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River Ave. Blues ยป 2010 Draft

Five Years Later: The 2010 Draft

June 4, 2015 by Mike 88 Comments

They say you need five years before you can properly evaluate a draft class in baseball, though I don’t totally buy that. I think teams get a pretty good idea of what they have three years after the draft, maybe even two. There are always late-bloomers, of course, but for the most part you can look back just three years later and know how much you helped yourself. But, five years is the common refrain, so I’ve stuck to that with my annual past draft reviews. Now it’s time to tackle the 2010 draft.

The Yankees did not gain or lose any 2010 draft picks during the 2009-10 offseason. Their big moves following the World Series title were trades, specifically for Curtis Granderson and Javier Vazquez Boone Logan. The Yankees made 50 picks in 2010 and signed 29 of them, including each of their first 13 selections. They signed only two of their final 14 picks, however. Four of those 29 players are on the Yankees’ 40-man roster right now and two others are on 40-man rosters with other clubs. One is in the show as of this writing. Let’s review New York’s draft class from five years ago. Here are our five-year look-backs at the 2007, 2008, and 2009 drafts.

The Reach

I remember saying “who in the world is that?” when then-commissioner Bud Selig announced the Yankees had selected New York HS SS Cito Culver with their first round pick, the 32nd overall selection. Culver ranked 168th (!) on Baseball America’s top 200 draft prospects that year and the consensus at the time said he was a third or fourth round talent. To be fair, Culver had come on strong late in the spring and had a lot of helium in the weeks leading up to the draft. He signed for a straight slot $954,000 bonus.

The Yankees knew Culver better than any other club. Not only was he a semi-local kid from up near Rochester, but he was also on their Area Code Games team the previous summer, so they had firsthand knowledge of him as a person. The club reportedly loved Culver’s makeup and perseverance — he had some family issues growing up, including his father being sentenced to nine years for arson after burning down the family house — and he was a switch-hitting shortstop with very good athleticism and defensive chops. That’s a great profile in and of itself.

Unfortunately, the team’s belief in Culver as a player and a person has not resulted in a quality prospect. Culver, now 22, is a career .230/.309/.315 hitter in over 2,300 minor league plate appearances, which includes a .178/.213/.237 batting line at Double-A this year. He remains a strong defender (remember this?) but had to stop switch-hitting a few years ago because it just wasn’t working from the left side of the plate. Culver went unselected in the Rule 5 Draft in December and is still with the organization, though he is now basically just an organizational player.

The Yankees reached big time for Culver — for what it’s worth, there was talk the Twins were ready to pop Culver with their second round pick, but I don’t think that justifies the selection — and that was something we knew on draft day. The team went against the grain, and while that isn’t automatically a bad thing, it didn’t work in 2010. Culver is the poster boy for the “safe, signable, great makeup” phase the Yankees went through a few years ago, perhaps not coincidentally after getting burned by Andrew Brackman and Gerrit Cole in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Tooled Up, Probability Down

The Yankees followed the Culver pick by selecting two ultra-athletic, tooled up prep players in California HS SS Angelo Gumbs (2nd round) and Florida HS OF Mason Williams (4th). Williams signed for $1.45M, which was the largest bonus the team gave to a drafted player that year. Gumbs moved to second base almost immediately after turning pro and has battled injuries and poor performance the last few years. The 22-year-old is a career .235/.285/.357 hitter in 334 minor league games, none above High Class-A. Gumbs is still in the organization but is a non-factor.

Williams. (Scott Iskowitz/Getty)
Williams. (Scott Iskowitz/Getty)

Williams, on the other hand, grew into arguably the best prospect in the farm system a few years ago. He hit .349/.395/.368 with eleven doubles and 28 steals in 68 games for Short Season Staten Island in 2011, then followed it up by hitting .298/.346/.474 with 22 doubles, eleven homers, and 20 steals in 90 games for Low-A Charleston and High-A Tampa in 2012. That landed him in a premium spot on Baseball America’s 2013 Top 100 Prospects list — Williams ranked 32nd that year, ahead of Jorge Soler (34th), Chris Archer (36th), and George Springer (37th), among others.

