Draft Review Part One: Catching Up

Okay, some national critics, or let's call them national fan platforms, don't understand why the Yankees drafted a bunch of C's this week.  It's because they wanted to. The baseball draft is not like the football draft where you don't draft a franchise QB two years into already having found one.  You draft for the years ahead and for the current minor league system.

Also, the Yanks are in the unique position of having a very deep farm, but because of trades and graduations, their top 40 or 50 didn't include any catchers, which goes against Yankee principles going all the way back to Bill Dickey.  The Yanks have always won big with great catchers.  And for the past few years there's been nothing on the horizon. Higgy, who should be next back up in line had TJS on his throwing arm and it's never been the same. So he's more likely to be an eventual Yankee Coach, Scout or Executive than Yankee.

It was time to replenish a traditional strength, and sitting at 23 the Yanks could scout the hell out of all of them and then pick them off like flies.  At 23, they took the best prep Catcher in the Draft in Anthony Seigler.  He is freakishly ambidextrous and hyper coordinated, which will only come into play in his switch hitting and insane contact ability for the Yanks.  Meanwhile, it looks like he'll be sigining right away, so he'll be catching all the young pitchers that have been pooling down in EST, right away.

In the second round, the Yanks double dipped with JuCo C Josh Breaux.  Breaux is a 20 year old improving receiver with major power in his bat and his arm. Like Seigler, Breaux was also a pitching prospect.  And also like Seigler, only playing focusing on one position going forward should really grow his game. A lot of pundits felt Breaux should have stayed on the mound. Mmm, when a guy has 60 or 70 power and has proved it with wood, you don't keep him at pitcher. Just ask Babe Ruth.  So Breaux will join Dermis Garcia as the most power laden 20 year olds in the system while he's continuing to grow his D.

That the Yanks went back to back with young C's in the first 2 rounds threw some people off.  I don't think that was their plan. Going in I thought they would get a power hitter and a catcher in the first two rounds, and that's still what they did, but the second round power hitter is also a catcher. After they went C first, I think they maybe saw some other power candidates go off their board, before Nick Swisher got up to make his immortal call.

After taking Breaux the Yanks were Catcher Cool till round 18, where they took Prep C Alex Guerrero out of Idaho.  Alex is a lefty swinging C in the tradition of Dickey and Berra, and a great kid to co-develop with Anthony Seigler.  Amazingly, with college options ahead of him, Alex looks like he's turning pro for the 11-40 slot price of 125K. Alex's catching is thought to be a little rough, but that's what the Program is for, and the Yanks are in a better position to help him with his D than even Georgia Tech.  It will be fun having one of each of the GCL teams.

Eight rounds later, the Yanks drafted St. Mary's standout senior, lefty hittng C Jack Thoreson. This guy will be Crash Davis to the other three, and is not without value as a stand alone, and possibly make it C. He can hit, throw, call a game and is physically tough.

I thought Catcher 4 might be the final pop, but in round 27 they took Mickey Gasper as a first baseman, but most of his experience has been at C. Still if the Yanks called him a 1B we'd better respect their intention.

Four rounds later they took lefty swinging prep C Patrick Winkel.  Now at first, I thought Winkel was just picked to show their scouts liked him and would follow him at UConn.  Now I'm not so sure, since Guerrero is taking slot -- they might be able to take a run an Winkel who is a natural receiver with a stadium swing.  Of course his brother is already at UConn, but if they are from one of Conn's many Yankee loving families, maybe something could happen.

Finally in 35 they took Vegas Prep lefty swinging C Austin Wells.  Austin is a very decorated prep, but was injured all year, and this is probably the respect pick. He's already said he's not signing, so maybe Winkel really is in play.

That was it for their C strategy in the draft.  I've long been a proponent for drafting into the strengths of a particular draft and this year's crop offered a bunch. Therefore, the Yanks were smart to keep drawing from the abundance.

Now, with the kid they signed right after the draft last year -  C  Hemmanuel Rosario, who counted against last year's 10 round pool for some reason - and the two young C's they're expected to sign in IFA next month, the Yanks are heavily back in the catching business and will have ages 16-about to be 23 (Thoreson) covered in catching prospects.

It's also important to remember good catchers help develop good pitchers, and are really good for the rest of the team. They often become captains or managers, and on the field they can create confidence and push pace.

Thus, I applaud what the Yanks have done with C's starting right after last year's draft and probably continuing to July 2's signing date.  Consider it replenished.