2014 Draft: Signing Updates (UPDATED)

With last weekend's draft in the rearview, the focus now shifts to player signings.  The Yankees had a handful of guys make it all but official yesterday and another 1 or 2 strongly indicate that they would be signing in the near future.  Here's the latest:

- All but official: RHP Matt Borens (11th round), 1B Bo Thompson (13th), RHP Sean Carley (14th), RHP Corey Holmes (20th).  Thompson will start at Low-A Charleston, Carley and Holmes with SS Staten Island.

- Strongly indicated: RHPs Jordan Foley (5th) and Jonathan Holder (6th).  There are reports and tweets from multiple sources that state both are expected to sign this week, including Holder tweeting a picture of himself wearing a Yankee hat.

- Austin DeCarr (3rd) was expected to report to Tampa to sign today, according to the NE Baseball Journal.  Slot money for his pick is $575,000 and the report says he'll sign for twice that amount.

- Jonathan Lindgren (2nd) is also reportedly on his way to Tampa to take his physical and make his signing official, and that will take place on Thursday.  No word on what he'll get.  Slot value is 1.0187 mil.

** UPDATE 4:47 PM- A few more updates that came out today: Jordan Montgomery (4th) has agreed to sign and is heading to Tampa.  He'll be going to SS Staten Island.  Damon Oppenheimer has confirmed that 10th round pick Ty McFarland has been signed.  No word on the amount. **

Kelley's Return To The 'Pen A Very Welcome One

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's been exactly 5 weeks since Shawn Kelley was put on the disabled list with back stiffness and 5 weeks and a day since he last pitched in a Major League game.  Before he hit the DL, Kelley had been a critical part of what, at the time, was an overachieving bullpen.  He had a 3.52/2.36/3.83 line and 16 strikeouts in 15.1 IP, all of them worked as either the setup man or closer.  The Yankee 'pen has stayed afloat and even flourished in parts without Kelley for the past month, primarily because Dellin Betances and Adam Warren have proven that their strong April starts were no fluke.  They've teamed up to build a very sturdy bridge to D-Rob, but the return of Kelley to the late-inning mix tonight should help reset the workload arrangement for the group and make the Yankee 'pen even deeper and better.

Inside Ellsbury's Hitting Streak

Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-4 last night, the 1 hit being the eventual game-winning one, and in the process extended his current hitting streak to 14 games.  To my knowledge, that's the longest hitting streak of the season for the Yankees and it's been a very reassuring stretch for Ellsbury after a lackluster month of May.  He's racked up 21 hits in 56 at-bats over the last 14 games (.375 BA), boosting his slash line back up to .286/.351/.406 from the season-low level of .258/.330/.379 before the start of the streak.  After looking like he had something wrong with his swing for all of last month, Ellsbury now looks like he's back to where he was at the start of the year and back to being the player the Yanks hoped they were getting.

Game 63 Wrap-Up: NYY 3 SEA 2

(Courtesy of the AP)

Joe was mixing and matching with his lineup on Monday night for the Royals series finale and got rained out before his newest creation could take the field.  He bailed on that plan for the series opener out in Seattle, instead opting to return to the "business as usual" setup.  In one of the least unpredictable outcomes in baseball history, that failed to produce more than 3 runs.  In an outcome that actually was unpredictable and unexpected, Vidal Nuno pitched well enough to overcome that and get a win.

Game Notes:

- The Yanks did most of their damage in the top of the 1st, all of it with 2 outs and both run-scoring hits coming off the bat of slumping guys like Carlos Beltran (RBI double) and Brian McCann (RBI infield single).

- Seattle got 1 back in the bottom half on a 2-out Robinson Cano double (remember those?) and a ribbie single by Cole Gillespie.  It was 2-1 Yanks after 1 and those were the only runs they'd score for a while.

- As usual, the Yankees had their chances.  Jacoby Ellsbury was called out on strikes with 2 on and 2 out in the 5th and they shut themselves down with 2 inning-ending double plays in the 2nd and 6th.

- Nuno dodged a few bullets of his own through 5, and exited after getting Cano out for the 2nd out int he 6th.  I figured Joe would have wanted Betances for Cano, but whatever.  Betances wasn't at his sharpest again, giving up the game-tying run in the 7th on a hit batter, wild pitch, and RBI single.

- The Captain led the charge to pick him up in the top of the 8th, roping a hanging first-pitch slide for a ground-rule double into left to end Hisashi Iwakuma's night.  The M's went to Charlie Furbush and he couldn't get it done, giving up a base hit to Ellsbury to put the Yanks back front.

- Adam Warren and David Robertson made that stand up with solid 8th and 9th innings.  D-Rob struck out the side again with a walk mixed in for fun.