The Prep Righties

Now last year, I proposed a system whereby the Yanks would just flex their financial might and sign all the preps they draft. With the state of the farm, and the sheer number of preps they took this year, that no longer seems terribly practical, but they really should try to take the best of this bunch, even if there are a lot of them. Some of them seem to have huge ceilings, and some of them seem to be ringers.

118 Jordan Cote 6'5" 215 RHP Prep

449 Rookie Davis 6'4" 225 RHP Prep

539 Matthew Troupe 5'11" 160 RHP Prep

569 Hayden Sharp 6'6" 200 RHP Prep

809 Jordan Foley 64" 205 RHP Prep

869 Josean Lazaro 6'0" 170 RHP Prep

899 Scott Hoffman 6'4" 205 RHP Prep

989 Garrett Nuss 6'1" 180 RHP Prep

1049 Skyler Janisse 6'4" 200 RHP Prep Canada!

1079 Chris McCue 6'0" RHP 170 Prep

1139 Ryan Harris 6'2" 195 RHP Prep

1169 Joseph Maher 6'5" 200 RHP Prep

1319 Tyler Farrell 6'2" 190 RHP Prep

1349 Adam Ravenelle 6'3" 185 RHP Prep

Fourteen prep righties in all, some with big upsides, some with big college commits, and some with both. Some of the ringers that are already identifiable are Cote, Davis, Sharp and Ravenelle. Of those 4 it looks like Ravenelle is the toughest to sign, with his Vanderbilt commit. Yet he played on the same Area Code team that Cito Culver and Jordan Cote played on that is run by Yankee Super Scout, Matt Hyde. So does that mean he's more likely to sign? Not necessarily, but they should know him better than anyone else does. What's more, it seems like the Yanks will be giving a lot of these kids, including Ravanelle a chance to earn their "break the commit" number by shining in summer league play.

Though the Yanks say they have a hard budget, I do believe if the kid blows them away over the summer, they can go get some more for him. I think they did it for Bryan Mitchell and Evan DeLuca two years ago, and I think they would have done if for Keenan Kish and Josh Dezse last year had Keenan pitched better or had Josh not balked at their offer. Anyway, I think a kid like Ravanelle can really make some money and become a Yankee this summer if he dominates.

I think Cote is a given, and he might even come in for top three round money. He indicated that the Yanks had met his demand in his local paper. I think Rookie Davis is a given - the Yanks have been all over him and even had he and his dad come down to the Tampa facility and meet everyone. I think they have an overslot deal in place like Marshall had a few years ago and Morton had last year.

Hayden Sharp is flat out interesting. The Yanks have a new scout and new crosschecker in the Arkansas/Oklahoma area and they're apparently cultivated quite a relationship with the kid, who also has a football option and has touched the upper 90s off the mound. Because of his football option, the Yanks can split his bonus over years, and I think they will take advantage of that. His two sport scholarship is to Central Oklahoma, and I don't think that's anything that can stop the Yanks if they want him.

The rest of the preps are also intriguing. Hoffman is coming of a poor Senior year but was a Prep favorite before this year. Foley seems like a beast. Janisse may be another ringer from our Canadian scout who came through last year. I don't think the Yanks will break the bank for any of the smaller pitchers unless they really dominate this summer, but I could see them going back to ownership for Ravenelle or Foley or one of the other bigger kids who shows well this summer. They like their horses.

We'll see how it goes. A few years ago they mopped up Mikey O'Brien and Matt Richardson for less than I thought it would take, so maybe some of these signability kids are ready and willing to turn pro. We'll know by August 15. It's a very impressive class.