Just under 50 hours since the MLB Draft this past Saturday, the Yankees have already agreed to terms with their first-round draft pick, left-handed pitcher Hunter Dietz out of the University of Arkansas, according to Yankees beat writer Chris Kirschner of The Athletic and Yankees VP of domestic amateur scouting, Damon Oppenheimer.
Kirschner also reports how Oppenheimer clarified in this announcement that he isn’t sure as to whether Dietz “will pitch in the minors yet”, says Oppenheimer. Dietz is coming off a breakout 2026 campaign for the Arkansas Razorbacks in the SEC, the 6’6 “, 235-lb. Dietz posted a 7-4 record with a 3.57 ERA and an impressive 131 strikeouts in 85.7 innings pitched, per the Razorbacks team website. Dietz throws an imposing fastball that sits 94-96 but has topped out at 99 mph this year, per MLB.com’s scouting report website and prospect rankings.
Dietz High Profile And Deep Pitching Repertoire
Dietz, who’s 21 years old, throws five different pitches, which include a fastball, curveball, slider, cutter, and change-up. Of those five pitches, four of them are plus (above average) pitches, with three of them being 60-grade pitches in his scouting report, which are the curveball, slider, and cutter. He has a repeatable delivery and the ability to add even more velocity as he develops in professional baseball and within the Yankees’ pitching development pipeline.
While he’s able to command four pitches effectively, MLB.com’s scouting report lists how he doesn’t use his changeup much, and that his curveball is good but “lacks consistency at times”, per his official scouting report. Dietz was ranked as the 17th best prospect per MLB.com in their prospect rankings leading up to this draft. Considering the Yankees had the 35th pick, one could argue that the value (return) they got from this selection was rather significant.
The One Area Of Concern With Dietz
The one area of concern with Dietz is an injury history. Dietz had elbow surgery during the fall of the 2023 season and then dealt with additional injuries in 2024, resulting in him being out for 13 months, per Bryan Hoch. Because of this, Dietz’s stock value was at times rather uncertain. But heading into his junior season, Dietz broke out, stayed healthy, and his overall player stock rose dramatically.
Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch mentioned that Damon Oppenheimer said, “Hunter is right up our alley,” and that, despite his injury history, the Yankees felt comfortable enough to take Dietz given his skill set and potential in professional baseball. The Yankees had the 35th pick due to a ten-pick penalty as a result of exceeding the second barrier of the luxury tax, which also affected them in the later rounds with their picks as well, reports Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
Oppenheimer also told Hoch that “navigating” the draft from a late-round pick standpoint isn’t easy, given the need to know which talent is best available and who’s still on the board at that point. But clearly, the Yankees liked Dietz and everything he had to offer when they saw he was still on the board by the time they had their pick.
Dietz’s path in professional baseball isn’t fully planned out yet, but it’s a good start for the Yankees’ talent additions to the farm system in what they hope is one of many draft signings over the next several weeks until the signing deadline on Monday, July 27th at 5:00 PM ET.
Yankees Sign First Round Draft Pick Hunter Dietz