RealGM

Well this board is dead huh? Too many whiners on here but hey that's what a message board is for right?

The consensus going in was that Mark Appel, a 6'6 RHP from Stanford who sits mid 90's with good changeup and slider but doesn't miss as many bats as he should, would be the #1 pick to Houston Astros. Well of course the Astros shock everybody by taking Carlos Correa, a 17 year old SS who has some slight a-rod comps on him with the bat. He just became the highest drafted player from Puerto Rico ever, which hopefully revives an island that hasn't produced much quality players.

Anyway this draft was the first one in which with the new CBA only allows each team a certain amount of spending money based on numerous factors, ie:draft position, # of picks, revenue sharing, etc..

With the 30th pick the Yankees selected Ty Hensley, a 6'5 RHP out of Oklahoma who is being considered a steal by a lot of executives and scouts. He sits in the mid 90's right now with an above-average curveball. He is going to be by far our highest ceiling RHP that we've drafted since Cole/Brackman. I know Cole didn't sign and Brackman was terrible, great and then terrible again before being released but he is a totally different prospect. Read the article from Chad Jennings that has quotes from Scouting Director Damon Oppenheimer: http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2012/06/04/t ... -starter/e


My computer is about to die so I can't do any of the other picks yet. My final 2 cents regarding our system: I think we have a very good young core of players right now that should all start to move up within the next 2 years and see some big league time when our stars are all gone. Charleston is STACKED.

Mason, Sanchez and Austin tearing it up in Charleston. The funny thing is that I read that the park is an extreme pitchers park yet they are all having outstanding seasons.


I see the OF Prospects moving up quickly based on Swisher being a free agent after this year and Granderson around the corner

Help us...we need SP to be developed so the Yanks aren't constantly doling out $20 a season contracts.

Well here's a look at some of the more notable Yankee draftees from this draft (top 3):

TY HENSLEY - 6'5" 220LB RHP (19) - Sante Fe HS (OK)

Hensley has baseball bloodlines and has a fastball that has touched 97, helping him rank No. 23 on the BA 500. He also has a plus curveball that might be a better pitch than his fastball. He'll need some time to add some polish and improve his command but he has more than just big stuff. He's bilingual (he speaks Spanish) and scouts like his work ethic and makeup.

In his senior year this season, the 6 foot, 5 inch Hensley went 10-0 with a 1.52 ERA, struck out 111 batters in just 55 and a third innings, and was named the Gatorade Oklahoma "Baseball Player of the Year." For what it's worth, he can hit as well — he batted .447 with ten homers and 41 RBI this season — and played quarterback on his school's football team.



AUSTIN AUNE - 6'2" 190LB CF (19) - Argyle HS (TX)

Aune, a 2 sport star (plays QB as well) projects as a potential 5 tool player. A superb athlete with plus speed and a potential power bat. Baseball America said Aune “offers an impressive package of tools, starting with plus raw power and arm strength … He has a balanced lefthanded stroke and solid speed, and scouts praise his makeup as well.”

Actually had a scholarship to play QB at TCU but apparently has been a Yankee fan all his life and agreed to sign shortly after the initial call for the Yankees alerting him of their selection. Some reports the reason he fell was because of some signability concerns.





PETER O'BRIEN - 6'5" 225LB C (21) - University of Miami

Playing three seasons for Bethune-Cookman College in Florida prior to transferring to Miami this past offseason, O’Brien emerged as one of the top catching prospects in the nation thanks in part to his plus power and arm.

At 6’5″ 225 lbs, he’s very big for a catcher. While MLB catchers can be very successful at that size – see Matt Wieters – he certainly scrapes the upper bound. He is by no means a gold glove candidate behind the plate, but all signs indicate that he is good enough defensively to stick behind the plate. His biggest strength on defense is a very strong arm, and his glove has improved over time.

He had a monster senior year – after the NCAA continued to tone their aluminum bats down, reducing offense – after switching to a much harder conference. He plays good enough defense at catcher. He has no reported makeup concerns, and appears to be a pretty popular player in Miami.

Here's a couple real interesting guys that could have signability issues but that have potential big upsides..

VINCENT JACKSON - 6'4" 190LB CF (19) - Luella HS (GA)

Jackson, who stands at 6’4”, 190 lbs., was projected as a top 150 player but was drafted by the Yankees with the 727th overall selection in the draft...due to signability concerns. MLB.com had an interesting scouting report on him: “Jackson could turn into a middle-of-the-order bat with good versatility in the field … has athleticism and arm to play a corner outfield position … Jackson does have some mechanical issues that will need to be fixed in pro ball, and he is somewhat raw, but his upside is great.” Another 2 sport star (has a scholarship to Tennessee).



JOSE MESA JR - 6'4" 215LB RHP (19) - Charles Flanagan HS (FL)

Son of former major league closer Jose Mesa, Jose Mesa Jr shares a lot of his dads attributes. He has his daddy's body and his daddy's arm," Flanagan said.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Jose Mesa Jr. throws a fastball in the low 90s, a curveball, slider and changeup, but he relied on his fastball in high school. He rode it to a 9-2 record and a 1.13 ERA in 13 starts, throwing 80 1/3 innings, walking 41 and striking out 134.

The youngster threw two no-hitters and took another into the sixth inning before exiting with a high pitch count early in the season.

"I've been around the game for so long, it just comes second nature," Mesa said. "I grew up around Major League players, and I always wanted to be as dominant as them."

And a couple of hard throwers that sound interesting (can never have enough power arms right?)...

COREY BLACK - 5'11" 170LB RHP (22) - Faulkner University

A hard throwing pitcher out of little known NAIA Faulkner University. Despite size can throw pitches in the mid-high 90's.

Black has a good fastball that has good movement and can get into the upper 90s. Black also has relatively good secondary stuff and dominated the NAIA. A lot is still unknown about the righty from a small school in Alabama, but he could end up being a steal in the Draft.

Black is the type of pitcher who is raw but has tremendous upside. He could be the next Joba Chamberlain or David Robertson to come through the Yankees system. You can’t teach velocity and Black already has that going for him.



NICK GOODY - 5'11" 195LB RHP (20) - LSU

Goody was actually drafted by the Yankees last season in the 22nd round, but turned down their offer and went to college instead where he served as LSU’s closer. In 33 games and 32.1 innings, Goody had a 2.51 ERA, 45 strikeouts, and just three walks. The year before LSU, he attended State College of Florida, a JUCO, where he had a 1.29 ERA, 114 strikeouts, and 33 walks in 84 innings. For that he earned the 2011 Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year award.

He is a hard thrower with a fastball that hits 95-96 and can go higher. He also has a slider and a changeup, but those pitches are bigger projects right now.

"He was electric," said Oregon State closer Scott Schultz, who was pretty good in his own right in 8 2/3 innings of splendid relief work for OSU in the loss. "He spotted his fast ball and his slider was pretty good. But he spotted his fastball, just like a major leaguer."

"Goody looked like he was throwing 100 mph to that first batter (Ryan Barnes)," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said.

From what I've read the expectations are for both Hensley (kinda surprisingly given he's a HS player) and O'Brien (not so surprising) to take a semi-express shuttle to the majors.