River Avenue Blues

  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Features
    • Yankees Top 30 Prospects
    • Prospect Profiles
    • Fan Confidence
  • Resources
    • 2019 Draft Order
    • Depth Chart
    • Bullpen Workload
    • Guide to Stats
  • Shop and Tickets
    • RAB Tickets
    • MLB Shop
    • Fanatics
    • Amazon
    • Steiner Sports Memorabilia
River Ave. Blues » Minors » Draft » Page 3

2018 Draft: Yankees go heavy on catchers and college players on Day Three

June 7, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Marceaux. (Christian J Stewart/WBSC)

The 2018 amateur draft is now complete. A total of 1,214 players were picked these last three days, including 40 by the Yankees. Believe it or not, not one of those 40 is a Southern California kid. Crazy. It was a down year for SoCal overall, but I still figured scouting director Damon Oppenheimer would find someone he liked out there. Guess not. Anyway, here are my Day One and Day Two draft recaps. Let’s review the Yankees’ Day Three haul.

The Best Day Three Prospect

The best prospect the Yankees drafted yesterday is Louisiana HS RHP Landon Marceaux (37th round), who went into the draft as a potential top three rounds pick on talent. His commitment to LSU was considered borderline unbreakable, however, so I wouldn’t count on the Yankees being able to convince Marceaux to turn pro. This was one of those “hey, we’re interested in case you change your mind, otherwise we’ll touch base again in a few years” pick.

Marceaux is a 6-foot-1 right-hander with excellent command and pitchability. He really knows how to work both sides of the plate and set hitters up. His fastball is mostly 88-92 mph right now and his best pitch is a snapdragon curveball. Add in a quality changeup and a slider, and you’ve got a kid who could come out of college as a first round pick in three years. It seems to me the Yankees have some extra bonus pool space to spend on a Day Three prospect. I really doubt they have enough to convince Marceaux to pass on LSU and turn pro though.

The Top Prep Catchers

Even after selecting George HS C Anthony Seigler and Texas JuCo C Josh Breaux in the first and second rounds, respectively, the Yankees really attacked their organizational weakness at catcher on Day Three. They drafted four more catchers in rounds 11-40, including two from the high school ranks with considerable upside. Will the Yankees sign either of them? We’ll see.

Nevada HS C Austin Wells (35th) was one of the top high school catchers in the draft class thanks to his well-rounded skill set. The problem? He’s been nursing an elbow injury all spring and hasn’t been able to throw. When healthy, Wells has a cannon and he’s very accurate. He can hit too. He’s a lefty with some pop and a sound approach. Had he been healthy, Wells might’ve gone on Day One this year. Instead, it’s likely he’ll follow through on his commitment to Arizona, and he could be one of the top college catchers on the draft board in three years.

The other top prep catcher, Connecticut HS C Patrick Winkel (31st), is a very advanced receiver for a high schooler, especially one from a cold weather state. He’s a very good thrower and he’s had no trouble catching elite pitching in showcase events. Winkel can catch. It’s unclear whether he’ll hit. He has an uppercut swing from the left side and needs to iron that out, as well as develop more discipline. Winkel is committed to UConn and, like Wells, he was considered a tough sign going into the draft.

It’s also worth noting the Yankees selected another prep catcher, Idaho HS C Alex Guerrero (18th), who is rough around the edges defensively but can really hit from the left side. Unlike Wells and Winkel, Guerrero is expected to turn pro. He told Michael Lycklama he is “99.999% sure” he’ll sign. “It being the Yankees, it’s a big deal … It’s a crazy feeling to even be considered a part of that history,” said Guerrero.

The College Bats

In an effort to find the next Steven Sensley, the Yankees grabbed several college position players with strong track records of performance on Day Three. George Washington 3B Isaiah Pasteur (13th) managed a .331/.398/.589 batting line with eleven homers and 31 steals in 57 games this spring, and when you add solid hot corner defense to the mix, you get one of the most intriguing college senior position players in the draft class.

VMI OF Matt Pita (12th) hit .389/.459/.721 with 14 homers and 23 steals in 53 games this spring, and Tennessee Tech OF Alex Junior (19th) put up a .326/.458/.494 batting line with seven homers. Bryant 1B Mickey Gasper (27th) hit .340/.468/.539 with eight homers in 56 games. Interestingly enough, Gasper was a catcher all four years in school, but the Yankees announced him as a first baseman. Hmmm.

