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2016 Draft: Eric Lauer

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Eric Lauer | LHP

Background
Lauer, 20, was raised in Elyria, Ohio, which is part of the Cleveland metro area. He declined to sign with the Blue Jays as a 17th round pick in 2013 and instead followed through on his commitment to Kent State. Lauer has been a starter for the Golden Flashes since the day he walked on campus, and this year he has a 0.81 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 25 walks in 89.1 innings. Just this past weekend he struck out 13 in a no-hitter against Bowling Green State. The only base-runner came on an error.

Scouting Report
Lauer is the quintessential polished college lefty. He’s a pretty big guy at 6-foot-3 and 205 lbs., and he typically operates in the 91-93 mph range with a few 94s. He can cut and sink his fastball too. Lauer’s best secondary pitch is a mid-80s slider, and he also throws a low-80s changeup and an upper-70s curveball. The curve is the worst of his four pitches and it’s not much more than a show-me pitch to disrupt timing. Lauer has a long arm action that can hinder his command, otherwise his delivery is picture perfect. Smooth and repeatable. Whichever team drafts Lauer will work to improve either his changeup or curveball to give him a third above-average offering.

Miscellany
In their latest rankings Baseball America, MLB.com, and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Lauer as the 22nd, 36th, and 51st best prospect in the draft class, respectively. The Yankees pick 18th. Lauer seems like the type of prospect who could go a little earlier than projected because he’s quite polished and has insane stats. It only takes one team to love the changeup and/or curve more than the consensus for him to go in the middle of the first round. It’s worth noting Lauer carved up the Cape Cod League last season (2.04 ERA and 50/18 K/BB in 40 innings) and the Yankees value success on the Cape. It’s a wood bat league that features the best college players in the country.

2016 Draft: Keith Law’s Mock Draft v1.0

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Three weeks from tomorrow is Day One of the 2016 amateur draft, so the mock drafts are going to be coming in pretty steadily from here on out. Keith Law (subs. req’d) released his first mock draft earlier today, and he has the Phillies taking Florida LHP A.J. Puk with the top pick. Barring injury, that seems like a lock at this point.

The Yankees hold the 18th overall pick and Law has them selecting Georgia HS OF Taylor Trammell. No, he’s not related to Bubba. Here’s a snippet of MLB.com’s free scouting report:

Because he has divided his time between two sports, Trammell still is learning how to recognize pitches, handle offspeed offerings and tap into his raw power. He does show some feel for hitting and his well above-average speed will help him reach base. With his bat speed and strength, he could develop average or better pop.

Trammell also is figuring things out defensively, but he has the tools to be an asset in center field. He’s working on improving the strength of his arm, which should be fine for center.

Trammell was a big time high school football star — he ran for nearly 2,500 yards last fall — so he’s still very raw on the diamond. He’s been splitting his time between two sports. The athleticism and tools are high-end though. Trammell is committed to Georgia Tech but for baseball only, not football.

The Yankees haven’t had a whole lot of success developing raw athletes into baseball players in recent years, which is why they’ve started focusing on college players. That doesn’t mean they’re completely opposed to raw high schoolers like Trammell. It just means they’ve leaned towards college guys.

Law reiterates the Yankees’ interest in California HS RHP Kevin Gowdy, who is the classic SoCal polished prep arm scouting director Damon Oppenheimer seems to love. Here’s my write-up on Gowdy.

2016 Draft: Mock Drafts, Gowdy, Jones

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(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty)
(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty)

The 2016 amateur draft begins in only three weeks and two days. It seems like it’s sneaking up this year, huh? Anyway, I have some miscellaneous draft links to pass along.

Baseball America Mock Draft v3.0

Hudson Belinsky of Baseball America posted his third mock draft of the season on Friday, and he has the Phillies taking Florida LHP A.J. Puk with the top pick. That seems to be consensus right now. Belinsky has the Yankees taking Vanderbilt RHP Jordan Sheffield with their first round selection, the 18th overall pick. Here is MLB.com’s free scouting report on Sheffield, who is Gary’s nephew:

Of all the pitching prospects in the 2016 Draft, Sheffield may have the best chance to develop three plus offerings. His fastball can sit at 94-96 mph and reach 98, and he has maintained his velocity in the late innings of his starts. Both Sheffield’s hard three-quarters breaking ball (which is more likely to become a slider than a curveball) and his circle changeup can be out pitches at times.

