River Avenue Blues

River Ave. Blues » 2010 Draft » Page 2

Yankees sign ninth rounder Taylor Morton

by 31 Comments

Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed ninth round pick Taylor Morton for $450,000, exactly three times over slot. Coming out of a Tennessee high school, the 6-foot-3, 200 lb. righthander was inconsistent with his velocity this spring, though he did top out around 94-95 mph. Morton also throws a really good changeup and a curve, and is arguably the best pitching prospect the Yanks drafted this year based on the total package – present stuff, future projection, and command. Here’s video.

It doesn’t look like the Yanks will hand out a seven-figure bonus this year, but they’ve still gone over slot more than a half-dozen times. That’s good news though, because I’ve been pretty amazed that the Yanks managed to sign a player at the price they did on several occasions, including Morton. They’re getting some serious bargains this year.

Yankees sign second rounder Angelo Gumbs

by 68 Comments

Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed second round pick Angelo Gumbs for a $750,000 bonus, more than $300,000 over slot. The outfielder from a California high school is extremely raw, but all of his tools grade out as average or better according to Callis. Most importantly, dude’s got some serious bat speed, which you can’t teach. Gumbs is a bit of a long-term project, but the skill set and potential are very exciting. Here’s some video.

You can find a list of all the Yanks’ signed picks here, and by my count at least seven have received an over slot bonus. The signing deadline is midnight Monday, so a little more than three days until this is all resolved.

Yankees agree to terms with third rounder Rob Segedin

by 22 Comments

Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have agreed to terms with third round pick Rob Segedin on a $377,500 bonus, which is about $108,000 over slot. I’m actually pretty surprised that he signed at that number, it seems pretty low. Maybe that’s just an indication of where the market is at.

A draft eligible sophomore with extra leverage, the Old Tappan, NJ native hit .373/.463/.625 during his time at Tulane (.434/.518/.788 last season) with more walks (68) than strikeouts (49). Segedin was drafted as a third baseman, but back and shoulder injuries could push him to the outfield. The righty swinger can definitely hit, and is the most polished player selected by the Yanks this year. Here’s some video.

Yankees sign 12th rounder Dan Burawa

by 36 Comments

Via Aaron Fitt, the Yankees have signed 12th round pick Dan Burawa to an double-slot $300,000 bonus. The righthander from St. John’s was a draft eligible sophomore, so he had a little more negotiating leverage than most draftees, though the bonus isn’t outrageous. Keith Law wrote a glowing report after seeing Burawa a few weeks ago, saying “it’s a premium arm that would play pretty quickly in a late-game, one-inning role.” Here’s the only video I could find, nothing special though.

In 23.2 innings with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League this summer, Burawa struck out 25 and walked 17, so he’ll have to tighten up that control. He’s going to report to Short Season Staten Island, where he’ll join recently signed fifth rounder Tommy Kahnle in the bullpen. Here’s a list of the Yanks’ signed draft picks.

Yankees sign 6th round pick Gabe Encinas

by 40 Comments

Via Jim Callis, the Yankees have signed 6th round pick Gabe Encinas to an above slot $300,000 deal. Encinas, the 205th overall pick, was rated as the 133rd best prospect in the draft by Baseball America, and 95th by Keith Law.

Drafted out of a California high school, the 6-foot-4, 200 lb. Encinas is arguably the best pitching prospect the Yanks drafted this year. His fastball sits in the low-90’s and he also offers a sharp curve and one of the best changeups among this year’s high school crop, but what sets Encinas apart is his smooth delivery and feel for pitching. He’s proven adept at changing speeds and setting hitters up. The signing deadline is just ten days away, so there’s going to be a whole bunch of signings trickling in soon.

2010 Draft: KLaw on Dan Burawa

by 16 Comments

Keith Law got a look at Yankees’ 12th round pick Daniel Burawa during his outing for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League last night, and wrote an absolutely glowing report about him (Insider req’d). He dubbed Burawa’s fastball as electric, noting that the St. John’s righty “sat 93-96, dipping below that just twice in his one inning of work” with “so much downward life that it often finishes below the zone.” KLaw also noted that Burawa has an upper-70’s curve that serves as a change-of-pace pitch, but otherwise “it’s a premium arm that would play pretty quickly in a late-game, one-inning role.” Like I’ve been saying, it’s clear the Yanks’ sought out guys with big time arm strength in this draft.

There’s reportedly five Yankee draftees playing on the Cape this summer, including Burawa, RHP Tommy Kahnle (5th round), and RHP Martin Viramontes (27th round).

Open Thread: MLB Bonus Baby’s Draft Review

by 130 Comments

Photo Credit: MLB.com

Andy Seiler at MLB Bonus Baby is reviewing each team’s draft class over the next few weeks, and today he got to the Yankees. He offered up a blurb on all 50 players they selected (yes, all 50), giving the class an overall grade of C+. That’s basically the grade I have it during our draft day liveblog(s). There’s a lot of upside, but a whole lot of risk as well. No one better exemplifies that than first round Cito Culver (above). Make sure you check out Andy’s review, very informative stuff.

As for the rest of the night, use this as the open thread until the regular game thread comes a long a little after 9pm ET. The game starts at 9:40, a little earlier than yesterday.