In order to understand the Yankees’ present and future, one must first turn to the past.
On August 20th, 2013, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner sat down with his front office staff to order a massive farm system overhaul. Rampant injuries inspired this decision, as Lyle Overbay, Vernon Wells, Chris Stewart, and Jayson Nix topped the depth charts. In a way, the Yankees were hanging over a precipice not seen since 1988. Without an infusion of young talent to supplement their usual financial muscle, they would merely be.