On Sunday, the New York Yankees selected two players over the first two rounds of the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. With their first-round selection (25th overall), the club drafted OF Spencer Jones out of Vanderbilt University. In the second round, the Yankees chose RHP Drew Thorpe out of Cal Poly with the 61st overall pick.
Jones, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound outfielder, was named to the All-SEC second team this past season after hitting .370/.460/.643 (85-for-230) with 62R, 21 doubles, 3 triples, 12HR, 60RBI, 32BB and 14SB in 61 games for Vanderbilt as a junior. Over three seasons with the Commodores (2019-22), the left-handed batter hit .329/.418/.554 (118-for-359) with 86R, 30 doubles, 3 triples, 15HR, 73RBI, 43BB and 18SB in 109 games. He was previously selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 31st round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft but elected to attend Vanderbilt.
During the summer of 2021, Jones played with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League and led the club to the CCBL championship as he batted .309 (29-for-94) with 16R, 5 doubles, 3HR, 20RBI, 9BB and 6SB in 29 games (including the CCBL playoffs).
“We were very happy to have been able to select Spencer,” said Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Domestic Amateur Scouting. “We love how athletic he is and that he can play center field. He is a legitimate five-tool type guy with big power and plus speed. He has some of the best exit velocity in this year’s draft. We are really excited about his ceiling.”
The Encinitas, Calif., native was ranked as the No. 49 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 51 by MLB Pipeline.
The selection of Jones marks just the fourth time the Yankees have selected an outfielder in the first round of the draft since 2002, joining Blake Rutherford in 2016, Aaron Judge in 2013 and Slade Heathcott in 2009. The Yankees have selected a college player with eight of their last 12 first-round picks since 2013.
Jones is the only Vanderbilt product drafted in the first round by the Yankees in the history of MLB’s First-Year Player Draft (since 1965). With Jones’ selection in the first round, Vanderbilt has had at least one player selected in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft in each of the last four years, eight of the last nine years (since 2014) and 12 of the last 16 (since 2007). Jones is the 12th player from Vanderbilt to be selected in the first round of MLB’s First-Year Player Draft since 2014 and 20th Commodore since 2004.
Thorpe, 21, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-handed pitcher, went 10-1 with a 2.32 ERA (104.2IP, 65H, 31R/27ER, 25BB, 149K, 5HR) in 15 starts last season as redshirt sophomore with Cal Poly. Thorpe’s 149 strikeouts ranked second in the nation, trailing only Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe (161 strikeouts), who was selected by St. Louis with the 22nd overall selection in this year’s draft. He also ranked third in the country in hits allowed per nine innings (5.59), sixth in WHIP (0.86), 10th in wins (10), 13th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.81) and 17th in ERA.
“We love Drew’s size and the Major League stuff and command he possesses,” said Oppenheimer. “We have seen him up to 96 (mph) and he has arguably the best changeup in the draft. He is still projectable to add velocity and his overall ability to create swing-and-miss is elite. He has the ability to move quickly through the minor leagues with a good Major League starter ceiling.”
This past season, Thorpe was named to six All-America first teams, including Collegiate Baseball, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Perfect Game, Baseball America, D1Baseball.com and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, becoming the first six-time All-American in program history.
Additionally, Thorpe was one of five finalists for National Pitcher of the Year, as well as a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award. The right-hander was also named the Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first pitcher in school history to earn the accolade.
Over parts of the three seasons with the Mustangs, he went 17-8 with a 3.03 ERA (223.0IP, 170H, 82R/75ER, 70BB, 284K, 9HR) in 35 games (34 starts). During the summer of 2021, he pitched in two games with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League before being selected to pitch for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team.
The right-hander was ranked as the overall No. 61 by MLB Pipeline and the No. 62 prospect by Baseball America.
The 2022 draft resumes on Monday, with rounds three through 10 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. It will continue on Tuesday with rounds 11 through 20, starting at 2:00 p.m. ET.
OF SPENCER JONES
Selection: First round (25th overall)
School: Vanderbilt University
Hometown: Encinitas, Calif.
DOB: 5/14/2001
Age: 21
Bats: L Throws: L
Height: 6’7″ Weight: 225 lbs.
RHP DREW THORPE
Selection: Second Round (61st overall)
School: Cal Poly
Hometown: Washington, Utah
DOB: 10/1/2000
Age: 21
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6’4″ Weight: 205 lbs.
