New York Yankees MLB Draft History And Projections

As we approach the 2018 MLB Draft on June 4, we’ll break down each major league team’s recent draft history, picking out tendencies where applicable, highlighting the team’s 2018 draft pool and also touching on the organization’s most successful recent draft picks.

Additionally, each team is listed with potential draft targets. These players either fit the typical modus operandi of the organization or are players who have been specifically linked or rumored as fits with a team throughout the spring. Baseball America will continue to add and subtract players from the potential draft target section as we continue to gather information in the final weeks leading up to the draft. Players are listed with a line of skinny to get a quick idea of who they are, but our full scouting reports will give a more complete picture of a player.

It’s also worth pointing out that while in some cases a team might appear to have a clear tendency with certain demographics (i.e. high school pitchers or college hitters), the sample we are looking at is small enough that teams could simply be following a best player available strategy and the results are showing something that’s not an overarching scouting philosophy. It’s more likely that tendencies can be discovered at the extremes, rather than slight apparent preferences in the last five years.

Here is a breakdown of the recent MLB Draft history of the New York Yankees:

General Manager: Brian Cashman (Since 1998)
Scouting Director: Damon Oppenheimer (Since 2005)
2018 Bonus Pool (Rank): $6,115,100 (26th)

2018 MLB Draft Order:

1st Round: 23rd

2nd Round: 61st

3rd Round: 97th

4th-40: 23rd in each round.

First Round Picks Since 2013:

2017: Clarke Schmidt (16th)

2016: Blake Rutherford (18th)

2015: James Kaprielian (16th), Kyle Holder (30th)

2013: Eric Jagielo (26th), Aaron Judge (32nd), Ian Clarkin (33rd)

Best Recent Pick (2010-2017 Drafts):

It took a while for him to develop, but OF Aaron Judge (No. 32 overall, 2013) has become one of the premier sluggers in baseball after a rookie season where the behemoth outfielder led the league in home runs (52), walks (127) and strikeouts (208). Judge won the AL Rookie of the Year award and finished second in the MVP race behind Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and led all hitters in fWAR at 8.2. With top-of-the-scale power and a home field that rewards it, Judge could find himself at the top of home run leaderboards for the foreseeable future.

Recent Tendencies (Last Five Years/Top Five Rounds):

The Yankees have been college and pitcher heavy over the past five years in the top five rounds, selecting players from four-year universities 59.3 percent of the time (10th) and pitchers 59.3 percent of the time (tied for 8th with the Orioles).

The Yankees have had one of the most consistent hierarchies of any team this century, with Brian Cashman serving as GM since 1998 and scouting director Damon Oppenheimer in charge of draft since 2005 and the director of player personnel from 2001 until his promotion to scouting director.

In the first round, New York has selected five college players and two high school players since 2013.

Potential Draft Targets:

1B/3B Triston Casas — Casas has plus-plus raw power and an advanced, patient approach at the plate with surprising athleticism in the infield

SS Jeremy Eierman — A tooled up college shortstop with a plus arm, Eierman also possesses plus speed and plus power

3B/SS Jordan Groshans — A powerful infielder with plus bat speed, Groshans has hit all spring and should continue developing more power that’s already plus.

OF Jake McCarthy — Injury has limited McCarthy for much of his junior year, but when healthy he is a plus runner who should stick in center with a track record of hitting

C/3B Noah Naylor — The younger brother of Josh Naylor, Noah is more hit over power with exceptional barrel awareness and a track record against professional arms

C Anthony Seigler — An ambidextrous, switch-hitting catcher who can pitch from both sides, Seigler’s pro future will be behind the plate where he is solid all-around.

OF Nick Schnell — Few prep players have hit more than Schnell since last fall, as a likely corner outfielder who’s a better runner underway with an above-average arm.

OF/LHP Connor Scott — A plus runner with good feel for the barrel, Scott is developing power and has a plus arm with good chance to stick in center field—aka toolsy

SS Brice Turang — An athletic, lefthanded-hitting shortstop with plus speed and great feel for the barrel, Turang is more polished than most preps