The 2013 amateur draft starts on Thursday, so between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

Riley Unroe | SS

Background
Riley’s father Tim spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues as a utility man for the Brewers, Angels, and Braves in the late-1990s/early-2000s. Unroe attends Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona, and is strongly committed to Southern California.

Scouting Report
A true-switch hitter, Unroe has a lightning quick bat from both sides of the plate and average power potential. He uses his lower half well and can cover the entire plate thanks to strong hand-eye coordination. Unroe sets his back elbow up high and can get beat by good fastballs just because it takes him longer to get into the hitting position. That’s easy to correct, at least in theory. He’s on the small side at 6-foot-0 and 180 lbs., but he runs well and has soft hands in the field. Although he isn’t a lock to stay at short, Unroe does have a better chance than most. If that doesn’t work out, second base or center field could be options. Everyone who watches Unroe play loves him for his energy and off-the-charts makeup. It helps that he’s grown up around the game. There is more video on YouTube.

Miscellany
Ranked the 53rd and 90th best prospect in the draft by Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) in their latest rankings, respectively, Unroe could easily find himself going in the back-half of the first round if some team thinks he can stick at short long-term. I’m guessing at least one of the 30 clubs believe he can. The Yankees love love love up-the-middle athletes and guys with great makeup, so Unroe definitely seems like someone they could target with one of their three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd). If he lasts until their second rounder (66th), they’ll probably be thrilled. Whether he’s signable at that point is another matter entirely.

The 2013 amateur draft starts on Thursday, so between now and then I’m going to highlight some prospects individually rather than lump them together into larger posts.

(Andrew D. Brosig/The Daily Sentinel )

Hunter Dozier | SS

Background
After going undrafted out of a Texas high school in 2010, Dozier followed through on his commitment to Stephen F. Austin State University and has hit .357/.428/.608 with 32 homers in three years for the Lumberjacks. He hit .396/.482/.755 with 17 homers and 12 stolen bases this year, and he’ll become the highest drafted player in school history (by a lot) later this week.

Scouting Report
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 lbs., Dozier stands out for his right-handed power. He has very strong hands and uses his lower half very well, allowing him to do most of his damage the other way to right field. His bat control and quick swing still allow him to catch up to inside pitches and avoid getting jammed. The offensive tools all play up because Dozier knows the strike zone well and waits for his pitch. Although he moves well for his size and is a good athlete, he’ll wind up at either second or third base as a pro. He pitched once upon a time and has a very strong arm. I can’t find any video, so we’re out of luck.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Dozier as the 38th and 39th best prospect in the draft class in their latest rankings, respectively. The Yankees tend to prefer up-the-middle high school athletes when it comes to position players, but on the college side they always seem to target guys who can flat out hit. It’s hard not to notice Dozier’s above-average (and Yankee Stadium-friendly) opposite field power from the right side, and although shortstop won’t happen at the next level, he should settle in at one of the other non-first base infield spots.

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.

Ian Clarkin | LHP

Background
A San Diego kid out of Madison High School, Clarkin has played exceptionally well on the showcase circuit over the last year. He’s committed to San Diego.

Scouting Report
Clarkin is listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 lbs., and a 90-94 mph fastball highlights his quality three-pitch mix. A hellacious power curveball he can drop in for strikes or bury in the dirt for swings and misses is his top secondary pitch, and his changeup is solid but far from a finished product. He pitches to both sides of the plate with the fastball and curve, and he isn’t afraid to stand hitters up with some heat inside even though his command wavers. Clarkin has a a big exaggerated leg kick but otherwise clean mechanics. He’s more polished than the average prepster but still needs to do a better job of repeating his delivery to improve his command and the quality of his pitches. There are a bunch of videos of YouTube.

Miscellany
Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Clarkin as the 17th and 64th best prospect in their latest rankings, respectively. That’s a pretty big spread, obviously. Lefties with some projection left, low-90s velocity, and an out-pitch curveball always get drafted high and Clarkin should be no different. The Yankees have been connected to all sorts of high school arms recently — not Clarkin, however — and scouting director Damon Oppenheimer definitely favors polished pitchers. He seems like someone right in their wheelhouse.

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.

