Brett Marshall (by Mike A.)

From River Ave. Blues

Background
Marshall grew up in the Houston suburb of Baytown, where he attended Sterling High School, one-time home of Clyde Drexler and fellow Yanks’ farmhand Brett Smith. He didn’t pop up on the prospect scene until his raw arm strength grabbed the attention of scouts during his junior year, when he was unanimously voted to the All-District First Team. He was then named the All-Houston Area Player of the Year as a senior thanks to his 10-2 record and 2.27 ERA.
Marshall lost his final start for the Rangers in the Region III-5A semifinals when he hit a batter to force in the winning run with his pitch count at 146.

Marshall had originally committed to San Jacinto Junior College (Andy Pettitte’s alma mater), but after seeing his draft prospect status increase exponentially his senior year he switched his commitment to Death to Pitchers University Rice to gain negotiating leverage. The Yanks made Marshall their first pick on Day Two of the 2008 Draft, selecting him 200th overall with their sixth round pick. He is the highest drafted player in Sterling history. Marshall signed for an $850,000 bonus just about a week before the signing deadline, roughly $725,000 over slot.
Pro DebutMarshall was limited to just three starts with the Rookie level GCL Yanks after signing late. He allowed just 2 hits & 2 walks in 6 IP, striking out 8. Not much to see (and if you use those stats to make any kind of judgment on the kid, then … just go away, that’s stupid), although it did give him a taste of professional baseball.

Scouting Report
Marshall is a classic Texas fireballer. As is common these days, he throws both a four and two-seam fastball. His velocity fluctuated during his senior year, starting at 86-88 then jumping to 95-97 before settling into 90-92 range at the end of the year, touching 94. Marshall’s two seamer has filthy armside run when he maintains his arm slot, but it typically lags 2-3 mph behind his four-seamer.

Armed with two breaking balls, Marshall’s slider is a legit put-away pitch. Coming in hard in the mid-to-high 80’s, the pitch can be confused for a splitter because of its sharp break. His curve is promising but still rudimentary. Typical of prep pitchers, Marshall rarely used his change-up in high school, leaving quite a bit of development in it’s future.

A converted shortstop, Marshall’s arm has a limited amount of miles on it, but he lacks experience with his delivery that has some effort to it. His command is decent for a high schooler, but the key to his development is his delivery, which Alex Eisenberg already broke down. Once he settles into a more comfortable and repeatable motion, the command will improve and strikes will come with more ease.

Standing just 6′0″ and 190 lbs, Marshall is a bit undersized but is stronger than he appears. Worked to the bone as a senior, Marshall tired at the end of the year and dropped his arm slot. He needs to work on his ability to hold baserunners, but he fields his position well due to his experience as a position player.
You can see his draft video here.

2009 Outlook
The Yankees haven’t assigned a high school pitcher to a full season league in their first pro season since Phil Hughes & Chris Garcia started 2005 with Low-A Charleston, and it doesn’t appear Marshall will be the one to break that streak. He’ll likely begin ‘09 in Extended Spring Training to work on his delivery before joining Short Season Staten Island when their season begins in June.

My Take
Give me upside or give me death, and Marshall certainly has considerable upside. He still has some projection left, so he could add a tick or two to his fastball as he finishes maturing. The raw package is basically everything you could ask for from a prep pitcher: two fastballs with life, put-away breaking ball and feel for a change-up. I love the pick, and getting the kid for under a million is just icing on the cake.

Brett Marshall (by Alex Eisenberg)

From Baseball-Intellect

Scouting Yankees Pitching Prospect Brett Marshall

With first round draft pick Gerrit Cole opting for college over the Yankees, the best hope of finding a front of the rotation starter out of the 2008 draft class falls into the hands of Brett Marshall. While his upside may not be quite that high, it is certainly considerable. However, there is no doubt that Marshall is a very raw product.

