Yanks’ 30th round pick, #920 overall

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The next Big Thing
Game 61: Time to go on a roll

With their 30th round pick, the Yanks selected Ben McMahan, C, Bishop Moore HS (Fl.)

Scouting Report: Known as a defense first catcher, McMahan also has a potent bat and runs very well for a catcher. His defense is Gold Glove caliber, and he could blossom into a .280-.350-.420 hitter. He’s a strong student and committed to Florida. Here’s his scouting video.

My Take: Great pick. Let’s hope they keep him away from the Gators.

Outlook: If they sign him, we won’t see him in any games until 2009 because it’ll likely go don to the wire. He could survive a full season assignment next year based on his defense alone.

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The next Big Thing
Game 61: Time to go on a roll
  • Lanny

    A strong student and he chooses Florida??

    Now that doesn’t make much sense

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Damn yo, McMahan got down the line from the right side in ~4.5 seconds in his scouting video. That’s insanely fast for a catcher.

  • Joey

    Gilespie just drilled one out. First pitch too.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      He’s good at hitting baseballs.

  • Lanny

    Im guessing this is one of the few sign ability guys from Day 2.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      They’ve done well on day two, I was overreacting earlier. Just because the guy is not a huge name doesn’t mean he isn;t a quality player.

      • Lanny

        Who are the other high ceiling guys from Day 2 that we should check out and keep an eye on?

        • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

          The only other obvious ones to me are Maronde, Dicharry and Roach. There’s definitely others out there, just not sure who.

      • rbizzler

        KLAW seems to think otherwise.

  • Miles Roche

    Mike, if you would comprise a Top Prospects List of the Yankees draftees (only) thus far, who would make out the top 5?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Man, I have no idea right now. I can tell you who’d be number 1, but I’m sure you can figure that out.

      • Tripp

        David Adams?

        • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

          Not quite.

          • Tripp

            Ha! Sarcasm never comes out right in these things.

            • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

              Heh, sorry, I thought you fell for the “Dustin Pedroia is a great player!” propoganda.

              • Reggie C

                He isn’t ?? Give me a player who’s willing to max out his potential over a player with oodles of natural hitting ability but no will to make adjustments.

      • Miles Roche

        I know Cole, Marshall & probably Bleich would be there, but beyond that i’m turning to your expert analysis. Yet i’ll wait. . .

        • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

          Cole is an easy #1. After that I’d probably go Matt Richardson, Scott Bittle, Brett Marshall, and Garrison Lassiter. Bleich would be #6.

  • Jamal G.

    Chris Britton pulled a rib cage muscle warming up in the bullpen yesterday afternoon, was put on the DL and Dan Giese was recalled to Scranton. Got this just this second from Michael Kay on his radio show.

    • Mike N (Stamford, CT)

      I guess that is why Girardi hates fat relievers…

    • Joey

      Girardi must be smoking his victory cigar right about now. He got fatty out with out having to send Britton down himself.

      Do you think Giese will be used as a reliever or is here to follow Joba still as the long man?

  • Jamal G.

    Adam Westmoreland, was that the same Westmoreland everyone was talking about or was it that oher one drafted yesterday?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      No, that was Ryan (or Rick, or something like that) Westmoreland. Sox grabbed him.

  • Anthony

    What’s with Boston taking ten million high school arms?

  • Reggie C

    Red Sox are loading up on insurance plans if they can’t sign Casey Kelly. At least that’s how i hope it plays out. If they sign Meyer , the red sox draft automatically vaults over the Yankees.

    This Westmoreland kid is a major signability issue. But it sorta reminds me of their Lars Anderson pick. And they managed to sign him.

    • Lanny

      No way the Sox take Kelly in Rd 1 if he wouldnt sign.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Westmoreland, Meyer and Marquis are going to take well over a million dollars each to sign, Marquis and Meyer over $2M. They won’t sign them all, more than likely just one (probably Westmoreland).

      • Reggie C

        Mike A,
        Don’t forget to add Ricky Oropesa to that list. What the Red Sox is doing is mind-boggling if their goal is to sign 1 of these 4 kids. Its the Oropesa pick that sorta reminds me of the Lars Anderson pick. California kid with plus raw power but who swings and misses alot too.

        Could it be that the Sox know they aren’t players for Yorman Rodriguez?? Yanks haven’t drafted 1 impact bat. Do you guys think signing Yorman would make up for it?

        • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

          Corban Joseph and Chris Smith are potential impact bats. I have no idea who Y-Rod is, sorry.

