After three long days and 1,521 selections, the 2009 MLB Draft came to an end ten days ago. Unlike previous years when the Yankees shot for the moon with their first pick and took a player who fell because of exorbitant bonus demands, this year they zeroed in on a target and drafted him even though there were sexier names left on the board. We heard plenty of rumblings that the Yanks were operating on a budget this year, but by the looks of it, the budget wasn’t restrictive at all. They still landed tons of promising players.
As fans, we keep looking back at the 2006 draft crop and expect that every year. The Yanks picked an incredible amount of talent that year, but in reality that haul was far more the exception than the norm. Four players from that class alone have reached the Bigs for the Yanks, while just five players reached the majors from the ’03, ’04 and ’05 classes combined.
Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer stayed true to form this year and went hard after college players, especially on the mound. Take a quick gander at this graph showing the breakdown of the players he’s taken in his five drafts for the Yanks. Lots of college guys, huh? I prefer high school players, but there’s nothing wrong with going after college players as long as the goal isn’t to get a quick return on the investment.
Note: Getting back to the graph, very few high school first baseman are drafted because they’re already limited to the worst case position. Guys like Prince Fielder and Derrek Lee are rare birds. Second baseman usually aren’t drafted for similar reasons. Almost all big league second baseman are failed shortstops.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact this draft class will have for the Yankees, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a second to recap all the action. You can see all of the team’s picks here.
Best Prospects
The two best prospects the Yankees picked up in this year’s draft were their two first choices: CF Slade Heathcott and C JR Murphy. I profiled those two on draft day, so click the links to learn more about them. Aside from Heathcott and Murphy, the player with the best combination of present ability, upside, and probability is 14th rounder Graham Stoneburner. The righthander fell because he has extra leverage as a draft eligible sophomore, but also because he’s a bit on the small side at 6′-0″, 185 lbs. Featuring a power arm sporting a legit mid-90’s fastball with two good offspeed offerings and strong command, Stoneburner projects as mid-rotation starter or an elite reliever if things come together.