The Yankees are heading into this year’s draft in a familiar spot: waiting longer than most before they get a chance to make a real splash. Their first selection comes at No. 35, a consequence of the luxury tax hit that left them without a first-round pick.
That’s not exactly the kind of draft setup teams dream about, but New York has made this work before. The club found Aaron Judge at No. 32 in 2013, and that kind of hit is the blueprint when you’re drafting from the back end of the board. The last time the Yankees had a pick in the top 15, you have to go back to 1992, when they took Derek Jeter with the No. 6 pick.
With Brian Cashman holding the No. 35, No. 63 and No. 99 selections, there’s no clean path and no guarantee the board will cooperate.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer says the Yankees should “be opportunistic” and take advantage if a talented player slips.
"One of the problems with always being good is that it means low draft picks and small bonus pools. And so it goes for Brian Cashman, who'll only have the No. 63 and No. 99 picks after making the No. 35 selection.
Maybe he'll get lucky and find another Aaron Judge, who was only a No. 32 pick back in 2013. Failing that, the No. 35 pick might best be used on a high schooler who falls due to signability concerns, but who could be swayed by the aura of the Bronx Bombers."
That kind of approach could put a player like Bo Lowrance in play. He’s expected to move to third base at the next level, and his left-handed swing has already stood out on the showcase circuit.
In Other News...
Cashman Just Turned Up The Heat On Boone In A Familiar Yankees Mess
The Yankees strong start has given way to another rough stretch, and the timing only sharpens the scrutiny around a club that has spent the past three weeks looking far more ordinary than its record suggested early on. New York has dropped six of its last 21 games, a skid that has reopened the familiar questions that tend to follow this team whenever the bats cool off and the losses start to stack up.
Brian Cashmans latest public backing of Aaron Boone keeps the focus on a manager who is now in his ninth season guiding the Yankees, with the franchise still trying to end a title drought that has stretched to 16 years. For Boone, the support matters, but it also comes with the same old pressure that follows every prolonged slump in the Bronx, where patience is never especially long and the margin for another uneven run feels thinner by the day. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Suddenly Linked To A Catching Move Fans Would Absolutely Hate
The Yankees have been searching for a right-handed catching option, and that need has put them in the kind of speculative trade chatter that always seems to follow a club with October expectations. One name now floating into the conversation is a young Dodgers backstop who would bring a very different look to the roster, with a left-handed swing and enough offensive pop to make him more than a simple depth add.
What makes the idea interesting, and a little awkward for Yankees fans, is that the fit would come with real competition from other clubs and a profile that does not match the usual backup-catcher mold. He has shown he can handle expanded duty and bring some edge to the position, but whether Los Angeles would actually move him depends on how its catching situation settles, leaving New York to watch a market that could get crowded fast. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Volpe Is Forcing A Yankees Decision Fans Wont Like
Anthony Volpes season has become a lot more interesting than his batting line alone would suggest. The Yankees shortstop has taken a real step forward defensively after a rougher year, and the numbers now back up what the eye test has hinted at for a while: he is once again giving the club steady work at a premium position, the kind of value that can matter even when the offense is still coming and going.
For a Yankees team that has spent plenty of time weighing present needs against future plans, that creates a tricky kind of leverage. Volpes glove has made him more valuable around the league, but it also comes at a moment when the organization is looking hard at its next wave of talent and what that might mean for the middle infield. The result is a decision that could get uncomfortable fast, because the better Volpe plays in the field, the more complicated his long-term fit becomes. [Read more 🡒]