Yankees Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Juan Soto, Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Clay Holmes, Gleyber Torres and More

The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles relating to 2024 fantasy baseball draft prep and will continue to do so through the start of the MLB season.

Recently, we’ve been looking at things on a team-by-team basis. Those articles can be found at the links below:

American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers), Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays (hitters and pitchers), Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners

National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks (hitters and pitchers), San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals

Now, we’ll take a look at the New York Yankees.

Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!

Top Fantasy Hitters

Juan Soto is the top New York player going off draft boards. According to FantasySP Average Draft Position data, Soto ranks third overall with an ADP mark of 4.24.

He played in all 162 games as a member of the San Diego Padres in 2023, finishing with a .275 average, .410 on-base percentage, 156 total hits, 109 RBIs and 97 runs. Soto homered 35 times among his 68 extra-base hits.

Soto should hit second in the Yankee’s lineup and hitting in Yankee Stadium should do wonders for him. I like Soto fifth in dynasty league drafts and seventh in redraft leagues but can see the argument to consider taking Soto at pick two. He’s a stud and should improve his numbers from last season.

Aaron Judge is next up, ranking 12th with a mark of 14.37.

Judge dealt with a toe injury (that might hamper him the rest of his career) in 2023, playing in just 106 games. He finished with a .267 average and .406 OBP, 98 total hits, 75 RBIs, just three stolen bases and 79 runs scored. Judge homered 37 times among his 53 extra-base hits.

In that linked story, I mention liking Judge starting at pick 13 - I don’t think the toe injury will affect him all that much. If you are worried about it, you’d probably be better off taking someone else in round two. If he falls to round three, I’d definitely take a gamble on him though. His power numbers will offset a lower average and lack of stolen bases.

Gleyber Torres is ranked 85th with a mark of 88.98.

Across 158 games in 2023, Torres hit .273 and got on base at a .347 clip. He collected 163 total hits, 56 of which went for extra bases (25 homers). Torres also had 68 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and 90 runs scored.

He’s an everyday starting 2B option, and if you want to utilize him in that role, I’d try to have a good backup plan in place. Torres had solid fantasy numbers last season, but if he can’t play in as many games, I could see a lot of his numbers falling off.

Anthony Volpe is next up, ranking 174th with a mark of 161.

In his first MLB season, Volpe played 159 games, tallying a .209 average and .283 OBP. He collected 113 total hits, 60 RBIs, 24 stolen bases and 62 runs. Volpe homered 21 times among his 48 extra-base hits.

Volpe is a good backup SS option, with the chance to start at an extra infield/utility spot if he can bump up his average. He could also be a solid trade piece if that happens.

DJ LeMahieu is the next hitter on the ADP list, ranking 258th with a mark of 216.42.

He played in 136 games in 2023, finishing with a .243 average and .327 OBP. LeMahieu had 121 total hits, 40 of which went for extra bases (15 homers), 44 RBIs and 55 runs scored.

LeMahieu should be eligible to play at third and first base at least, so the position versatility is a nice bonus. He’s a career .292 hitter, so while a big bounceback season is possible, he’s also 35 years old, so it seems unlikely. LeMahieu is still a decent depth infielder, with not a lot of risk involved for being this late in drafts.

Alex Verdugo is ranked 270th with a mark of 224.25.

He joins New York after a couple solid seasons with the Boston Red Sox. Verdugo had a .264 average and .324 OBP in 2023. He collected 144 total hits over 142 games, also driving in 54 runs and scoring 81 times. Verdugo homered 13 times among his 45 extra-base hits.

Verdugo could be part of a platoon, but this late in fantasy drafts, I’d still be fine taking a chance on him. He should put up big numbers at Yankee Stadium and be a solid depth OF that could start at an additional outfield/utility spot.

Anthony Rizzo is next, ranking 285th with a mark of 233.17.

He only appeared in 99 games in 2023, tallying a .244 average and .328 OBP along the way. Rizzo had 91 total hits, 26 of which went for extra bases (12 homers). He drove in 41 runs and scored 45 times. 

