Three Undrafted Players Sign Contracts With Yankees
By Billy Brost
Yankees’ undrafted signee Jake Hernandez. Mandatory Credit: dailyemerald.com
The New York Yankees have been busy over the past week, signing several of their draft picks to initial contracts with the team. They have also announced that the team has agreed to terms with three players that went undrafted in last week’s MLB First Year Player Draft. Continuing with this year’s theme of going heavy on pitching, two of the three players the Bombers signed were pitchers. The third was a catcher. Here now is a short profile of each of the three free agents the team recently signed:
- Matt Marsh, RHP-Liberty University: Marsh saved three games, and recorded a pair of wins along with recording an ERA of 0.46 in 20 appearances. He also struck out 51 hitters in only 39 innings, as a red-shirt senior. During his career at Liberty, Marsh 77 Ks, in 64,2 innings. The former Austin Peay hurler also spent time at Chipola (FL) College and played in the JUCO World Series.
- Travis Hissong, RHP, Wright State University: Hissong finished his four-year career at Wright State, with a career record of 8-6 in 10 starts, 38 relief appearances, striking out 114 in 107 2/3 innings. Hissong spent his entire college career at Wright State University.
- Jake Hernandez, C, Southern California: Not quite to the level of the San Diego Padres drafting a former Heisman Trophy winner that didn’t play an inning of college baseball, why the Yankees signed another catcher may make some scratch their heads. Hernandez was a former 22nd round draft selection by the Detroit Tigers out of high school in 2010, he started 111 of the possible 156 games he participated in at USC. That is durability for a catcher. Hernandez lists Yankees’ Captain Derek Jeter as his favorite player, and led the Trojans this season by hitting .327, with 20 ribbies as the starting catcher in Los Angeles.
It is believed that all three players will be assigned to the Staten Island Yankees, and if so, Yanks Go Yard senior writer and SI Yanks’ correspondent Ricky Keeler will have you covered on all the action that happens with the Baby Bombers in 2014.