Mechanics

A couple thoughts:

1. Marshall is slide-stepping in the clip on the right. That should be eliminated because he's learning from two separate sets of mechanics (the leg kick and the slide-step). That leads to consistency issues in how he performs from the stretch and the wind-up. In addition, the slide-step is meant to be quicker to the plate. You eliminate some of the lower body action to speeden up the delivery and as a result, you can lessen the quality of your stuff and become more "armsy" of a throw, something that should be avoided.

2. Front side mechanics - a little awkward (see how the glove tilts to the side as he firms up?), but they get the job done. This is important in terms of control and finding a consistent release point.

Arm Action

Now, I'm sure the first thing many readers noticed is Marshall's arm action. He makes an "Inverted-W" or more simply, an M. That's not a guarantee for injury as some would have you believe, but I think it's safe to say you can raise his risk factor.

One reason why the injury risk rises is that it can delay the external rotation, which occurs when the forearm appears "lay back" as the arm is rotating into release. The elbow goes above the shoulder, but drops back down just as the front shoulder begins to open. In an effort to keep up with the opening of his front shoulder, Marshall's rotation is faster, more forceful. This is good for velocity, but perhaps more stressful on the shoulder because again, more force is being applied to the shoulder.

That's just a theory though. Until we get actual research and evidence of its affects, all we are dealing with is speculation.

Keep in mind that such an arm action could explain why certain pitchers throw as hard as they do. It's also possible the arm action is more comfortable for the pitchers who use it. No one arm action is right for everybody.

Ultimately, the Inverted-W is something that has been defined differently by multiple people, so there is no question that confusion abounds on the topic and the term is often misused when discussing mechanics. I hope to do a more in-depth article on the Inverted-W in the near future.

Keeping Marshall Healthy

Should the Yankees fix Marshall's arm action "problem"? I don't think so....unless it's becoming clear his shoulder can't handle the velocities that are associated with it. Just make sure he has good timing with regards to the other parts of his mechanics and be careful about pushing him too hard as he builds up arm strength.

Marshall may very well may get injured as a pitcher, but it may not be because of his mechanics, which are only a small part of the equation. It may be because he was overworked as a high school pitcher by his coaches. Does 146 pitches for a 17-year old sound like something that was done to preserve Marshall's future health?

My feeling is that Marshall should really be treated with kids gloves. My reasoning includes the fact that Marshall is relatively new to pitching as he was only recently converted from shortstop. While his arm has less mileage on it--there should be questions about how well his arm is conditioned to handle heavy loads of pitching. He's going to need time to:

1. Learn the different facets of pitching (selection, setting up hitters, etc)

2. Build up innings in reasonable intervals and as I stated early, treat him with kids gloves--especially in his first couple years of professional ball.

Stride

Marshall drops his front leg in a straight line toward home plate. There are many ways to stride into foot plant, but I like what Marshall does because I think he makes it easier for himself to add momentum into foot plant and achieve a forceful rotation of the hips.

The path his front leg takes should also help him enact a longer stride, which is something he should strongly consider doing. A longer stride could add a couple mph to his fastball as he gives his legs a bigger role in the generation of velocity. His fastball would also get on hitters a little more quickly because he would be releasing the ball a little closer to home plate. You can see an illustration of this in the graphics in the "Stuff"' section.

Stuff

Marshall has very good, very lively stuff. The fastball sits between 89-96 with plenty of tail and sink. He said in this interview he threw two fastballs: a 2-seamer and 4-seamer, which would explain the variations in velocity. This may also mean Marshall has the ability to become a groundball/strikeout type pitcher, which would make him a sabermetric favorite.

The slider, which he didn't throw in the video provided, is regarded as his out pitch and clocks in between 84 and 88 mph, while the change-up is presently a below average pitch. Marshall did throw what looked like a curveball with a nice sharp break. It was clocked at 76 mph. Below is Marshall's fastball (left) and curveball (right) in action:

In terms of control and command, he still needs to find consistency with each of his pitches, but judging from his overall mechanics and from what I have read and seen, I would say his control projects anywhere from average to above average.

