Yankees' prospects: Baseball America -- Mason Williams tops list

Baseball America lists outfielder Mason Williams as the top prospect in the New York Yankees' minor-league system in its annual report, released Friday.

Here is part of what Baseball America had to say about the state of the Yankees' farm system:

Outfielders Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott and Tyler Austin and catcher Gary Sanchez need more time to develop, but all are candidates to become the first homegrown Yankees to crack the big league lineup on a consistent basis since Brett Gardner in 2008.

Williams, 21, was a fourth-round pick by the Yankees in 2010. He hit .298 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 20 stolen bases while spending the season with Class A Charleston and class A+ Tampa. He had a .346 on-base percentage, .474 slugging percentage and an OPS of .820.

Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman has said repeatedly that Williams and the other top Yankees' position prospects are at least a couple of seasons away from being able to play at the big-league level.

[See Minor League Ball for complete coverage of prospects]

Top 10 Yankees' Prospects

1. Mason Williams, of
2. Slade Heathcott, of
3. Gary Sanchez, c
4. Tyler Austin, of
5. Jose Campos, rhp
6. Brett Marshall, rhp
7. Angelo Gumbs, 2b
8. Manny Banuelos, lhp
9. Ty Hensley, rhp
10. Rafael De Paula, rhp