West Virginia 2B Kyle Gray (14th) hit .374/.462/.677 with 14 homers and ten steals in 55 games this spring, and that’s after hitting three home runs total in 110 games his freshman and sophomore seasons. Gray told Brett Barrett he adjusted his approached this year. “I’ve worked on having a better approach when it comes to certain counts, allowing fastballs to be driven the other way. That way I’m timing up off-speed when it shows up, and being able to keep it to the middle of the field,” he said. Here’s that new approach in action:

Kyle Gray gets one back! His team-high-tying 6th home run leads off the 4th.

B-4, OSU 7, WVU 3, 0 outs for Gonzalez

? https://t.co/LYijzeYSjx#HailWV pic.twitter.com/C78LUZiQsP

— WVU Baseball (@WVUBaseball) April 14, 2018

Gray showed good on-base ability and defense before this year’s power breakout. The Yankees are betting a 14th round pick the power is here to stay. Not a bad idea. Pasteur, Pita, Gasper, Gray, and Junior are all expected to sign.

Arms of Note

The Yankees did not load up on power arms on Day Three like they have in recent years. At least not as much, anyway. The hardest thrower the Yankees selected yesterday is South Carolina JuCo RHP Tanner Myatt (11th), who stands 6-foot-7 and 220 lbs., and sat 94-96 mph this spring. He touched 99 mph and also showed a decent slider. He walked 16 in 26.1 innings though, so finding the plate is an issue.

Miami (Ohio) RHP Nick Ernst (15th) was on his way to being a Day Two pick this spring when his elbow gave out and he needed Tommy Johns surgery. He made only two starts before getting hurt. Before the injury, Ernst was working at 91-94 mph with a quality slider. I’m curious to see whether he takes the money now, or goes back to school and tries to rebuild stock next spring. The timing of the injury means he won’t return until next April, so he won’t have much time to showcase himself, plus his leverage will be low as a senior. We’ll see.

The Yankees grabbed another Tommy John surgery guy in Vanderbilt RHP Justin Wilson (23rd), though Wilson had his surgery two years ago, and he returned to the mound this spring. Between the injury and a deep Vanderbilt staff, Wilson threw only six relief innings this year, which was apparently enough to convince the Yankees to draft him. Prior to the injury he worked in the low-to-mid-90s and had both a curveball and changeup. If he signs, Wilson could be a real nice late-round get for the Yankees. Vanderbilt doesn’t recruit nobodies.

Brown. (Georgia Athletics)

Georgia Southern RHP Blakely Brown (24th) is another guy who didn’t pitch this spring, but not because of injuries. He transferred from Georgia and had to sit out the season due to the NCAA’s dumb transfer rules. Brown reached the mid-90s on the regular and also showed a great curveball last time he actually pitched. Even with zero innings this season, the Yankees might be willing to pay Brown more now than he’d get as a senior next spring. Curious to see what happens here.

Florida HS RHP Jack Anderson (36th) and Florida HS LHP Brady Allen (39th) strike me as guys who are better off going to college than signing. Anderson has a good frame (6-foot-2 and 170 lbs.) and he’s sitting mostly 87-89 mph right now, and neither his breaking ball nor his changeup are reliable pitches yet. Allen is also an upper-80s guy who is figuring out secondaries. Three years of college seems like the best thing for their development. Pro ball might be too much to ask right now.

The Rest of the Draft Class

Texas-San Antonio RHP Derek Craft (16th) is a fastball-slider reliever who went from 5.6 K/9 as a freshman and sophomore to 10.7 K/9 as a junior, so that’s something to watch … Arkansas RHP Barrett Loseke (17th) has the type of control issues typically associated with a hard-thrower despite sitting mostly 90-92 mph … Tennessee Tech RHP Marcus Evey (20th) is mostly low-90s with okay feel for a breaking ball … British Columbia 3B Mitch Robinson (21st) has some pop and did catch a bit back in the day … Louisiana-Monroe RHP Keegan Curtis (22nd) and Dallas Baptist RHP Sean Boyle (25th) are college swingmen with good strikeout numbers … St. Mary’s C Jackson Thoreson (26th) is a veteran senior catcher who will be asked to guide young pitchers in pro ball … Gardner-Webb RHP Tyler Johnson (30th) shows three pitches and could be a reliever-to-starter conversion candidate … North Carolina HS SS Sincere Smith (32nd) is a very athletic but raw baseball/football guy … Northeastern 3B Max Burt (28th), Stevens Institute RHP Chuck Ruegger (33rd), Belmont Abbey 2B Matt McGarry (34th), Boston College LHP Dan Metzdorf (38th), and Brown RHP Reid Anderson (40th) are all depth guys.

