Cole Prosek could be the newest name Yankees fans have to learn by Saturday afternoon. Baseball America‘s final mock draft has New York taking the Mississippi high school infielder with the 35th overall pick, and the reasoning behind it says as much about the Yankees’ draft philosophy as it does about Prosek himself.
New York’s competitive-balance tax penalties knocked its first selection down 10 spots, from 25 to 35, leaving the Yankees searching for value deeper in the round than usual — a wrinkle that could shape who’s still on the board when their name gets called. It also lines up with an organizational need for depth at catcher and third base, positions where Prosek brings at least some experience.
@doubtedathletes BACK AT IT AGAIN!! 2026 Cole Prosek had an impressive week batting .471 including 2 homruns💣! Ole Miss Commit
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Yankees Land Cole Prosek in Latest Mock Draft
Prosek, out of Magnolia Heights High School in Senatobia, Mississippi, is a left-handed hitting third baseman with catching experience who has committed to Ole Miss. Baseball America‘s final 2026 mock draft has New York taking him at No. 35, with industry evaluators believing his bat could push him well above that slot, potentially into the range where Baseball America projects Bo Lowrance going off the board at No. 21.
That kind of evaluation tracks with what Prosek did all spring. He was named Prep Baseball Mississippi‘s Player of the Year after hitting .585 with 79 RBIs and 18 home runs in his senior season, while also pitching to a 3.16 ERA as a two-way threat who helped his team win a state title. He also took home MVP honors at the 2025 Perfect Game All-American Classic, cementing his reputation on the summer showcase circuit.
MLB Pipeline grades Prosek’s hit tool at 60 with 50-grade raw power, calling him a quick, compact left-handed swinger who profiles as a safer offensive bet than some of his more physically gifted Mississippi peers.
“Prosek isn’t as tooled up as fellow Mississippi prep prospects Eric Booth and Kevin Roberts Jr.,” the scouting report states, according to MLB Pipeline. “But he’s a better hitter than either of them and one of the most advanced bats in the entire high school class.”
Third Base Fits the Yankees’ Draft Pattern
Defense is where the concerns lie. Prosek is a below-average runner with limited lateral range, pushing his long-term home toward third base rather than the middle infield, and his work behind the plate this spring only adds development time without guaranteeing it pays off. ESPN draft analyst Kiley McDaniel still likes the bet, framing Prosek as a hitter first and a defender second.
“Prosek is an advanced hitter with 25-homer upside from the left side,” McDaniel wrote, as quoted by ESPN. “He’ll be 19 years old on draft day, a clear no-go for some teams, but the Yankees aren’t one of those teams.”
That patience with age and physical projection has become a pattern for New York. Prosek would mark the third prep player the Yankees have taken in the first round over the last four drafts, breaking from college arms only when Alabama right-hander Ben Hess came off the board instead. He also carries a bit of family pedigree. Prosek is the nephew of Milwaukee Brewers third-base coach Matt Erickson.
Whether the Yankees actually see Prosek at 35 depends on how the board falls Saturday in Philadelphia. But if Baseball America‘s final read holds, New York would be adding a bat evaluators trust more than the average older prep prospect, though the defensive projection remains very much a work in progress.
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