Double-A proved to be a much tougher challenge for Williams — he hit .214/.271/.299 in 145 games at the level from 2013-14 — but that wasn’t the only problem. Makeup and work ethic concerns arose, as Williams was insubordinate at times and played with such low energy that he was pulled and benched for lack of hustle on multiple occasions. Williams started out well with Trenton this year (.317/.407/.375) and has since being promoted to Triple-A Scranton, but it takes more than two good months to erase all the bad from 2013-14.

There is still some hope for Williams, who continues to show tremendous athleticism and bat-to-ball skills. The Yankees added him to the 40-man roster this past offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and his strong showing early this year has put him back on the prospect map, at least somewhat. Williams had problems the last few years not because he lacked talent, but because he wasn’t putting the work in. He’s still salvageable. Gumbs isn’t at this point.

Bat First, Position Second

After going for tools with Culver, Gumbs, and Williams at the top of the draft, the Yankees went for bat first prospects a little later in the draft. They selected Florida HS OF Ben Gamel in the tenth round and he’s been up and down throughout his career, having some strong seasons in Single-A and a down year in Double-A last season. Gamel is hitting .313/.374/.458 with Triple-A Scranton this year and is finally hitting for a modicum of power, with two homers in 46 games after hitting ten homers in 415 games from 2010-14.

The other bat first prospect is Georgia HS C Tyler Austin, who New York picked in the 13th round. Austin has had some monster years in the minors, most notably his dominant showing at four levels in 2012 (.322/.400/.559 in 110 games), but wrist and other injuries have hampered him since 2013. He is currently hitting .213/.280/.309 with Triple-A Scranton and is healthy as far as I know, so his prospect stock has been trending down in recent years.

Both Gamel and Austin were bat first prospects with position questions. Gamel was drafted as a center fielder and scouting reports said he was likely to wind up in left field long-term, but to his credit he has worked hard to make himself a passable defender. Austin was drafted as a catcher, moved to third base almost immediately after signing, later shifted to first base, and then to the corner outfield. Like Gamel, he was drafted for his bat. The defense is secondary.

Ace Whitley. (Brian Blanco/Getty)
Ace Whitley. (Brian Blanco/Getty)

Late Round Value

Two 2010 draftees have reached the big leagues with the Yankees and they were both late-round picks: Troy RHP Chase Whitley (15th) and Tulane RHP Preston Claiborne (17th). Claiborne arrived first and helped out as an up-and-down reliever from 2013-14 (3.79 ERA in 71.1 innings) before being dropped from the roster and lost on waivers to the Marlins this past winter. He is on Miami’s 40-man roster but has not pitched this year due to a shoulder injury.

Whitley was drafted as a reliever — he was actually a pitcher and a third baseman in college, but the Yankees moved him to the mound full-time after the draft — and he stayed in the bullpen until late 2013, when the Yankees tried him out in the rotation. He had success in that role and has contributed to New York as a spot starter/swingman the last two seasons, pitching to a 5.02 ERA in 95 innings. Whitley was in the team’s rotation earlier this year before blowing out his elbow and needing Tommy John surgery. He and Claiborne have basically been replacement level big leaguers, which isn’t a bad outcome for late round draft picks at all.

Big Velocity, Big Questions

As always, the Yankees went heavy on power arms up and down the draft in 2010. They’ve been doing that for years. The 2010 draft haul included Lynn RHP Tommy Kahnle (5th), California HS RHP Gabe Encinas (6th), St. John’s RHP Danny Burawa (12th), St. Peter’s RHP Conor Mullee (24th), and Weatherford RHP Zach Nuding (30th). All five threw very hard at the time of the draft, had work-in-progress secondary stuff, and subpar command.

Kahnle is the most successful of the bunch, though he didn’t reach MLB with the Yankees. The Rockies selected him in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft and he spent all of last season in their bullpen (4.19 ERA in 68.2 innings) after reaching Double-A while still with New York. Kahnle has spent most of this season in Triple-A and was just called up a few days ago. He still throws really hard and still doesn’t know where it’s going on most days. The same was true at the time of the draft.

Burawa is currently in Triple-A with the Yankees and, after going unselected in the Rule 5 Draft in 2013, the Yankees added him to the 40-man roster this past offseason. He has a 1.88 ERA in 28.2 innings with the RailRiders and is still battling his command, though his stuff has actually ticked up as a pro. Burawa now sits mid-to-upper-90s with a vicious slider these days. He just doesn’t always throw strikes. Since he’s on the 40-man, Burawa could be called up at any time.

