The Yankees were supposed to pick #29, #65, and again after the second round as compensation for losing Juan Soto, but they wound up with just the #39 pick instead due to a combination of salary overages and the signing of Max Fried. That left them with the smallest bonus pool of any team – less than $5.4 million, all together just about the slot value of a mid-first round pick – and very little flexibility to get creative with this draft. That's how it went, with a very straightforward class that neither played many games around over and under slot bonuses nor chased high upside. After starting with a pair of shortstops, they moved into a fairly pitching-heavy class the rest of the way with 13 pitchers over their next 19 picks. Highlights of the class of course include first rounder Dax Kilby, an all-around ballplayer with a chance to play a steady role in the Bronx for a long time, Bronx native Richie Bonomolo Jr., the sons of former MLB infielders Jeff Kent and Mark Grudzielanek, one of the most effective sliders in the country coming from Blake Gillespie, and a 6'8" JuCo arm in Hayden Morris.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-39: SS Dax Kilby, Newnan HS [GA]
Slot value: $2.51 million. Signing bonus: $2.8 million ($290,500 above slot value).
My rank: #52. MLB Pipeline: #62. Baseball America: #75.
Two years after drafting George Lombard in the first round, the Yankees went back to the prep ranks for a similar prospect in Dax Kilby. Besides having an elite baseball name, Kilby is a darn good player and a scout favorite. Hailing from the town of Newnan on the outskirts of the Atlanta metro, also the hometown of legendary country music singer Alan Jackson, Kilby has long been a known commodity but has really come on strong in the past calendar year. He's beginning to fill out a lean, physical 6'2" frame and thereby adding impact to his already polished game, pushing his stock over the top into a first round selection. He hits from a simple setup that translates into a leveraged left handed swing, helping him drive the ball with authority to all fields and, increasingly, over the fence. It's a disciplined approach that helps him consistently find pitches to drive even against advanced competition, and now that he's impacting the ball more, it could translate into 15-25 home runs per season with high on-base percentages. An above average runner, he showed very well at the MLB Draft Combine not just with his hitting but for his speed and athleticism, adding to the heat behind his name. At this point, Kilby is not a lock to stick at shortstop, as he's not quite as explosive as other top defenders in the class and his more deliberate style on ground balls may fit better at second or third base. Still, he should hit enough wherever he ends up, and overall projects as a well-rounded addition to a future Yankees lineup. He had been committed to Clemson but figures to sign for a large bonus, perhaps $3 million-plus, with the Yankees here.
3-103: SS Kaeden Kent, Texas A&M
Slot value: $744,400. Signing bonus: $744,400.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #185.
The Yankees' first college selection of the draft comes in the form of Kaeden Kent, another infielder with solid tools across the board. The son of 2000 NL MVP Jeff Kent, Kaeden worked a part time role at Texas A&M and showed well over his first two seasons. Spending 2025 as the Aggies' starting shortstop, he posted good-not-great numbers amidst an extremely disappointing season for the Texas A&M club as a whole. Kent shows below average raw power, but his ability to whip the barrel through the zone and elevate the ball to the pull side helps that power play up a bit in games, ending up with 13 home runs in 2025. He likely won't threaten twenty home runs in the majors, but his left handed bat will play well at Yankee Stadium and he could provide 10-15 home runs per season at peak. Kent's hit tool is where he shines, with strong plate discipline and bat to ball helping him walk (14.7%) more than he struck out (13.9%) against A&M's difficult schedule. It is a pro-ready bat that also handled tough Cape Cod pitching very well back in 2023 (.329/.405/.430), though the numbers dipped in his second year there in 2024 (.257/.328/.333) and he didn't perform well in SEC play either this spring. Defensively, the Austin native has seen time all around the infield projects to be at least capable at any position despite fringy speed, with a sound glove and enough arm to make most of it work. In an every day capacity, he probably fits better at second or third base, but in the reserve/platoon role he's likely destined for at the major league level, he can handle shortstop on an occasional basis where needed.
4-134: LHP Pico Kohn, Mississippi State
Slot value: $550,300. Signing bonus: not yet announced.
My rank: #130. MLB Pipeline: #122. Baseball America: #168.
This feels like an arm that the Yankees will get the most from. Pico Kohn was a known commodity at Chilton County High School in Central Alabama, but made it to campus at Mississippi State and showed well out of the bullpen as a freshman in 2022, though Tommy John surgery wiped out his sophomore campaign. Joining the rotation in 2024, he earned some draft interest but ultimately went back to school, where some rough outings inflated his ERA but he ultimately showed well enough to become a priority senior sign. Kohn sits in the low 90's and touches 95, modest velocity these days, though the pitch plays up a bit with flat plane from a deceptive slot. An above average slider is his best pitch, getting nice dive across the plate and missing a ton of bats in 2025, while he has shown some feel for a changeup to give him a third big league pitch. Kohn's command has improved considerably in Starkville and now looks average, which combined with an athletic 6'4" frame and a repeatable delivery gives him a chance to start at the major league level. He'll turn 23 right at the start of the offseason and will want to move quickly, but he's advanced enough to do so as a tall, seasoned three pitch lefty. The Yankees have done well with similar arms and figure to add him to the back of their rotation at some point in the next couple of seasons.
6-194: RHP Rory Fox, Notre Dame
Slot value: $319,800. Signing bonus: not yet announced.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #288.
