2015 Yankees Draft

[$heriff Tom]

FIRST PICK -- James Kaprelian - UCLA - RHP

Kaprielian shined for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer, pitching through a family tragedy as his mother died at age 58 from breast cancer in June. His mother encouraged him to keep his commitment before she passed away, and Kaprielian had a strong summer, including dominating Taiwan in a July 4 start that included 12 strikeouts. Kaprielian knows how to finish hitters off when he's ahead in the count, with a plus curveball as his best pitch. He can land it, vary the shape of it and bury it as a chase pitch, and his feel for the curve is his strongest attribute. He has dabbled with a slider as well but has focused on the fastball, curveball and solid-average changeup for most of the spring. Kaprielian ranked No. 73 on the BA500 out of high school in 2012, spurning the Mariners, who took a 40th-round flier. His fastball velocity was among the reasons Kaprielian didn't sign out of high school, as he topped out at 92, and his fastball velocity remains a question this spring. While he sat 93-95 in a relief role during UCLA's 2013 national championship run, Kaprielian generally pitches with a fairly flat, straight 90-91 mph four-seam fastball. He doesn't throw a two-seamer. In several April and May starts, his velocity improved, bumping 95 and holding 92-93 deeper into games. That could push the polished, 6-foot-4, 200-pounder into the top half of the first round.

[$heriff Tom]

SECOND PICK - Kyle Holder - San Diego - SS

A San Diego prep product, Holder intended to play baseball and basketball at local Grossmont JC before realizing as a freshman that his future lay in baseball. That spring was the first time he ever focused just on baseball, and he began to emerge as a prospect. He had a strong summer in the Cape Cod League last year for Cotuit, then was San Diego's leading hitter for most of this spring, further increasing his draft stock. The athletic 6-foot-1, 185-pounder doesn't run better than average and has an uphill lefthanded swing path, which one scout compared to a cricket swing. However, Holder has shown a knack for the barrel this spring and makes consistent contact. He's unlikely to make an impact offensively but should defensively, where scouts give him grades ranging from 55 to 70. He has an average-to-plus arm to go with excellent, instinctive actions and footwork. Holder has short-area quickness makes playing shortstop look easy and smooth. He's earned comparisons to glove-first American shortstops of recent vintage from Walt Weiss and Gary DiSarcina to Brendan Ryan.

[$heriff Tom]

THIRD PICK - Jeff Degano - Indiana State - LHP

Heading into 2015, Indiana State’s coaching staff would have been happy if Degano merely earned a spot in the weekend rotation. The Sycamores admit that even they didn’t see him turning into one of the most dominating starters in college baseball this year. The British Columbia-native had missed almost all of 2013 and all of the 2014 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. In fall ball he showed no signs of ace potential except for the fact that his velocity had ticked back up into the low 90s. But from day one this spring, Degano has dominated thanks to a 90-94 mph fastball and a plus 78-82 mph slurve with good depth. He’s shown he can vary the shape of the breaking ball to make it a little bigger and slower or harder and later-breaking depending on the situation which has led to 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings (seventh-best in Division I). Degano also throws a fringy changeup, but he’s used it infrequently this season. His fastball is relatively straight, which could lead a team to consider making him a power reliever, but he’ll likely head out as a starter and if he can develop his changeup, he has the makings of a lefthanded starter who can miss bats.

[MSBNYY]

That report on Degano is a little better than I thought. The fact that he had the TJ surgery awhile ago means he's at the end of the road, and he's at the point where it shouldn't be a factor.

That said, I just don't get this team's drafting strategy with Holder.

With the 30th pick, there was a lot of better talent available, and they pick a guy that is basically another Brendan Ryan.

[$heriff Tom]

DREW FINLEY - RHP - RANCHO BERNARDO HS

The fact that Finley is advanced for a high school pitcher should come as no surprise. His father David played professionally and has been a scout for 25 years, including a stint as the Red Sox’s director of player personnel and national crosschecker. (He’s currently with the Dodgers.) Rancho Bernardo remains a prep powerhouse, and Finley came out of the gate in tremendous fashion, including a 20-strikeout game in which his fastball touched 93 mph. Even when his heater sits in the 88-91 range, as it often does, Finley can pitch off it because he gets good extension out front, hides the ball well and has an above-average spin rate, according to TrackMan data. That helps him get swings and misses and flyball outs. Finley has good control of the fastball and can get strikeouts with it or his advanced curveball, which is inconsistent but projects as a future plus pitch. He seemed to back up bit in early May, losing some velocity and relying more heavily on the curve as he reached a personal high for innings pitched. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is committed to Southern California.

