Analysis on all 50 Yankee draft picks

In this post, I will review all 50 Yankees draft picks and explain where they fit in with the organization. WIth all my comments about their future with the Yankees, I'm assuming that they will sign. I know that at least a couple of these guys won't sign. (With a lot of the ages that I'm mentioning, they may almost be the next age. For example, Cito Culver will turn 18 in August.)

1. The Yanks' first round draft pick was 17 year old switch-hitting high school SS/RHP Cito Culver. He also pitched in high school. He is going to be the next Yankee SS after Jeter, assuming he does well in the minors. Remember, even if Jeter retires in 6 years, Culver will be just 23 years old. Full post on him here: http://www.fannation.com/blogs/post/666525-the-future-of-the-yankees-cito-culver.

2. In the second round, the Yankees drafted another 17 year old high school SS, Angelo Gumbs. He's going to be an outfielder in the Yankee farm system. He is a superb defender whose hitting is coming along nicely. He has a future as a 4th outfielder for the Yankees- think Melky Cabrera. Maybe he'll get a chance because of injury to start at some point.

3. With their 3rd pick in the draft, the Yankees drafted their 3rd infielder in a row, 21 year old 3B Robert Segedin from Tulane. Segedin is a Yankee-type draft pick- he wanted a pretty big signing bonus, so he fell to the 3rd round when the Yankees drafted him, because we all know the Yanks have the money. Segedin is a talented hitter with pretty good power. He is also pretty good defensively. He also dropped because of a back injury that he suffered in '08. He's already 22 years old, so he may not be the 3rd baseman of the future. But if he stays healthy, he'll at least have a shot.

4. With their 4th round pick, the Yankees selected 18 year old high school OF Mason Williams. He is a Brett-Gardner type player- he's great defensively and is very fast, but he has very little power. But, he has better arm strength than Gardner. With Gardner, Curtis Granderson, and potentially Carl Crawford on the team, it will be tough for him to be anything more than a bench player with the Yanks.

5. In the 5th round, the Yankees drafted 20 year old RHP Thomas Kahnle from Lynn University in Divison 2. Kahnle is going to be a reliever for the Yanks. He has a lot of potential, as evidenced by his playoff performance as a freshman. He was awarded the Most Outstanding Player award for the NCAA National Tournament and the South Region Tournament. (I haven't had this confirmed, but I'm sure the NCAA National Tournament is Division 2. Note that the Division 1 tournament is the College World Series.) The Yankees can never have enough good relievers, and hopefully Kahnle will be one of them.

6. In the 6th round, the Yankees got 18 year old high school RHP Gabe Encinas. He has a great sinker and is known for attacking the zone. But, his secondary pitches haven't developed very well yet. After AJ Burnett's contract expires after the 2013 season, Encinas could be in the battle for a rotation spot if those secondary pitches develop.

7. The Yankees drafted 18 year old high school OF Taylor Jake Anderson with their 7th round pick. He has a good arm and has a nice, fluid swing. I really can't find very much about him. With the Yankee outfield stacked, maybe he'll be a bench player with the team if he succeeds.

8. With their 8th round pick, the Yankees drafted 22 year old East Carolina 1st baseman Kyle Roller. He was East Carolina's captain and is a class act off the field. His stance and swing remind me of Mark Teixeira, but of course, Teix is signed until 2016. Maybe he can be a Juan Miranda-type part time DH and bench player.

9. In the 9th round, the Yankees drafted 18 year old high school RHP Taylor Morton. He has a great fastball, 95 MPH consistently. I have seen anything about his secondary pitches, so that must be his problem. With his great fastball, Morton projects as a reliever.

10. The Yankees drafted 18 year old high school OF Benjamin Gamel with their 10th round pick. Gamel's older brother Matt is a 3rd baseman in the Brewers farm system. Gamel ironically reminds me a little bit of Dustin Pedroia. He is a little guy (5'10), but he swings like he has big-time power. In the outfield, he has strong but inaccurate arm. I doubt Gamel has a future with the Yans kees with 3 other outfielders drafted in front of him, and a solid outfield set in place in the majors.

11. In the 11th round, the Yankees drafted 21 year old University of Portland RHP Zachary Varce. He was a reliever in '10, so he'll be a reliever in the minors as well. He throws a 93 MPH fastball, a spilter, a changeup, and a slider. He has great confidence in his pitches. He could make an impact as a reliever for the Yanks.

12. With their 12th round pick, the Yankees drafted 21 year old St. Johns RHP Daniel Burawa. He throws a 95 MPH fastball, but his only other pitch is an average slider. He also struggles with control. He was suspended earlier this year, so he maybe has an attitude problem. Burawa is going to be a reliever in the Yankee organization. He better fix his control if he wants to be a reliever for the Yanks.

