The 2013 amateur draft is less than one week away, so between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.
Teddy Stankiewicz | RHP
Background
Teddy, who is not related to former Yankee Andy Stankiewicz, turned down the Mets out of a Texas high school as the 75th overall pick in last summer’s draft. He backed out of his commitment to Arkansas and instead attended Seminole State College in Oklahoma, a two-year junior college that makes him draft-eligible again this spring. Stankiewicz pitched to a 2.52 ERA with a 70/10 K/BB in 60 2/3 innings this year, starting very strong before fading a bit down the stretch. He is recommitted to attend Arkansas next year.
Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 lbs., Stankiewicz is a true four-pitch pitcher with a 90-94 mph fastball that has touched 96. A hard mid-80s slider is his top secondary pitch, and he’ll also throw a soft low-70s curveball and a low-80s changeup. Neither the curve nor change is above-average, but they are usable pitches. Stankiewicz has a high leg kick and a traditional drop-and-drive delivery, so he doesn’t really use his height to his advantage. He needs to gain consistency with both his mechanics and command. There are a ton of videos on YouTube.
Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Stankiewicz as the 60th and 77th best prospect in the draft class in their latest rankings, respectively. Jim Callis listed the right-hander as one of several young arms the Yankees have monitored in recent weeks in his latest mock draft. New York has three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd), but Stankiewicz seems like a more appropriate target for their second round selection (66th). The Yankees haven’t been all that active in the JuCo ranks in recent drafts, but that doesn’t mean they’re opposed to the idea.