James Kaprielian came into the 2016 season as the New York Yankees top pitching prospect after being selected 16th overall in the June amateur draft the previous year, the organization’s highest pick in more than two decades.
He showed what all the fuss was about through his first three starts with the High-A Tampa Yankees, striking out 22 while allowing just three walks and three earned runs in 18 innings of work. His velocity was regularly in the upper-90’s, after working mostly in the 88-92 range in college.
The most optimistic Yankees fans (myself included) saw Kaprielian as a possible rotation option for the big league club in the second half of this year.