4 Draft Decisions That Changed Yankees History

The New York Yankees are known for spending top dollar on free agents to continually assemble a team full of the best players in baseball, yet baseball fans and historians are well aware that some of the best players in team history were actually homegrown talents. Thanks to the magic of hindsight, we can now pinpoint several draft decisions made by the Bronx Bombers and other MLB teams that altered the course of Yankees history, both for better and for worse.

4. Drafting Thurman Munson in 1968

The New York Yankees drafted Thurman Munson in 1968. / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

The Yankees went from the best team in baseball to middle of the pack in the mid-1960s. The team needed a boost and drafted Thurman Munson with their incredibly important No. 4 overall pick in 1968, selecting him over BOBBY VALENTINE at No. 5, as well as plenty of also-rans who followed the selection. The catcher made his MLB debut in 1969 and was the Rookie of the Year in 1970. Munson was an instant star and finished his Yankees career with seven All-Star appearances and, most importantly, two World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. His life was tragically cut short after a plane crash midway through the 1979 season, but his legacy remains. He's one of the top players in Yankees history, and made the team great again in the 1970s.

3. Taking a Chance on Andy Pettitte

The Yankees decided to use a 22nd-round pick, usually reserved for hunches or intuition, on a pitcher named Andy Pettitte in 1990. Six years later, he was an All-Star and helped lead the Yankees to the first of five World Series titles that would be won with the help of the southpaw. Pettitte only made three All-Star Games, but never had a single losing season in 15 seasons with the Yankees. He was always at the top of the rotation in three separate stints in The Bronx. Not bad for someone who other teams passed on 22 times.

2. Angels Taking Mike Trout Ahead of Yankees

The New York Yankees narrowly missed a chance to draft Mike Trout. / Rob Leiter/Getty Images

It is almost impossible to believe that Mike Trout slid to the No. 25 overall pick in the 2009 draft. That is where the Los Angeles Angels snagged the superstar, four spots ahead of the the New York Yankees' selection. The history of the league was forever altered, as the New Jersey-born Trout could have been a Yankee for life. New York heavily scouted Trout and wanted to draft him at No. 29, but the Angels swooped in and took him with the extra pick they'd gotten from...the Yankees, forfeited when they signed Mark Teixeira. Brutal. Instead, the Yankees drafted Slade Heathcott, who was released in 2016 after a brief big league career.

1. Reds Passing on Derek Jeter in Favor of Chad Mottola

The New York Yankees drafted Derek Jeter in 1992. / Rob Leiter/Getty Images

The Yankees owned the No. 6 overall pick in the 1992 draft and must have paced in anticipation when Derek Jeter was still on the board at No. 5. The Cincinnati Reds, and four other teams, made a critical error by passing on Jeter. The Yankees took him, paid him enough to sign him out of high school, and the rest is history. Jeter became a modern Yankees legend by reaching 14 All-Star Games and winning five World Series titles. He was the face of the franchise for 20 years and is right up there with the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, and DiMaggio in Yankees lore. Chad Mottola, the Reds' selection? He played in 59 MLB games and now coaches the Rays. Unless he makes a key adjustment in Game 7 of the ALCS and dooms the Yankees, this face-off is formally in the bag for New York.