NoMaas' Sensei John Kreese sits down with Baseball America's Co-Editor-in-Chief...

SJK: How would you summarize the Yankees draft?

JM: The Yankees' draft success depends greatly on who signs and who doesn't. Certainly Culver wasn't a consensus pick in the first round, but they were convicted about him, just like the Twins were convicted about Ben Revere, who similarly wasn't a first-round consensus guy three years ago but has provided value to the organization as a good prospect. If Culver can stay in the middle infield, and if by signing at his price he allows the Yankees to spread their draft budget out and sign other players later, then this draft class could be a good haul.

SJK: In talking to the Yankees higher-ups and asking them what they think about this year's draft, the most common answer we get is a shrugging of the shoulders and a "we'll see" response. As a company that covers amateur and minor league baseball, what is your reaction to this indifference?

JM: I wouldn't characterize the club's attitude as indifference; I think they were characterizing this year's draft class as very flat in terms of talent. The 30 clubs usually have some consensus about the talent available, at least more of a consensus than there was this year about the players. It was just not an easy year to line players up, so the Yankees lined the players up the way they liked them and didn't really care what anybody else thought.

SJK: The Yankees spent a lot of early round picks on players fresh out of high school. In general, was this draft more talent rich in high school or college prospects?

JM: The college talent was considered quite thin in this draft, especially among hitters, so the Yankees' taking a lot of HS position players is probably a smart move. I especially like Gumbs and Williams, in addition to Culver.

SJK: The Cito Culver pick certainly was a surprise to draft pundits everywhere. In fact, you referred to it as a "stunner." Why was Culver such a shock pick? Were the Yankees wrong to pick him, or is this a case of the Yankees knowing more about an amateur player than any other organization or scouting service?

JM: We were stunned because the "consensus," such as it was in New England, had Culver as a 3rd-round talent. Same was true of Ben Revere, which is why I used that comparison earlier. The Yankees people I have spoken with liked him better than that previously (as early as last summer), and the organization remained high on him. This wasn't one guy or two guys in the org who liked him, it was a lot of guys in the scouting department and front office who like him, like his tools and his energy.

So when the pick came and their board was the way it was, Culver was their guy. That said, I don't think he would have been the 32nd player on the majority of clubs' draft boards. We were, though, getting pretty high on Culver on May 19:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/draft-tracker/2010/2610014.html

SJK: Based on what was available at the time, who would you have picked at #32?

JM: I like a lot of the prep pitchers that went in the supplemental first round, such as Peter Tago, Taijuan Walker and Tyrell Jenkins. If I thought Anthony Ranaudo was healthy, I also could see rolling the dice with him there, but I also think Ranaudo will be paid more than he should be paid. He's had one good year out of three in college, and his secondary stuff is iffy. That said, he has a front-line starter's body and arm and fastball velocity, and when he's downhill he's exciting and at times dominant. I thought Ranaudo and the Yankees were a good match.

SJK: The Yankees' draft board was absolutely littered with shortstops, center fielders, and catchers. How does this compare to what other organizations did and is this a common draft approach?

JM: It is common, and it makes sense, teams never can have enough depth up the middle. Also that means the Yankees wanted athletes, and put a priority on athletes, which supposedly is common, but I think is hard to execute.

SJK: One of the very few non-up-the-middle position players drafted was 2009 Cape Cod League MVP Kyle Roller from East Carolina University. What can you tell us about him? And what's his future with an organization that will need that DH spot to accommodate the likes of someone like Alex Rodriguez?

JM: I'm not a big fan, should be an organizational player. He has a polished approach in that he takes a lot of walks, but if he gets to the big leagues and makes an impact, many, many area scouts in N.C. will be surprised. He did hit in the Cape, but there's more to life than hitting in the Cape.

SJK: Where do you think is the biggest weakness of the Yankees' farm system and was that weakness addressed by this draft?

