Yankees Second Rounder Nick Solak Thriving in Staten Island

New York Yankees 2016 second round draft pick Nick Solak has been raking in his first professional season for Short-Season-A Staten Island.

One name that has been notably absent from most post-draft New York Yankees prospect lists is second baseman Nick Solak, who the team selected in the second round (62nd overall) in the 2016 June amateur draft.

He is nowhere to be found on the MLB Pipeline Top 30 Yankees prospects and while he received votes in the Yanks Go Yard list, he finished just outside of the top 30.

That may be about to change, as the 21-year-old has been putting up impressive numbers in the NY-Penn League, hitting .318/.411/.422 (156 wRC+) with three home runs and eight stolen bases in 202 plate appearances for the Staten Island Yankees.

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He has been absolutely red-hot in August, going 25-for-64 with 14 runs scored this month while putting up a .391/.435/.484 (179 wRC+) slash line.

The Baby Bombers currently have a 1.5 game lead on a Wild Card spot and Solak has been a major part of their playoff run. Staten Island is 33-24 and just 1.5 games back from first place in the McNamara division.

Most major outlets agreed that Solak was a reach for the Yankees at 62nd overall. MLB Pipeline had him listed as the 147th best draft prospect prior to June. They cited his lack of power and arm strength as his biggest limitations. Baseball America had Solak ranked just 80th on their College Top 100 Draft Prospects list back in January.

Despite his lack of standout tools, Solak looks like he might be the classic stats over scouting guy. He is the epitome of a professional hitter. His contact skills and approach at the plate are both excellent. He is a capable second baseman, but is definitely a bat-first type prospect.

Solak does possess some speed, which helps him both on the base paths and in the field. He can swipe some bags and has good baserunning instincts. He has plenty of range for second base and is dependable with the glove, but doesn’t have the arm to play on the left-side of the infield.

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With his polished approach and excellent results, Solak looks like a guy who should climb the ladder of the Yankees system very quickly. He seems like a solid bet to begin next year with High-A Tampa and finish 2017 with Double-A Trenton. A 2018 MLB debut doesn’t seem unrealistic if all goes well.