As noted earlier, Marshall's upside may not be top of the line, but he can get pretty close. However, the gap from what he is to what he can is quite large. '

Should Marshall remain healthy, I see his upside as a mid-level No. 2 starter with his downside--not including the usual "blows his arm out" downside--to be a solid power-arm out of the pen.

2008 Draft, Rd6, #200, Brett Marshall

Born: 22/03/1990
Height: 6′0″ Weight: 195 lbs
Position: SP
Throws: R
Transactions: Selected in 6th round (200th overall) of 2008 draft out of Ross S Sterling High School.

Video
MLB Scouting Video
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w_id=702318&w=/2008/open/draft/broll/br_marshall_brett_400.wmv&mid=200805302799753&pid=gen_video&vid=11071&cid=mlb&v=2&bypass=true

Photo
http://yankees.scout.com/PictureGallery.aspx?PlayerId=117170&Title=Brett%20Marshall

Pending Pinstripes
http://mvn.com/milb-yankees/2008/06/05/yankees-6th-round-pick-brett-marshall/
The Yankees picked up a high-ceiling young pitcher in Marshall, a 6′0″ 195 pound righty from Texas. He showed a huge jump in velocity between last season and this one, bringing his fastball up to the 94-96 range (as opposed to the high 80’s last season). He complements this pitch with a plus slider that he throws in the mid-high 80’s. He throws a changeup, but it is below-average at present. While Marshall’s stuff is great, he is raw mechanically with inconsistent control, which makes sense given that he is very new to pitching. He is somewhat short at 6′0″, which is part of the reason why a pitcher with his stuff was available in the 6th round. He is the type of high-risk high-reward prospect that the Yankees should draft, and while he might require some time in the minors to improve his mechanics and control, he could be a very effective starter with his two plus pitches, or at least a good reliever. I’m a big fan of this pick. He has a scholarship to Rice, and will likely require close to 1 millon dollars to sign.

River Ave. Blues
http://riveraveblues.com/2008/06/05/yanks-seventh-pick-200-overall-2988/
With their 6th round pick, the Yanks’ picked Brett Marshall, RHP, Sterling HS (Tx.)
(can’t find a pic)
Scouting Report: The first “signability” guy the Yanks grabbed, Marshall works at 91-94 with his fastball and has a knockout slider when right. Struggles to the throw trikes because he’s inconsistent with his delivery. Only 6′0″, 185 lbs, but Baseball America rated him the 87th best prospect in the entire draft class. Here’s his draft video.
My Take: Love it. Time to start flexing those financial muscles.
Outlook: If they sign him (committed to Rice), it’ll probably go down to the wire, so he may not get into any games this season. More than likely he’d head to Instructional League where they can work on his delivery.
They’re done picking for the day. Rock Solid haul with some intriguing prep position players and two stud high school arms. Back at it tomorrow.

The Pinstripe Press
http://nyyankeesnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/rhp-brett-marshall-ross-s-sterling.html
High school right hander Brett Marshall, the New York Yankees sixth round selection in the 2008 MLB Draft (200th overall), was said by many online scouting reports to have emerged from “nowhere” during his senior season. Indeed, Baseball America magazine ranked Marshall the No. 87 prospect in the country thanks to a 10 mph jump in velocity. But Marhsall finished his junior season strong, hitting 93 mph on the radar gun during a playoff game at Deer Park.

His slider still needs some work, but has good speed at 86-87 mph. According to BA “he's wiry strong, [but] he's also just 6 feet and 185 pounds and has some effort in his delivery, which also compromises his ability to repeat it and throw strikes.”

It will likely take a strong financial commitment to sway him from renowned baseball powerhouse Rice. The Yankees appear to be going all out to sign him. The Houston Chronicle high school pitcher of the year was wooed while New York was in town for a July series against the Astros. He attended batting practice and spoke with Joe Girardi, Andy Pettitte and pitching coach Dave Eiland.