Rory Fox has long been a do-it-all athlete who has gradually narrowed his focus over the last few years. A state champion quarterback at Catholic Memorial High School in the Milwaukee area, he focused on baseball at Notre Dame where he was initially recruited as a two-way player. He never got to hit much and more recently took to pitching only, leading to a very strong 2025 in which he eventually pitched his way into the Friday night (ace) role. Fox sits in the low 90's with his fastball and touches 96, showing some riding life negated by a higher release point. He can cut the fastball a little or turn it over into a true slider, a pair of pitches that often served as the key to his success, while a less used curveball and changeup round out a full arsenal. While he doesn't get great extension down the mound, Fox's athleticism helped him stick around the zone with fringe-average command. That athleticism combined with his big league 6'3" frame and deep arsenal gives him the chance to become a #4 or #5 starter, but he could surprise and rise higher if he continues his upward trajectory now that he's focusing on pitching only.
7-224: OF Richie Bonomolo Jr., Alabama
Slot value: $252,100. Signing bonus: not yet announced.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #358.
There haven't been many major leaguers from the Bronx lately, but the Yankees are looking to corner the market with Andrew Velazquez and now Richie Bonomolo Jr. Bonomolo grew up in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, playing high school ball at Cardinal Hayes High School just half a mile down Grand Concourse, then went away to Wabash Valley JC in Illinois before transferring to Alabama for his junior year. He showed well in his lone season in Tuscaloosa, producing nearly identical chase, contact, and exit velocity data to Yankees third rounder Kaeden Kent. Bonomolo is undersized at 5'11", in contrast to the big, physical ballplayers New York likes to target, but takes big right handed hacks that allow him to show some moderate thump in games, likely enough for up to about ten home runs per season. His above average bat to ball ability and strong approach allow him to swing like that without running high strikeout rates, though most of the power is to the pull side and will likely always be that way. Bonomolo is an above average runner with excellent instincts in the outfield, giving him every opportunity to provide value in center field for the Yankees. The lack of power likely relegates him to a fourth outfielder role in the long run, where he should show well at all three positions.
9-284: RHP Blake Gillespie, Charlotte
Slot value: $196,600. Signing bonus: not yet announced.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: #231.
The Yankees picked up a very interesting arm in the ninth round. Blake Gillespie began his career at Georgia, but struggled mightily to a 13.74 ERA over two seasons and transferred out to Charlotte for his junior year. To say he improved would be an understatement – Gillespie tossed an eleven strikeout no-hitter against James Madison in March, finished the season with the fourth most strikeouts (131) in all of Division I baseball (and in four fewer appearances than any of the names ahead of him), and ultimately won the AAC Pitcher of the Year award. He did so on the strength of his slider. It's a plus pitch with nasty, late dive that hitters constantly chase down out of the zone because they can't pick it up, and even if they do, they can't find the bottom. The Southwestern Ontario native leaned heavily on the pitch, throwing it more than his fastball, and hitters still couldn't hit it. He also adds a low 90's fastball that touches 96 with riding action, giving him a second potentially above average pitch. Gillespie will use his changeup against left handed hitters but mostly relies on the fastball and slider. His command improved considerably in 2025 as he ran just a 4.9% walk rate and now looks average. The 6'2" righty has a bit of an interesting delivery, as he follows a high leg lift with a really soft landing and short extension, almost like he's stopping his delivery halfway through and just tossing the ball in off his back foot. Given that he's up to 96, it's a testament to his arm strength and you can bet the Yankees will look to smooth that out a little and gain another tick or two on the fastball. Because he relies so heavily on his slider, it's easy to peg this as a relief profile, but the Yankees may try to develop him as a starter and bring that changeup along. It's a fun profile that the player development staff can get creative with.
19-584: RHP Hayden Morris, Blinn JC [TX]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: has not yet signed.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
This is an interesting one, though it's looking iffy whether he'll actually sign. Hayden Morris missed his freshman season at Blinn College due to injury, but came back this year and showed big stuff from a big frame. The fastball sits low to mid 90's and touches 97 at peak, playing up because he uses his huge 6'8" frame to extend down the mound and release the ball right in front of hitters. He has a tight low to mid 80's breaking ball that helped him miss bats, and in the end it helped him to a perfect 10-0 season with over 100 strikeouts for the Buccaneers. Command is a question right now post-surgery, but he looks durable and the longer he stays healthy on the mound, the more he should build up in that regard. Morris has a ton of upside with his size and arm strength, and if he signs, the Yankees will work to bring along the command as well as add a third pitch. He is just 20 years old and could return to Brenham for his redshirt sophomore season, where he'll be age-appropriate for the 2026 draft.
20-614: SS Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, Southern California
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. Baseball America: unranked.
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek has been a known commodity on the West Coast for a long time and will look to do the same on the East Coast. The son of former All Star and Gold Glove winner Mark Grudzielanek, Bryce began his career at UCLA but never saw the field, so he transferred to USC for his sophomore year in 2023. A steady performer when healthy for the Trojans, he'll depart a career .296/.377/.446 hitter over 136 games. He comes with the prototypical size at 6'3", 185 pounds, though that size has led to just modest power in Los Angeles. A relatively aggressive hitter, he does run into strikeout problems (22.3% in 2025) and will need to shore up the approach in pro ball. His glove will carry him after starting 59 of USC's 60 games at shortstop in 2025, with steady, confident actions in the dirt that will help him stick there long term. As the son of a longtime major leaguer, the Yankees will take the size, defense, and bloodlines and see if they can't develop Martin-Grudzielanek into a utility infielder.
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