MLB teams are ‘crazy’ for passing on Yankees’ first-round draft pick originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The New York Yankees had the 35th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Their first selection went to Hunter Dietz, a left-hander from Arkansas.
Dietz, who suffered a stress fracture in his elbow in 2023, threw just 1.2 innings in his first two seasons with the SEC program.
The 21-year-old made 16 starts this past season, punching out 131 batters with a mid-90s fastball, a cutter, and two breaking balls.
“He was absolutely electric this spring, going wire to wire, sitting 94-96 with a plus cutter and two more breaking balls, with clear ability to spin just about any pitch,” The Athletic’s Keith Law wrote about Dietz.
Damon Oppenheimer said the Yankees have already signed their first-round pick, Hunter Dietz. He doesn't know if Dietz will pitch in the minors yet.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) July 13, 2026
Law wrote that Dietz’s cutter is the best pitch in his arsenal, and that he may be “not that far off” from the Majors with the Yankees.
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“He also threw a ton of strikes and showed excellent command for a guy who’d barely pitched in two-plus years,” Law added. “I thought he was the best left-handed starter in the class, and this is crazy for the Yankees to get him at pick 35.”
According to Law, the Yankees may have done a tremendous job by selecting Dietz.
There are obvious concerns with a starter who threw 85.2 of his 87.1 college innings in one season, but Dietz’s most recent season at Arkansas showed that he is far removed from the surgery.
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