Yale Rosen, Nick Tanielu, Tanner Chelborad and Collin Slaybaugh are selected, leaving some juniors not selected with tough choices. We recap the day's action.

Washington State's contribution to the 2014 MLB Draft wrapped up with the selection of senior catcher/outfielder Collin Slaybaugh in the 26th round by the New York Yankees, the No. 782 pick overall. He became the fourth Cougar selected on the day, joining outfielder Yale Rosen, third baseman Nick Tanielu and pitcher Tanner Chleborad.

"I want to thank my family for its support," Slaybaugh said in a statement through WSU. "We had a lot of my family watching the draft at our house and they all went out to buy Yankees' gear as soon as I was drafted. Thank you to the WSU Cougars. It has been a great four years. Most of my family members are Cougars so I have been a Coug my whole life. Now, I am excited to see what I can do in pro ball."

Rosen already has made it known he'll be turning pro with the San Diego Padres, who selected him in the 11th round.

"Before I left Pullman at the end of the season, I talked with the (WSU) coaching staff about my intentions to start my professional career," Rosen said in a statement through WSU. "I had a chance to work out for the Padres in San Diego a couple of days ago and there are some really good people in the organization. I am going to have an opportunity to play in Eugene, Ore., in the Northwest League, so this is a very exciting time."

Tanielu (14th round, Houston Astros) and Chleborad (16th round, Baltimore Orioles) sounded like they were leaning that way, but were less definite in their comments.

"First and foremost, I thank God, my dad and the coaches at Washington State," Tanielu said in a statement through WSU. "I could not have done this without them. My family and the coaches have always been in my corner. Thank you to the Coug fans for always rooting for us in good time and bad. Thank you to the Astros for providing me an opportunity to pursue my dream of playing professional baseball."

Said Chleborad, also in a statement through the school: "I'm extremely excited to have an opportunity to play at the next level. There is still some negotiating to do, but I am eager to see how the process plays out."

Tanielu actually does have a bit of leverage here; as someone who redshirted, he can come back for his junior year and take another run at moving up the draft for a bigger bonus, as he would still have some leverage with the organization. Chleborad, on the other hand, would need a monster senior year in 2015 to improve his financial position because all of his leverage to negotiate a bonus will be gone without the option to return.

One of the bigger surprises on the day was that redshirt sophomore outfielder Ben Roberts went undrafted, likely signaling that he made it known to organizations he was planning on returning to school. He was a seventh round pick out of high school and was ranked by a couple of services in the top 350 prospects available. We'll talk more about that next week, but that's a pretty positive development for WSU's 2015 team.

Among the draft eligible players who were not selected were shortstop Trace Tam Sing, pitcher Joe Pistorese, pitcher Kellen Camus and pitcher Scott Simon. Camus is a senior and will not be returning, while Tam Sing and Simon each are redshirt juniors who would be returning for a fifth season if they come back. Simon finished the year injured, but participated in senior day activities. Pistorese, who has been an excellent college pitcher but lacks the arm talent to wow scouts, would be a senior.

There always are sad stories as well. A year ago, pitcher J.D. Leckenby was drafted in the 14th round by the New York Mets; he returned to school and ended up missing the year with an arm injury, leading to him going undrafted.

But hey - he got his degree!

This is what it's all about! Congrats to our Cougs who graduated today. @KCcoug47@michaelmonda12@JamesLeckenbypic.twitter.com/FstWgsdWTw

— WSU Baseball (@Cougbaseball) May 10, 2014

We'll keep you posted in the coming weeks as news of signings (or non-signings) rolls in.

The Wall Street Journal | Daniel Barbarisi:Ichiro Suzuki likes to make trick catches in the outfield for the fans, but he does it for a reason.

ESPN New York | Wallace Matthews: It's possible that Jacob Lindgren could make the major league team at some point this season.

It's About the Money | William Tasker: Looking back on Don Zimmer's career as a baseball player and his mysterious stint as a catcher.

The Trentonian | Nick Peruffo: Yankees prospect Peter O`Brien has been moved to first base.

Double G Sports | Matt Kardos: Rob Refsnyder has worked had and continues to work in order to become a major league option at second base.

MLB.com | Jake Kring-Schreifels: The Yankees went big on pitching out of the draft this year.

The New Yorker | Roger Angell: Don Zimmer proves that baseball is forever enduring, year in and year out.

Fangraphs Community Research | GWR:Dellin Betances is tricking opposing batter to take his pitches for strikes and swing when he throws it out of the zone.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: David Robertson thinks that college relievers, like Jacob Lindgren, can move quickly through the system.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Carlos Beltran hasn't even practiced in the field since he's return from the disabled list.

ESPN New York | Douglas Tucker: The Yankees drafted Mariano Rivera, the son of Mariano Rivera in the 2014 MLB Draft.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from June 7th, lightning round style.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W 3-1 vs. Toledo Mud Hens

1B Jose Pirela 0-4, K
RF Adonis Garcia 1-4, HR, RBI - fifth homer of the season
LF Zoilo Almonte 1-4, HR, RBI, K - eighth homer of the season
DH Kyle Roller 0-2, 2 BB, K
C Austin Romine 0-3

Brian Gordon 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
Preston Claiborne 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K - 1.00 ERA w/ SWB

Double-A Trenton Thunder:W 4-1 vs. Altoona Curve

CF Mason Williams 2-4, double
LF Ben Gamel 2-4, double, K
C Gary Sanchez 1-4, 3 K
DH Peter O'Brien 0-4, K
3B Tyler Austin 0-3, K, HBP
2B Rob Refsnyder 2-3, K - 20 for his last 40 (.500/.500/.900)

