Yankees Mock Draft: May

The MLB Draft is fast approaching. As the NCAA regular season comes to a close and playoffs set to begin, I figured it would be a suitable time to do an initial look at the draft boards. Through the efforts of the brilliant Joe Doyle, Overslot baseball offers a free mock draft simulator, allowing all fans to run mock drafts for their favorite teams. The MLB Draft is a different beast than all of the other professional leagues, but I wanted to give it my best shot to predict.

Here are a few key things to know about the Yankees draft this year. After losing their 2^nd and 5^th highest picks in the 2025 draft as a penalty for the signing of qualified Free Agent Max Fried (still had 19 picks in the draft thanks to the pick received from losing Juan Soto), the Yankees return to the 2026 draft with their full allotment of picks. Despite this, the Yankees rank near the bottom of the MLB in bonus pool to spend, thanks in part to their 1^st round selection dropping 10 spots from 25 to 35 as penalty for breaking the third level of the Luxury Tax. While this will limit the amount of over-slot deals, they can manage to cut, the Yankees draft group is more than used to these types of limitations. With that said, let’s get started!

 

1 (35). Eric Becker, SS Virginia

Rank: OS - 37 | BA - 33

The Yankees have had an inconsistent record when it comes to the first round. Since 2017, they have selected college pitcher 2 times (Clarke Schmdit, Ben Hess), college hitter 3 times (Austin Wells, Trey Sweeney, Spencer Jones, and high-school hitter 4 times (Anthony Siegler, Anthony Volpe, George Lombard Jr., Dax Kilby). The common denominator between all the hitter picks has been up-the-middle profiles, with all but Siegler and Jones being shortstops (Siegler a catcher and Jones a centerfielder). With that in mind, and the way the board fell, my focus was between Becker and HS SS Ty Spangler, deciding on the former.

Eric Becker is a well-rounded prospect. Hitting from the left side, Becker is an aggressive swinger, willing to expand the zone but not willing to miss a pitch in the zone. While his contact rates are not elite, Becker has improved on his in-zone contact rate this season, while managing a respectable out-of-zone contact rate to keep at-bats alive. With a quiet swing and quick hands, Becker should continue to improve in his ability to make contact.

While he has never been a big home run threat at UVA, Becker has very good exit velocities. Becker excels with his barrel awareness, constantly making hard contact. While his swing currently is more line drive oriented and spraying the ball around, there is juice in the bat to get the ball over the wall more consistently. While currently a shortstop, Becker projects better for 2^nd or 3^rd long term. While injuries and slumping performance in 2026 saw potential top 15 aspirations fall, it could very well be to the benefit of the Yankees.

2 (63). Brett Renfrow, RHP Virginia Tech

Rank: OS - 83 | BA - 61

Staying in the commonwealth of Virginia, we move to a player from my alma-mater. Renfrow has been the Friday night starter for Virginia Tech since his Freshman year, improving each season. This year has been his best, ending the regular season with a 29.0 K% to 7.1 BB% against tough ACC competition. At 6’3”, Renfrow has a good frame and is an easy mover on the mound with simple and clean mechanics, allowing for consistent strike throwing.

His repertoire features a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, curveball, and cutter. His fastball sits typically 93-94 mph but has been as high as 97 and inverted vertical break upwards of 19 inches. His slider is his best secondary. It is a short gyro slider in the mid 80’s that he can land consistently down and away to righties. His changeup is of similar velocity, though he needs improvement. The big sticking point to me is the use of a low-90’s cutter. The Yankees have clearly developed a fascination with the pitch, and Renfrow has a good one that the organization should be able to clean up. While he may not have ace upside, Renfrow has all the characteristics of a starter.

3 (99). Jack Brenner, C Fond Du Lac HS (WI)

Rank: OS - 138 | BA – 194

It should be mentioned, the Yankees do not go prep too often, and when they do, it is typically in the 1^st round. The last time they took a high schooler outside of the first round was Brock Selvidge in the 3^rd round of the 2021 draft. However, with this potentially being the last MLB draft with High Schoolers eligible, it would make sense for the Yankees to dip into the pool.

Jack Brenner may have one of the best hit tools in the entire prep class, if not the draft class of a whole. During the summer circuit, he displayed excellent contact ability, both in zone and outside, as well as a firm understanding of the strike zone. While power hasn’t been a big part of his game, there is natural growth, as well as slight swing changes, that can be made to provide fringe average game power. Behind the plate, there is work to do on his receiving and blocking, but Brenner has shown sub 2 second pop times and has a strong arm. If he can’t stick behind the plate, he is a good enough athlete to find a place somewhere else on the diamond.

4 (127). Camden Kozeal, 2B Arkansas

Rank: OS - 188 | BA - 118

In the 4^th round, I have the Yakees taking another bat to help shore up a pitching-heavy system. Kozeal has some similarities to 2025 5^th rounder Core Jackson, as he has some excellent exit velocities (90^th% EV 105.9, multiple 110+ EV’s), but lags with his hit tool and only fringe average swing decisions. What Kozeal does better than Jackson is hit for game power. Kozeal has excellent barrel control and can pull the ball in the air, making him a candidate to hit for game power immediately once entering the pros.

