#Zach Linginfelter

[mrcoreymonroe]

Yankees 2016 draft review

The 2016 MLB draft has already been fruitful for the Yankees. Their first, second, fifth, and twelfth round picks were traded as part of the deals for JA Happ, Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, and David Robertson. Those four players worked out well for the Yankees. 10 of the draftees have since been released, which is typical. 12 of the draftees never signed, which is also typical.

As far as major league contributions go, none of the players from this draft have made it to the Yankees yet. They do still have some high-end talent left in the system from this draft, though it’s depleted from the trades. Nick Nelson meets that criteria. There are some other players who haven’t taken that next leap quite yet but have that potential, like Nolan Martinez. Others are showing that they could be useful major league players in the future, like Brian Keller.

The Yankees did a nice job on this draft. They picked up some high-end talent that they were able to use in trades to get important players. They still have some high-end talent, high potential players, and likely future major league contributors from this draft even after the trades. Their first-fifth round picks all worked out well, and they picked up a bunch of late round gems. This draft gets my stamp of approval. Below is a pick by pick breakdown of what has happened so far to every player from this draft.

Blake Rutherford was the top pick in the draft, and it has to be viewed as a successful pick. The Yankees ended up headlining a trade with the White Sox where the Yankees received Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, and David Robertston. Yes, there were other minor leaguers involved, but this trade does not happen if Rutherford is not included. Any time you can get that kind of haul for a minor leaguer, the draft pick has to be viewed as a success. Rutherford had a couple of relatively successful years in the minors with the Yankees prior to being traded.

Their second-round pick was Nick Solak. Solak ended up having a couple of successful seasons in the minors with the Yankees, and then was traded to the Rays in a three-team deal that netted them Brandon Drury. Drury ended up being unnecessary as Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres ended up being the real deal. The Yankees traded him to the Blue Jays along with Taylor Widener to net J.A. Happ. That worked out nicely for them, and now he is signed for the next several years. Any time you can be a major part of a package that ultimately leads to acquiring a guy like J.A. Happ, that has to be viewed as a successful second round pick.

Nolan Martinez was the third-round pick. The jury is still out on him, but he has been successful on the mound and is still developing into his big body. He has good velocity and an even better curveball. If he can add a couple of ticks and improve his changeup, Martinez could end up being a bargain in the third round. For now, he is still a work in progress. This pick gets a wait and see rating.

Nick Nelson was the fourth-round pick, and he has turned out to be great value for where they got him. He has a power arm and has improved his control to a point where he has now had success all the way up to Trenton. He is striking out a ton of batters and has knockout stuff. The last piece to come around is consistent control. If that happens, getting a talent like him in the fourth round will be a revelation. At this point, if the Yankees traded him today, they would get much better than fourth round value in return. For that reason, I’d have to call this an excellent pick.

In the fifth round, the Yankees took Dom Thompson-Williams. DTW had a breakout season in 2018 and put himself on the map as a 5-tool player. After the season, the Yankees traded him as part of a deal to obtain James Paxton. He was not the headliner, Justus Sheffield was. That said, he was a part of the deal and that has to be seen as huge return for a fifth-round pick. This one also goes down as an excellent pick.

The Yankees took Brooks Kriske in the sixth round. Thus far, his career has been marred by injuries and he has only pitched a few innings in full season baseball. This will be a big year for him as he should be fully healthy. He was hitting mid-90’s with his fastball when he was drafted. So far this pick has been a dud, but there’s still time for him to turn it around with a breakout in 2019.

In the seventh round, the Yankees took Keith Skinner. He played three seasons and retired after the 2018 season. He really struggled in 2018.

The Yankees took Dalton Blaser in the eighth round, and he has since been released during the 2018 season.

Tim Lynch had a great season in 2017, hitting .310/.368/.573/.940 with 13 homeruns. In 2018 he played 23 games, did not hit well, and then was released.

