With the 51st pick in the 2011 draft, the Yankees surprised many by selecting outfielder Dante Bichette Jr from Orangewood Christian High School in Orlando. Bichette Jr has great major league bloodlines, as is the son of Dante Bichette, who played 14 seasons in the major leagues and posted a career .299/.336/.499 line, including a ridiculous .340.364/.620 season in 1995. Bichette Jr, well built at 6’1″ 215, put up great numbers this season (albeit against high school competition), batting .640 with 10 homers and 15 steals, though you would expect a high draft pick to dominate high school competition. He also starred in the Little League World Series in 2005, and was once a nationally-ranked tennis player. Bichette is committed to play college baseball at Georgia, though I imagine that he will be signable.
Although Bichette plays infield in high school, a move to an outfield corner is expected due to his lack of exceptional range. He should be athletic enough to handle an outfield postition, with a solid throwing arm. Like his father, Bichette’s strongest tool is his bat, with a solid hit tool and plenty of raw power. He’s also considered to be an exceptionally hard worker, spending many hours at the cage working on perfecting his swing. This dedication is a sign of strong makeup, which often goes along with having a relative who played the game for many years. He at times gets too power-happy according to the scouting reports, so he’ll fit in nicely in the Yankee organization (zing!). At times his swing gets inconsistent, which is something he’ll have to workon as a pro. Bichette’s ceiling is a powerful middle of the order bat who will be an average defender in left field, with the athleticism to steal a few bases here and there. However, his future value will be very tied up in his bat due to his likely location in an outfield corner.
The pick was somewhat of a surprise because nobody had any idea he was on the Yankees’ radar. Several first round talents were available, in the form of Josh Bell, Daniel Norris, and Dillon Howard. Baseball America had Bichette ranked at the #108 prospect in the draft class, and he did not crack Frankie Piliere’s top 100. Going by the rankings, Bichette looks like a bit of an overdraft, but clearly the Yankees were not afraid to buck conventional wisdom and take the guy they liked best (as they did with Cito Culver last year). A lot of people will be upset at this one, but I am definitely intrigued by Bichette’s talents. The Yankees could certainly use more power bats in the system, and to add one with a great work ethic and major league bloodlines is a nice bonus. I wonder if he would have been available in the 2nd round, but clearly the Yankees took the guy they liked, and I can’t argue with that. Bichette likely won’t be an exceptionally expensive sign, which will leave the Yankees plenty of cash to take some tough signs in the middle rounds. Hopefully he’ll sign early and get most of a GCL season in like Culver did last year.
Here’s what the Yankees’ vice president of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer had to say about Bichette (via press release): “Dante is one of the guys in this draft we thought had an impact bat and the potential to hit for big power in the middle of the order.” “He’s someone with an advanced makeup and work ethic who possesses the desire and drive to be a special major leaguer.”
The draft continues tomorrow beginning at noon with rounds 2-30, and can be viewed online at mlb.com. We will have another live chat with a number of authors and commenters participating, so feel free to stop by and share your thoughts or just check out what we’re thinking. Thanks for everyone who participated in the live chat tonight, it was a great time. There are definitely some interesting talents available tomorrow, including the aforementioned Bell, Norris, and Howard, as well as Oregon C Andrew Susac, HS C Austin Hedges, and several outfielders from my Big Board (Derek Fisher, Granden Goetzman, William Jerez). Matt Purke is lurking as well, though he may fall far. It should be another fun draft day to follow, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on how far the tough signs fall.
Dante’s apparently also , so follow away you creepers.
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Eric, I agree and understand the Yankees need for corner outfielder with power with upside, especially at pick 51. Yet I have some reservations, so I cannot share the same zeal that you may have. I hope tomorrow that either Josh Bell or Trever Gretsky are still there.
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Eric Schultz Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 8:52 am
I’m definitely not 100% sold on the pick, but that’s more because of my own lack of knowledge about Bichette. I know he wasn’t highly ranked by BA, KLaw, or the other ranking sources, but the fact that the Yankees took him over more highly touted prospects is indicative. It could be indicative that they have no idea what they’re doing, but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Bichette definitely has flaws, but I definitely understand his positive attributes, and why the Yankees would look to draft a player like him.
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Okay your write-up makes me feel a little better than Mike Axisa’s.
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I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pop somebody like Dillon or Bell in the second or third round tomorrow. These guys know what they’re doing so they should have an idea who is and who isn’t going to fall.
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Eric your write ups never disappoint. Good stuff!!
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I think a lot of the disappointment with the selection stems from the fact that people don’t know anything about Bichette. Too many people seem to equate familiarity with a name to actual ability. Although guys like Klaw and Goldenstein are good at what they do, there is no way they have the bandwidth to extensively scout someone like Bichette. However, Damon Oppenheimer’s team does. Just because the Yanks didn’t take someone ranked in the top-50 by various observers is fine with me because I am sure most of those players don’t pan out anyway.
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I know a lot of people say that Bichette would be available in the 2nd round. This is probably true, but I think the Cito Culver rationale still fits:
If the Yankees draft one of their planned overslot guys in the 1st round, and Bichette in the 2nd round, they could end up paying more money overall. The overslot will demand even more money as a result of being a first round pick, and Bichette might want to go overslot at #2. The Yankees can draft a conventional 2nd round pick (as they tend to do), pay him a slot bonus, and then start sniping at above-slot guys afterwards. They’ll save money by drafting a slot-or-below in the 1st round, and go all Powell Doctrine on the signability guys later.
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Eric Schultz Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 8:53 am
Yeah, also I think it’s reasonable that if you have targeted a guy that you really like, you might as well take him early rather than getting cute and risking losing him in the next round.
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William J. Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 10:12 am
I am not so sure about Bichette lasting. Was a report from February saying Rockies were targeting him, and they pick ahead of the Yankees in the second round.
Also worth noting is that if spend less in the Rule IV, you have more available for international signings (assuming Yanks are on a budget), which, quite frankly, can be better prospects anyway.
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xctx Reply:
June 7th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
He was by passed by the Rockies because he had already agreed to a good $ number from NYY that earlier pickers were not willing to match.
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[...] the original: 2011 Round 1S Pick: Dante Bichette Jr. | New York Yankees blog … AKPC_IDS += "20728,"; AKPC_IDS += [...]
After watching him play most of this year, and watching him lead his team to a 29-2 record, I feel his mobility is definately being underated within the blogisphere. He not only has exceptinal quickness and great hands and a good arm but he also knows what to do with the ball. His work ethic and desire to succeed is what the Yankees are betting on.
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