The New York Yankees would conduct the 11th through 20th rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft, and they went more position-player-heavy on the final day. Today is about trying to get high schoolers to sign instead of going to their committed colleges and finding diamonds in the rough at the college level. Some notable Yankees who have been selected after the 10th Round include Ben Rice (12th Round) and Nestor Cortes (36th Round), and every year there are always prospects selected later in the draft who become studs.
Today is the first day that the Yankees didn’t select more pitchers than position players, having an even split at five apiece, and we’ll unpack what each player brings to the table.
Yankees’ Eleventh-Round Pick (No. 331): Mack Estrada
Another tall right-handed pitcher, Mack Estrada currently has a commitment to FSU that the Yankees will have to lure him out of to sign him. His fastball has good carry and tailing action, hitting 96 MPH before and flashing a good slider and changeup as well. There are a lot of fine skills he’ll need to refine, but the overall skillset is enticing and it’s easy to see why the Yankees are trying to pluck him now before his stock potentially skyrockets at Florida State.
Still only 19 years old, he’ll begin the 2025 season as just a 20-year-old, oozing potential as an inexperienced pitcher who could take a massive leap in his first year working with a pro pitching development group. The Yankees are great at what they do, and while it’s unclear whether Mack Estrada will sign or not, he certainly has the potential and upside to be a strong prospect who garners more attention down the road.
Estrada was a prolific pass rusher back in high school, a reflection of his strong athleticism, and with his 6’4 frame it’s easy to dream about what he could become.
Yankees’ Twelfth-Round Pick (No. 361): Brendan Jones
Brendan Jones has incredible speed and mobility, stealing 40 bases in 42 attempts this past season which made him one of the best base robbers in the NCAA. The left-handed hitting centerfielder has a simple swing that can generate some slug,, having a .481 SLG% in the Cape Cod League back in 2023 and slugging .500 in the 2024 NCAA campaign. He’s a great athlete and that’s what you draft for in these rounds, as there’s a chance the Yankees unlock something offensively that makes his stock soar.
Defensively he has the speed and range to handle centerfield, but we’ll see how his route-running holds up against other centerfielders in the organization. There’s not a lot of public data on these later-round selections, but Brendan Jones does have a strong foundation for the speed-defense profile at a premium position that gets guys played and paid if they can stick in the Major Leagues.
Jones turns 23 next April in what will be his first full season of MiLB action as it’s hard to imagine a college bat like himself not signing.
Yankees’ Thirteenth-Round Pick (No. 391): Dillon Lewis
Dillon Lewis has a fierce swing that allows him to generate high bat speeds and good exit velocity numbers, which led to him blasting 22 home runs in 55 games last season. His power is not reliant on metal bat baseball wither, slugging .733 with six home runs in 24 games in the Cape Cod League back in 2023. There’s a ton of power upside here, and if the Yankees are able to harness that he could tear apart Minor League pitching.
He’s got a strong frame with the raw skills that you dream of for a player, but he’s so raw that everything from his approach to swing is going to need some work. The Yankees will have their work cut out for them when it comes to Dillon Lewis, but the upside here is high and that’s exactly how they need to draft in these later rounds. The most likely outcome for players selected this deep in the draft is becoming organizational depth, but now and then you find a hidden gem.
Not turning 22 until next June, the right-handed outfielder will face a new challenge at the professional level where his talent will be tested.
Yankees’ Fourteenth-Round Pick (No. 421): Austin Green
While technically speaking Austin Green is the first non-1B infielder they selected in the draft, he transitioned from playing mostly second base to picking up the outfield glove. It’ll be interesting to see where he plays with the Yankees, but he’s a switch hitter with good on-base skills and some game power. There’s not a lot of certainty on the power tools because he hasn’t played in a wooden-bat league, but the strikeout-to-walk rates are strong.
He walked 31 times to 21 strikeouts, and as long as he can manage those rates well at the professional level, he’ll always have some sort of intrigue. He spent the last two seasons at Texas Tech where he put up OPS numbers above .950 in both seasons, and Green will turn 23 next May which could make him a candidate to open his season at Hudson Valley with the Renegade (High-A).