While he wont be an easy sign, the Yankees didn’t likely was a high pick if at the end of the day they were not going to pay up. Expect Marshall to sign.

NYYankeeFans.com
http://www.nyyankeefans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=64983
A converted Short-Stop Marshall is still raw on the mound, but nobody is douting his immense ceiling. Marshall is already armed with a plus fastball sitting around 95, and a plus slider sitting 84-88. His change-up is below average and needs work. On-line scouting reports talk about how Marshall came from out of nowhere to land a spot among the country’s top 100 prospects. Baseball America magazine has Marshall ranked No. 87 because his fastball added 10 MPH in one year.

Sterling coach Paul Tadlock says Marshall hit 93 mph on the radar gun in a playoff game at Deer Park last year. And he points out Marshall finished the 2007 season strong and earned a first-team all-district selection.

“Last year, I topped out at 94 and I was consistent in the 90s,” Marshall said. “My goal this year was to top out at 95. I did that in our first scrimmage. When I got up to 97.

It turns out that the Yankees had him at a private workout recently, and his team’s playoff schedule prevented other MLB teams from following suit.

Marshall and his mother flew to Tampa, Fla., over the weekend, so Brett could audition in person Monday at the New York Yankees’ spring training facility.

“He put on one hell of a show this weekend,” Eddie Marshall said of his son. “That was his first visit, because of (Sterling’s long run in) the playoffs. The Astros, Mets, Phillies, he had invitations to all of them, but he couldn’t make it because of the playoffs.

“He was supposed to be at an Astros deal Sunday, but he couldn’t because he was at the Yankees.

“Just about everbody wants him, but making the right offer’s another thing.”

With a Rice scholarship awaiting him, the Oswalt-sized Texan is looking to cash in if he’s going to pass up the renowned baseball powerhouse.

“We try to set some numbers right about a million dollars,” Eddie Marshall, Brett’s dad, said. “If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you don’t.

“I think he’s worth it. Of course, I’m his dad. But I know what kind of person he’ll be. He’s going to play in the big leagues.”

MLB Comp: Roy Oswalt like with Dan Haren's Mechanics

NYCurve.com
http://www.nycurve.com/brett-marshall-corban-joseph-and-mykal-stokes
Brett Marshall was the 6th round pick for the Yankees out of Ross S. Sterling High School in Texas. The young pitcher displayed great velocity, having improved by a few mph from the previous season to the 94-96 range. He still has some inconsistencies with control, but that is something that he will be working on as he plays in the minors. Marshall throws a fastball, plus slider, and a change-up.

MLB Scouting Report
Fastball: Marshall threw his fastball in the 94-96 mph range.
Slider: It's a plus pitch now and he threw it in the 84-88 mph range.
Changeup: It's a below-average pitch right now.
Control: His command was slightly below average, but it projects to average with more experience.
Poise: He was very competitive on the mound.
Physical Description: Marshall isn't that tall, but he's strong and has a Jason Marquis-like build.
Medical Update: Healthy.
Strengths: A huge jump in velocity has him with a plus fastball to go along with a plus slider.
Weaknesses: Formerly a shortstop, he's still learning how to pitch. His mechanics are inconsistent as he doesn't always maintain his arm slot.
Summary: Marshall has leapt on the map showing a huge jump in velocity, from 87-88 mph a year ago all the way up to 96 this year. He's got a plus slider to go along with it. The changeup lags behind, but that can come in time. He's relatively new to pitching and it shows in his delivery and his inability to repeat his mechanics. But with two plus pitches right now, Marshall's name is certainly on the rise.

