The Yankees focused heavily on pitching during the 2017 MLB Draft, taking a handful of arms that have graced their top prospect list since. From that group emerged Matt Sauer and Garrett Whitlock, that is until they both underwent Tommy John surgery during the 2019 season. Without a normal minor-league season to ease back into, these players could fall off the radar for now, but return better than ever in 2021.
When the Yankees selected Clarke Schmidt 16th overall in 2017, just a month after his Tommy John surgery, it was immediately speculated that they were trying to save bonus-pool money to do something big with their second pick.