From MLB: “Players who turned pro at age 18 or younger in 2020 or at age 19 or older in 2021 were eligible for selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft if he wasn’t on a 40-man roster. Clubs who took a player in that phase must pay his former team $100,000 and keep him on their active big-league roster throughout the following season. The player can’t be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers and then getting offered back to his original organization for half his draft price. 

It costs $24,000 to take a player in the Triple-A phase, with no restrictions about where those players can be placed in 2025.”

Fortunately, and almost surprisingly, the Yankees did not lose any prospects in the MLB phase. Last year, the Athletics chose former RHP prospect Mitch Spence as their first-round selection, going 1st overall. Spence later made his MLB debut with the A’s on the second day of the 2024 season, March 29th. Ironically, a former Yankees infield prospect, Cooper Bowman, was selected in the minor league portion of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft by the A’s, but he was selected in this year’s Draft by the Reds. Hopefully, Bowman will make his MLB debut in 2025, considering he is now essentially a part of the Reds’ bench. 

That said, the Yankees were able to make a selection in the first round of the Minor League Draft (also called the Triple-A phase), selecting outfielder Luis Durango, a native of Panamá City, Panamá, from the Cleveland Guardians. 

In 2024, the 21-year-old left-handed batter hit .250 (33-for-132) with 25R, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 14 RBI, 9 walks and 21 stolen bases in 41 games with Guardians’ Single-A affiliate, Lynchburg. In total, Durango hit .253 (145-for-574) with 118 R, 25 extra-base hits, including 18 doubles, 4 triples and 3 home runs. He also has recorded 47 RBI, 68 walks and 87 stolen bases in 181 games over four Minor League seasons with the Guardians (2021-2024). 

The only caution fans may have is how injury-prone Durango has been. Durango missed nearly all of May, plus nearly all the second half of the 2024 season to injury, playing a total of 44 games. 

Of the players the Yankees lost in the Triple-A phase: 

• Cincinnati selected LHP Joel Valdez (first round, last with A+ Hudson Valley) 

• St. Louis selected LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (first round, last with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) 

• Atlanta selected RHP Blane Abeyta (first round, last with AA Somerset) 

• Pittsburgh selected OF Joel Méndez (fifth round, last with FCL) 

• Philadelphia selected RHP Gabriel Barbosa (fifth round, last with A Tampa, selected in 2023 Rule 5 from Colorado) 

To be blunt, most of these prospects did not have a significant impact on the Yankees system. In fact, Yankees fans should be overjoyed that the system did not lose some of the best talent, including but not limited to, RHP Zach Messinger, LHP Edgar Barclay, 1B T.J. Rumfield, and many others. You can view our preview of the Draft here, where we discuss those prospects that we were concerned about losing. 

The post Yankees gain 1 player, lose 5 in 2024 MLB Rule 5 Draft appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

On November 19th, the Yankees protected two players, utility player Jesus Rodriguez and infielder Caleb Durbin.

Durbin had recently played in the Arizona Fall League on the Salt River Rafters with a few other Yankee prospects, but he stood out the most, being named the Breakout Player of the Year. In 24 games in the desert, Durbin batted a slash of .312/.424/.548, while stealing 29 bases in that span, good for the AFL stolen base record. He played in the AFL last year, but was unable to clinch the record due to injury, and said in an interview that that breaking the record was his goal last year. It should be noted that when it was last set in 1994 by the Phillies’ Rick Holifield, the AFL season was 50 games compared to the current 30 games played.

Durbin suffered a wrist injury after he fouled off a ball off of home plate, sidelining him for two months, but still played in 90 games in 2024, mostly for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Durbin batted .275/.388/.451 in the regular season with 60 RBI, 25 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homers and 53 walks. He also stole 31 of 35 bases successfully (88.6%), ranking fifth among other Yankee prospects in steals.

During a Zoom call with reporters last week, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “I think he’s a stud, frankly. Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base. Really competitive, a hard-nosed, tough player. I’m excited about him and I think he’s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.”

While it’s not mentioned much given the Yankees’ need for a second baseman with Gleyber Torres now as a free agent, Durbin spent some time in the outfield where they could take some advantage of his speed. Durbin spent 8 games in left field and one game in center field; he recorded a 1.000 field percentage. The Yankees likely won’t use him in this role, especially with Oswaldo Cabrera on the bench, but it’s still interesting to see that they’ve been trying him out in various roles, similar to this next prospect.

Jesus Rodriguez has been one of the sleeper prospects, in a way, given he’s been on the same team as other names like Spencer Jones, Rafael Flores, Chase Hampton and Brock Selvidge, to name a few. Rodriguez spent the majority of the 2024 season in High-A Hudson Valley (56 games) where he hit a slash of .332/.412/.507/.919 before getting promoted to Double-A Somerset in mid-June.

Rodriguez, a Venezuela native, hit .226/.278/.417/.695 in 23 games with Somerset. Despite a solid slash (combined .302 batting average and .856 OPS), he’s hit around 10 home runs per season the last two years. Rodriguez missed about 6 weeks of the second half of the season, and will likely start back in Somerset in 2025 unless Yankees brass see something in Spring Training that makes him stand out from the nearly half dozen other catchers.

What may make him stand out is that despite being a natural catcher, he played nearly the entire field in 2024, except for shortstop, center field, right field and pitcher. He did, however, spend most of the season behind the plate, a total of 272-⅓ innings (35 games), nabbing 21 of 103 runners (20.4%)

All this said, the Yankees have 33 other prospects that are Rule 5 eligible, and have the potential to be poached by other teams in a few weeks.

Via MLB, “Any player eligible for the Rule 5 Draft and not added to his organization’s roster by 6 p.m. ET [on 11/19] will be available to be selected by another organization. The Draft will take place at the Winter Meetings in Dallas on Wednesday, Dec. 11 [at 2 p.m. ET].

Players first signed at age 18 or younger must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn’t stay on the 26-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.

For this year, that means an international prospect or high school Draft pick signed in 2020 at age 18 or younger had to be protected. A college player — or 19-year-old high school player — taken in the 2021 Draft was in the same position.”

In addition to the Major League phase, the Rule 5 draft also has a minor league phase. This phase is less publicized, but still offers opportunities for player movement.

• Eligibility: Players eligible for the minor league phase are those who are not on their organization’s Triple-A reserve list. This typically includes players in lower levels of the minor leagues.
• Selection Process: The selection order in the minor league phase is the reverse order of the previous year’s standings. Teams can select players from other organizations’ minor league rosters.
• Roster Requirements: Unlike the Major League phase, there is no requirement to keep selected players on the active roster. They can be assigned to any level of the minor leagues within the selecting organization.
• Compensation: A smaller fee is paid to the original team for players selected in the minor league phase compared to the Major League phase.

