The 2012 MLB Draft is fast approaching (June 4-6), and it's never too early to begin discussing who the club may have the opportunity to take when our picks roll around. I've taken on the roll of 'scouting director' for the Yankees organization in this year's 2012 Mock Draft being held by John Sickels over at MinorLeagueBall.com, and come to you today asking for your assistance in this process.
I chose to take on this roll as a way to represent Pinstripe Alley in this draft exercise, and get a true representation from Yankee fans as to what is most important when it comes to making selections in this year's draft. I know many of you have a great deal of knowledge regarding prospects, so I'm here asking for your help!
More on the mock after the jump...
The mock draft process began over at MinorLeagueBall.com last night, with the posting of my first MOD (Mock Organizational Diary) for the Yankees. Through this preliminary discussion, I'm hoping to generate a plethora of ideas regarding draft strategy and positional needs. I'll also be using it as a means to recruit people to assist me in the process, as I try to assemble a 'brain trust' that will ultimately make the final decisions when our draft picks roll around. In order to contribute officially in my MOD threads over on Sickles' site, head over there and register to post, so you can add your input to those discussions.
In the meantime, I'd like to open up the floor to everyone for your 2012 Yankees draft input. The Yankees have picks 30, 89, 94, and 124 through the first three rounds of this year's draft. At pick 30, there appears to be a logjam of high school arms that we'll have our pick of. Another name that is rising up draft boards who I'm particularly interested in is Florida State 2B/OF James Ramsey, who reminds me a great deal of current Indians 2B Jason Kipnis.
This early season draft preview list from Baseball America should get you thinking about some names for the upcoming draft. Even though it's from February, it's a useful tool when comparing to current lists, as it allows us to identify players falling who we may be able to pick up with our later picks.
Focusing a bit more on the #30 pick, here is a brief look at the prospects Baseball America has in this range from their Midseason Top 60 (subscribers only):
25. | Walker Weickel | RHP | Olympia HS, Orlando | |
26. | Lance McCullers Jr. | RHP | Jesuit HS, Tampa | |
27. | Chris Beck | RHP | Georgia Southern | |
28. | Matt Smoral | LHP | Solon (Ohio) HS | |
29. | Ty Hensley | RHP | Santa Fe HS, Edmond, Okla. | |
30. | Joey Gallo | RHP/1B | Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas | |
31. | Luke Sims | RHP | Brookwood HS, Snellville, Ga. | |
32. | Ty Buttrey | RHP | Providence HS, Charlotte | |
33. | Trey Williams | 3B | Valencia HS, Santa Clarita, Calif. | |
34. | Pierce Johnson | RHP | Missouri State | |
35. | James Ramsey | OF/2B | Florida State | |
What direction would you go in the early rounds of the 2012 draft, Pinstripe Alley?
If you'd like to take on a larger roll in assisting me with the mock draft process, drop a line in the comments section, shoot me an e-mail, or hit me up on Twitter. The more people that are willing to help, the merrier. This is a great opportunity to learn a bit more about this year's draft prospects.
I hope through our efforts, we can make both the Yankees, and Pinstripe Alley, proud of our draft selections!