* * *

You can see all of the Yankees’ picks here. The Yankees selected 40 players in the 2018 draft, 29 of them college kids. Nine were high schoolers and two came from the junior college ranks. Twenty-four of the 40 players are pitchers (21 righties), six are catchers, four are outfielders, two are second basemen, two are third basemen, one’s a shortstop and one’s a first basemen. While I don’t think Seigler (or Breaux) was drafted to fill an organizational need, the Yankees definitely picked grabbed a good amount of catchers this draft. They’re needed in the farm system.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2018 Draft

2018 Draft: Day Three Open Thread

June 6, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The three-day 2018 amateur draft wraps up today with rounds 11-40. The Yankees have had quite a bit of success on Day Three since the draft pool era began in 2012, selecting guys like Dustin Fowler, James Pazos, Caleb Smith, and Cody Carroll in the late rounds. We all want stars. But, in the late rounds, finding up-and-down players and trade chips is a pretty good outcome. Depth is important.

The Yankees have been fairly split in the first ten rounds this year, selecting four position players and six pitchers. Given all the lower level arms in the system, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a position player heavy — relatively speaking, of course, since teams always draft more pitchers than position players — Day Three today. You can see all of the Yankees’ picks right here. Here are my Day One and Day Two recaps, and here are some miscellaneous draft notes:

  • Not surprisingly, Georgia HS C Anthony Seigler (1st round) confirmed he will sign with the Yanks. “There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m definitely going to sign with the Yankees. This is a no-brainer for me,” he said on a conference call with reporters yesterday.
  • Tennessee HS OF Ryder Green (3rd round) played it a little more cool when asked whether he’s signing. “It depends on the money and what happens there. Hopefully it’s there, and if it’s not, Vanderbilt is an unbelievable option,” he said to WBIR. The kid admitted he has an agent in that interview, which ruins his college eligibility, so yeah, he’s signing.
  • I’m not sure whether this is legit reporting or a throw-away line, but KWTX says Texas JuCo C Josh Breaux (2nd round) will “now forego that opportunity (at Arkansas) to play in the Yankees’ organization.” Even if it is a throw-away line, he’s signing. Everyone in rounds 1-10 is signing.
  • Here are MLB.com’s best available players. The tippy top high school guys aren’t signing at this point. (Georgia HS RHP Kumar Rocker says he’s going to college.) Seems to me the Yankees have enough draft pool space for an overslot Day Three signing a la Josh Rogers and Isiah Gilliam.

The draft concludes today and, thankfully, the conference call is now rapid fire, one pick after another. MLB really drags out Day One and Day Two nowadays. Anyway, the draft resumes at 12pm ET, and you can tune in on MLB.com. Here is MLB.com’s draft tracker. Chat about all the day’s draft action here.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2018 Draft

2018 Draft: Yanks grab loud tools and depth arms on Day Two

June 6, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Lockridge. (Troy Athletics)

The first ten rounds and 314 picks of the 2018 amateur draft are now in the books. The top ten rounds are the rounds tied to the bonus pool, and because of that, teams typically spend Day Two getting their bonus pool situated. They cut underslot deals with certain picks to ensure they have money for the players they really want. The Yankees are no different. Let’s recap their Day Two activity.

The Power Bat

Once you get beyond the first round or two, you stop looking for complete players and start focusing on individual tools. The well-rounded guys are off the board already. In Tennessee HS OF Ryder Green (3rd round), the Yankees landed a prep bat with big time raw power, among the most in the draft class. He’s a right-handed hitter with good bat speed who will put on a damn show in batting practice.

