Prospect Kilby hoping to keep surprising people in 1st full pro season

TAMPA, Fla. – It’s a known part of the Yankees' prospect culture: Just because you were scouted and signed by the organization does not mean you’ll play for the team in New York. For a team always trying to win, and willing to bring in whatever big leaguers necessary to do so. That can mean very infrequent opportunities to break through to the Bronx, and it’s nothing new.

“I kind of wanted to get traded too,” said Yankees vice president of player development Kevin Reese, who spent six years playing in the organization. “The players are more aware of that, the chatter is so much more readily available than it was 20 years ago. Teams are less likely to just let somebody rot away. They’re more aware of who is in other organizations who are blocked and things like that. As a player, you do everything you can to perform well at the levels you’re at and somebody’s going to find you.

“Our messaging is just: ‘We want you to be a Yankee, but you’re also performing for 29 other teams every night.’ Everything you do, other teams are watching. There’s more motivation to give it your all every time you’re out there. We want you to play here, but we want you to play in the big leagues.”

Never has that message seemed more pertinent than following a year that saw the organization trade 17 players who were on its Top 30 list, more than any other franchise. It’s left the cupboard a bit on the thin side, but the Yankees have shown an ability to turn under-the-radar types into trade chips. Cases in point: Jesus Rodriguez was a $10,000 sign who helped them get Camilo Doval from the Giants and Rafael Flores was a junior college product who signed as a non-drafted free agent, then helped them acquire David Bednar from the Pirates.

“Hopefully we can provide some of those again and give [general manager] Brian Cashman some more ammunition as we head into the next Trade Deadline,” Reese said.

One avenue that looks like it will help refill the coffers was the 2025 Draft, which may sound surprising given the fact that the Yankees didn’t have their first selection until pick No. 39 overall and didn’t have a second-round pick at all. Seven from the class are now in the current Yankees Top 30. The crop is headlined by Dax Kilby, their top pick, who might have flown under the radar a bit in a class chock full of prep shortstops but quickly established himself as a Top 100 player who might very well outperform others taken ahead of him, one who opened a lot of eyes by hitting .353/.457/.441 over 18 games with Single-A Tampa after signing.

“I liked taking people by surprise,” said Kilby, New York’s No. 4 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 94 prospect overall. “I don’t think anybody expected me to go that high. I’m happy I had a lot of success last season and I’m excited for this year.”

He’s not the only one who Reese and his staff are excited to watch begin their pro careers in earnest. Reese mentioned fifth-rounder Core Jackson (No. 12) as a plus athlete who is super-competitive with a chance to stick at short. A more under-the-radar pick is Eric Genther, a nondrafted free agent signing who is being converted to catching and has earned praise from the organization’s hitting group.

“Amateur scouting has been crushing it,” Reese said. “They’ve been bringing in people -- there’s a good connection between us -- they ask us what we think about a guy and then we’re excited to work with them once they get here. There wasn’t anybody that came in and we’re thinking, ‘What are we going to do with this?’ We’re excited to see them all play.”

A fifth-round pick or a guy who wasn’t even drafted might not sound too sexy at the moment, but as mentioned, there’s a strong track record of developing those types of acquisitions into something of value, even if it’s for a different team.

“It’s not always going to be here, but it’s not a failure by any stretch,” Reese said. “You sign a guy as a late-round pick and we’re able to turn him into something, that’s a feather in your cap. As Cash is trading commodities, knowing when the right time to do it is, it’s tough, but that’s why he gets paid the big bucks.”

Camp standout: Jace Avina (No. 20)
Avina began his pro career back in 2021 as an over-slot high school signee with the Brewers, who had taken him in the 14th round of the Draft. After a solid pro debut in 2022 and a less impactful season the following year, he was sent to the Yankees in November 2023 in the Jake Bauers deal. He had offseason surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder following the 2024 season and while he hit his way to Double-A last year, he wasn’t protected on the 40-man roster, nor was he selected in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

His calling card has long been his raw right-handed power, though he hasn’t always consistently gotten to it. He got to Double-A shortly after turning just 22 years old, so the Yankees are bullish that there could be more consistent impact to come, using his rough introduction to the Eastern League (.655 OPS in 46 games) to his advantage.

“It wasn’t great, but he got that taste of Double-A, and now he’s going to go back there to start and I think he’ll hit the ground running,” Reese said. “A lot of people in camp have talked about him since he’s returned. Physically, he looks good. Some of the underlying things we look at have looked good at, exit velocities, some of the other measurables we have. There are things we have that we think are going to lead more in terms of exit velocity than he’s shown us.”

Breakout candidate: Jack Cebert (No. 25)
One of the more under-the-radar selections from the aforementioned 2025 Draft class, Cebert was a 15th-round pick as a senior out of Texas Tech. He had spent his first three seasons at South Florida before finding more consistent success as a reliever for the Red Raiders last spring. The 6-foot-3 right-hander signed for $150,000 and is currently No. 25 on the Yankees' Top 30 list. He was more of a ground-ball inducer than bat-misser at Texas Tech and he had a 2.00 GO/AO ratio over 6 1/3 innings in his first taste of pro ball last summer (though he did strike out 11). He has an interesting three-pitch mix that sat 95 mph with High-A Hudson Valley in that debut -- he focused on his four-seamer more than the two-seamer he featured in college -- with a high-spin 80-mph slider and a cutter. The Yankees plan to let him develop as a starter.

“He looked really good when he pitched [earlier this week],” Reese said. “The overall pitch package is really good. The velocity is trending in the right direction. He’s a big, physical guy the pitching department is excited about, with some of the things we’re able to do with his pitch package.”

On the shelf: Brock Selvidge (No. 15)
The Yankees’ No. 15 prospect had already been through it prior to this spring, with a pinched nerve in his left biceps forcing him to miss the 2024 Futures Game, and requiring surgery that September. His stuff didn’t bounce back in 2025, and he struggled in Double-A, but things were looking up in early outings in camp. The lefty’s stuff seemed to be back, pumping fastballs up to 97 mph … until he felt some elbow soreness. The early testing came back OK, but when they took a closer look, there was a tear that resulted in internal brace surgery that will force him out for all of 2026.

“My heart was broken for him,” Reese said. “The battle they have to go through, all that long rehab. These guys want to compete so bad. It’s a shame.”

On the way back: Thatcher Hurd (No. 9) and Wyatt Parliament
Hurd, the Yankees’ third-rounder out of LSU in 2024, is in the Yankees’ Top 10 even though he’s yet to throw a professional pitch. Parliament went in the seventh round of the same Draft and also missed the 2025 season. Both had Tommy John surgery and both appear to be on track to get their first competitive action with the Yankees at some point in May.

“I’m excited they’re coming back, it’s going to take a little time, but they’re looking like they’re trending in the right direction,” Reese said. “Guys kind of forget about them as time goes on because they missed all of last year, but they work so hard through their rehab and I think they’ll be really good.”