MLB Draft 2024: Yankees select Wyatt Parliament 211th overall

Make it 7-for-7. With their seventh-round pick, the Yankees selected Wyatt Parliament out of Virginia Tech. Not only is Parliament a shoo-in to win the Best Name award out of the Yankees’ crop of 2024 draft picks, he’s the seventh consecutive college pitcher the team has drafted this year.

Parliament, a left-hander, is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. He started his collegiate career at Rutgers, spending his freshman season as a starter before shifting mostly to relief work as a sophomore. He transferred to Virginia Tech ahead of the 2024 campaign, where he struggled as a bit of a swingman, posting a 7.63 ERA across 10 starts and five relief appearances.

The Yankees are leaning into the bit at this point. Much like almost every other player they’ve taken the last two days, Parliament is a pitcher that had a limited track record of success in college. Parliament’s career ERA in college came in at 5.49, with a 9.9 K/9 rate and a 4.5 BB/9 figure.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but according to Baseball America, who ranked Parliament as their 478th-best draft prospect, Parliament’s “pure stuff is better than his ERA might indicate.” More from BA’s report:

He sits 92-94 mph with a fastball that has touched 97 and plays above its velocity thanks to solid riding life, a low release point and a flat approach angle. He also throws a low-80s slider with short cutting action. Parliament has thrown a low-80s changeup but uses the pitch infrequently. Parliament is young for the college class and doesn’t turn 21 until January, 2025.

At just 20-years-old, Parliament is as much of a project as the Yankees have drafted so far this year, to be expected as we work into the middle and late rounds. Our old friend Dan Kelly saw Parliament pitch this year against Wake Forest, and noted the following:

Here’s a visual on that heater, from another game against University of Pittsburgh:

As with all their picks so far, it’ll be interesting to see how the Yankees can mold Parliament’s raw talent, and whether they see his future primarily as a starter or reliever. With the strategy the Yankees are taking, this is quickly turning into to one of the more fascinating drafts the Yankees have executed in a while. We’ll have more coverage for you as the afternoon continues.