The question, as is often the case with these non-first round big power guys, is whether Green can make enough contact. He had swing-and-miss issues in high school, and while he showed better pitch recognition and bat-to-ball ability this spring, there is still a lot of work to be done. Pro pitchers will work over a guy with contact issues. Even in the lower levels.

The good news is Green is not a one-trick pony. He’s a good runner and a good athlete with a very strong arm — he pitched a 93 mph in high school — who has played the infield at various points, but was announced as an outfielder at the draft. Down the line, Green projects as a profile right fielder with power and the arm necessary to prevent runners from taking the extra base.

It’s worth noting Green is committed to Vanderbilt, which is usually a tough commitment to break. The fact the Yankees drafted him anyway tells me they already have a bonus agreement in place. They wouldn’t risk losing their third round bonus pool money ($576,400). That’s not how Day Two works. The two sides talk ahead of time — technically illegal, but everyone does it — and figure out a deal. Green will sign and the Yankees will try to get him to make more consistent contact so he can show off that power in games.

The Speed Demon

In Green, the Yankees selected a loud tool in his power bat. In Troy OF Brandon Lockridge (5th round), they selected another loud tool, this time speed. Lockridge is a true burner with 80 (or close to it) speed on the 20-80 scouting scale, and he’s been a great performer for a very good Troy team the last two years. This spring the 21-year-old hit .303/.427/.455 with only two homers in 60 games, though he also had seven triples, 25 steals in 27 attempts, nearly as many walks (36) as strikeouts (41), and a ton of hit by pitches (17!). Lockridge knows his game. Get on base and run like hell.

Interestingly enough, Lockridge started his career as a middle infielder and he has the skills to handle second base, but Troy moved him to center field this year to better take advantage of his speed. The Yankees announced him as an outfielder, so it seems the center field experiment will continue. Lockridge is still new to the position and his inexperience shows at times, but he has the skills necessary to play the outfield long-term. His speed allows him to go a long way to get the ball. The upside here is a pesky leadoff hitter who saves runs in center field. Lockridge is a junior and figures to sign for slot ($320,700) or close to it.

The Personal Favorite

Hands down, my favorite Day Two pick is North Carolina RHP Rodney Hutchison (6th round). He’s a big dude (6-foot-6 and 225 lbs.) who pitched in a variety of roles on a perpetually deep Tar Heels pitching staff. Starter, long reliever, short reliever, you name it. This spring Hutchison threw 56 innings in ten starts and eight relief appearances, posting a 4.79 ERA and a 52/16 K/BB. He had a 4.64 ERA in 131 1/3 career innings. Not good!

So why is Hutchison my favorite Day Two pick? Two reasons. One, his stuff ticked up late in the spring. Michael Lananna had him at 94-96 mph with a “very sharp 86 mph slider” and a changeup that “could get big league hitters out right now” two weeks ago, saying it was the best he’d ever seen him throw. Well then. Secondly, Hutchison varies his delivery to mess with hitters. Check this out:

Rodney Hutchison Jr. (UNC), 3 Pitch Filthy K Sequence/Messing with Timing. Excellent use of varying tempos + nasty movement. @rodhutch9 pic.twitter.com/VnrHbfpvfu

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 31, 2017

Three different deliveries in a three-pitch strikeout. Fun! Hutchison is a fun pitcher and I am pro fun. If the uptick in stuff is real and something he can sustain going forward, this dude could really be something. Hutchison is a junior, but given his performance, there’s a chance he’ll sign for something below his $247,600 slot value.

The Bullpen Sleeper

The middle rounds are for draft pool manipulation and the Yankees, like every team, grab a few college seniors in rounds 6-10. They have no leverage and sign for peanuts, saving lots of bonus pool space. In recent years, however, the Yankees have done a nice job turning some of those picks into prospects and big leaguers. Tyler Webb was a senior sign, for example. Others like Nick Rumbelow and Nick Goody were mid-rounders.

This year’s senior sleeper is Grand Canyon RHP Mick Vorhof (9th round). In addition to having a great baseball name, he had ridiculous numbers this season, pitching to a 2.35 ERA with a 48/3 K/BB — 48/3 K/BB! — in 38 innings. Vorhof is a reliever all the way, and he sits low-90s with his fastball and backs it up with a solid (but unspectacular) breaking ball and changeup. To me, he’s a classic “the Yankees are going to get this guy to throw harder” prospect. The control is there and the secondary pitches are good enough. Wait until he adds some fastball.