Perfect Game (by Allan Simpson & David Rawnsley)
SCOUTING REPORT (3/1): To this point in his high school career, Marshall has been overshadowed by teammate Hunter Cervenka, a two-way talent who committed to Texas. But the 6-foot, yet solidly-built Marshall is the primary reason why a lot of national crosscheckers flocked to Sterling High games early this season. His fastball steadily touched 94-95 mph this spring, peaking at 96. His comfort zone is in the 89-94 mph range, but even that is a sharp upgrade from last summer, when his fastball was a customary 88-91. He gets arm-side run and occasional hard sink on the pitch. Marshall’s 78-82 mph circle changeup is a workable pitch, but he is still learning to master a slider, which tends to be flat and wide. The ball generally comes out of his hand extremely easily, he works fast and he attacks hitters. Marshall was a relative unknown prior to his senior year as he fractured his right shoulder as a sophomore and rarely attended regional or national showcases. He initially committed to San Jacinto JC but his overnight improvement has four year schools getting in on the recruiting action. Marshall has a strong, well-developed athletic build, but is near physical maturity. He should develop better pitchability through experience.

UPDATE (5/15): After he jumped on the prospect charts at the beginning of the 2008 season with his high-velocity fastball, Marshall didn’t let up all spring. He was reportedly up to 97 mph during Texas playoff action and was still consistently in the 92-94 mph range. Marshall went 9-1, 2.33 this spring with 84 K’s in 67 innings, while also hitting .500-8-43. He ended up making a commitment to Rice.

2008 Draftee Info (3)

From Pending Pinstripes

Thoughts on the Draft

So, Dennis Shulman won the primary… and the campaign immediately sent me down to D.C. to work on some training. Its been a long 2 weeks. I was busy enough that I couldn’t even follow the draft live, a long-time ritual of mine. I’ve had some time for the Yankee picks to ruminate in my head, so here are my thoughts.

Gerrit Cole, 1st Round - What a great pick. He’s a little risky, but has tremendous upside. He’s the kind of pick where we might be recounting the chain of events five years from now that had to line up in order for him to fall to us. By all measures, he was the best player available and we grabbed him. His scounting video reveals a fairly violent, cross-body motion that could cause problems in the future, but I’m sure that the Yankees are already thinking about how to smooth out his delivery once he signs. He’ll also be forever compared to Phil Hughes by minor league folks like ourselves. There is no such thing as a truly “safe” pick for a pitcher in the draft, so the Yankees went for the biggest upside pick they could.

Jeremy Bleich, Supplemental Round - He seems like an overdraft. Lefties tend to be overrated as is on draft day, and there are very few remarkable things about Bleich. He has good control, but was never that strong of a pitcher in college. He followed his poor sophomore year (5.56 ERA) with a strong partial season this year (1.38 ERA), but didn’t improve on his peripherals. His career rates stand at 3.05 BB/9 and 5.59 K/9.

Scott Bittle, 2nd Round - Unlike Bleich, Bittle was flat-out dominate this season. 70 2/3 innings, 30 walks, 130 strikeouts, 1.78 ERA. Watching his video, he seems to generate powerful downward movement on the ball. Had Melancon been healthy, this is the kind of position that he would have occupied. While I’m not certain that the Yankees need another strong set up man relief prospect, Bittle looks like a strong pick when viewed independently. He should also be a fast mover. Depending on when he decides to sign, Bittle could be available for the majors as soon as late 2009.

David Adams, 3rd Round - Derek Jeter would be jealous of his opposite-field swing. He’s a better version of Colin Curtis, but playing 2nd base.

Corban Joseph, 4th Round - Watching his draft video, the man’s got a power swing. I’m not sure if he’s a shortstop in name only (meaning, he’s just the most athletic guy on his high school team), but he seems to be a good enough hitter to profile lower down the spectrum. Eric reported that he hit over .700 in high school, but we’ll have to see how he does against real competition. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on.

Chris Smith, 5th Round - I don’t have much of an opinion on Smith, so I won’t insult your intelligence by offering one. He’s a fast guy who chokes up on the bat.

