Yankees draft philosophy summed up in three words: Character is destiny

The Yankees took two pitchers, Clarke Schmidt and Matt Sauer, with their first picks in the 2017 draft. Both are projects with questionable chances for success. But the draft rarely produces players ready for The MLB, and every player has work to do. And the best predictor of long-term success? Character. And it better be, because the Yankees just bet the future of the team on it.

Yankees draft picks have not always worked out. If you want to see why the team had to rely on free agents and aging veterans throughout the 2000’s, just look at their earlier draft picks. Here is a link to the 2000 Yankees draft and another one for the 2001 draft. I don’t think there is a single player from either year that ever played in the majors, and certainly none of note.

So clearly the draft is a lot of guesswork. Especially because most prospects take 2-6 years to make the majors. Players with great stuff and all the tools can become nothing more than names on a cut list, while players from the low rounds become veterans and even stars.

For every number six pick Derek Jeter, there is a 172^nd pick Mookie Betts.

And there is no formula for success. Pitchers get injured—see James Kaprielian—and hitters have their holes exposed, which can be awkward [Editor’s note: I bet!]. Teams know that the best of players might never make it to a big league locker room. What, then, is the key to drafting unfinished players with years of work ahead of them?

The Man inside the Uniform

For the Yankees, the answer seems to be character. That is reflected not just in their first two picks of the 2017 draft—Clarke Schmidt and Matt Sauer—but in all of their recent drafts. They have additionally shown that they are willing to take high risks for potentially high rewards.

They must believe it is better to try to get a player with a high upside but obstacles to overcome rather than a safe pick who can only ever be good. Somewhere in their offices is a sign that reads, “Good is the enemy of great.”

That’s why they brought over the loser in the race for Diamondbacks shortstop, Didi Gregorius, even though he could not hit lefties. They loved his talent and his makeup, figuring he might be able to work out his problems; the operative word being, work.

Didi is currently slashing .344/.367/.513 and finished last year with the best batting average against lefties.

And it’s why they drafted Sauer and Schmidt. Schmidt, drafted number 16, is out of the University of South Carolina. His numbers reflect a high-upside pitcher, as he finished with a 1.34 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 60 innings. He throws hard enough, his fastball reaching 96, and has

three fully developed pitches.

Cause for Concern

But there are concerns and big ones. First is that he just had Tommy John surgery. That makes him completely unavailable even to start learning how to be successful at the big league level for a year. And there are those who think the best predictor of future injuries is current injuries.

And second is that his delivery and mechanics might need some work to be effective in the majors. This latter concern could not have been too concerning as Schmidt was ranked as high as 16, before the injury.

So why did the Yankees take him at 16 when they might have gotten him lower? Because all players have hurdles, but it tends to be the ones with exceptional character and work ethic who are successful. His high school coach Keith Hansen has this to say, a person the Yankees undoubtedly spoke with:

“He doesn’t get into trouble, he’s not a partier,” Hansen said in a phone interview late Monday night. “This kid eats, drinks and sleeps baseball.”“You couldn’t ask for a better kid outside the game,”

Yankees Jordan Montgomery, who has worked out with Schmidt, agrees.

“I’ve met him,” Montgomery said. “I go back to South Carolina to work out in the winter and have been around him a little bit. And I’ve seen him pitch a couple games on TV.“Everyone’s been asking me about him. I say, ‘He works hard, throws hard and he’s a good kid. He has a good slider, too.'”

Sauer seems cut from the same cloth. Matt just graduated from Righetti High in Cali and had a lot of success on the diamond. He finished the year with a 0.98 ERA and 142 strikeouts with a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s. Sauer is a big kid (6’5”) with a big arm.

And Getting Bigger

He will very likely put on more muscle naturally as his frame fills out, meaning the speed on his fastball will likely improve. Plus, he, like Schmidt, has some mechanical issues to figure out.

But he will only fix those issues and someday wear the pinstripes if he is willing to work his tail off. All the reports are that hard work is what Matt Sauer is all about. Here is what teammate Zach Andersen had to say:

“Matt’s the most deserving guy I’ve ever met,” Andersen said. “He’s so humble and so talented. And he doesn’t let anybody know how talented he is, he’ll just show you. On the baseball field, in practice, he doesn’t give anything less than 110-percent.“Just wait five years, he’ll be the ace of the rotation sooner than you think.”

Encouraging. So let’s play along with Brian Cashman for a moment. He goes into the draft assuming all the players will work out. They won’t, but the point is you don’t know which picks will work and which will fail. The next step is to project the players into the Yankees clubhouse.

Don’t you want that room to be filled with talented athletes who also have great character? I mean, isn’t that one of the most important points of pride in those Core Four teams? That they played the game the right way and were guys, you were proud to root for?

I was thrilled that Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte won championships in pinstripes, but I was even more proud that it seemed as if good character people were

representing my team. It’s what we are seeing in the current Yankees clubhouse, led by Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez and Matt Holliday. These are great players who are also good men.

The Other Side of Midnight

Compare that to the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90’s. They were as dominant in their sport as a team could be. But fans could barely read the game re-caps because there was just as likely to be a story about the negative and even criminal, behavior right next to the ones extolling their gridiron exploits.

Yeah, you take the championships and attend the victory parades, but then you go home and take a shower. And tell your kids not to be like their heroes; tough conversation.

That’s why the Yankees drafted Sauer and Clarke. Yes, they have the talent and potential. They both deserved to be drafted where they were; Sauer might even have gone higher if not for salary demands and the possibility of attending college in Arizona. And there are some money slot aspects that determined when they would take these two.

Next: Find out How Six Yankees Found Greatness

But perhaps the most important reason, as there were other equally talented players available, is their perceived characters. If either of these players wants to make it to the Bronx, they have a lot of work to do. And if they do make it, they will have a lot to be proud of.

And we can continue to be proud of our New York Yankees: good players and good men.