Shawn Kelley 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Matt Tracy 6.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 1-4 vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs

CF Jake Cave 0-4
SS Cito Culver 1-3, double
1B Greg Bird 0-2, 2 BB, K, E3 - fielding error, second of the season
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 0-2, 2 BB
DH Matt Snyder 2-3, RBI, BB
2B Jose Rosario 2-3, CS, E4 - fielding error, first of the season

Jaron Long 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K - High-A debut
Stefan Lopez 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 0-4 vs. Savannah Sand Gnats

LF Michael O'Neill 0-4, K
SS Tyler Wade 0-3, K
RF Aaron Judge 1-4, double, 2 K
3B Miguel Andujar 0-4, 2 K
C Eduardo de Oleo 1-3
2B Gosuke Katoh 2-3, double - batting .182 this season

Brady Lail 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K, WP
Rony Bautista 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

The Yankees will attempt to at least split the series with the Royals today. Hiroki Kuroda takes the mound this afternoon in the Kauf. The Yankees need to score. Did anyone score a victory in the PSA DP?

David Phelps was not the Phelps we needed yesterday. Hopefully we get the Hiroki Kuroda that we need today. Oh yeah, we need offense too.

6/8/14 Daily Prediction Answers

Aaron Dos was up all morning crunching the numbers, and he is sad to report there were no winners yesterday. Four people tied with 3,000 points each. Lilly, Caitlin, Blanky, and Yankees199 are those four people. Congrats, I guess. Aaron Dos says, "good luck in the future." Aaron Tres says "TRY HARDER!" Aaron Uno thinks Aaron Tres is a jerk.

6/8/14 Daily Predictions & Fun Question

Name your fantasy baseball player whatever you want, and assign his position

Worst beer/alcohol/drink ever?

What food would you like served in Yankee Stadium that currently isn't served there?

Name your least favorite "noise maker" at sporting events

Hiroki Kuroda gets the start against the Royals this afternoon. We could really use him to pitch well again. We could also try scoring some runs for him as well. If not, then perhaps we could all use a drink.

Finally, as the draft ends, we here at Pinstripe Alley would like to give a final shout out to Tanya & Jason for all the incredible hard work they put into the draft coverage here. Be sure to give them a shout out & thanks in the comments.

go yankees go you are #1

Peter O'Brien has started taking reps at first base, and Jose Pirela's been moving around to a lot of new positions in Triple-A, which could mean Rob Refsnyder is close to being promoted.

If you've been reading Tanya's minor league recaps, you should know that Peter O'Brien has been having a fantastic season. He started the year in Tampa before being promoted to Trenton, and between the two he's hit 21 home runs and is batting .285/.321/.638. During his time in the minor leagues, O'Brien has mainly played catcher, although he has also spent some time at third base and in the outfield. Now he is also going to learn first base. There had been quite a bit of talk about whether O'Brien should change positions, as he has not been great defensively at catcher (without even considering the face that the system is already loaded with catchers), so this makes a lot of sense. O'Brien started taking reps at first base yesterday and commented that it feels like a natural position to him, so hopefully he'll be okay in terms of defense.

Meanwhile, Jose Pirela played first base in Triple-A yesterday, which is significant because he's spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues playing second, third and shortstop. This year he's seen time in the outfield, and now at first base. If Pirela shows that he is able to handle first base, he could be called up to backup Mark Teixeira, and the Yankees could certainly use his bat (.340/.377/.479). Also, all of this moving around for Pirela could mean that they're looking to make room for second-baseman Rob Refsnyder to be promoted. Refsnyder has been raking in Trenton, hitting .339/.381/.549 with six home runs. Too bad he can't just replace Brian Roberts. Even so, it's still nice to hear about minor league players hitting well while the Yankees' offense has been struggling.

The Yankees will hope to get a win today and make up for the deflating loss that took place last night.

#Yankees lineup: Gardner 7, Jeter 6, Ellsbury 8, Beltran DH, McCann 2, Solarte 5, Suzuki 9, Roberts 4, Johnson 3, Kuroda 1.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgeccastillo) June 8, 2014

Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter, and Jacoby Ellsbury are at the top of the order, like they usually are. Mark Teixeira will have the day off as DH Carlos Beltran will bat cleanup. Pretty bold putting Beltran in the heart of the lineup after only one hit since returning from the DL, but hopefully it's a sign that he's coming back to life. Brian McCann is behind the plate, Yangervis Solarte is at third, Ichiro Suzuki is in right field, Brian Roberts is at second, and everyone's favorite fill-in first baseman Kelly Johnson will bat ninth. How many times do we have to see this experiment cost the team until it is deemed a failure?

Shawn Kelleypitched in a rehab game in Trenton last night and came out of it feeling fine. He believes he is ready to return, though the last time he said that he immediately went on the disabled list. The Yankees will have to decide whether he's ready or if he needs one more rehab appearance to make sure his back is ok.

Francisco Cervelli has been rehabbing his way up the minor league food chain as he attempts to come back from a hamstring injury he sustained in April. In his next stop, he has been moved up to Triple-A, where he will continue to get into games until he is deemed ready to be removed from the 60-day disabled list. The Yankees might actually be keeping a spot on their 40-man roster, now at 39, open for him, but once he's ready to go, where will he play? He's out of options, but John Ryan Murphy has performed well in replacing the backup catcher.