They took Trevor Lane in the 10th round, and this has turned out to be a great pick. He has made it all the way to Trenton as a lefty reliever. He had a 82 K : 20 BB in 68 innings in 2018. The ERA is a bit inflated, but the strikeouts are a good sign. He’s a low velocity guy with a slider and changeup. Jury’s out but he’s major league close and I suspect he will eventually get some time in the MLB.

Connor Jones was the 11th round pick. He was released this past year.

Taylor Widener was their 12th round pick. The Yankees used him to pick up J.A. Happ. Again, this was a successful pick. Anytime you can turn a 12th and 2nd round pick into J.A. Happ, you did well. Widener has a good chance of carving out a nice major league career.

Brian Trieglaff was the 13th round pick. He had a nice season with Charleston and High-A Tampa in 2018, with a combined 1.51 ERA and 33 K : 4 BB in 35.2 innings. When he was drafted, he was hitting 93 mph with his fastball and was known for his command and control. Haven’t heard much about his stuff since then. The performance has been good though, and you never know what can happen developmentally.

In the 14th round, they took Jordan Scott. Scott is a great athlete, and he put together a great season in 2017 that raised the hopes that he might be taking the next step in his development. Unfortunately, he followed that up with a dud in 2018. He has power, speed, and good defense but his contact tool is currently lacking. He still has time to right the ship but there’s more and more competition for innings and he will need to show significant progression this year.

The Yankees picked Tony Hernandez in the 15th round. He never made it out of the GCL and has now retired.

The Yankees picked Zach Linginfelter in the 16th round. He did not sign and has not since been drafted by any other team. Last pitched in 2017 for University of Tennessee

Mandy Alvarez was the 17th round pick. Alvarez is a 3B/1B and has surprising power for where they got him. In 2018, he hit .256/.314/.438/.751 with 13 HR, 25 doubles, and three triples in 108 games. He made it all the way up to Double-A where he played well and held his own. If he continues to get stronger and develop he could end up carving out a major league career. Great pick in the 17th round.

Greg Weissert was the 18th round pick, and had a great year in 2018, with 86 K : 28 BB in 60.2 innings and a 3.12 ERA. When drafted, he had a low-90’s fastball, a slider, and a changeup. His fastball is now sitting between 91-94 mph. His strikeouts are sure ticking up, and they have started to move him faster. 2019 will be a telling year but seems like a solid pick this late in the draft.

They took Evan Alexander in the 19th round, which is turning out to be a good pick. This past year in Pulaski he had his best year as a pro. He hit .257/.382/.456/.838 with five homeruns, one double, and nine triples in 53 games, mostly at Pulaski (but had a six-game promotion to Charleston at the end of the season). Alexander is a lefty outfielder who was a toolsy high school kid when drafted. It looks like some of those tools are finally starting to turn into on-field performance. He’s turning 21 this month, so he’ll have to hit the long season leagues this year to become a serious prospect.

Miles Chambers, the 20th round pick, was released after spending the last two years on the disabled list.

Timmy Robinson was drafted in the 21st round as an outfielder. He is 24 and hasn’t done much to separate himself from the pack so far.

The 22nd round draft pick was Blair Henley. He was in high school when he was drafted, and now is at University of Texas. There, he had a 3.32 ERA and 64 K : 37 BB in 86.2 innings as a starter. He was sitting 87-91 mph at the time he was drafted. He now has a 91-94 mph fastball with a high spin rate, and a high RPM slider to go along with it. He will be 22 at the time of the draft, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees drafted him again. They have a history of re-drafting guys, and with the high spin rate he seems like the type of guy who would be right up their alley recently.

Braden Bristo was drafted in the 23rd round. He has performed well so far. In 2018, he threw 54.2 innings, and struck out 63 with 25 walks. He had a 2.14 ERA. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and reaches 96, and he has a slider to go along with it. The power is there in the fastball to continue to rise in the system. Seems like a good pick this late in the draft.

Joe Burton was the 24th round pick. He was released in 2017.