          • Jamal G.

            Y-Rod is one of the big names (probably second behind Michael Inoa) for this upcoming July 2nd IFA signing period. He is an OF from Venezuela, said to have grades of 70s on the 20-80 scouting scale in the speed and power department.

  • Lanny

    Who are the international free agents we should keep an eye on for July 2?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      No idea, I don’t worry about those guys until they sign. There’s too much BS on the net about those guys. It’s like that there’s so little info available about them, that whatever little bit we know gets extrapolated out and the hype because immense.

    • The Fallen Phoenix

      The two I keep reading the most about are Michael Inoa, a tall 16 year-old flamethrower who some say is the next Felix Hernandez, and Yorman Rodriguez, who supposedly grades at or above a 70 in speed and power.

      • Reggie C

        I agree with Mike A. — there is alot of BS out there. That’s why i’m iffy on Inoa. Look at what happened with Salcedo. Indians pulled that offer on the mounting evidence that this kid is NOT his listed age. Salcedo is an old name .. .ahem .. he’s not a hot property anymore.

        Maybe the book on Y-Rod is more accurate. Venezuelan baseball pple keep better records. Jesus Montero turned out well (so far)…

        Go with Y-Rod.

      • Lanny

        Isn’t Salcedo supposed to run like Mantle, throw like Mays, hit like Williams, and have the grace of Joe D???

        LOL

        I’ll have to check out Inoa and Yorman. Sound like top 10 guys to me.

  • Jamal G.

    Get this guys, you remember the recent crane crash in NYC? Well, Ryan Church being a class act offered some aid to the widow of one of the victims but she refused it because “Don [Leo, her husband] was a die-hard Yankee fan,” [Janine] Belcastro said in a statement. “It would not respect his memory if he accepted this.”

    http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_.....om_me.html

    I don’t know what to say, like seriously.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Allegiances die hard I see.

    • http://www.yanksblog.com James Varghese

      Well, hats off to Church for trying. That was a very pleasant thing for him and his wife to do.

  • The Fallen Phoenix

    …did the Yankees just drop out of the draft?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Ugh. couldn’t grab Maronde just to keep him away from everyone else?

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Did they seriously just drop out???

  • The Fallen Phoenix

    In the 36th round? Really? What the Hell just happened? Technical difficulties? Too lazy to just throw their last few picks on the signability guys just so no one else can take a flier on them? This is mind-boggling.

    • Anthony

      Looks like it could bbe technical difficulties, because the tracker skipped over their number, instead of putting Cleveland there.

  • Jamal G.

    Expect audio from a conference call between Gerrit Cole, Damon Oppenheimer and NYY beat writers “close to game time” from PeteAbe’s blog.

    Cool.

  • Jamal G.

    They didn’t drop out, I heard them call in a pick. I’m not going crazy…

    • Jamal G.

      You see, they are up with pick #1130.

  • Lanny

    They wouldnt drop out. Right??

  • The Fallen Phoenix

    From NYYFans:

    “No they didn’t, they took Chris Dwyer from the Salisbury School in Connecticut…

    Dwyer is a signability pick. Clemson recruit…”

    Thank God.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Phew, glad they didn’t drop out. Dwyer’s got a HUGE arm. 92-93 with a hammer breaking ball. He’ll be a DES in 2 years, so he has a little extra incentive to go to the school. Going to be a very tough sign.

  • The Fallen Phoenix

    And they just selected Justin Harper, RHP from Yavahai.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Power arm, moved to the pen late last year and took off. Committed to … San Diego I think? JuCo kid.

  • Lanny

    I assume you guys will be doing a nice sized review of the selections.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      I hope that’s a joke.

      • Lanny

        Kinda rhetorical.

        I hope.

        LOL.

        Great work the past 2 days. You must be exhausted Mike.

        • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

          I might do a general overview, but not an exhaustive pick by pick breakdown.

  • J-Gao

    Whew, I was looking at the Draft Tracker, and thought WTF?!?!

    I might be the only one, but this draft is somewhat disappointing. They passed up on a lot of signability guys that I would’ve liked to see an attempt at.

    Guys like Gose, Meyer, Shreve, Seaton, Melville, Landers, H-Martinez, Jordan Danks -Gose went in the 50’s (still would’ve liked him more than Bleich), but the rest either went late 100’s, 200’s, and even 500’s.

    Maronde better not fall through either.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    The D-Backs just drafted Jesse Orosco. The Cards also took Scott Boras’ son Shane a round or two ago.