Hunter Harvey | RHP

Background
Hunter is the son of former All-Star closer Bryan Harvey, and he attends Bandys High School in the Charlotte suburb of Catawba, North Carolina. He has not committed to a college and has made it no secret he wants to start his pro career as soon as possible.

Scouting Report
Listed at a projectable 6-foot-3 and 175 lbs., Harvey sits in the 90-94 mph range with his fastball and has run it as high as 97 in the past. He aggressively pitches inside to both lefties and righties even though his command is far from refined. A mid-to-upper-70s curveball is his top secondary pitch, and sometimes it will be a true a power downer that finishes in the dirt. Other times it will sweep and have more 11-to-5 break. Harvey hasn’t faced great competition in high school and never bothered to improve his changeup. He has a high arm slot and throws across his body a bit, so whichever team drafts him will have to work on keeping him in-line with the plate during his delivery. There are a bunch of videos on YouTube.

Miscellany
Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Harvey as the 24th and 33rd best prospect in the draft class in their latest rankings, respectively. For what it’s worth, Harvey is one of several prep arms the Yankees are watching according to Jim Callis. He has the size, the velocity, and the makings of an out pitch breaking ball, which is a pretty great starting point for a prepster eager to begin his pro career. The Yankees have three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) and Harvey would be a fine selection at any of the three slots.

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.

Phil Bickford | RHP

Background
A Southern California kid out of Oaks Christian High School, Bickford improved his stock this spring by showing livelier stuff. He’s strongly committed to Cal State Fullerton.

Scouting Report
Bickford’s calling card is his premium fastball. He uses a clean and quick arm action to generate 90-94 mph fastballs from his 6-foot-4 and 185 lb. frame. The pitch runs in on right-handed batters and has touched 96 mph on occasion this spring. His delivery and size suggest he could flirt with the upper-90s as he matures. Bickford lacks a defined breaking ball even though he throws both a slider and curveball. They’re both very rough and fringy pitches at best, so that is a huge concern. He’s a one-pitch guy. Bickford draws rave reviews for his makeup and work ethic. There are plenty more videos on YouTube.

Miscellany
Baseball America and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Bickford as the 20th and 55th best prospect in the draft in their latest rankings, respectively. For what it’s worth, Law says Bickford is part of the crop of prep pitchers the Yankees have had their eye on in recent weeks in his latest mock draft. The Bombers have three first round picks (26th, 32nd, 33rd) and are in a position to gamble on risky arms, but Bickford’s lack of a second pitch really scares me. He could come out of college as a top ten pick in a few years, but dropping seven figures and first rounder on a kid with no breaking ball is a big roll of the dice. The Yankees have had some success teaching curveballs over the years, but they definitely can’t teach this kind of hard, riding fastball.

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.

(Gonzaga Baseball)

Every year over at Minor League Ball, John Sickels hosts a community mock draft where readers serve as the scouting director for each team and make picks for the first four rounds. It was five rounds once upon a time, but they’ve since knocked it down to four to save time and sanity. I served as the Yankees mock scouting director back in 2007 and landed two big leaguers with my five picks: RHP Andrew Brackman and RHP Barry Enright. Hardly impact players, but at least they got to the show I guess.

The 2013 mock draft was held yesterday, and you can see all the picks right here: First Round, Competitive Balance Round A, Second Round, Competitive Balance Round B, Third Round, and Fourth Round. As I’ve done the last five years, here are the players I would have taken in those slots had I been calling the shots for the Yankees. Click the linked names below for my individual player write-ups, and here are past shadowed mock drafts: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. Apparently I never did one in 2010. Not sure what happened there.

First Round (#26 overall)
Mock Draft: C Jon Denney, Oklahoma HS
My Pick: LHP Marco Gonzales, Gonzaga

I love Fresno State OF Aaron Judge, but I love Gonzales more. The southpaw doesn’t offer the same pure upside of Judge, who is a true physical freak with big power and speed and center field defense, but he’s incredibly polished with a pair of put-away offspeed offerings. Gonzales could be ready to pitch in the big leagues as soon as the second half of 2014, which is an added bonus. I tend to prefer high school arms and big upside, so this is definitely against the grain for me. I’m a big fan though.

Denney is a very good pick here and a bit more Yankees-esque in the profile as an up-the-middle athlete who can mash.

