The LoHud Yankees Blog

If you can pull yourself away from the draft…

Derek Jeter SS
Nick Swisher RF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Jorge Posada DH
Curtis Granderson CF
Francisco Cervelli C
Brett Gardner LF

RHP Phil Hughes

Granted, you wouldn’t expect Damon Oppenheimer to say bad things about his first-round draft pick, but the Yankees put their money where their mouth is by drafting Cito Culver with the 32nd pick last night. It’s clear they believe in this kid, and they’ve seen him enough to have a pretty informed opinion. Among the scouts sent to watch Culver was Bill Livesey, who was the Yankees scouting director the year Derek Jeter was drafted.

In the words of Oppenheimer, here’s a quick scouting report on the latest Yankees prospect.

BAT: “Switch hitter. We like him from both sides of the plate. An above average hitter. He has pop in his bat, even with wood. It’s high school, but he’s hitting the ball over the fence in center field with a heavier wood bat than most of these kids we see using. The kid only struck out twice. We saw him all summer against the better stuff, guys throwing hard, and he squared the ball up well during that time so we think he’s going to hit. We think there’s a chance for power too.”

GLOVE: “You always keep your mind open, but his tools and his ability were what attracted us as a shortstop. You never know how long it will take for a guy to get there, and what’s in front of him when he does get there, but I think the fact that he’s in the middle of the field right now, we project him to be a shortstop. Worst-case scenario, if somebody was there blocking his way, you’re talking about a switch hitter that can run and do some other things, it would allow him (to change positions) if you need to.”

ARM: “He has a great arm. He’s up to 95 on the mound, but the idea of being able to get a switch-hitting shortstop is more attractive right now than a thrower, which is really what he is as a pitcher.”

MAKEUP: “He’s a no-nonsense kid. He’s a yes sir, no sir kid. He’s very solid. He’s not going to come out and be real emotional one way or the other. He’s a very solid kid who’s really passionate toward baseball. He’s a good person. We feel he’s a high-character kid. We watched him play real hard, so we felt real good about his makeup.”

SIGNABILITY: “He really wants to be a Yankee. I think that we’re going to get him. We should get him signed and get him out playing really soon. This guy really has a passion to make it through the minor leagues and play in New York.”

Amateur scouting director Damon Oppenheimer is starting a beat writer conference call in about two minutes. I’ll have some updates as we go.

UPDATE, 11:35 p.m.: “I had basically over 100 years of scouting experience go in and see this kid.”

UPDATE, 11:36 p.m.: “We’ve been able to see him play for a long time. We’ve probably got a couple of hundred at-bats from him… We were ahead of the game because we knew so much about him.”

UPDATE, 11:37 p.m.: “We project him to be a shortstop.”

UPDATE, 11:38 p.m.: On the idea of waiting for him to fall into the second round: “The thought crossed my mind and I’m glad I didn’t, because after we did pick him I got a call from one of our competitors who’s very successful, saying he would not have gotten to us.”

UPDATE, 11:40 p.m.: “He really wants to be a Yankee. I think that we’re going to get him. We should get him signed and get him out playing really soon.”

UPDATE, 11:44 p.m.: Conference call is over. We’ll talk to Culver this afternoon.

The basic feeling from Oppenheimer was this: The Yankees saw Culver play a lot. Damon was talking about a couple of hundred at-bats, and that’s a ton to see from a high school kid. Despite speculation to the contrary, the Yankees don’t believe he would have fallen to them in the second round, and it’s hard to imagine anyone had a better feel for this kid than the Yankees. Oppenheimer expects him to sign quickly, and the team plans to keep him at shortstop.

The Yankees seemed to go off the board with their first-round pick last night. Cito Culver did not seem to be on anyone’s mind except Damon Oppenheimer, who called it “an easy decision.”

“I didn’t know what to do,” Culver told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “My legs gave out, I just fell. I love the Yankees.”

Culver hasn’t had the easiest path. His father is in prison for arson and other charges, and Culver has apparently used baseball and basketball as a release from what could not possibly have been an easy situation.

“He definitely, 100 percent, jumps out at you when you see him field and throw a baseball,” an opposing coach told the Rochester newspaper. “You would say ‘Wow.’ He’s that good, that kind of player… I tell you what, he’s the most-regarded position player from around here in a long, long time, in terms of being able to make it at the next level.”

Culver has committed to play at Maryland, but the Yankees will obviously try to convince him to turn pro. It’s worth noting that Culver played on the Yankees’ Area Code team last summer and worked out at Yankee Stadium. The rest of us might not know much about him, but you can bet the Yankees have seen him plenty of times and made the choice for a reason.

The Yankees top pick in the 2010 draft is a high schooler named Cito Culver.

He’s a switch-hitting shortstop, considered better from the left side. MLB.com says he has gap-to-gap power and above-average speed. He also has a pretty big fastball from the mound.

I’ve never seen the guy and only heard of him when his name was announced, but he sounds like a wild-card kind of pick. Very high potential with a lot of unknowns.

