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Catalyst
Join Date: Aug 02 2006
Posts: 21,177
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Re: 2008 Yankees Draft
Continuing on a theme here, the 2008 2 yr draft recap is at hand. The number is the round, btw...
1s- Jeremy Bleich, LHP- made it to AA in just his first pro season last yr. Started out there again this yr, but shoulder woes led to labrum surgery and he's out for the yr. He's shown a lot of pitchability out of the rotation and was pretty safely pegged as a middle of the rotation to back end kind of guy. Now that the shoulder has been fixed, we might need him to move to relief, where his change and curve could make him a Scott Downs kind of pitcher
3. David Adams, 2B- Adams dropped due to a poor college season and came out on fire for the Yankees farm system. He jumped to High A in his first full season and earned a promotion to AA this yr. Through a month plus, he was killing the ball, but an ankle fracture shelved him for the yr. Assuming he recovers fully, he should be back in Trenton in 2011 and a possible trade chip/callup in 2012.
4. Corban Joseph, 2B- A second baseman drafted out of HS, his advanced bat got him all the way to AA this season. He's shown great approach and good gap power in his time in the Yankee system. At 21, his power should just be starting to arrive. His biggest problem thus far, has been his fielding which might relegate him to COF duty. Regardless, his bat is special and this pick was probably the best one in this draft
5. Chris Smith, OF- a complete bust. The Yankees drafted him out of Compton where he destroyed the competition. Problem was, the competition was awful. He's been cut and is out of the organization. And the scout that repetitively scouted him was also fired
6. Brett Marshall, RHP- right up there with Joseph as the best picks in the draft. Short stature guy who throws cheddar. Went down with TJS last yr, but has come back a new man. All that work on the core has made him stronger, more durable, and all that work on his mechanics has sharpened his control. The velo is back in the mid 90s, his change looks better than ever and his slider looks incredible. He's going to be babied in Charleston this yr, but next yr he is primed to take off.
7. Kyle Higashioka, C- The scouts love him now and loved him when he was selected out of HS in 2008. He's got a great offensive approach and seems to sting the ball. But his numbers thus far have been horrible in Low A. As a catcher, his defense is superb and his arm is pro caliber. Right now, he's looking like a backup until his bat comes around. The scouting reports I have read say it will, but I am skeptical.
8. Dan Brewer, OF- he's been a fixture in the OF since signing. He was good in SI, good in A, good in A+ and is now getting pretty good in AA. His ceiling is as a 4th OFer. He has enough power to be useful and good speed enough to steal many bases. But his bat is pretty suspect when you take him out of CF. Reminds me of Colin Curtis with more speed and less stick. Good filler pick that might see some big league time, but not much, IMO
9. Mikey O'Brien, RHP- One of a trio of raw HS pitcher taken in this draft, with Richardson and Turley. O'Brien struggled in the GCL for 08 and 09 before finding it this yr. He's currently the ace of SI and should see the long season leagues in 2011. He has a big league fastball, but right now, he looks like a reliever
10. D.J. Mitchell, RHP- drafted out of Clemson as a DES, the Yankees did well to sign him. He jumped from A to A+ in 2009 and earned a promotion to AA in 2010. He struggled mightily in the first half, but the location and stuff eventually won out. After dominating in his last 9 starts, he earned a promotion to AAA and should be a big league option next yr.
11. Ray Kruml, OF- The Yankees took a flier on this guy. He's a slap hitter who plays great D and has a ton of speed. But the offense has been abysmal and his arm limits his usage in the OF. I doubt he gets above AA
12. Luke Greinke, RHP- cut shortly after signing
13. Jack Rye, OF- an org player who wont be with the organization for too much longer
14. David Phelps, RHP- he fits in with Marshall and Joseph as the best picks in the draft. A guy who was drafted as a pitchability guy with some promising off speed offerings, he has blossomed into one of the organizations best pitching prospects. He saw a major velocity jump last yr and has sustained it. He dominated from A to AA and is currently the ace of AAA with Nova in NY. He should be held in AAA for the remainder of the season, but he is a legitimate option for the Yankees come next yr
15. Matthew Richardson, RHP- was drafted and signed out of HS. He was new to the mound and showed a good low 90s heater and promising off speed stuff. After dominating the GCL in 2009, he was promoted to SI and got pounded. Unfortunately, he seems he hasnt recovered. He still has some time, but he needs to catch it quick to be anything useful in this pitching deep org
17. Addison Maruszak, SS- Filler org guy who is showing he might end up climbing the ranks due to versatility and enough hit ability to get by. But he'd get a cup of coffee at most
18. Brandon Braboy, RHP- he was drafted out of college as a pitcher, even though he only pitched for one yr. He showed a ton of promise, getting his mechanics refined and seeing his FB velocity climb into the mid 90s. Unfortunately, he went down with labrum surgery and is likely to return next yr as a pen option
19. Mitch Abeita, C- nice organizational catching prospect who might have gotten a chance in another org
20. Pat Venditte, SHP- the sideshow has turned into a valuable reliever. He's been dominant with Tampa and it seems the Yankees are going to take him one yr at a time.
skip through a bunch of detritus
27. Garrison Lassiter, 3B- Garrison is an interesting case. The Yankees signed him late, so he didnt get to play in the GCL in 2008. Then he came out of the gate slowed by a leg injury in 2009 and he was immediately assigned to Charleston. Well, he held his own against older and more experienced competition, but it certainly wasnt a dynamite showing. Well, this yr, he was due to repeat the SAL and he was awful. He was eventually shipped back to the short season leagues where he has shown exponential improvement in approach at SI. He's still only 20 yrs old, so being patient with him will be prudent. He'll reattempt the SAL next yr and should hopefully see a big jump in his game
skip through more detritus
47. Ryan Flannery, RHP- when he was drafted, he was considered more of an organizational player. But since he has taken to some of the changes, he has turned over a new leaf. He's the closer in Charleston, and has been dynamite. He throws mid 90s with a promising split and has shown good command and groundball ability. I am a little suspect as to why they have decided to hold off on promoting him, but as of right now, he seems to have graduated from the non-prospect list to the prospect list
50. Nik Turley, LHP- not too often do you see quality in the 50th selection in the draft. But this kid has a shot. He's tall, he throws lefty, he has a ton of movement on his pitches and he is just starting to grow into his 6'6" frame. He's throwing low 90s and is finally starting to locate his offspeed pitches. He has earned a promotion to SI this yr after a yr + in the GCL. If he continues to pitch well, he could be on the short list to start in the SAL next yr and continue to see his star rise
Well, there you have it, the 2008 draft recap. Hurts a LOT to not have Gerrit Cole atop the list, but whatever. My top 5 from this draft would have to be....
1. Joseph
2. Phelps
3. Marshall
4. Mitchell
5. Adams
It is too bad that Bleich was injured too...
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