[$heriff Tom]

JEFF HENDRIX OF OREGON STATE

Hendrix provided the veteran offensive ballast for a young Oregon State team that charged down the stretch to finish second in the Pacific-12 Conference and earn an NCAA tournament berth. At 6-foot, 198 pounds, he's solidly built but still runs well, with above-average speed and enough instincts to play in center field for scouts who like him. He lacks the arm strength for right field, which may limit his upside as a potential fourth outfielder, but he does have the lefthanded bat many teams like in that profile. His swing at times isn't pretty thanks to a slashing style that works due to his excellent hand-eye coordination. That does limit his power potential, though he has strength to hit now. He's 22 and was drafted last year as an eligible sophomore (Royals, 39th round).

[$heriff Tom]

CHANCE ADAMS RHP DALLAS BAPTIST

Adams doesn't have the pure arm-strength of teammate Drew Smith or the devastating slider of teammate Brandon Koch, but he supplanted Smith late in the season in the setup role because he has a better present arsenal. At 6-foot, 205 pounds, Adams doesn't generate much downhill plane, but he has plenty of stuff with a mid-90s fastball and a quality slider that gives him a chance to have two above-average pitches

[$heriff Tom]

BRANDON WAGNER, 3B HOWARD, TX

Wagner has played second base at Howard, but he is more likely to end up at third base or in left field as a pro. Wherever he ends up playing, Wagner shows power potential to all fields with a simple, smooth lefthanded swing with solid plate discipline. He runs well (6.7 in the 60-yard dash). Wagner, his conference’s MVP and a 39th-round pick of the Phillies in 2013, is one of the youngest draft-eligible college players in this draft class as he is only 19.

[$heriff Tom]

JHALAN JACKSON OF FLORIDA SOUTHERM

Jackson began his college career at Hillsborough (Fla.) CC before transferring to Florida Southern for his junior season. He excelled for the Moccasins this season, as he hit .417/.476/.857 and set a school record with 20 home runs. Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Jackson has a powerful righthanded bat. He fits best defensively as a corner outfielder.

[$heriff Tom]

RYAN KRILL 1B MICHIGAN STATE

Krill is a potential senior sign who has been a four-year starter at Michigan State. He hadn't produced in his first three seasons, but his power emerged as a senior. After not slugging over .400 in his first three seasons, Krill slugged .615 as a senior. He hit 13 home runs after not topping three home runs in any previous season. Krill's power spike makes him a draftable player, but he projects primarily as an organizational player.

[$heriff Tom]

these are your top 10 guys with scouting reports. they drafted "off the board" on a couple of guys, no reports. High School 3B Donny Sands and LHP James Reeve from The Citadel. Overall I am not enamored with this draft. Baseball America DID give them a B+ on their first 3 picks. The Dodgers, who grabbed the guys i wanted the Yankees too and picked right around there, got an A+.

[$heriff Tom]

JOSH ROGERS LHP LOUSIVILLE

Rogers underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2013 as a senior at New Albany (Ind.) High, but returned to form quickly and made his Louisville debut just 11 months later. He became a midweek starter for the Cardinals soon thereafter and became a key part of their weekend rotation as a sophomore. At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Rogers has a near ideal pitcher’s build. He locates his 87-91 mph fastball, mixes in a slider that flashes average at his best and below-average at other times and a usable changeup. Rogers’ mix of three pitches and an ability to locate them makes him a potential back-end starter. He is a draft-eligible sophomore.

