The Yankees used their first-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on a left-hander they believe can move fast, and Hunter Dietz is already drawing a familiar comparison inside the organization.
Dietz, whom New York selected 35th overall, said he sees some of Carlos Rodón in his own game. The 21-year-old also said he met Rodón at the facility and came away impressed.
"I feel like I kinda compare to Rodón," Dietz said. "I've gotten those comps.
I met him in the facility the other day. He was great to talk to, great to get some advice from him."
That kind of confidence makes sense given the kind of year Dietz just put together at Arkansas. After being limited to only 1 2/3 innings over his first two college seasons because of a stress fracture in his elbow, he broke out in 2026 with a 3.57 ERA in 16 starts. He also piled up 131 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings, numbers that helped make him one of the more intriguing arms in the class.
MLB Pipeline had Dietz ranked as the No. 17 overall prospect heading into the draft, which makes the Yankees’ pick look like a potential value grab on paper. The 6-foot-6 lefty brings a fastball that sits in the 94 to 96 mph range and can touch 98, along with a cutter and slider that MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis called “plus pitches.”
Dietz also talked about the pitchers he grew up watching, naming Clayton Kershaw, Tarik Skubal and Justin Verlander as favorites. For a young southpaw heading into pro ball, that’s a pretty strong group to model yourself after.
New York has already signed Dietz, according to Yankees VP of domestic amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer. And while the exact timing of his minor league debut isn’t clear, the expectation is simple: whether it comes in a brief look later this year or in 2027, he’s going to be one of the more watched arms in the system right away.
The Yankees already have a few pitching prospects worth tracking, including right-handers Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange. But Dietz has a real chance to jump into the conversation quickly and become one of the top left-handed arms in the farm system alongside Henry Lalane.
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