Impact on Minor League Players:

• Opportunity for Advancement: The minor league phase provides a chance for players in lower levels of the minors to be seen by other organizations and potentially move up to a higher level.
• Organizational Change: For some players, it can be a fresh start with a new organization that may offer different development paths or playing opportunities.
• Less Pressure: Unlike the Major League phase, there isn’t the immediate pressure to perform at the highest level, allowing for more development time.

Most recently, right-handed pitching prospect Gabriel Barbosa was selected away from the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the Minor League phase, with right-handed pitching prospect Kervin Castro selected away from the Houston Astros in the second round. Castro missed all of 2024, while Barbosa spent the entire season in Single-A Tampa (5.09 ERA, 120-⅓ IP, 128 K, 1.30 WHIP). By comparison, the Yankees lost 4 prospects: INF Eric Wagaman (LAA, DFA on 11/19), C Mickey Gasper (BOS), RHP Michael Gomez (TB), and INF Marcos Cabrera (PIT).

In the Major League phase, the Yankees also lost three pitchers, RHP Mitch Spence to the A’s and RHP Matt Sauer to the Royals. Sauer was returned to the Yankees in May, and declared free agency in early November. RHRP Carson Coleman was selected by Texas, but missed all of 2024 as a result of right shoulder surgery, and was returned to the Yankees on November 19.

For the 2024 Draft, the Yankees have 34 prospects eligible, but not all are likely to be selected. It would be cruel irony for the Yankees to lose two prospects they just signed in the past weeks, relievers Cristian Hernandez (PHI) and Jordany Ventura (NYM). However, prospects like infielders T.J. Rumfield and Tyler Hardman, outfielders Elijah Dunham and Grant Richardson and pitchers Zach Messinger and Edgar Barclay would be more likely to be selected.

Messinger was at the top of most lists that some were expecting to be protected (it should be noted that despite his utility, Rodriguez was not on any list). Messinger spent the entire 2024 season with Double-A Somerset, and threw a 3.06 ERA in 150 innings of work, with 25 of the 27 appearances as starts (he threw 2 relief appearances going behind rehabbing pitchers).

One thing of note with his 2024 campaign is that he didn’t throw as many strikeouts (8.16 K/9) compared to years past, although he did have an exceptional walk rate (3.12 BB/9) and HR rate (0.54 HR/9). The Virginia alum also had an excellent OBA of .204 and BABIP of .254, and had almost even splits of ground ball and fly ball rates (38.9% and 39.1%, respectively). He threw 12 consecutive scoreless innings

Messinger, a 6-foot-6, 225 lb. frame, throws a combination of four-seam fastball that sits around 93 MPH, a changeup that sits 82 MPH and a slider/sweeper, and uses the mid-80s sinker most as his “out” pitch.

Edgar Barclay has mostly been used in a reliever role most of his pro career, but that overwhelmingly changed in 2024. Barclay, a left-handed pitcher, faced nearly triple the number of batters and pitched in more than triple the innings compared to that of 2023. In fact, he lead the team in most games started. He has also done noticeably worse in his time in Triple-A; with Double-A Somerset in 2023, he threw a 1.32 ERA with an insane 13.50 K/9, a 2.91 BB/9 and 0.26 HR/9 in 34 innings of work. Compare that to later that year in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where he threw a 5.89 ERA with a decent 9.95 K/9 but poor 6.70 BB/9 and 2.23 HR/9 in 44-1/3 innings pitched.

Barclay experienced much of the same in 2024, but increased his time on the mound from 21 total appearances in 2023 to 29 appearances and 143 innings pitched. His numbers were relatively the same, despite an increased workload: 5.98 ERA, 7.43 K/9, 4.41 BB/9 and 1.89 HR/9. In one of his last appearances of the year, Barclay threw a three-pitch mix: a four-seamer that sat upper-80s, a changeup that ranged from 62-82 MPH but averaged 79 MPH, and a curveball that sat in the 70s but averaged 77 MPH. Barclay has never thrown much heat, per se, but that hasn’t been an issue given his breaking balls have historically shown a lot of movement.

Watching a game from September 2024 where he started versus Syracuse, Barclay didn’t have many issues with controlling the ball, throwing a few in the dirt in the first inning, but the command was off in the first inning, where he allowed 2 doubles and a run to 5 batters faced because he kept throwing balls down the middle. It appears that Barclay’s pitching motion was sped up a bit, so that may account for some of the performance differences, although his pitch velo is the same when compared to a game where he threw in relief in 2022.

Of the next 6 innings in which he threw in that random game this past September, he only allowed a walk and a single. It would seem likely that if Barclay were acquired by another team that they may realize that he is best suited as a reliever, especially considering he went 7 starts and 16-2/3 innings to start 2023 without allowing an earned run (he allowed 8 hits and 2 earned runs in that span).

T.J. Rumfield, a first baseman acquired from the Phillies via trade in 2021, has been the Yankees’ top 1B prospect next to Ben Rice for well over a year, considering the Yankees do not have much depth in that role. In fact, Rumfield won the 2023 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for 1B in 2023, recording a .997 fielding percentage between High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset.

Rumfield spent all but 8 of 122 games played in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he hit a slash of .292/.365/.461/.826, with 26 doubles, 15 home runs and 71 RBI. 2024 proved to be Rumfield’s best year, offensively speaking, but his worst offensive year, committing 9 errors in 730 total chances (806-1/3 innings), for a fielding percentage of .988. Compare that to, say, Ben Rice, who committed only 2 errors in 289 total chances (349 innings) for a .993 fielding percentage in his debut season in the Majors. Where Rumfield would have an advantage over Rice is in size. Rumfield has a 6-foot-5 frame compared to the 6-foot-1 frame of Rice.

Elijah Dunham was signed as an undrafted draft pick in 2020, arguably one of the best quality draft seasons the Yankees have had in years, and Dunham has has relatively consistent production since he debuted in Low-A Tampa in 2021. In two of the past three years, Dunham, a lefty hitter, has batted just under .250, with an OPS around .447, and has hit about 16 home runs each of the past 3 years.

Despite what some may consider average production, Dunham, an Indiana alum, was named the Eastern League Player of the Week three times in 2024. In that week, he batted 7-for-18 (.389) with 10 RBI on 4 HR and 4 SB. He also earned those same honors for the consecutive weeks of July 1-July 7 and July 8-July 14, where he combined to hit 18-for-44 (.409). Dunham drove in 12 RBI on 6 doubles, 4 home runs, and 36 total bases.

