New York Yankees: A Look at the Bombers' First Round Picks Since 2003

With the first round of the NFL draft just hours away, here are a look at the Yankees’ last 10 first round draft picks.

The MLB draft is much more hit-or-miss than the NFL is, since players take more time to develop in baseball than in football, but the Yankees performed relatively well in the first round since 2002.

They didn’t have a first round pick in 2002, since they forfeited their own to the Athletics as compensation for signing Jason Giambi. Since 2003, of their 13 first rounders, several are either on the team now or were used to improve the team in a trade. One didn’t even sign with the team, but not every draft pick is going to work out.

Here they are.

2003: Eric Duncan

With the 27th overall pick in the 2003 MLB draft, the Yankees selected Eric Duncan, a high school third baseman from New Jersey.

Almost immediately, Duncan showed himself to be a power hitter who had trouble making contact. In nine seasons in the minors, he had a .248 average but 105 home runs.

The winter after being drafted, the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez, so he was blocked at that position as well as at first, where he spent some time, by Jason Giambi.

Duncan never became part of the Yankees' plan for the future and could not get on base enough to gain much trade value. He spent three full seasons in Triple-A for the Yankees but never made his way into the big leagues.

He stayed in the Yankee organization through 2009 before being released. Since then, he's played in the Braves, Cardinals and Royals' organizations but still has never had a major league at-bat.

2004: Phil Hughes, Jonathan Poterson and Jeffrey Marquez

The Yankees had three first round picks in '04. With the 23rd selection, they took Phil Hughes. With the 37th, they took Jonathan Poterson, a high school catcher from Arizona, and with the 41st, they chose pitcher Jeffrey Marquez.

Phil Hughes obviously made his way through the farm system and is now part of the Yankees' starting rotation. He played a pivotal role in the bullpen during the Yankees' 2009 World Series run.

Poterson was a complete failure for the club. He only spend two and a half seasons in the farm system, never making it farther than Single-A Charleston.

He never hit higher than .247 for any minor league team in any year, and his highest on-base percentage was .303.

The Yankees cut him loose after 2006, and he played independent ball through 2008.

He was an up-and-comer in the Yankees' system through 2008, but was traded to the White Sox following the season in the trade that brought Nick Swisher to the Bronx.

The Yankees picked him up off waivers in 2011, but released him following the season and the Mariners signed him.

Marquez is still a work in progress. At 27 years old, he has only thrown five major league innings, but he's now in Seattle's farm system.

Marquez may never have contributed to the Yankees, but he did help to bring Nick Swisher to the Bronx.

2005: C.J. Henry

The Yankees' sole first round pick in 2005 was used on C.J. Henry, a shortstop from Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Why they selected a shortstop when they had Derek Jeter is anyone's guess, but the Yankees didn't keep him long enough for him to ever challenge the Captain for a spot on the roster.

In 2006, Henry was sent packing to the Phillies in the trade that brought Bobby Abreu and the late Cory Lidle to the Yanks. The Phils released him after 2007, at which point the Yankees re-signed him.

His return in pinstripes was short-lived, however. He spent 2008 with Single-A Tampa before being released with a career .222 average in the minors, never advancing to even Double-A.

Henry ultimately ended up playing college basketball for Kansas and Southern Nazarene University.

2006: Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain

The 2006 first round was a great success for the Yankees. They selected future major league pitchers Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain.

Kennedy famously made three great starts for the Yankees in 2007 before struggling in 2008. It was discovered that he had an aneurysm in 2009 and missed most of the season.

After the Yanks won the World Series, they traded him to Arizona as part of the three-team trade that brought Curtis Granderson to the Yankees.

Kennedy has gone on to have success with the D-Backs, where he won 21 games in 2011.

Joba Chamberlain also hit the Bronx with a bang in 2007 as a setup man, before being rocked in Cleveland in the playoffs while dealing with bugs swarming him on the mound.

The next several years saw him go back and forth between bullpen and rotation, and in 2011 he had Tommy John surgery and will miss 2012 after dislocating his ankle.

2007: Andrew Brackman

The Yankees took 6'10" starting pitcher Andrew Brackman out of NC State with the 30th pick in 2007, but he did not pitch for them until 2009 due to Tommy John surgery in August 2007.

He struggled in Single-A in '09, but in '10 was able to pitch to a 3.01 ERA with Double-A Trenton in 14 starts.

Brackman spent 2011 with Triple-A and was called up to the Yankees in September, where he threw two and a third scoreless innings.

The Yankees released him following the year, and Brackman now pitches for Cincinnati's Triple-A squad.

2008: Gerrit Cole and Jeremy Bleich

The Yankees selected high school phenom Gerrit Cole with the 28th pick of the 2008 draft, hoping to convince him to sign instead of going to college by offering a sizeable signing bonus.

Cole ultimately decided to go to UCLA to play college ball, and three years later, in 2011, the Pirates chose Cole first overall. He is now considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

With their other first round pick, the Yanks chose southpaw Jeremy Bleich out of Stanford. He spent 2008, 2009 and the beginning of 2010 split among Single-A and Double-A teams, but has not pitched since then due to surgery on his throwing shoulder.

He is still rehabbing and hopes to pitch in games this year.

2009: Slade Heathcott

With their sole first rounder in '09, the Yankees took outfielder Slade Heathcott from Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas.

He spent his rookie year with the Gulf Coast Yankees of the Rookie League before advancing to Single-A for 2010 and 2011. He showed some ability to get on base, but his power has not yet developed.

Heathcott had shoulder surgery, and is hoping to return sometime this summer.

It's still early in his development, but with Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson in the big leagues, and Mason Williams shooting up through the Yankees' system, Heathcott probably does not have a future with the Yanks.

2010: Cito Culver

The Yankees really made me scratch my head with this pick, choosing high school shortstop Cito Culver from Irondequoit, with the 32nd pick of the 2010 draft.

He's struggled to hit since entering the minor leagues; he hit .269 in the Rookie League in 2010 and .250 in Single-A in 2011. So far this year, he's hitting .185 in 17 games for Single-A Charleston.

He hasn't shown much power either, having hit just four home runs in his minor league career.

Culver's still just 19 years old, so he still has plenty of time to develop, but so far Culver has not lived up to his first round selection.

2011: Dante Bichette, Jr.

The Yankees 2011 first round pick already looks like a future star.

The son of former MLB All-Star Dante Bichette, Dante Bichette, Jr. hit .342 for the Gulf Coast Yankees after being drafted last year and has already advanced to Single-A Charleston to open 2012.

The third baseman is still far away from the big leagues, but he could be Alex Rodriguez's replacement at the hot corner in a few years.

Looking ahead, the Bombers will pick 30th in the 2012 draft, which will be held on June 4.

Now that you've wandered down the memory lane of Yankees' drafts, enjoy the NFL first round tonight from Radio City Music Hall in New York.