MLB Draft 2016: Yankees select first baseman Dalton Blaser 248th overall

In the eighth round of the draft, the Yankees went with first baseman Dalton Blaser from Cal State Fullerton, 248th overall. The 22-year-old senior is not ranked among Baseball America's top 500 players in this year's draft, and along with Keith Skinner, will help the Yankees sign first-round pick Blake Rutherford away from college.

Blaser was previously drafted out of high school by the Oakland Athletics in the 39th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but decided to go to college instead. He spent his first two collegiate seasons with Sierra College in Rocklin, California where he was named to the first All-Conference Team, first All-State Team, and was the Co-MVP of the Big-8 Conference. After two years of success, he transferred to Cal State Fullerton for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

At six-foot-one and 195 pounds, he's not the big first base power type–proven by his career-high four home runs–but he does have other skills. He hit .359/.439/.485 in 2016 and seems to have a great eye at the plate, walking 30 times and only striking out a total of 18 times.

Interestingly, his father Mark Blaser was drafted by the Yankees in the 4th round of the 1981 draft. He spent five seasons in the system playing first base, third base, and outfield. A Yankees fan, Dalton Blaser models his game after Derek Jeter, one of his favorite players.