Juan Miranda

Without a spot for him on the major league roster, Miranda spent a second consecutive year at Triple-A in 2009 before a cup of coffee with the Yankees in September. His second year in the International League went quite well, as Miranda hit for a better average (.290) and more power (19 homers, .498 slugging). He even seemed to rectify his biggest weakness from 2008 – hitting against lefties – by posting a .291/.367/.507 line against southpaws. He’s probably best suited to be used as a power bat off the bench rather than as an everyday part of the lineup. If he's unable to secure a bench spot in spring training, 2010 is still an option year for him, so New York could always ship him back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre without the risk of losing him on waivers.

Miranda continued to improve during his second campaign in the Yankees' farm system, posting a .287/.384/.449 line with 12 homers and 52 RBI and 356 at-bats for Triple-A Scranton. His biggest shortcoming thus far has been handling lefties, which held him to .195/.258/.280 along with two homers and 11 RBI (9:37 BB:K) in 118 at-bats at Triple-A. After aquiring Nick Swisher from the White Sox, it appears that Miranda will be limited to a role as a left-handed bat off the bench -- with the occasional spot start at first or as the DH -- while he may end up spending most of 2009 playing regularly at Triple-A as the Yankees try to further his development.

Miranda is one of the more intriguing prospects out there, given that he's a defector from Cuba and his true age - believed to be between 24 and 26 - isn't entirely certain. The Yankees have him under contract for another three years, and in his American professional debut, Miranda showed plenty of promise after beginning the year at High-A Tampa and eventually finishing at Double-A Trenton. His 16 homers in a combined 446 at-bats is a good start, and given the Yankees' inability to lock down a regular option at first base, he could be fast riser again in 2008 if he picks up where he left off in the Arizona Fall League (.295/.423/.551 five homers, 17 RBI and 16:18 BB:K mark in 78 at-bats). Look for him to begin the year at Triple-A, where the Yanks wouldn't mind seeing a cutback on his strikeouts.

Miranda played for the Cuban national team from 2001 until defecting to the Dominican in early 2004 and then signed a four-year contract with the Yankees in December. His age is in dispute - some sources list him as 23 years old, others 25. Not much is known about him, so he'll be a player to watch this spring. He'll likely start at high-A, but could advance quickly.