Yankees also released 25th round pick Edel Luaces last year.

26th Rounder Gage Burland was a high school kid who never signed. He was drafted again in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft by Toronto and signed. He had a 3.27 ERA and 12 K in 11 innings last year. He throws 94 mph.

Phillip Diehl was drafted in the 27th round and he has turned out to be a great pick. He has ascended through the minors and done a great job at every level. He threw 75.1 innings last year and had 108 K : 23 BB and a 2.51 ERA. He’s lefty and throws a 92-93 mph fastball and a slider with sick movement. This was a great find for a 27th round pick. When he was drafted he was sitting 88-91 mph, so there has been a significant uptick in velocity and stuff.

Will Jones was the 28th round pick. He retired in March 2018.

Bo Weiss, the 29th round pick, did not sign. He played at UNC his first two years of college, where he barely pitched. This year he transferred to University of Tampa, which I’m assuming is so he can finally log some innings. He had a 94-mph fastball at the time of the draft.

Ben Ruta was a 30th round pick. This has turned out to be a surprisingly good pick. He has already made it up to Trenton, where he filled in for some injured players at a level he really should not have been ready for. While there, he greatly exceeded expectations. He finished the year in High-A. He ended up with a .300/.350/.441/.791 line with eight homeruns, 25 doubles, seven triples, and 37 stolen bases on the year. As is reflected in the statistics, he has some wheels. Along with speed, he also is a good defender in left field and has an excellent hit tool and contact tool. The power is below average. He’s sort of a Brett Gardner lite. If he continues to improve like he has so far, though, all bets are off.

In the 31st round, Yankees took high schooler Miles Sandum. He is a lefty who at that time was in the upper 80’s with velocity. He went to University of San Diego, and for some reason did not play in 2018.

Yankees took Juan Cabrera, a high school right handed pitcher, in the 32nd round. He did not sign. It looks like he played in JuCo and had 90 K and a 2.2 ERA in 77.2 innings in 2018. He was around 84-88 mph in high school.

Bryson Bowman was the 33rd round pick. He never signed and is now coaching at West Carolina, his alma mater.

They took David Clawson with the 34th round pick. He never signed. He was drafted again by the Angels in 2018 in the 37th round and is currently a catcher in their organization. Hasn’t done much yet.

Zachary Hess was the 35th round pick. He is pitching at LSU. He had a bad year statistically in 2018, although did have more strikeouts than innings pitched. He got drafted in 2018 by the Atlanta Braves in the 34th round. Hess was ranked as a top 100 prospect in the 2018 draft but didn’t go in the first few rounds because he was asking for a big signing bonus. He was projected in the top 5 rounds in 2016 as well. He has a big fastball which was already mid-90’s in high school and was touching 97. I could again see the Yankees re-drafting him in 2019 if he’s sign-able this time around.

Tyler Honahan pitched two seasons in the rookie leagues and was released in March 2018. He was the 36th round pick in 2016.

37th rounder Corey Dempster never signed. He played for an independent league and did not fare well this past year.

Sam Ferri is a catcher drafted out of high school in the 38th round. He is currently with ASU and sat out 2018 due to an arm injury.

Right handed pitcher Brian Keller was perhaps the best value pick in the draft in the 39th round. He has been great ever since being drafted. After a slow start, he finished 2018 with a 3.74 ERA and 114 K : 37 BB in 125 innings. By the end of the season he was throwing 92-95 mph with several secondary pitches. To get that in the 39th round was a coup. He will likely pitch in the majors at some point.

In the 40th and final round of the draft, the Yankees took Nate Brown. He was a high school pitcher at the time, and he currently has an 88-92 mph fastball according to the 2018 draft scouting reports. He did not sign, went to University of Florida and then transferred to Madison in 2018. There he had a 3.6 ERA and 72 K : 30 BB in 55 innings. Madison is division II baseball.

from Bronx Baseball Daily http://bit.ly/2S8ucgb

[mrcoreymonroe]

Yankees 2016 draft review

The 2016 MLB draft has already been fruitful for the Yankees. Their first, second, fifth, and twelfth round picks were traded as part of the deals for JA Happ, Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, and David Robertson. Those four players worked out well for the Yankees. 10 of the draftees have since been released, which is typical. 12 of the draftees never signed, which is also typical.

