How does Yanks' No. 1 prospect Kilby look? His AFL teammates, coaches are eager to share

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- During the Arizona Fall League, Dax Kilby has been everything the Yankees envisioned he could be when they selected him with the 39th overall pick in the 2025 Draft out of the Georgia high school ranks. 

He’s slashed .295/.357/.623 across 15 games with 12 of his 18 hits going for extra bases, while running a 45.3 percent hard-hit rate (95+ mph exit velocity) and maxing out at 109.8. In addition to his work with the bat, he’s posted three "bolts" (sprint speeds of 30 ft/sec or higher) on the basepaths, second-most among members of the Salt River Rafters.

But what teammates and coaches alike can’t stop marveling about is that he’s doing it all at just 19, nearly three years younger than the average hitter on the circuit.

“When I was 19, I couldn't imagine myself doing the things he's doing,” fellow Yankees prospect and Salt River teammate Kyle West said. “He's an unbelievable player, he's an unbelievable human being. He's as good a person as he is a baseball player, and that says a lot because he's a really good baseball player.”

West has roomed with Kilby in the desert and is one of countless people knocked out by seeing the maturity and poise of MLB’s No. 78 prospect up close.

“If you told me he was 19, I would never believe it,” West said. “I think that just goes to show the respect he carries for himself, the respect he has for the game -- it's on full display every time he shows up.”

“Honestly, he's so mature for his age,” said right-handed pitcher J.T. Etheridge, Kilby’s teammate both with Single-A Tampa and in the AFL this year. “He plays the game the right way. He's got crazy tools, fun to watch. I couldn't have done what he’s doing at 19. To be as young as he is and to be as consistent and a pro like he is, is pretty impressive.”

While Kilby was tasked with overhauling his already potent left-handed swing during his time in Arizona, the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect has also been able to gain valuable in-game reps. He sustained a hamstring injury early in the year that knocked him out for two months, and after just two at-bats in his return to game action on May 28, he was again sidelined for six weeks.

So the exciting package of tools that enamored New York just 16 months ago was limited to only 36 games between the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and Single-A. But that time away didn’t lead to any jumpiness in the box upon his return -- he walked at a 24.4 percent clip, the highest among all Yankees Minor Leaguers who compiled at least 160 plate appearances during the year and limited his swing-and-miss (9.0 percent). 

“I think he's very humble, he comes from a good family, and obviously they did a good job raising him right,” said Scott Nestor, who serves as a hitting coach for Salt River and Hudson Valley, the Yankees’ High-A affiliate. “It's been great having some of the other middle infielders we have in our organization who have kind of helped, taking him under their wing and kind of following their lead a little bit.”

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Both upon his return during the regular season and in the Fall League, all of Kilby’s defensive reps have come at shortstop. As the far and away top-ranked position player among a suddenly pitching-heavy crop of Yankees Top 30 prospects, it’s fair to get excited about how the 6-foot-2 dynamo could one day impact the Bronx Bombers, even if the decision on his defensive home is years away from becoming a major talking point. For now, it’s about continuing that upward trajectory.

“Maybe not getting to play the entire year kept him from advancing where it's a little bit of a misnomer of what your expectations should be of Dax,” said Salt River manager Ted Tom, a skipper in the Nationals organization. “He's an incredible young guy who is way, way more mature beyond his years. I remember watching him on the amateur circuit … and so it's really a joy that I actually get the opportunity to coach him a little bit. He’s really fun to watch.”

“What he does and the level he does it at, I feel like is very unheard of,” West added. “I think that the sky's the limit for him.”