13. The Yankees drafted 18 year old high school catcher Christopher Austin with their 13th round pick. He has a pretty fluid swing and appears to be a decent line drive hitter. There really is very little information about him. With Francisco Cervelli and Austin Romine already ahead of him in the race for the next Yankee catcher after Posada, I don't think Austin will make any impact as a catcher at the major league level for the Yankees.

14. In the 14th round, the Yankees drafted 19 year old high school RHP Travis Dean. Although he's 6'5, he throws only 90 MPH with his fastball. But, according to his would-be future coach (if the Yankees don't sign him), he has a "loose arm" and great upside. There are a lot of right-handed pitchers that the Yankees drafted, and Dean doesn' t seem to stand out. But, like everyone, he has a chance to make an impact in the majors as a reliever if he really lives up to that great upside.

15. Chase Whitley, a 20 year old RHP from Troy. He was Troy's closer. He had a decent fastball, 89-92 MPH, but he has 2 very good pitches: a slider and a changeup. He averaged about a strikeout per inning in '10. He has a chance to be a pretty good reliever for the Yanks.

16. With their 16th pick, the Yankees selected 18 year old high school LHP Evan Rutckyj from Canada. (I don't have any idea how to pronounce his last name.) He's a very raw talent who just started pitching full-time last year. His velocity on his fastball is currently 92 MPH, but it's already moved up from 84 MPH and it's still getting faster and faster. He also throws a good changeup. He possesses the David Robertson-like ability to strike batters out at a great rate without very good velocity. I'm not sure why he slid so far. He was projected as a 5th round pick as recently as the day before the draft began. Anyway, the Yanks got a steal of a pick and I expect that we'll see Rutckyj in the Yankee bullpen someday.

17. In the 17th round, the Yankees drafted another RHP, Preston Claiborne from Tulane. He's been a reliever his whole college career. He showed good control at Tulane in '09 (29 K's, 12 walks), and pitched both as a long reliever and short reliever. With that Alrfredo Aceves-like versatility, we might see him in the Yankee bullpen at some point.

18. With their pick in the 18th round, the Yankees drafted 6'6 RHP Kevin Jacob from Georgia Tech. He throws a fastball at 96, so he should be a good major league reliever. He also throws a pretty good curveball. But, a problem with him was that the ball supposedly is very visible out of his hand. Hopefully, the Yankees can fix that problem in the minors and he'll be a good reliever in a few years.

19. The biggest wild card in this draft might be 18 year old high school CF Kevin Jordan, drafted in the 19th round by the Yanks. He's a 5-tool prospect, with power, speed, hitting for average, arm strength and fielding ability. So, you probably wonder, why did he fall so far in the draft? Well, this year he got strep throat. We've all gotten strep- what does that have to do with anything? Well, after getting strep, he got a throat infection and missed all of this year. He's better now. The Yankees are taking the gamble that he won't get sick again. If he does, they might have a 2nd round talent in the 17th round. Andy Pettitte was a 22nd round pick in 1990 that really turned out to be something special- Jordan could be the Pettitte of this draft. Obviously, the outfield for the Yankees is very crowded, but with his great athleticism, maybe Jordan can become a utility player that plays both infield and outfield similar to Mark DeRosa and Jerry Hairson Jr. In that case, Jordan would be playing somewhere nearly every game and would get to show off his hitting ability. I hope Jordan stays healthy and signs, because he could really be something special for the Yankees.

20. With their 20th pick in the draft, the Yankees drafted 22 year old University of San Diego LF Michael Ferraro. There's not very much information out there about him, but he's a good average hitter with little power. With all the outfielders ahead of him, I don't think he has a future with the team.

21. In the 21st round, the Yankees drafted 20 year old junior college RHP Dustin Hobbs. He has a 90 MPH fastball with very good movement. I've seen it move in two different directions, so he must have 2 different fastballs. I think he has a 4-seamer and a cutter that moves inside to lefties and outside to righties. If he develops that cutter well, who knows? I know a great pitcher that throws nearly all cutters and you all know him too: Mariano Rivera. Maybe Hobbs will make an impact in the bullpen for the Yanks because of that cutter.

22. The Yankees drafted 21 year old junior college LHP Trevor Johnson in the 22nd round. Johnson is a starter who has that need to finish games, like Roy Halladay. He had 5 complete games in '09. I doubt that Johnson as good of a pitcher as Halladay, but it's good to be compared to Halladay at all. I can't find any information on any of Johnson's pitches, but he sounds like a good pitcher. Maybe we'll see him in the future as well.

23. In the 23rd round of the draft, the Yankees drafted 22 year old Central Florida catcher Shane Brown. Brown had an incredible season in '10, hitting .428 with a .541 OBP. He is a good line drive hitter with some power. The question with college catchers is that they don't call their games- the coaches do from the dugout. It's pretty incredible that he fell this far though. He's a good hitter. We'll have to see what happens to him, but it will be tough for any catcher to make it to the majors for the Yankees with Cervelli and Romine among others in front of him for the catchers of the future.

