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2016 Draft: Forrest Whitley

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Forrest Whitley | RHP

Background
The 18-year-old Whitley attends Alamo Heights High School in Texas, where he threw a 13-strikeout no-hitter last month. He missed about a month earlier this spring with a thumb injury that has given him no problems since returning. Whitley is committed to Florida State and there was some initial thought he wanted a huge bonus to turn pro, though that is no longer the case.

Scouting Report
Whitley went through a big growth sport as a sophomore and is now a massive human at 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds. He’s been as heavy as 250 lbs. at times but has done a better job with his conditioning lately. Whitley’s fastball sits mostly in the low-90s and it has touched as high as 97 mph during shorter outings. His top secondary pitch is a hard curveball around 80 mph. He also throws a low-80s changeup. Whitley is a good athlete, but, like most young pitchers this size, he battles his mechanics and struggles to repeat his delivery. He’s also maxed out physically. There’s no projection here.

Miscellany
MLB.com, Keith Law (subs. req’d), and Baseball America respectively ranked Whitley as the 13th, 16th, and 28th best prospect in the 2016 draft class in their latest rankings. The Yankees hold the 18th pick. Whitley has all the unteachables. He has the size, the big fastball, the power curveball, and he even has a changeup. What he lacks is general refinement. Getting a pitcher this big to keep his long limbs in check is not easy. That has never stopped the Yankees from trying though.

2016 Draft: Matt Manning

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Matt Manning | RHP

Background
Manning, 18, is the son of former NBA player Rich Manning. He attends Sheldon High School in Sacramento and has a 2.51 ERA with 42 strikeouts and 14 walks in 22.1 innings this spring. His baseball season started a little late because he was focused on basketball full-time. Manning is committed to Loyola Marymount, where he could play both sports.

Scouting Report
At 6-foot-6 and 185 lbs., Manning is the classic “dream big” high school pitcher. He’s an excellent athlete with a loose arm who did not start pitching full-time until his junior year. During that time he’s upped his fastball from 87-89 mph into the 92-94 mph range, and the heater plays faster because he gets so much extension. He’s run his fastball as high as 96-97 mph in short outings during showcase events. Manning can spin a hard curveball in the upper-70s but the pitch lacks consistency. He doesn’t have a changeup or a third pitch in general, so that will be a project going forward.

Miscellany
Manning was ranked as the 12th, 21st, and 25th best prospect in the 2016 draft class by Keith Law (subs. req’d). MLB.com, and Baseball America in their latest rankings, respectively. The Yankees pick 18th. The athleticism, fastball, and promising curveball are enough to get Manning picked in the first round. He is raw and not someone who figures to shoot up the minor league ladder in a hurry. The Yankees have not had much success developing lottery ticket prep arms like Manning in recent years — Dellin Betances is by far their biggest success story — and as a result they’ve leaned towards college players. For what it’s worth, Manning is physically huge with a big fastball, and those are two Yankees trademarks.

2016 Draft: Josh Lowe

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Josh Lowe | 3B/RHP

Background
Lowe attends Pope High School in the Atlanta suburbs and is committed to Florida State. He played fall ball with the East Cobb Yankees last year, though they’re not affiliated with the New York Yankees. They’re a very prestigious prep travel team for Atlanta area players that happens to be named the Yankees. Brian McCann is a former East Cobb Yankee.

Scouting Report
Lowe, 18, is the best two-way player in the draft, though he’s a better prospect as a position player than pitcher. He’s a left-handed hitter with tremendous raw power thanks to his bat speed, strong hands, and lower half leverage. Lowe is a big guy — he’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 lbs. — with long arms and that leads to some swings and misses, though his swing is level and he knows the strike zone. He’s not a true all or nothing hitter. Although he’s a third baseman now, there’s some thought Lowe will end up in the outfield long-term because his hands are a bit clunky. He runs well, so center field is a possibility. If not, right field it is.

On the mound Lowe works in the 90-92 mph range and touches 94 regularly. His breaking ball is somewhere between a curveball and a slider, and his changeup is rudimentary as well. Lowe’s a good athlete with good body control, so he repeats his delivery fairly well. Here’s video of him on the mound:

All in all, Lowe is a classic projection high school player. Put him on the mound full-time and he could be living in the mid-90s with a sharp breaking ball in a year or two. Stick with him as a position player and you dream of that power potential developing into in-game power and 30+ homers down the line. Lowe is not short on tools. No siree.

Miscellany
Baseball America, MLB.com, and Keith Law (subs. req’d) rank Lowe as the 11th, 17th, and 18th best prospect in the 2016 draft class in their latest rankings, respectively. The Yankees hold the No. 18 pick. Lowe figures to begin his career as a position player — most two-way guys start as a position players because it’s easy to go from hitter to pitcher down the line than vice versa — and his power is a great carrying tool. Lefty pop is a Yankees trademark for sure. He’s right up their alley.

2016 Draft: Dakota Hudson

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Dakota Hudson | RHP

Background
A few years back Hudson, 21, was considered a fourth or fifth round talent out of Sequatchie County High School in Tennessee, but his strong commitment to Mississippi State caused him to fall to the 36th round (Rangers). This spring Hudson has a 2.82 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 24 walks in 67 innings for the Bulldogs. Last summer he had a 1.43 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 14 walks in 56 2/3 innings for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

Scouting Report
At 6-foot-5 and 205 lbs., Hudson has the kind of big frame teams look for in a future workhorse starter. His best pitch is a darting cutter in the 88-91 mph range that he’s able to bust in on the hands of left-handed batters. Hudson sits around 92-95 mph with his straight four-seam fastball, and he also has a low-80s slider he’ll back foot to lefties. Neither his curveball nor his changeup are anything to write home about. The cutter is his go-to weapon against lefties. Control problems limited Hudson to only 34 total innings his first two years on college, but nowadays he has good control and improving command.