UPDATE:

Shawn Kelley will do another rehab outing monday with an eye to returning wednesday vs seattle, girardi says.

— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) June 8, 2014

One more rehab outing for Shawn Kelley ... Francisco Cervelli has been told to take some grounders at first base ... Nothing new with Pineda

— Lohud Yankees Blog (@LoHudYankees) June 8, 2014

The 2014 MLB Draft is over, but what does it all mean?

Now that the 2014 MLB Draft is in the rearview mirror, it's obviously time to look back and see what exactly happened and how well the Yankees actually did. It's near impossible to make a determination on the success or failure of this draft class after one whole day, but at least we can break down what they did and whether or not it sounds like a good idea.

Here is a look at everyone the Yankees took in one nice organized list. You're welcome.

Now let's break down what exactly they did here.

College > High School

The easiest and most glaring thing they did was take college players. A total of 32 of their draft picks were from college while a mere seven were high schoolers. The logic is that college players are more refined players that could move through the system quickly, while high schoolers are raw and might need a few extra years to properly develop. With a big league team that could use help from the minors right now, taking collegiate players means that help will arrive a year or two sooner, at least in theory.

Last year the Yankees went with a half-college, half-high school approach, giving them a nice mix of talent at different levels of development. After spending time in rookie ball, 2013 high school draftees are going to be ready for Low-A and while most college players go to short season-A, it's possible the Yankees could be eyeing a more aggressive approach as they'll place second-round pick Jacob Lindgren in Charleston, and sixth-round pick Jonathan Holder and 14th-round pick Sean Carley could move up quickly, effectively blending two draft classes together. This will allow the older players to catch up to the younger players so that everyone is moving as one unit (barring speedy promotions for individual players) as opposed to in waves.

Pitching All Day, Erryday

They took 24 pitchers altogether, 18 right-handers and six left-handers. The Yankees drafted five straight pitchers out of the draft before ever taking a position player. One thing the organization needed going into the draft was advanced pitching, and boy did they take care of that. Given the fickle nature of pitching prospects, a legitimate strategy would be to stock up on as many arms as possible because chances are that a few of them will either get hurt or fail to develop as major league options. In a system that has been plagued by injuries and has routinely failed to develop frontline pitching, grabbing as many arms as possible is a great way to combat the overwhelming statistics against the success of pitching prospects, or really any player.

By focusing on players who are relievers or have at least experience in both starting and relieving, it allows the Yankees to set themselves up for getting the most out of the draft as they can. If the goal of the draft is to find value, then it could be said that drafting an effective reliever who makes it to the majors is more valuable than drafting a guy who could be a starter, but ultimately fails and never makes it. The odds are already stacked against everyone in the draft, so instead of trying to find the high-risk, high-reward diamonds in the rough like the Yankees have done in the past, taking low-ceiling, high-floor starters and elite-level relievers gives the organization a better chance of at least finding useable talent for their major league team.

On the surface, taking 24 pitchers, many of whom are either relievers or back of the rotation starters might not look exciting, but it will be a heck of a lot less annoying when a majority of these players have a much better chance of contributing at the major league level instead of flaming out well in advance, like we've seen. The Yankees are hoping that in a year or two, we aren't asking where is the farm system, because it'll already be there and helping the big league club out. This will be an interesting draft class to follow because it can prove to be an alternative course of action to the usual method of putting all your hopes and dreams into 18-year-old kids and potential stars who have a good chance to crash and burn anyway.

We Hate Position Players

Where I think this class was unfortunately weak was in its position players. The 2014 MLB Draft was described as a deep pitching draft, but that doesn't mean there couldn't have been any position players out there. In the end they only took 15 position players – four outfielders, four first baseman, two shortstops, two second baseman, two catchers, and a third baseman. As much as the Yankees needed pitching, they also needed position players, and if they were going to go college-heavy, it would have been great to see some collegiate bats enter into the system.

They added a few, but by taking five straight pitchers in their first five rounds, it limited the impact any potential position player could have on the system. As you get further into the draft, college position players become less attractive. If they were better, they would already be taken and the good players are usually pitchers who might have been injured or high school players that have strong commitments. If the Yankees were going to go big on position players, it would have to be in the first few rounds. Seeing as how it was an especially strong pitching draft, the Yankees would have to make a decision: get promising position players first and try to find some decent leftover pitching or go completely overboard insane on solid pitching and try to find some under-the-radar position players where they can. They obviously decided on the latter, which, though it's somewhat disappointing, is fairly logical and the best course of action to take if you want to find legitimate talent that has the best chance to make it to the majors. Maybe another draft will be heavy on position players and the Yankees can go crazy over them.

All the First Basemen

What the Yankees could have really used were some middle infielders, but their second base and shortstop selections left something to be desired, and one of the shortstops, 40th rounder Madison Stokes, is unlikely to sign. While their eye was clearly locked on pitching, they could have chose enough position players to at least find some interesting talent that could help in positions of need. Instead, the Yankees actually chose a total of four first baseman. Four. Maybe they think they can move one or two to third or something, but it seemed pretty excessive for a system that already has several first base/DH types. Especially when they are an organization that likes to move their prospects around and try them out at positions they might not be the best at just to get as much value out of them as possible.

