Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Meet A Prospect : Yankees Draft Picks

Ty Hensley -

It's unlikely Oklahoma will see a bounty like it did in 2011, when local prepsters Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley went in the top 10 of the Draft. It will be up to Hensley to represent the Sooner state and he should do just fine.Hensley has a fastball that's a tick above average, sitting 91-92 mph, and he can reach back for more, hitting 94 mph when he needs to. He has a hard curve with good downer rotation when he throws it right, though sometimes he drops his arm angle and it becomes a bit slurvy. His changeup is below-average right now, but he hasn't used it much and with more experience, it should be a usuable pitch in the future. He generally throws strikes and is very confident on the mound.Some of Hensley's issues stem from mechanics that can be cleaned up with time and experience. Strong and durable, Hensley may not have the ceiling of his Oklahoma predecessors, but he profiles as a very good starting pitcher at the next level.


Austin Aune - Amazingly he has already signed with the Yankees.


6'02" 185lbs DOB: 09/06/93
A two-sport star in high school, Aune has the ability to make it in either football or baseball. A potential five-tool player, Aune bats lefty and has potential plus power. He has good range at shortstop and a great arm, but some scouts think that a move to the outfield could be in his near future. Aune could potentially play center field at the next level, especially because of his great speed and arm. Although a bit raw, Aune's upside and great makeup should allow the toolsy outfielder to be picked in the early going of the Draft.


Peter O'Brien -


6'04" 225lbs DOB: 07/15/90 
This is a bit of a do-over for O'Brien, who entered the 2011 season as a strong catching prospect at Bethune-Cookman, but he decided not to sign after being drafted in the third round by the Rockies, instead transferring to Miami for his senior season. He's been more consistent with the Hurricanes, showing the kind of offensive ability most thought they'd see when 2011 began. He drives the ball to all fields and has above-average to plus raw power. He's not a bad runner for the position. His arm has always been a plus and he's shown some improvement behind the plate as well with decent hands and agility for someone his size. College catchers, especially with this kind of offensive potential, often do well on Draft day and it seems that O'Brien's decision to spend one more year in college may work to his advantage.


Corey Black -


Black has a good fastball that has good movement and can get into the upper 90s. Black also has relatively good secondary stuff and dominated the NAIA. A lot is still unknown about the righty from a small school in Alabama, but he could end up being a steal in the Draft.

Rays @ Yankees 6/5/12

A vintage Andy Pettitte mixed with some Rays errors and a Russell Martin grand slam and the Yankees win 7-0 and get one step closer to first place in the AL East



Tonight Andy Pettitte starts in game 1 of a three game set with the first place Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays will throw out James Shields to face Pettitte and try to keep their slim (shared) lead of first place. The game will be televised at 7:05 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB Network. Here are the lineups.

Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Raul Ibanez LF
Nick Swisher RF
Eric Chavez DH
Russell Martin C

Where Were They Drafted?

I wanted to take a look and see where the regulars in the Yankee lineup, pitchers or hitters, were drafted. The results are pretty much what I expected, as six 1st round draft picks are currently contributing in MLB, while the rest come from rounds 3 through 36. I guess it goes to show you that while drafting the right players is important, developing them is just as key.

Alex Rodriguez - drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 1st pick of the 1st round.
Mark Teixiera - drafted by the Texas Rangers with the 5th pick of the 1st round.
Derek Jeter - drafted by the New York Yankees with the 6th pick of the 1st round.
Nick Swisher - drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 16th pick of the 1st round.
CC Sabathia - drafted by the Cleveland Indians with the 20th pick of the 1st round.
Phil Hughes - drafted by the New York Yankees with the 23rd pick of the 1st round.
Brett Gardner - drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3rd round.
Curtis Granderson - drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 3rd round.
Cory Wade - drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 10th round.
David Phelps - drafted by the New York Yankees in the 14th round.
Russell Martin - drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round.
David Robertson - drafted by the New York Yankees in the 17th round.
Boone Logan - drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 20th round.
Andy Pettitte - drafted by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round.
Raul Ibanez - drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 36th round.

Robinson Cano, Andruw Jones, Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova, and Rafael Soriano were all signed as free agents, proving that the new restrictions on signing amateur or international free agents is going to have a big effect. So drafting the right players, and developing them, is a bit more important to the success of the big club.

Even though I, and certainly others, have no idea who most the guys are that are being drafted, we may want to watch or follow things so you get a jump on what the future of the Yankees has in store.