Yankee Draft Picks On Day Two

Last night I took a look at the Yankees three first round picks following night one of the MLB First Year Player draft. Round 2 also happened last night, and the Yankees decided on Gosuke Katoh, a second baseman out of Rancho Bernardo High School in California.

Katoh is a left-handed batter, who styles his swing after Ichiro Suzuki, meaning he's a contact hitter but with little power. Gosuke, like Ichiro, uses his plus speed along with a compact swing. Although he doesn't have a strong arm, it's said to be good enough for second base, and along with having good hands and good range he should be a fine defender. Katoh has verbally committed to UCLA.

The draft continued today, and the Yankees selected the following players in rounds 3 through 10...

Round 3 Pick #103 Michael O'Neill, CF University of Michigan

-Michael is actually the nephew of Paul O'Neill. Like his uncle, Michael is known for making consistent hard contact using all fields. He doesn't currently have home run power, but he has room to add muscle that could change that. Although you wouldn't call him "fast", Michael is a smart runner. He's also said to be a solid defender, although it's unclear where he'll end up as he's not fast enough for CF, but doesn't have the power of your typical corner OF.

Round 4 Pick #134 Tyler Wade, SS Murrieta Valley HS (California)

-Another left-handed hitting infielder, who had an excellent senior season. Tyler is a speedy athlete, yet stands 6'2" and weighs just 178 pounds, meaning there's plenty of room to add some bulk. Even so, scouts don't expect him to hit for power in the future, but his line-drive swing makes him somebody to keep an eye on offensively. Wade's good arm and range make it so he could remain at shortstop up to the Majors. He's committed to San Diego State.

Round 5 Pick #164 David Palladino, RHP Howard College

-Last year Palladino's season was cut short due to needing surgery to repair a tendon in his knee. After transferring to Howard from South Carolina-Upstate, David had a fine season. The  6'9" 230 pounder has a fastball that reaches the mid-90s, but it's a straight pitch that requires him to use a strong downhill angle. He also throws a curveball, changeup, and slider. Even though he's a big guy that throws fairly hard, he has an easy delivery. Palladino is committed to LSU.

Round 6 Pick #194 John Murphy, SS Sacred Heart University

-Another left-handed hitting shortstop, Murphy hit .374/.449/.576 with four home runs and 29 stolen bases for Sacred Heart this past season. Although he's a fine hitter, he's a bit impatient at the plate. If all goes well, John could be a good top of the lineup hitter.

Round 7 Pick #224 Nick Rumbelow, RHP Louisiana State University

-Rumbelow has a fastball that sits in the low 90s, but is pretty straight. However he also has a sharp curveball that could become a plus pitch, thus covering for an average fastball. The problem with Nick is that his delivery is far from effortless, and he doesn't have good control. Scouts are concerned that his poor arm action could lead to health problems, and his best-case scenario is as a two-pitch reliever.

Round 8 Pick #254 Brandon Thomas, CF Georgia Tech University

-After leading the Yellow Jackets in batting average and on-base percentage in 2012 as a junior, Thomas is having a fine senior year. Although he missed a couple of weeks with mononucleosis, he bounced back well. Brandon is a switch-hitter with a line-drive swing, but he's a strong kid that can hit for power. He's a plus runner but will need to learn to take better routes to balls if he's to stick at centerfield.

Round 9 Pick #284 Kendrick O'Connor, LHP Auburn University

-O'Connor transferred to Auburn this year, after spending time at Georgia Tech and Northwest Florida State Junior College, and split time between the bullpen and the rotation. He doesn't throw a hard fastball, which tops out in the upper 80s, but it has good movement. He has good control of his changeup and curveball, making them look like they could be average MLB pitches. Kendrick is an aggressive pitcher with some deception in his delivery, making him an intriguing prospect.

Round 10 Pick #314 Tyler Webb, LHP University of South Carolina

-A 6'6" lefty with a fastball that sits in the low 90s, to go along with a good curveball. Webb was dominant this year as the closer for the Gamecocks, but scouts are a bit wary of him due to a history of elbow injuries. Tyler seems to be in the high-risk/high-reward department.

Rounds 11-40 will start at 1pm EST tomorrow.