MLB.com 2016 Top Amateur Prospects Watch

Jason Groome

The New York Yankees avoided signing a single Major League free agent this winter thus avoiding one of the strongest free agent markets in recent memory. While the Yankees still added to the team via trade the team did not sign any high-priced free agents and maybe more importantly they did not sacrifice a draft pick in doing so. With a few notable free agents left on the board that have rejected qualifying offers left on the board the Yankees may pick 18th or below in the 2016 draft. With this in mind I wanted to look at the Top 30 amateur free agents ready to hit the draft this July according to MLB.com. Click Here for the original post. 

1. LHP Jason Groome
2. LHP AJ Puk
3. RHP Alex Hansen
4. RHP Riley Pint
5. OF Corey Ray
6. OF Buddy Reed
7. OF Blake Rutherford
8. OF Kyle Lewis
9. OF Bryan Reynolds
10. SS Delvin Perez
11. RHP Connor Jones
12. RHP Jordan Sheffield
13. OF Mickey Moniak
14. 3B Nick Senzel
15. 3B Bobby Dalbec
16. OF Nick Banks
17. 3B/RHP Josh Lowe
18. OF William Benson
19. 3B Drew Mendoza
20. RHP Cal Quantrill (former Yankees draft pick)
21. LHP Matt Krook
22. RHP Kevin Gowdy
23. RHP Kyle Funkhouser (my pick for the team's 16th pick in 2015 instead of James Kaprielian)
24. RHP Daulton Jeffries
25. RHP Zack Brown
26. RHP Robert Tyler
27. RHP Logan Shore
28. RHP Ian Anderson
29. 3B Nolan Jones
30. RHP Ian Hamilton

Yankees Sign LHP 11th Round Pick Josh Rogers

It was originally thought that University of Louisville standout Josh Rogers was not going to sign with the New York Yankees and instead head back to Louisville for his junior season but news has broken that Rogers has indeed signed with the Yankees and will begin his professional career. Rogers was the Yankees 11^th round pick in the 2015 MLB First Year Players Draft and has signed for a reported $485,000. This signing was much higher, $385,000 higher to be exact, than his $100,000 slot recommendation from the league so this will make the Yankees dip into their pockets a bit for Rogers’ services.

Rogers was 8-1 with a 3.36 ERA for Louisville this season pitching 92.2 innings for the Cardinals in their starting rotation alongside Kyle Funkhouser. Rogers is already a big game pitcher pitching in two postseason games for the Cardinals and also pitched in Game 3 of the school’s super regional matchup against Cal State Fullerton and is also known to be a plus control pitcher at this point in his career.

Rogers is 21 years old and is just as projectible as most everyone coming out of the draft this season including Funkhouser making him a very exciting sign for the Yankees. Now if New York can lock up James Kaprielian and call it a draft the Yankees would have to be under serious consideration for a Top 5 to Top 10 Draft this season.