Yankees select 3B Eric Jagielo with their first overall pick of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft
Select OF Aaron Judge with the 32nd pick and LHP Ian Clarkin with the 33RD pick in the first round
The New York Yankees tonight selected third baseman Eric Jagielo out of Notre Dame University, with their first overall selection (26th pick overall) in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. The Yankees also selected outfielder Aaron Judge and left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin with the 32nd and 33rd overall picks, respectively, in the first round of this year's draft.
The Yankees' three first-round picks matched their most all time (also 1978: SS Rex Hudler - No. 18, OF Matt Winters - No. 24 and RHP Brian Ryder - No. 26), and were the most for any team in this year's draft.
Jagielo, listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, was named the 2013 Big East Player of the Year after batting .388 (76-for-196) with 47 runs, 19 doubles, nine home runs and 53RBI in 56 games with the Irish. He led the league in slugging percentage (.633) and on-base percentage (.500), also ranking second in batting average, tied for second in home runs and tied for fourth in total bases (124). He was recently named one of 30 semifinalists for the 2013 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.
The left-handed batter from Downers Grove, Ill., was rated by Baseball America as the 16th-best overall prospect in this year's draft (fourth corner infielder). The publication also rated him as the No. 1 prospect from the Big East for the 2013 MLB draft.
Jagielo played with Harwich in the 2012 Cape Cod League, batting .291 (46-for-158) and ranking second in the league with 13 home runs. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 50th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Downers Grove North High School, but chose to attend Notre Dame.
"We think we had a great first day," said Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Amateur Scouting. "I'm excited and the staff is excited. We feel really good about what happened for us today.
"Eric Jagielo is a physical, left-handed hitter with plus power. He performed well in Cape Cod, and shows a good combination of plate discipline and power."
The selection of Jageilo marks the first college player taken by the Yankees in the first round since 2007, when the Yankees selected RHP Andrew Brackman out of NC State with the 30th overall pick.
Judge, listed at 6-7, 255 lbs., batted .369 (76-for-206) with 45 runs, 15 doubles, 12 home runs, 36RBI and 12 stolen bases with the Fresno State Bulldogs this season, leading the team in each category. He was ranked by Baseball America as the 30th-best overall prospect in this year's draft.
A native of Linden, Calif., Judge becomes the second outfielder selected by the Yankees in the first round in the last 12 years since 2002 (also Slade Heathcott in 2009). He was a three-time first-team all-WAC-conference selection, as well as Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2011.
Clarkin, out of James Madison High School in San Diego, Calif., was ranked by Baseball America as the 17th-best prospect in the 2013 draft - and second-best left-handed pitcher. He went 9-2 with a 0.95 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 14 games (12 starts) this past season.
A three-time All-CIF Baseball Player of the Year selection, Clarkin also pitched for Team USA in Baseball World Championships in Korea as a part of the gold medal-winning team. He was a 2013 Rawlings First-Team All-American and named to the California All-Region First Team. He becomes the first left-handed pitcher selected by the Yankees in the first round since Eric Milton in 1996.
Oppenheimer added, "Aaron Judge is a big man, and obviously a great-bodied athlete who has a high upside. He can run, he has a good work ethic, he can throw and has the potential to be a five-tool guy with some size and strength.
"Ian Clarkin has a combination of the things we were looking for. He is a left-handed pitcher with plus velocity and has a plus curveball. On top of that, he's a tireless worker. We think we got something special with him."
The Yankees selected second baseman Gosuke Katoh, out of Rancho Bernardo High School with the team's second-round pick (66th overall). He was a 2013 Rawlings Second-Team All-American. A left-handed batter, Katoh hit .355 (39-for-110) with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 31RBI in 33 games
"We were excited to get this guy in the second round," said Oppenheimer. "On our scale, he's an excellent runner with great hand-eye coordination who can hit with some surprising power. He's a really good defender, and someone that excites us."