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Yankees Draft: 3 Picks New York Should Have Made in 2020

By Adam Weinrib |
A New York Yankees hat (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
A New York Yankees hat (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
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The New York Yankees draft included a slugging catcher in Austin Wells, but they probably should’ve made these three moves.

The New York Yankees, with more limited ammo than ever before, and only three of the very limited five draft rounds to work with, came out with a few blue-chippers. It’s not a Yankees draft these days without a catcher, and slugging lefty Austin Wells definitely fits that bill. In the third  and fourth rounds, the NYY finished their bounty with IF/OF Trevor Hauver out of ASU and 20-year-old JC righty Beck Way.

But were there any chess pieces they left untouched? Any moves New York could’ve made to prevent their rivals from nabbing a golden nugget? These three picks might’ve been better alternatives for New York (sorry, 2020 class!).

3. Yankees Draft: Bobby Miller Over Austin Wells

A New York Yankees hat (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
A New York Yankees hat (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

The Yankees draft included catcher Austin Wells over Louisville pitcher Bobby Miller, and we would’ve reversed it.

We’ve made this argument before — New York must love Austin Wells’ bat, and they certainly know more than we do.

But in a best-case scenario, he’s a fast-rising redundancy behind Gary Sanchez and Luke Voit. Bobby Miller, the righty who was widely rumored to become a Yankee, went one pick later to the Dodgers, and still seems like a better fit for the farm system to us.

Miller’s got a 99 MPH fastball, and the worst case for him appears to be a back-end relief slot. We trust the Dodgers’ pitcher development department, though, and the man who carried Louisville to the College World Series with a near no-hitter last year seems like a potentially dominant addition.

If you’re worried Miller’s a reliever, that makes sense — but the pitchers who went behind him in the Comp. Round (Auburn’s Tanner Burns and Miami’s Slade Cecconi among them) have significantly lower upside.

Never draft pitchers. We get it. But, like it or not, New York’s going to have to do so at some point.

2. Yankees Draft: Jake Eder Over Trevor Hauver

Jake Eder and the College World Series Champion Vanderbilt team (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Jake Eder and the College World Series Champion Vanderbilt team (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

The New York Yankees draft could’ve included a top-60 pitcher in Jake Eder in the third round.

The Yankees clearly emphasized pitching less than draft analysts did on their behalf.

At the tail end of the third round, New York had a chance to add lefty starter Jake Eder, ranked 54th overall by MLB Pipeline and a member of the victorious Vanderbilt Commodores.

Instead, New York selected Spencer Torkelson’s protection, adding Trevor Hauver, a gamer whose contributions likely go beyond traditional metrics. We get it, but we prefer Eder, who went to the Marlins (you let Jeter get the best of you?!) near the start of the next round.

Eder, in 39.1 innings pitched during his full sophomore season, whiffed 41 batters and posted a 2.97 ERA. He continued on to the Cape Cod League and toiled for Orleans that summer, with a 1.20 ERA in three starts, which likely stood out in such a stunted scouting season.

If the Yankees had followed Wells with Eder, they could’ve added a polished college arm and bat against the odds. Instead, they doubled up on the lumber, potentially against their better judgment.

1. Yankees Draft: Colt Keith Over Beck Way

A Detroit Tigers hat in Lakeland, Florida. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
A Detroit Tigers hat in Lakeland, Florida. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

The Yankees draft could’ve gotten its polished bat in the fourth round instead.

Perhaps the Tigers wouldn’t be receiving quite as much commendation for their draft if the Yankees had completed their selections with a top-100 bat instead.

Detroit took Biloxi HS third baseman Colt Keith with their final selection to kick off the fifth round, something the Yankees could’ve done to add thump to their arsenal if they’d chosen Eder earlier over Hauver.

https://twitter.com/coltkeith3/status/1271278475777843200?s=20

Instead, New York went with Beck Way, who’s taken a stop at a junior college to boost his profile ahead of a potential LSU transfer, and has gotten rave reviews from many corners of the internet, including from the Yankees’ backyard.

Way is more of a project than Eder, however, and Keith likely has more projection in his bat than Hauver. Overall, our draft strategy would’ve resulted in a steadier presence on the mound, and upside plays at the plate, essentially the opposite of what New York went for.

dark. Next. Yankees Draft Tracker

But when you can thump like the 2020 Yankees, with a farm system to match, why not make things a bit more stable on the mound? It’s our choice. Hopefully, the Yankees made the right one.

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