New York Yankees: 2018 MLB Draft names to look for day one

Names hanging around the board near the Yankees pick.

2018 MLB Draft: Joe Gray, OF – Hattiesburg HS (MS)

It might seem odd for the Yankees to use a first round pick on an outfielder given the long term depth they have at the major league level. But the upside of Joe Gray might be enough to convince the Bronx Bombers to take a shot. The high school outfielder has excellent power, a plus arm, and currently shows plus speed. He’ll likely grow out of that speed. But with good routes and jumps, he can probably stick in center field for a while before moving to right.

And as a high school draftee, we’re talking four or five years most likely before he’d be ready for a call up. That’s plenty of time for the major league roster to change. Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton could move to DH. Judge could choose to test free agency and end up leaving. Brett Gardner will certainly be gone by then. Yes, the club has Clint Frazier waiting for a shot, but you don’t draft for need. And Joe Gray offers a high enough ceiling that he could be relatively high on the Yankees draft board Monday night. Should a few of their preferred options get scooped up by other teams, don’t be surprised to see this name called.

The one downside with Joe Gray is his contact rate. He swings and misses quite a bit which is likely why he is showing up in the mid to late 20’s in mock drafts. That said, Aaron Judge has plenty of swing and miss in his game and that didn’t stop the Yankees from grabbing him.

2018 MLB Draft: Noah Naylor, 3B/C – St. Joan of Arc Catholic HS (Ontario, Canada)

Noah Naylor is a bit divisive in these mock drafts. Baseball America has him going number 18 to the Kansas City Royals. But The Athletic has him as low as 27. And Jonathan Mayo’s latest draft pins him one lower than that at 28 for the Houston Astros. As the younger brother of current San Diego Padres prospect Josh Naylor, Noah draws frequent comparisons. And one area in which he comes up short against his sibling is power. While not devoid of it, he’s more of a gap to gap power hitter at this stage of his development. However, the hit tool is considered a plus.

There is disagreement about where he will end up defensively. Some think third base; others believe he’s athletic enough to catch. If the Yankees select him and stick him behind the plate, his eventual arrival may coincide with moving Gary Sanchez to DH. But Noah Naylor has a lot of work to do if that’s where he ends up playing. If he’s on the board at 26, the Yankees may well pull the trigger.