Complete list of Yankees' 2026 MLB Draft picks with rapid reactions and analysis

Fans of World Series contending MLB teams can sometimes treat the draft as an overview, but as the game continues to change, we see every year how important draft picks are to building a winning organization.

The Yankees came into this draft with their first pick pushed back 10 spots (a penalty for exceeding the luxury tax threshold), which shrinks the bonus pool and shapes everything that follows. That means the draft strategy changes.

Some of this year's picks were made with signability in mind, while others were long-term bets, so keep that in mind as we go over grades for the 2026 group.

Yankees 2026 MLB Draft class features 20 selections. How do they grade out?

Round 1, Pick 35 - Hunter Dietz (LHP, Arkansas)

Despite getting bumped back 10 picks, the Yankees still came away with a pitcher some evaluators considered the best college left-hander in the entire class. Dietz is a 6'6" southpaw who reminds me of a more explosive Drew Pomeranz, typically working 94-96 mph and touching 98 from an extremely high arm slot, and MLB's scouting report graded four of his five pitches — fastball, curveball, slider, and cutter — as plus offerings. There is a bit of a red flag with an elbow surgery costing him most of his college career, but it was a stress fracture and not the ligament.

This year he broke out, taking over the Friday night spot for Arkansas and dominated the SEC with 131 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings. MLB had him 17th overall on its big board, so getting him at 35 is real value — and pitching development is the one thing this organization has proven it does as well as anyone.

Grade: A

Round 2, Pick 63 - Sean Duncan (LHP, Terry Fox Secondary School, British Columbia)

The Yankees went north of the border for the top Canadian prospect in the class, a projectable 6'3" lefty who just turned 18 in May. Duncan sits in the low 90s and has touched 95 with a high-spin fastball, pairs it with a deceptive changeup and a promising breaking ball, and has drawn praise for advanced strike-throwing. The catch: Duncan found out in May that he needed Tommy John surgery, so he won't throw a competitive pitch for a while, but Jim Callis said on draft day that the injury is the only real question mark. And if it weren't for that, Duncan likely would not have gotten past pick 40. He's committed to Vanderbilt, but I would imagine the Yankees feel good about getting this deal done.

Grade: B+

Round 3, Pick 99 - Brendan Brock (C/OF, Oklahoma)

While Brock didn't catch as much down the stretch for Oklahoma, he is a catcher and overall athlete. He has legit 70 grade speed, and can play multiple outfield positions. After transferring in from junior college, Brock adjusted well to playing at a high level, although his average in SEC dipped a bit and caused scouts to question his overall bat tool at times. He's also played all three outfield spots, giving the Yankees some flexibility in how they develop him and how he provides value at the major league level.

Grade: B+

Round 4, Pick 127 - Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II (OF, Cal State Fullerton)

Gutierrez-Contreras was named First-Team all Big West and Big West Co-Player of the Year after hitting .346/.441/.633 with 14 home runs as a young junior (has not turned 21 yet). He's a 6'3" physical right-handed hitter with pull-side strength, real gap-to-gap power, and someone who has been praised for bat-to-ball skills — a power/contact combination the Yankees' hitting-starved farm system badly needs. He's played mostly right field but the Yanks plan to give him a look in center.

Grade: A-

Round 5, Pick 160 - Bear Harrison (C, Texas A&M)

Harrison is the younger brother of Brewers starting pitcher Kyle, and is considered more of an offensive catcher. But draws positive reviews for his framing and pop times. He is a bigger catcher at 6'3" 230, and has some real pop with the bat, although some scouts have questioned his ability to hit at higher levels. The Yankees were reportedly looking to upgrade their catching depth, and Harrison is an SEC-tested backstop with some offensive upside. Elite name, too.

