We're about three months from the draft. By letting Freddie walk and assuming we don't sign any of the remaining qualifying offer free agents, we'll have all of our picks plus an extra pick after the end of the second round and after competitive balance picks. Just as important as the pick itself is the $900,000-ish of pool money that comes with the pick. It's definitely different to win the World Series and still have a pick as high as 20, but that's where we are.
I'm working off the 2021 draft pools here to estimate what we'll have to spend and see where that will likely rank. Last year, the Yankees picked 20th in the first round and had only one pick per round. That gave them the 22nd biggest pool. There were no free agent compensation picks given after round two last season, but if there were, it looks like it would've had a pick value of about $900k. Add that to the Yankees' pool, and it jumps them to the 20th biggest pool in the draft. So nothing massive and certainly nothing finalized until this year's pick values are released, but that gives you a good idea of where our pool will sit among all teams. Our picks in last year's format would've been worth $7.9 million. We'll see if or how much that is increased this year.
As far this draft class, it seems like the general consensus is college pitching sucks but college hitting is pretty good. The top of the draft is mostly prep hitters right now - led by Druw Jones, who will sadly not make it even close to our pick.
One reason the college pitching group sucks right now is a ton of Tommy John guys. There's four stud college arms who were probably first rounders and still could be -- Alabama LHP Connor Prielipp, Mississippi State RHP Landon Sims, Arkansas RHP Peyton Pallette, and Connecticut LHP Reggie Crawford. Prielipp/Sims/Pallette could be an interesting route to go at 20. I like Prielipp a lot more because his Tommy John was longer ago, whereas Sims' was in the last week and Pallette's was in February.
Baseball America is the only credible source out there with a mock draft out this early, very much acknowledging that they're pointless this early. But hey, they're fun. They actually had us taking Prielipp at 20 in their first mock. Still a ways to go and a ton will change, but excited for draft season to get cranked up over the next couple months.
I'm working off the 2021 draft pools here to estimate what we'll have to spend and see where that will likely rank. Last year, the Yankees picked 20th in the first round and had only one pick per round. That gave them the 22nd biggest pool. There were no free agent compensation picks given after round two last season, but if there were, it looks like it would've had a pick value of about $900k. Add that to the Yankees' pool, and it jumps them to the 20th biggest pool in the draft. So nothing massive and certainly nothing finalized until this year's pick values are released, but that gives you a good idea of where our pool will sit among all teams. Our picks in last year's format would've been worth $7.9 million. We'll see if or how much that is increased this year.
As far this draft class, it seems like the general consensus is college pitching sucks but college hitting is pretty good. The top of the draft is mostly prep hitters right now - led by Druw Jones, who will sadly not make it even close to our pick.
One reason the college pitching group sucks right now is a ton of Tommy John guys. There's four stud college arms who were probably first rounders and still could be -- Alabama LHP Connor Prielipp, Mississippi State RHP Landon Sims, Arkansas RHP Peyton Pallette, and Connecticut LHP Reggie Crawford. Prielipp/Sims/Pallette could be an interesting route to go at 20. I like Prielipp a lot more because his Tommy John was longer ago, whereas Sims' was in the last week and Pallette's was in February.
Baseball America is the only credible source out there with a mock draft out this early, very much acknowledging that they're pointless this early. But hey, they're fun. They actually had us taking Prielipp at 20 in their first mock. Still a ways to go and a ton will change, but excited for draft season to get cranked up over the next couple months.