Aside from his offensive performances, Dunham plays all three positions in the outfield, but performs better in the corners; he has a career fielding percentage of .984 in left and .991 in right. Dunham has spent considerably less time in center field, but has a .976 fielding percentage there. He also played 8 innings at 1B without committing any errors.

Grant Richardson, another lefty outfielder out of Indiana, had objectively his best career season in 2024, considering he hit nearly as many doubles (25) as he had hit the previous three years (28). Richardson hit a slash line of .257/.319/.401/.720 in 108 games (a career high), with 3 triples, 9 home runs, and 47 RBI, in addition to the previously mentioned 25 doubles.

Richardson also struck out the least in 2024, with a 28.1% K rate, compared to his previous low of 31.2% in 2023. His BABIP saw some improvement, moving up to .346 from .261 during his time in High-A in 2023 (77 games), and accordingly, his slugging percentage went up from .389 to .401.

Similar to Dunham, Richardson performs best in the corners, with career fielding percentages of .985 in left, .955 in center and .979 in right field. But, despite not being overly speedy (only 16 stolen bases), Richardson has no issue covering a lot of ground as a result of efficient routes.

It remains to be seen who will be taken in the Draft, and who the Yankees will ultimately select, if anyone. It seems unlikely the Yankees will select any prospect in the Major League portion given the targets they need to sign, specifically Juan Soto and a handful of relievers, but it’s possible they forego a reliever or two if there’s a Triple or Double-A pitcher their pro scouts really like.

The post The 2024 Rule 5 Draft and Potential Prospects Yankees May Lose appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

All photos used are courtesy of the respective collegiate institutions.

2024 MLB Draft Tracker

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1st Rounder Ben Hess

Rounds 2-5 (Photo of 2nd round selection RHP Bryce Cunningham)

Rounds 6-10 (Photo of 8th round selection OF Tyler Wilson)

Rounds 11-20 (Photo of 16th round selection LHP Xavier Rivas)

Undrafted Free Agent (UDFA) signings (Photo of UDFA Jack Sokol)

The post Yankees 2024 MLB Draft HQ appeared first on NYY UNDERGROUND.

After the hectic nearly 12 hours of 20 rounds and 615 total picks in the 2024 MLB Draft, a lot of eligible players remain out there, ready to be picked up by any team wishing to bring them into their organization. The Yankees wasted no time in agreeing to a deal with their first UDFA, and it wasn’t in the 50 United States, but a short hop over to La Isla Del Encanto: Puerto Rico.

Adding to their incredible catching depth, the Yankees signed Ediel Rivera, a prospect that Perfect Game classifies as the third best catching prospect in Puerto Rico, the 49th best catching prospect in the U.S., and a nearly perfect 9.5/10. Rivera signed for $150,000 via El Nuevo Día. The periodical also reported that Rivera was committed to Alabama State University, a school in the Conference, but wanted the opportunity to play professionally.

Based on the last PG event attended in July 2023, Rivera has plus speed, running a 6.70 second 60-yard dash. For comparison, that’s faster than any prospect on the Yankees’ Top 30 outside of Brando Mayea (plus-plus), and inline with Roderick Arias and Everson Pereira. In one game as part of an international tournament this past February (DIBAT), Rivera was used as a pinch runner.

Rivera also has a pop time of 1.84 seconds. Only one catcher in all of MLB has a sub-1.85 s pop time, and that’s Korey Lee on the White Sox. Wells has a pop time of 1.95 s and Trevino is 2.07 s. Comparatively, for minor-leaguer catchers, Ramirez is 2.05 s and Narváez has a pop time of 1.82 s, but Narváez isn’t very accurate so while he has a sharp pop time, he’s allowed 48 stolen bases out of 61 attempts (only a 21% success rate). Accuracy seems to be Rivera’s concern there too, but he is much closer to the bag than Narváez tends to be.

The six-foot, 170 lb. right-handed batter has a mostly upright stance with a quick swing, and has an above-average barrel speed of 68.8 MPH. The standout trait out of everything that Rivera can offer may be his power. While he doesn’t have triple-digit elite velos to the tune of someone like a Giancarlo Stanton, PG has him in the 95th percentile of his class, and can hit balls out into the low 90 MPH range.

Rivera’s frame can be compared to that of a smaller version of Dylan Jasso, and assuming he puts on more muscle, the exit velos would likely line up as well. That said, with more muscle may see a decrease in run speed similar to the opposite of what we saw with Jasson Dominguez. Dominguez lost muscle and in turn became a quicker runner, so the Yankees will have to decide if they prefer more power or a stronger hit tool over the plus speed they’re getting.

This signing comes at a good time as there are a number of catcher injuries on the Low-A Tampa roster. Manuel Palencia is likely out for the rest of the year (currently on 60-day IL) and Edinson Duran on the 7-day IL since June 12, so it’s possible the Yankees promote some of their catching depth to make room for Rivera. Rivera is also the first catcher signed of the 2024 Draft period, an oddity given the recent pattern the Yankees have displayed, having gone with Tomas Frick last year in the 15th round, Ben Rice in 2021 in the 12th Round and Austin Wells in the 1st round of the 2020 Draft.

What also remains to be seen is how they use Rivera. They could go the Jesus Rodriguez route and make him a utility guy, and with his plus speed and catcher’s arm, he could be a boon to the outfield. They could go the Ben Rice route and stick him at first base just to get his bat in the lineup, since there’s so much outfield depth. Hopefully, with Rivera arriving in Florida last night, we won’t have to wait long to see how he’s used.

LHRP Parker Seay, University of Louisiana – Monroe

The Yankees stick to their script of returning to familiar places in signing southpaw reliever Parker Seay out of ULM, the alma mater of Yankees 2023 8th Rounder, Nicholas Judice (later traded to Red Sox in Verdugo deal).

Seay, a 6-foot-2, 205 lb frame, struggled once he hit the collegiate circuit, throwing a 2.08 ERA in the abridged 2020 season in 4-⅓ IP, a 2.76 ERA in 16-⅓ IP in 2021 and 563 ERA in 32 IP in 2022, all with the JuCo College of Central Florida. Seay transferred to the University of South Florida for the 2023 season where he threw an 11.09 ERA in 9 appearances and 7-⅓ innings out of the bullpen with 9 K (11 K/9). As a fifth-year senior at ULM, Seay threw a 3.74 ERA in 33-⅔ IP with 40 K (10.7 K/9).

In the above video from 2022, Seay shows below-average control and the smaller than usual difference between fastball and off-speed pitches is concerning. How much his fastball, or any of his other pitches for that matter, have improved in 30 months can be significant, and we may not truly know until he hits the mound professionally. That said, the fastball seems to have good deception and with a K/9 over 10, there may be a lot of potential that the Yankees can mold even further.

