New York Yankees Editorial: Who the Yankees Should Target in 2015 MLB Draft

Mandatory Credit: Baseballamerica.com

Cody Ponce, RHP, Cal Poly Pomona

Yeah I’d never heard of the school either until hearing about this right-hander but Ponce could be a guy Damon Oppenheimer and the scouting department look at.

Being a So-Cal kid fits the profile that the Yankees go after. Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes are from there as well.

Ponce was a reliever as a freshman and is now a starter. Ponce can hit 96 MPH with his fastball. He’s also got a slider as well as a curve and a cutter and changeup.

In watching some video on Ponce, you can tell he’s got some pretty good mechanics and leg drive. His secondary stuff needs some help in terms of location, but the building blocks are there  for some pretty good power stuff.

Ponce had a 1.44 ERA and struck out 67 in 52 innings while walking just 14.

Baseball America’s Mock Draft from this past Saturday has Ponce going to the Yanks at 16. Here’s what MLB.com said about him;

"Ponce stands out primarily for his size and fastball. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder sits at 91-94 mph and touches 96, though his heater gets hit more than it should because it tends to straighten out. Ponce’s secondary pitches are still a work in progress. His improving cutter is his No. 2 option, he’s not afraid to throw his firm changeup and he also has a curveball that often devolves into a slurve. He does a nice job of using his height to drive his pitches down in the strike zone. Ponce missed some time in 2015 with biceps tendinitis and will need to prove he’s healthy, along with an ability to maintain his stuff deep into starts, as the Draft approaches."