Pick 1 – New York Yankees
Selection: SP Chris Carpenter
Although the Wold Series hasn’t ended yet, with the release of extension numbers, let’s get this party started.
There’s a new tenor in the Bronx these days—less swagger, more strategy. The Yankees’ new ownership group hasn’t wasted a single month of its inaugural season, reshaping the organization with a conviction that was sorely lacking in the late Mattingly era. And yes, let’s call it what it is: 1997 will mark the end of an era, with Don Mattingly all but certain not to return. But if the face of the franchise is stepping aside, the foundation of the next one is already being poured.
Last year’s first-rounder Bobby Abreu has quickly emerged as the franchise’s offensive anchor—a polished, advanced hitter with the sort of plate discipline and gap power that organizations build around. The Yankees still have holes, yes, but Abreu gives them freedom. Flexibility. A chance to build deliberately rather than desperately.
Which brings us to Chris Carpenter, my top overall player on the board, and the man I fully expect the Yankees to take with the first pick.
Carpenter doesn’t have Matt Morris’s bulk yet, nor the same present-day polish, but the projection here is simply better. Cleaner delivery. Sharper command. A fastball that already flashes plus and a curveball with real hammer potential. The changeup is further along than folks realize, too. There’s a version of Carpenter—admittedly a best-case version—who could see the Bronx by late 1997. That’s aggressive, bordering on reckless, and I don’t expect the Yankees to sprint him to the majors the way some teams might. Not after the cautious, methodical way they handled Abreu’s development.
But make no mistake: Carpenter has the tools to become a top-20 pitcher in the league. That’s not hyperbole. That’s projection mixed with floor. His frame has room for another 15–20 pounds, his command should tighten with reps, and the stuff already pops off the page.
The Yankees could have chased a bat here. There are tempting ones, no doubt. But when you have a chance to grab a potential frontline starter—an arm you can envision leading playoff rotations—you don’t overthink it.
Carpenter is the pick. He should be the pick. And if the Yankees want a new era to begin the right way, he’s the perfect arm to usher it in.