Yankees Draft Review, Pt. 3 - The Bats

In all, the Yanks took 17 positions players.   Of those 4 are Senior bats and the rest come with one degree of signability or another.  And probably a lot of how this draft is regarded will rest on which signable bats are brought in and which ones aren't.  That's for two reasons - first they took so many pitchers they are bound to have some hits, and second is because the Yanks didn't add any undeniable bats in the first, second or third rounds.

In fact, the first two hitters the Yanks took are more or less known for their gloves.  Kyle Holder, who is apparently and universally heralded as a great defenisive shortstop, come with a lot of people questioning his bat.  By the way, he signed already.

Then, in the 4th the Yanks took Jeff Hendrix a junior CF from Oregon State.  Jeff's got good speed and can pick em in the OF, but was being projected as a 4th OF, and that wouldn't happen if there was hight regard for his bat.

Btw, both Kyle and Jeff have OPS'd over .900 in their respective junior years, so maybe they're both coming on.   That would be fantastic for the Yankees.  Hendrix will probably sign soon, too, so that will knock out two of their hitters with leverage, but maybe not possessing true Yankee Bats.

But until they prove it in the pro's a lot will depend on what happens with the rest of the bats.  Starting in the 6th the bats got really interesting.   At that point the Yanks popped Brandon Wagner, the Babe Ruth of the Bayou.  This guy was the best JuCo player in Texas and put up cartoony power numbers, and he walks.   He has leverage but it sounds like he's in and can't wait to take aim at the short porch in Right.

Next, the Yanks took the first of their intriguing Senior Bats in RF Jhalan Jackson.  This is another guy who showed big power with year and was one of the most highly regarded seniors in the whole draft.  He has no leverage, so let's hope he keeps it going in SI or Pulaski.

Next, the Yanks popped Donny Sands, who became their first top 10 position pick since 2013.  Donny has indicated he's signing, and that's great for the Yanks for a few reasons, notably though, because he  will begin filling in the current hole between the 17 year old hitters and the guys in their 20s.   He'll probably be ticketed for the GCL.  And it would be fantastic if he became a real opton for 3B going forward.

In th 9th, the Yanks picked the Senior 1B from MSU, Ryan Krill.    This is a big 6'3" 235 pounder who suddenly started to engage his natural power with the baseball this year.  He's a senior, but an ascendant guy, so there may be some more upside.

Next the Yanks took toolsy CF's Terrance Robertson and Trey Amburgey in rounds 12 and 13.  Terrance is a prep and Trey is a JuCo, so it's probably one of the other with these two.  Terrance is more speed than anything elsee at this point, where Trey's got everty club in his bag, but has been injured a bunch.

In the 18th the Yanks took intriguing power hitting corner OF Zack Zehner.  He was a 5th year senior who was still improving this year.  See, they weren't throwing away these senior picks like some teams seem to.

In round 20, the Yankees made one of their most crucial picks. Isiah Gilliam is an 18 year old switch hitting behemoth at 6'3" 220 with light tower power from either side.  He's a JuCo and thus has leverage, but he's exactly the kind of hitter the Yanks were probably looking for in round 1.  And he would joint Donny Sands in really starting to fill in that 18 year old gap in the prospect chain.    This is a really important hitter for the Yanks and they sort of have to get him.  It seems like he has a true Yankee Bat.   This one is a big deal.

Next they took senior catcher Austin "Audie" Afenir.  Probably a catch and throw guy who's s a senior and the son of one of their scouts.  Future manager?

In the 27th, the Yanks made another intriguing pick when they popped monstrous prep 1B Michael Hicks who is 6'7 and 245 and hits lefty I have no idea what kind of athlete he is, though I do think he's also a football player, probably a TE.   It would be really interesting if they could bring this 18 year old in and see what he can become.  There's either big power or big power projection there already.  But he's also in the area of the draft where there just might not be enough money left.

In the 29th they took yet another lefty swinging senior 1B in Kane Sweeney.  He's more standard sized for a 1B, but is yet another intriguing senior who might hit a bit.

Then they took a break before finishing the draft with four really intriguing hitting prospects starting with prep 3B, Matthew Schmidt in round 37.   He's almost certainly going to college but begins to beg a question that will get to a bit later.

In 38 they took, Lehigh 2B Mike Garzillo. Like Brandon Wagner, Garzillo dominated a lower level, but that's exactly what you want from your lower level picks - domination.

In 39 the Yanks took,  Prep INF  Deacon Liput and this cat can slam, too.  But again, he'll probably go to college because the money will probably run out well before round 39.  Unless he wants to start his pro career.

They finished by taking the Catawba College catcher, Will Alberton and he's an impressive hitter, too.

So here's the question that was begged from pic 37 on.  Why didn't the Yanks take them sooner?  The system really needs more impact bats, especially in the Schmidt, Liput age group, so why not grab them when there'd be a better chance of getting them?

We'll see what happens with the Day 3 guys, but that will largerly make or break this draft.  Some of the seniors will have to hit, and they're going to have to sign some of the 18 year olds, especially Isiah Gilliam.  Obviously it's not a one person draft - though if just one guy can become a regular he will pay for the class - and the Yanks could really help themselves and their futures by adding even more power bats -- though they did do a very good job finding senior bats, and it looks like the Ruthian Wagner is on the way, and that could be really fun.