RHSP JT Etheridge, Louisiana

Etheridge was a stellar JuCo kid with sharp 12-6 curveballs and flamethrower fastballs that transferred to the Ragin’ Cajuns for the 2023 season and struck out 52 batters in 32-⅔ innings of work this past season. That works out to an incredible 14.33 K/9 and walked only 21 batters in that time for a BB/9 of 7.2. Etheridge recorded an ERA of 5.51 in 2024, so with the kind of strikeout numbers he had, the Yankees have a little work to do, but there’s a lot to work with.

Etheridge has a tall 6-foot-6, 225 frame, and is the tallest kid to sign so far in the 2024 Draft period, and the kind of frame the Yankees like to draft in recent years. He shows plus command in the above video with a ¾ arm slot and a downward facing release (think Randy Johnson).

RHSP Jack Sokol, Pittsburgh

The Yankees return to visit another favorite as they draft another Panthers alumnus with the 6-foot-4, 208 lb RHSP Jack Sokol. Sokol started 14 of 15 games with Pitt, and put up below-average numbers, with a 5.09 ERA and a K/9 of 6.9 (57 K in 74-⅓ IP). Sokol had a good walk rate, with a BB/9 of 4.0 (33 BB in 74-⅓ IP), but had an OBA of .285.

(Sokol is #43 in the above video)

Sokol pitched two years with Pittsburgh (2023 & 2024), and previous to that, he pitched with Auburn in his freshman year (2021), then transferred to Pensacola State College (FL) for his sophomore year (2022). While with Auburn in 2021, Sokol threw in 5 appearances and made three starts, posting a 5.40 ERA and had a K/9 of 6.9. At the JuCo in 2022, Sokol threw a 4.13 ERA with a K/9 of 10.80 in 56-⅔ innings

RHRP Tony Rossi, UNC Charlotte

Rossi has been to a handful of colleges over the past few years. Rossi started at D-II University of West Florida for the 2019 season, then transferring to a JuCo, State College of Florida – Manatee/Sarasota where he was teammates with Yankees RHP prospect Cole Ayers. Rossi then transferred to UNC Charlotte, where he played his Sophomore through Redshirt Senior years of 2022 through 2024. Rossi underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2022 while he was with UNC Charlotte, which resulted in missing the end of the 2022 season and all of 2023. UNC Charlotte notes that he was their most used arm on the pitching staff in 2022, making 28 relief appearances.

Via Baseball America: “Rossi averaged 95 mph with a fastball that has touched 97 and features armside running life. He also has a pair of swing-and-miss secondaries between a high-spin slider in the mid 80s that features nearly 15 inches of horizontal break and a firm upper-80s changeup.”

(Rossi is #52 in the above video)

The curious part in this signing is his age. Rossi just turned 25 two weeks ago, and would fit better age wise in Double-A Somerset or Triple-A Scranton/WB instead of just starting his pro career in FCL next season. Like other prospects in this generation of talent, he had to contend with the short COVID-19 season in 2020, but the TJS in 2022/23 set him back as well.

Rossi had a K/9 of 13.91 in 2024 with UNC Charlotte after returning from TJS, his highest career numbers (outside the abridged 2020 season). However, he also had a BB/9 of 6.95 in 44 innings of work, translating to iffy control. The talent is obviously there, and like Etheridge, the Yankees have a lot to work with.

RHSP Cole Zaffiro, Penn

Zaffiro, a Long Island native, was Penn’s ace in 2024, throwing a 4.94 ERA in 74-⅔ innings while amassing 90 strikeouts for a K/9 of 10.8. Zaffiro averaged about 5-⅓ innings per appearance this past season; he made 14 appearances in 2024. He can also go the distance, averaging about 88 pitches per appearance and threw over 100 pitches in a game three times in 2024 while hitting a career high of 114 pitches on April 20th.

Going off of this broadcast (which is not always a great idea, but you do what you have to at times), it appears that Zaffiro has at least a low-90s four-seamer and a low-80s change-up and while he can nail the zone at times, shows some control issues.

Zaffiro was named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks in March (3/18 and 3/25) after throwing back-to-back shutouts in a combined 13 innings of work. In that span, he allowed only 6 hits and 4 walks while striking out 20 batters. The 6-foot-2, 185 lb. senior also led Penn in innings pitches, strikeouts, and games started.

INF Owen Cobb, Stanford

The trend this year has been that the Yankees have mostly stayed out east, so this Pac-12 (now 2-Pac?) selection is curious, although Cobb may be a sleeper signing. The 6-foot-3, 195 lb. grad student was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team in 2024, while batting .320 in 55 games.

The Yankees last visited Stanford in 2022 when they drafted Brett Barrera, also an infielder, in the 8th round, but Barrera has since been released from the organization. Cobb was a junior while on that team with Barrera.

Cobb doesn’t appear to be much of a power hitter, only hitting 13 home runs in his 5 years with Stanford, with all of those homers coming in the past two seasons. Instead, Cobb is more of a doubles or triples hitter, with 23 doubles and 5 triples in 2023 and 2024. His stats for those seasons are nearly identical, with 2024 being the superior year of the two: .320/.363/.500/.863 in 2024 compared to .324/.368/.471/.839 in 2023.

Cobb has a compact swing with nearly zero leg kick, hitting from the right side. He stands upright in the back of the box, and his 6-foot-3 frame has lots of room to grow. George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ 1st round selection in 2023, is a good comp for Cobb’s frame. Watching Cobb is like watching a combination of Lombard and Tyler Hardman, in a way. Cobb, Hardman and Lombard all have similar frames and all are infielders.

Cobb was signed as a SS, but can also play 2B.

INF Duncan Pastore, Louisiana – Lafayette

The Yankees went back to the bayou to sign the Tampa, FL native in his 5th year as a graduate student. Pastore batted .328 in 2024 with 65 hits and 11 doubles. Like Cobb, Pastore hits many more doubles than home runs, only hitting 9 in his amateur & collegiate career.

Pastore spent the four previous years with Nova Southeastern, where he had nearly a .350 batting average with 204 hits in 584 AB. He hit 41 doubles, 3 triples and 5 home runs out of those 204 hits while driving in 104 runs.

Between Nova, ULL and the summer leagues he played in, Pastore was used as a utility player, mostly playing the infield. Pastore spent most of his time at 2B and 3B, but also played 1B, RF, SS and even pitched in 18 games while with Nova with an ERA of 4.39 in 55-⅓ innings.

RHRP Chris Veach, South Carolina

It remains to be seen how the Yankees will use Veach, as he was a two-way player from 2021 to 2023 until he became a full-time reliever for South Carolina in 2024.

