Yankees Select Jordan Montgomery with the 122nd Pick

Jordan Montgomery Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports.

The Yankees have selected Jordan Montgomery with the 122^nd overall pick in the 2014 draft. The fourth round pick is a left handed pitcher from the University of South Carolina. Montgomery is 6’5 225 with a fastball that settles right around 90 MPH. Though his stuff is not overpowering, he combats if with movement on his fastball, and owning a stellar changeup.

Montgomery pitched for three seasons at USC, with his best season coming in 2013. This past season, he went 8-5 with a 3.42 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. He went a combined 20-7 in his career at South Carolina. Batters hit .244 off him this season.

Montgomery cracked the rotation as a freshman and excelled in the College World Series that season. He followed up with a sophomore season that had his ERA at an astounding 1.48.  Scouts have said that while his ceiling is not incredibly high, he is expected to be a starting pitcher in the lower end of the rotation.

The Yankees have been loading up on pitching in this year’s draft, taking three pitchers with their first three picks. Considering the arm troubles of their starters in the last couple seasons, making a concerted effort to pitching could be a move that will pay off in 3-5 years. While the entire team is old, loading up on pitching does plug a hole that is in constant need of fixing. Look for Montgomery to enter the back end of the rotation right around the time C.C. Sabathia’s contract is off our hands after the 2016 or 2017 season.

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