Mullee and Encinas have battled injuries over the years, including Tommy John surgery. (Mullee has had three Tommy John surgeries so far, including two since being drafted.) At 23, Encinas is four years younger than Mullee and thus the better prospect. He still has a live arm and is improving his command as elbow reconstruction gets further in the rear view mirror. Nuding stuck around for a few years but never did refine his secondary stuff or strike-throwing ability. He was released this past offseason.

Roller. (MiLB.com)
Roller. (MiLB.com)

Organizational Power

The draft isn’t just about prospects. Teams use the later rounds to fill out their minor league rosters because having a prospect at every position at every level simply isn’t realistic. Being an organizational player is a thankless job but it is an important one in the grand scheme of things. Quality org players help the minor league affiliates win and clubs absolutely want to foster a winning environment in the minors. Once in a while one of these org players plays well enough to get a shot in the show.

East Carolina 1B Kyle Roller (8th) broke out with a 26-homer season between Double-A and Triple-A last year, and while his left-handed power is legit, there are some big holes in his swing (34.2 K% at Triple-A) and no versatility to his game. Roller is a first baseman (not a particularly great one either) and nothing else. Hard for a guy like that to crack the MLB roster. Roller is still hitting dingers with Triple-A Scranton these days (.250/.382/.440), though part of me wonders if a team in Korea or Japan will come along with an offer at some point. He’s the kind of player teams in Asia tend to poach.

Unsigned, Not Really Missed

The Yankees didn’t draft and fail to sign any players in the 2010 draft who went on to become high-profile prospects. The team’s most notable unsigned player is Georgia HS OF Kevin Jordan, but he’s not notable for what he’s done as a player. Jordan was diagnosed with ANCA vasculitis, an autoimmune disorder, a year after the draft, and he eventually received a kidney transplant from his coach at Wake Forest. The medical issue derailed his once promising career. Jordan did play as a fifth-year senior with the Demon Deacons this spring though (.167/.271/.381 as a bench player).

The best current player the Yankees failed to sign back in 2010 is probably Ohio HS OF Michael O’Neill (42th), who went to Michigan for three years before being re-drafted by the Yankees in the third round of the 2013 draft. He’s still in the system now and is a Grade-C prospect. Illinois HS OF Mike Gerber (40th) went to Creighton and was drafted as a college senior by the Tigers in the 15th round of the 2014 draft. He’s a career .330/.398/.449 hitter in 118 minor league games, and Baseball America ranked him as the 19th best prospect in Detroit’s bottom ranked farm system coming into this season. That’s about it. No other notable unsigned players.

Miscellany

Tulane 3B Rob Segedin (3rd) was an interesting college bat at the time of the draft, but he hasn’t developed as hoped. Injuries played a part in that. Segedin is currently in Triple-A and is an org player at this point … Tennessee HS RHP Taylor Morton (9th) and Canadian HS LHP Evan Rutckyj (16th) were intriguing prep arms who never hit on their projection. Morton retired a few years ago and Rutckyj is still chewing up innings for High-A Tampa … Barton LHP Kramer Sneed (32nd) was one of the two players the Yankees traded to the Angels for Vernon Wells two years ago … Tennessee Wesleyan LHP Fred Lewis (47th) had a nice run as an org bullpen arm before being released earlier this year. He pitched well enough in Spring Training last year that there was some talk he may make the team.

* * *

As it stands right this now, the Yankees have gotten very little from their 2010 draft haul. Whitley and Claiborne, that’s it. They’re the only two players from this draft to play for New York at the MLB level. Burawa is knocking on the door as well, but he’s not someone who will alter the perception of a draft class. Same with guys like Austin, Roller, and Encinas. Useful players though not any kind of cornerstone.