The knocks on Sheffield are his injury history — he had Tommy John surgery in high school — and generally poor command. He’s on my list of draft prospects to write up, so look for that at some point soon. Sheffield has a 2.34 ERA with 97 strikeouts and 29 walks in 84.2 innings this spring.

MLB.com Mock Draft v1.0

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo posted his first mock draft of the spring on Friday as well. He has the Phillies taking Mercer OF Kyle Lewis with the top pick, so I guess Puk really isn’t the consensus pick right now. Nevermind. Mayo has the Yankees taking Kansas HS LHP Joey Wentz with that 18th pick. Here is MLB.com’s free scouting report:

Wentz’s fastball topped out around 90 mph before his hiatus from the mound, but after getting on a throwing program and nursing his arm back to health he has operated at 90-95 mph this spring. There could be more velocity to come from his projectable frame, and his fastball already plays up because it has armside run and his size creates difficult angle. He has a pair of solid secondary pitches in a curveball with depth and a changeup with fade, and he could have three plus offerings when fully developed.

The arm issue referenced in the scouting report has been called a “dead arm” and nothing more. Wentz didn’t have surgery or anything like that. He’s also a legitimate prospect as a power hitting first baseman, though most see him as a pitcher long-term. Wentz is one of the very few pitchers in this draft believed to have true No. 1 starter upside. I’ve just kinda assumed he’d be off the board by time the Yankees pick.

Yankees in on Gowdy, Jones

In his most recent draft rankings (subs. req’d), Keith Law noted the Yankees are “supposedly heavily” on California HS RHP Kevin Gowdy for their first round pick. Here’s my write-up on Gowdy. The Yankees being in on an advanced prep arm from Southern California is no surprise at all. Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer has been all over the demographic for years.

Also, within his mock draft, Belinsky says the Yankees are also in on Pennsylvania HS 3B Nolan Jones with their top selection. Here’s my write-up on him. Jones is definitely one of my favorite prospects in this year’s draft class, though that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. Still, the Yankees are said to be in on him, so I feel validated.

2016 Draft: Ian Anderson

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Ian Anderson | RHP

Background
Anderson, 18, attends Shenendehowa High School up near Albany. He impressed with Team USA’s 18-and-under team last summer, but it wasn’t until this past weekend that he was able to pitch in an official game this spring. Poor weather, a bout with pneumonia, and a minor oblique problem delayed the start of Anderson’s season. He’s committed to Vanderbilt.

Scouting Report
Anderson is one of those high-upside prep arms who checks all the right boxes. He has size and a projectable frame (6-foot-3 and 180 lbs.), good velocity (sits 91-94 mph and has touched 96), an out pitch (power curveball), and enough command to pitch effectively on both sides of the plate. Anderson is very athletic with a smooth delivery, and because he has a high arm slot, the curve consistently drops off the table. His changeup lags as a third pitch, which isn’t uncommon for high schoolers. Anderson is bringing two above-average pitches to the table with the makings of a third pitch, an athletic delivery, and a projectable frame. That’s the good stuff right there.

Miscellany
Baseball America and MLB.com ranked Anderson as the 11th best prospect in the draft class in their latest rankings. Keith Law (subs. req’d) had him a bit lower at No. 14. The Yankees pick 18th. On merit, Anderson is a top ten caliber prospect, but the fact his season started so late means scouts don’t have much time to see him in action this spring. That’s good for the Yankees. Not many teams will be willing to use a top 10-15 pick on a kid they’ve only seen a handful of times. Anderson probably represents the best case scenario for the Yankees as a high-upside player who may slide due to extenuating circumstances. Whether they have the draft pool space to buy him away from Vanderbilt is another matter. That’s historically been a tough commitment to break.

2016 Draft: Jared Horn

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Jared Horn | RHP

Background
The 17-year-old Horn attends Vintage High School in Napa, so he’s from wine country. So far this spring he owns a 0.46 ERA with 103 strikeouts and eleven walks in 61 innings. He’s also hitting .338/.438/.600 with three homers in 96 plate appearances, though his future lies on the mound. Horn is committed to Cal.