Veach attended Presbyterian College in 2021 and 2022, where he hit .336 in 40 games, with 10 doubles, a triple, three homers and 18 RBI. While with the JuCo in the Big South Conference, he also threw in 20 innings, recording a 2.70 ERA, a K/9 of 8.6 (19 K in 20 IP) and a BB/9 of 4.5 (10 BB in 20 IP).

South Carolina mostly used Veach as a pitcher in 2023, throwing in 26 innings with a 3.46 ERA, but he did have 4 at-bats where he recorded 2 hits. In 2024, he became a full-time pitcher and threw 44-⅔ innings with a 3.63 ERA and a K/9 of 10.9 (54 K in 44-⅔ IP) and a BB/9 of 4.8 (24 BB in 44-⅔ IP).

Baseball America notes that Veach has a mid-70s change-up that he uses as his primary pitch, using it 60% of the time. He also has a low-90s fastball and a “slurvy breaking ball” that sits around 80 MPH. Veach has a complicated wind-up that the Yankees will likely sort out as the mechanics don’t necessarily match the stats and they can likely get a little more velo out of the pitch offerings he has.

The 6-foot, 195 lb righty will likely be used as a reliever, but considering the Yankees have taken a shot at TWP Josh Tiedemann, it is entirely possible that Veach’s bat can be used whenever needed. Veach mostly played 2B when on the field as a non-pitcher, but he also had a handful of games at LF and RF.

INF Parks Harber, North Carolina

The Yankees sign their only true first baseman in Parks Harber, who had a number of career highs in 2024 with UNC. Harber hit a career best 80 H, 20 HR, 63 RBI and 35 walks in 61 games and 233 AB.

Harber slashed .343/.425/.648/.1.073 in that span, also a career high. Previous to his time with the Tar Heels, Harber spent his freshman-junior years with Georgia where they had him play the corners, but spent more time at 3B (74 games at 3B and 55 games at 1B). However, Harber played more 1B (17 games) than 3B (9 games) while with the Brewster White Caps of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2022.

It appears that Harber may have transitioned to become more focused on playing 1B during that summer, as he spent most of his time on that side of the field in 2023 with Georgia, before playing there full-time with UNC. Harber appears to be a plus power hitter, likely capable of 25-30 HR seasons, and also has good opposite field power.

Harber was also the quarterback on his high school (The Westminster School in Atlanta, GA) football team, where he led the team to the state playoffs, so he likely has a strong and accurate throwing arm like you would need for 3B.

RHP Brady Kirtner, Virginia Tech

With a low-mid 90s sinking fastball, a mid-80s curveball, and a slider Kirtner created based on the curveball, the Yankees must see something in the righty reliever from Virginia Tech. The curveball isn’t your traditional 12-6 curveball and instead is more of a slower version of the fastball.

In 2024, Kirtner made 23 appearances and pitched in 37-⅔ innings, where he struck out 37 batters (8.84 K/9) and walked 30 (7.17 BB/9). That’s good for a 4.30 ERA. His best year was in 2023 where he recorded a 4.62 ERA in 25-⅓ inning, but had a K/9 of 12.79 and a BB/9 of 5.33.

Kirtner has a clunky and loud delivery, as seen below, which the Yankees’ player development staff will likely help clean up a bit so that he can help refine his command of the strike zone. With the quality of pitches worsening last season, the Yankees have some work to do, but a K/9 over 12 like what Kirtner had in 2023 is very promising.

Of note, Kirtner was previously drafted by the New York Mets in the 12th Round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Instead, he opted to return to Virginia Tech for his senior year in the hopes of increasing his stock value, but now will have to hope the Yankees match the bonus slot of $150k that he was eligible last year.

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With 8 of the first 10 picks that the Yankees have chosen in 2024 going as pitchers, it’s possible they go after more bats since they’ve otherwise drafted two outfielders (Wilson is technically an OF but was originally drafted as 1B). However, with the abundance of depth with outfielders in the Yankees’ system, and the lack of quality depth in other places like 1B and 3B (in some respects), the Yankees may end up drafting many infielders.

11th Round, 331st overall: RHP Mack Estrada, NW Florida State (JuCo)

A Tampa-area native (from the same town as RHP Sean Hermann) attended the same school as 2020 4th round selection RHP Beck Way (dealt to KC Royals in Benintendi trade). Estrada has a low-to-mid 90s fastball, but his plus mid-80s slider is said to be his best pitch. Estrada still has room to grow with a 6-foot-4, 220 lb frame, which may help get his velo on the fastball up.

The Florida State commit recorded a 4.20 ERA in 79-⅓ innings of work with the junior college in Niceville, FL, and started 15 of the 17 games he appeared in during the 2024 season. With a 10.66 K/9 (94 K) and a 4.76 BB/9 (42 BB), there’s a lot to like about this selection.

12th Round, 361st overall: OF Brendan Jones, Kansas State

Jones has had a successful collegiate career, hitting a combined slash line of .275/.413/.458/.871, but really broke out in 2024 when he drove in 35 RBI on 69 hits to bring his batting average over .300. Jones also hit 9 home runs with K-State in 2024.

Jones was only caught stealing twice in 41 attempts in 2024, a career high in both attempts and steal, a result of his exceptional speed. The 5-foot-10, 175 lb junior mostly played in center field, but also spent some time in left field as well. The speed is critical in the large center field of both George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL, home of the Low-A Tarpons, and the CF in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.

Jones struck out in 21.8% of AB (51 SO) in 2024, and walked in 18.5% of PA (55 BB).

13th Round, 391st overall: OF Dillon Lewis, Queens University of Charlotte (NC)

The Yankees go with another outfielder in Lewis, a righty bat, who hit 22 home runs in 229 at bats (9.6% of AB), along with 85 hits, and had a slash of .371/.444/.729/1.174 in 2024.

Lewis split time almost equally between left and center between collegiate and summer ball action, and did play one game with the Royals behind the plate in 2023. He also did not commit any errors in the outfield in 2024, and has only committed 3 errors total in nearly 180 collegiate games. Lewis grew up a Yankee fan, idolizing Derek Jeter.

14th Round, 421st overall: SS Austin Green, Texas Tech

The Yankees break the mold they’ve set by going with a middle infielder for the first time in 2024, with Texan Austin Green, a switch-hitter that naturally plays second base and shortstop but has recently moved over to the outfield. Green finished 2023 second on the team in home runs (12) and multi-RBI games (18). Green batted .290 in 2023 with 12 HR, 57 RBI and 28 total XBH.