Their 12th rounder Bo Thompkins sounds kind of intriguing and 11th rounder Matthew Gittens has a lot of power, but their eighth round pick Connor Spencer doesn't have the power you would expect a first baseman to have and then their 39th-round pick Cameron Warren is committed to Oklahoma and might not sign. Were all of those picks necessary? I'm not necessarily advocating to pick position over talent, but there had to have been a middle infielder that had as much promise as any of them. The crop of ninth rounder Vince Conde, who might not really be a shortstop at the next level, 10th rounder Ty McFarland, and 37th rounder Ryan Lindemuth aren't going to get the job done for the system. Their lone third baseman, 23rd rounder Will Toffey might be interesting, but he has a commitment to Vanderbilt. That could leave them with a total of three non-first base infielders out of this entire draft. That's kind of yuck.

Bring it in

There is plenty to like out of this draft class. Damon Oppenheimer admitted that they almost took third rounder Austin DeCarr in the second round because he's thought of that highly. Seventh rounder Mark Payton might not have a spectacular ceiling, but a solid player and a decent fourth outfielder are still very useful at the major league level. Their 15th-round pick Andrew Chin was compared to Chien-Ming Wang, and while we can't expect him to be as good as Wang was, that unique skill set is still something very useful to have. Their 32nd-round pick right-hander Jordan Ramsey was a top-of-the-draft talent before some nagging injuries allowed him to drop to the Yankees. There are smart and interesting picks like these spread all throughout the Yankees' newest draft class. Would it have been nice to have some position players added into the mix as well? Of course, but I'll take the players with the best chance to make it. I might continue to complain when the Yankees still have no fielders to backup their solid pitching prospects, but maybe seeing Jacob "Strikeout Factory" Lindgren mow down the side later this year will make it all worth it.

Nope.

Yesterday, it was the pitching that really took away any shot the Yankees had at winning. Today, it was the opposite. Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven good innings, limiting the damage to just two early runs. However, the offense decided it was going to take the day off. Over the course of the game, the Yankees stranded a rather large amount of people as they lost 2-1 to the Royals.

The Royals scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second. After Kuroda got the first two hitters out, Salvador Perez kept the inning alive with a single. Lorenzo Cain then doubled on a ball that was just out of the reach of Jacoby Ellsbury's dive. That scored Perez and made it 1-0. Mike Moustakas then singled on another ball that just managed to drop in. Cain scored, making it 2-0. Alcides Escobar managed to reach on a slow roller, but Kuroda escaped with the Yankees down just two.

After the second inning, the two teams traded scoreless half inning for a while. The Yankees had the customary several RISP fails. (The most notable ones coming in the second and third innings.) Kuroda also settled down after the bad second inning.

The Yankees finally got on the board in the top of the sixth inning. With one out in the inning, Yangervis Solarte doubled down the right field line. He was able to move to third on a passed ball and score when Ichiro Suzuki grounded out. That was all the Yankees would score that inning, but it was now 2-1.

Kuroda went on to pitch another scoreless inning in the seventh. Kuroda went seven innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. Adam Warren came in and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth.

The top of the ninth got off to a decent start when Ichiro singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Brian Roberts wasn't able to do anything as his shallow fly out kept Ichiro at second. The Yankees sent up Mark Teixiera up as a pinch-hitter. Teixeira grounded out, moving Ichiro to third. That left the game up to Brett Gardner. Gardner worked the count full but would up striking out, fittingly stranding Ichiro at third. The Yankees stranded a small army of people over the course of nine innings as the Royals won 2-1.

The Yankees and Royals wrap up their series in Kansas City tomorrow. Vidal Nuno will get the start for the Yankees, while Jason Vargas will go for Kansas City. First pitch will be at 8:10 Eastern.

Box score.

The Royals are now 1 game below .500. Two good weeks away!

Royals' pitchers worked around a lot of baserunners Sunday afternoon, but the team escaped Kauffman Stadium with a 2-1 victory over the Yankees.

James Shields allowed plenty of men to reach base, but only gave up one run over six innings of work. Shields had two runners reach base against him in the first inning, but none scored. Alcides Escobar helped out Shields in the the first inning, making a great diving stop and throw from his knees, robbing Derek Jeter of a hit.

The Yankees loaded the bases against Shields with nobody out in the second inning, but two clutch strikeouts and a forceout at home allowed the starter to escape unscathed. New York had runners in scoring position with one out in the third and fourth inning, but failed to drive them home as well.

Shields finally allowed a run in the sixth inning. Yangervis Solarte cracked a one-out double and advanced to third on a Salvador Perez passed ball, later scoring on an Ichiro Suzuki groundout. Shields finished the day allowing six hits and two walks, but recorded eight strikeouts, helping him strand so many Yankees.

Royals hitters didn't look much better against Hiroki Kuroda, but tagged the starter with two runs in the third inning. Perez started the rally with a two-out single, then Lorenzo Cain plated Perez with a double. Mike Moustakas followed with a RBI-single, giving Kansas City all the offense it needed.

New York didn't just waste opportunities against Shields; Aaron Crow surrendered a one-out triple to Brett Gardner in the seventh, but stranded Gardner at third base. Greg Holland gave up a leadoff single to Suzuki in the ninth inning, then threw a wild pitch, advancing Suzuki to second base. The Yankees, fortunately, did not drive Suzuki in either, stranding their ninth and final runner of the day.

Wade Davis struck out two New York hitters, giving him a 42% K% on the season. That's just filthy.

The Royals, who have won 5 out of their past 7 games, are now 30-31 on the season. The team will wrap up their series against the New York Yankees Monday night, with Jason Vargas facing off against Vidal Nuno.

Going by minor league fly ball rates, which Yankees prospects might be well suited for the Yankees' home ballpark?

