Yankees’ No. 1 prospect Kilby overhauling already-potent swing in Fall League
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Dax Kilby was one of the best hitters in the 2025 high school class, which is why the Yankees selected him 39th overall and signed him for $2,797,500. He has lived up to that reputation, batting .290/.438/.435 with more walks than strikeouts in 51 Single-A games, though he lost 3 1/2 months to hamstring injuries this season.
So the purpose of Kilby's Arizona Fall League assignment to the Salt River Rafters must be to enable him to make up for lost at-bats, right? Wrong.
Though, at 19, he's the fifth-youngest player on the circuit and five years younger than the typical pitcher, Kilby will look to overhaul a left-handed swing that has worked very well during his amateur and early pro career.
"We're actually going through a pretty big swing change," said Kilby, ranked No. 78 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. "I'm starting narrow and open, whereas I was pretty wide and closed. It's pretty much a complete change in my swing, but I'm super excited to use it. I've been using it for a couple of weeks now and it's felt amazing, so I'm excited to see how it plays in games."
In his first three Fall League games, Kilby went 4-for-12 with three doubles. He never has had any difficulty barreling balls and he has an advanced understanding of the strike zone, but the Yankees want to set him up to do as much damage as possible once he's fully developed.
Kilby features plenty of bat speed and feel for turning on pitches, but his previous stroke was relatively flat and more geared for line drives than launching balls in the air. His new swing is designed to drive balls and could translate into 25 or more homers per year once he fills out his 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame.
"They obviously have all the numbers and science stuff behind it, but it all came down to getting more into my back hip and kind of just getting more in my legs throughout my swing," Kilby said. "That is the key that the Yankees guys have told me to being more adjustable and just having more success at higher levels.
"It's taken a lot to try to get comfortable with it. I'm still trying to get comfortable with it, but I think now is the perfect time to experiment with that and especially with the level of competition, I think it'll be a great test."
Yankees hitters in the Fall League
Core Jackson, SS (No. 11): Drafted in 2025's fifth round after batting .363 in two college seasons at Utah, Jackson hit .262/.360/.459 with 14 homers and 41 steals in 104 games between High-A and Double-A in his first full pro season. He's a skilled defender at shortstop who hits balls harder than most middle infielders.
Kyle West, 1B: West hit 55 homers in four college seasons between NCAA Division II Charleston (W. Va.) and West Virginia, then turned pro as a 13th-rounder in 2025. His aggressive approach produces top-tier exit velocities and also plenty of swings-and-misses, and he batted .226/.300/.394 with 20 homers, 20 steals and 160 games in 124 games at High-A.
Yankees pitchers in the Fall League
Mack Estrada, RHP: One of the top junior college prospects in the 2024 Draft, Estrada signed for a well-over-slot $640,340 in the 11th round out of Northwest Florida State Junior College. He had Tommy John surgery last year before making his pro debut and worked 4 1/3 innings in Rookie ball this July. When he's fully healthy, Estrada shows good life on a low-90s sinker that touches 96 mph and backs it up with a solid low-80s slider.
J.T. Etheridge, RHP: Signed for $70,000 as a nondrafted free agent from Louisiana-Lafayette in 2024, Etheridge operates with a 93-95 mph fastball that reaches 97 and a sweeping low-80s slider. He logged a 5.17 ERA with 105 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings at Single-A.
Antonio Gomez, RHP: No catcher in the 2018 international class had a stronger arm than Gomez, which helped earn him a $600,000 bonus out of Venezuela. After he hit .140 at Double-A during the first half of the 2025 season, the Yankees moved him to the mound, but he blew out after four outings and had elbow surgery. He has pitched just 8 1/3 innings as a pro, enough time to unveil an upper-90s fastball that tops out at 101 mph and an upper-80s slider.
Anthony Mena, RHP: Signed for just $5,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2024, Mena compiled a 3.82 ERA with a 21/5 K/BB ratio in 33 innings between Rookie ball and Single-A in his U.S. debut this summer, missing a month with elbow soreness. His low-90s fastball and mid-80s changeup feature significant armside run, yielding more ground balls than swings-and-misses.
Chris Veach, RHP: Another nondrafted free agent signed in 2024, Veach turned pro for $100,000 out of South Carolina. He logged a 1.86 ERA with a 39/10 K/BB ratio in 29 innings between High-A and Double-A, though he missed two months with shoulder issues. He utilized his changeup nearly 60 percent of the time, and it's a 78-81 mph weapon with huge fade.