As far as major league contributions go, none of the players from this draft have made it to the Yankees yet. They do still have some high-end talent left in the system from this draft, though it’s depleted from the trades. Nick Nelson meets that criteria. There are some other players who haven’t taken that next leap quite yet but have that potential, like Nolan Martinez. Others are showing that they could be useful major league players in the future, like Brian Keller.

The Yankees did a nice job on this draft. They picked up some high-end talent that they were able to use in trades to get important players. They still have some high-end talent, high potential players, and likely future major league contributors from this draft even after the trades. Their first-fifth round picks all worked out well, and they picked up a bunch of late round gems. This draft gets my stamp of approval. Below is a pick by pick breakdown of what has happened so far to every player from this draft.

Blake Rutherford was the top pick in the draft, and it has to be viewed as a successful pick. The Yankees ended up headlining a trade with the White Sox where the Yankees received Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, and David Robertston. Yes, there were other minor leaguers involved, but this trade does not happen if Rutherford is not included. Any time you can get that kind of haul for a minor leaguer, the draft pick has to be viewed as a success. Rutherford had a couple of relatively successful years in the minors with the Yankees prior to being traded.

Their second-round pick was Nick Solak. Solak ended up having a couple of successful seasons in the minors with the Yankees, and then was traded to the Rays in a three-team deal that netted them Brandon Drury. Drury ended up being unnecessary as Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres ended up being the real deal. The Yankees traded him to the Blue Jays along with Taylor Widener to net J.A. Happ. That worked out nicely for them, and now he is signed for the next several years. Any time you can be a major part of a package that ultimately leads to acquiring a guy like J.A. Happ, that has to be viewed as a successful second round pick.

Nolan Martinez was the third-round pick. The jury is still out on him, but he has been successful on the mound and is still developing into his big body. He has good velocity and an even better curveball. If he can add a couple of ticks and improve his changeup, Martinez could end up being a bargain in the third round. For now, he is still a work in progress. This pick gets a wait and see rating.

Nick Nelson was the fourth-round pick, and he has turned out to be great value for where they got him. He has a power arm and has improved his control to a point where he has now had success all the way up to Trenton. He is striking out a ton of batters and has knockout stuff. The last piece to come around is consistent control. If that happens, getting a talent like him in the fourth round will be a revelation. At this point, if the Yankees traded him today, they would get much better than fourth round value in return. For that reason, I’d have to call this an excellent pick.

In the fifth round, the Yankees took Dom Thompson-Williams. DTW had a breakout season in 2018 and put himself on the map as a 5-tool player. After the season, the Yankees traded him as part of a deal to obtain James Paxton. He was not the headliner, Justus Sheffield was. That said, he was a part of the deal and that has to be seen as huge return for a fifth-round pick. This one also goes down as an excellent pick.

The Yankees took Brooks Kriske in the sixth round. Thus far, his career has been marred by injuries and he has only pitched a few innings in full season baseball. This will be a big year for him as he should be fully healthy. He was hitting mid-90’s with his fastball when he was drafted. So far this pick has been a dud, but there’s still time for him to turn it around with a breakout in 2019.

In the seventh round, the Yankees took Keith Skinner. He played three seasons and retired after the 2018 season. He really struggled in 2018.

The Yankees took Dalton Blaser in the eighth round, and he has since been released during the 2018 season.

Tim Lynch had a great season in 2017, hitting .310/.368/.573/.940 with 13 homeruns. In 2018 he played 23 games, did not hit well, and then was released.