Phil Hughes has pitched very well in his first year separated from the Yankees organization. Through 12 starts with the Twins, Hughes holds a 3.46 ERA and a 3.47 SIERA -- both over half a run lower than his numbers with the Yankees. Many have attributed Hughes' success to a change in his home ballpark. Hughes allows lots of fly balls: his FB% was 9th highest of 222 qualified pitchers from 2007-2013, and Target Field's outfield is much more spacious than that of Yankee Stadium.

It's hard to pinpoint just how much pitching in Yankee Stadium has crippled Hughes' performance over the years, but his home/road splits make it pretty clear that something was going on. In 780.2 innings across seven years, Hughes held a 4.96 ERA at Yankee Stadium, compared to a 4.10 mark on the road. A driving force behind this difference was his home run to fly ball ratio. At home, 13% of his fly balls turned into homers compared to just 7% on the road. Simply put, Hughes was never a good fit for Yankee Stadium, as his skill set was better suited for a park that didn't allow for so many cheap homers.

Like Hughes, a few of the Yankees current pitching prospects are also heavy fly ball pitchers, which may put them at risk of suffering a similar fate.

Pitchers like Nick Goody, Manny Banuelos, and Rafael De Paula are allowing more than their share of fly balls. Of course, it may be a little premature to start worrying about how these pitchers will fare in Yankee Stadium. Not only are some of them years away from the majors, but they're also still finding himself as pitchers. They may be prone to fly balls today, but that could easily change once they become more polished. For example, De Paula could add a splitter to his arsenal, which could very well move the needle on his fly ball frequencies. For the most part, though, a pitcher who allows a lot of fly balls in the minors will likely continue to do so in the majors.

The Bombers figure to be in the market for a starting pitcher and/or an infielder in the next month or two, and many of the names listed above will certainly be discussed in potential trades. In any potential trade, the primary goal should be to maximize the amount of talent in the organization, but a pitcher's compatibility with Yankee Stadium is a piece of the puzzle that shouldn't be ignored. So when he's wheeling and dealing this summer, Brian Cashman would be wise to shop guys near the bottom of the list -- like Banuelos and De Paula -- a little harder than ground ball types like Luis Severino and Bryan Mitchell.

Statistics courtesy of Fangraphs and MLBfarm

The Wall Street Journal | Daniel Barbarisi: The backstory behind the Mark Teixeira talk show Foul Territory.

The Times-Tribune | Donnie Collins: The Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRiders manager Dave Miley was inducted into the International League Hall of Fame.

Newsday | David Lennon: Searching Japanese baseball for the next Masahiro Tanaka.

Baseball America | George King: Yankees draft pick Jacob Lindgren could be in the big league bullpen soon.

Augusta Free Press | Chris Graham: Yankees 10th-round draft pick Ty McFarland talks about being drafted by the Yankees.

Pinstriped Prospects | Josh Sabo: Yankees five-round pick Jordan Foley talks about being drafted.

SB Nation | Rodger Sherman: The Yankees drafted Sean Carley, a pitcher who looks exactly like Kenny Powers.

Recapping the Yankees' minor league affiliates' results from June 8th.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: L 4-5 vs. Toledo Mud Hens

1B Jose Pirela 1-5, CS
C Francisco Cervelli 1-3
CF Adonis Garcia 0-4
LF Zoilo Almonte 1-4 - batting .284 this season
2B Zelous Wheeler 3-3, double, HR, 3 RBI, BB - sixth homer of the season
3B Scott Sizemore 0-4, K
DH Kyle Roller 1-4, 2 K - batting .306 w/ SWB
RF Russ Canzler 0-3, K
SS Carmen Angelini 3-4, double, RBI - batting .280 this season

Zach Nuding 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB - 53 of 86 pitches for strikes
Jairo Heredia 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, WP
Pat Venditte 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Double-A Trenton Thunder:L 7-9 vs. Altoona Curve

CF Mason Williams 0-1, HBP - left with elbow injury
Taylor Dugas 2-3, double, 3 RBI, K - batting .301 this season
LF Ben Gamel 2-6, 2 RBI
DH Rob Segedin 3-6, double, K
1B Peter O'Brien 0-5 - batting .189/.250/.378 over his last 10 games
RF Tyler Austin 0-3, 2 BB, K
2B Rob Refsnyder 2-4, K - batting .513/.525/.821 over his last 10 games, .342 this season
3B Dan Fiorito 2-5, double, K
C Tyson Blaser 3-5
SS Ali Castillo 1-3, 2 BB

Manny Banuelos 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K - 26 of 50 pitches for strikes
Eric Wooten 3.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
Aaron Dott 0.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, WP
Cesar Cabral 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Phil Wetherell 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

High-A Tampa Yankees:L 2-5 vs. Brevard County Manatees

SS Cito Culver 0-2, 2 BB
2B Jose Rosario 0-3, BB
DH Greg Bird 1-4, K - batting .252 this season
3B Dante Bichette Jr. 1-4
LF Zach Wilson 0-4, K, E7 - throwing error, fifth of the season
1B Matt Snyder 1-4, double
RF Jose Toussen 1-2, RBI, K, SB, OF assist
C Wes Wilson 1-3, RBI, K
CF Cody Grice 1-3, E8 - fielding error, third of the season

Conner Kendrick 4 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, K, pickoff, WP - 3 GO/4 AO
Chris Smith 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Nick Rumbelow 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K - 2.77 ERA w/ Tampa

