The deadline has come and gone for each team to sign their draft picks from the 2016 MLB Draft and the Yankees did just that more times than not this season. New York signed each of their Top 10 draft picks this season including 18th overall pick Blake Rutherford and 3rd round pick Nolan Martinez which were part of an impressive haul by the Yankees this season. Here is what the Yankees got done before the draft signing deadline.
The top 10 picks for the Yankees were OF Blake Rutherford, 2B Nick Solak, RHP Nolan Martinez, RHP Nick Nelson, OF Dom Thompson-Williams, RHP Brooks Kriske, C Keith Skinner, 1B Dalton Blaser, 1B Tim Lynch and LHP Trevor Lane.
Outside the Top 10 rounds New York also signed 18 of their remaining 30 draft picks including every single player in the first 15 rounds of the draft. Pinstripe Alley has the complete list and it's awesome and well done so go check it out. HERE
When all was said and done the Yankees spent $7,123,000 in this year's draft.
The New York Yankees went very college heavy in the early
rounds of the 2016 MLB First Year Players Draft and for good reason. The
Yankees farm system is loaded with talent but much of the talent hasn’t sniffed
Double-A competition yet leaving New York desperate for depth from their farm
system at the Major League level. The quickest way to get a draftee to the
Major Leagues is to draft a college pitcher or position player that is
considered to be polished and more MLB ready and let them loose to fly through
the system. That’s exactly what they did with their 10th round pick
in this year’s draft Trevor Lane. Let’s meet him.
This is Meet a Prospect: The Trevor Lane Edition. Lane was
drafted 307th overall by the Yankees out of the University of
Illinois. Lane is a left-handed power relief pitcher who began his collegiate
career at Campbell before transferring to Lower Columbia Community College and
then UL. While in the Horizon League Lane was considered to be one of the top
relievers in all of the conference after transferring from the rotation to the
bullpen this season.
As a starter in 2014 Lane posted a very impressive 12.46 K/9
ratio but he saw that same ratio drop to 7.02 in 2015 forcing his coaches to
move him to the bullpen. As a senior reliever in 2016 Lane threw 70.1 innings
and posted a 1.41 ERA with five saves and a 90/35 K/BB ratio despite missing
time with a concussion. That impressive strikeout rate jumped Lane back to a
12.49 K/9 showing Lane and the Yankees that his coaching staff made the right
decision in the move.
Lane is not a big guy by any means, 5’11” and 185 lbs., but
he has good mechanics and a good delivery that should quell some of the
durability concerns that come with smaller framed pitchers. Lane, like Brooks
Kriske who the Yankees took with their 6th pick out of USC, should
move through the Yankees farm system rather quickly and into the Circle of
Trust with Joe Girardi relatively soon. Think Jacob Lindgren circa 2015.
Welcome to the organization Trevor and welcome to the family
as well.
