The New York Yankees used their No. 35 overall pick in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft to select left-handed pitcher Hunter Dietz on Saturday, July 11, adding a high-velocity arm to their minor-league pipeline.
Size, velocity and strikeouts
Dietz, a 6-foot-6 native of Florida and a redshirt sophomore at the University of Arkansas, posted a 7-4 record this season with a 3.57 ERA while compiling 131 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. He led the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts during the regular season and issued just 31 walks.
Scouts and analysts pointed to Dietz’s fastball, which lives in the upper 90s and is noted for its backspin and carry. He works from a three-quarters arm slot and mixes five pitches, with three breaking offerings that have drawn praise for their shape and consistency.
- Fastball: upper-90s with strong backspin and carry
- Secondary mix: curveball (high 70s), slider (mid 80s), cutter (upper 80s), changeup (needs refinement)
- Role in 2026: assumed Arkansas’ Friday night starter role midseason
Upside and questions
Dietz’s combination of size, velo and a diverse pitch mix gives him significant upside as a left-handed prospect. He was named First Team All-SEC and earned Second Team All-American honors from D1Baseball after the 2026 campaign.
Concerns center on his health history — he battled injuries earlier in his Arkansas career and “only recorded five outs before this spring” — and the need to further develop his changeup to become a true multi-inning starter at higher levels. The projected slot value for the No. 35 pick was reported at $2.83 million.
| Stat | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Record | 7-4 |
| ERA | 3.57 |
| Innings | 85 2/3 |
| Strikeouts | 131 |
| Walks | 31 |
What it means for the Yankees
For the Yankees, selecting Dietz addresses an organizational premium on left-handed pitching and swing-and-miss stuff. The club now adds a prospect whose floor includes a high-leverage bullpen arm and whose ceiling is a mid-rotation starter, provided he stays healthy and refines his changeup.
New York fans should expect Dietz to begin his professional journey in the Yankees’ minor-league system, where the organization will manage his workload and focus on pitch development. His fastball and three reliable breaking pitches already give the team options for how to deploy him long-term.
As the Yankees continue to balance major-league competition and prospect development, Dietz’s progress will be watched closely by the club’s player-development staff and the New York fanbase. His combination of size and strikeout ability makes him one of the more notable lefty selections in this draft class.
— Ava Rosenberg, New York Correspondent