Grade: B

Round 6, Pick 189 - Andrew Gonzalez (INF, Americas HS, Texas)

The first prep bat of the class, Gonzalez is an 18-year-old left-handed hitter out of El Paso who Perfect Game rated as one of the top third basemen in the 2026 high school class. He's a projection play at 6'1", 195 pounds with a long developmental runway ahead. Gonzales a pretty left-handed swing that I think could develop into pull-side power which will play nice at Yankee Stadium. The typical adjustment risks that exist with most high school players is present, obviously, but I really like the swing path and projectability. Signability note: Gonzalez is committed to Texas Tech, so the Yankees will need to buy him out of that commitment, but using a sixth-round selection suggests they believe they can.

Grade: A-

Round 7, Pick 218 - Michael Harpster (RHP, East Tennessee State)

Harpster doesn't bring premium velocity, but he's a deception-driven righty with a lower arm slot, some funk in the delivery, and good ride on the fastball despite middling velo. He knows how to spin and tunnel his pitches where they complement each other, and the Yankees love pitchers with a low vertical approach angle. He's tinkered with his mechanics throughout college, and this is exactly the type of arm the Yanks pitching lab loves to take on as a project — refine the pitch mix, clean up the delivery, and see if there's more in the tank than the college numbers showed. He could move quickly if the organization likes what they see.

Grade: B

Round 8, Pick 248 - Luke Pettitte (RHP/1B, Dallas Baptist)

Yes, that Pettitte. Thirty-six years after the Yankees drafted Andy in the 22nd round, they took his son Luke in the eighth. The younger Pettitte was a legitimate pitching prospect with a low-90s fastball, a mid-80s slider, and excellent command before Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2026 season on the mound. Dallas Baptist let him DH instead, and he responded by hitting .337 with 16 home runs, big pull power, and excellent exit velocities — but most scouts still see his long-term future on the mound. It's a great story with legitimate two-way intrigue underneath it.

Grade: A

Round 9, Pick 278 - David Leslie (RHP, Pittsburgh)

Leslie is a 23-year-old righty who dominated at Division III Grove City College (2.05 ERA, 84 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings in 2025) before struggling in his one season at Pitt, where he posted a 6.37 ERA. Baseball America has noted a 92-94 mph fastball and a still-projectable frame that could add strength and velocity, and he reportedly looked sharp pitching in front of scouts during ACC play. This is a classic "the stuff is better than the results" bet on the development staff.

Grade: C+

Round 10, Pick 308 - Bayram Hot (INF, Louisville)

A local kid, Hot went to Archbishop Molloy in Queens before two years at Marist and a transfer to Louisville. The 22-year-old is listed at shortstop but played all over the field (mostly second base) and some evaluators see third as his eventual home. He earned this pick with a big senior season: .330/.448/.528 with nine homers and 17 steals. Between Bear Harrison and Bayram Hot, the Yankees drafted two 80-grade names, minimum.

Grade: B

Round 11, Pick 338 - Anthony Potestio (INF, UC San Diego)

Potestio is a selective, patient left-handed hitter who works counts and is genuinely difficult to strike out, thanks to strong swing decisions and contact skills that produced a career .881 OPS. He's never hit more than five homers in a season, so power is not part of the profile, but he offers defensive versatility around the infield. Contact-and-approach senior signs with professional baseball bloodlines like this occasionally sneak up on people, and this is where the real value comes in the draft.

Grade: B+

Round 12, Pick 368 - Austin Berggren (RHP, Miami-Ohio)

Berggren served as the RedHawks' closer in 2026 and struck out 61 batters against just 13 walks in 44 1/3 innings with a 3.65 ERA. That was a massive step forward from an ERA north of 10 the year before, following his transfer from Nebraska. He's a 6'3", 225-pound relief arm with real bat-missing ability, and the trajectory is pointing the right way. The Yanks will likely push him fast and see how he adjusts to the upper levels to see if his swing and miss will play.

Grade: C+

Round 13, Pick 398 - Lee Garris (OF, Maury HS, Virginia)

Garris is an 18-year-old left-handed hitter who earned first-team all-state honors in Virginia — with an assist from former All-Star Michael Cuddyer, a Norfolk-area guy who reportedly gave Garris a pep talk when he was struggling with the mental side of the game early in his senior season. He's committed to James Madison, so there's a signability question here, but ESPN's Kiley McDaniel ranked him No. 235 in his top 250 and noted he excluded any prospect he considered impossible to sign — meaning there's room to negotiate, but the Yankees will likely have to save somewhere else.

