Yankees Rumors: Latest MLB Mock Draft Pegs New York to Draft Little League Hero

Adam Weinrib

Little League World Series action (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

The latest New York Yankees draft rumors have them selecting a memorable face from the Little League World Series.

Despite all the uncomfortable turmoil currently turning minor-league baseball upside down, the 2020 MLB Draft will still proceed as scheduled on June 10, in abbreviated fashion, featuring just five rounds. The latest Yankees draft rumors indicate they could be poised to get a steal at the very back of the first round, with a familiar face from a memorable Little League World Series run potentially still on the board.

With Pick No. 28, MLB Pipeline predicts the Yankees will select SS Ed Howard of Chicago’s Mt. Carmel HS, who you may remember from his run with Jackie Robinson West in the 2014 Little League World Series.

Yankees: Ed Howard, SS, Mount Carmel HS (Chicago)

really 1st mention of a HS kid https://t.co/CWkKfH5UH4
— Bobby Milone (@BobbyMilone29) May 28, 2020

Initially, MLB Pipeline’s mocks had the Yanks selecting Carson Tucker, another shortstop who will realistically also be in play when it comes time for them to make their selection. But the new update factors in Howard’s defensive wizardry; he seems like a preferable target if he’s still on the board.

Howard remains an Oklahoma commit, at the moment, but the power of the pinstripes can sway many a draft-eligible star (except Gerrit Cole, back in the day).

Fangraphs’ mock has the Giants taking SS Ed Howard (18.4Y, 6’2” 185) out of Mount Carmel HS (IL). Oklahoma commit. Excellent defender with above avg arm, will stick at SS, feel to hit, some raw power. Also links Soderstrom & Bitsko. https://t.co/2fs0DOVyGE pic.twitter.com/ibumsYUHEC
— GPT (@giantsprospects) May 27, 2020

Draft guru Jim Callis had amazing praise for Howard, claiming, “[He] is the draft’s best true shortstop, and doesn’t deserve to last this long, but he could.”

His Little League outfit brought him a brush of fame (and controversy) at an incredibly young age. Howard, a memorable mound presence during the run, was stripped of his inspirational LLWS title at the age of 12 when it was discovered the team used players from outside the district.

Coming off a canceled senior year of high school due to the coronavirus pandemic, Howard hit .419 in 29 games last season. Clearly comfortable on the big stage, it would be quite a coup for the Yankees to finagle a bonafide top talent at No. 28.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.