    • Joey

      is he represented by daddy Boras or does Scott only accept good players and turns down his sons request? Because if there is one person in the world I could see doing that it’s Scott

      • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

        He’s going to school, USC I believe. Has a chance to be a decent player actually.

  • NYFan50

    Dumb question, but what does DES stand for?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Draft eligible sophomore.

      • NYFan50

        Ah you beat me to my own post by a second there. :) Took me a minute to figure it out. I know admittedly very little about the draft and draft procedure.

    • NYFan50

      draft eligible soph?

    • http://monastarios@yahoo.ca b/c

      Draft eligible soph

  • J-Gao

    Draft-eligible sophomore

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Good grief, did they really just take a 5th year senior? Why not just sign him as an UFA tomorrow?

    • Joey

      Shits and giggles?

  • http://www.overheardinnewyork.com NC Saint

    Why doesn’t the greatest baseball player of all time, Pat Venditte, get his own post?

    We better sign him this time. I’m not sure I can live through the disappointment all over again.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      I’ve posted enough on Venditte, plus I’ve kinda burnt out. He’s a senior, so it’s either sign and give this baseball thing a shot, or get a real job.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Dammit, Angels grabbed Roach right before the Yanks’ pick.

  • Joey

    Buster’s little brother PH now. Freshman.

  • L

    Is it just me or have the Yanks taken a lot of ss?

    • J-Gao

      Shortstops are usually the best or most athletic players on the team.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Yeah, usually the best player on the team plays short in high school. Plus you can never have enough up-the-middle players.

    • J.R.

      It kind of speaks as to where the yankees think Jeter will be in 4-5 years.

  • J-Gao

    Why has no one drafted Nick Maronde yet?

  • Jamal G.

    That’s the second time the Angels have taken a damn great prospect right before us.

    • J-Gao

      What was the first time?

      • Jamal G.

        Jammie Mallard. Out of shape fatty 1B but has plus, plus power and great contact ability.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Sam Mende, I know that name … might be a signability guy, can’t remember.

  • Jamal G.

    Coco Crisp, Jon Lester and Sean casey have been suspended by MLB for 7, 5 and 3 games respectively.

    • Jamal G.

      It seems the incident between Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez started because Youk was mad that Manny did not put up for his teammates during the fight. It seems Manny walked away from the fracas after the bullpen guys came in and Youk got into it with Manny over that.

      • J-Gao

        Wow, Manny’s actually being smart here. Youk’s an idiot.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Coco called the Rays a bunch of little girls after the game last night.

    • L

      music to my ears…possibly the best thing to hear all day (although Hawkins suspended 3 games ranks up there…don’t want to see that guy come out of the bullpen and blow more games)

    • Sciorsci

      How did Jon Lester manage to avoid a suspension? Yankees pitchers throw up and in, fail to actually hit the batter, and twice got suspended. Lester hits two Rays – the two guys most prominently involved in the fight who were not ejected – and gets neither ejected or suspended? WTF?

      And I think Coco’s deserving of even more than 7 games. He knew it was coming – he asked for it, literally, after his hard slide into Iwamura – and it wasn’t like it was upstairs; he had to know he was going to get hit, and he got it in the thigh, which, all things considered, is not so bad. If he’d have just gone on down to 1B, the score would have been settled. Instead, he had to overreact to a HBP that he knew he was going to get.

      I have to say, I actually admire the fire that the Rays are playing with this year.

      • Sciorsci

        Forget it – just saw Lester in the suspension list. I’m an idiot, as usual.

      • JT

        Madden is a freakin hypocrit. They break our catchers wrist, in spring training no less, and act like its no big deal. I’m glad they got into that brawl yesterday. I hope they get whats coming from them.

        Except I hope nothing happens to crawford, he’s on my fantasy team.

  • L

    why do the mets follow slot? they are a big market team…throw some money into the draft perhaps?

    • Lanny

      Even the Pirates don’t follow slots now!

  • L

    did the angels opt out of the draft already?

    • L

      wow jk…sry didn’t see them there but now i do silly me

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Clint Preisendorfer? No way. Holy crap moly. That just made my day. Haha.

    • cult of basebaal

      huh?

      • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

        Oh he’s nothing special as a player, but this is the third time the Yanks have drafted him. They took him 2005 out of JuCo, then again as a junior in 2006. He went undrafted in 2007 so I figured he was done, but apparently he went back as a 5th year senior. It’s just funny to see his name again.

        He and his father own Rusty Surfboards.