The Depth Arms

The middle rounds are a good place to add inventory and, to be fair, North Florida RHP Frank German (4th round) is more than organizational depth. He’s very athletic with an easy low-to-mid-90s heater and a quality changeup. German is still working to refine his breaking ball, which sometimes drops like a curveball and sometimes sweeps like a slider. Three-ish pitches, strike-throwing ability, and a good delivery. A good starter kit for a fourth round pick, that is.

Gonzaga RHP Daniel Bies (7th round) and Bucknell RHP Connor Van Hoose (8th round) are senior signs who are interesting for different reasons. Bies is the better prospect of the two. He had Tommy John surgery in high school and has been better and better the further he’s gotten away from surgery. He’s Dellin Betances sized at 6-foot-8 and 230 lbs., and he brings low-to-mid-90s gas and an occasionally above-average slider to the mound. Bies had very good numbers this spring (2.49 ERA and 124/25 K/BB in 112 innings) and that always helps.

Van Hoose pitched to a 2.36 ERA with a 103/31 K/BB in 76.1 innings this spring, and he has a wonderfully simple and repeatable delivery that helps him throw strikes with three pitches (fastball, curveball, changeup). There’s not much to the fastball — he’s mostly 88-92 mph these days — which limits his ceiling. Perhaps the Yankees can get him to add some velocity. That’d be cool. If not, then I could see him as a solid organizational arm who spends several years in the system.

The Yankees used their final Day Two pick on UNC Charlotte LHP Josh Maciejewski (10th round) who, if nothing else, is an interesting statistical case. His year-by-year numbers:

IP ERA K/9 BB/9
2015 64 5.06 5.1 2.8
2016 85 5.51 6.9 3.5
2017 77 5.35 6.9 3.6
2018 104 2.25 9.0 2.1

Hmmm. Something is going on here. Something I am unable to find at the moment. Maciejewski changed something last year. Did his stuff improve? Did he change his pitch selection and sequencing? His position on the rubber? Something’s different. Whatever it was, it was enough for the Yankees to grab Maciejewski in the tenth round and roll the dice. He, Bies, Van Hoose, and Vorhof are all college seniors who will sign well-below-slot. They’re not non-prospects though. All four of them have something to offer.

* * *

Day Two is, typically, the least exciting day of the draft. Teams usually grab college seniors or cheap sign guys to get their draft pool situation where they want it. The Yankees actually had a pretty interesting Day Two though. I’m looking forward to seeing whether Hutchison maintains his suddenly improved stuff, whether Green can control the strike zone, and whether guys like German and Bies can fully harness their stuff and raise their profile like so many recent Yankees’ mid-round picks.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2018 Draft

2018 Draft: Day Two Open Thread

June 5, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

The pomp and circumstance of the first day of the 2018 draft is now in the rear-view mirror. The high draft picks get all the attention and understandably so, but the second and third days of the draft are where organizational depth is built. Turning mid-to-late round picks into big leaguers and trade chips is often what separates contenders from pretenders.

The Yankees selected two players during Day One of the 2018 draft: Georgia HS C Anthony Seigler and Texas JuCo C Josh Breaux. Here is my Day One draft recap. The draft continues today with Day Two, which covers rounds 3-10. These rounds are all tied to draft pool space and, generally speaking, Day Two is the most boring day of the draft. Clubs select players they know they’ll be able to sign to keep their draft pool situation in order. The most exciting prospects are picked on Day One and Day Three. Here are some miscellaneous draft notes:

