Ian Clarkin

The Yankees had high hopes for their 2013 first-round selection following an encouraging 2014 season, as Clarkin sported a 3.12 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 75 innings between both Low-A and High-A, but the injury bug bit the intriguing prospect and sidelined the 20-year-old for the entire 2015 season. Elbow inflammation, which the lefty was dealing with before being shut down, is always concerning, but he pitched in the Arizona Fall League and it seems as though Clarkin should be good to go in time for the 2016 season. The southpaw has a solid fastball with a decent curveball and changeup as his secondary offerings, and figures to move up through the organizational ranks in 2016. His injury plagued 2015 will likely lead the team to play it safe in terms of his workload, but a major league debut in late 2017 isn't out of the question.

Clarkin is one of the most intriguing arms in the Yankees’ system. A first-round selection in the 2013 draft, he spent most of 2014 at Low-A Charleston, where his numbers were superb. In 70 innings, the 6-foot-2 southpaw posted a 3.21 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP and a 71:22 K:BB ratio. Clarkin’s low-90s fastball is enough for his curveball and changeup to work against hitters in the lower levels, but in 2015 he will need to continue to improve both secondary offerings for his success to continue. However, betting on an athletic lefty with good size and a fastball is never a bad proposition. There are few arms ahead of Clarkin up the ladder in the organization, and the big league rotation is need of reinforcements, which makes a mid-2016 ETA fairly realistic if Clarkin continues to impress.

The Yankees made the 18-year-old Clarkin the 33rd pick in the 2013 draft, and while he appeared in three games for the Yankees' Gulf Coast League squad, the team remains excited about his upside. Clarkin is a 6-foot-2 lefty who throws in the low 90s with good deception, but he can be erratic with his command because of his high-effort delivery. His curve is a plus pitch, and he's working on developing a usable changeup. Clarkin is considered a long-term project, however, and he'll be given plenty of time to develop in a slow ascent through the Yankees' minor league system.