Yankees Prospect Report: Trevor Stephan

George Steinbrenner Field, Tampa, FL

Trevor Stephan was the Yankees third-round selection in the 2017 MLB Draft. Stephan has previously pitched at both Hill Junior College and Arkansas. At Arkansas, he led the Razorbacks to an NCAA tournament berth.

Stephan was assigned to the short-season A affiliate the Staten Island Yankees. He posted a 1.31 ERA in his first season while striking out 44 in 34.1 innings and holding opponents to a .168 batting average.

“Everything happened pretty quick and it was a blessing…I just did the same things I did in college and it transferred over to the beginning of pro ball,” Stephan told me in an interview at George Steinbrenner Field, home of the Tampa Tarpons.

He had an equally dominant year in 2018, reaching Double-A in his first full season after posting a 1.98 ERA in A ball. The big right-handed pitcher earned an invite to MLB spring training in 2019 and pitched in two games.

“Sharing a locker room with CC and all the other famous greats is honestly crazy,” Stephen said. “Just to put on the same uniform those legends did is an honor.”

In regards to Stephen’s scouting report, he throws a fastball which sits at 92-95 MPH, a slider, and a changeup. He has swing and miss stuff, but with only three pitches, he may need to either move to the bullpen or develop a pitch or two at the higher level.

Kevin Pataky/MiLB.com

Stephen began 2019 with the Double-A Trenton Thunder and didn’t have the same success he had the previous two years. He started having trouble with control he had never had before. In his first seven games of the season, he walked 20 batters and hit two. After only ten games in Double-A, he was demoted back to the Tampa Tarpons. Stephen has been pitching there since June 25th and continues to struggle in Tampa. He tells me he didn’t change anything over the offseason but has spent the season fine-tuning his mechanics. Trevor has also worked with Tarpons pitching coach Jose Rosado.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Stephan finish the season in Tampa. In the Fall, I believe he will be invited to either the Arizona Fall League to work on his craft or the Instructional League. If he turns things around, the number 16 Yankees prospect according to MLB Pipeline could be a significant piece in an MLB rotation in the future.