  • Seigler and the other prospects in attendance at the draft toured Yankee Stadium yesterday morning. “I mean, yeah, it did enter my mind (that I could one day play here). But really, it was just like ‘If it happens, it happens.’ But I never figured it would come true,” he said to Sam Dykstra.
  • Jim Callis, in his Day One recap, says  Seigler “attracts a lot of attention because he’s a switch-pitcher and a switch-hitter, but that overshadows how good he is as a prospect … Seigler makes hard line-drive contact from both sides of the plate and might even profile as an everyday second baseman if he weren’t so valuable behind the plate.”
  • In their Day One recap, Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen say they “love Seigler’s polished game, and his tools are mostly above average, too.” They add the Yankees were “also on Virginia prep catcher Adam Hackenberg for a seven-figure bonus. Would be interesting to see them spend big on three catchers.”
  • Here are the best available players according to FanGraphs and MLB.com. One guy to keep an eye on: Stanford RHP Tristan Beck. The Yankees drafted him last year and could try again. At this point, pretty much any highly regarded high schooler still on the board is either going to a team with extra picks and thus extra bonus pool money, or they’re going to school. Such is life in the bonus pool age.

The 2018 draft resumes today with a short pre-draft show at 12:30pm ET and the draft itself at 1pm ET. There is no MLB Network broadcast today, but you can watch on MLB.com and follow along with their Draft Tracker. Talk about all things draft right here throughout the day.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2018 Draft

2018 Draft: Yankees double up on catchers on Day One

June 5, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Seigler. (Frank Franklin II/AP)

The first day of the 2018 draft is in the books. A total of 78 picks were made Monday night, during Day One of the draft, and among them were the Yankees’ first (23rd overall) and second (61st overall) round picks. Teams do not draft for need, especially not in the first round, but the Yankees have a hole at catcher in the farm system and they doubled up on backstops with their first two 2018 picks. Let’s review the two Day One selections.

Yankees stick to their strength with Seigler

Few teams in baseball have had as much success developing catchers in recent years as the Yankees. Gary Sanchez is already a top tier catcher, Francisco Cervelli has been a solid starter since being traded away, John Ryan Murphy is emerging as a starter with the Diamondbacks this year, and Austin Romine is either suddenly awesome or a perfectly acceptable backup. Don’t forget Luis Torrens spending last season in the big leagues as a Rule 5 Draft backup too. That’s a lot catching talent to come out of the system these last few seasons.

So, with first round pick Georgia HS C Anthony Seigler, the Yankees stuck to their strengths and added another catcher. They know how to develop ’em, so why not? Seigler sure does check a lot of boxes. He’s a switch-hitter — and a switch-thrower when he pitched in high school, so that’s cool — who has good contact ability and a sound approach, plus he’ll hit the ball out of the park occasionally. And when he does, he can show off his elite bat flip tool.

Anthony Seigler knows how to stylize a damn home run. 80 grade. Big fan. (video from Vincent Cervino of Perfect Game) #yankees pic.twitter.com/XgzzLVc9p5

— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) June 5, 2018

Furthermore, the 18-year-old Seigler is a good receiver and a good athlete behind the plate, good enough that he’s played second and third bases on occasion. He’s a very good thrower — Seigler throws righty when behind the plate, because duh — who has all the tools necessary to be a strong defender. On top of that, Seigler was lauded as having some of the best makeup and work ethic in the draft class. He’s a very hard worker and a total grinder on the field. If he were a a non-catcher position player, his uniform would never be clean.

“The thing that attracts you to Seigler is that he has the tools to catch, and he’s a switch-hitter, which makes him a unique commodity,” said scouting director Damon Oppenheimer in a statement. “He’s showing power from both sides of the plate, has really great instincts for baseball, a plus-arm and runs well for a catcher. On top of that, he’s proven to be versatile, with his ability to play other positions. Seigler’s got top of the line makeup. We’re very happy about him.”

Catchers tend to get drafted higher than projected, and, if you take the pre-draft rankings to heart, that’s what happened here. The various scouting publications all had Seigler as the 40-something best draft prospect available — Baseball America (subs. req’d), Keith Law (subs. req’d), and MLB.com ranked Seigler as the 41st, 43rd, and 46th best prospect in the draft class, respectively — yet the Yankees took him 23rd. That’s because catchers are very hard to find and teams jump all over guys who they think can do it long-term. (Seigler was the second catcher drafted this year behind No. 2 pick Joey Bart.)

The Yankees know catching. They didn’t draft Seigler because the system is light on catching prospects — it’s too difficult to project needs three or four years into the future, when most of these kids will be MLB ready, so you’re doing yourself a disservice if you draft for need in the first round — they drafted him because quality catchers are hard to find and because they believe he had the best long-term potential of anyone still on the board. Switch-hitting catchers are my jam. I really like the pick.

