MLB Draft: Who Should the Yankees Select?
Now, I am not going to cover every single round for the Yankees, but rather, the first two rounds. With that in mind, here are who I believe would be ideal fits for the team in each round.
First Round:
Option #1 Logan Gilbert
Option #1 Logan Gilbert
The Yankees made pitching a focus with their early round draft choices last year, as they drafted righties Clarke Schmidt in the first round, and Matt Sauer in the second. I believe the Yanks should aim for a college pitcher here two years in a row, as Gilbert is a great choice for the team.
Its funny because I suggested a college player for the Mets draft piece I wrote beforehand, but this has nothing to do with me believing that teams should only pick college players with their first round picks.
Rather, I see Gilbert as an explosive pitcher that will easily get strikeouts as a professional (10.82 K/9 last season and a 12.87 K/9 this season), and his low walk rate (1.80 BB/9 this season) make it easy to see him making a smooth transition to the pros.
One concern with some of the great stats Gilbert posted was that it appears as if he didn't face the best competition pitching for Stetson. However, Corey Kluber and Jacob Degrom are also Stetson alums, so I wouldn't put a lot of stock into the competition thing.
Gilbert has a fastball that was given a 60 grade, and will sit in the mid 90's, while being able to top out in the high 90's. His stuff had seen hard regression early on in the season, but started to get back to form as the season wore on, so I wouldn't be too worried about the early season concerns.
Speaking of his stuff, he features a nice slider, and MLB.com rates it as a 55 grade pitch. It has solid depth, and I project it to be an above average big league offering. His curve is not a very effective pitch, and I can see him ditching that pitch at some point in his pro career, as it blends too much with the slider. Because of that, it's basically a slower slider with loose movement.
The scouts say that his change is his best pitch, and that he should use it more often. With a 60 grade fastball and a 55 on both his curve and change, he clearly has very good stuff.
Gilbert gets excellent hip to shoulder separation in his delivery, and when he hits at front foot strike, his arm is in a safe position, and in turn, will cause far less stress to the elbow and shoulder.
With the combination of his size (6'5, 225 pounds), the 100 innings he threw this past season and the safe, yet compact delivery he possesses, one would be led to believe that Gilbert will easily become an innings eater if he makes the majors.
I can see Gilbert being a safe bet to make the majors. It will take him a little longer to get there compared to other college pitchers though, as he'll have to refine his secondary offerings.
In spite of that, the Yankees have both a great young core and a great farm system, so they can afford to bide their time with Gilbert and let him develop in the minors. I'd peg his ETA at mid 2021. I also project Gilbert to be a safe bet to be a #3 starter in the Majors; mainly due to how I see him becoming an innings eater with strong walk to strikeout ratios.
Its funny because I suggested a college player for the Mets draft piece I wrote beforehand, but this has nothing to do with me believing that teams should only pick college players with their first round picks.
Rather, I see Gilbert as an explosive pitcher that will easily get strikeouts as a professional (10.82 K/9 last season and a 12.87 K/9 this season), and his low walk rate (1.80 BB/9 this season) make it easy to see him making a smooth transition to the pros.
One concern with some of the great stats Gilbert posted was that it appears as if he didn't face the best competition pitching for Stetson. However, Corey Kluber and Jacob Degrom are also Stetson alums, so I wouldn't put a lot of stock into the competition thing.
Gilbert has a fastball that was given a 60 grade, and will sit in the mid 90's, while being able to top out in the high 90's. His stuff had seen hard regression early on in the season, but started to get back to form as the season wore on, so I wouldn't be too worried about the early season concerns.
Speaking of his stuff, he features a nice slider, and MLB.com rates it as a 55 grade pitch. It has solid depth, and I project it to be an above average big league offering. His curve is not a very effective pitch, and I can see him ditching that pitch at some point in his pro career, as it blends too much with the slider. Because of that, it's basically a slower slider with loose movement.
The scouts say that his change is his best pitch, and that he should use it more often. With a 60 grade fastball and a 55 on both his curve and change, he clearly has very good stuff.
Gilbert gets excellent hip to shoulder separation in his delivery, and when he hits at front foot strike, his arm is in a safe position, and in turn, will cause far less stress to the elbow and shoulder.
With the combination of his size (6'5, 225 pounds), the 100 innings he threw this past season and the safe, yet compact delivery he possesses, one would be led to believe that Gilbert will easily become an innings eater if he makes the majors.
I can see Gilbert being a safe bet to make the majors. It will take him a little longer to get there compared to other college pitchers though, as he'll have to refine his secondary offerings.
