MLB Mock Draft 2024: Predicting Yankees' first pick
The New York Yankees get to pick a future star this summer. The MLB draft is full of bright prospects, even those who won't get picked until the Yankees' 26th overall selection. It can be challenging to nail MLB draft picks, and all of them have bust potential, but the first round is one of the safer rounds to make the pick.
With that said, there are a ton of prospects who could make their way into the Yankees system. Their farm isn't brimming with top-end talent, so this is their chance to ensure they have something big planned for the future. Here's who they might take.
Who the Yankees might take in the MLB Draft
For this article, the MLB Draft Big Board from MLB.com is the prospect pool. Those projected around the Yankees' selection are realistic targets for the club.
Vance Honeycutt is an interesting prospect. At the beginning of the year, he was a top-five player in the draft. Despite having an excellent season and an even better College World Series, his stock has dropped. His swing has some holes, but his production cannot be denied.
The North Carolina center fielder is a fantastic defender who plays center field (Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo or Jasson Dominguez aren't true CF players). He is also an excellent base runner with positive offensive production.
Another good option is Sam Houston catcher Walker Janek. The catcher position seemed strong for the Yankees with Jose Trevino and Austin Wells. However, both aren't excellent offensively and cannot throw runners out.
There are catcher prospects in the system already, such as Antonio Gomez, but Trevino is old and Wells isn't a great defender. It's a position that should be addressed with either Janek or Malcolm Moore, both projected in the 20s range.
Finally, Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore is a great selection. Let's see what the MLB roster has at second base right now. There is Gleyber Torres, who is having a bad year and is a pending free agent. There is DJ LeMahieu, who can no longer hit and plays a lot of third base. And then there is Oswald Peraza, a player who cannot play at the MLB level.