Scouting Report
At 6-foor-3 and 190 lbs., Horn has the prototypical high school pitcher build, and he’s really broken out this spring. His fastball has consistently sat in the 92-94 mph range with some 96s and 97s, making him one of the hardest throwers in the prep ranks. Horn throws the three standard non-fastballs (changeup, curveball, slider), though none of the three are reliable secondary pitches right now. He’s dominating high schoolers with his fastball. The curveball has shown the most promise of the two breaking balls. Horn, who also played football in high school, is a very good athlete and an intense competitor.

Miscellany
In their most recent rankings Horn was ranked as the 22nd, 29th, and 54th best prospect in the draft class by MLB.com, Baseball America, and Keith Law (subs. req’d), respectively. The Yankees pick 18th. Horn has already moved up draft boards quite a bit this spring and he could continue to climb in the four weeks between now and the draft. He’s a long-term project because his secondary pitches need work, but he has good size and a good fastball, which is a pretty great starter kit.

2016 Draft: Cody Sedlock

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Cody Sedlock | RHP

Background
Sedlock, 20, is from the small little town of Sherrard, Illinois — the internet tells me the population is 626 according to the 2013 Census — and he is currently in the University of Illinois rotation after spending his freshman and sophomore years in the bullpen. He has a 2.82 ERA with 97 strikeouts and 25 walks in 83 innings this spring. Sedlock broke out as a starter with the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League last fall. He struck out 26 in 29 innings.

Scouting Report
Out of the bullpen, the 6-foot-4 and 210 lb. Sedlock would routinely touch 96 mph, though he’s been mostly 91-93 mph as a starter this spring. He does hold his velocity deep into games, which always seems to be a challenge for reliever-to-starter conversion guys. Sedlock’s main secondary pitch is a low-80s slider that is a legitimate swing-and-miss offering on its best days. He also throws both a changeup and curveball. They’re underdeveloped at this point because he leaned on his heater and slider out of the bullpen. Sedlock has cleaned up his delivery with the Illini and now does a much better job throwing strikes and staying on line with the plate.

Miscellany
In their most recent rankings Keith Law (subs. req’d), MLB.com, and Baseball America had Sedlock as the 19th, 32nd, and 36th best prospect in the draft class, respectively. The Yankees hold the 18th overall pick. As a college starting pitcher, Sedlock is right up New York’s alley because they’re emphasizing quick to the majors players. Sedlock does need some work with his change and curve, but the tools are there for four pitches. His arm is also relatively fresh after spending two seasons in the bullpen.

2016 Draft: Baseball America’s Mock Draft v2.0

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Earlier today the crew at Baseball America posted their second mock draft of the season. They have the Phillies taking Florida LHP A.J. Puk with the first pick in what could be a draft pool saving selection. The Phils could take Puk, sign him quickly and below slot, then redirect the savings towards other picks. The Astros did that a few times in recent years.

The Yankees hold the 18th overall selection and Baseball America currently has them taking New York HS RHP Ian Anderson. He’s from Shenendehowa up near Albany. MLB.com ranked Anderson as the No. 11 prospect in the draft class. Here’s the nuts and bolts of their free scouting report:

Tall and projectable with the ability to add strength, Anderson throws his fastball in the 91-95 mph range with good downhill angle. His breaking ball can be plus at times, getting swings and misses. It has slurve action at this point, but could tighten up and become a true slider in time. Anderson has good feel for an average changeup as well. He’s generally around the strike zone and attacks hitters.

It’s worth noting Anderson is committed to Vanderbilt, which has a history of getting its recruits to put off pro ball and come to school. It typically takes an above-slot bonus to keep kids away from Vandy. That’s how Dellin Betances landed a $1M bonus as an eighth rounder back in 2006. He was ticketed for Vanderbilt.

The Yankees haven’t had a lot of success developing projectable high school arms like Anderson in recent years, which is why they’ve started to skew towards college players. That isn’t to say they definitely would not draft Anderson this June, just that it would be going against the grain. We’ll see.

Baseball America had the Yankees taking California HS RHP Kevin Gowdy in their first mock draft last month. Gowdy seems much more up New York’s alley. Here’s my write-up on him. The mock draft is not behind the paywall, so make sure you check it out. Good way to keep tabs on each player’s stock.