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With their sixth round pick, the Yankees selected left-handed pitcher Dalton Lehnen from Augustana University at 182nd overall. This is another college arm for the Yankees, however, they change things up by taking a lefty over a righty.
Baseball America rank him as their 153rd-best prospect of the draft, and Minor League Ball lists him as the no. 30 left-handed pitcher available. He began his collegiate career at Cincinnati, where he proved to be an effective starter while dealing with control issues. After losing his spot in the rotation, he was forced to transfer to Division II Augustana for the 2017 season, where he managed to impress.
As a starter this year, he held a 2.60 ERA in 52 innings, while striking out 61 and walking 20. His .183 batting average against helped him prove that he belongs in the conversation in regards to professional baseball. For his effort, he was named Pitcher of the Week twice over the course of the season.
Lehnen has a fastball that sits 93-96 mph and likely has a future as a power reliever. At six-foot-three, 222 pounds, he is big and strong and should be good in relief work. His breaking pitches don’t seem to be anything above average offerings, so you have to imagine that could limit him at the next level.