The New York Yankees selected four players on the first day of the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. With their first-round selection (35th overall), the club drafted LHP Hunter Dietz out of the University of Arkansas. In the second round, the Yankees picked LHP Sean Duncan out of Terry Fox Secondary School (Canada) with the 63rd overall pick. The Yankees also selected C/OF Brendan Brock in the third round (99th overall) out of the University of Oklahoma and OF Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II in the fourth round (127th overall) out of Cal State Fullerton (Calif.).
Dietz, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound left-handed pitcher, earned All-SEC First Team honors in 2026 after going 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA (85.2IP, 71H, 40R/34ER, 31BB, 131K, 10HR) in 16 starts for the Razorbacks. He led Arkansas pitchers in starts, wins, strikeouts, innings pitched and quality starts (nine). His 131K were the third-most in the SEC this past season and tied for the fourth-most in a single season in the program’s history. Dietz pitched over parts of three seasons at the University of Arkansas from 2024-26.
In Arkansas’ 2026 NCAA Lawrence Reginal matchup against the University of Kansas on May 30, 2026, Dietz made his final collegiate start and struck out a career-high 14 batters over 6.1 innings, later being named to the NCAA Lawrence Reginal All-Tournament Team. Following the season, the redshirt sophomore was also named a Second Team All-American by D1Baseball and a Third Team All-American by Baseball America, ABCA/Rawlings and NCBWA.
“Hunter is right up our alley. He has a big, left-handed arm with a deluxe fastball and a breaking ball that can be a wipeout pitch,” said Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Domestic Amateur Scouting. “We think he has a chance to have power stuff from the left side with swing-and-miss potential. He was able to showcase this against experienced hitters in the SEC while at Arkansas.”
Entering the 2026 draft, the Trinity, Fla., native was ranked as the No. 17 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 34 prospect by Baseball America.
The selection of Dietz marks just the second time in the last nine years (since 2018) the Yankees have used their first-round selection on a pitcher, joining Ben Hess in 2024. Dietz is the first left-handed pitcher selected by the Yankees in the first round of the draft since Ian Clarkin in 2013. The Yankees have selected a college player with their first-round pick in five of the last seven First-Year Player Drafts (since 2020).
Duncan, a 6-foot-3, 184-pound left-handed pitcher, was considered by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America as the top Canadien prospect in this year’s draft class. The 18-year-old was a member of the Langley Blaze Baseball Club and also pitched for Canada’s Junior National Team.
“We love Sean, we think he has a huge ceiling. He throws strikes and is ultra-competitive with a bit of a Cole Hamels feel to us,” said Oppenheimer. “We have seen his fastball run up to 97 (mph) with life, a plus changeup and an above average breaking ball that continues to improve. Sean has been pitching against professionals with the Canadien Junior National team basically since he was 15 years old because they play minor leaguers in Florida and Arizona.”
He started for Team Diamonds in the 2025 Under Armour Next All-America Game that took place on September 13, 2025, at Camden Yards, striking out two batters over an inning. The annual contest is considered one of the most nationally recognized showcases for high school baseball players.
The Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada, native was ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 66 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 67 prospect by Baseball America.
Brock, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound catcher/outfielder, batted .302/.399/.522 (74-for-245) with 60R, 11 doubles, 2 triples, 13HR, 55RBI, 35BB and 28SB in 65 games this past season for the 2026 National Champion Sooners. He appeared defensively as both a catcher and outfielder for Oklahoma, starting 65 of the team’s 66 games in 2026. He batted .457 (21-for-46) with 15R, 1 double, 3HR, 12RBI and 10BB in 13 games in the NCAA Tournament, including a .400 (8-for-20) batting average with 7R, 1 double, 1HR, 3RBI, 5BB and 1SB in six College World Series games.
“Brendan is really athletic with big tools. He has power, speed and is a good defender wherever you play him,” said Oppenheimer. “We identify him as both a catcher or an outfielder. Brendan reminds us of Jayson Werth when he was first drafted due to his versatility.”
He previously played three seasons at Southwestern Illinois Community College (2023-25) and was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 14th round of the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, but did not sign and transferred to the University of Oklahoma for his lone season.
The Mascoutah, Ill., native was tabbed by MLB Pipeline as the No. 112 prospect in this year’s draft and the No. 113 prospect by Baseball America.
Gutierrez-Contreras II, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound outfielder, hit .346/.441/.633 (65-for-188) with 40R, 8 doubles, 2 triples, 14HR, 45RBI and 33BB in 52 games for Cal State Fullerton, earning All-Big West First Team honors. He was also named Big West Field “Co-Player of the Year.” He played two seasons (2025-26) with the Titans, batting .308/.400/.562 (102-for-331) with 69R, 16 doubles, 4 triples, 20HR, 70RBI and 48BB in 90 games.
“Paul is a big guy with athleticism and he can play all three outfield positions,” said Oppenheimer. “He has serious right-handed power and his bat-to-ball skills are really good. It’s a really good pick at this stage of the draft.”
The Salida, Calif., native played one season (2024) at Modesto Junior College (Calif.) before transferring to Cal State Fullerton.
