The New York Yankees selected Sam Stafford, a left-handed pitcher from the University of Texas, in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft on Tuesday (the 88th overall selection). Stafford is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound junior.
Baseball Beginnings called Stafford "Easily one of the best left-handed starting pitching prospects I’ve seen in this draft cycle. He doesn’t get a lot of fame because he’s behind some name guys at Texas, but the school’s depth chart has nothing to do with what kind of professional prospect he is."
Here is another look at Stafford's arsenal, and his potential:
He has a smooth and repeatable delivery with a little bit of deception that makes him more difficult to time. His fastball can sit in the low-90s, typically working in the 89-92 range with the ability to touch 93-94. He commands this pitch fairly well at times, but needs to improve his overall consistency when it comes to his control. He also throws a promising sweeping curveball, but like his fastball, he needs to continue to work on both the break, command and consistency of this pitch. The same is true for his changeup. He has a tall, projectable build and a fairly fresh arm.
The draft continues today thru Round 30. Rounds 31-50 will be completed on Wednesday.