MLB Draft Recap: Grading the Yankees’ picks in Rounds 6-10

After 10 rounds in the 2024 MLB Draft, one thing we learned is that the Yankees felt they needed to increase the pitching depth of their farm system. Like any professional draft, only time will tell regarding the selections, but this parade of pitchers provides insight into how the Yankees view their organizational farm system. The Yankees’ first seven picks in the draft were college arms (and 8 of the 10), six of which were from the SEC. As a fan, with the proliferation of coverage of college baseball, the nice thing about following this Yankees draft class is that these prospects are less of a mystery than high-school picks. So let’s see how the second half of the top 10 went for the Yankees.

In the sixth round, pick 181, the Yankees went back into the SEC well with second-year left-handed pitcher Griffin Herring of Louisiana State University. Herring has been out of relief, starting just one game this season and pitching 1.2 innings as an opener. He posted a 1.14 ERA in 11 appearances and 31.2 innings in SEC regular-season games this season. Against the conference, he had 45 strikeouts and seven walks. He uses a fastball and slider combination, with fastball speed in the mid to low 90s and his slider in the mid 80s. In line with his draft selection, Baseball America ranked him 172nd on their board. He summarized his stuff by saying, “Generally he shows solid pitchability and competition with both his fastball and slider.”

To keep the pitching party going, the Yankees selected Virginia Tech’s Wyatt Parliament as their seventh-round selection, 211th overall. In keeping with the early-round theme, the Yankees are betting on tools here. He had a 7.63 ERA in 10 starts and five relief appearances. During his college career – his first two seasons with Rutgers – he has a 5.49 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 9.9 K/9. As you’d imagine, his stuff tracks better than his numbers in the scouting world. Baseball America says his fastball ranges from 92-94 mph, with BA noting that it “plays well above his velocity due to solid ride life, a low release point and a flat approach angle.” At just 20 years old, he needs to see someone he can mold to his development plan.

The Yankees’ first-round pick came in the eighth round, with the Bombers taking first baseman Tyler Wilson of Grand Canyon University. Wilson was the WAC Player of the Year as a senior. Unlike some earlier draft selections, he put up some big numbers with a .378/.403/.691 slash line with 17 home runs and 18 doubles in 58 games in 2024. He is a switch-hitter who played left field for GCU, but is listed as a first baseman in the draft.

After a brief hiatus, the Yankees returned to selecting SEC pitchers in the ninth round, selecting Auburn’s Tanner Baumann with the 272nd pick. Pitching primarily in relief for the Tigers, Bauman had a 4.57 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 10.2 SO/9 in 41.1 innings in 2024. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound left-hander “throws from the lower three-quarters,” has above-average experience in the arm slot and spins the ball, according to Baseball America, which ranked him 290th on their board.

At the end of the day, outfielder Joe DeLosantos of The College of William & Mary was selected in the tenth round by the Yankees. The right-hander hit .330/.431/.584 with 14 home runs this year in his senior season. Wilson also brings the pace, making 24 of 27 steal attempts. According to Jacob Edelman of Baseball Prospectus, the 23-year-old shows promise as a power bat, with exit velocity numbers that were among the best in Division I baseball.

What do we think about the sixth through tenth round picks? There must be a level of trust in the eyes of the Matt Blake staff to uncover pitching talent. Perhaps it’s encouraging to see the organization targetting such a large number of weapons, but they see something in it. Grade the second part of the top 10 below, and if you missed voting on Rounds 3-5, check out Kunz’s article. The Hayes and Cunningham surveys are in their own articles.