Pick 118, Jordan Cote, RHP, Winnisquam HS, NH
With a good 6’5”, 205 lbs frame, Cote sits 88-90 with his fastball while touching 92. With good projection, scouts think his velocity will peak as he pitches in some better weather. He has a clean arm but his mechanics will need to be refined as he continues to get bigger. He throws a slider and a curveball but handles the curve better right now. Both pitches are inconsistent due to his inability to repeat his delivery at this point. He also has a changeup that he hasn’t thrown much against inferior HS hitters. Cote’s projection is the key here. He hasn’t received a ton of instruction and with his tools, there’s a lot of possibility with how he may develop. The Yankees have been on him for awhile though and like most Northeast prospects, many scouts haven’t been able to get a good look at him.
Keith Law rates him as the 85th best prospect available, while Baseball America has him outside of their top 200. Right now he’s committed to Costal Carolina.
Pick 149, Matthew Duran, 3B, New Rochelle HS, NY
Duran, who just turned 18 last month, is a big 6’1”, 205 pound corner infielder from New Rochelle. A local product who has played on “Hanks Yanks”, Duran has one plus tool in his ability to hit for power. Defensively he’s not very gifted so it’s likely he’ll be a 1B, DH or LF in the future. He has an average arm, but nothing too exciting. Here’s his scouting video from MLB.com.
Pick 179, Greg Bird, C/1B, Grandview HS, CO
Bird is a big 6’4”, 205 prospect who spent much of his time this year at 1B where he figures to play as a pro. With a good LH swing, he has plenty of power and his bat speed projects well. In terms of physical ability, Bird is quite gifted. His swing is quick and simple and he generates plenty of backspin on the ball. He has a good hip turn and can repeat his swing well. Committed to Arkansas, Bird is another power prep bat likely to play a corner defensive position. Here’s a video of Bird courtesy Baseball Beginnings, and one from the Under Armour All American games.
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2 Responses to Early Draft Review: Picks 3-5
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TIQ IQ
Having watched a handful of YouTube videos on Bird’s swing, I actually don’t see much here that we shouldn’t like. Scouts wrote that his bat may not play well for the corner infield (1B) which may be the case but the swing actually looks good to me.
I don’t particularly care for the Yankees’ formulaic approach to the draft (the 2011 memo apparently instructed the team to take only corner bats) but, based on this very limited video footage I’ve seen, he actually looks better than Bichette at the plate.
[...] posted a writeup on Bird back around the time of the draft, noting his large frame (6’4″ 205) and [...]