The Yankees kept leaning into the college pitching lane in the 2026 MLB Draft, and this time they came away with a left-hander whose stuff drew a big-time comparison on the MLB Network broadcast.
New York used the No. 35 overall pick on Hunter Dietz out of Arkansas, adding another SEC arm to a farm system that already got this kind of boost two years ago when the club took Alabama right-hander Ben Hess at No. 26.
Like Hess, Dietz brings a heavy dose of swing-and-miss. Hess punched out 106 batters in 68 1/3 innings in his final season with the Crimson Tide, while Dietz was even more overpowering this past year with 131 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings.
The broadcast angle only added to the buzz. The graphic on MLB Network described Dietz’s slider as "slider reiminiscent of Clayton Kershaw's", based on Cole Hamels' scouting notes.
The direct pitcher comparisons attached to Dietz were Jordan Montgomery and James Paxton, both former Yankees. Even with that, there’s a belief he could move quickly through the minors.
The pick also carried the kind of upside that makes sense in this spot. Dietz was viewed as the best player available, and the Yankees clearly valued the ceiling that comes with his arsenal.
That arsenal is loud. Dietz was one of the SEC’s top strikeout arms in a conference that saw Oklahoma win the College World Series, and he pairs an upper 90s fastball with a top-graded slider, a cutter and a changeup. The look is even more intriguing because of how far he’s come back from injury.
The concern is obvious: Dietz appeared in only four games across 2024 and 2025 after multiple elbow surgeries. He also dealt with a fractured left ulna in 2023, then endured a setback that kept him out for almost two full years.
Still, his 2026 season showed why the Yankees were willing to bet on him. In 16 starts, Dietz posted a 3.57 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and 13.8 K/9. His upper-80s cutter and mid-80s slider gave hitters different looks and helped make the rest of his stuff play up.
The profile points to a top-of-the-rotation ceiling, and there’s optimism he can climb the system fast. For New York, that means another high-end arm in the pipeline and, potentially, more flexibility with its other pitching prospects as the trade deadline approaches.
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