Written by Greg Fertel
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08 June 2007
A good day overall for the Yankees. Much different from the latter part of last year's draft. A lot of these guys will be relative mysteries for a few weeks as information seeps out about them. I don't want to pass judgment on the draft as a whole until I've had some time to reflect, but the initial impressions:
6. David Weems, catcher, Georgia high school - This draft was reputed to be very deep in catching talent, so it shouldn't be a surprise that we picked up another high school backstop. He's got a plus arm and remained relatively unknown to scouts until recently. BA speculates that he could take a decent bonus to get Weems signed with a commitment to Alabama. He's got the bat for another position if need be.
7. 2b/RHP Damon Sublett, Wichita State - An injured player who really should have gone higher than the 7th round. Sublett hit .394/.500/.642 for Wichita State in 2006, while striking out 23 in 12 scoreless innings of relief work. A shoulder injury has mostly kept him off the mound this season, and hurt his batting (.364/.470/.510). No idea right now if the Yankees drafted him to hit or pitch.
8. CF Taylor Grote, Texas High School - I don't know a lot about him yet. He's fast. He's got a strong arm. I'm not sure how his bat is. We'll know more about him if the Yankees sign him.
9. CF Austin Krum, Dallas Baptist University - He hit .343/.446/.594 for one of the top Division I independent schools in the country. Freddy Sanchez went there. I'm still in dark about Krum for the most part right now, but maybe the Yankees did their home work and found someone underrated.
10. SS Carmen Angelini, Louisiana High School - A tough sign with a commitment to Rice, Angelini would be a big coup if we could nab him. Angelini has a solid all around game with plus marks in speed and power. He's a good bet to stick at shortstop if we sign him.
11. LF Isaiah Howes, Louisville - Looking for a diamond in the rough. Howes hit .392/.451/.690 this year. He's got some power to him, although he strikes out a lot (62 in 66 games, 24 walks). Should sign.
12. RHP Manuel Barreda, Arizona High School - Love it, love it, love it. He throws 92-94, topping out at 96 with a lot of movement and has a good slider . The knock against him is that he's very small (5'11", 165 lbs) and didn't give scouts a lot of looks last year. He'll be another tough sign, with a scholarship to Arizona.
13. Nicholas Chigges, College of Charleston - I guess Brett Gardner made a recommendation. I don't know much about him yet, except that he's a senior and should sign right away.
14. 3b Braedyn Pruitt, Stetson - He hit .345/.472/.515 for Stetson this year with a phenomenal 20/42 K/BB ratio. Should be signable, but I don't know anything else about him.
15. RF Dave Williams, Rutgers - An athletic guy from Rutgers. Not much more.
17. RHP Chris Carpenter, Kent State - 93-98 mph fastball. Absolutely no control. He's had Tommy John Surgery and is a sophomore, which is why he went so far without someone using a pick on him. I'm betting that the Yanks can get the man to sign. He's a super high risk with the injury history and completely unknown location of the ball after it leaves his hand, but you can't teach 98.
23. RHP Greg Peavey, Washington High School - If he signs, it'll be a miracle (though Miracles tend to come easier when you have the Yankee's budget), but Peavey is a supplemental round talent. He throws 90-93 with a lot of movement, and is very well polished. He wouldn't have fallen this far had he not been dead set on going to Oregon State, so don't count on the Yankees signing him.
I'll continue to point out any interesting picks beyond here, but at this point we're not looking at a whole lot. The White Sox are making joke picks (Alexander Rodriguez, Ozzie Oney, Grant Monroe). If the names are important, they'll surface over the summer. The Yankees look like they are going to spend a lot of money over the next few months.
