Best draft picks in New York Yankees history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in New York Yankees history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Nick Johnson
- Draft: 89th overall pick in 1996
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 832
- Career stats: 95 home runs, .268 batting average, .840 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.5

#24. Jim Beattie
- Draft: 91st overall pick in 1975
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 203
- Career stats: 52 wins, 4.17 earned run average, 1.42 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 14.8

#23. Tyler Clippard
- Draft: 274th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 807
- Career stats: 56 wins, 3.16 earned run average, 1.11 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.9

#21. Brad Ausmus (tie)
- Draft: 1152nd overall pick in 1987
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,971
- Career stats: 80 home runs, .252 batting average, .669 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.5

#21. Eric Milton (tie)
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 271
- Career stats: 89 wins, 4.99 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.5

#20. Ian Kennedy
- Draft: 21st overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 497
- Career stats: 104 wins, 4.16 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.0

#19. Doc Medich
- Draft: 700th overall pick in 1970
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 312
- Career stats: 124 wins, 3.78 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 19.6

#18. Scott McGregor
- Draft: 14th overall pick in 1972
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 356
- Career stats: 138 wins, 3.99 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#17. Carl Everett
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,405
- Career stats: 202 home runs, .271 batting average, .802 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 20.4

#15. David Robertson (tie)
- Draft: 524th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 817
- Career stats: 65 wins, 2.9 earned run average, 1.15 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.8

#15. Bob Tewksbury (tie)
- Draft: 493rd overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 302
- Career stats: 110 wins, 3.92 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.8

#14. Austin Jackson
- Draft: 259th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,115
- Career stats: 65 home runs, .273 batting average, .729 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.1

#13. Stan Bahnsen
- Draft: 68th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 574
- Career stats: 146 wins, 3.6 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.7

#12. Mike Lowell
- Draft: 562nd overall pick in 1995
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,601
- Career stats: 223 home runs, .279 batting average, .805 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.8

#11. Greg Gagne
- Draft: 129th overall pick in 1979
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,798
- Career stats: 111 home runs, .254 batting average, .684 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.3

#10. Al Leiter
- Draft: 50th overall pick in 1984
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 419
- Career stats: 162 wins, 3.8 earned run average, 1.39 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 40.0

#9. Don Mattingly
- Draft: 493rd overall pick in 1979
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,785
- Career stats: 222 home runs, .307 batting average, .830 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.4

#8. Jorge Posada
- Draft: 646th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,829
- Career stats: 275 home runs, .273 batting average, .848 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.7

#7. Brett Gardner
- Draft: 109th overall pick in 2005
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,688
- Career stats: 139 home runs, .256 batting average, .740 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.3

#6. Aaron Judge
- Draft: 32nd overall pick in 2013
- Position: Centerfielder
- Games played: 897
- Career stats: 278 home runs, .282 batting average, .989 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 45.6

#5. Thurman Munson
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,423
- Career stats: 113 home runs, .292 batting average, .756 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 46.1

#4. Ron Guidry
- Draft: 67th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 368
- Career stats: 170 wins, 3.29 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 47.8

#3. Fred McGriff
- Draft: 233rd overall pick in 1981
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 2,460
- Career stats: 493 home runs, .284 batting average, .886 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 52.6

#2. Andy Pettitte
- Draft: 594th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 531
- Career stats: 256 wins, 3.85 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 60.2

#1. Derek Jeter
- Draft: 6th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,747
- Career stats: 260 home runs, .310 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 71.3

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.