- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,198,653
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
ATHENS, GA - JUNE 07: Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson(3) with a two run go ahead home run in the 10th inning during the NCAA Super Regional college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs vs Mississippi State Bulldogs on JUNE 7, 2026 Foley Field in Athens, GA. (Photo by John Adams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Major League Baseball Amateur draft is rapidly approaching with the Yankees holding the 35th overall selection for their first pick. After swinging widely at the top of the draft for years in the early 2000’s the team has performed better in the scouting, evaluations and development departments over the last seven drafts. As usual the Yankees are picking later than most teams, and in addition they moved down 10 slots due to the penalties for exceeded the Competitive Balance Tax thresholds. This move also leads them to have the third smallest bonus pool at just over $7.3 million, coming in just ahead of the Mets and Dodgers.
Baseball America recently updated their farm system talent rankings, with the Yankees coming in 21st across baseball. The weakness of the system is currently on the position player side, and this is likely where the Yankees will focus. Both MLB.com and Baseball America have seven pitchers ranked among the organization’s top 10 prospects. Especially light on the prospect side is the catching position where neither BA or MLB.com have any catchers among the Yankees top-30 prospects.
Teams will never draft for an immediate need at the Major League level, but they often will focus on a positional group that could use a boost across their system. If the Yankees choose to target catching, they have several very tempting options that, based on recent pre-draft rankings, could be available in their range.
University of Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson is coming off a tremendous season where he was the Golden Spikes award winner as the best player in college baseball. He won the triple crown in the Southeastern conference, hitting .378/.473/.803, with 32 home runs and 26 stolen bases. He was just the third player and first catcher in Division I baseball history to have a 30/25 season.
View Link
Jackson is ranked as the 28th-best draft prospect by MLB.com and 37th best by Baseball America. He has been available to the Yankees in a few mock drafts over the past few months and would be an exciting talent to add if he makes it to the Yankees at the 35th pick.
Another strong candidate is Mississippi high school standout Cole Prosek. Prosek is a polished hitter, with present power who finished second nationally with 18 home runs during his high school season. The left-handed hitter makes a lot of contact and projects to bring a solid contact-power mix as he continues to develop. He is listed as either a third baseman or shortstop depending on the scouting report, but the general feeling is that he will not stick as a shortstop in the pros. He recently has started catching and in limited opportunities the scouts believe that he can stick as a catcher.
View Link
Another draft strategy is often to follow up on previous successes. In two of the last three drafts, the Yankees have taken high school shortstops, George Lombard Jr. and Dax Kilby, and watched as they quickly showed the traits to become some of the organization’s top prospects. Shortstop is generally a heavily drafted position as the players often can move off of the position and fill defensive needs across the diamond as they integrate into professional baseball.
If the Yankees pursue a prep shortstop they may have their eye on Taj Marchand from James Island, South Carolina. Marchand is projected to have the athletic ability to stick at shortstop while displaying a very good hit tool, with potential for more power. His ability to hit with high exit velocities through the showcase circuit last summer and another strong high school season has Marchand moving up rankings as the draft approaches. Marchand is young for the draft class and will still be 17 on draft day. The 6-foot-2 University of Mississippi commit is ranked as the 37th-best draft prospect by MLB.com and 66th by Baseball America.
View Link
The recent history of the Yankees has them leaning more towards hitters in the first round, but in 2024 they went in another direction, drafting pitching early and often. While the team has found success in the later rounds of the draft with players like Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, they could still be looking for an early round arm if the right player is available to them.
One name to keep an eye on is Cade Townsend, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Mississippi. Baseball America flagged Townsend as having a “Cam Schlittler starter pack” back in April based on the metrics of his multiple fastballs with an ability to throw them for strikes. While much shorter than Schlittler, the 6-foot-1 Townsend can hit 97 mph while sitting 95-96 mph through an outing. He has shown a knack for spinning the ball, flashing above average curveballs and sliders, another trait the Yankees have gravitated to in previous drafts.
View Link
The Yankees have improved their draft strategy over the last seven editions. Gone are the days of top picks disappearing into the minor leagues, seeming to lose all momentum within a year or two. Since 2019, the Yankees have consistently developed their top picks into MLB-caliber players, or at least solid trade candidates. While there are still steps to be taken in the Yankees player development and acquisition strategy, this weekend we will see the newest Yankees join the mix full of optimism and expectations.
Continue reading...