In his senior year of 2024, Green hit a slash of .322/.435/.546/.981 with 56 hits in 174 AB, along with 13 doubles and 8 HR. He also drove in 45 RBI. The doubles machine spent a lot of time in the outfield this past season, playing a combined 42 games in the outfield, with all but 2 in right field.

Green spent two seasons at Weatherford College before transferring to Texas Tech. He made 3 appearances as a right-handed pitcher, throwing 4-⅔ innings, allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits for an ERA of 5.79, but mostly played in the field as a MIF. While at Weatherford College, he batted .320 with an OPS of .962 in 56 games, and drove in 32 runs on 54 hits with 15 doubles.

15th Round, 451st overall: OF Marshall Toole, Wofford

The Yankees go with another outfielder in Toole, the Southern Conference Player of the Month of February 2024. Toole batted .375.461/.617/1.078 in 62 games in 2024, driving in 64 runs on 96 hits. He also had 15 doubles, 10 triples and 9 homers with the Terriers in 2024. Toole spent all 62 games in center field, while leading the Southern Conference and setting the single-season program record at Wofford with 43 stolen bases. He also led the conference and was second in the nation with 10 triples.

While in high school, Toole was a C/2B/OF, so like Green, the utility potential is there. He also threw one inning in 2021 while in collegiate summer ball with the Marietta Patriots. During a Perfect Game showcase, Toole had a 2.32 second pop time. An elite pop time is under 2 seconds, with the top 10 catchers in MLB holding pop times under 1.9 seconds.

16th Round, 481st overall: LHP Xavier Rivas, Ole Miss

Rivas missed the 2024 season with a UCL tear, so they’re taking a chance on the southpaw after he posted a 6.35 ERA in his junior year of 2023. Rivas had Tommy John surgery this past February, and was just cleared by his doctor, Dr. Keith Meister, to resume a throwing program last week.

In 2023, Rivas led the team in strikeouts (89), OBA (.248), inning pitched (68.0), wins (5), and starts (14). Rivas only allowed 40 walks in the 68 innings he pitched, good for a 5.3 BB/9, and the 89 K produced a K/9 of 11.8. He was expected to be the Rebels’ ace for the 2024 season.

Prior to the 2023 season with Mississippi, Rivas spent two years with the U of Indianapolis Greyhounds of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, where he had the second most all-time strikeouts (128) and held a K/9 of 14.34.

17th Round, 511th overall: OF JoJo Jackson, Georgia State

The Yankees go with another outfielder in Jackson, who was a switch-hitting outfielder with the Georgia State Panthers in the Sun Belt Conference. Jackson primarily played RF with Georgia State, but also played left field and a little center as well.

Jackson batted .310/.394/.655/1.049 in 2024 with 29 extra base hits out of 54 total hits, with 13 of those as doubles, a triple and 15 homers. Jackson also drove in 45 RBI and struck out 50 times and worked 21 walks. He also spent some time in the MLB Draft League in 2024 with the Frederick Keys, where he put up even better numbers: .352/.435/.591/1.027. He recorded 25 H and 17 RBI in 71 AB.

18th Round, 541st overall: RHP Gus Hughes, High Point

Hughes split his collegiate career between Gaston Community College and High Point, but had quite a 2024 with HPU. Hughes recorded a 3.77 ERA in a conference-leading 102-⅔ innings pitched with 111 strikeouts (K/9 9.73). Hughes was also named the Big South Starter of the Week in 2024.

Hughes had an OBA of .209 in 2024 while allowing 22 home runs (1.93 HR/9).

With Gaston CC in 2022, Hughes threw a 2.17 ERA with a 0.88 WHIP and 13.28 K/9 in 62-⅓ innings of work. With UNC Charlotte, Hughes threw a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings of work with an OBA of .216 and had a K/9 of 12.6 (14 K). Of note, LHP Josh Maciejewski, Yankees’ 2018 10th round selection, was a INC Charlotte alumnus.

19th Round, 571st overall: RHP Brandon Decker, Oakland University (MI)

With a ton of room to grow, the 6-foot-3, 187 lb righty thrower posted a 5.44 ERA in 102-⅔ innings in 2024 with the Golden Grizzlies. Decker also spent some time in summer ball, playing in the Appy League for the Bristol State Liners in 2023. He threw a 3.89 ERA in 34-⅔ innings, allowing 15 ER on 42 H, while not allowing any HR. He held a K/9 just under 10 with both teams.

Decker set the single-season school record for innings pitched, and was named Relief Pitcher of the Year for the Horizon League in 2023 as well as Pitcher of the Year in 2024.

A random stat: in high school (North Farmington, Farmington Hills, MI), he led the bowling team with the most games won (16) and had the highest average score (205.8)

20th Round, 601st overall: RHP Cole Royer, Pierce County HS (GA)

The tallest selection of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Yankees was saved for last, as the 6-foot-6 Georgia Tech commit

MLB notes that Royer is “ultraprojectable” and has a “quick arm”, adding that he “could have upper-90s velocity”. Right now, he has a fastball that sits low-90s and reaches 95 MPH, along with a “high-spin breaking ball in the upper-70s that could give him a second plus offering once he adds strength and refinement.” They note that he may become a reliever, and that he is an intriguing prospect.

Royer is indeed raw, as MLB noted, but in a Perfect Game showcase induced a lot of swing-and-miss with his fastball. The curveball and slider  need a lot of command work, as they were either thrown into the dirt or up and away from the catcher and towards the backstop. The Yankees have a lot to work with here, and he may be the gem of the entire draft if they can tear him away from Georgia Tech.

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6th Round, 181st overall: LHP Griffin Herring, LSU

Herring is a 6-foot-2 southpaw with a 3-pitch mix of low-90s fastball, low-mid 82 slider and mid 80s changeup. The plus slider is his best pitch and induces a lot of swing-and-miss. Herring has good command of the zone, but there’s still some to work on with average control. That said, Herring had a 1.79 ERA in 50-⅓ IP in the 2024 season, with exceptional strikeout and walk numbers: 67 K (11.98 K/9) and 13 BB (2.32 BB/9).

Herring was used mostly as a reliever, with only 1 start of 21 appearances, and had the best ERA in the SEC in league only games.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

7th Round, 211th overall: RHP Wyatt Parliament, Virginia Tech

Parliament threw a 7.63 ERA in 43-⅔ innings of work in his first year at VT in 2024, having transferred after two years with Rutgers. In his junior season of 2024, Parliament recorded a K/9 of 12.16 (59 K) and a BB/9 of 2.68 (13 BB), both exceptional stats.

Via Baseball America: “Parliament has a special fastball that has produced elite whiff rates and chase rates that dwarf most of his peers,” adding that the fastball has high spin and is very deceptive. The fastball usually sits in the low-to-mid 90s but can reach 97 MPH. They continue, “He adds an above-average (55) low-to-mid 80s slider with shorter two-plane tilt” and note that it’s been an effective pitch. They also mention there is a fringy (35) changeup and a curveball.