They took Trevor Lane in the 10th round, and this has turned out to be a great pick. He has made it all the way to Trenton as a lefty reliever. He had a 82 K : 20 BB in 68 innings in 2018. The ERA is a bit inflated, but the strikeouts are a good sign. He’s a low velocity guy with a slider and changeup. Jury’s out but he’s major league close and I suspect he will eventually get some time in the MLB.

Connor Jones was the 11th round pick. He was released this past year.

Taylor Widener was their 12th round pick. The Yankees used him to pick up J.A. Happ. Again, this was a successful pick. Anytime you can turn a 12th and 2nd round pick into J.A. Happ, you did well. Widener has a good chance of carving out a nice major league career.

Brian Trieglaff was the 13th round pick. He had a nice season with Charleston and High-A Tampa in 2018, with a combined 1.51 ERA and 33 K : 4 BB in 35.2 innings. When he was drafted, he was hitting 93 mph with his fastball and was known for his command and control. Haven’t heard much about his stuff since then. The performance has been good though, and you never know what can happen developmentally.

In the 14th round, they took Jordan Scott. Scott is a great athlete, and he put together a great season in 2017 that raised the hopes that he might be taking the next step in his development. Unfortunately, he followed that up with a dud in 2018. He has power, speed, and good defense but his contact tool is currently lacking. He still has time to right the ship but there’s more and more competition for innings and he will need to show significant progression this year.

The Yankees picked Tony Hernandez in the 15th round. He never made it out of the GCL and has now retired.

The Yankees picked Zach Linginfelter in the 16th round. He did not sign and has not since been drafted by any other team. Last pitched in 2017 for University of Tennessee

Mandy Alvarez was the 17th round pick. Alvarez is a 3B/1B and has surprising power for where they got him. In 2018, he hit .256/.314/.438/.751 with 13 HR, 25 doubles, and three triples in 108 games. He made it all the way up to Double-A where he played well and held his own. If he continues to get stronger and develop he could end up carving out a major league career. Great pick in the 17th round.

Greg Weissert was the 18th round pick, and had a great year in 2018, with 86 K : 28 BB in 60.2 innings and a 3.12 ERA. When drafted, he had a low-90’s fastball, a slider, and a changeup. His fastball is now sitting between 91-94 mph. His strikeouts are sure ticking up, and they have started to move him faster. 2019 will be a telling year but seems like a solid pick this late in the draft.

They took Evan Alexander in the 19th round, which is turning out to be a good pick. This past year in Pulaski he had his best year as a pro. He hit .257/.382/.456/.838 with five homeruns, one double, and nine triples in 53 games, mostly at Pulaski (but had a six-game promotion to Charleston at the end of the season). Alexander is a lefty outfielder who was a toolsy high school kid when drafted. It looks like some of those tools are finally starting to turn into on-field performance. He’s turning 21 this month, so he’ll have to hit the long season leagues this year to become a serious prospect.

Miles Chambers, the 20th round pick, was released after spending the last two years on the disabled list.

Timmy Robinson was drafted in the 21st round as an outfielder. He is 24 and hasn’t done much to separate himself from the pack so far.

The 22nd round draft pick was Blair Henley. He was in high school when he was drafted, and now is at University of Texas. There, he had a 3.32 ERA and 64 K : 37 BB in 86.2 innings as a starter. He was sitting 87-91 mph at the time he was drafted. He now has a 91-94 mph fastball with a high spin rate, and a high RPM slider to go along with it. He will be 22 at the time of the draft, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yankees drafted him again. They have a history of re-drafting guys, and with the high spin rate he seems like the type of guy who would be right up their alley recently.

Braden Bristo was drafted in the 23rd round. He has performed well so far. In 2018, he threw 54.2 innings, and struck out 63 with 25 walks. He had a 2.14 ERA. His fastball sits 93-94 mph and reaches 96, and he has a slider to go along with it. The power is there in the fastball to continue to rise in the system. Seems like a good pick this late in the draft.

Joe Burton was the 24th round pick. He was released in 2017.