JM: The Yankees don't have a lot of power bats right now, and the system overall has a stunning lack of LHPs, considering they're the Yankees. It was not a good draft for LHPs, though, and Evan Rutckyj is the best LHP they drafted. Not sure why he fell so low, but he'll probably command an above-slot bonus and he's one of the more important picks on this list for me because he's a southpaw and the Yanks could use some lefties.

SJK: Despite having a catching-rich system, the Yankees drafted 4 more backstops. Any of these picks have a chance to stick?

JM: They didn't pick any catchers with high picks or guys who will be more than org players, other than Tyler Austin. He probably isn't a catcher as a pro, but he does have a polished bat for a prep guy. I liked that pick at 13 if he's signable for fourth-round type of money. He'd be a value at that price and could be a LF or 3B.

SJK: Who would you rate as the Yankees' best value pick, taking into account ability and draft round?

JM: Austin or Rutckyj

SJK: When we talked to Mark Newman, he was really high on Mason Williams calling him a "plus-plus runner." Another Yankee exec told us he reminded him of Brett Gardner. What is BA's take on Williams?

JM: We like Williams. Our take of Williams was available for subscribers a week before the Yankees drafted him, and we had a pretty extensive scouting report for free in a draft tracker here:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/draft-tracker/2010/269954.html

SJK: What are some of the picks that really stand out in your mind?

JM: Kevin Jacob, Kevin Jordan, Even Rutckyj and Tyler Austin, as 10-plus-round guys who could make or break the class, either giving it depth or leaving it thin. That's the hardest thrower the Yankees picked (Jacob), one of the best athletes (Jordan), the best LHP and perhaps the most polished bat they drafted in that quartet.

SJK: Looking at the draft as a whole, do you see the Yankees' positioning themselves to flex their financial muscle?

JM: Yes, by signing the above four players in addition to their top picks.

SJK: Who is going to be a tough sign, but would be in the Yankees' best interest to lock up?

JM: Jacob may be the toughest of that group because he was hurt, he's unconventional with an at-times painful-to-watch delivery, and he's a Boras client. Definite summer follow, we'll see how he throws.

SJK: What do you think of the Karate Kid remake?

JM: I did not see, nor will I see, the Karate Kid remake until it comes to HBO or maybe DVD. I am not a fan of the fact that it's in China though and is really using Kung Fu, not Karate. Sounds pretty bogus to me, Daniel-san.

Many thanks to John for providing his expert analysis to NoMaas. Make sure you follow him on Twitter at @johnmanuelba.

We were shocked on the Culver pick. I will say, we often are low on the Northeast pop-up guys. Our Northeast guy blankets that area but he also covers college baseball, and sometimes the Northeast kids jump up late and we miss that sometimes.

But he also got a text from a scout up there tonight who said, "Are you kidding me with Culver?"

It wasn't a consensus draft, the Yanks weren't the only team to go off the consensus, but that pick was a surprise.

The good news we took from Manuel is that the Yankees may have snuck in and grabbed a guy who was possibly overlooked by scouts and/or just didn't receive the hype. There's a lot of evidence over the last few years to suggest the Yankees know what they're doing. His ranking of 168 doesn't necessarily mean his skill level is set in stone. This kid's local, so the Yankees have probably seen more of him than anyone else in the country. That has to count for something.

The bad news is that his ceiling could be Ramiro Pena.

Time will tell.

Special thanks to John for some late night conversation, and we looking forward to doing a full post-draft interview with him. In the meantime, go subscribe to Baseball America.

Graham Stoneburner, 22, RHP, A+
I haven't spoken to any scouts about Stoneburner this year but our reports on him have been good in the SAL. I haven't heard much about his two starts at Tampa. He still sounds like the same guy; like the arm, still a bit skeptical with his past labrum issues and small stature.

Hector Noesi, 23, RHP, AA
Noesi's a nice back of the rotation option, we've got an organization report coming on him this week. Breaking ball's a bit short if I recall.

Jose Ramirez, 20, RHP, A
Ramirez looked very good to the scout I talked to who saw him in April, said his velo was a bit down from what we had in the Handbook but that was to be expected so early in the season. He liked the arm action, body, looseness, all that.