Yankees’ Fifteenth-Round Pick (No. 451): Marshall Toole
Four position players in a row? Pinch me, I’m dreaming! Marshall Toole is a left-handed hitting outfielder who had a breakout season last year at Wofford, posting a 1.078 OPS and hitting 10 triples in 62 games. His speed is stupendous, stealing 43 bases in 46 attempts and legging out a ton of extra-base hits because Toole can get the extra base and overwhelm defenders.
He strikes out a bit too much for someone who doesn’t have a great raw power tool, and he’s the speed-defense profile at a premium position profile that we discussed with Brendan Jones earlier. There’s nothing wrong with being that kind of player if it’s good enough to get you drafted, but the question will be whether he can hit enough to get through the Minor Leagues and carve out regular big-league action down the road.
Marshall Toole turns 22 next March, which will be his age for the entirety of his first full season as a pro.
Yankees’ Sixteenth-Round Pick (No. 481): Xavier Rivas
Xavier Rivas underwent Tommy John Surgery this past February, which hurt his draft stock and could lead to him returning to Ole Miss for another season. The left-hander last pitched in 2023 for Mississippi where he posted a 6.75 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 68 innings. Command was an issue, but the pitch mix is pretty interesting and it’s easy to see the upside here.
Rivas possesses a low-90s fastball with good vertical ride, mixing in a strong slider and changeup as well which he can miss bats on, but there’s room for him to develop more velocity. Another tall pitcher (6’4), the Yankees will see if they can lure him away from Ole Miss and into their organization. He’ll turn 23 next July, although it’s unclear whether he’ll be on a mound then or not as he rehabs from the aforementioned UCL injury.
Yankees’ Seventeenth-Round Pick (No. 511): JoJo Jackson
Jojo Jackson dominated in his final year at Georgia State, hitting 15 home runs and 13 doubles in 50 games, but the strikeout rate (25.1%) is alarmingly high. In the MLB Draft League, which uses wooden bats, we saw Jackson post a .592 SLG% and record 11 extra-base hits in 20 games, which is a good sign for his power tool, but until the hit tool is solidified there’s going to be a ton of skepticism on whether it can translate or not.
The best way to put it is that there’s a reason that JoJo Jackson was a 17th-round selection, but the talent and athleticism (as with the players the Yankees have selected all draft) is there and there’s always room for lottery tickets in your organization. If the Yankees are able to find some sort of swing change for him that results in consistent contact, perhaps he’ll jump on the radars of various prospect outlets in his age-22 season next year.
Yankees’ Eighteenth-Round Pick (No. 541): Gus Hughes
Gus Hughes has swing-and-miss stuff, striking out 111 batters across 102.2 innings pitched last season with High Point, and while there isn’t much information on him out there, it’s easy to see the appeal. When you pick up strikeouts you’re someone to keep tabs on, and while the Yankees aren’t perfect, they do have a knack for finding pitching magic in later rounds.
Next season will be his age-23 season, and I anticipate with his high workload from last season that we could see a lot of starts in 2025 if he can stay healthy.
Yankees’ Nineteenth-Round Pick (No. 571): Brandon Decker
Brandon Decker tossed 102.2 innings last season as a swingman for Oakland University, with a bit of a unique delivery that sees him get deep into his stride. There’s a workhorse nature to him, with the right-hander even telling an interviewer back in 2023 that sometimes he has to be held back from taking the ball. Since he gets deep into his stride, it could be deceptive if he can navigate the zone north and south for outs.
It’s another right-handed pitcher for the Yankees, and he’ll begin his 2025 campaign as a 23-year-old.
Yankees’ Twentieth-Round Pick (No. 601): Cole Royer
A 6’6 right-hander, Cole Royer has a fastball that sits in the low-90s with a good breaking ball and a very projectable frame as he won’t turn 19 until next week. The right-hander committed to Georgia Tech and the Yankees will have to try and lure him out of it to sign him, which doesn’t seem very likely unless they really splurge here. The upside here is high, and he’s still growing into his very tall frame.
We’ll likely find out soon whether he decides to turn pro or go to college, as the Yankees typically handle their draftees swiftly to get them in instructs or potentially Single-A during the second half of the season.