The Sons of Tyler Austin

With pick 415 in the 2010 draft the Yankees popped Tyler Austin, a 6'2" 205 corner infielder/catcher/corner OF from Heritage HS in Georgia. Tyler was a Ringer pick, having been an AFLAC All American, who was also at the Yankee complex in Tampa on the Saturday before the draft. Little did we know at that time, that Tyler Austin would provide the archetype for the majority of the prep positional players the Yanks would take in the 2011 draft. Unlike the passel of up the middle players the Yanks took last year like Culver, Gumbs, Williams, Anderson and Gamel, Tyler is a big kid with real corner power. It's what the scouts call NOW power, not power that they hope develops, but power that is present already. In Yankee terms, he has a Yankee Bat. Lately, the Yanks had been getting their now power and Yankee Bats from the IFA ranks in players like Montero, Sanchez, DeLeon and Nunez, to name several.

While there are some former prep playes in the system like Joseph, Slade, JR, Gumbs and Williams who may develop 25 homer power, players like Tyler Austin and the kids we took this week have it now .

Tyler was a departure and really the first prep they've gone for with presumptive now power since the regrettable and forgettable Jon Poterson back in the second round of the 2004 draft. They're refined the approach since then. Here's what they did this week:

51: Dante Bichette - 6'1" 215 3B/1B/OF HS RINGER

149: Matthew Duran - 6'1" 205 3b/1B HS RINGER

179: Gregory Bird - 6'3" no weight listed C/1B HS RINGER

239 Austin Jones - 6'1" no weight listed 1B HS RINGER

1019 Spencer O'Neil - 6'4" 185 RF HS

That's 5 prep corner players out of 50 total picks. So the Tyler Austin brand of kids with some size and NOW power represented 10 per cent of the Yanks 50 picks this year. People are saying that O'Neil is virtually unsignable, but we'll see how it plays out. I fully expect Bichette, Duran Bird and Bubba Jones to sign. They all seem like Yankee Ringers, I have to learn a little more about O'Neil before I can make a better judgement. They say he wants 1M.

Pundits wanted the Yanks to take more up the middle "possible 5 tool" athletes again this year in the draft. The Yanks have up the middle prospects leaking from their ears and will probably add more when IFA season starts in July. Btw, by the time they get to the draft they already know who many of the Yanks 2011 IFA signings will be. So the Yanks did something I think is smart - they drafted Yankee Bats! Someone's got to drive in all the 5 tool guys! Seriously, this is the way to do it. Get them when they're young and teach them to take their walks and only swing at strikes. If you actually make it to the Yanks and don't have a Yankee Bat, they will eventually replace you. Ask Melky. So bringing them in when the power is already NOW, is a good idea.

Anyway, there is more to Tyler Austin than just raw boned now power, and I think it's something that is getting more and more significant in the Yankee system. Tyler plays very hard, like Slade and some of the other preps who have been flowing in (Jake Cave is another, but he's an up the middle guy and not a Son of Tyler Austin). Tyler has a terrific personality and make-up. Everyone comes away impressed with Tyler Austin, and I think that's something that's becoming more and more part of the formula for finding guys who aren't just draft picks and possible guys, but guys who have Yankee Bats and are possible Yankees. It will be interesting to see how these guys develop.

Once again, the more you look at this class, the deeper your appreciation should grow for the Damon and the scouts do. Ringers rock.