        • rbizzler

          Cash and Opp just want some free gear.

  • L

    Who has the biggest scouting department in mlb? Red Sox? Yankees? Do you know?

    • Jamal G.

      Peter Gammons is so all knowing that he has the knowledge of how many scouts each and every single organization employs. Therefore he was able to make this statement yesterday “The Red Sox employ more scouts than anybody else in baseball”.

      I don’t like that man. Adam Foster from Project Prospect is right, he is too old for TV. The man can not speak a clear, legible sentence and his homerism is just embarassing now.

  • Joey

    DAMN YOU OAKLAND!!!! WE WOULD HAVE TOOK HIM THIS ROUND!!!

    • Joey

      *taken (got caught up in the heat of the moment)

  • Sciorsci

    Maronde’s off the board to Oakland. Think Billy Beane’s just keeping him away from the big markets who might have thrown some money at him?

  • Anthony

    No chance Oakland signs him right?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Zero.

    • Sciorsci

      Kind of a smart move by Beane. He can’t play the signability game like the big markets, but he can use those picks to play keep-away. I wonder if any of the big markets had any intention at all of taking him late – if so, why let him get THAT late into the draft. I was actually wondering if some slot team might use a pick on him just to keep him out of the big market systems. I didn’t expect it to be Oakland though, because of the value they place on their draft picks.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Oh well. Maybe we’ll be lucky and get Maronde with our first round pick in 2011.

  • J-Gao

    Did the A’s just get Maronde?
    It says John Maronde – I thought it was Nick – but the school’s right?

    • Joey

      yea it’s him. Type or middle name I guess

      • Joey

        *typo (holy shit I must be getting tired, I’m misspelling everything)

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Yeah that’s him. You’d be surprised by how many of these guys go by their middle names.

  • Jamal G.

    San Diego drops out after this pick.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Summers is a nice pick, low-90’s and a ton of power in his bat. Better off going to college and playing in a two-way role.

  • Jamal G.

    Can’t criticize the Yankees because of their recent draft history and the fact that we do not know as much as the Yankees do about these players. Still would have been nice to have Tim Melville, Jamie Mallard, Nick Maronde and Danny Webb.

    Steve Phillips said that the Manny/Youk ordeal isn’t as little as other ESPN analysts are making it out to be. Finally, some sensible ESPN commentary.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      They had a good draft.

      Steve Phillips is an idiot, that means Youk and Manny were just messin’ around.

      • Anthony

        Was I the only one who chuckled yesterday when he was talking about how happy they were that Kazmir fell to them?

        • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

          In his defense, Kaz was a Duquette move. Phillips was long gone by then.

          • Anthony

            Oh yeah. Wow. Good call.

    • cult of basebaal

      seriously, the rest of the four letter network may be sox homers, but you can take any postion steve phillips espouses, reverse it and feel pretty damn confident you’re far closer to the truth.

  • Joey

    has Dicharry gone yet?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      No, and Taylor Hightower (HS C) is still out there too. He was a top 50 prospect coming in.

      • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

        Shit, Swagerty was out there too, until the Rox just took him.

  • Joey

    Taylor Hightower went 1277 to Colorado

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Well then. Nevermind. Even the Rox are grabbing signability guys now.

  • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

    Has Summers ever heard of weight transfer?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      The music for his video is hysterical.

  • Jamal G.

    Chris Dwyer (the pick that suffered technical difficulties) seems to be a very, very sexy name. Sweet.

    http://www.nomaas.org/draft/?p=38

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      I don’t think I’d go so far as saying he could be the best player in the draft behind Cole.

    • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

      As sexy as Preisendorfer? haha

  • L

    On the draft thing on mlb.com venditte is listd as a rhp…will he be switch pitcher in pro or will he be allowed to pitch with both arms

  • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

    I guess the Padres draft specialist wanted to beat traffic in Orlando,

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      DePo’s battery is dead, he can’t liveblog their picks anymore.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    The Jays took some kid named Nate Nelson from Worchester State a few rounds ago. He’s 6’6″, 300 lbs. Here’s his picture:

    http://wwwfac.worcester.edu/at.....Nelson.JPG

    I, for one, am terrified. Let’s hope he never makes the bigs.

    • Jamal G.

      There is nothing that would please me more than seeing Curt SChilling hit this kid with a Fastball. Oh man!

      • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

        He seems like the kind of guy that would refer to himself in the third person.

        “Nate Nelson doesn’t like that you hit Nate Nelson with a fastball. You made Nate Nelson angry.”