8th Round: 241st overall: UTIL Tyler Wilson, Grand Canyon

The switch-hitting Wilson batting over .300 for 3 seasons in a row at GCU, only the 5th Lopes player to do so. In 233 AB in 2024, he had 88 H, 65 RBI and 17 HR. Wilson hit a viral game-tying grand slam, after which he was ejected from the game because of his bat flip.

Wilson mostly played as either DH or as left fielder, but he was drafted as a first baseman (later changed to outfielder), so it remains to be seen how the Yankees will use him. They need more depth on the right side of the infield, but may be used in multiple places.

Wilson makes the 3rd prospect drafted out of Hamilton HS in Chandler, AZ, after Josh Tiedemann and Brock Selvidge, and the 2nd prospect drafted recently from GCU, after Tayler Aguilar.

Wilson’s father, Steve, is an international cross checker in the Pacific Rim with the Yankees, and Wilson was born in Taiwan.

9th Round, 271st overall: LHP Tanner Bauman, Auburn

Bauman threw 2 seasons with JuCo St. John’s River State College in Palatka, FL, where he combined to throw a 6 ERA in 73-⅓ innings of work. Bauman then transferred to Auburn for his junior year in 2024 where he threw a 4.57 ERA in 41-⅓ IP with a 10.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, and was mostly used as a starter.

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Bauman has a near-sidearm slot, where he throws a fastball 89-91 T94, a slider in the low-80s and a mid-80s change-up.

10th Round, 301st overall: OF Joe Delossantos, William & Mary

The fifth-year senior had a loud hit tool with William & Mary, beginning the 2023 season on a 17-game hit streak. Delossantos, a right-handed bat, also led the team with 24 stolen bases on 24 attempts (88.9%). MLB Pipeline called him a “power bat”, and he did hit 14 homers in 221 AB, while maintaining a .330/.431/.584/1.014 slash line. He also hit 14 doubles and drove in 67 runs.

Delossantos primarily plays the corners, but has also played center field and second base during his time with William & Mary. He also spent 3 summers in the Valley League, most recently playing with the Strasburg Express (2023). He amassed 31 RBI in 110 AB with 35 H and 8 HR during that season.

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The 6-foot-5 Commodore junior had a stellar 2024, throwing six shutout innings in the first round of the SEC Tournament on May 21. Cunningham threw a 4.59 ERA in 33-1/3 IP in 2024 with 17 ER on 31 H with 14 BB allowed and 27 K.

Cunningham has a mid-90s fastball that hits 97 MPH, a plus slider and a mid-80s change-up that is high spin (2440 RPM avg.), and has an average 20” of horizontal break. The CH also has a 53% whiff rate, while the FB has above-average command.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

3rd Round, 89th overall: RHP Thatcher Hurd, LSU

Hurd has a dominant fastball that induces a lot of swing and miss. The fastball sits 93-96, T98 and Hurd also has a mid-80s slider with a lot of horizontal and vertical movement. Hurd was the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week in March 2023 and posted a 3-4 record in 2024 with a 6.55 ERA, with an exceptional 11.45 K/9 (56 K, 44 IP)

Pipeline notes that he pitched with UCLA in his freshman year, but missed the last two months of the season with a stress fracture in his back; Hurd then transferred to LSU ahead of his sophomore year. Hurd also has a curveball that sits 78-82 and an upper-80s change-up, but the Yankees may eliminate those pitches since they haven’t been very effective.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45

4th Round, 119th overall: RHP Gage Ziehl, Miami (FL)

Ziehl was the Hurricanes’ Friday Night starter the last 2 years. Ziehl is not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s compact and strong at 6-foot, 223 pounds. He repeats his delivery well and has a history of throwing strikes. This is a pitcher with a solid three pitch mix of mid-90s four-seam fastball that can hit 97, a cutter-like slider that sits mid-80, and a change-up that he’s been working on. Ziehl can pound the strike zone when his pitches are on.  Scouts like his makeup and believe he can add to his pitch package. He could be a backend starter or setup-type reliever.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

5th Round, 152nd overall: RHP Greysen Carter, Vanderbilt

Carter’s plus fastball hits mid-upper 90s that reaches 103, but the off-speeds need some work as they were given under-average grades. Carter has issues with control, especially on the breaking balls, and he throws the mid-80s curveball more reliably than the mid-80s slider.

The 6-foot-4 righty reliever was used middle to late in the game during his Junior year in 2024, where he had a 6.58 ERA in 39-⅔ innings of work, with 38 strikeouts. His K/9 of 8.62 is average, and his BB/9 of 7.03 is rather high.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

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The 6-foot-5 righty thrower owns the Alabama career record for K/9 at 13.34 (205 K/138.1 IP), and with a plus slider and fastball, that fits the mold for what the Yankees are looking for. His four-seamer sits mid-90s and reaches 99 with 18-22 inches of rise, and the mid-80s slider can become a cutter per Pipeline, but that’s not typically how the Yankees have operated. He also has a mid-70s curveball, and a mid-80s changeup

Hess has comps with Lance Lynn, and there are injury concerns as he had a stress fracture in his back in high school, an off-field injury as a freshman in 2022, a flexor strain in 2023, and he rolled his ankle walking his dog prior to the 2024 season. Pipeline says he could become a #2 starter down the road.

https://www.mlb.com/video/2024-draft-ben-hess-rhp

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

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When considering players to draft, you can’t necessarily assume deals will happen, that existing stars will produce throughout their term or that players stay healthy. The depth is there to get teams through a rough patch or to bridge the gap in the situation where a player is injured. We’ve seen that enough times, and especially now with C/1B Ben Rice replacing 1B Anthony Rizzo due to a fractured forearm injury.

It’s important to not focus entirely on the first few rounds of the draft, especially considering that prospects each develop at a different pace. For example, Ben Rice was a 12^th round pick in 2021 and is the only one to have made an MLB debut of those drafted by the Yankees in that class. Those prospects include Trey Sweeney (traded to LA; with AAA), Brendan Beck (out with TJS), Brock Selvidge (AA), Cooper Bowman (traded to OAK; with AA), Will Warren (AAA), and Jack Neely (AAA) to name a few.

There’s not a significant amount of depth with natural first basemen and third basemen, with most depth coming in the middle infield. Most of those middle infielders don’t necessarily have a “natural position”, instead playing a mix of 2B/SS/3B.