Rizzo is still a pretty solid fantasy asset because of his power numbers, but durability has been an issue the past couple seasons. He’s still worth a pick late in fantasy drafts, and can probably be a starter at an infield/utility spot most of the season.

Giancarlo Stanton is a similar option, ranking 322nd with a mark of 253.38.

Across 101 games last season, Stanton had a .191 average and .275 OBP. He homered 24 times among his 37 extra-base hits and 71 total hits. Stanton drove in 60 runs and scored 43 times.

There isn’t a ton of risk involved with taking Stanton late in a draft, and he’s a starting option when he’s in the lineup. If you feel solid about the rest of your hitters, feel free to take a gamble on Stanton - just don’t be counting on him to lead your team.

Catcher Austin Wells is the only projected starter not on the ADP list. He and Jose Trevino are expected to platoon, with Wells getting starts against righties. 

Ben Rortvedt is another option at catcher. Oswaldo Cabrera can play all over the field and Trent Grisham is expected to get a good amount of starts spelling the likes of Judge, Stanton and Verdugo. Oswald Peraza will be another infield option when he returns from injury (sometime in early May).

Jasson Dominguez is a top-100 prospect that could help out when he’s healthy. He’s expected back in mid-July right now.

Top Fantasy Pitchers

Gerrit Cole is the first Yankees’ pitcher off the ADP list, ranking sixth with a mark of 7.41. That number likely will fall as Cole is expected to miss at least the start of the season.

Cole went 15-4 a season ago with a 2.63 earned run average and 222 strikeouts over 209 innings. 

I think starting pitchers are going too early in drafts right now, so the injury concern should move Cole back to closer to where I think he should be going. I’d target Cole at the end of the second round/early third right now. The injury risk is too great to use a top pick on him.

Closer Clay Holmes is next up, ranking 129th with a mark of 132.69.

Holmes went 4-4 with a 2.86 ERA last season. He struck out 71 batters over 63 innings.

I don’t like spending a 6th-10th round pick on closers, so Holmes a couple rounds later is someone I’d target. He should get plenty of save opportunities this season.

Starter Carlos Rodon is next, ranking 170th with a mark of 158.63.

In his first season with the team, he made 14 starts, going 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA. Rodon struck out 64 over 64 1/3 innings.

He likely will start on Opening Day with Cole out, and be counted on in the early going to help the starting rotation tread water. He’s got bounceback potential, and isn’t nearly as big a risk at this portion of a draft. I’d still wait a couple more rounds before taking Rodon, but if you feel good about your SP, then that’s when you could gamble on Rodon.

Marcus Stroman is ranked 209th with a mark of 182.89.

Stroman pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 2023, going 10-9 over 27 appearances (25 starts). He had a 3.95 ERA and 119 strikeouts over 136 2/3 innings. 

I like Stroman a bit more than Rodon, and would be fine taking Stroman a round or two before his ADP mark. He’s been pretty reliable for the past few seasons, even while failing to reach 30 starts the past two seasons. 

Nestor Cortes ranks 247th with a mark of 212.3.

He made just 12 starts in 2023, going 5-2 with a 4.97 ERA and striking out 67 over 63 1/3 innings.

Cortes is another bounceback candidate, and a pretty good value pick for this portion of a draft. If he can revert back to his 2022 form, you have a major draft steal on your hands.

Clarke Schmidt is the last NYY pitcher on the ADP list, ranking 350th with a mark of 277.43.

Schmidt made 33 appearances (32 starts) in 2023, going 9-9 with a 4.64 ERA and 149 strikeouts over 159 innings.

The ERA wasn’t great, but it also was his first full season as a starter. Now that he’s got that experience, some improvement should be expected. This late in a draft, there’s not much risk involved, so you might as well gamble on Schmidt.

Clayton Beeter and Luke Weaver are two other starting pitcher options that could be streamed when the matchup is favorable.