UPDATE, 11:05 p.m.: The Yankees just sent a press release about the Culver pick. It includes a comment from Damon Oppenheimer. Here it is…

The New York Yankees tonight selected 17-year-old switch-hitting shortstop Chris “Cito” Culver out of Irondequoit High School in Rochester, N.Y., with their first-round selection (32nd pick overall) in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Culver, listed at 6 feet, 172 pounds, batted .561 (37-for-66) with 10 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 38 RBI and 20 walks in 22 regular season games this past season as a high school senior, according to his school’s Web site. He also had a .933 fielding percentage, committing just eight errors in 120 total chances, helping lead his school to the Monroe County Division title. Named his team’s most valuable player in each of the last three seasons, Culver was also a three-time all-county selection and an Under Armour All-American.

Last summer, Culver played on the Yankees’ Area Code team, working out at Yankee Stadium and participating in a tournament in California. Baseball America rated the shortstop as the third-best prospect out of the state of New York. Under his high school bio page, Culver lists his favorite baseball team as the New York Yankees and one of his favorite baseball players as Derek Jeter.

“We were able to draft a very athletic kid who can play a good shortstop,” said Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Amateur Scouting. “He has a plus arm, is a solid runner and is an excellent hitter. He’s a player we are happy to have. It was an easy decision for us.”

Culver is just the second high school shortstop drafted by the Yankees (also C.J. Henry in 2005) in the first round since the club selected Derek Jeter with the sixth overall pick in the 1992 First-Year Player Draft.

Bud Selig just opened the draft and announced that the Nationals are now officially on the clock. As I said before, I’m not one to follow the draft too closely. I’m not remotely an expert on the kids being drafted, and I would never pretend to be. That said, I’m sure I’ll be checking the draft tracker every now and then.

Given the time between picks, the Yankees are not likely to make a selection until closer to 10 p.m.

UPDATE, 7:14 p.m.: There you go. It’s Bryce Harper going to the Nationals. Now it’s a matter of getting him signed and deciding where he should play. Catcher? Third base? Outfield?

UPDATE 7:34 p.m.: Five picks into the draft, we finally have our first college pitcher. Drew Pomeranz is a name I feel like we’ve been hearing for a long, long time. And the Indians clearly need some pitching sooner rather than later.

UPDATE, 8:10 p.m.: Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal fell to No. 12. Not sure where he was expected to go, but I know he’s one of the names I heard quite a bit leading up to this draft. Probably has a better chance of sticking at catcher than Harper.

UPDATE, 9:45 p.m.: Two picks until the Yankees. Gary Brown, one of the early speculations for the Yankees, is off the board.

UPDATE, 9:55 p.m.: The Yankees are on the clock.

How unpredictable is baseball’s amateur draft?

Back in 1992, five teams passed on Derek Jeter. These were the top picks in the draft, the best of the best, and most have names you quite possibly — probably? — never heard of. Not a single one of them is still playing, and Tyler Kepner wrote a terrific New York Times piece about the guys who can always say they were drafted ahead of the Captian.

“Every time I’m approached about the draft, they talk to me like I was a flop because I wasn’t as successful as Derek Jeter,” No. 1 pick Phil Nevin said.

Of course, the Yankees haven’t always gotten it right. Back in 2005, when the draft class was ridiculously loaded, the Yankees first-round pick was high school shortstop C.J. Henry, who flamed out and wound up playing college basketball. The Yankees are still waiting for a return on their investment into 2007 first-round pick Andrew Brackman, and in 2008 they took a chance on Gerrit Cole, who turned down their offer and chose to pitch at UCLA.

This year’s can’t-miss prospect is Bryce Harper, who will almost certainly go to the Nationals with the top pick. If you haven’t already, be sure to check on Tom Verducci’s Sports Illustrated cover story from last year.

Associated Press photo

Just checked into my hotel in Baltimore. After a quick and easy flight out of Toronto, I turned on my phone to discover 24 emails waiting for me, among them was a message from Frankie Piliere saying it sounds more and more like the Yankees are targeting a high school bat in the first round. His latest mock draft has the Yankees taking Drew Vettleson.

Also in my email was this release from Major League Baseball. Justin Morneau has rightfully moved ahead of Mark Teixeira in all-star voting. Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano still lead at short and second, and Nick Swisher is fifth in outfield voting. Here’s the press release.

—

Three-time American League All-Star Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins has continued his surge through the standings by overtaking Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees in the third set of American League balloting figures for the 81st All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 13th at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The third National League All-Star balloting update will be released tomorrow, Tuesday, June 8th.

Bidding for his first fan-elected starting assignment, Morneau has jumped atop a deep field at first base with 973,563 votes, slightly ahead of 931,405 cast for Teixeira, who is aiming for his second straight fan election and his third overall. Miguel Cabrera (659,965) of the Detroit Tigers and Kevin Youkilis (456,101) of the Boston Red Sox rank third and fourth at the position, respectively.

