Ranking Yankees MLB Draft Round 2 through Round 5

It’s day two of the 2021 MLB Draft and the action is well underway. The Yankees surprised more than one with their first-round selection from shortstop Trey Sweeney after being linked with the pitch in much of the pre-Draft buildup. It turns out they were delaying the inevitable, selecting two arms with their next two caps before completing the opening quintet of choice with a pair of infielders.

With their first pick of the afternoon, the Yankees picked four-year-old starter Brendan Beck of Stanford. Beck, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander, won the PAC-12 pitcher of the year award in 2021 and made early comparisons to Shane Bieber. They then chose left-handed pitcher Brock Selvidge, a recent alma mater graduate from Cody Bellinger, Hamilton High School in Arizona. Selvidge has signed up to LSU, so the Yankees have some work to do to convince him to give up on those plans.

In the fourth round, the Yankees picked second baseman Cooper Bowman of Louisville. Bowman presents himself as a versatile player offensively, although it seems like an opportunity to select him 122nd, given Baseball America had him ranked 416th (although MLB.com ranked him at No.171) . Finally, with their fifth selection, the Yankees drafted first baseman Tyler Hardman of Oklahoma. The 6-foot-3, 204-pound right-hander slashed 0.397 / 0.481 / .661 in 2021 and even touched for the cycle. To read the full descriptions for each of these players, click on the name of the desired player.

Interestingly, outside of perhaps Selvidge, the Yankees continue to prioritize under-slot picks with their first handful of picks. It remains to be seen whether this is a strategy for poaching talent in later rounds, or just another money-saving measure. So what do you think of their selections? How would you rate the Yankees’ top two picks?