Brett Marshall, 6th Round -He’s a classic high upside pick. You can’t teach 95. He’s a project, but the Yankees should end up paying him the kind of money that he’ll demand.

Other Thoughts - We got Pat Venditte back! And this time, he’s a senior. I’d say that there is now an 80% chance that the switch-pitcher will play for one of the Yankee’s minor league affiliates. How good he is remains to be seen, but I can’t wait to see him pitch. The Yankee draft appears appears to be an ambitious one - they drafted lots of upside. For the second year though, I will reserve judgment on the draft until the August signing deadline.

2008 Draftee Info (1)

From Yankees: Looking for the Furture

Draft Recap and Review

Overall, I’d say the Yankees had a pretty good draft. First, I’ll review and grade each notable selection (note that the Yankees selected in every round but not every pick is analyzed):

1st rd., 28: Gerrit Cole, RHP, HS (California): The only reason Cole was available was due to signability concerns coupled with some overrated makeup issues. Either way, Cole has one of the better arms in the draft, boasting a plus 94-97MPH fastball, a sharp slider at 87-88, and a raw but fading changeup. The latter two pitches have plus potential as well. He still has some projection left, so the velocity may eventually rest in the high 90’s. His delivery is concerning as it is max effort along with other small, incorrect mechanics (showing the ball to CF, etc.) that can be injury concerns. However, these flaws will most likely be corrected by proper professional coaching. There is debate about whether he helps out best as a starter or as a dominant closer. I say to begin with him as a starter and to see how things pan out. Grade: A.

1st suppl., 44: Jeremy Bleich, LHP, Stanford: Bleich was on the prospect radar for a while, pitching very well at Stanford in his sophomore year and also doing very well at the Cape Cod League. However, an elbow strain that caused him to miss part of the season really put a damper on his star, and he didn’t have much in terms of stuff (88-91 FB, fading 78-79 change, loopy 72-73 curve), but, according to some reports, Bleich was throwing 93-94 upon returning from his injury late in the year. Apparently the Yankees, interested in a left-handed starter for their system, took Bleich based on seeing that. If he can improve his curve and if the 93-94MPH fastbal report is true, then I like this pick. Last night, at least, he was consistently in the low 90’s and had a very low pitch count throughout the game, which does a lot for me. If he still throws as had originally been reported, then there were certainly better options available–Robbie Ross, Nick Maronde, etc. Grade:B+

2nd rd., 75: Scott Bittle, RHP, Mississippi: Bittle throws a sick cutter in the mid-to-high 80’s with plenty of movement that no one can hit, and which he throws about 80% of the time. He can complement that with an 89-92MPH fastball. He struck out almost 2 batters per inning in college, in the SEC no less. His changeup has the potential to be an average pitch. Bittle is a solid grab here, and he should soar through the system as a college closer. Without the big fastball he projects to be a solid set-up guy in the Yankee ‘pen. He was drafted last year in the 48th round. Grade: B+

3rd rd., 106: David Adams, 2B, Virginia: Adams reminds me of Dustin Pedroia. A great contact hitter with 10-15HR power at best, not a burner but is good with the glove. And don’t forget all that gritty, hard-nosed stuff too. If the Yankees ever get sick of Cano’s slow starts/slumps and decide to trade him he wouldn’t be a bad replacement. Middle infielders are in short supply in the system but there were probably better options out there. Grade: B

4th rd., 140: Corban Joseph, 3B, HS (Tenn.): Joseph is an offensively-minded SS who doesn’t project to stay there for long. He has power to all fields as well as the ability to make solid contact. He has some frame to fill, so there should be more power (and a position change) coming. A good value at this spot and he has good potential. Grade: B+

5th rd., 170: Chris Smith, LF, HS (Cal.): I have mixed feelings on this guy. His coaches rave about his abilities, and one, who coached both him and Coco Crisp liked Smith’s skillset more. He had the highest batting average in the country at any level, batting .708 (that’s right, .708). However, BA had him as only the 109th best prospect in California, a baseball hub. Still, .708 is .708 anywhere you go, and if what his coaches say about him is true, I say it’s a good pick. Grade: B

