The New York Yankees have attacked free agency with full force, landing a variety of different players who went undrafted a few weeks ago. After bringing on a bevy of pitching options to develop in the minor leagues, scouts identified one young slugger who ranked 186th on Baseball America’s prospect list going into the 2020 MLB draft.
“Dunham has shown a strong knack for hitting in his collegiate career, with an innate ability to find the barrel with a short, compact swing,â€Â the publication wrote of Durham, who’s 6-foot and 213 pounds.
“While there is some stiffness in Dunham’s operation that might need to be loosened up at the next level, there aren’t a ton of holes to speak of. He hits for average and power and has also shown solid ability to work the count and manage the strike zone.â€
The draft was shortened from 40 rounds to five this year, which allowed the Yankees to snag Elijah Dunham from Indiana. The left fielder was excited to be signed by the bombers, who were allowed to spend a max of $20K on UDFAs. The Yankees also landed stud catcher and projected outfielder Austin Wells out of Arizona. Wells has also been forecasted as a potential first baseman along with Dunham, who had .390 with a homer and 11 RBIs in 15 games this year.
Dunham is a lefty hitter who contains excellent power. In the New England Collegiate League, Dunham hit .360 with 6 homers over 30 appearances. Interestingly, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 40th round last year, and going undrafted this year gave the Yankees an opportunity to grab a talented player with plenty of potential.
Of course, most undrafted free agents will never make it to the big leagues, but adding talent with high upside is always a positive move. The Yankees added several lefty hitters to their farm-system, which is a great sign given their lack of diversity in the top team’s lineup.