MLB Draft 2023: Grading the Yankees’ third- and fourth-round picks

After a first-half performance in which the Yankees could be described as mediocre at best and anemic at worst, plenty of fans were actually looking forward to the MLB Draft as a salve from their current woes to look forward to greener pastures. Because the Yankees forfeited their second-round pick to sign Carlos Rodón, we could only ruminate over the one player the Bombers did nab yesterday.

That player turned out to be George Lombard Jr., son of former player and Tigers bench coach George Lombard. With a class such as this one, it really had the feeling of taking a prep shortstop significantly higher in any other draft year. I recommend reading the write-up from our very own Marcus and Andrew on last night’s affair and voting in Madison’s own approval survey.

Leapfrogging over the second round brings us to Day 2, and the Yankees opted to take left-handed pitcher Kyle Carr out of the JUCO Palomar College at 97th overall, and Oklahoma State second baseman Roc Riggio at 129th overall.

The junior college pitcher Carr was something between a 123rd and 174th-ranked prospect depending on which publication (Baseball America or MLB.com, respectively) you prefer, and he features a relatively high-octane fastball and a slurve. The Yankees do love their stuff-oriented pitching prospects, and they have had fantastic success at the big league level at honing those skills, at least in the bullpen.

Riggio is a very down-the-middle pick for their third pick, especially after taking a prep player with a significant bonus in the first round with a diminished bonus pool. Riggio certainly fits the bill of college second baseman at 5-foot-9 and under 200 pounds, and scouts generally think he’s about an average bat and a slightly-less-than-average defender.

For any old draft, these are the picks you generally expect after taking a toolsy prep shortstop in the first round. Because of the bonus pool rules implemented in 2011, it behooves teams to balance their prep selections with JUCO and college players who can possibly take under-slot deals while still providing surplus value relative to the price of the draft position.

For this draft, though, it’s slightly disappointing we’re not seeing the scenario in which the Yankees take advantage of more recent draft rules that would allow them to go above their pool by any amount they choose. Remember, the league doesn’t actually have a rule that says you have to restrict how much you spend on one or all of your picks. The only trade-off, of course, is that you lose your first round pick in 2024 and 2025, and the Yankees being the Yankees, they went the risk-averse route. I simply think that this draft class is a once-in-a-decade kind of group and just like Lombard is a higher talent than his draft position, they could have potentially stacked near-first round talent even in the third round that could have restocked a depleted farm system. Alas, Carr and Riggio it is.

So, what do you think? Do you think Carr and Riggio could one day provide value to the big league club, or do their profiles mean that their hopes essentially rest on Lombard (or random, later round selections) to make this draft a success? What grades would you give these two players? Do you think the Yankees should have tried going past their bonus pool?