The success of this draft class is going to come down to Williams. His last two seasons were undeniably ugly, especially since so much of it was makeup related. Williams has been better this year, and now that he’s both on the 40-man roster and playing everyday in Triple-A, there’s a chance he will come up at some point. He has a lot of natural ability and at one point he had the potential to be an impact two-way center fielder in the Jacoby Ellsbury mold. Does that ability still exist? The Yankees hope so. If Williams arrives as some point, this draft will look much better. Otherwise it’s a dud.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft

Baseball America’s 2010 Draft Report Cards

October 21, 2010 by Mike 5 Comments

The gang at Baseball America is in the process of posting their draft report cards for each of the 30 teams, and yesterday they hit the Yankees. It’s a subscriber only piece, but I can tell you that they do say scouting director Damon Oppenheimer’s latest effort is a “high-risk/high-reward class with up-the-middle athletes such as [Cito] Culver, [Angelo] Gumbs and [Mason] Williams. With strong pitching at the top of the farm system, the Yankees gambled on prep talent, so it will take time to see if it pans out.”

As for some of the individual categories, Ben Gamel (10th rounder) was dubbed the best pure hitter, Williams (4th) the fastest runner, Gumbs (2nd) the best athlete, and Culver (1st) the best defensive player. Tommy Kahnle (5th) and Conor Mullee (24th) are each said to have the best fastball at 93-95 and touching 98. Chase Whitley’s (15th) changeup is the best offspeed offering, and both he and Kahnle are the closest to having an impact in the big leagues. Unsigned righty Josh Dezse (25th) was hitting 95 this summer, but he’s heading to Ohio State and was best prospect the Yankees failed to sign. It’s a class heavy on potential and risk, but the Yanks needed this kind of infusion of upside and power arms. Hopefully a few of these guys pan out.

Filed Under: Asides, Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft

Should the Yankees pursue Barret Loux?

August 18, 2010 by Mike 82 Comments

(AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

You probably caught this yesterday, but Bud Selig and the rest of his Major League Baseball gang have ruled that Barret Loux, a 21-year-old righthander out of Texas A&M, will become a free agent on Sept. 1st of this year and be able to sign with any club he chooses. The Diamondbacks selected Loux with the sixth overall pick in June’s amateur draft, then reached an agreement with him on a slightly below slot $2M bonus (he was generally considered more of a back of the first round talent) only to have the player fail his physical due to shoulder and elbow issues.

The decision by MLB was remarkably fair actually, since the hard asses at the NCAA would have ruled Loux ineligible to play for the Aggies next year since he used an agent to negotiate with Arizona (nice job driving one of your best athletes away, NCAA!). His only option would have been an independent league, far from ideal. The Diamondbacks will get a compensation pick for their troubles (meaning they’ll likely have two top seven picks in next year’s epiphany draft), and now Loux gets to shop his services around to the highest bidder. The problem is that he’s damaged goods.

According to Jeff Passan, Loux’s physical revealed two major issues: he has a tear (of unknown severity) in his labrum, and enough ligament damage to his elbow to forecast Tommy John surgery in the future. While obviously very serious, the elbow is not the long-term concern, the shoulder is. The 6-foot-4, 220 lb. righty wasn’t a huge stuff guy to begin with – low-90’s fastball, hard changeup, okay slider and knucklecurve (video) – and the labrum issue could potentially sap his arsenal even further. The Diamondbacks took Loux with the idea of having him moving quickly as a mid-rotation starter to help their beleaguered staff, not because he had tremendous upside.

I thought I remember seeing that the Yanks were interested in Loux with their first round pick back in the spring, but I’m wrong. Turns out they were just projected to take him in a mock draft. Either way, here’s an opportunity for the Yankees to add a first round caliber talent to the system using nothing but their checkbook. They have shown a willingness to gamble on injured prospects in the past, though they’ve definitely scaled back on the practice in recent years.

Given the injury, it’s incredibly unlikely that Loux will command the same $2M bonus he’d agreed to with the Diamondbacks, but the competitive nature of the open market should still land him a seven-figure payout. I can’t imagine that he and his agent would reasonably demand a big league contract even ignoring the injury, he’s simply not that kind of talent. All it takes it one GM to make it happen, though. While the allure of adding a highly touted talent to the farm system is exciting, we have to remember what we’re dealing with here. Shoulder issues are scary, scary business, and if the Yanks had drafted him and the injury came to light later, we’d all want them to walk away and take the compensation pick like the Diamondbacks did. Loux being a free agent now shouldn’t change things.

