MLB Draft Recap: Evaluating Yankees’ Picks in Rounds 6-10

After 10 rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft, we’ve learned one thing: The Yankees felt they needed to bolster the depth of their pitching system. As with any professional draft, only time will tell with the picks, but this parade of pitchers gives a glimpse into how the Yankees view their organizational farm system. The Yankees’ first seven picks in the draft were college players (and 8 of 10), with six from the SEC. As a fan, the benefit of following this Yankees draft class, with the proliferation of college baseball coverage, is that these prospects are less of a mystery than high school picks. So let’s take a look at how the second half of the top 10 played out for the Yankees.

In the sixth round, pick 181, the Yankees made a good return to the SEC with sophomore left-handed pitcher Griffin Herring out of Louisiana State University. Herring is comfortable in relief, having started just one game this season, pitching 1.2 innings as an opener. He has posted a 1.14 ERA this season in SEC regular-season games over 11 appearances and 31.2 innings. Against the conference, he has 45 strikeouts and seven walks. He uses a combination fastball and slider, with a fastball velocity in the 90-95 mph range and his slider in the 80 mph range. Consistent with his draft pick, Baseball America ranked him 172nd on their board. They summed up his performance by saying, “Overall, he shows solid pitching ability and competes with both his fastball and slider.”

To keep the pitching party going, the Yankees selected Wyatt Parliament out of Virginia Tech with their seventh-round pick, 211th overall. Keeping with the theme of the early rounds, the Yankees appear to be betting on tools here. He has a 7.63 ERA over 10 starts and five relief appearances. Over his college career — including his first two seasons with Rutgers — he has a 5.49 ERA, a 1.40 WHIP and a 9.9 strikeout rate. As you might imagine, his talents, in the scouting world, track better than his numbers. Baseball America says his fastball ranges from 92 to 94 mph, with BA noting that it “plays above its velocity thanks to solid life, a low release point and a flat approach angle.” At just 20 years old, they need to see someone they can mold with their development program.

The Yankees’ first position player was selected in the eighth round, with the Bombers selecting first baseman Tyler Wilson out of Grand Canyon University. Wilson was named WAC Player of the Year as a senior this year. Unlike some previous draft picks, he put up big numbers, hitting .378/.403/.691 with 17 homers and 18 doubles in 58 games in 2024. He’s an ambidextrous hitter who played left field for GCU, but he’s listed in the draft as a first baseman.

After a brief divergence, the Yankees returned to selecting SEC pitchers in the ninth round, selecting Auburn’s Tanner Bauman with the 272nd pick. 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 a low three-quarter arm slot and has above-average feel for spin,” according to Baseball America, which ranked him 290th on its board.

Rounding out the day, the Yankees’ 10th-round pick was outfielder Joe Delossantos from the College of William & Mary. The right-hander hit .330/.431/.584 with 14 home runs in his final season this year. Wilson also brings speed, stealing 24 of 27 attempts. The 23-year-old shows promise as a power hitter, with exit velocity numbers among the best in Division I baseball, according to Jacob Edelman of Baseball Prospectus.

What do we think of the picks in the sixth through tenth rounds? You have to trust Matt Blake’s team to have a good eye for talent. It may be encouraging to see the organization target pitchers with underwhelming numbers, but they’re seeing something. Note the second half of the top 10 below, and if you missed the voting on rounds 3-5, check out Kunj’s article. The Hess and Cunningham polls are in their own articles.