Yankees linked to four potential picks in MLB mock drafts

The 2024 MLB Draft is quickly approaching, and now is the time of year when mock drafts start to really zero in on the young players who have caught teams’ interests, based on their scouting trends and industry information. After long stretches of Yankees fans being turned off by the draft, they can now look at a roster where four previous first-round picks have contributed significantly for the Yankees this year. So it’s worth a look around at some of the recent mocks and see who is being linked to the Yankees with the 26th overall pick.

Baseball America’s Mock Draft 5.0 has the Yankees taking high school shortstop Luke Dickerson, from Morris Knolls High School in Rockaway, NJ. Dickerson is a prospect whose stock has risen this spring based on his on-field performance — most notably clubbing 18 home runs this spring, tying Mike Trout’s New Jersey high school record.

Dickerson has the athletic ability to stick at shortstop but there are some questions about his arm strength and if that will eventually see him move to center field or second base as a professional. He is a multisport athlete who was helping his school win a state hockey championship into March of this year.

Dickerson has a commitment to the University of Virginia and is currently rated as Baseball America’s 56th-best prospect, and the 49th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. The Yankees have shown that they are not afraid to take players in this range of the draft rankings in the past, as evidenced by Anthony Volpe (2019) and Trey Sweeney (2021).

ESPN’s recent dueling mock draft had Billy Amick, a corner infield prospect from the University of Tennessee, being selected 26th overall. This was not a traditional mock draft, as the three writers making selections were not using their sources to see who teams were heavily scouting but just taking who they thought were the best available players. Veteran MLB writer Jeff Passan picked at 26th overall and used his selection on the hard-hitting Amick. The infielder was also mentioned by Baseball America as a player who the Yankees may be interested in if they do not select Dickerson.

Amick comes with a lot of experience in high-level college baseball. After starting his career at Clemson, he transferred to the University of Tennessee this past season, helping the Volunteers win their first national championship. At Clemson, he was cast as a first baseman and DH, whereas upon his move to Rocky Top, he showed scouts enough ability that most now think he has a chance to stick at third base in the professional ranks.

Amick first jumped on the radar as a sophomore at Clemson, when he hit .413 with 13 home runs in 46 games. He followed that up with an abbreviated stint in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2023, as he played 11 games with Hyannis, hitting .368/.442/.579 with two homers.

Overall, Amick’s tools grade out as a solid hitter with slightly above average power. He struck out 19 percent of the time and while his power is mostly to the pull side, he has the ability to hit it out to any direction. Amick would be the first corner infielder selected by the Yankees in the first round since Notre Dame’s Eric Jagielo (another No. 26 selection), who was taken six picks ahead of Aaron Judge back in 2013. It is not a demographic the team focuses on in the draft, but if they believe in the bat then Amick may be their guy.

MLB Pipeline’s most recent mock draft has the Yankees selecting Jurrangelo Cijntje, a rare switch-pitcher from Mississippi State University. A native of the Netherlands who also lived in Curaçao, he first drew major attention for his ambidextrous abilities when he played in the Little League World Series in 2016. It’s been a minute, but the Yankees have experience with switch-pitchers, as MLB alum Pat Venditte was drafted by New York in 2008 and spent seven years in the organization before finding his way to The Show with Oakland in 2015.

A natural left-hander, Cijntje has been using both hands to throw since he was six years old. He is now considered to be a better prospect as a right-hander, who can get his fastball up to 98 mph from that side. He largely stopped pitching left-handed this past season, except to certain hitters. He has a strong three-pitch mix as a righty with an above average fastball, slider and solid changeup that will need to continue to develop in order for him to progress as a starter.

Cijntje’s left-handed offerings are fringier, as he has a lower arm slot, that he uses to deliver a low-90’s fastball and a sweeping breaking ball. The Yankees have not selected a pitcher with their first pick since Clarke Schmidt, back in 2017, before the organizational focus shifted to taking hitters early.

In the latest Baseball America staff draft, the Yankees selected right-handed pitcher Brody Brecht from the University of Iowa. This article was done by the Baseball America staff based on how they would pick, and not necessarily based on industry information.

With elite arm talent, Brecht’s fastball and slider are among the highest-rated individual pitches in the draft. On his better days, he draws comparisons to Paul Skenes, and those are not exaggerations. He is only potentially available in this range due to poor control and a very high walk rate (5.6 BB/9 in 15 starts this past year). Brecht split time with the University of Iowa’s football and baseball teams over the first two years of college, and only started focusing on baseball full-time this past fall. His story is fascinating, and we’d encourage you to check out Yahoo Sports’ interview with Brecht from the MLB Draft Combine.

Bringing Brecht into the organization would give the Yankees a prospect in lines of Luis Gil, or from a few years ago, Luis Medina. He is an electric arm who can sit 96-99 mph through an outing with massive upside if it all comes together, but significant questions if it ever will.

There is no overwhelming favorite to land with the Yankees in this years MLB Draft. There are many solid candidates, but 25 other teams will have their say before the Yankees are on the clock. On Sunday night, we will find out if they stick with their recent philosophy of up-the-middle players with advanced hit tools, or if any player can get them to deviate into riskier demographics.