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The Yankees took right-handed pitcher Brooks Kriske out of the University of Southern California in the sixth round at 188th overall. He was ranked at 295th overall and 41st in the state of California by Baseball America, making him yet another arm out of Southern California. Perfect Game also has him 292nd overall and 112th among all right-handers.
Spending his entire collegiate career with USC, the 22-year-old senior has a chance to be a fast-moving reliever in the Yankees' system. In 2016, he made a name for himself, surging to the top of prospect lists thanks to a 2.55 ERA with a 2.80 K/BB and six saves in 35.1 innings over 26 games. He was ranked by Fangraphs to be among the top pitchers in the Pac-12 back in March.
At 6-foot-three and 190 pounds, Kriske improved his velocity this past season, moving from 90 mph to 95-96 mph with his fastball. His secondary stuff is raw, but his slider generally grades out to be average, though there is still some inconsistency there. He looks to be a straight reliever, meaning he's probably not the guy you look to place in the rotation and see what happens. Still, the velocity jump is huge, and it's because of that increase that we're talking about him today. He's been considered a very athletic player with a lot of potential, so the Yankees are probably going to see what he can do in pro-ball. His 10.70 K/9 this season makes him look like a potential backend reliever, which would be a solid get in the sixth round.