By admin 
There’s been a lot to talk about regarding the New York Yankees’ farm system this season, which has been buzzing with news at all levels from Triple-A with Spencer Jones down to lower ranks at Single-A with Yostin Pena.
Read more Indiana Fever React to Team USA Development Involving Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston
Most hardcore baseball fans are in tune with their respective club’s Double-A and Triple-A teams. Many prospect call-ups happen at those levels, as the talent increases from the Florida Complex League, Single-A, and High-A ball.
That said, fans shouldn’t dismiss what happens in the lower levels, as it could give us an inkling of guys who could make noise in the higher levels next season. This is the case for 19-year-old outfielder Wilberson De Pena, who is the 14th-ranked prospect in the Yankees’ top-30, per MLB Pipeline.
De Pena joined the Yankees’ organization in 2025 after being traded from the Los Angeles Angels to New York in the Oswaldo Peraza deal. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound outfielder spent his first two years in the Dominican Summer League with the Angels and Yankees. With the Yankees, De Pena was not lighting the world on fire, sporting a .148 average with a triple, home run, and four RBI (10 games).
However, when he arrived at the Florida Complex League this season, something clicked for the young outfielder as he slashed .358/.411/.677 with 16 home runs, 67 RBI, 23 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.088 (56 games). For his efforts, De Pena won the FCL’s MVP and was named its top prospect last month, according to Joe Vasile, Public Relations and Broadcasting Director for the Hudson Valley Renegades.
That now leaves the question of what’s next for the young outfielder.
Wilberson De Pena could ascend to Double-A at some point in 2027
After putting on a show at the Florida Coast League, the Yankees promoted the 19-year-old De Pena to Single-A Tampa in late July. De Pena, who grades out at a 55 in power, run, arm, and fielding, according to MLB Pipeline, hasn’t had the same success at the plate as he did in the FCL.
In 21 regular season games with the Tarpons, De Pena hit .183 with four home runs, 10 RBI, and an OPS of .638. That said, the season isn’t over for De Pena as the Tarpons are currently in the postseason.
Single-A swept Single-A Clearwater in two games, where De Pena crushed an 84 mph slider that sat in the middle of the plate for a two-run home run in the eighth inning on Thursday night. The home run not only gave the Tarpons a 5-3 lead, but it also came on a 1-2 count with 2 outs.
Wilberson De Peña blasts a 2-Run BOMB to put Tampa up 4-3 in the 8th!#RepBx#Yankeespic.twitter.com/SWbyfHcpRV
Read more Why It Took Seven Years for Benjamin Sesko to Agree Man Utd Transfer
– YankeesFarm (@YankeesFarm) September 11, 2026
The Tarpons will now play the Jupiter Hammerheads in a best-of-three championship series that starts on Sunday. If you’re in the Yankees’ scouting department, the hope is that De Pena can have a strong series.
Given that he doesn’t have a ton of experience in A-ball and his MLB ETA is 2030, per MLB Pipeline, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him possibly start off 2027 in Tampa and maybe get called up to High-A Hudson Valley.
That will be another hurdle for him to climb as he’ll see much better pitching as guys fight to get promoted to Double-A. At the same time, the Yankees won’t rush him through the system. They need to figure out where Pena is best suited, as he’s been playing at all three outfield positions.
I think the best-case scenario for next season is that De Pena is at Double-A Somerset by this time in 2027. If that happens, it means the young outfielder’s offense has become more well-rounded with more extra-base hits and fewer strikeouts (29.3% strikeout rate in Single-A).
In the meantime, Yankees fans should keep an eye on his development to see if he can make a name for himself like Luis Durango this season.
Get Yankees On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.
Today’s best reads
- Yankees Cut Ties With Top-30 Ranked Pitching Prospect Amid Rough 2026 Season
- Grading Yankees’ Heliot Ramos Trade After One Month (A Brutal First Impression)
- Five Craziest Facts About The Yankees’ 34-Year Winning Season Streak
- Yankees’ American League East Hopes Are Still Alive Despite Padres Gut Punch
- Two Takeaways From Aaron Judge’s Return in Yankees’ 5-3 Win Over Rockies
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as Projecting Wilberson De Pena’s Yankees Future After Turning Heads in FCL.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 4:00 AM.