MLB Draft 2021: Yankees select Will Warren 243rd overall

The draft continues to roll along, and the Yankees continue their run on college pitching. They popped right-hander Will Warren 243rd overall, their third consecutive pick used on a collegiate hurler. Warren turned in four years with Southeastern Louisiana University and stands at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds.

MLB Pipeline didn’t rank Warren among their top 250 prospects, though Baseball America had him 160th overall, hinting at a possible value pick this late in the draft. Warren flitted between roles during his early years in college before settling in as a full-time starting pitcher in 2021. He turned in 14 starts with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 95 batters against 25 walks in 91 innings.

Warren reportedly added velocity his senior year, as Baseball America writes “His average fastball went from sitting 90-91 and touching 95 to sitting 91-93 mph and touching 95-97. His ability to carry that velocity deeper into games improved as well.”

That would seem to put Warren on a nice positive trajectory as he reaches the pros. He also sports a pair of breaking balls, with his upper-70s curveball apparently coming with a very high spin rate.

The righty seems like an interesting talent to have found eight rounds deep. At any rate, with the Yankees’ apparent midround focus on experienced pitching, the organization’s pitching depth at lower levels should be seeing some reinforcement.