A simulated draft (rounds 1-5) and why these players fit the Yankees:

1st Round, 26^th overall: OF Mike Sirota (Northeastern) – Just the fact that Sirota is the great-nephew of famed Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford should be reason enough that the Queens native becomes a draft selection for the Yankees. Looking at his batting average of .298 in the 2024 season and the handful of records he’s held during his time at Northeastern is what really deserves the attention of the Yankees. It’s also entirely possible that Sirota gets taken before the Yankees make the 26^th pick this year.

Sirota was very patient at the plate in 2024, breaking a Northeastern record set by Carlos Peña in 1998 with 59 walks in 191 AB (30.8% BB), while also knocking in 37 RBI on 57 H, batting .298. Sirota was also 19 for 23 (83%) in stolen base attempts.

The Yankees have had good luck lately drafting out of Northeastern, with Cam Schlittler owning an ERA under 3, while Sebastian Keane has flashed some brilliant stuff but has also struggled at times. However, they’re pitchers and Sirota isn’t, and he can potentially out-perform both. If the Yankees truly want 1^st round caliber pitching, they could go with SHP (yes, a switch-pitcher like Pat Venditte) Jurrangelo Cijntje from Miss. State. I think Cijntje may be gone before the Yankees have a chance to get to draft him, though, and while they did go with switch-handed catcher Anthony Seigler in a top round, I don’t think they’ll be so bold to draft a switch-pitcher, even if he is a natural lefty.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50

2nd Round, 53^rd overall: 2B/SS Christian Moore (Tennessee) – Moore is another SEC prospect, which recently has been the division that the Yankees have been drafting from or have taken away potential signings from. While these prospects all went 1^st round, Anthony Volpe, a Vanderbilt commit, then 2022 with Spencer Jones, a Vandy OF, and 2023 with George Lombard Jr, another Vandy commit, were all committed to Vanderbilt, an SEC baseball powerhouse. The Vols don’t hold the same kind of weight within the conference as the Commodores, but the SEC has produced a lot of big prospects over the years.

The Brooklyn native had a contact rate of 75%, while leading all D1 batters with 111 hits and breaking the Vols’ single-season home run record with 34 home runs. Pipeline notes that he will likely land at 2B, which is an area that the Yankees have some iffy depth with Ben Cowles as the best natural 2B in the system. Sure, the Yankees have a lot of depth in the middle infield, with prospects like Oswald Peraza and Jared Serna coming to mind, but the Yankees haven’t shown confidence in Peraza and Serna is some time away.

Moore fits the Yankees because he’s a similar type of prospect as Lombard, who also went 1^st round last year. A double-plus power tool with plus hit is something the Yankees haven’t really chased of late, including Spencer Jones who was rated as a 50 hit and 55 power. If these scouting grades truly pan out as they have with other prospects, Moore may fly through the system with a potential 2026 debut. My biggest concern is that Moore may be gone before the Yankees pick 53^rd in the 2^nd round.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 60 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

3rd Round, 89^th overall: LHP/1B Johnny King (Naples, FL) – King looks an awful lot like a lefty version of former Yankees 4^th round selection Beck Way (traded to KC in Benintendi deal), although King has less velo than Way did when he debuted. Like Way, King has a nearly sidearm delivery, something the Yankees seem to prefer given the supposed reduced risk of injury. King has a 6-4, 210 lb frame with room to build some muscle, which should translate to an uptick in velo down the line.

King has a two-seamer as his primary pitch that sits 92-95, a 1-7 curveball that sits in the upper-70s and is currently working with a changeup. That fits the typical Yankees profile, especially with a prep product that they can still mold, as well as the fact that he may also be working on a slurve.

While King can play as a potential two-way player, and it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see the Yankees draft him as such considering they chose LHP/1B Josh Tiedemann last year as a prep prospect, it would be more reasonable to expect he becomes one or the other. Tiedemann played as a 1B/DH in Spring Training, but later was used as both a DH and a pitcher before going down in early May to injury.

The Yankees can always use a left-handed pitcher, and the depth at first is less than spectacular, with only Coby Morales, Dylan Jasso, Josh Moylan, Kiko Romero and T.J. Rumfield as well performing regular 1B. A lot of that depth is in the lower levels, which means that short of a breakout prospect, the Yankees may need to lean on guys like Rumfield and Rice for a while.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

4th Round, 119^th overall: C/1B Cole Messina (Miss. State) – “Moose” profiles as a Spencer Henson-type prospect, although Messina would likely stick as catcher. The Yankees have one of the deepest and highest quality catching depths in the industry, both from domestic and international drafts, and it’s sort of difficult to project the position he may play. Using Ben Rice as an example again, he was drafted in the 12^th round as a catcher. The Yankees saw the potential in his bat and converted him over to a first baseman. Will the same thing happen here with Messina?

Going back to look at 1B depth, the depth is weaker at the lower levels, considering the Yankees recently have moved Coby Morales from the outfield to play first base with Low-A Tampa.

Messina’s power is what sticks out to me most, along with his (below-average) hit tool. My colleagues at Prospects Live profiled Messina in depth last year, saying, “He does a good job managing his strikeouts compared to walks, he barrels the ball often and is aggressive early.” A lot of that sounds like the kind of bat the Yankees traditionally are looking for, especially with someone who could play 2+ positions. It wouldn’t be too wild to expect that if Messina can play 1B, he can likely play 3B in a pinch, too.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

5th Round, 152^nd overall: RHP Matt Ager (UC Santa Barbera) – After drafting Ryan Harvey in the 11^th round in 2022, the Yankees may return to UCSB again in the 5^th round to go after tall righty Matt Ager. With a four-pitch mix, Ager has an arsenal of fastball, slider, curveball, changeup, with his SL and CB being his best pitches. Ager reminds me a lot of former Yankees prospect Derek Craft (2018, 16^th rd.), although at 6-foot-6, Ager is 2 inches shorter than Craft.

My colleague Tyler Jennings at Prospects Live saw Ager in a matchup at Campbell this past February, where he noted that “there were times that command was spotty”  and that he adapted to the umpire’s small-ish strike zone as his outing went on. Ager’s pitches have good movement, and you could tell in this video that he’s just missing the zone, which is something the Yankees can work on.

Via Pipeline, Ager had a low walk rate in 2023 with a 2.5 BB/9, but he suffered an oblique injury last November which may have affected his effectiveness in 2024. Although Ager has been a starter with the Gauchos, I can see the Yankees moving him to the bullpen as a reliever. I think that his slider and curveball plus mixing in the fastball and change at times may be better suited as a middle reliever to solely get outs as opposed to using him as a starter. Given how many of the farm system’s bullpens have been emaciated as a result of injuries this year, selecting and moving Ager makes sense for the Yankees.

MLB Pipeline scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

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