Low-A Charleston RiverDogs:L 6-11 vs. Savannah Sand Gnats

LF Michael O'Neill 2-5, triple, RBI, K - batting .237 this season
SS Tyler Wade 1-5, double, RBI - ninth double of the season
RF Aaron Judge 0-2, 3 BB - 1.237 OPS over his last 10 games
1B Reymond Nunez 0-4, BB, 2 K
DH Jackson Valera 2-5, double, 2 RBI
3B John Murphy 0-2, 3 BB, K
C Kale Sumner 2-4, 2 RBI, BB - batting .275 this season
CF Brandon Thomas 1-5, double, 3 K
2B Gosuke Katoh 0-4, K

Rookie Davis 4.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP - 47 of 81 pitches for strikes
Chaz Hebert 3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Philip Walby 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

If you read between the lines, Brian Cashman might be preparing to bring up Jose Pirela and Rob Refsnyder at some point

Are you getting sick of all the dead weight in the Yankees lineup yet? If you're already there, it looks like change could be near and help might be on the way. At some point, at least. Brian Cashman was recently on hand at PNC Field to honor Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRaiders manager Dave Miley for his International League Hall of Fame induction ceremony. While there he spoke about prospects who might soon find their way to Triple-A and even the majors and alluded that some on the big league team might not be as safe as we have felt they likely are.

He didn't necessarily mention anyone by name, but it's clear that with the prospects he mentioned and the comments he made, he's talking specifically about Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts. As he talked up Jose Pirela, Rob Refsnyder, and Peter O`Brien, there were two key quotes that really have me thinking that the Yankees are slowly preparing themselves to change things up.

Quote 1: "We're just trying to move this thing along. If there are guys struggling in New York, I can't wait."

While this quote sounds like a very general comment on the entire team, he was actually speaking specifically about Jose Pirela being moved to first base. Obviously this move is being facilitated to open up second base so Rob Refsnyder can be promoted to Triple-A, but it's not just that. Brian Roberts is hitting .237/.313/.345 on the season and it doesn't look like he's going to improve any time soon. If they feel that they "can't wait" for things to possibly improve, then getting Refsnyder to Scranton as soon as possible could "move things along" faster than they originally planned. Instead of waiting for midseason with an eye for a September call up, promoting the second baseman now could line him up for a midseason call up to the majors instead.

I imagine they'll give Roberts the first half of the season to look like an actual major league starter just so they can save face after promising him the position, but then they'll be forced to make a move. If Refsnyder is still doing what he's been doing by then there's no way the Yankees can keep him in the minors if they are seriously looking to win ballgames.

Quote 2: "As you see us moving the chess pieces around, you can see us struggling with the defensive part with the backup to Teixeira at first base. We've moved Sizemore over there a little bit. Now we're moving Pirela over just to prepare for what ifs."

That's more or less some shots fired in Kelly Johnson's direction. That's not "just in case" as in "just in case someone gets hurt," that's "what if" as in "what if we got someone in there who could actually play first base." Johnson is hitting .221/.286/.402 this year while providing noticeably shaky defense at first when Mark Teixeira is out of the lineup. They went into the season without an actual backup first baseman, on purpose, and now they are seeing that it's not working out.

Meanwhile, Jose Pirela is hitting .333/.370/.470 in Scranton and though he isn't much of a prospect, he's still just 24 and they have already seen how giving a player a chance can make all the difference, like they did with Yangervis Solarte. Cashman also brought up the idea of promoting Peter O`Brien as well. He has hit .285/.321/.638 with 21 home runs between Tampa and Trenton and will now be transitioning to first base on a full-time basis. Though Pirela is the more realistic option at this time, both are worth trying out because they can't do much worse than Johnson has done so far on both sides of the ball.

All these points coming together can't be a coincidence. Brian Cashman must really believe that Refsnyder can do a better job at second base than Roberts has done. He must think that Pirela and O`Brien are real alternatives to Kelly Johnson's sole purpose on this team. He sees that the Yankees have their troubles and he's hoping to use the farm system to fix those problems. Eventually. Maybe. Unless, of course, he's just buttering us all up for a trade.

With the 2014 MLB draft over, how do you think the Yankees did?

The 2014 MLB Draft wrapped up on Saturday, ending three days of young ballplayers taking their next steps en route to The Show. The Yankees did not have a first round pick, and so their first choice in the draft came at 55th overall, where they took Jacob Lindgren. The lefty reliever from Mississippi State posted a 0.81 ERA and a ridiculous 16.27 K/9 over 51 innings this past season. While it's unclear if he will be given a chance to start in the minors, there is some speculation that, if he stays in the bullpen, he could find his way to the big leagues later this year.

Yankees 2014 MLB Draft Coverage

Covering the Yankees' picks for the 2014 MLB Draft.

Lindgren was just the first of many, many pitchers that the Yankees would take in the draft - they took 24 pitchers overall (out of their 39 selections). This draft class had been described overall as a deep pitching draft, and the Yankees certainly seemed to agree. The first position player the Yankees took came all the way in the seventh round, as they took center fielder Mark Payton out of the University of Texas with the 212th pick.

Over the course of the draft, the Yankees clearly favored college players, shying away from high school players with a lot of potential but a lot of work still to do. For a full rundown of everyone chosen by the Yankees, check out Jason's excellent review of the 2014 draft.

What do you think about the Yankees' new draft class? Too many safe picks, or not enough? Too many pitchers, or too many first basemen (because, yeah, they picked four)?  Vote in the poll below, and share your opinions in the comments below!