In spite of that, the Yankees have both a great young core and a great farm system, so they can afford to bide their time with Gilbert and let him develop in the minors. I'd peg his ETA at mid 2021. I also project Gilbert to be a safe bet to be a #3 starter in the Majors; mainly due to how I see him becoming an innings eater with strong walk to strikeout ratios.
Option #2
Brice Turang
Most of the MLB is gearing toward college with their first round picks, and I think the Yankees have the chance to buck that trend by picking a potential star in the Santiago shortstop.
Turang was once seen as a potential #1 overall as recently as early this year, but there was one thing that caused his draft stock to go down.... expectations. That's right, expectations. Essentially, because of the sky high expectations that were placed upon him, he would be considered a disappointment if he didn't light the world on fire.
However, Turang played just fine in his senior season, and is still the best prep shortstop of this draft class. In fact, Turang is still one of the best hitters in this class, period.
Turang has an interesting approach at the plate, as from the footage I've seen of him this year, he has become more selective at the dish. With his selectivity, he mixes it with a spray to all fields type of approach.
When pairing this combination with his 60 grade speed (4.14 Home to First time), Turang has a great offensive profile, as he will be on base constantly, and will be able to take the extra base on hits that follow.
He has a nice and smooth swing. The hand load on his swings tend to occasionally represent a mix of Chris Davis and Josh Hamilton. It's not so much a flaw as it is interesting to me, and worth noting. Honestly, Turang has beautiful swing mechanics, and if he makes the majors, his swing is one that hitting instructors will tell their students to study.
Turang also has smooth actions at shortstop, and I believe he will stick there as he moves up the system. I am overall a fan of his actions there, and think he can develop into at least a league average fielder in the majors.
There are concerns with Turang's power potential, as he is only is listed at 165 pounds. However, at his current frame and standing at 6'1, I see him filling out as a professional and putting on some muscle. On top of that, he seems like he is aware of himself as a hitter, and is looking to hit for a bit more pop in the future. Here's what he said during an interview with Baseball America:
“I always have something I work on,” the top-ranked shortstop said. “I’m working on something every time I go into the cage. This year it was more of, ‘Let’s try not to just make contact, let’s try to crush this ball.’ That’s what’s really gotten me into going to the home runs, hitting more gap-to-gap shots. Just running through my head, strikeouts, I only strike out a little bit. And maybe it’s not a bad thing if I’m taking good aggressive hacks".
Taking good and aggressive hacks will have Turang succeeding as a professional and I can see him being a steal in this years draft. It will likely require going over the $2.8 million slot bonus the Yankees have (probably approaching $3 million), but I'm sure that's something the team will be willing to do in order to bring in a special talent. Especially when Turang is looking to do this more often:
Verdict:
It's certainly a flip of the coin as to who I'd rather take with this pick. Personally, I think the team should simply take the best player available, and by the time they pick, one (or both) will likely be the best player available. As for which one would make for the better pick? I'd go with Turang.
It was a tough call (and one I thought about for a little while), but I feel like Turang has serious upside, and if he develops his power, he could become an All Star in the Majors. Essentially, that is the one thing that scouts have concerns with, but I truly feel like Turang will develop at least league average (.180 ISO) power.
Combine that with how the right field porch in Yankee Stadium would turn a few more of his flies into homers, and I think that Brice Turang would be a great selection for the Yankees. Not only that, but this can be the steal of the draft.
Second Round: Joe Gray Jr.
As much as the Yankees have a ton of outfield depth as it is, Gray would be a great prospect for the team to draft. Gray has a great athletic build at 6'3 and 195 pounds (with room for additional growth). I could see him filling out and topping out at 205 pounds, thus adding more power.
The power aspect he already carries is highly intriguing, as he has good bat speed, and the chance to hit for some nice power as a professional.
Gray is a great athlete with a plus arm (clocked at 98 mph on outfield throws), and above average speed. It seems to me that even if he packs on more weight, he still would have the tools to stick at center field.
Gray has a lot of moving parts in his swing (especially when he loads up on the swing), and has a bit of a long swing. In spite of that, he has quick hands that make up for this. Nonetheless, I see him having strikeout/whiff issues once he becomes a professional, but also having good pop due to how much charge he can put into the ball.
Gray in a sense, is a typical early round high school prospect. He has great tools, and if he makes the majors, he can be an impactful big leaguer. He would provide above average power, good speed and provide a great glove. However, there is no guarantee he makes the majors, as he still is considered to be a raw prospect, and would have to show improvements in his game.
Despite this, the Yankees have a great developmental system, and can work with Gray, and also can afford to be patient with him, as they have a great young major league core.
Comments
Post a Comment