        • Jamal G.

          I imagine this kid can pop bunt a HR over the Green Monster.

    • Joey

      I’m with you, I will not fuck with the Jays anymore! And just think, if baseball doesn’t work out he can go bar hopping with those drunk Canadians

  • Joey

    Thank God only a few more rounds. I don’t know how much more of this I can stand in 2 days :-) Mike, if I ever meet you in some random Chipotle in NY you have to tell me so I can buy you a beer and burrito (btw you’ll never find me n a Chipotle and maybe twice a year in NY)

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      I will take you up on that!

  • Jamal G.

    What is the more common misconception, Steve Phillips trading away Scott Kazmir or Adam Dunn being a bad baseball player?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Dunn, definitely.

  • Lanny

    How can Steve Phillips analyze a baseball draft? Does he have scouting reports of most players? Has he seen them play? How does he know what certain teams were targeting? This isn’t the NBA or the NFL. And even in those leagues you need 3 years before you grade a teams draft. MLB you need 5.

  • Jamal G.

    Which is the more common misconception, Steve Phillips trading away Scott Kazmir or Adam Dunn being a bad baseball player?

    • Lanny

      It was Duquette. Not Phillips.

      That is why Cashman is great. He could have off loaded this system the past 3 years to “save” his job.

      he didn’t

      • Mike

        hence why he said MISconception

      • Jamal G.

        Read the question again.

      • Anthony

        To be honest, I think there’s a big piece of Cashman that couldn’t care less if he got fired.

        • Lanny

          Who else would pay him the salary hes getting now??

  • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

    This is pretty much the “Future PE Teacher” portion of the draft.

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Hah. Well done.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    The Phils just drafted Giovany Soto.

    • Jamal G.

      That’s great, but nothing can beat Johnny Bravo being drafted, LoL.

      • Chip

        That’s awesome, my first basemen in MLB the show ’08 is named Johnny Bravo (and of course looks like him)

  • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

    Giovany Soto – 6’4″ 150? lbs. Wow.

    • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

      That makes Edwar Ramirez look downright muscular.

  • Big B

    Any good sports bars near Park Slope that I can catch tonight’s game at?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Man, you’re late by like, 5 minutes. I could have asked Ben, he lives around there.

      • Big B

        Ahh, I just moved there from the UES and am hoping to find a local place…. Nice job on blogging the draft by the way.

    • Jamal G.

      Hey I was over there just a couple days ago. They have a fantastic Thai food restaurant, just a couple blocks down from the F-Train station. Believe it is called Thai Rice Kingdom.

      As to your question, sorry, no idea.

      • Big B

        Not to divert from the draft post, but I live right down the street from Thai Rice….very good!

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    What the hell, the Pirates have grabbed a bunch of signability guys. They’re not going to try and actually do something right, are they?

    • Lanny

      My theory? The Pirates are going to prove a point here and not sign any of them.

      How pissed would ever exec that got a call from Coonelly be if he overpays for 5 guys?

      Doesnt make sense. He has to have some people still at MLB headquarters. He ran their porgram for yrs!

      • Sciorsci

        Interesting theory, but it does make you wonder if a small market team really benefits from proving a point. I mean, if they’re not going to pay their established players, and they’re not going to acquire veteran free agents, they can only improve their team through the draft. If they waste too many picks trying to prove their point, they only end up being a martyr for the current system. Point proven? Maybe, but at what expense?

  • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

    Arizona just drafted the Maggi. How unfair.

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Did they just pick a kid from Fairleigh Dickinson? Wow, I didn’t know they had a baseball team.

  • Andy in Sunny Daytona Beach

    White Sox just drafted a guy who is listed at 5’5″. How tall is he really?

  • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

    Rob Scahill’s a nice pick, he’s got a real live arm. DES, so he’ll be a tough sign.

  • J-Gao

    Patrick White – he’s the football player, right?
    Can teams draft any random person, even if they don’t play baseball?

    • http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike A.

      Yes, but the team has request a Commisioner’s number for him so they can draft. You can’t be drafted unless you’re in MLB’s database.

      • J-Gao

        Oh, I’d like to see a team draft a guy like Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley just for the fun of it.

        And then sign him away from basketball with a huge contract. :)

  • The Fallen Phoenix

    In response to the Pirates question: they have some damned good organizational minds running things over there, now. It’s going to take a couple of years to completely turn their system around, but management is definitely on the right track; resisted selling low on their few valuable trade assets (like Jason Bay) over the winter, and have had a solid draft all things considered.