Yankees also released 25th round pick Edel Luaces last year.

26th Rounder Gage Burland was a high school kid who never signed. He was drafted again in the 22nd round of the 2018 draft by Toronto and signed. He had a 3.27 ERA and 12 K in 11 innings last year. He throws 94 mph.

Phillip Diehl was drafted in the 27th round and he has turned out to be a great pick. He has ascended through the minors and done a great job at every level. He threw 75.1 innings last year and had 108 K : 23 BB and a 2.51 ERA. He’s lefty and throws a 92-93 mph fastball and a slider with sick movement. This was a great find for a 27th round pick. When he was drafted he was sitting 88-91 mph, so there has been a significant uptick in velocity and stuff.

Will Jones was the 28th round pick. He retired in March 2018.

Bo Weiss, the 29th round pick, did not sign. He played at UNC his first two years of college, where he barely pitched. This year he transferred to University of Tampa, which I’m assuming is so he can finally log some innings. He had a 94-mph fastball at the time of the draft.

Ben Ruta was a 30th round pick. This has turned out to be a surprisingly good pick. He has already made it up to Trenton, where he filled in for some injured players at a level he really should not have been ready for. While there, he greatly exceeded expectations. He finished the year in High-A. He ended up with a .300/.350/.441/.791 line with eight homeruns, 25 doubles, seven triples, and 37 stolen bases on the year. As is reflected in the statistics, he has some wheels. Along with speed, he also is a good defender in left field and has an excellent hit tool and contact tool. The power is below average. He’s sort of a Brett Gardner lite. If he continues to improve like he has so far, though, all bets are off.

In the 31st round, Yankees took high schooler Miles Sandum. He is a lefty who at that time was in the upper 80’s with velocity. He went to University of San Diego, and for some reason did not play in 2018.

Yankees took Juan Cabrera, a high school right handed pitcher, in the 32nd round. He did not sign. It looks like he played in JuCo and had 90 K and a 2.2 ERA in 77.2 innings in 2018. He was around 84-88 mph in high school.

Bryson Bowman was the 33rd round pick. He never signed and is now coaching at West Carolina, his alma mater.

They took David Clawson with the 34th round pick. He never signed. He was drafted again by the Angels in 2018 in the 37th round and is currently a catcher in their organization. Hasn’t done much yet.

Zachary Hess was the 35th round pick. He is pitching at LSU. He had a bad year statistically in 2018, although did have more strikeouts than innings pitched. He got drafted in 2018 by the Atlanta Braves in the 34th round. Hess was ranked as a top 100 prospect in the 2018 draft but didn’t go in the first few rounds because he was asking for a big signing bonus. He was projected in the top 5 rounds in 2016 as well. He has a big fastball which was already mid-90’s in high school and was touching 97. I could again see the Yankees re-drafting him in 2019 if he’s sign-able this time around.

Tyler Honahan pitched two seasons in the rookie leagues and was released in March 2018. He was the 36th round pick in 2016.

37th rounder Corey Dempster never signed. He played for an independent league and did not fare well this past year.

Sam Ferri is a catcher drafted out of high school in the 38th round. He is currently with ASU and sat out 2018 due to an arm injury.

Right handed pitcher Brian Keller was perhaps the best value pick in the draft in the 39th round. He has been great ever since being drafted. After a slow start, he finished 2018 with a 3.74 ERA and 114 K : 37 BB in 125 innings. By the end of the season he was throwing 92-95 mph with several secondary pitches. To get that in the 39th round was a coup. He will likely pitch in the majors at some point.

In the 40th and final round of the draft, the Yankees took Nate Brown. He was a high school pitcher at the time, and he currently has an 88-92 mph fastball according to the 2018 draft scouting reports. He did not sign, went to University of Florida and then transferred to Madison in 2018. There he had a 3.6 ERA and 72 K : 30 BB in 55 innings. Madison is division II baseball.

from Bronx Baseball Daily http://bit.ly/2S8ucgb