The Yankees took the first junior college player drafted in lefty Kyle Carr as their 3rd round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Carr is a six-foot-one, 175 lb. pitcher that was a two-way player at JuCo Palomar College in California. Carr had a K/9 of 12.81 and a BB/9 of 2.19, both excellent stats.
Solid outing for @PerfectGameUSA #2 ranked JUCO prospect in the country Kyle Carr out of Palomar College. The TCU commit struck out 6 over 5 innings of work. Scattered 4H w/ 3BB. FB sat 90-93 T94 (spin to 2300) SL 80-84 (to 2503 RPM) CH 87-88 #PGJuco #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/BuBhgyS0JN
— Perfect Game California (@California_PG) February 17, 2023
MLB.com notes that he has a fastball that sits 90-94 and tops out at 97 MPH, a slurve that that sweeps (reported to be his best pitch when he’s consistent with it), and a changeup that isn’t used as often.
He also batted .500, going 21-for-42 with 10 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers, driving in 17 RBI.
The concern is the trend for injury given past occurrences. He had Tommy John/reconstructive elbow surgery in 2020, broke his hand in 2022 and tore his right labrum this past March. The Yankees have seen their fair share of injuries this year, so the breaking ball or two-way possibility must be a good enough pitch for the Yankees to sign him.