Frank Piliere on Yanks' Cito Culver pick

Photo courtesy of River Ave Blues

Super scout Frank Piliere of MLB Fanhouse weighed in on the Yankees surprising selection of Cito Culver with the 32nd pick in yesterday’s draft. Here’s what he wrote:

• The New York Yankees had a player they really wanted, regardless of where he was in the draft, and that was Cito Culver, who they picked 32nd overall. It’s easy to bash, but teams have a solid feel for signability players who will be available further down the line. Culver was evaluated high on their board and got stellar grades from the MLB Scouting Bureau this spring, grades that could have pushed him into the top 25. This is an example of a club not worrying about public perception and taking the guy scouts evaluated as being best for the organization.

Clearly, the Yanks care little about public perception since this pick has been blasted just about everywhere. They put their own rankings ahead of whatever the consensus view is on a player, and have had a tendency to take late risers in recent years. Jeremy Bleich surprised everyone last year as well, though it was later revealed that the Bleich pick was made to save money for Cole, who never signed (despite giving every indication he would). Piliere’s  point about landing signability guys later on is critical, if they land some premier talent later in the draft then their 1st pick gets put into a different context. Always remember, the Baseball draft isn’t as linear as other sports. Lots of borrowing from the future goes on annually. But most draft watchers will tell you there were more talented players available, and that Culver could have been had later on. Teams will often reach for a guy early to save money for other players they like later, and it appears that’s what happened here.