The 2013 amateur draft will be held from June 6-8 this year, and between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Kyle Devin | C
Background
A Massachusetts kid who attends Lynn Classical High School just north of Boston, Devin played for the Yankees Area Code Games team last summer. In one game during the showcase, he threw out five attempted base-stealers while picking up two singles and a walk at the plate. He’s committed to Stony Brook.
Scouting Report
Devin, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 lbs., stands out for the power in his bat and the power in his arm. The left-handed swinger puts on big power displays in batting practice and shows a very strong arm from behind the plate. The rest of Devin’s game is very raw — he didn’t start catching until his sophomore year — including his offensive approach and general receiving and footwork at the catcher position. Power at the plate and throwing strength are two skills you can’t teach though, and they’re what will get Devin drafted in June.
Miscellany
Neither Baseball America (subs. req’d) nor Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Devin as one of the 50 best prospects in the draft class in their most recent rankings, and in fact he didn’t even crack Baseball America’s list of the top 200 high school prospects. Devin is a definite project and the lack of polish is just too much to ignore. The Yankees do generally love players with his skillset though, meaning a catcher who hits for power (especially from the left side) and offers arm strength. Devin certainly seems like someone they could target in the later rounds of the draft.
