ON THE RISE
Stephan first arm to emerge from Yanks' 2017 draft class
WHEN the Yankees went on a pitcher spree in last year’s draft, an emergence like Trevor Stephan’s is what they had in mind.
In an era of finicky and fragile arms, the Yankees turned their 2017 draft into a series of lottery tickets, stockpiling depth by selecting 10 pitchers in the first 11 rounds. Red flags abound with every young pitcher, underscored by their first-round selection, Clarke Schmidt, whom they picked at No. 16 knowing he had just had Tommy John surgery.
The more lottery tickets, the better the chances that a prospect sails through the system. And that’s just what Stephan, the third-round pick out of Arkansas, is doing.
The 22-year-old right-hander tore through High-A Tampa competition this season, using a big, deceptive fastball, breaking ball and changeup to pitch to a 1.98 ERA in 41 innings, striking out 49 and walking nine. Last week he was promoted to Dou- ble-A Trenton, which came as a surprise to the Texas native.
“That’s always the goal, to move quickly,” Stephan, who touches 96 mph but buzzes around 92-95, said over the phone. “There’s always a possibility. You just try to take care of what you can. Let the front office take care of the rest.”
That surprise was only shared by Yankees executives because of how deep the system goes.
“We have so many quality arms that it’s tough to maneuver that quickly,” said Kevin Reese, the Yankees’ senior director of player development. “He put the pressure on us to say, ‘Hey, I’m dominating this league and I’m ready to make the move.’ ”
Stephan cuts the figure of a major league starter, a 6-foot-5, 225pound specimen whose fastball bursts out of his hand. He throws aggressively and lives around the plate, a pitcher who “you get the feeling he legitimately doesn’t like hitters,” Reese said.
He’s also a pitcher who was nearly a Yankees enemy.
The Red Sox drafted Stephan, then at Hill (junior) College, in the 18th round in 2016, and Stephan’s mind was made up: He was going pro.
“I told Arkansas I was going to sign. I was super close. I was ready to pull the trigger,” Stephan said. But the Red Sox haggled with first-round pick Jason Groome for months. They were consumed with trying to nail down their top prize, and they didn’t budge from their original offer to Stephan — who, just a few days before the signing deadline, chose Arkansas over Boston.
“No regrets at all,” said Stephan, who said the Yankees have targeted 150 innings for him this year.
Stephan is the only pick of the Yankees’ first four rounds last year to make an appearance this year. Their second-round pick, right-hander Matt Sauer, will debut with short-season Pulaski or Staten Island, while their firstround pick, Schmidt, nears his return. Last week Schmidt faced live hitters for the first time since his May 2017 surgery. The Yankees are playing it conservatively with the right-hander from South Carolina, who’s eager to start his professional career.
“Looks great. Ball’s flying out of his hand,” said Yankees minor league pitching coordinator Danny Borrell, who said Schmidt will make his debut “quite soon.” The Yankees haven’t yet given him the green light to go all-out.
“He’s only throwing 93-95,” Borrell said with a chuckle. “He feels good, recovering well in between. The pedigree’s there.”
The pingpong balls bounce, and another lottery ticket is nearly in play.