Yanks select Texas outfielder Payton in seventh round

The Yankees' first position player selected in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft was left-handed-hitting outfielder Mark Payton, who was taken in the seventh round (212th overall) on Friday.

Payton, a 22-year-old senior, is playing for a trip to the College World Series this weekend as the Texas Longhorns match up with the University of Houston.

The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 1 p.m. ET.

Payton was once again one of Texas' top offensive players this season. A line-drive hitter with some speed, Payton batted .319 (68-for-213) with 15 doubles, five triples, one home run and 36 RBIs in 58 games.

A product of Chicago, Payton was a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen-base attempts, logging a .455 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage.

Measuring 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, Payton has said that he grew up idolizing Cal Ripken Jr. and Derek Jeter, but has lately gravitated more toward trying to emulate Dustin Pedroia.

"He's not the tallest guy, he's not the biggest guy," Payton told Big12Sports.com in April. "He's a gamer and he grinds every game. He's the hardest worker in the game, I believe. That's the guy you want to be on your team.

"You want to be that guy that everyone loves and be the first guy at the ballpark and the last one to leave. Everyone knows he's going to give everything he's got and that's what I want to do."

Payton was previously selected in the 2010 Draft out of high school by the Twins, who took him in the 31st round, and again in last year's Draft by the Indians, who took him in the 16th round.

After weighing his options about signing with Cleveland, Payton decided to return to school, hoping for another crack at the College World Series.