The Yankees just got the STEAL of the Draft

The New York Yankees just got the steal of the MLB draft. As with the draft happening over the weekend, the Yankees added a lot of proven talent that has the chance to shape the Yankees future as we know it. And we'll discuss the highlights of this draft class along with this one player that will be deemed the steal of this class in a couple of years. How's it going guys, Alex Brooks back here with another episode here on Yankees Digest. Hope you guys are having a great day so far as we discuss what it comes to this MLB draft as over the weekend the Yankees had the opportunity to pick a lot of great players. And if you guys have missed it, if you guys have been over on vacation or just haven't been paying attention to what's going on with the MLB draft, we're going to do a whole episode here talking about this draft class along with diving deep into some of the players that the Yankees drafted and recapping all of that. So we're going to definitely talk about some other things when it comes to the Yankees team in the major leagues but we want to get the draft analysis out here and that's why we have you covered on Yankees Digest. And before we get into the news today, make sure you guys are subscribed to Yankees Digest. If you guys want to see more videos like this one and you want to hear us talk about the New York Yankees on a daily basis, make sure you guys are subscribed to Yankees Digest. 66% of you guys are currently not subscribed so it is free. We're on the road to 12,000 subscribers here on the channel so we really appreciate all the support that we can get talking about the New York Yankees. But you know getting into this episode as I wanted to discuss the highlights of the MLB draft for the New York Yankees and wanted to go with five players that and we're going to start off with what the Yankees had at pick 35 in round one. They selected left-handed pitcher Hunter Dietz from Arkansas. So the Yankees didn't wait any longer to try and get more pitching in their farm system. Something that the Yankees really love to do and they really have done over the past couple of years now is really getting a lot of pitchers in here because of what we've seen with how they've been able to develop those pitchers. We got you know they got guys like Carlos Legrand, Elmer Rodriguez, they just have Cam Schlittler who is coming up and looking like a Cy Young candidate. So the Yankees are really trying to beef up on pitching to try and really help out their farm system. And then when it comes to round three pick 99, Yankees are trying to get the future of the catcher position in Brendan Brock from Oklahoma. So Yankees going with a pitcher they went with a pitcher in the second round but then they went on the offensive side of the ball in catcher. So they're trying to you know get two battery mates there Hunter Dietz and Brendan Brock round one and in round three. Then round four you got Paul Gutierrez-Contreras from Cal State Fullerton. Then you got Bear Harrison another catcher from Texas A&M and then you see that right there it's Luke Pettit. You guys you know if you guys are very big Yankee fans and you know that last name yes it is the son of Yankees legend Andy Pettit from Dallas Baptist. He is a two-way player so he is someone who was a you know a pitcher by you know trade but then he went down with you know Tommy John surgery but he was able to still get some at-bats and go as a DH and he flourished. And we'll talk all about that when it comes to Luke Pettit and why I really feel that he could be the steal for the New York Yankees in this MLB draft. But when we talk about you know a couple players here I wanted to first start off with Hunter Dietz and this is something where we look at Hunter Dietz as someone who I really could have I really could see the Yankees really develop into a really good starter. Dietz boasts big velocity working at 94 96 miles per hour and touching 98 miles per hour with his fastball. He throws from an unusually high arm angle at six feet seven inches that includes ground ball contact. Some evaluators believed he was the best college left-hander in the MLB draft. So when I hear that when I when I see that the New York Yankees are going after someone who is six feet seven inches someone who is a tall left-handed pitcher I'm very ecstatic. I'm very ecstatic to see that the Yankees are still trying to get tall players here. They're trying to get left-handers a lot of southpaws and really try to get some variety when it comes to their you know their pitching development. They're trying to get guys from all sorts of statures whether it's you know is someone who is a six foot right-hander or a six seven left-hander. They got a guy like Carlos Legrand who they're trying to mold in as a future closer and right now the Yankees are you know trying to you know continue that trend with getting guys from different backgrounds different different guys who can come in here and really make big impacts and I think that's what Hunter Dietz really brings. He brings big velocity he's working at a 94 96 mile per hour and touching 98 miles per hour with his fastball and that's coming out of college. So he still has a lot of time to really up that velocity and get almost up to a hundred miles per hour and if you're able to get a guy who has a hundred mile per hour as a southpaw as a southpaw pitcher that can be huge for the Yankees in years to come. So I think it's a perfect first round pick for the Yankees getting Hunter Dietz and being a left-hander I'm just you know I love I love when I see southpaws on here so that definitely helps out for the New York Yankees and before we talk about all of the rest of the prospects including that steal when it comes to Luke Pettit you know just wanted to take a time to you know talk about how you know sports betting changed the moment apps took over live betting instant decisions and endless opportunities are all at your fingertips but they also make it easier than ever to make emotional bets and chase losses. That's where Otis Edge analytics comes in. Otis Edge is where passion meets data and it gives you a smarter way to deal with daily expert picks, in-depth analytics, and a disciplined strategy that's built for a long-term success. Download the Otis Edge app today and see why their quick growing community is getting ahead of the game because that is the Otis Edge and you know getting back into the conversation of this MLB draft class wanted to go over to the guy that you know I've been talking about at the start and that's Luke Pettit. Luke Pettit is a two-way player who came from the Orleans Firebirds at the Cape Cod League and he was someone who I think the Yankees just had on their radar not just because he was you know the son of Andy Pettit and I know that probably got into you know the conversation there and having him be a legacy pick for the New York Yankees but I do think he adds value more than what he what his last name is and when talking about just what he brings to the New York Yankees farm system I wanted to just kind of talk about this right here. He's the son of five-time world series champion Andy Pettit. He was a prospect as a right-handed pitcher with a quality mid-80s slider and a low 90s fastball. He did go under, he underwent Tommy John surgery that kept him off the mound this spring but what he was able to do is take advantage of his opportunity where he gave Dallas Baptist gave him at-bats as a designated hitter and he responded slashing .337, .403, .693 with 16 homers in 42 games. So if he's able to evolve as a true two-way player because the only two-way player that is in the MLB right now is Shohei Otani but if they are looking at a possibility to match that not saying that Luke Pettit is going to be the next Shohei Otani but you're gonna see more of a trend with players that see hey if Shohei Otani can do this then I think that a lot of other teams are going to try and explore that with different players and you might as well do it with guys from the MLB draft who can get molded as both a pitcher and a hitter and this could be a you know unfortunate circumstance that he had to go to Tommy John surgery but it could be a blessing in disguise with what he's been able to do with the bat. So if he's able to come back from Tommy John surgery and recover and be a really good pitcher this could be a secret weapon that the Yankees could have at their disposal on an everyday basis and this is going to really make headlines for a lot of different reasons because of how rare it is in the MLB right now they're just experimenting with Shohei Otani as being a two-way player but if they see that someone else is doing it then that could really you know buck the trend of you know how players are going to be doing this you know past the minor leagues you know we're going all the way back to you know little league baseball you're going to go to you know middle school baseball high school baseball and in college you're going to see if you can evolve a guy who can be both a pitcher and a hitter so I think it is more than just the Yankees having this guy I think that can really change how you know baseball is going to be played with you know having a guy who can both pitch and hit so I'm very excited at the possibility of Luke Pettit being a really you know really impactful player whether he is a two-way player or he is only a pitcher or a hitter I think he can make the most sense for the Yankees and also having Andy Pettit as your dad that is a very good sign for Yankees fans because you're already going to fall in love with him being a you know son of one of the better pitchers in Yankees history and you know kind of talking about another player before we kind of wrap up this video wanted to go with Brendan Brock out of Texas A&M and um you're actually out of Oklahoma and Brendan Brock was you know someone who who's in the third round and I think he just has a different type of makeup as a catcher from Brian Hoke on MLB.com saying that he has uncommon speed in athleticism for a catcher though scouts expected he would fall to the third round because of the struggles in southeastern conference play Brock has raw power and crushes fastballs but he has struggled with off-speed pitches he also played all three outfield positions and was a catalyst during Oklahoma's College World Series run so you know Brendan Brock is someone who I think the Yankees could really you know develop as a really good catcher I think having that uncommon speed and athleticism to his game I think that can help with you know evaluating the catcher position because right now what the Yankees have at catcher is not good they have Austin Wells they have uh Ollie Sanchez they have JC Escara but they haven't been able to find that catcher who can do it do it all and have speed and have the ability to you know have good you know good at bat so I think Brian Cashman is kind of looking in the draft and seeing if he can find that diamond in the rough when it comes to the catcher position and really creds to what Brian Cashman and the whole scouting department has been able to do with getting these guys in here and I think it's a really strong MLB draft class because you know these guys they're definitely all on potential and they're definitely going to need to develop but at the end of the day if you get guys who have you know come from different experiences different backgrounds I think you could just really shape up to be a really good draft class and kind of looking at the history and trying to you know talk about that you know conversation of can you trust that the Yankees are going to make the right decision well they've been able to make the right decision on multiple players at this point I mean going over to the homegrown players in the MLB draft and where they are right now I mean you obviously have 2013 with Aaron Judge as that was you know one of the best picks in Yankees franchise history three-time MVP and the captain of the New York Yankees then in 2021 the Yankees you know got someone from the 12th round Ben Rice now Ben Rice is on an MVP you know he's in the MVP conversation here and he's going to be in the home run derby as well as an all-star game so he is someone who the Yankees handpicked in the 12th round then he got Spencer Jones in the first round and Dax Kilby who's currently the second overall prospect for the New York Yankees so when you look at all four of these guys this is a small sample size I understand it but at the end of the day you can trust what the Yankees are going to do you know for the most part because they're able to get talent from not only just the first round not the second round but you can go all the way to the 12th round and get a guy like Ben Rice so excited to see how this Yankees team is able to develop these players when it comes to the 2025 draft or 2026 draft excuse me let me know down in the comments what you guys feel of this MLB draft class and what you think is your steal or what your favorite player from this MLB draft class let me know down in the comments and make sure you guys are subscribed so you don't miss out on any content when it comes to the New York Yankees hope you guys have a great rest of your day and as always let's go Yankees!