Mock Draft Targets Catching Help For Yankees In First Round

The New York Yankees will have a chance to grab more young talent when they go on the clock at next month’s MLB Draft.

COTUIT 07/05/23 Cotuit catcher Caleb Lomavita reacts after tagging Nate Humphreys of Falmouth as he dives into home. / Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times / USA TODAY

The New York Yankees have done a good job in recent years of bolstering their farm system. A recent mock draft has them gathering depth at a position where they already have young talent.

ESPN published a two-round mock draft roughly a month before the MLB Draft starts on July 14 in Fort Worth, Texas, as part of festivities surrounding All-Star Game weekend. The mock took into account play in the Men’s College World Series and the recent MLB Scouting Combine.

The Yankees have the No. 26 overall pick and dropped 10 spots after they exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax by more than $40 million. Their second-round pick is No. 53 overall.

With that first-round pick ESPN had the Yankees selecting Cal catcher Caleb Lomavita.

The Hawaii native has played all three of his college seasons for the Golden Bears. In 2024 he produced a slash line of .322/.395/.586/.981 with 13 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs and 52 RBI. He’s been a .300 hitter and produced at least 13 home runs in each of the last two seasons with Cal.

He was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America selection along with All-Pac 12 First Team selection in 2022. The following season he was named All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention and last season he was named All-Pac 12.

Cal went 36-19 last season with a 17-13 record in the Pac-12. The Golden Bears beat Washington and Arizona in the conference tournament before falling to USC. Cal was not selected for the NCAA Tournament.

The last time the Yankees used their first-round pick on a catcher was in 2020 when they selected Austin Wells out of Arizona at No. 28 overall. Wells made his MLB debut last year and is the backup to starter Jose Trevino.

The Yankees also just called up Ben Rice, a former Dartmouth standout who can play both catcher and first base. He joined the Yankees after first baseman Anthony Rizzo went down with an injury that put him on the 60-day injured list.

In the second round the Yankees were projected to select a high school player — center fielder Dante Nori from Northville High School in Northville, Mich., which is outside of Detroit. Yankees legend Derek Jeter grew up in Kalamazoo, Mich., before the Yankees selected him in the first round in 1992.

Nori was just named the state’s Mr. Baseball and is committed to play college baseball at Mississippi State.