A different kind of catcher

By and large, the MLB Network draft broadcast is tedious and tough to watch. I get why MLB is trying to make the draft a thing, but the MLB draft is not a thing and will probably never will be a thing. None of these kids is going to step right onto their big league team’s roster and college baseball is not nearly as popular as college football or college basketball. Casual fans see these kids they’ve never heard of at the draft and they might not see them again for four years. Good for MLB for trying. But the MLB draft is never going to be popular among non-diehards.

The MLB Network draft broadcast is always difficult to sit through, but last night it paid off in a big way. Why? Because the Yankees had the always energetic Nick Swisher, who is a special advisor to Brian Cashman, announce their second round pick. The pick? Texas JuCo C Josh Breaux, pronounced Bro. Swisher got to announce a kid named Bro. Too perfect. (Also, let’s not sleep on the fact Josh has a brother named Joe. Joe Bro.)

Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranked Breaux as the top junior college player in the draft class coming into the spring and, in their latest rankings, they had him as the 83rd best prospect in the draft overall. MLB.com had him 71st. More or less where the Yankees grabbed him given how little usually separates draft prospects beyond the first 15-20 picks or so.

Seigler and Breaux are very different players. Seigler is a switch-hitter with a well-rounded game. Breaux was a two-way player in college — he’s run his fastball as high as 100 mph off the mound — who, as a catcher, is reminiscent of former Yankees farmhand Peter O’Brien. He has big right-handed power and questionable plate discipline, and he has work to do to remain behind the plate.

There are a few key differences between Breaux and O’Brien, however. First of all, Breaux is already a better defender than O’Brien was at the same point in his career, and he’s made significant strides behind the plate this spring. Secondly, the Yankees drafted Breaux as a sophomore whereas O’Brien was a senior. The Yankees drafted O’Brien a few weeks before his 22nd birthday. Breaux is only 20. Age is on his side.

And third, Breaux has had success with wood bats. He hit .271/.310/.474 with six homers in 35 games against top college competition in the Cape Cod League last summer. O’Brien hit for zero power (.325 SLG) with more strikeouts than you’d like (26.2%) during his summer in the Cape Cod League. The overall skill set — power over hit, sketchy defense — is similar. Breaux is younger than O’Brien was at the time of the draft, however, plus he’s already better with the glove and has fared better with wood bats. That’s not nothing.

Breaux. (Cape Cod Times)

Breaux has more flaws than Seigler, both offensively and defensively, though that comes with the territory when you’re comparing a second rounder to a first rounder. What Breaux has going for him is legitimate above-average power, a rocket arm, and an organization that really knows how to develop catchers. Was he my preferred choice for the second round pick? Nah, but what the hell do I know. Can’t ever go wrong with a catcher with offensive potential though.

“Josh Breaux is another guy with a really good makeup. He’s still young as a junior college guy, but his arm is huge and he has raw power. His ability to hit has really matured this year,” said Oppenheimer. “With Breaux, we think we have an impact tools guy who’s a catcher. You’re talking about a big, strong player who shows up and people understand right away why you took him.”

* * *

Either intentionally or coincidentally, the Yankees grabbed catchers in the first two rounds of the 2018 draft at a time when they’re very short on catchers in the farm system. I don’t think it was intentional. I really don’t. They like well-rounded up-the-middle athletes and that led them to Seigler. They also like dudes with standout tools, and Breaux has two of them in his power and arm. It just so happens both guys filled a glaring organizational need.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2018 Draft, Anthony Seigler, Josh Breaux

2018 Draft: Yanks select high school catcher Anthony Seigler with first round pick

June 4, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

(Getty)

The Yankees develop catchers as well as any team in baseball and they went back to their wheelhouse with their first round pick in the 2018 draft. Monday night the Yankees selected Georgia high school backstop Anthony Seigler with the 23rd overall selection. Here’s my write-up.

As luck would have it, Seigler was among the prospects attending the draft at the MLB Network studios. Here’s the video of him being selected and introduced:

“It’s a huge honor,” said Seigler after being picked by the Yankees. I’m really blessed to be here and I’m really thankful to be able to put this jersey on and carry on a legacy. I just can’t wait to get it started. I’m just ready to get out on the field and start playing, getting in the work.”

