster for Rice, unless he surprises and is named the backup catcher.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old had encouraging underlying metrics in his brief stint with the Yankees last season, but after the Goldschmidt signing, Rice is likely bound for Triple A to begin the year.

T.J.

Rumfield Rumfield hit 15 home runs for Scranton this past season, but the 24-year-old doesnt have a lane to become a major leaguer with the Yankees.

Braden Shewmake The Yankees claimed Shewmake off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

Hes not in the mix for the vacant infield position.

The 27-year-old will start the year in Triple A if he sticks with the organization.

Dominic Smith The former Mets first baseman never lived up to the hype he once had.

The 29-year-old is a below-average bat and likely just a depth option at this point in his career.

If the Yankees decide to carry a backup first baseman on their 26-man roster, Smith would be in competition with Rice for that spot.

Advertisement Andrew Velazquez Squid is back in the Yankees organization.

The 30-year-old Bronx native was beloved on the 2021 team, but he likely wont see any MLB time in 2025.

Hes bound to start the year with Triple A.

Jorbit Vivas Vivas was one of the Yankees best performers last spring training, but hes not expected to make the 26-man roster out of camp.

The 23-year-old struggled in Triple A last season and will likely repeat the level.

Anthony Volpe One of the more fascinating storylines to watch in spring training is which approach Volpe will take at the plate in Year 3.

The 23-year-olds first two seasons were wildly different, and yet they both finished with well-below-average results.

His postseason was a glimpse of the kind of hitter Volpe can be in the majors if he emphasizes swinging hard and prioritizing hard contact.

Outfielders Cody Bellinger Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner recently said that Bellinger and Goldschmidt could make up for a sizable portion of Juan Sotos offense.

It will be a surprise if that happens, but Bellinger should have success playing half of his games at Yankee Stadium.

He pulls the ball in the air at a high clip and should benefit from the hitter-friendly right-field wall.

The 29-year-old is slated to begin the season in center field.

Brennen Davis Davis was once a top-100 prospect with the Chicago Cubs.

The 25-year-old is no longer considered one of the best young players in the sport but hes shown an ability to make damaging contact when squaring up a baseball.

Jasson Dominguez Dominguez changed his No.

89 to No.

24, recently worn by Alex Verdugo.

Its fitting because Dominguez should have replaced him last season.

Instead, hes penciled in as the starting left fielder entering the 2025 season.

Given the opportunity in front of him, the 21-year-old should be in the mix to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

Duke Ellis Ellis was on the Yankees postseason roster as a pinch-running option.

The 27-year-old is one of the fastest players in the sport and wont have a role on the major-league team until October.

Advertisement Trent Grisham Grisham enters the season as the Yankees fourth outfielder.

If the Yankees wanted to shed salary, they could include the $5 million he is slated to make this year.

Grisham, 28, is decent enough to be a starter on teams that dont have playoff aspirations.

Spencer Jones This might be a make-or-break year for Jones value across baseball.

He struck out 200 times in Double A last season, the most ever in Yankees minor-league history.

Jones has Judgeian power but struck out so much that it doesnt matter.

The 23-year-old doesnt have to possess the best bat-to-ball skills because of his power, but striking out as much as he did in 2024 is unacceptable.

Aaron Judge On Tuesday, Judge and his wife, Samantha, announced the birth of their daughter, Nora.

The 32-year-old will now have dad strength after posting the greatest season in MLB history by a right-handed hitter.

There may be some fans disappointed with Judge after his continued struggles in the playoffs, but no one should take for granted that they get to witness one of the best hitters baseball has ever seen.

Ismael Munguia Munguia played seven seasons in the San Francisco Giants organization before becoming a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.

Hes a contact-first bat and one of the smallest players in professional baseball, listed at 5-foot-7 and 158 pounds.

The 26-year-old was assigned to Double-A Somerset and isnt a factor for the major-league team.

Everson Pereira The Yankees gained an extra option year for Pereira after he missed most of the 2024 season due to UCL surgery.

Pereira possesses immense game power but he still struggles making enough contact for it to matter.

The 23-year-old struck out 32.4 percent of the time in Triple A before getting hurt.

Its not good enough, and his lack of contact was apparent in his brief call-up in 2023.

That has to improve for him to get a better chance in the majors.

Designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton Stanton bounced back in 2024 after a miserable 2023 season.

He showed up to camp at his lowest weight in years to mitigate the risk of lower-body injuries, but the 35-year-old still pulled his hamstring.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was blunt (and right) that Stanton wont play every day because hell get hurt.

As long as Stanton is healthy in October, the Yankees will have one of the best postseason performers in the franchises history.

(Top photo of Aaron Judge: Elsa / Getty Images).

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