Yankees select lefty Hunter Dietz as 2026 first-round draft pick
· Yahoo Sports
Selecting 35th overall, the Yankees chose college left-hander Hunter Dietz with their first-round pick in Saturday’s MLB amateur draft.
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Dietz, 21, out of the University of Arkansas, was rated as the draft’s No. 17 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Per MLB Network, the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Dietz, from Trinity, Fla. (Tampa Bay area), has a fastball that sits in the 94-96-mph range, and can reach 98-mph, with a slider and a cutter in his arsenal.
Dietz also comes with an injury history, including a left elbow stress fracture in 2023.
Part of Dietz's allure is his unusual pitching angle, which - from his height- creates a challenge for hitters, with his high three-quarter delivery, per MLB.com.
With the 14th overall pick, the Miami Marlins selected high school shortstop Jacob Lombard, the younger brother of Yankees’ top prospect George Lombard Jr.
Earlier this week, GM Brian Cashman said that Lombard Jr. “might be a choice at some point’’ for a call-up to the Yankees later this season; he’s currently rehabbing from finger sprains on his throwing hand.
“He’d been pushing himself before the injury, definitely was thriving and conquering the final level when he got hurt,’’ Cashman said, adding that Lombard could begin playing in rehab games next week.
Offensively, Lombard “was coming a long way and closing the gap, despite his age,’’ said Cashman, who described him as major league ready as a defender.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees select lefty Hunter Dietz as 2026 first-round draft pick