As mentioned, the ability to make contact is a bit of a concern right now. While the strikeout rate has been manageable in college, it will rise in the pros. Additionally, as a second baseman, he does lack future position versatility. Still, Kozeal has an intriguing bat that could be sorely used in the Yankees system.

5 (160). Matt Scott, RHP Georgia

Rank: OS - 414 | BA – 301

In the 5^th round, we saved a little money to afford the over-slot bonus given to Jack Brenner. As a senior sign, Scott affords us the savings to the bonus pool while also providing some interesting upside. Scott was long a potential 1^st round prospect at Stanford but struggled in his performance. Instead of going in the middle rounds in 2025, Scott took a nice NIL payday from UGA to return to school.

Scott is a giant at 6’6”. He has performed well in his jump to the SEC, featuring a 30.8% K rate. Control still has been an issue for the big fella, but it isn’t so bad that he can’t be a starter. With a four-seam fastball in the mid 90’s and a slightly slower cutter, Scott has two good fastballs. Scott has mixed around with several breaking/offspeed pitches, including a slider, curveball, changeup, and splitter. The Yankees will be tasked with developing a couple secondary offerings, which they have been more than capable of doing with others.

6 (189). Taylor Rabe, RHP Mississippi

Rank: OS - 244 | BA - 159

The 6^th to 8^th rounds has been a hot-spot for the Yankees scouting department in recent years, finding several high-upside arms including Will Warren, Chase Hampton, and Cam Schlittler. Taylor Rabe may fit the mold to a T. After missing the 2024 season due to Tommy John, Rabe returned as a reliever in 2025. In 2026, Rabe has made 13 appearances, with only 7 of them starting. The arm talent is there with Rabe, striking out 32.3% of batters while only walking 3.3%.

Rabe’s fastball has been sitting 94-96 while touching 99 this year. While his arm-angle creates a steep fastball, it is the use of a sinker that has been his strength this year. With great arm-side run, it has graded out positively collegiately. His slider and changeup are the main secondary offerings, although also has a cutter to use as a sharper version of the slider. It is a fun pitch mix with a lively arm. Given he hasn’t been starting, he has the feel of an overlooked asset that the Yankees can turn into a good starting pitcher.

7 (218). Macon Winslow, C North Carolina

Rank: OS - 307 | BA - 231

After many trades over the last two seasons, the Yankees have run thin on catching prospects. While Brenner gives them a high-upside project, there is more to be done to address the need. Winslow, who made the transfer from rival Duke to UNC, is having a breakout offensive season. He is walking more than he strikes out, making good amount of contact, and hitting the ball extremely hard. While he has shown susceptibility to swing and miss down and away, as well as issues against velocity, there is above average power potential with his bat.

The bat is nice, but the catching is what stands out with Winslow. He has exhibited fantastic pop times and strong arms. Additionally, pitchers have praised him for his ability to call a game from behind the plate. Led by his defensive skills, whatever emerges from his bat could make him turn into a solid professional.

8 (248). AJ Krodel, RHP UC Santa Barbara

Rank: OS - 360 | BA - 297

Here in round 8, we take one more swing at an upside arm. Krodel is a big arm with big stuff but equally big misses. He has taken a step back in his junior season, seeing a nearly 7% decrease in his K%, though he has at least lowered his walk rate each of his 3 seasons at UCSB.

The stuff is headlined by his 96mph four-seam fastball that has recorded north of 20 inches of vertical break. He follows the fastball up with a slider, a changeup, and a curveball, giving him four distinct pitches with different speeds. Kordel has great shapes to all his pitches, presenting tantalizing upside. In order to reach that upside, he will have to figure out how to throw strikes more consistently. He moves well enough on the mound at this stage that it isn’t an impossible task.

9 (278). Jack Duer, OF Texas A&M

Rank: OS - 424 | BA – N/A

We now reach rounds 9 and 10, which have typically been money saving rounds for the Yankees, as they look to maintain bonus pool flexibility for the 11^th-20^th rounds. Starting us off is Jack Duer, a senior outfielder from Texas A&M who will be 23 in June. This isn’t an upside projected pick, but there are some good traits in Duer’s game.

Duer is very stingy at the plate, having a BB% twice of his K% his junior year at FAU before having nearly identical 16% K and BB rates in the SEC. Duer doesn’t chase much, and when he does, he is able to make a ton contact to keep at bats alive. He also has some reasonable exit velocities, although he struggles to lift the ball in the air, diminishing his game power. While Duer won’t be selected with him turning into a top prospect in mind, he has some nice tools that could help in the minor leagues.

10 (308). Cody Brasch, RHP Louisiana

Rank: OS - 529 | BA - N/A

Brasch has had a really nice season at Louisiana, pitching to a 2.24 ERA with a 39.8% K rate at the lower-level conference. Brasch has seen the most success with his slider and curveball this season, giving him two potential above-average offerings. While the Yankees may see this selection as another starter, Brasch could benefit from immediately moving into the bullpen.