Photo Credit: Twitter @SDPB Sports

The New York Yankees added infielders and arms on the second day of the 2021 MLB Draft.

The 2021 MLB Draft continued on Monday and the New York Yankees made the most of their picks.

After turning some heads in selecting shortstop Trey Sweeney at No. 20 on Sunday, Brian Cashman added a top young arm in Stanford’s Brendan Beck at No. 55. The rest of the day, the team stocked up on more infielders and even more arms.

How did the Yankees fare in rounds 3-10? Let’s take a look.

 

Round 3, Pick 92: Hamilton HS (AZ) LHP Brock Selvidge

From MLB Pipeline:

AGE: 18

BATS: R

DOB: 8/28/2002

THROWS: L

HEIGHT: 6-foot-3

WEIGHT: 205

Arizona high school powerhouse Hamilton High School has had a number of players get drafted and a few make it to the big leagues, headlined by the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger. Bellinger is the most recent to be taken in the top five rounds (2013, fourth round), but Hamilton could very well have another in Selvidge, the top prep talent in the state.

Athletic and strong, this high school lefty has some serious arm strength and speed that should be attractive to a number of teams. He’s up to 96 mph with his fastball, sitting comfortably at 90-92 mph, throwing it with armside run. He’s learned to manipulate his heater a bit more, with some sink. He’ll throw his slider 79-84 mph as his best secondary offering, with three-quarter type tilt, though it can get slurvy at times without hard bite. He has a get-me-over kind of curve that’s a work in progress, with some scouts feeling he’d be better off focusing on the slider only. He has a changeup, but doesn’t throw it a ton.

Selvidge likes to go right after hitters with his power stuff and will have to refine his overall command, though he is athletic enough to feel there will be at least average control in the future. Teams that believe that and in his starting pitcher profile could take him early enough to sign him away from his LSU commitment and be the earliest an Arizona high schooler has been taken since fellow southpaw Matthew Liberatore was a first-rounder in 2018.

 

Round 4, Pick 122: Louisville 2B Cooper Bowman

From MLB Pipeline:

AGE: 21

BATS: R

DOB: 1/25/2000

THROWS: R

HEIGHT: 6’0″

WEIGHT: 205

A product of the same high school (Stevens in Rapid City, S.D.) that produced Mark Ellis, Bowman could have a similar future as a multidimensional second baseman. He starred for two years as a shortstop at Iowa Western CC, batting .418 with 44 steals in 84 games and helping the Reivers finish runner-up at the 2019 Junior College World Series, before transferring to Louisville for 2021. He has settled in at second and the leadoff spot and become the Cardinals’ most dependable hitter outside of potential No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis. 

Bowman has a smooth right-handed swing, good feel for hitting and a patient approach, allowing him to make regular contact and get on base. He has a quick bat with solid raw power and can drive the ball out of the park from gap to gap, giving him 15-20 homer potential. He’s surprisingly fast for a 6-foot, 205-pounder, recording plus to plus-plus run times and showing a knack for stealing bases. 

Though he has slightly improved his arm strength since junior college, Bowman still is average at best in that regard and throws with a funky stroke, so he’s better suited for second base than shortstop on an everyday basis. His quickness gives him good range at the keystone, though he needs to improve his consistency. He runs well enough to play center field if needed. 

 

Round 5, Pick 153: Oklahoma 1B Tyler Hardman

From MLB Pipeline:

AGE: 22

BATS: R

DOB: 1/27/1999

THROWS: R

HEIGHT: 6-foot-3

WEIGHT: 204

A Rockies 37th-round pick out of a California high school in 2017, Hardman starred in the Cape Cod League two summers later, winning all-star recognition and the home run derby while ranking third with eight homers in 44 games. But he didn’t get a chance to build on that momentum during the shortened college season in 2020, when he went unselected in the five-round Draft. He used his pandemic downtime to get into better shape, which has paid off with him becoming one of the best all-around offensive players and the batting champion (.397) in the Big 12 Conference this spring. 

After dropping 20 pounds, Hardman is displaying better bat speed from the right side of the plate. He tracks balls well, hits high velocity as well as offspeed pitches and draws walks because he isn’t afraid to work deep counts (which also leads to strikeouts). With his quicker bat to go with his strength and the leverage in his 6-foot-3 frame, he’s better able to translate his at least plus raw power into home run production to all fields. 

Though he’s moving better than ever, Hardman is still a below-average runner who may be limited to first base. He needs to clean up his footwork but projects as an average defender with arm strength to match. He played mostly third base on the Cape but would have a long ways to go to become adequate at the hot corner, while left field could be a more realistic option for expanding his defensive horizons.

 

Round 6, Pick 183: Auburn RHP Richard Fitts

From MLB Pipeline:

AGE: 21

BATS: R

DOB: 12/17/1999

THROWS: R

HEIGHT: 6-foot-3

WEIGHT: 215

Fitts was a key reliever for Auburn as a freshman in 2019, throwing six shutout innings to beat Georgia Tech in the NCAA regional playoffs, winning the clincher against North Carolina in the super regionals and pitching well in two College World Series appearances. He remained in the bullpen during the shortened 2020 season but raised his profile significantly as a starter during summer play and fall practice. Viewed as a potential first-rounder, he instead has become an enigma after sustaining a foot injury in early March and pitching sparingly afterward. 

After operating with a low-90s sinker as a reliever, Fitts began employing a four-seam fastball as a starter. He showed the ability to sit at 93-95 mph for several innings and reach 97 with quality vertical life on his heater last year and has mostly held that velocity in 2021. He has two promising secondary pitches, with his upper-80s changeup with some splitter action currently a more reliable option than his improving mid-80s slider, but both have regressed this spring. 

Fitts’ stuff has gotten better as he has grown into his 6-foot-3 frame, which is strong enough for him to handle a starter’s workload. His arm action and delivery are sound, and he throws strikes with his entire arsenal. Adding to the package is his competitiveness, which draws as much praise as his stuff. 

 

Round 7, Pick 213: Oregon LHP Robert Ahlstrom

Round 8, Pick 243: Southeastern Louisiana RHP Will Warren

Round 9, Pick 273: USC RHP Chandler Champlain

Round 10, Pick 303: Maryland SS Benjamin Cowles

-Follow ESNY - Elite Sports NY on Google News to keep up with the latest New York sports news.

Josh Benjamin
Josh Benjamin has been a staff writer at ESNY since 2018. He has had opinions about everything, especially the Yankees and Knicks. He co-hosts the “Bleacher Creatures” podcast and is always looking for new pieces of sports history to uncover, usually with a Yankee Tavern chicken parm sub in hand.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR