2018 MLB Draft: The New York Yankees select Anthony Seigler with the 23rd pick

With the 23rd pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees selected high school catcher Anthony Seigler out of Cartersville High School in Georgia. In recent mock drafts, Seigler was projected to go 24th by Keith Law of ESPN and 22nd by Baseball America.

His future is mostly likely as one of the better catching prospects in this draft class, but Seigler has a really interesting fallback option as he is a legitimate prospect as a switch-pitcher as he has excelled on the mound as well. However, it is his bat and receiving skills that had his name mentioned as an option throughout the bottom of mock drafts in the lead up to the draft.

Seigler isn’t a finished product behind the plate (what high school catching prospect is?), but he has athleticism and quick reflexes that play well back there. He has a pretty strong arm on throws to second, but his quickness as he receives the ball lets his throw play up a bit. He is also a switch-hitter and drives the ball well from both sides. He has more gap power than anything right now, but he has some room to add strength without sacrificing his quickness and he has a great feel for hitting. He runs well for a catcher, but he also isn’t going to compete for any stolen base titles.

High school catchers are often the most risky of bets given the physical and mental demands of the position, but with Seigler’s upside at the plate and the fact that he could very reasonably try out pitching or even another position in the infield, he is a worthy risk.