First Round (#32 overall, for Nick Swisher)
Mock Draft: SS Riley Unroe, Arizona HS
My Pick: RHP Kyle Serrano, Tennessee HS

I definitely would have grabbed Judge here if he was still on the board, but he went 27th to the Reds. Serrano gets the call instead and I’m more than happy to have him. If he was a few inches taller than his listed 6-foot-1, there’s a pretty good chance he would have gone in the top 15 picks. A high schooler with easy 90-94 mph velocity, one of the draft’s best curveballs, and a super advanced changeup? Gimme gimme gimme. It will take a huge bite out of my $7.96M draft pool to buy him away from his father Dave, the head coach at Tennessee, but I’m willing to get it done.

Unroe is a sneaky great pick here. He’s a switch-hitter with elite bat speed and a good chance to remain at shortstop long-term. If he can’t, second base or center field are viable alternatives. Unroe’s drawn rave reviews for his makeup and work ethic, and his father Tim played professionally for a decade. Definitely sounds like someone the Yankees would target.

First Round (#33 overall, for Rafael Soriano)
Mock Draft: RHP Aaron Blair, Marshall
My Pick: OF Billy McKinney, Texas HS

With the second of the back-to-back picks, I’m grabbing my first position player. McKinney is arguably the best pure hitter in the high school ranks this year, with an advanced approach and a sweet left-handed swing geared for hard contact. It’s unclear if he’ll stay in center field or wind up in a corner spot down the road, but I’m buying the bat here. Anything more is a bonus.

Blair’s a solid pick at this slot, but I already took one “safe” college arm and sure as hell wasn’t taking a second this high in the draft.

Second Round (#66 overall)
Mock Draft: LHP A.J. Puk, Iowa HS
My Pick: OF Jordan Paroubeck, California HS

Absolutely thrilled to land Paroubeck here. The Barry Bonds-trained switch-hitter shows power from both sides of the plate as well as better-than-average speed on the bases, plus he’s a legitimate center field athlete and defender. Thrilled.

Puk has looked like a potential first rounder at times this spring, but he’s sat more in the high-80s in recent weeks while pitching through some real sloppy weather in the heartland. An okay curveball and changeup round out his developing repertoire. He’s huge, listed at 6-foot-7 and 220 lbs., and he’s shown he can run his fastball up to 93 in the past. Solid pick here after the down spring.

Third Round (#103)
Mock Draft: OF Terry McClure, Georgia HS
My Pick: 2B L.J. Mazzilli, UConn

It’s going to take big bucks to sign those top four players, so it’s time to work in a cheap college senior to save some draft pool money. The son of former Yankees player and coach Lee Mazzilli, L.J. is a legitimate prospect who is a high-contact, advanced approach offensive second baseman. He hits right-handed and is a very instinctual player, which serves him well on the bases and in the field. Obviously there are big league bloodlines as well, but this isn’t just a nepotism pick. Mazzilli can play.

McClure is a toolsy center fielder who may or may not hit enough in pro ball, and he’s been ripped constantly for being nonchalant and having bad body language. His love for the game has been questioned, that kind of stuff. There’s upside but also a ton of risk.

Fourth Round (#134 overall)
Mock Draft: 3B Drew Dosch, Youngstown State
My Pick: RHP Tony Rizzotti, Tulane

Rizzotti has attended three colleges in three years — TCU, Grayson Junior College (Texas), and Tulane — in an effort to find more innings. Although he starts for the Green Wave, he projects as a reliever long-term thanks a power mid-to-high-90s fastball and wipeout mid-80s slider. He doesn’t have a third pitch. Rizzotti has missed time with knee trouble (including two surgeries) and back spasms over the last few years, but at this point in the draft, I’m just looking at the power stuff and hoping to get a lockdown reliever for a few years.

Dosch is one of the best pure hitters in the college crop, with an easy left-handed swing and gap power. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to crack double-digit homers with wood bats or stick at third base, however.

* * *

I feel like I got four first round-caliber talents in Gonzales, Serrano, McKinney, and Paroubeck. Those latter three all have a chance to become impact big leaguers while Gonzales figures to settle in as a solid contributor more than a true star. Rizzotti could contribute plenty in relief if he stays healthy as well. It’ll take a ton of cash to sign those top four players, so I’d have to take college seniors from rounds five through ten to make the draft pool work. Such is life.