For the second straight year, Pitt had three players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Last year, it was Elvin Soto, Ethan Mildren, and Matt Wotherspoon being picked. While Soto and Mildren left, Wotherspoon returned.

All three of the Panthers players that were selected this year were pitchers. Redshirt junior Luke Curtis went first, going in the 18th round to the Milwaukee Brewers. After that, the New York Yankees took some chances on pitchers Joe Harvey (19th round) and Matt Wotherspoon (34th round).

Since Wotherspoon finished his senior year, he won't be back with the Panthers. But Curtis and Harvey now have the difficult decision of signing with their pro teams or returning to try to improve their stock.

The Panthers took a significant step back this year in their first season in the ACC. It's still good to see some players drawing interest by Major League teams, though - even if they weren't particularly high picks.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.

Keeping track of all the newest Yankees from the 2014 draft class.

Inspired by Tanya's draft pick tracker from last year and the similarly superb draft pick tracker designed over at Amazin' Avenue by Eric Simon on Sunday, the Yankees draft pick tracker is back. Below, you'll find a handy list of all 39 players selected by the Yankees over the weekend during the 2014 MLB Draft. If you click on each player, it will take you the appropriate write-up for each player (or write-up group, in the case of all draft picks past the 10th round) diligently composed over the weekend by Tanya or Jason. I've also worked to find as many of the draftees on Twitter so that you can follow them at your leisure.

Signing bonuses will be listed under "Status" if they are made available, as well their assignments (with sourced links). As Tanya noted last year, all picks after the 10th round have the same expected slot money of $100,000, though players can sign for more or less than that. We will update this post as the draftees and the Yankees make their decisions.

The offense is struggling and the losses are mounting, so the Yankees need to go on a run. With visits to Seattle and Oakland looming, they will have their plates full, but two Tanaka starts should go a long way to making this a winning week.

Last week, the Yankees lost five of seven, including three in a row at one point, to fall to .500 at 31-31.  New York now sits in third in the AL East, six games back from the surprising Toronto Blue Jays.  This week, the Yankees will finish up their series against the Royals before three games in Seattle and then three games in Oakland against an A's team that got a bit lucky in their last series with the Yankees.  Hopefully New York can make them pay this week, although Oakland's terrific balance of solid pitching with a killer offense will make it difficult.  We'll just focus on the Mariners and A's below - the Yankees should be able to handle Jason Vargas and the Royals on Monday, but with Vidal Nuno on the mound and the way the offense has been sputtering lately (26th in runs scored over the past two weeks), I'm not nearly as confident as I'd like to be.

The Mariners and Athletics

Mariners: 3^rd in AL West (33-29), 16^th in runs scored, 27^th in OPS (.670), 26^th in wRC+ (85), 8^th in ERA (3.51), 15^th in FIP (3.88), 17^th in xFIP (3.84)

Athletics: 1^st in AL West (39-24), 1^st in runs scored, 4^th in OPS (.754), 2^nd in wRC+ (114), 1^st in ERA (2.95) 7^th in FIP (3.57), 11^th in xFIP (3.67)

Quick Hits

Gray gets his crack at the Yankees: The Yankees missed Sonny Gray last week when these teams played, but he will get his shot at the Bronx Bombers when the Yanks head to Oakland.  Gray is Oakland's ace, and he's certainly pitched like it this year, posting a 2.83 ERA and a 3.53 xFIP while striking out 7.53 hitters per nine innings and limiting opposing lineups to just 0.63 HR/9 and a .218 batting average against him.  While his walks are up a bit so far this season (3.24 BB/9 compared to 3.06 over his career), he's still one of the best pitchers on one of the best staffs in the league. 

Cano cruising in Seattle: Oh, Robby, how we miss you. While Robinson Cano was a bit slow out of the gates in 2014, he's righted the ship since then and is hitting .332/.370/.420 for a 119 wRC+ this season.  The one thing he isn't doing well is hit for power, as his .088 ISO is much lower than his career .191 number.  While some drop off was to be expected moving to Safeco Field, this is probably larger than anyone really thought, as Cano has hit only two homers on the season so far.  Luckily, he's gotten some help from Kyle Seager (124 wRC+) and Cole Gillespie, who's raked his way into the everyday lineup with a 137 wRC+ over the past 21 games.

Iwakuma strong since return: Ever since getting off of the DL in May, Hisashi Iwakuma has generally picked up where he left off last year, posting a 2.66 ERA and 2.88 xFIP.  He's demonstrated remarkable control this season, issuing just 0.71 BB/9, which is well below his career mark of 2.02 and has helped offset his lower K/9 numbers (6.39 in 2014 compared to 7.32 for his career).  While he had a couple bad games to end May (he gave up nine runs over 13 innings in two starts), he pitched seven scoreless his last time out against Atlanta.  Luckily the Yankees won't have to face King Felix this time around, but Iawkuma will prove a serious challenge in his own right.

Yankees notes for the week

Two episodes of Tanaka Time: The Yankees desperately need to bounce back this week and get a few games above .500, and having Tanaka pitch twice will certainly help.  Tanaka's been everything we could've hoped for and more, posting a 2.46 xFIP while striking out a ton of hitters (9.78 K/9), demonstrating great command (1.38 BB/9) and limiting opposing lineups to just a .215 batting average.  Over his past three starts, he's been practically unhittable, giving up just two earned runs in 20.2 innings while striking out almost 25% of opposing hitters and posting a 0.92 WHIP.  He's lived up to the (considerable) hype so far, and the Yankees really need him to keep it up this week.

