The MLB Draft is fast approaching. In less than two weeks, we’ll know which three players will join the hundreds of minor leaguers stuck in limbo. I’m being facetious with all the minor league cuts going around, but the draft is an exciting time. Over the past few weeks, we looked at players mocked to the New York Yankees, and we have a new crop of mock drafts to peruse today.
J.T. Ginn
Ginn is a RHP from Mississippi State. He was drafted out of high school in the first round by the Dodgers in 2018 but turned them down. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Ginn because he is a draft-eligible sophomore who had Tommy John surgery this spring. Based on recovery times, he won’t pitch next year at all which could factor into his decision to sign or stay in school. He has a strong fastball-slider combination with decent control. He is, however, an injury and signability risk which could have him fall in this draft with teams likely to stay conservative rather than go for upside.
Austin Wells
I wrote about Wells last time, so I’ll repurpose that here: Wells is a catcher from the University of Arizona and Callis notes he has “hittability, power, and plate discipline, though he may wind up at first base or in left field.” Wells is a bat-first catcher which fits the Yankees mold. Axisa and Law do not have Wells going in the first round of the draft. MLB Pipeline grades Wells as a 55 hit and power prospect which speaks to his hitting ability. The Yankees actually drafted Wells in the 35th round in 2018 so you know they like him.
Crucially, Mike Axisa of CBS is projecting Wells to the Yankees after not having him go in the first round at all before. That means Wells might be rising up teams draft boards.
Ed Howard
Howard is a shortstop out of Mount Carmel HS in Chicago. Callis notes the Yankees are likely to go for a position player in the first round before stocking up on pitchers later, and Howard is “the best true shortstop” in his view. MLB Pipeline notes Howard will definitely be able to remain and shortstop and has a high baseball IQ. He is their No. 15 ranked overall prospect, and if he falls to the Yankees, he could be a great target.
Cole Wilcox
Wilcox is a RHP from Georgia with a huge fastball that can get up to 100 mph. His offspeed pitches show promise, however, some are concerned he will be a reliever longterm. He is also a draft-eligible sophomore, and I wonder if those guys will prefer to sign or go back to school next year with a chance to show their stuff in a full season.
Thoughts
There is no real consensus yet on who the Yankees will take. I am inclined to agree with Jim Callis that the Yankees will look for a position player in the first round before looking at pitchers later on because this class is deep on pitching. The mocks so far have been all over the place for all teams, not just the Yankees, and that leads me to believe it may be more a matter of who the top player available is.
You can contact Rohan on Twitter @rohanarcot20
