Yankees Land High School Star in Recent MLB First-Round Mock Draft

The New York Yankees will have to wait longer than most to execute their first pick of this year’s draft, but it may be worth it.

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees spending habits mean they’ll have to wait longer than most teams before they can pick in the 2025 MLB draft.

The reason is simple. Because the Yankees exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax with their payroll last year, their assigned pick falls back 10 selections.

So, while the Yankees’ World Series finish put them at No. 29, their CBT violation moved them back to No. 39. New York isn’t alone. The same goes for the team that vanquished them in the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and their cross-town rival, the New York Mets.

So, the Yankees’ first pick of the draft actually falls in the Competitive Balance Round A portion of the draft, which is usually reserved for teams that have the smallest markets or the smallest revenue pools.

So the Yankees will just have to make it work. So, what will they do? Baseball America attempted to figure it out.

The site’s prospect analysts did their own mock draft earlier this week and made selections for the first 40 picks on behalf of those teams that had a pick.

With the Yankees’ only pick, the site selected a high school that can play infield and outfield, Gavin Fien, from Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif.

Fien would be a bit of a value for New York, as Baseball America has him ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect. In fact, that was the rationale for the selection. He was the best available player at the time, and he represented first-round talent, based on his grade.

Fien plays third base, which is something the Yankees need right now. But, the youngster will need time to develop. And there’s a youngster two years ahead of him that is already wowing the organization. George Lombard Jr. was a high school player when he was selected with New York’s first-round pick in 2023. He was in Major League camp this year and the consensus was that he was a rising star — but still needed development.

Fien would fall into that category as well.

Last year’s first-round pick was a pitcher, Alabama’s Ben Hess. Before that, Lombard was the pick. From 2020-2022 the Yankees went with position players in the first round — catcher Austin Wells (2020), shortstop Trey Sweeney (2021) and outfielder Spencer Jones (2022).

Wells is with the Yankees while Sweeney has been traded twice and is with the Detroit Tigers. Jones is plugging along in the minor leagues.

The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.

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