Day 2 of the 2011 MLB Draft is in the books, and the New York Yankees hope that they may have found a steal in the third round when they were able to select Jordan Cote, a right-handed starting pitcher from Winnisquam High School in New Hampshire.
From ESPN's MLB Draft Tracker:
Cote is an extremely tall right-hander with present arm strength, and he's a virtual blank slate as a pitcher, having received limited instruction. His physical tools are a pitching coach's dream. ... he's pretty athletic and has very little pitching experience, so it's all projection with lots for a player development group to work with.
Cote was ranked 85th on Keith Law's Top 100 prospects list, and the Yankees got him with the 118th overall selection.
From ESPN Boston:
"He’s really climbed into the upper echelon of high school prospects. You look at that frame, 6-6, 215, and there’s a lot of projectability. You could see him filling out to 240, and see that fastball velocity increase because of the hand speed he demonstrates."
The Yankees' fourth-round selection was Matthew Duran, a third baseman from New Rochelle High School who is projected to end up at either first base or a corner outfield position.
From the Fordham University website, where Duran had committed prior to the draft:
Big frame (6-1/220)/big swing/big power, lets barrel fly, drives ball to all fields, limited on D, 1B in future.
In addition to playing for New Rochelle, Duran plays for Hank's Yanks, a team sponsored by Hank Steinbrenner, General Partner of the New York Yankees, and the New York Yankees area code team, for which he hit .300 during the Area Code Games in California, which has grown into one of the highest regarded high school talent tournaments in the country. A nominee for the National Honor Society, he also participated in the Empire State Games this past summer, hitting .450 with nine RBI.
"Matthew is one of the best hitters on the east coast. He's participated in two invitation only events in the East Coast Pro Showcase and played for the New York Yankees area code team, which played in the Area Codes Games, one of the top, if not the top, high school talent tournaments in the country," said head coach Nick Restaino back in November. "We are excited about adding his talent to our team."
The Yankees have had a clear emphasis on adding pitching depth during the first two days of the draft. Twenty-two of the team's 30 selections have been pitchers.
Rounds 31-50 will be held Wednesday.