Grade: C

Round 14, Pick 428 - Diego Castellanos (OF, Saint Mary's)

Castellanos might have one the best pure bat-to-ball skills of the entire class: an 88.2% overall contact rate and 92.1% in-zone contact as a junior, when he slashed .382/.458/.554 with 21 doubles. Most of his power is of the doubles variety right now, though scouts think there's some sneaky pop in the tank — and finding it matters because he profiles more as a corner outfielder than a true center fielder. Signability-wise, this one looks favorable: he entered the transfer portal and visited Tennessee, but hadn't committed anywhere, making pro ball a natural landing spot.

Grade: B

Round 15, Pick 458 - William Cutshall (INF, Seneca HS, South Carolina)

Cutshall was born in Panama and represented the country at the U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan last year. Baseball America likes his handsy swing and bat-to-ball skills, noting he showed mostly gap power on the travel circuit but more home run juice for his high school team. He's committed to Ole Miss, and of all the prep picks in this class he may be the toughest sign — a 15th-round selection of an SEC commit usually requires serious money to close, but if you are going to go over-slot, this may be the one to do it for.

Grade: A-

Round 16, Pick 488 - Garrett Ahern (RHP, Grand Canyon)

Ahern is a lean 6'5" righty who sits 91-93 mph from a deceptive sidearm slot. The college results have been rough — a 6.02 ERA across 145 career innings — but he struck out a batter per inning. Plus, funky low-slot righties with length are exactly the kind of raw material pitching development groups like to mold. One complication: Ahern had reportedly transferred to Arizona, so the Yankees will need to convince him to sign rather than take another college season.

Grade: C+

Round 17, Pick 518 - Jason Krieger (RHP, Maine)

Krieger is another tall righty at 6'5", 220 pounds, and another Tommy John survivor — he missed all of 2025 recovering from the surgery before returning to make 15 starts with a 4.57 ERA in 2026. His story runs deeper than the stat line: Krieger lost his father to pancreatic cancer in 2018 and has said his goal of reaching the big leagues is for him. This is a worthwhile flier on size and arm strength, and sometimes big bodies from smaller schools take more time to develop. I like this find for the Yankees.

Grade: B+

Round 18, Pick 548 - Blake Cyr (INF, Florida)

My SEC-bias is coming through here, but Cyr is a gamer, and I love this pick for New York fans. Cyr split his college career between Miami and Florida and hit everywhere he went, compiling a .291/.395/.545 line across roughly 200 games. His senior year was his best: .316/.398/.591 with 14 home runs in 56 games, and was my favorite Florida player this season. He's bounced around defensively, which limits the projection a bit, but a proven SEC bat in the 18th round is a sensible use of the pick and guy who Yankee fans will love.

Grade: A-

Round 19, Pick 578 - Tyce Armstrong (INF, Baylor)

Armstrong is a 6'4", 228-pound first baseman who absolutely demolished the Big 12 in his lone Baylor season after transferring from UT Arlington, hitting .338/.453/.757 with 24 home runs and a 1.211 OPS. He also shares an NCAA record as one of only two players ever to hit three grand slams in a single game. Armstrong is already 23 years old, so he will have to produce quickly, but also may move through the organization fast. A first-base-only profile puts all the pressure on the bat, but he's got the tools to deliver.

Grade: B+

Round 20, Pick 608 - Dean Toigo (OF, Arizona State)

The Yankees closed out the draft with one of its better journeyman stories. Toigo, 23, took the scenic route through college — NAIA Hope International, then UNLV, then Arizona State — and posted an OPS over 1.000 at every single stop, including 20 homers with the Sun Devils this year and 18 at UNLV the season before. Baseball America has praised his loud left-handed power, especially to the pull side. If the track record of hitting everywhere he's played means anything, this is a fun final-round dart throw.

Grade: B+

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