At long last, the Yankees have finally managed to land Dustin Ackley. The Bombers swung a deal for the very failed prospect in exchange for Ramon Flores and Jose Ramirez. Here’s what the data say on the two prospects headed to Seattle. (Note: WAR figures denote WAR through age-28 season.)

Ramon Flores, 8.1 WAR

Aside from 33 plate appearances in the Bronx, Ramon Flores has spent the entire year playing at the Triple-A level, where he’s put together a nice little .286/.377/.417 season. The 23-year-old’s biggest strength is his ability to control the strike zone. He’s walked nearly as much as he’s struck out in Triple-A this year (12% vs. 13%), and he’s posted similar numbers in his previous minor-league seasons. He complements these plate-coverage skills with modest power (.130 ISO) and a dash of speed. Flores also played at the Triple-A level last season, where he hit .247/.339/.443 in 63 games around an ankle injury.

KATOH’s a huge fan of Flores’s act. My system pegs the outfielder for 8.1 WAR through age-28, which would have given him the 19th-best ranking in the preseason. This is slightly up from his preseason forecast of 7.9 WAR. Flores isn’t particularly toolsy, nor does he stand out in any one particular area, but he’s hit very well for a 23-year-old in Triple-A. KATOH really likes that. It’s also worth noting that he’s had one of the highest zone-contact rates in Triple-A, which correlates with a smooth transition to the majors.

Flores’s Mahalanobis comps aren’t quite as exciting, but the list does have its highlights. This list is also eerily similar to the comps I came up with for fellow Yankees prospect, Rob Refsnyder.

Rank	Mah Dist	Pitcher	IP thru 28	WAR thru 28
1	0.28	Callix Crabbe	39	0.0
2	0.84	Darin Erstad	4,190	22.4
3	0.84	Brad Nelson	31	0.0
4	0.85	Marco Scutaro	606	0.0
5	0.87	Johnny Giavotella*	847	0.0
6	1.01	Matt Franco	414	0.5
7	1.01	Terry Jorgensen	226	0.1
8	1.07	F.P. Santangelo	580	4.4
9	1.07	Jaff Decker*	53	0.0
10	1.07	Chris Carter	1,898	2.1
11	1.09	Hank Conger*	907	2.4
12	1.11	Mitch Moreland	1,744	1.6
13	1.13	Ty Wigginton	1,962	1.8
14	1.17	Yamaico Navarro*	199	0.0
15	1.20	Rob Ryan*	70	0.0
16	1.21	Greg Garcia*	31	0.2
17	1.21	Joe Hall	31	0.4
18	1.21	Mark Ellis	1,512	8.7
19	1.22	Chris Clapinski	121	0.3
20	1.23	Chris Getz	1,309	1.6

*Hitters who have yet to play their age-28 season.

*****

Jose Ramirez, 1.9 WAR

Jose Ramirez always threw hard, but he could never quite find his command as a starter. However, after the Yankees moved him to the bullpen last year, he’s pitched very well. In 62 Triple-A innings between this year and last, he’s pitched to a 2.61 ERA and 2.85 FIP on the strength of a 27% strikeout rate, but got lit up in his 11 big-league appearances. These numbers are impressive, but at 25, Ramirez is getting a little old to still be considered a prospect.

KATOH pegs Ramirez for just 1.4 WAR through age 28. It gives him a 68% chance of throwing at least one pitch in the majors over the next four seasons. As you probably guessed, his statistical comps aren’t particularly exciting.

Rank	Mah Dist	Pitcher	IP thru 28	WAR thru 28
1	0.51	Jason Rice	0	0.0
2	0.62	Dana Ridenour	0	0.0
3	0.94	Bill Murphy	17	0.0
4	1.01	Lesli Brea	11	0.0
5	1.04	Jack Cressend	145	1.0
6	1.05	Scott Service	91	0.0
7	1.11	Scott Dunn	10	0.0
8	1.26	Frankie Rodriguez	0	0.0
9	1.39	Kevin Gallaher	0	0.0
10	1.42	Tom Shearn	0	0.0
11	1.49	Yorkis Perez	139	0.9
12	1.78	Geremi Gonzalez	156	1.7
13	1.84	Greg Mix	0	0.0
14	1.90	Cedrick Bowers	0	0.0
15	1.94	Jim Lewis	13	0.0
16	1.99	Mark Malaska	36	0.2
17	2.14	Ryan Hancock	27	0.2
18	2.17	Dan Hubbs	0	0.0
19	2.19	Jeromy Palki	0	0.0
20	2.22	Tom Wegmann	0	0.0

*Pitchers who have yet to play their age-28 season.