New York Yankees 2014 Draft Picks: Scouting Profiles and Analysis
June 5, 2014 · Peter F. Richman · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
On the evening of June 5, the 2014 MLB first-year player draft gets underway. Beginning Thursday morning, Bleacher Report kicks things off right here with draft coverage for the New York Yankees.
The Bombers do not have a first-round pick this year, eyeing their first two selections at No. 55 and No. 91.
Depth is still depth, and this year’s draft is hardly short on talent—even outside the top 25. Having set off this past winter on a whirlwind spending spree, they ultimately forfeited their first-rounder for Brian McCann and their two compensation-round selections for Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran.
Even with hindsight, it is tough to blame general manager Brian Cashman and company after the Yankees went 85-77 last season, finished third in the division and missed the 2013 postseason.
Fifty-eight games into this year’s iteration, the Bombers cling to a .500 record and third place in the sputtering AL East. They are five back of the surging Toronto Blue Jays in the loss column and, at 29-29 overall entering Thursday—and having lost four in a row ahead of draft weekend in Secaucus—some unresolved holes from the offseason have already materialized into concrete issues.
Yanks brass could emerge from the weekend with simply a handful of the best players available—neither worried about developing some nor about trading others. Or, after repeatedly leaning on the trade and free-agent markets to bolster the big league club, we could see the makings of a more pragmatic long-term approach. Maybe they continue the trend from last summer’s draft, in which they valued near-pro-ready NCAA bats, and reframe the vision of their oft-criticized scouting department and farm by placing more emphasis on in-house development.
Check back right here when Round 1 kicks off on Thursday, as we’ll be updating the Yankees’ picks with scouting reports and analysis during baseball’s first big summer event.
See how the organization’s needs translate into New York’s first prospects off the board, and be sure to stick with us throughout B/R’s 2014 live coverage this weekend.
*Note: This draft tracker will be updated live following the Yankees’ picks throughout the weekend of June 5-7. Round 1 begins at 7 p.m. ET, Thursday night on MLB Network with live streaming available on MLB.com. Friday through Saturday begins at 1 p.m. ET each day on MLB.com.
**Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.
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