Chance favors Yanks, who nab outfielder Thomas

The Yankees might have found themselves a bargain in the eighth round of the First-Year Player Draft on Friday.

Despite being drafted by the Pirates in the fourth round last year, outfielder Brandon Thomas elected to return to Georgia Tech for his senior year. He led the Yellow Jackets in batting average and on-base percentage as a junior, and he finished his senior year with a .321 batting average, a .406 on-base percentage, one home run and 30 RBIs.

A bout of mononucleosis kept him out of action for two weeks, but Thomas bounced back. His strength gives him power potential, but he emphasizes making contact with a line-drive stroke.

Thomas is a plus runner and plays center field for the Yellow Jackets, but will need to improve his routes to stay there as a professional.