Miscellany
In their latest rankings Hudson is ranked as the 17th, 20th, and 33rd best prospect in the 2016 draft by Keith Law (subs. req’d), Baseball America, and MLB.com, respectively. The Yankees hold the 18th overall pick, and they really seem to value Cape Cod League success. Hudson does not fit the mold of a polished college starter. He has a deep arsenal and a big frame, but he’s still learning to throw strikes consistently. The pitches are there. It’s just a matter of fine-tuning some things.

2016 Draft: Nolan Jones

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Nolan Jones | SS

Background
Jones attends Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, which is about halfway between Trenton and Philadelphia, so he’s kinda sorta local to the Yankees. He is 10-for-14 (.714) with a double, a triple, two home runs, and ten walks through six games this spring. Jones impressed with his ability to handle advanced prep arms from warm weather states in showcase events last summer. He’s slated to attend Virginia in the fall.

Scouting Report
At 6-foot-4 and 185 lbs., most expect Jones to outgrow shortstop and move to either second or third base down the line. His bat will play anywhere, however. The left-handed hitter has a drool worthy offensive skill set. Jones has very strong hands and good raw power, yet his swing is simple and controlled, allowing him to barrel up the ball consistently. He knows the strike zone and looks very much like a player with the potential to hit for a high average with power and on-base ability down the line. The kid can even run a little. Defensively, Jones has a strong arm — he’s been clocked at 88-91 mph off the mound — and good hands, so third base won’t be an issue if that’s where he ends up.

Miscellany
In their latest rankings, Keith Law (subs. req’) and Baseball America ranked Jones as the 14th and 16th best prospect in the draft class, respectively. MLB.com had him further down at No. 29. The Yankees hold the 18th overall pick. I’m just an idiot with a blog, so take the following with a grain of salt: Jones strikes me as an underrated draft prospect who would be getting much more attention if he were playing year round in California or Texas. I get that he hasn’t faced great competition as a high schooler, but he did rake against the best of the best in showcases last year, and the tools are very impressive. Virginia commitments can be tough to break, and if Jones winds up going to college, he has a chance to come out as potential No. 1 pick in three years.

2016 Draft: Kevin Gowdy

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Kevin Gowdy | RHP

Background
Gowdy, 19 in November, is a Southern California kid from Santa Barbara, and this spring he has a 1.12 ERA with a 63/2 K/BB in 37.1 innings for Santa Barbara High School. He did not have a strong showing with the Team USA 18-and-under team last fall, and despite the impressive numbers, Gowdy has been a bit up and down this spring. He’s committed to UCLA.

Scouting Report
After sitting in the 91-93 mph range last year, Gowdy’s velocity has fluctuated anywhere between 87-93 mph this spring. He has the prototypical high school pitcher body (6-foot-4, 170 lbs.) and the belief is he will add velocity as he fills out, though that’s never a guarantee. Gowdy’s out pitch is a low-80s slider he can locate very well. He also throws a nascent changeup and is generally considered to have good command and a refined approach on the mound. Gowdy has an old school drop and drive delivery, but he sometimes flies open early, which hurts his location.

Miscellany
Baseball America, MLB.com, and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked Gowdy as the 14th, 22nd, and 25th best prospect in the 2016 draft class in their most recent rankings, respectively. If he can gain some consistency with his velocity and delivery these next few weeks, he’ll land comfortably in the middle of the first round. The Yankees hold the 18th overall pick and not only does scouting director Damon Oppenheimer gravitate towards SoCal prospects, the team also likes pitchers with some smarts to go along with their raw stuff. Gowdy is not Drew Finley in that regard, but he’s among the more advanced prep arms in the 2016 draft.

2016 Draft: Reggie Lawson

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Reggie Lawson | RHP

Background
Lawson, who turns 19 in August, attends Victor Valley High School in Victorville, which is not too far outside Los Angeles. So far this spring he has allowed six runs on nine hits and 12 walks in 18 innings while striking out 19. Last summer Lawson impressed on the showcase circuit, and he dominated out of the bullpen for Team USA’s 18-and-under squad last fall. He’s committed to Arizona State.

Scouting Report
At 6-foot-4 and 190 lbs., Lawson is a classic projection high school right-hander. His spent most of his junior year topping out at 90 mph, but, by the end of the summer, his fastball was hitting 92-93 mph regularly and topping out at 95. He’s held that velocity this spring. Lawson’s breaking ball is a low-to-mid-70s curveball, and his changeup at this point is close to nonexistent. There are some concerns about his delivery, specifically the way he has shortened his stride, which has hindered his location and taken some of the snap away from his curve. Apparently that is considered fixable.

Miscellany
In their most recent rankings, both Keith Law (subs. req’d) and Baseball America ranked Lawson as the 26th best prospect in the 2016 draft. MLB.com had him 37th. The Yankees hold the 18th overall pick this year and scouting director Damon Oppenheimer sure loves his Southern California players, but Lawson is probably going to have to show a little more this spring to play his way into consideration for the middle of the first round. He was so good last summer that it is definitely possible. Right now Lawson looks more like a late-first round prospect.