By admin 
With their first pick in the MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected Hunter Dietz, the tall left-hander out of the University of Arkansas. If there’s one thing Dietz does best, it’s generate a ton of whiffs, and that could be one of the big reasons the organization snagged late in the first round.
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Seeing the success of Will Warren and Cam Schlittler, two strikeout artists who go about their ability to get batters to swing-and-miss a little differently, they may want to stock up their minor league system on more guys like that. The Yankees are one of the best at getting the most out of their pitchers in the minors, and Dietz’s stuff has the chance to translate well and, at some point, potentially become the next homegrown arm to join the rotation or bullpen.
Despite a middling 3.57 ERA – which has never been relevant to the org when evaluating a draft prospect – Dietz struck out 131 batters over the course of 85.2 innings while with Arkansas. It was the seventh-most strikeouts at the collegiate level.
The Yankees have selected Hunter Dietz with the 35th overall pick, a high arm-slot LHP with a big curveball.
Not who I was expecting, but the Yankees have the kind of pitching track record and he’s an interesting arm. He finished with 131 SO, the 7th-most in the country. pic.twitter.com/f84KSgJFDn
– Ryan Garcia (@RyanGarciaESM) July 11, 2026
According to MLB Pipeline, Dietz is a 55-grade prospect. He was the 17th-ranked prospect on their board, and the Yankees were able to get him at 35. He has a 60-grade curveball and slider, and a 55-grade fastball. Dietz can hit as high as 98 and averages in the 94-95 mph range.
Dietz showed the height of his powers in his final start, where he struck out 14 batters in the NCAA Lawrence Regional matchup against the University of Kansas. It was the most he had ever struck out in a single game.
Getting the most out of their pitchers
Drafting Dietz was similar to the Ben Hess pick in 2024. That was a value move. The response on social media to his 5.80 ERA in his final season at Alabama was one of confusion, but they didn’t look at his biggest talent. That was generating whiffs. Hess struck out 106 batters in 68.1 innings pitched, and Dietz, their most recent first-rounder, had otherworldly strikeout numbers at the collegiate level, too.
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Anybody who has paid attention to the Yankees, though, knows the ERA of a pitcher doesn’t mean anything, and the organization is just looking to mine their talents. Just look at other moves the Yankees have made over the years. Guys like Clay Holmes, Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, Luke Weaver, Jake Cousins, and Tim Hill were all castoffs.
Holmes ended up taking future Hall of Famer Aroldis Chapman’s job, Weaver became Mariano Rivera-lite in the Yankees’ World Series run, and the other guys have provided big innings to the organization as well.
It remains to be seen if the Yankees want Dietz to get in games this season. Damon Oppenheimer, the vice president of domestic amateur scouting, says that while they have already signed him, they aren’t sure if they want him pitching anymore this year. It could just be a matter of managing Dietz’s arm, since the year before, he threw only 11.2 innings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as Yankees’ Hunter Dietz Pick Sends Clear Message About Long-Term Vision.
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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 5:50 AM.