Although the various scouting publications had Seigler outside the top 30 picks in their latest rankings —  Baseball America (subs. req’d), Keith Law (subs. req’d), and MLB.com ranked Seigler as the 41st, 43rd, and 46th best prospect in the draft class, respectively — he’s been climbing draft boards in recent weeks. The latest mock drafts had him going in the 20-30 range.

Here’s the scouting report from my write-up:

Seigler is one of the most unique players in the draft class. For starters, he’s a switch-thrower with good velocity from both sides. He’s also a switch-hitter who has performed well against elite competition in showcase events, though he’s more of a doubles guy than a homers guy. Seigler knows the zone and projects as a high on-base hitter with good contact rates. Behind the plate, he’s a good receiver with a strong arm, and he’s a good enough athlete and runner that he’s capable of playing other infield positions, including second base. Seigler, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 lbs., is a very well-rounded prospect with a grinder mentality. The kid is tough as nails.

Catchers are always drafted higher than projected — it’s an extremely difficult to position to fill, so teams jump on anyone who looks like they can do it long-term — and Seigler was the second backstop selected in the 2018 draft, behind only Georgia Tech’s Joey Bart. Bart went to the Giants with the second overall pick.

Slot money for the 23rd overall pick is $2,815,900 and the signing deadline is Friday, July 6th. There are no signability concerns with Seigler, who is committed to Florida. He should sign fairly quickly. I imagine his bonus will be right around slot. Seigler’s neither expected to command a big overslot bonus, nor is he expected to take a sweetheart deal well below slot.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2018 Draft, Anthony Seigler

2018 Draft: Day One Open Thread

June 4, 2018 by Mike Leave a Comment

Today is a very busy day in Yankeeland. The Yankees are in Detroit to play a doubleheader against the Tigers — they won the first game this afternoon — and, coming into today, they had baseball’s best winning percentage (.685) and third best run differential (+72). All the rainouts meant they’d only played 54 games, however, the fewest in baseball. They still have three doubleheaders to play.

In the grand scheme of things, today’s main event is not the doubleheader in Detroit. They’re only two games of 162. Hard to make too much of ’em. More important than those two games is the start of the annual amateur draft. It is every team’s chance to add impact players to their organization. There are future All-Stars out there waiting to be selected today. Maybe even a future Hall of Famer.

The MLB Draft is a three-day event and the first 78 picks will be made tonight. That covers the First Round, Supplemental First Round, Competitive Balance Round A, Second Round, Competitive Balance Round B, and the Supplemental Second Round. Lots of rounds these days. The Yankees have two picks today: 23rd and 61st. Here is the full draft order. The Rays and Royals each have five picks tonight.

Reports these last few weeks indicate the Yankees are leaning toward a position player with their first round pick, with a high school player more likely than a college guy. For what it’s worth, the Yankees have selected 17 players in the first three rounds over the last five drafts, and eleven of the 17 were college players. We’ll see how it goes. As always, players from Southern California are a good bet with scouting director Oppenheimer.

MLB Network’s live broadcast of Day One of the 2018 draft will begin at 7pm ET tonight. There’s also a one-hour pre-draft show that begins at 6pm ET. Everything will be streamed on MLB.com as well. Here is MLB.com’s Draft Tracker and here are MLB.com’s top 200 draft prospects. As always, their scouting reports are completely free. Such a great resource. Draft info used to be top secret.

The game thread for the second game of today’s doubleheader with the Tigers will be along in a bit, a little closer to first pitch. Use this thread for everything draft related. Enjoy the draft, folks.

Filed Under: Draft, Open Thread Tagged With: 2018 Draft

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 111
  • Next Page »

RAB Thoughts on Patreon

Mike is running weekly thoughts-style posts at our "RAB Thoughts" Patreon. $3 per month gets you weekly Yankees analysis. Become a Patron!

Got A Question For The Mailbag?

Email us at RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com. The mailbag is posted Friday mornings.

RAB Features

  • 2019 Season Preview series
  • 2019 Top 30 Prospects
  • 'What If' series with OOTP
  • Yankees depth chart

Search RAB

Copyright © 2023 · River Avenue Blues