The Yankees’ selection of Aaron Judge in 2013 was a game-changer. New York did what all Major League teams strive to do every summer: nab an elite player who can go on to carry a franchise to new heights. Judge proved to be a hit in The Bronx but what have the Yankees done in the MLB Draft since then? Here’s a look at the best Yankees draft picks over the last decade, plus a look at the most notable selection that didn’t work.
Best Yankees Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Montgomery | P | 2014 | 4 | 11.3 |
| James Kaprielian | P | 2015 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Clarke Schmidt | P | 2017 | 1 | 2.9 |
| Trevor Stephan | P | 2017 | 3 | 1.7 |
| Garrett Whitlock | P | 2017 | 18 | 5.9 |
| Ron Marinaccio | P | 2017 | 19 | 1.9 |
| Anthony Volpe | SS | 2019 | 1 | 5.3 |
| Josh Smith | 2B | 2019 | 2 | 4.4 |
| Hayden Wesneski | P | 2019 | 6 | 2.3 |
The most productive Yankee draft pick of the last decade came in the 2014 MLB Draft. New York selected University of South Carolina lefty Jordan Montgomery in the fourth round that year. Just three years later, Montgomery finished sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting after he struck out 144 over 155.1 IP and owned a 3.88 ERA.
Elbow problems and Tommy John surgery limited him in 2018 and 2019. He returned to form in the 2020 MLB Playoffs after a sluggish regular season campaign and continued to provide value before the trade that sent him to St. Louis in 2022. One year later, Montgomery played a pivotal role for Texas during their run to the 2023 World Series.
Aside from Montgomery, the Yankees haven’t had a “big” get in the MLB Draft. New York did, however, find some valuable pitchers, particularly on the second and third days. Ron Marinaccio turned into a solid reliever for New York, while Trevor Stephan logged key innings for Cleveland after the Guardians picked him in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft.
However, the most impactful pitcher drafted outside of Montgomery, Garrett Whitlock, put forth his best work outside of The Bronx. Unfortunately for the Yankees, it came with the Red Sox after Boston picked him in the same 2020 Rule 5 Draft.
As for position players, the Yankees hit with Anthony Volpe in the 2019 MLB Draft. The selection of Volpe was a curious one. It was well-known that Volpe had a strong commitment to Vanderbilt and was expected to play there alongside his high school teammate, Jack Leiter. Nonetheless, the Yankees were able to sign the New Jersey kid who grew up a Yankee fan.
Volpe started slow. He missed a good chunk of 2019 with mononucleosis and all of 2020 thanks to the MiLB shutdown. Volpe hit the ground running after that, eventually making the Yankees’ Opening Day roster in 2023. The 23-year-old went on to produce a 20-20 campaign in his rookie season.
Austin Wells (1st Round in 2020, 1.1 bWAR) and Ben Rice (12th Round in 2021, 0.5 bWAR) aren’t listed here, yet. However, the two have a good shot at being soon.
Now, we move from the best Yankees draft picks over the last decade to the worst.
Worst Yankees Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Lindgren | P | 2014 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Austin DeCarr | P | 2015 | 3 | Never played in MLB |
| Kyle Holder | SS | 2015 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Blake Rutherford | OF | 2016 | 1 | -0.2 |
| Nolan Martinez | P | 2016 | 3 | Never played in MLB |
| Anthony Seigler | C | 2018 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Josh Breaux | C | 2018 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
| T.J. Sikkema | P | 2019 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
Every player listed here was given a seven-figure signing bonus. However, just two made it to the Majors.
New York selected Jacob Lindgren with their second-round pick in 2014. It was their highest pick in the draft after a free agency splurge the winter prior. Lindgren was expected to be a fast riser given his dominance as a reliever for Mississippi State. He did just that, as he made his MLB debut in 2015. Lindgren threw just seven MLB innings before the former Yankee underwent two Tommy John surgeries between 2016 and 2018.
The only other player to make the Majors out of this group was Blake Rutherford. Rutherford was traded a year after he was selected to the White Sox for Todd Frazier, Tommy Kahnle, and David Robertson. It proved to be the correct move. The trio of new Yankees helped the Bombers make the playoffs. Rutherford, though, has had just 36 plate appearances in his MLB career, all of which came in 2023 with Washington.
T.J. Sikkema, a standout at Missouri, was also shipped out via trade. Sikkema, now in the Reds system, was used to acquire Andrew Benintendi.
Out of the notable picks listed above, just one remains in the Yankees organization. Anthony Seigler was in Double-A as of this writing. However, he hit .214/.357/.342 over his first five and a half Minor League seasons.
bWAR figures as of July 2024.