Badler: Yankees may give Gosuke Katoh time at shortstop

Via Ben Badler (subs. req’d): The Yankees may give second round pick Gosuke Katoh some time at shortstop in the future. “I did hear some rumblings about possibly giving him some time at shortstop, but my money’s on second base,” wrote Badler, who ranked the infielder as the 15th best prospect in the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League yesterday.

Katoh, an 18-year-old high school second baseman out of Southern California, signed for a straight slot $845,700 bonus as the 66th overall in this June’s draft. He hit .310/.402/.522 (172 wRC+) with a GCL-leading six homers in 215 plate appearances after signing. “Katoh’s an excellent athlete with good range, smooth actions and clean hands. He’s a quality defensive second baseman, but his below-average arm prevents him from playing shortstop, though he does have a quick release,” wrote Badler in yesterday’s subscriber-only write-up. If the Yankees are going to give Katoh a try at short — and there’s no reason not to, really — this is the time to do it. Nice and early in his career.