If only the Yankees had stockpiled left fielders, right?
With Anthony Volpe slotted as the starting shortstop for as far as the eye can see, Oswald Peraza awaiting his fate in the minors, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa — resurrected as an outfielder — around in case of emergency, will the Yankees grab another shortstop with the No. 26 pick in the MLB Draft on July 9?
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Yeah, they just might, according to ESPN’s latest mock, which projects Sammy Stafura of Walter Panas High School in New York as the pinstriped pick:
You’re going to see Stafura at this pick in mock drafts a lot over the next month, as the Yankees are one of a couple or teams (the Royals are another) all over him. The Yankees are the first of those teams to pick at a spot where Stafura could be taken, so they should have a clear path here. There’s some Trevor Story vibes (physical skills at shortstop with power) with real questions on if Stafura can hit, but he’s also a bit of a late bloomer, coming from a lighter baseball background in a cold-weather area that’s local to the Yankees, so there’s some license to project more than with other players in this range. I feel like I’m just obliged to mention Anthony Volpe in this blurb, so there you go.
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In December, when some of the first mock drafts began trickling out, MLB.com projected the Yankees would take a shortstop, but floated a different name: Georgia high school prospect Colin Houck:
Houck is a strong and physical shortstop who is also a quarterback standout at a powerhouse Parkview program that produced big leaguers like Matt Olson. The Yankees have taken a hitter with their first pick in six of the last seven Drafts, and two were high schoolers, led by top prospect Anthony Volpe.
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