The 2009 MLB draft is now over. Below is a list of the selections made by the New York Yankees along with the positions and schools of the players:
1. Slade Heathcott, OF, Texas High (Tx.)
2. John Murphy, C, Pendleton School (Fla.)
4. Adam Warren, RHP, North Carolina
5. Caleb Cotham, RHP, Vanderbilt
6. Robert Lyerly, 3B, Charlotte
7. Sean Black, RHP, Seton Hall
8. Samuel Elam, LHP, Notre Dame
9. Gavin Brooks, LHP, UCLA
10. Tyler Lyons, LHP, Oklahoma State
11. Neil Medchill, OF, Oklahoma State
12. Brett Gerritse, RHP, Pacifica High School (Cal.)
13. Deangelo Mack, OF, South Carolina
14. Graham Stoneburner, RHP, Clemson
15. Shane Greene, RHP, Daytona Beach CC (Fla.)
16. Bryan Mitchell, RHP, Rockingham County High School (N.C.)
17. Chad Thompson, RHP, El Toro High School (Cal.)
18. Hector Rabago, C, Southern California
19. Luke Murton, 1B, Georgia Tech
20. Thomas Keeling, LHP, Oklahoma State
21. Joe Talerico, OF, Brookdale (N.J.) CC
22. Richard Soignier, SS, Louisiana-Monroe
23. Kevin Mahoney, 3B, Canisius
24. Isaac Harrow, 2B, Appalachain State
25. Shaeffer Hall, LHP, Kansas
26. Stephen Bruno, SS, Gloucester Catholic High School (N.J.)
27. Jeffrey Farnham, New Mexico State
28. Aaron Meade, LHP, Missouri State
29. Scott Matyas, RHP, Minnesota
30. Kyle McKenzie, RHP, Thayer Academy (Mass.)
31. Judd Golson, OF, Mountain Brook High School (Ala.)
32. John Ebert, 1B, South Carolina
33. Andrew Aplin, OF, Vanden High School (Calif.)
34. Jacob Petricka, RHP, Indiana State
35. Brett Bruening, RHP, Grayson County JC (Tex.)
36. Ken Ottoson, LHP, South Mountain CC (Col.)
37. Justin Milo, OF, Vermont
38. Adam Bailey, OF, Nebraska
39. Cody Stiles, RHP, J.P. Taravella High School (Fla.)
40. Ben Watkins, RHP, Pittsburgh-Johnstown High School (Pa.)
41. Mariel Checo, RHP, Norman Thomas High School (N.Y.)
42. Danny Black, SS, Feather River College (Calif.)
43. Isaiah Brown, OF, Paradise Valley CC (Ariz.)
44. Evan DeLuca, LHP, Immaculata High School (N.J.)
45. Jeremy Baltz, OF, Vestal High School (N.Y.)
46. Tony Plagman, 1B, Georgia Tech
47. Shane Brown, C, Central Florida
48. Patrick White, OF, West Virginia
49. Xavier Esquivel, RHP, Loyola Marymount
50. Stephen Kaupang, 1B, Cypress College (Calif.)
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This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
Samuel Mende, a shortstop from Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Florida was selected in the 40th round by the Yankees, as the 1220th overall picked. Mende, who turned 18 in January is a 6’1, 166lbs. right-handed middle infielder. He was named to the first team All State Baseball team for 3A players as a middle infielder. His high school squad at CCHS finished the 2008 season with a final record of 26-4.
Mende does not have a ton of power, but he seems to hit the ball well. His expertise is really on the other side of the ball though, where some may call him a “wizard” of the glove. It’s always nice to have a reliable middle infielder and that is exactly what Mende can bring to the club. He has been signed for the league minimum of $400,000.
In the 43rd round of the draft the Yankees selected Matthew Summers, a right-handed pitcher out of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is listed at 6’1, 195lbs and turns 19 years old in August. He has shown tremendous work ethic and that should serve him well as he tries to prove himself at a young age. Currently, Summers has also signed with the Yankees for the minimum of $400,000/year.
This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
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Just like always, the Yankees aren’t willing to settle for less than a championship this year. Thank god we have management that always wants to win. With the trade deadline approaching, Cashman’s crew was busy once more despite some suggestions not too long ago that it was time to call it quits for 2008. What they came up with will certainly be a nice help for this year and thankfully not too big a hit for the future.
First off I want to say that Cashman hasn’t sold out. He is still sticking by our young prospects and the fact that we still have Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes shows that. This move does send away prospects, but without them the farm system is far from depleted. We still have good depth at their positions and it really shouldn’t be a big hit. Add that with the fact that Nady and Marte are in their prime and not on the downhill just yet, and this move makes a lot of sense for us.
The prospects we will part with are Jose Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Phil Coke, and George Kontos. Kontos and Coke aren’t likely to become anything special, although Tabata and Ohlendorf certainly seem to have a future. Tabata is considered one of the best athletes in the organization, but he is an outfielder, a position that we have a huge abundance at. Add that with the fact that he is struggling this year and that Nady is also an outfielder, and it doesn’t seem that bad to let him go. Nady will be a great addition to the squad, as he will certainly help the struggling lineup. He bats right-handed as well, which is a big plus since most of our bats are lefties at the moment. He will also be some good insurance should we choose to let Abreu walk next year.