[$heriff Tom]

KOLTON MAHONEY RHP BRIGHAM YOUNG

Mahoney, 23, is one of the oldest players on the board as a LDS mission alumnus who graduated from high school in 2010. A 23rd-round pick last year of the Brewers, he didn't sign despite a strong performance in the Cape Cod League, where he had one of the cleaner arm actions and better deliveries in the league. Mahoney had 47 strikeouts in 37 innings last summer but he struggled back at BYU this spring, posting a 4-8, 5.27 mark. At 6-foot, 195 pounds, Mahoney has a strong arm, sitting at 89-94 mph with his fastball and showing the arm strength to register higher in shorter stints. He also locates his tight slider very well, showing a feel for the low-80s power pitch. He has a four-pitch mix with a solid curveball that he locates and a changeup with some true bottom to it. Mahoney's fastball can be true and he doesn’t command it the way he does his slider. He has the arsenal to start if he can throw more fastball strikes.

[$heriff Tom]

ZACH ZEHNER OF CAL POLY

An unsigned seventh-round pick last year by the Blue Jays, Zehner returned and had a strong senior season and should go out in around the same range as a senior sign. He looks like a right fielder at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and has a solid-average throwing arm that should keep him in the position. He’s made some swing adjustments since last year and his days at Santa Barbara CC, where he spent his first two seasons, and gets to his plus raw power more often. He led the Big West Conference with nine homers but still gets too big with his swing and overly aggressive (52-18 K-BB rate).

[$heriff Tom]

ISIAH GILLIAM 1B CHIPOLA (FL) JC

Gilliam was a late entrant into the 2014 draft after moving his high school graduation up a year and reclassifying with MLB. Scouts who hadn't bared down on him previously scrambled to evaluate him last spring; he lasted until the 23rd (Cubs). He didn't sign, however, and went on to Chipola, where he reunited with high school teammate Mac Marshall. Gilliam is a switch-hitter with above-average raw power, though he's still learning to get to it in games. His lefthanded swing produces more loft, while his righthanded swing is more geared toward line drives. But he has the strength and bat speed to drive the ball out from either side of the plate. After primarily playing first base in high school, Gilliam has moved to left field at Chipola. He has some athleticism, but scouts believe he'll end up back at first base once he fills out his 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame. If he's able to unlock his power potential, he'll profile just fine in either position.

[$heriff Tom]

CODY CARROLL RHP SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Carroll was injured in his senior season of high school and underwent Tommy John surgery forcing him to take a redshirt as a freshman at Southern Mississippi. Injuries continued to hamper him over the next two years and he entered this spring having appeared in just 13 games for the Golden Eagles. But he was able to stay healthy this season and pitched his way into consideration for the top 10 rounds. His fastball sits 90-92 mph and he touched 96 mph. His changeup is his best secondary offering, while his slider showed improvement this spring. At 6-foot-5, 193 pounds, Carroll has good size, but his injury history and control (he averaged 4.39 walks per nine innings this season) mean he likely will end up as a reliever in pro ball.

[$heriff Tom]

MIKE GARZILLO 2B LEHIGH

Garzillo was not a well-known commodity coming out of high school, and didn’t developed into a high-profile prospect until this spring, when his raw power finally began to translate into games. Garzillo has shown for three years the ability to put the ball in play in the gaps, but his power has come on strong only this season as he hit 13 home runs. He’s shown the ability to pull the ball over the fence, hitting home runs over 415 feet at times this spring. Garzillo is also a plus runner and has a chance to stay at second base. He has yet to prove himself against high-quality competition, which makes him risky for teams to look at high in the draft, but someone will likely gamble on his tools because he has a high ceiling.

[$heriff Tom]

DEACON LIPUT SS OVIEDO (FL) HS

Add Liput to the talented group of middle infielders who have come out of the Orlando area in recent years, a list that includes Brendan Rodgers and Ryan Mountcastle this year alone. Liput earns praise for his good baseball instincts and approach to the game. He has a compact swing and can spray line drives to all fields. He shows some power when he pulls balls, but his is more of a contact-oriented approach. He is a steady defender with slightly above-average speed and fringy arm strength who profiles best at second base at the next level. Liput is committed to Florida.

[MSBNYY]

I'm hoping they know something I don't about the SS who can't hit with the 30th overall pick.

They say he could be the best defensive player overall in the draft, but if he can't hit well enough to get to the majors, what's the point?