Gardner struggling recently: While Gardner had a great May (116 wRC+), he's struggled mightily as of late.  Over the past two weeks, Gardner has hit just .232/.267/.321 for a 58 wRC+, and of course, he struck out to end Sunday's game with the tying run just ninety feet away.  Gardner will certainly bounce back, but combining his recent struggles with those of Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Carlos Beltran (who only has one hit in four games back), it's no wonder why the Yankees offense has been so dreadful lately.

Prediction: 3-4 (1-0 vs. Kansas City, 2-1 vs. Seattle, 1-2 vs. Oakland)

It looks to be another somewhat lackluster week for the Yankees, as playing at Seattle and Oakland will not do any wonders to spark the Yankee offense.  At least Tanaka is matched up against Iwakuma, or else the Yankees very well could be looking at losing the series against the Mariners.  If Tanaka can start the series off with a win, the Yankees should be able to get to Chris Young, who, while he possesses a pretty ERA and record, has gotten quite lucky this year, as his FIP (5.37) and xFIP (5.88) clearly show.  The Yankees should be capable of taking two of three from the Mariners, although I'm not confident they will.  The A's will once again be a problem, especially with their top three arms going this weekend.  I'm betting on Tanaka (because duh), but other than that, it's going to be tough in Oakland. 

Pitching matchups

Monday: Vidal Nuno (1-2, 5.33 ERA, 4.27 xFIP) vs. Jason Vargas (5-2, 3.28 ERA, 4.11 xFIP)

Tuesday: Masahiro Tanaka (9-1, 2.02 ERA, 2.46 xFIP) vs. Hisashi Iwakuma (4-2, 2.66 ERA, 2.88 xFIP)

Wednesday: Chase Whitley (1-0 2.42 ERA, 3.73 xFIP) vs. Chris Young (5-3, 3.42 ERA, 5.88 xFIP)

Thursday: David Phelps (1-4, 4.88 ERA, 4.28 xFIP) vs. Roenis Elias (5-4, 3.64 ERA, 3.80 xFIP)

Friday: Hiroki Kuroda (4-3, 4.27 ERA, 3.71 xFIP) vs. Sonny Gray (6-2, 2.83 ERA, 3.53 xFIP)

Saturday: Vidal Nuno vs. Scott Kazmir (6-2, 2.40 ERA, 3.45 xFIP)

Sunday: Masahiro Tanaka vs. Jesse Chavez (5-3, 3.04 ERA, 3.34 xFIP)

How do you think the Yankees will fare this week?  Vote in the poll and sound off in the comments below!

The Yankees will try to avoid losing the series to the Royals by throwing Vidal Nuno out to the mound.

The #yankees lineup: Gardner 8, Jeter 6, Teixeira 3, Soriano 9, Solarte 5, McCann 2, Beltran DH, Ichiro 7, Ryan 4.

— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 9, 2014

The starting lineup has been tweaked around a bit with Jacoby Ellsbury getting a day off. Brett Gardner is the center fielder and leadoff hitter, while Derek Jeter remains glued to his two-spot in the lineup and Mark Teixeira bats third. The middle of the order contains Alfonso Soriano in right, Yangervis Solarte at third base, and Brian McCann behind the plate. Carlos Beltran, the designated hitter, is moved all the way down to seventh with Ichiro Suzuki in left and Brendan Ryan at second base. Has Brian Roberts finally lost his starting position, or is this just a day off?

Shawn Kelley will pitch one inning for the Scranton-Wilkes/Barre RailRiders tonight. If all goes well, he will return to the big league team during the coming west coast road trip this week.

UPDATE:

Jacoby Ellsbury out because of a sore hip suffered yesterday stumbling over first base. #yankees

— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) June 9, 2014

OH WONDERFUL

I don't think the heavy stuff is coming down for awhile.

Thousands of Royals fans wanted to come out to the K tonight to witness what could be the last time we see former Baker University pitcher Vidal Nuno pitch at Kauffman Stadium. But Mother Nature had other plans.

Tonight's game has been postponed. Makeup date to be announced

— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) June 9, 2014

This is the last scheduled visit to Kansas City for the Yankees, but both teams have open dates on June 26 and August 25. The important thing is that we are able to give Derek Jeter is ceremonial burnt ends or shuttlecocks or whatever silly thing we picked up at the "Best of Kansas City" gift store.

Four Doppler Radar Questions

1. Any good stories about being out in the rain?

2. Who will win the World Cup?

3. Who will represent Kansas City at the All-Star Game?

4. A KISS-themed restaurant just opened in Overland Park. What band or musician should have a restaurant themed in their honor?

Mild Hamstring issue...

Tyler Skaggs was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sore hamstring and Hector Santiago was recalled from AAA Salt Lake City. He will pitch tomorrow night in Anaheim against the Athletics.

Alden Gonzalez asked Mike Scioscia about the injury at MLB.com and Sciosica explained that the move is a precautious attempt to rest and heal a mild hamstring pull and is not a chronic condition for the 22-year-old lefthander.

Santiago was sent down to AAA for being pretty lousy and continued that trend with the Bees. He gave up four earned runs in his most recent start and his ERA is north of six. Can't wait to see him dominate the Queens of the Run Differential Tuesday night in Anaheim. Ugh.

The Angels sure could have used Wade LeBlanc, who got scooped up on waivers by the Yankees a week ago. The starting pitching is thin in the minors and the chuckle over signing Joel Piñeiro to a minor league deal is now sounding like a sigh of relief... as in long relief for the likes of Santiago on the mound.