Today, a lot of dreams came true. The Yankees were the genie to grant four of those wishes, making the 35th, 63rd, 99th, and 127th selections in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.
The Yankees were given a 10-spot penalty on their first-round pick because they exceeded the league’s luxury tax threshold. However, it was worth the wait. As someone who watches a lot of Arkansas Razorback baseball, I’ll say this was an easy choice for my favorite Yankees selection of the draft not only this year, but
in years.
With the 35th pick, the Yankees selected Hunter Dietz, a left-handed pitcher from Arkansas. For those unfamiliar, the OmaHogs are essentially the college version of Matt Blake’s pitching factory. Since 2019, the Razorbacks have had more pitchers drafted than any other college program, with 30 prior to this selection. Dietz now joins Hagen Smith and Gage Wood as Razorback pitchers selected in the first round in three consecutive drafts. Going further back, two Cy Youngs have come from Arkansas as well: Cliff Lee and Dallas Keuchel.
Dietz is good. Like, really, really good. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 235 pounds, his delivery and pitch mix remind me of a lefty Cam Schlittler. That’s the type of pitcher I think he could become. If things break his way health-wise (he did have 2023 surgery for a stress fracture in his elbow), I think his ceiling is incredibly high, and many evaluators believe he could move quickly through the minor-league ranks. Dietz recorded 131 strikeouts, including an SEC-best 47 looking.
Dietz generated those strikeouts with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and has touched 99 mph. That fastball has the same high ride that makes Schlittler so effective, and he pairs it with a slider that tunnels off it before breaking late. Dietz was a first-team All-SEC selection, a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy, and a second-team All-American. I don’t know whether there was some slot gaming involved, but the Yankees getting this type of upside at No. 35 is outstanding value.
In the second round, with the 63rd pick, the Yankees selected another southpaw in Sean Duncan out of Terry Fox Secondary School in British Columbia. A Canadian prep product who only turned 18 in May, Duncan has been pitching in Canada’s National Team program since aging out of Little League. The Vanderbilt commit had been climbing draft boards before an elbow injury ended his spring season.
Some reports suggest Duncan would prefer to rehab his already-completed Tommy John surgery with the organization that drafts him. If that is the case, it may be a while before we see him on the mound, but Blake and the Yankees’ player development staff will have an opportunity to work with a young pitcher who already fills up the strike zone with a low-90s fastball and multiple off-speed pitches. High school selections always carry the risk of honoring a college commitment, but the Yankees must feel confident in their ability to sign Duncan away from Vandy.
With the final pick before triple digits, the Yankees selected catcher Brendan Brock out of the University of Oklahoma. Brock spent one season with the Sooners after playing the previous three years at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville.
One thing I learned during my time in college athletics was never to count out a true JUCO grinder. Brock, a right-handed hitting catcher, hit 13 home runs, drove in 55 runs, and stole 28 bases this past season while helping Oklahoma win its first College World Series in 32 years. This kid is a legitimate athlete who flashes plus power and speed, though he’ll need to cut down on the strikeouts as he climbs the professional ladder.
With their fourth and final selection on Day 1, the Yankees went back to the JUCO transfer well and selected right-handed hitter Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II. Gutierrez-Contreras transferred to Cal State Fullerton after beginning his collegiate career at Modesto Junior College.
This past season, the 20-year-old followed a good summer in the wood-bat Northwoods League by slashing .346/.441/.633 while earning Big West Co-Player of the Year honors. Known for not wearing batting gloves at the plate, Gutierrez-Contreras will now look to continue his development in the Yankees’ system.
After Day 1, the Yankees have come away with a pair of left-handed pitchers and two right-handed hitting former JUCO products. The draft always feels like the perfect time to open the windows, let in some fresh air, and dream about what might be.
Day 2 gets underway tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. ET, with all of Rounds 5-20 on deck.
