Yankees Draft Review

The Yanks made the most of a terrible decision by MLB. By cutting the draft to 5 rounds, MLB not only screwed all the teams and prospects, but didn't really give the Yanks a chance to even out the picks they lost by signing Cole. I wonder if they've ever spent 3 high picks on one player before. So far it's a 1 a 2 and a 5. And more than a few bucks.

The Yankee Macro has changed lately, and scouting and player development have been revolutionized by new measuring tools and new biomechanical understandings of hitting and pitching. To wit, they talk more about spin rates and exit velos than they do about 12-6 curves and stadium swings now.

That's said, the Yankees didn't do anything new and different with their 3 picks. They collected talent as they did since they build the first version of Yankee Stadium.  Patience and pop lefty sluggers and a pitcher with a good number one.  This is not how they got Ruth, but it is how they got Gehrig and Keller and Dickey and  Yogi and targeted Maris and Murcer and Nettles. and Reggie. Austin Wells and Trevor Hauver are 20's-80's type Yankee bats, but it's pretty much a certainty that their walk rates and exit velos got them picked, not their handedness. These are very exciting bats to throw into the mix.

Wells may be the best power/pop guy the Yanks have drafted since Aaron Judge.

Beck Way is an interesting guy, with a good fastball and a developing change. Over the past few decades the Yanks have had trouble developing pitchers with good changeups, so hopefully, taking Way is a sign that their new understanding have solved that problem. The Yanks have been good at adding velo and refining breaking stuff. Just not developing plus changeups.

In all, they were able to get high production and high skills from their picks  They're also 21 and they're getting them at the right time.  So it's correct to be annoyed at MLB for screwing this up, but the Yankee scouts and FO found impact just the same.

Tomorrow, at 9 am, the Yanks can start signing undrafted free agents at 20K plus college tuition per player. This is where their combination of classic scouting and modern understanding can really pay off for them.  Could be fun.