6th rd., 200: Brett Marshall, RHP, HS (TEX): Another signability guy. This is an insanely good value pick at 200–plus mid-90s fastball and a potentially plus 87-88 slider. His fastball went up about 10MPH from last year to this year, and has pitched very well. He will take $1M to sign, but that shouldn’t be a problem. He needs to learn how to repeat his delivery, but he is relatively new to pitching. Grade: A

9th rd., 290: Michael O'Brien, RHP, HS (FLA): Brown fell because of the so-called “undersized righty syndrome.” Brown is 5′11″, 185, but he has a low-90s fastball with both a solid change and curve. He has a little projection and has plus command. A great value at this spot. Grade: A

10th rd., 320: William Mitchell, RHP, Clemson: Mitchell is a lanky guy (6′2″, 165 lbs) who doesn’t have much in terms of stuff but gets the most out of it by being aggressive. Doesn’t really seem like more than a Grade C prospect until I see otherwise. Could be a back-of-rotation guy. There were better options out there, though. Grade: C/C+

15th rd., 470: Matt Richardson, SS/RHP, HS (FLA): Scouting report from Perfect Game via NoMaas:
Matt Richardson is a 2008 SS/P with a 6′2”, 180 lb. frame from Lake Mary, FL who attends Lake Mary HS.Tall athletic build, projects well, solid bat speed, quick hands, short swing plane, high level hitting tools, runs well, very good raw arm strength in the field, quick actions, good release, hands work well, quick arm on the mound, high 3/4 arm slot, nice late life on fastball, tight spin on curveball, drop and drive delivery, big upside, strong student, highest-level two-way prospect with high draft potential.
According to this report, in the 15th rd., this is an excellent value pick. I would try him as a SS first. Grade: A

27th Rd., 830: Garrison Lassiter, SS, HS (SC): Lassiter is a “major signability case” per NoMaas. According to Perfect Game, again via NoMaas:Garrison Lassiter is a 2008 SS/3B/OF with a 6′3”, 195 lb. frame from High Point, NC who attends West Forsyth HS. Tall athletic build, body projects well, solid hitting mechanics, easy swing, quick hands, good bat speed, stays inside the ball, turns on the ball easily, strong infield actions, quick hands, good transfer and release, raw arm strength, runs well, strong student, highest-level prospect with early round draft potential.Another early round talent falling because of signability. Great value at this time, no let’s get him signed. Grade: B+, A if he signs

30th Rd., 920: Ben McMahan, C, HS (FLA): McMahan is a defense-first catcher with good speed for his position. He can eventually evolve into an above-average-hitting catcher with Gold Gloves at best, but is more likely to end up as a backstop. Still a little frame to fill out. I’d like to see him play before I make judgments Grade: B+

36th Rd., 1100: Chris Dwyer, LHP, HS (CT): I absolutely adore this pick. HOWEVER (big however): He is a huge signability concern. At 6′4″ and 200 lbs., he is pretty much filled out, though that isn’t a concern. Dwyer is an exceptional outfielder, and he also throws 92-94 with his plus fastball, to go along with a “tremendous” curve, per SI. If sign this year, at 20 he’ll be a draft eligible freshman, a rare occurence in the draft ranks. Either way, he may end up being the second best player the Yankees selected in this draft. Grade: A+

So, there are your most important draft picks. There are some other interesting picks (Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte [no gimmick], 1B Luke Anders [massive guy], etc.), but the listed players are the ones who should be on your prospect radar now. Overall, the grade of this draft is A- right now. I truly believe there is a great draft. You can’t compare any draft with the legendary 2006 draft, which produced, Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, and Dellin Betances. Many of these ‘08 guys are raw and young and have great potential, and could make a huge impact on future Yankee teams. We’ll see it in the future.