The New York Yankees selected left-handed pitcher Hunter Dietz from the University of Arkansas with the 35th overall pick in the MLB draft. This selection came after the Yankees' original No. 25 pick was moved back 10 slots due to their exceeding the second threshold of the competitive balance tax in the previous season, a penalty that also affected their draft position last year.
The Yankees had to wait approximately 2 1/2 hours into the draft, observing other teams make multiple selections, before making their first pick. Dietz, a 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore, posted a 3.57 ERA with 131 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings this season for the Razorbacks. He was drafted shortly after his Arkansas teammate, Carson Wiggins, was selected by the Mets.
This marks the second consecutive year the Yankees' top draft pick has been penalized due to salary cap violations. Last year, they selected high school infielder Dax Kilby at No. 39. While Kilby showed promise in his brief stint with Low-A Tampa, he has been sidelined by injury for most of the current season.
The Yankees have not selected in the top 20 of the draft since taking Clarke Schmidt at No. 16 in 2017. The team's front office, led by VP of domestic amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer, has historically found success in developing late first-round picks into prospects, though not always into established major leaguers. In the past seven years, with picks ranging from No. 20 to No. 38, the Yankees have drafted players such as shortstop Anthony Volpe, catcher Austin Wells, and prospects utilized in trades like T.J. Sikkema and Trey Sweeney, alongside others whose development is still underway.
The organization has also become known for discovering talent in later rounds, exemplified by players like Ben Rice, a 12th-round selection in 2021, and Cam Schlittler, a seventh-round pick in 2022, both of whom have achieved All-Star status.