Yankees Sign Former Brewers’ Top Prospect Mat Gamel

The New York Yankees have added former Milwaukee Brewers’ top prospect Mat Gamel on a minor league deal, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.

Reviewingthebrew.com

Once upon a time, Gamel was named the 34th-best prospect in baseball prior to the 2009 season. Now 29 years old, the first baseman has not played since 2012 thanks to two torn right ACLs and other knee injuries.

Gamel played in just 21 games in 2012, hitting .246 with one home run. His last full season came in 2011 when he was still at Triple-A Nashville. That year he played in 128 games, hitting .310 with 28 homers and 96 RBI. He was truly a star in the making before his health derailed his career. In fact, he was going to be the man who replaced Prince Fielder in Milwaukee.

Now the Yankees are hoping Gamel can stay healthy and harness just a smidge of what made him such a highly-touted farmhand all those years ago. If he can, Gamel could prove to be a serviceable bat with pop off the bench, as well as a backup first baseman.

Gamel is the brother Yankees prospect Ben Gamel, an outfielder who played for the Double-A Trenton Thunder last year.