Former Pitt P Jack Sokol Signs With the New York Yankees

Jack Sokol didn’t have his name called in the 2024 MLB Draft, but his professional baseball career isn’t done yet.

Sokol — a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher from New Albany, Ohio — signed with the New York Yankees on Friday, following the conclusion of the draft. He will have the opportunity to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ farm system, despite being a longshot due to not being a draft pick.

Sokol’s headed to the Big Apple ✍️🍎@JackSokol22 → @Yankees #H2P pic.twitter.com/74ZqPVJfda

— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) July 19, 2024

Sokol started his collegiate career at Auburn in 2021, following a standout prep career in Ohio (rated as one of the top recruits in the state by Prep Baseball Report and Perfect Game). He spent some time at Pensacola State at the JUCO level, too, before arriving at Pitt before the 2023 season.

In two seasons at Pitt, Sokol accumulated a 6.26 ERA over 142.1 innings. He went 13-8 in 28 starts, striking out 126 batters while issuing 63 walks. His .311 opposing batting average doesn’t look good, but it’s the physical tools that intrigued MLB squads.

He started 14 games last season, making his best start against Mount St. Mary’s in March. He struck out 10 batters over seven innings, allowing just two runs. And he struck out nine batters against Florida State in his next start. It’s safe to say he had a strong stretch of play in March.

It won’t be easy for Sokol to work his way into the Yankees’ system, but he has an opportunity to do so now.

Pitt had two former players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. The Chicago White Sox selected Phil Fox with the 199th pick in the draft (seventh round) while the Tampa Bay Rays selected Ryan Andrade with the 216th pick in the draft (seventh round).