The New York Yankees are just over three months away from entering the 2024 Major League Baseball amateur draft period. The scouting season is about to get hot and evaluators are getting the databases polished for clubs to chart their potentials. What areas do the Yankees prioritize this year?
The Yankees will have the 26th pick in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft pic.twitter.com/sEeenuNQ66
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For each team, there are several factors to consider ahead of the draft. These include who’s on your big league field, who’s upcoming to fill vacancies, and what areas you may need to replenish once the promotions start. A good first step is to assess the depth of the farm system and estimate the prospects’ developmental times. This will allow the team to see which prospects will be considered for a 40-man roster spot and if any prospect may be claimed on waivers or dealt via the trade market. This process should start with the Yankees’ top prospect rankings.
Yankees Top 30 Prospect List for 2024 Draft: Breakdown and Overview
Let’s identify the positions that make up the Yankees’ top 30 prospect list. The list so far consists of seven outfielders, two shortstops, one second baseman, one third baseman, four multi-positional infielders, 14 pitchers, and one catcher. As players start to see advancement, this list will re-populate with talent knocking on the door.
Of their top 30 ranked prospects, five players are listed on the 40-man roster although some are still in the minors. You can expect those players to be up in the majors soon enough.
Top Area of Focus for 2024 Draft
Pitching will always be a demand in the game of baseball. Over the years, the Yankees have opened up their wallet to juice up the starting rotation. Pitching has been key to competing in the volatile American League East. The addition of Gerrit Cole was the starting point of this buildup. That eventually led to the signing of Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman. In this year’s draft Yankees demand for pitching is heightened. This is due to the movement and advancement of their current arms.
The Bronx Bombers utilized previous draft names to pad the pitching staff. They are now continuing to draft pitchers to hopefully fit the big-league role. Left-hander Nestor Cortes was drafted by the Yankees in 2013, and he currently fills a huge role in the rotation. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt was a first-round draft pick in 2017 by the Yankees, and he also holds a rotation spot.
Yankees Should Keep Demand on Pitchers
The Yankees have several minor leaguers who are protected on the 40-man roster. These include Clayton Beeter, Jake Cousins, Yoendrys Gomez, Cody Morris, and Cody Poteet. These names are all farm-system pitchers who either have had or should have some experience with the Yankees in 2024. Right-hander Luis Gil, a ranked prospect, became the Yankees’ fifth starter this year.
With current prospects moving up, pitching will be a priority in this coming draft. Ideally, the Yankees would want to identify three to five arms who have the potential to be a starter and five arms to fit a long-relief role with the potential to start.
Two to three short-relief pitchers would be the ideal consideration; pitchers that can satisfy the late innings of the game, in pre-setup roles, and possibly a closer. After Aroldis Chapman left town, Clay Holmes stepped up and filled the role with the trust of Yankees management. New York could look at a possible one to two-inning guy with the potential to fill a setup or closer role. This will be valuable in the future.
Prioritizing Talent Behind the Dish
Another Yankees 2024 draft prioritization should be at catcher. Catchers are a rare find in the draft and they don’t show up often in top prospect rankings for most clubs. In this case for the Yankees, catching is primarily split half and half in the big leagues between Jose Trevino and Austin Wells. Trevino will enter free agency in 2026 while being eligible for arbitration in 2025. Meanwhile, Wells is in New York to stay for a while, with his free agency set for 2030.
The Yankees have 21st-ranked prospect Agustin Ramirez protected on the 40-man roster. He appears to be in development to be on the big-league roster full-time. The future behind the plate for New York may bounce between Wells and Ramirez if it all works out. However, the club may want to prioritize drafting a catcher early in the draft to satisfy the future of the position.
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