The College World Series begins this weekend in Omaha, Neb., and it will feature 60 MLB draft picks among the eight teams remaining in the tournament.
The picks range from as high as the fourth overall pick -- Vanderbilt's JJ Bleday (Marlins) -- to 36th-rounder Shay Smiddy (Rays) of Louisville. None of these 60 picks have signed with their respective teams, though, because they cannot do so until their college season is over.
The Yankees have just one draft pick still playing in Omaha:
Pat DeMarco, OF, Vanderbilt
The Yankees selected DeMarco in the 17th round out of Vanderbilt -- a program stacked with MLB-caliber talent with 13 players on its roster drafted. DeMarco is actually a native New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, before moving to Georgia in high school to play baseball year-round. Last year he was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American and led Vanderbilt with 48 runs scored and 116 total bases. He missed a month due to a quad injury this year, but is still hitting a slash line of .293/.370/.511 with six home runs and 46 RBI. The Yankees actually drafted DeMarco in the 24th round out of high school in 2017, so he is certainly someone they have a keen interest in and could draft again if he chooses not to sign.
Vanderbilt opens against Louisville on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN.