Yankees predicted to quadruple down on familiar path in latest 2025 MLB Mock Draft

The New York Yankees spent almost the entirety of the 2024 MLB Draft beefing up their minor-league pitching ranks after depleting them significantly in a series of trades from 2022-2023. And this year? With that need officially filled, the Yankees will likely move on to ... wait, sorry, that can't be right. They're just gonna draft more pitchers?!

If the Yankees' strategy isn't broken, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel doesn't see any reason to fix it, according to his latest 2025 Mock Draft. After all, first-round pick Ben Hess and draft steal Griffin Herring (alongside the development of Cam Schlittler and Carlos Lagrange) have given the Yankees plenty of reason for optimism. That said ... the aphorism about never having enough pitching could not be more accurate. After a hot start, 2024 second-rounder Bryce Cunningham is already injured, while third-rounder Thatcher Hurd went down before the campaign even began with Tommy John surgery.

The Yankees' first pick will drop 10 spots to No. 39 this year due to their exceeding of the second surcharge threshold (dammit!), and they sacrificed a selection this year on adding Max Fried as well, making their draft path all the more difficult.

Finding hidden pitching gems in the later rounds has never been their issue, though. McDaniel was kind enough to expand his mock to the Yankees' spot and send them the No. 50 prospect on his draft board: right-handed pitcher J.B. Middleton of Southern Mississippi. Something tells us this will not be their final power arm.

Yankees Mock Draft: Righty J.B. Middleton of Southern Mississippi makes perfect sense at No. 39, per ESPN's Kiley McDaniel

Though he's just 6'0" tall and far from intimidating, his 93-95 mph heater with movement (that can touch 97) sounds up the Yankees' alley; the offering also helped make him MLB Pipeline's No. 34 draft prospect.

McDaniel's view is that Middleton profiles similarly to both Hess and Cunningham, and has late-first-round heat if he doesn't get snapped up in the early second. It would behoove the Yankees to leap on him here if they like him, at which point they can get to work on another college power arm with command issues, who they believe is better than what he's shown collegiately.

At this point ... would you bet against their belief? The pitching reload appears to be working, and the next steps could be exciting.