New York Yankees' general manager Brian Cashman has another ripe opportunity to bolster his team's farm system when the 2015 MLB Draft kicks off on Monday, June 8. New York has the No. 16 and No. 30 overall selections.
Their first pick is the club's highest since 1993. That year they took right-handed pitcher Matt Drews No. 13 overall. That selection didn't pan out, nor did many others that followed, but Cashman has reiterated he's committed to rebuilding the Yankees' farm system after last year's awful showing from their prospects when injuries plagued the MLB roster.
So who will New York take with their first pick?
ESPN Insider Keith Law believes it could be a number of players. In his first mock draft he projects the Yankees to go with high school catcher Chris Betts, but in his second mock he changed that to high school left-hander Kolby Allard (who Baseball America said they're unlikely to draft because of medical issues).
He also provided a few other possibilities.
"I've heard the Yanks with [Garrett] Whitley; Donny Everett, who might be available again at 30 as an over-slot guy; as well as Drew Finley at that later pick. This is my own speculation, but I wonder if they're a landing spot for [Daz] Cameron if he's looking for an over-slot deal."
Whitley and Cameron (Mike Cameron's son) are both high school outfielders while Everett (lefty) and Finley (righty) are high school pitchers. By taking a glance at the Yankees' current top 10 prospects provided by Baseball America, it's very possible New York opts to go with one of the outfielders. They only have one (Aaron Judge) among the top in their farm system and he could crack the MLB in the near future, which indicates an eventual need.
Additionally, while they might like Betts, they have two catchers - Gary Sanchez and Luis Torrens - in their top 10 as well. Unless they plan to use Betts elsewhere, it doesn't appear they'd use their first pick on him.
I'd narrow down their choices to Whitley and Everett. Both fall in the ballpark of the 16th pick while the others will probably be gone by then (Cameron) or would be a reach at that point (Finley). In the end, the farm system could use another talented outfielder and it's never a bad idea to stockpile young pitching prospects.
In the meantime, take a look at Law's top 100 prospects to see who might be in the Yankees' range in the middle of the first round.
