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MLB Draft 2021: Yankees select Tyler Hardman 153rd overall
The Oklahoma first baseman was the Big-12 batting champion in 2021.
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Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
With their fifth round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees selected Tyler Hardman, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound first baseman from the University of Oklahoma. MLB.com had him ranked as the 194th-best prospect on their top-250 draft list, while Baseball America had him at No. 226.
The right-handed hitting Hardman is the reigning Big-12 batting champion after hitting .397/.481/.661 during the regular season. Scouts saw an advanced approach this season that made him one of the most skilled hitters in the Big-12. During the shutdown for the pandemic, Hardman lost 20 pounds and showed up for 2021 in much better shape than scouts had previously observed. Along with his better conditioning came more bat speed and superior all-around tools.
MLB Draft 2021: Grading the Yankees’ late day-two picks
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Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images
Through 10 rounds, it appears as though the Yankees have an organizational mantra as to how they’ve approached the early portion of the draft: “You can never have too much pitching.” After choosing a shortstop, two pitchers, a second baseman, and then a first baseman, the Yankees made four more consecutive pitching selections before adding another shortstop. With 6 of their first 10 picks used on pitchers, the Yankees seem to have embraced the lottery ticket nature of prospect development, perhaps in their own attempt at building a “stable” down the line.
Kansas State’s Kokoska drafted by Colorado
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Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas State’s Zach Kokoska found the perfect landing spot for one of the Big 12’s best power hitters in the 10th round of Monday’s MLB draft.
After hitting 15 home runs in his second junior season, the left-handed hitting outfielder was taken 290th overall by the Colorado Rockies, joining pitchers Jordan Wicks and Carson Seymour as the third Wildcat to hear his name called. It’s the first time K-State’s had three players selected in the first 10 rounds since 2011, when four Wildcats were taken.
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