Yankees, first-round pick Dietz agree to terms on deal

NEW YORK -- Hunter Dietz grew up just a few miles from the Yankees’ Player Development complex in Tampa, Fla., which means the young left-hander has passed by more times than he can count. There always seems to be activity on its pristine diamonds, separated from automobile traffic by high fences.

Most never get an inside look at the squat pitching laboratory that the Yankees affectionately refer to as their “Gas Station,” but as Dietz prepares to begin his professional career, he’s ready to become intimately familiar with all of the tech his new organization can offer.

“It feels like just a perfect spot for me,” Dietz said. “I’m excited. There’s a lot of gears I can hit in my game going forward. There’s a lot of potential that I need to unlock. It fits how I work on a day-to-day basis, and the talks I’ve already had with the staff have been great. I’m just super excited for the future.”

A standout at the University of Arkansas, the 21-year-old Dietz was the Yankees’ top selection in the MLB Draft (35th overall). According to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, Dietz agreed to a signing bonus of $2,497,500, which was below the slot value of $2,826,700 for the No. 35 pick.

Rated as MLB Pipeline’s No. 17 overall prospect in this year’s Draft, Dietz will report to the Yankees’ player development complex in Tampa. It remains to be seen if Dietz will pitch in games this year, as the organization tends to slow-play college pitchers after signing.

Dietz barely pitched over his first two seasons with Arkansas due to injury issues and was coming off a largely discouraging stint in the Cape Cod League. But after turning heads in fall practice, Dietz cemented himself as one of the country’s premier college pitching prospects.

He finished the 2026 season with a 3.57 ERA, 131 strikeouts and 31 walks over 85 2/3 innings for the Razorbacks, earning All-SEC First Team honors -- quite a statement for a pitcher who was limited to just 1 2/3 college innings before this year.

“It shows who I am as a pitcher,” Dietz said. “I feel like this year was just kind of a floor for me. I’m just going to keep getting better and better, especially with the Yankees’ staff by my side.”

In his final start on May 30, Dietz struck out a career-high 14 batters in the NCAA Lawrence Regional matchup against the University of Kansas. He was later named to the NCAA Lawrence Regional All-Tournament Team.

“We’re ecstatic that we were able to get this where we picked, and have this kind of top-end-of-the-rotation ceiling,” said Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting.

Dietz underwent elbow surgery in the fall of 2023 to repair a fracture in his left ulna, then suffered a setback in '24 that sidelined him for 13 months. He began to turn a corner by the end of the summer as he started to regain his velocity, then fully took off after returning to campus in the fall.

His fastball sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph, with life that varies from backspin and carry to natural cutting action depending on the pitch.

Both his slider and cutter grade as plus pitches. Cole Hamels, who was participating in Draft coverage for MLB Network, said that Dietz’s slider is “reminiscent of Clayton Kershaw.”

That’s high praise, especially for Dietz, who listed Kershaw among the pitchers he idolized as a youth. Tarik Skubal, Justin Verlander and Shane McClanahan are among the others on that short list.

“I would say I’m kind of my own person,” Dietz said. “I feel like I kind of compare to [Carlos] Rodón. I’ve gotten those comps. I met him in the facility the other day; he was great to talk to. It was great to get some advice from him.”

A Trinity, Fla., native, Dietz was a touted prospect coming out of Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, where he shared a rotation with fellow 2026 Draft prospect Liam Peterson (taken 19th overall by Cleveland) and Landen Maroudis, a fourth-round pick by the Blue Jays in ’23.

He also looks forward to tracking the progress of Arkansas teammate Carson Wiggins, a right-hander who was selected in the first round (27th overall) by the Mets.

“He’s got some of the best stuff in the country, and I’m just super proud for him,” Dietz said. “It’s pretty cool that we’re going to be pretty close to each other in New York. I’m looking forward to it.”