24. With their 24th pick of the draft, the Yankees drafted 22 year old SS/RHP Conor Mullee from St. Peters College. He is a decent hitter for average with good speed as a SS. But, the Yankees drafted Mullee as a pitcher. Mullee pitched for the first time this year. He had just a 10.50 ERA as a pitcher this year, but he showed a 94 MPH fastball and a 75-77 MPH curveball and impressed some scouts. As he develops as a pitcher, he should get better and better. Maybe even good enough to make it into the Yankee bullpen.

25. In the 25th round, the Yankees selected 22 year old 2B Casey Stevenson from UC Irvine. He is a decent average hittter, but with no power and not very much speed. He did post a good OBP. He must be great defensively for the Yankees to have drafted him here. Still, he probably has no future with the team.

26. The Yankees drafted 21 year old junior college RHP R.J. Hively with their 26th round pick. He was a starter and reliever in '10, so he is pretty versatile. But, a 3.06 ERA in junior college isn't good enough. He doesn't have a future with the Yankees.

27. In the 27th round, the Yankees drafted 20 year old RHP Martin Viramontes from Loyola Marymount University. He missed all of '09 with shoulder injuries and struggled in '10. But, he has a good arsenal of pitches. He has a low-90's fastball, an 84 MPH slider, an 80 MPH changeup, and a 76-78 MPH slurve. That slider could potentially be a very good put-away pitch. When healthy, Viramontes is a very good pitcher. But can he stay healthy? If he does stay healthy, he could be a steal. Viramontes could be a good reliever with the big league team.

28. With their pick in the 28th round of the draft, the Yankees drafted 17 year old high school RHP Josn Dezse. He was dominant his last year in high school, posting a 1.60 ERA, not that it means that much. We'll see how he turns out. He better be good since there are a lot of guys ahead of him.

29. The Yankees drafted 21 year old LF Stewart Ijames from Louisville in the 27th round of the draft. He has decent power and should hit for a decent BA. I still don't think he has any future with the team.

30. 20 year old RHP Zachary Nuding was drafted by the Yankees in the 30th round. He has a good fastball, a very good slider, and a decent splitter, but he struggles with control. No way he has a future with the Yanks.

I can't information anywhere on nearly all of the remaining picks. Good luck to all them, but I doubt any of them will ever be on the Yankees.

31. In the 31st round of the draft, the Yankees selected 21 year old Florida Atlantic RHP James Gipson.

32. With their pick in the 32nd round of the draft, the Yankees drafted 21 year old LHP Kramer Sneed from Division 2 Barton College. He can both start and relieve and he's hard working, but that's all I can find. Guess we'll see what happens, but I doubt he will ever make the Yankees if he even signs.

33. In the 33rd round, the Yankees drafted RHP Michael Hachadorian from San Diego Mesa College.

34. In the 34th round, the Yankees drafted 18 year old high school RHP William Kish. He throws an 86 MPH fastball and a 77 MPH curveball. Neither of those pitches are very good. Good luck to him.

35. The Yankees drafted 22 year old RHP William Oliver from Junior college in the 35th round.

36. In the 36th round, the Yankees drafted 23 year old catcher Nick McCoy from San Diego. He's nothing special according to his high school and college stats. Good luck to him.

37. In the 37th round, the Yankees drafted 21 year old LHP Cameron Hobson from Dayton. He has terrible control but strikes out a ton of batters. Sort of like Nolan Ryan... no way. Good luck to him.

38. The Yankees drafted 18 year old high school CF James Ramsay in the 38th round.

39. In the 39th round, the Yankees drafted 18 year old high school OF Jaycob Brugman.

40. In the 40th round, the Yankees drafted 18 year old high school CF Michael Gerber.

41. In the 41st round, the Yankees drafted their 4th straight high school outfielder, 19 year old CF Tymothy Pearson.

42. The Yankees drafted 18 year old high school CF Michael O'Neill in the 42nd round.

43. In the 43rd round, the Yankees drafted 21 year old LHP Kyle Hunter from Kansas State.

44. In the 44th round, the Yankees drafted 21 year old LHP David Middendorf from Northern Kentucky.

45. The Yankees drafted 21 year old Penn State OF Tyler Johnson in the 45th round.

46. In the 46th round, the Yankees drafted RHP Nathan Forer from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. All he throws is a 85-89 fastball with some movement. Good luck to him.

47. In the 47th round, the Yankees drafted 23 year old LHP Frederick Lewis from Tennessee Wesleyan College.

48. The Yankees drafted 18 year old high school RHP Alex Brown in the 48th round of the draft.

49. In the 49th round, the Yankees drafted 18 year old high school OF Will Arthur.

50. In the 50th round, the Yankees drafted 21 year old catcher James Rice from Western Kentucky.

So that's all 50 Yankee draft picks.