Ramirez has the highest ceiling of the trio to me. Most likely to be a starter.

Part 2 of 2 in Sensei John Kreese's interview with the Co-Editor in Chief of Baseball America, John Manuel (Part 1 available here)

SJK: Do Ericson Leonora and Yeico Calderon have a real shot at becoming top 100 prospects?

JM: Both guys were still in the DSL at age 17 and age 18. That's not a great sign for Latin prospects. Top 100 type of guys, in the Yanks system, typically are in the GCL or higher at those ages. Tabata was in the SAL at 17. There's a very big difference between the SAL and the DSL. Those guys are closer to Melky Mesa than they are to Jose Tabata.

SJK: Will Christian Garcia ever straighten things out, or is a move to the bullpen the more realistic scenario?

JM: The bullpen is hard, sometimes harder than starting, to come back and pitch and be able to do it on back-to-back nights. Moving to the bullpen isn't always a panacea for pitchers. He still has good stuff, and still has upside, but he's not a guy anyone should count on because to be counted on, you have to be healthy. I root for him, he's long been a personal fave, but objectively he's not really a great prospect yet.

SJK: David Adams put up some very nice numbers between A & A+ in 2009. And supposedly his 2B defense was good also. How does he project?

JM: He's got a shot to stay in the infield; he turns the double play well, but I wouldn't say he's a good defender because his range is a bit short of average at 2B. Good chance he moves to 3B and he profiles kind of as a David Bell kind of player, RH-hitting 2b/3b with some offensive upside.

SJK: And speaking of flashing leather, who are the best defenders in the system?

JM: Guys that I think Yankees fans are familiar with, such as Ramiro Pena, who hit better than anticipated last year but still profiles as a 25th guy on a roster for me; and Reegie Corona, a similar player with, I believe, a bit more offensive upside than Pena. He's not as good at SS as Pena, though.

Among younger players, watch out for Melky Mesa, who if he can hit enough could be an electric RF defensively in the majors. The hitting part is a big, big if though. And Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann is very capable defensively in all spots.

SJK: At less than 6 feet tall, Jonathan Ortiz has put up some crazy strikeout numbers (career 12.2 K/9, 7.6 K/BB in 2009). Could he be the next David Robertson?

JM: I don't see it because he doesn't have Robertson's caliber of arm. I try not to get too excited about performances below Double-A that are not joined by glowing scouting reports. Ortiz has a plus change but I think he's more Edwar Ramirez than David Robertson.

SJK: Yankees vs. Red Sox farm system - Who currently has the upper hand?

JM: I don't think it's much of a debate right now that Boston has more young talent in its farm system than New York does. That's the snapshot we're looking at right now. The advantage for New York is, Boston has no Jesus Montero. But the Red Sox have more athletes, more up-the-middle talent, and I would say equal pitching depth. No Yankees pitcher projects as well as Casey Kelly, who I'm extremely high on.

Boston's actually become much more high school and and international oriented the last couple of years, and its system reflects that -- more high-risk, high-reward players. The Yankees draft more conservatively than Boston right now.

SJK: What's the latest Baseball America project we should be paying attention to?

We're finishing the College Preview issue as we speak, which kicks off our 2010 draft coverage as well. College Top 100 prospects are in that issue, as well as top prospects for all 31 college D-I conferences, Junior College top prospects . . . it's a cornucopia of draft content and it's just the start. Top 100 Prospects issue follows after that, should be online two weeks from now as well.

Many thanks to John for all of this great information. We hope you enjoyed the interview as much as we did. Make sure you check out Baseball America on a regular basis.

*Props to Gary Wallace/Admiral Firmus Piett (our minor league correspondents), Marshall Seymour, Vizzini, Mick Shrimpton, and Louis Winthorpe III for also contributing to this interview.

SJK: Say you're in an elevator with a bunch of people and they ask you to describe the current state of the Yankees minor league system. You say....

