The Yankees selected the first first baseman of the 2015 Draft in the ninth round, drafting Ryan Krill from Michigan State. Krill batted .351/.439/.615 as a senior for the Spartans in 2015. He was previously drafted by the Tigers in the 40th round in 2011. The 6'4" corner infielder had a career-high of 13 home runs while driving in 57 runs in 205 at-bats at Michigan State. Baseball America ranked Krill the 12th best prospect in the state of Michigan.
Krill is a Kalamazoo, Michigan, native, having attended Portage Central High School. As a junior, Krill had the best fielding percentage of any of his Spartan teammates with the fourth most chances in all of the Big Ten. The lefty batter has found a way to improve his stock over the course of this season with some tweaks to his stance and approach after a bit of a decline that Krill attributes to trying to muscle up too much. Michigan State's coach called Krill a prototypical first baseman, but he may have to find a way to overcome his lack of speed.
The good news is that the adjustments Krill made at the plate have paid off in a big way. His statistics improved across the board, and he has the ability to handle both high velocity and offspeed pitches. Krill may not ever turn into a huge home run hitting player, but he does have some nice gap to gap power and the ability to hit to all fields that is always very valuable in hitters.