The list came out today in the Baseball America magazine and, in order, goes:

1. Jesus Montero
2. Gary Sanchez
3. Dellin Betances
4. Manny Banuelos
5. Andrew Brackman
6. Austin Romine
7. Hector Noesi
8. Eduardo Nunez
9. Slade Heathcott
10. Brandon Laird

Some thoughts:

1) Jesus Montero is a no-contest obvious choice for top pick. He struggled early in the AAA season, but a) he’s twenty years old, and b) went from hitting below .220 in May to just under .290 at season’s end. To fully understand how good he was in the second half, consider that his second-half wOBA was .433. There are, of course, the requisite questions about the defense, but when your bat is that good, they’ll find a place for you to play.

2) That Gary Sanchez is ranked second on the list does come as a surprise. While he arguably has one of, if not the, highest ceiling of the non-pitching prospects in the Yankee system, given his bat and that he doesn’t turn eighteen till December, he also is coming off his first professional season, played entirely at the GCL/Short Season level. Okay, so maybe Sanchez led the league in OPS, was 2nd in home runs, 3rd in OBP, and first in SLG, but there’s still such a long road ahead of him, and so much is just having the good luck to stay healthy, that while Sanchez no doubt deserves a top ten ranking, second does seem to be pushing it just a bit…

3) It’s great to see all three of the Killer B’s on the list, although I would have perhaps ordered it differently–Banuelos, Brackman, Betances, although if any one of the three hits anything close to their ceiling it will be fun to watch. Banuelos is perhaps the most polished of the three, throws left handed, is just nineteen and even managed to hit 97 on the gun once or twice. He sits much lower normally–low nineties, but there’s still much to like.

Andrew Brackman had a much improved 2010 after a rather, well, let’s-not-go-there season in 2009. It was decent enough to earn him a September call up from AA, and though he never appeared in a game, he was considered active. There’s a very good chance he’ll make his Major League debut at some point next season.

Dellin Betances has perhaps the flithiest pure stuff among the Killer B’s, but has an injury history that could be a red flag going forward.

That said, if you’re ranking the Killer B’s on stuff alone, Betances-Banuelos-Brackman would seem the most logical route.

4) Romine didn’t have a great 2010, but some of it may have to do with wearing down after a full season of catching. He’s supposed to be much better behind the plate than Montero, which has some sensing that he could stick at catcher long term if Montero becomes a full time DH, but a) it’s probably too early to really speculate about that, and b) let’s see how he responds next season before anointing him Posada’s successor (the same, perhaps, could be said of Montero except that Montero is much, much closer to being MLB ready if he’s not already there.)

5) Noesi may not have the Killer B’s ceilings, and he struggled at triple A, but let’s not forget he started 2010 in high A, so he’s made quite a journey. Let’s see how he responds this upcoming season.

6) I’m really baffled at Eduardo Nuñez appearing in the top 10–sure, he did make a couple Major League appearances in 2010, but not everyone is sold. I asked Josh Norris, who covers the Trenton Thunder for The Trentonian and has covered Nuñez for his thoughts:

When I saw Nunez, what stood out to me was his arm. He has an absolute bazooka over there. He always seemed to take his time over at shortstop, but he always managed to get his man by at least a step. Oh, and did I mention he led the team in hits?

Maybe it turns out that Nuñez is one of those that no one really expects to stick…and then does, but color me a little more skeptical.

7) Heathcott was the Yankees’ top pick in 2009, and hit .258/.359/.352/.712 at Charleston this season. It’s only his second professional season, and first in full season ball, so I wouldn’t make too much of the numbers just yet. Here’s a scouting report, it’s not entirely positive and makes it clear that Heathcott still has a very long way to go. Not, perhaps, as long as Sanchez, but still, it’ll probably be a little while.

8) On Brandon Laird: so, uh, 2010 came out of almost nowhere. Given that Laird’s never quite had an offensive performance like that before, there’s no certainty he’ll repeat and the Yankees may be best off selling high, although Laird, at 22 may simply be a late bloomer.

So the way I see it, the Yankee farm system is in better shape than it’s been in a while–just think of all of those who didn’t make the list that could have–although it’s far from perfect. The top five, especially, have tremendous upside although one must consider that nothing is ever a guarantee.

Still, for the Yankees, a team used to venerating the past, the future looks pretty bright.