It’s just money, something the Yankees have plenty of, but we’re not talking about a high reward kind of player with Loux. He was projected as an unspectacular mid-rotation guy from the outset, and his two arm-related injuries greatly increase the likelihood of a zero return. It’s one thing to gamble on a player with the upside of Andrew Brackman when he needs a routine (but again, obviously still serious) elbow reconstruction, but it’s another thing all together to do that when the best case scenario is a middling return.

The Yanks have build up a tremendous amount of pitching depth in the minors, and while there’s always a reason to add more, at some point you have to take a step back and look at a player for what he is. Loux has the mystique of being a high draft pick, but he’s damaged goods and I would not recommend spending seven figures on him. That money, no matter what budget it’s coming out of, can be better used elsewhere.

Filed Under: Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft, Barret Loux

Yankees reach agreement with fourth rounder Mason Williams

August 16, 2010 by Mike 69 Comments

Via Jonathan Mayo, the Yankees have signed fourth rounder Mason Williams for $1.45M. It’s easily the largest bonus they’ve given out this year.

A big time athlete with speed and agility, Williams is a tremendous defender in center with enough offensive upside to remain interesting. His swing is sound and he’s not a total hacker, but he still has to refine his approach and add strength to hit for even average power. Like many of toolsy high schoolers the Yanks selected this year, Williams is a bit of a project. Here’s some video.

The Yanks have now signed their top 13 picks, and 16 of their top 17. Don’t expect any more big signings this year, they should be done.

Filed Under: Asides, Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft, Mason Williams

Yankees reach deal with 16th rounder Evan Rutckyj

August 16, 2010 by Mike 60 Comments

Update (10:51pm): Bob Elliott says Rutckyj received $500,000, still above slot but certainly not first round money. Good deal.

10:33pm: Via Keith Law, the Yankees have reached an agreement with 16th round pick Evan Rutckyj. Financial terms of the deal are unknown, though he was reportedly seeking first round money.

The 6-foot-5, 210 lb. Canadian lefthander was a top 200 draft prospect according to Baseball America, and he throws in the low-90’s with the makings of a wipeout slider. Surprisingly, he has a pretty good feel for his delivery and clean mechanics, but there’s still a lot of work to be done here. He’s a former hockey player that gave up the sport to pursue baseball full-time, so naturally he’s a pretty tough dude. Here’s video, and here’s a list of who the Yankees have signed so far.

Filed Under: Asides, Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft, Evan Rutckyj

Report: 27th round pick Martin Viramontes returning to school

August 16, 2010 by Mike 27 Comments

Via Aaron Fitt, Yankees’ 27th round pick Martin Viramontes is returning to Loyola Marymount for his junior season. Draft eligible as a redshirt sophomore, Viramontes features a big time power arm and is capable of running his fastball up to 96 with a curveball and split-change hybrid. Mechanical issues and a 2009 elbow injury have caused him to be consistently inconsistent over the last two seasons, hurting his stock. A Scott Boras client and top 200 draft prospect, Viramontes was always a long-shot to sign.

In 29.1 innings with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League this summer, Viramontes allowed just nine hits, but he walked 18 (and hit a batter) while striking out 19. Nice gamble to take that late in the draft, but it’s not the end of the world that he’s going back to school.

The signing deadline is midnight tonight, and you can see all the Yanks’ signed picks here.

Filed Under: Asides, Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft, Martin Viramontes

Yankees sign tenth rounder Ben Gamel

August 14, 2010 by Mike 43 Comments

Via Kendall Rogers, the Yankees have signed tenth round pick Ben Gamel for $500,000, though the deal has not yet been officially announced. His bonus exceeds MLB’s recommended slot by $350,000. A pure hitter like his brother (and Brewers’ prospect) Mat, Gamel has a sweet lefty swing that produces line drives from gap-to-gap. He’s not much of a power threat right now, but he has a chance to grow into some as he puts some weight on his 5-foot-11, 170 lb. frame. A corner outfielder in the long-term, his non-hit tools are nothing special, but he’s got a rep of being a big time grinder. Here’s video.

Once Gamel’s signing is made official, the Yanks will have 12 of their first 13 picks under contract.

Filed Under: Asides, Draft Tagged With: 2010 Draft, Ben Gamel

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