Is there another Judge awaiting Yanks in Draft?
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NEW YORK -- To understand the importance of the MLB Draft, look no further than the three boxed-in rows of Yankee Stadium's Section 104, where fans don black robes and hoist foam gavels each night.
The Yankees hit a grand slam when they made Fresno State University center fielder Aaron Judge the 32nd selection of 2013. Now the challenge for Damon Oppenheimer is to repeat that magic, as the Yankees' vice president and director of amateur scouting aims to find more of tomorrow's superstars on high school and collegiate diamonds.
The 2019 Draft will take place tonight through Wednesday, beginning with tonight's Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 ET. MLB Network will broadcast the first 41 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 78 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, beginning with a preview show at 12:30 p.m. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Day 3, beginning at noon.
Go to MLB.com/Draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, mock drafts from MLB Pipeline analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying.
Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Yankees, whose first selection is the 30th overall pick.
In about 50 words
The Yankees have had to call on their depth in recent years, having promoted several of the "Baby Bombers" and using prospects in trades for established veterans. Their greatest strengths are with high-upside players in the lower Minor League levels, especially right-handed pitchers.
What they're saying
"I have to lead by example. I get out there and I still scout; I'm visiting kids in the offseason. I think it's the whole blend of the analytics side is the only thing that has really changed. The work ethic is still the same. Going to get to know what's in the kid's heart, that's the same. We just keep trying to put players in the system with that." -- Oppenheimer
Who might they take?
One recent mock draft conducted by Callis and Mayo connected the Yankees to high school right-hander Jack Leiter, the son of former big league hurler Al Leiter. The Morristown, N.J., hurler has an advanced feel for pitching, but he could be tough to sign away from his Vanderbilt commitment.
Other players linked to the Yankees include high school shortstop Gunnar Henderson (John T. Morgan Academy, Selma, Ala.), Tulane University third baseman Kody Hoese and Missouri outfielder Kameron Misner.
Money matters
Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total.
Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax plus the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts.
This year, the Yankees have a pool of $7,455,300 to spend in the first 10 rounds, including $2,365,500 to spend on their first selection.
Shopping list
The Yankees boasted baseball's No. 2 farm system in spring 2017, but promotions to the big leagues (Judge, Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier, Domingo German and others) plus trades involving prospects have dented that standing. The Draft presents an opportunity to replenish that stock, as the Yanks' system is heavy on right-handed pitching.
The Yanks have some promising teenage outfielders at the lower levels, but they could look to the collegiate ranks to fill talent closer to a potential big league impact. The organization has questions in the catching and infield departments, though their top two selections in 2018 were catchers (Anthony Siegler and Josh Breaux).
Trend watch
Watch for the Yankees to aim for high schoolers inside of the top 10 rounds. Oppenheimer has said that strategy is a product of how the system sets up, because each team is allotted a certain amount to spend in those rounds and high school players historically require more to sign than college players. Last year, 31 of their 40 selections were either pitchers or catchers.
The recent top picks
2018: C Anthony Siegler (extended spring)
2017: RHP Clarke Schmidt (Class A Advanced Tampa)
2016: OF Blake Rutherford (traded to White Sox in July 2017)
2015: RHP James Kaprielian (traded to Athletics in July 2017)
2014: LHP Jacob Lindgren (non-tendered in December 2016)