JM: Not bad, certainly not ideal, but then it's not usual for a team to both win a World Series championship and have a great farm system simultaneously. The system contributed heavily to the 2009 championship with a nearly completely homegrown bullpen, plus Cabrera, Cano and Brett Gardner being contributors from the system in the last five years, and then the system contributed again this offseason with the Granderson deal. I'd be satisfied but also cognizant of the need to bring more out of some of the system's top talents.

SJK: What are the biggest areas of weakness in the Yankees' system?

JM: Shortstop; there's no obvious in-house replacement for Derek Jetere on-hand. Talent at the upper levels of the system; very few of the Yanks' top prospects have had much success at Double-A. Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez are about the only ones, along with a couple of pitchers like Zach McAllister, Mark Melancon & Ivan Nova. I'd still consider lefthanded pitching to be fairly thin, though there's some talent there.

SJK: What are the biggest areas of strength?

JM: Well, catching, considering four of our Top 10 Yanks prospects are catchers. Pitching depth, as the Yankees are pretty good at developing pitching.

SJK: The Jesus - Will he stay behind the plate and if he doesn't, what does that do to his value?

JM: The best answer there is, the Yankees no longer speak of Jesus Montero as a future everyday catcher. They used to; they do not any longer. That's not to say he can't do it; he can do it, he's gotten better at it, he's probably a 30 defender on an MLB level but some scouts would give him a 40. But 40 isn't good enough unless you hit like Mike Piazza. Can this guy hit like Piazza? Maybe. Can he hit like Posada, who has been a 40 receiver most of his career but is a better thrower than Montero? I think he will hit like Jorge Posada, at least produce like Jorge Posada.

But catching everyday in the major leagues is such a grind, and Montero's bat is potentially so special, that I think he'll be a reserve catcher, 40-50 games a year, and more of a full-time DH. I think if he's hitting .300/.400/.550, which is realistic, then it doesn't matter if he's a DH, then he's a 4-hole hitter on a championship team and plenty valuable.

SJK: Manuel Banuelos is commonly ranked as one of the better prospects in the Yankees system. What do you think of him?

JM: I rank him that way too, at No. 6. His fastball velocity wavered and some scouts are wary of his body and how the quality of his stuff will hold up in the future, but not all scouts have that concern. He's a fastball-changeup lefty at this point, so I temper my enthusiasm waiting to see how his breaking ball will perform. Stuff-wise, Jeremy Bleich has better stuff among NYY LHPs. But Banuelos has better fastball command and pitchability, hence he ranked ahead.

SJK: Zach McAllister has excelled at every level of the minors, yet he doesn't get much hype since his stuff isn't superb. At what point does performance outweigh scouting, if at all?

JM: At the major league level, that's the level where it counts the most. Where "hype" matters is, do other teams ask about McAllister in trades? I don't think so; obviously the Braves valued Arodys Vizcaino more, and I guarantee that 30 of 30 clubs do as well. That's not hype; that's reality. McAllister has great numbers but his stuff is back-of-the-rotation stuff. He succeeds more with command, and that's why there's not more "hype."

SJK: Andrew Brackman and Dellin Betances - They must have a hard time finding pants, but will they ever contribute at the MLB level?

JM: Signs point to no, but there's more hope for Brackman, who is more athletic (though I'm afraid not as athletic as the Yankees thought). Because Brackman is even taller/bigger than Betances, it might take longer for him to figure it out, and he had a lot of rust to shake off last year. That said, he had about as bad a year as you could imagine.

Betances, well, I'm off that train. Tommy John isn't a death-knell but he'll miss a year, he hasn't stayed healthy consistently anyway, and he has never thrown a ton of strikes. He's got a lot of Daniel Cabrera in him. There's reason to be pessimistic with both of them. I still ranked Brackman because the upside is so considerable, and he's had flashes and again is more athletic. But I think the Yankees over-valued him.

Stay tuned Friday night for Part 2 of our conversation with Baseball America's leading man.


*Props to Gary Wallace/Admiral Firmus Piett (our minor league correspondents), Marshall Seymour, Vizzini, and Mick Shrimpton for also contributing to this interview.