Ross Ohlendorf showed some good potential this year, but the Yankees have a lot of good arms in the farm system, but most just aren’t ready yet. Marte gives us someone who can help the team right now, in a bullpen that will welcome him. With a cohort of young pitchers and the extensive resources we have, I am not too worried about our pitching situation in the future.
So, that’s basically what the trade is all about. Of course everyone won’t agree with my views, but I believe that letting go of these prospects was worth it, especially considering what we got in return and what we have left. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about keeping a strong farm system, but sometimes you just have to let some guys go if you want to win in the present (if we did a deal like IPK for Fuentes, as the Rockies are supposedly seeking, then I would be 100% against it, but looking at who we lost and who we got, it certainly isn’t bad.) Although the 2008 Yankees have received a lot of scrutiny this year with predictions that we wouldn’t make it in the ultra-competitive AL East, I think that we do still have a chance and I am glad to know that the organization feels similarly.
Update: Instead of George Kontos and Phil Coke, the Pirates will be receiving Dan McCutchen and Jeff Karstens. Apparently they had a choice of two players out of a pool of several (including Kontos and Coke) and decided to go with Karstens and McCutchen. It really isn’t that big a deal because none of them are anywhere near big prospects and chances are none of them will have a big impact in the future.
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This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
Erik Lovett, a first baseman and outfielder from Mount Olive College was selected by the New York Yankees in the 2008 MLB draft. Lovett, who will turn 23 in August is a 6’1, 220lbs. lefthander.
As a junior, Erik played in all 64 of Mount Olive’s games. He hit .371, with 28 doubles, 18 homeruns, and 77 RBI’s. His walk to strikeout ratio was 52:44. In the field Erik split time between first base and outfield. His fielding percentage for the 2008 season was .990. We see Erik best served as a first basemen. If he continues to develop, he could have a serious career in the big leagues.
In the 50th round (1502nd overall) of the 2008 MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected Nikolas Turley, a southpaw out of Harvard- Westlake High School in La Canada, California. He turns 19 years old on September 11th and is a 6’3, 210lbs lefthander.
At Harvard-Westlake, Nikolas led his squad to a 14-13 record his senior season after going 13-12 his junior year. As the last pick, it would appear Turley has a lot of work to do to improve his mound presence, but that is nothing a little collegiate baseball can’t help solve. It will be interesting to track Turley’s performances from here on out, especially as we (and scouts) track his progress on whether or not he is MLB material.
This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
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This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
In the 48th round of the 2008 MLB draft, the Yankees selected Rob Scahill out of Bradley University, a private school in Peoria Illinois. Rob, a 6’2, 205 pound right-hander had a nice season for the Braves in 2008. It was a great comeback after missing the 2007 season with a torn labrum. In 2008, Rob threw 83.2 innings, allowing 78 hits, striking out 79, and walking 41. Opponents hit a combined .244 against Scahill.
Scahill has a nice fastball that hits the low 90’s, and a curveball plus a changeup that he seldom uses (but does have in his arsenal.) Part of Scahill’s downfall throughout his career has been his control and his weakness of using the middle of the plate way too much. Hopefully after he has recovered completely from his injury this will be something Rob fixes. Chances are Rob will return to Bradley for his senior season, as the Yankees track his progress.
In the 46th round (with the1394th overall pick) of the draft the Yankees selected right-handed pitcher Matt Veltmann out of San Diego Community College. Veltmann, 6’5, 200 has great stuff, and only pitched one collegiate season. A 2007 graduate of Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, Veltmann appears to be able to throw in the lower 90’s and throws a bit from the side. His curve has great ability, and he is able to pitch a nice hard slider, along with a sweet split.
This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
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This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
With the 620th overall pick (20th round) of the 2008 MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected a right-handed pitcher out of Creighton University- Patrick Venditte. Patrick is an extremely unique draftee, as he is the only ambidextrous pitcher in the country. He is successful at pitching with both arms and that can certainly be a very valuable trait if he can make the bigs. The 6-1, 190lbs also bats from both sides of the plate, making him extremely desirable.
Venditte was born and raised in Omaha Nebraska, attending Omaha Central High School, and then electing to stay at home and attend Creighton University, a small Jesuit Catholic University. He was drafted in the 45th round of the 2007 draft, also by the Yankees, but elected to return to school for his senior season where he made the All-American first team going 9-3 with a 3.34 era and 7 saves. He pitched 86.1 innings, and appeared in 37 games, which led the conference and ranked second in the country. He struck out 101 batters in those 86.1 innings.
He recorded a strikeout with both his right and left arm in 17 of his 35 games this year, and 39 times in his career. Venditte was used out of the Blue Jays’ (Creighton Blue Jays, not Toronto) bullpen and pitched upwards of three innings an outing. He made his second career start against Nebraska on April 23rd.
This guy could be a very valuable asset to the Yankees bullpen in the future. He doesn’t have the most over-powering stuff, but he can throw strikes and fool hitters. How about a righty specialist and a lefty specialist, all in one? Very good decision by the Yankees to pick this guy up for a second straight year!
This post is part of the MLB Draft 2008 get-to-know the draftees series.
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