Grading the Yankees' last 6 first round draft picks

Yankees 2021 First Round Draft Pick: Trey Sweeney

Pick: 20th overall
School: Eastern Illinois University
Position: Shortstop

New York actually picked a bit higher than normal in the 2021 draft at No. 20 and they ultimately went with Trey Sweeney, a college shortstop. Sweeney got a lot of attention for the video game numbers he put up at Eastern Illinois. The usual "small school" concerns existed, but teams loved his feel for hitting and raw power, despite a bit of a funky swing, and the Yankees ultimately pulled the trigger.

Since getting picked, the results for Sweeney have been mixed. The power has been there and he has even been running a bit as a pro, but he hasn't overwhelmed the competition with his hit tool, as he is working on his second straight season hitting around .240. He does work a lot of walks and has been reasonably productive, but he isn't exactly rocketing up the minor league ranks.

This one feels a bit too early to judge. Sweeney has made it to Double-A, which is not nothing, and he has been fine at the plate, but we would certainly prefer it if he would put up an objectively good season at the plate in the minors. Sweeney making it to the big leagues in the next couple of seasons is still in the cards, but a certain amount of healthy skepticism is warranted until he takes another step forward in his development.

Grade: B-