Morneau’s Minnesota teammate, catcher Joe Mauer, is the most popular choice in all of Major League Baseball with 1,886,188 votes. Second overall in the A.L. is Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, whose 1,554,781 votes put him in line for his 11th trip to the Midsummer Classic. Jeter’s double-play partner, Robinson Cano (1,293,724), remains ahead of Dustin Pedroia (725,081) of the Boston Red Sox.

Angling for his third All-Star berth in his third Major League season and his second consecutive election by fans, third baseman Evan Longoria (1,403,566) of the Tampa Bay Rays holds the edge over New York’s Alex Rodriguez (956,419).

In the outfield, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners continues to set the pace with 918,730 votes. Behind the nine-time All-Star is Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz, who is accompanied in the lead by the 2009 Ted Williams All-Star Game Most Valuable Player presented by Chevrolet, Carl Crawford of the Rays. Cruz has garnered 809,902 votes, while Crawford has drawn 806,202. The three closest outfielders are Cruz’s teammate Josh Hamilton (697,993); Yankees right fielder Nick Swisher (587,977); and three-time All-Star Torii Hunter (575,044) of the host Angels.

The designated hitter spot is held by Rangers slugger Vladimir Guerrero (1,210,521), who is ahead of Hideki Matsui (638,237) of the host Angels. Ken Griffey, Jr., who retired last week, occupies third place with 463,149 votes. Griffey entered the season with an all-time high 48,973,314 career votes, and his 6,079,688 votes in 1994 represent the single-season record.

That’s Bryce Harper in the picture on the right. He is one of the most hyped amateur baseball players of the past decade, which easily makes him one of the most hyped amateur baseball players of all time.

Barring a significant surprise, his name will be the first one called when Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft begins tonight at 7.

I’m a big fan of minor league baseball, and player development is one of my favorite things about following the game, but I’ve never been a huge draft guy. It’s just not my cup of tea. The list of available players is overwhelming, and most of them are a long, long way from being big league ready. It’s not a total crap shoot, but it’s close, and I prefer to let guys play a few years of pro ball before I start following too closely. That’s just me.

That said, I’ve had enough draft conversations to understand the Yankees general approach. They’re about high-end talent, not sure-thing players. That’s why they took a shot on Andrew Brackman a few years ago, knowing he would require surgery and a ton of money. It was the best way to get Top 5 talent out of a No. 30 pick.

The Yankees aren’t afraid to draft big, which means big risk, big reward and big bonuses. It’s a philosophy that extends beyond the first round. I’ve heard Dave Robertson cited as one of those mid-round, risk-reward picks. He wasn’t especially big or overpowering out of Alabama, but the Yankees thought Robertson’s stuff might play up. They took a shot, taught him a curveball and he’s become a valuable reliever.

The opposite has been true of shortstop Carmen Angelini. The Yankees took him in the 10th round in 2007 and gave him a huge bonus to lure him away from a commitment to Rice. The Yankees knew he was raw, but they also thought he had the potential to develop into a Top 15 pick by the time he was a college junior. The Yankees would have no chance of drafting him then, so they took a shot out of high school and he’s been a .218 hitter in the lowest levels of the minor leagues.

Only the first round of the draft takes place tonight. Rounds 2-30 are on Tuesday, 31-50 on Wednesday. The Yankees have the last pick of the first round.

Just a few days ago, most mock drafts I read suggested the Yankees might draft a college hitter. Both Keith Law and Kevin Goldstein predicted Cal State Fullerton outfielder Gary Brown as the Yankees top choice. Frankie Piliere mentioned West Virginia shortstop Jedd Gyorko, Jonathan Mayo suggested Virginia Tech outfielder Austin Wates, and Jim Callis guessed Michigan outfielder Ryan LaMarre among several candidates.

Then, in another update Piliere mentioned high school pitcher Robby Rowland, and late last night he wrote that, “Late word from industry sources on Sunday night was that New York was leaning toward taking a high school bat with the 32nd overall pick.”

Or, as Law wrote: “Also hearing them on (Drew) Vettleson, Mike Lorenzen, Todd Cunningham, Jesse Biddle, Tyrell Jenkins, A.J. Cole and about a trillion other players.”

The lesson learned is simple: Predicting the 32nd pick is pretty much impossible.

That’s an Associated Press shot of Harper.

Tuesday
RHP Phil Hughes (7-1, 2.54)
vs.
RHP Kevin Millwood (0-6, 4.29)
7:05 p.m., MY9

Wednesday
LHP CC Sabathia (5-3 4.14)
vs.
RHP Chris Tillman (0-1, 7.71)
7:05 p.m., YES Network

Thursday
RHP A.J. Burnett (6-3, 3.72)
vs.
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (3-6, 3.71)
7:05 p.m., YES Network

Chris Tillman came to the Orioles in the same trade that brought Adam Jones from Seattle. This was back when Erik Bedard, who went to Seattle, was considered one of the great young pitchers in the game. Tillman was called up from Triple-A late last month and has made just two big league starts this season. In his most recent start, Friday against the Red Sox, he got only four outs.

Associated Press photo of Sabathia.