The New York Yankees entered the 2025 MLB Draft with a clear mission: bolster their pitching pipeline with another high-ceiling arm, much like their 2024 strategy that saw them reach for Alabama’s Ben Hess. Mock drafts buzzed with speculation, and all signs pointed to Alabama right-hander Riley Quick as the perfect fit for their No. 39 pick. Quick, a big-bodied pitcher with jaw-dropping arm talent, was the talk of the draft, with pitching development analyst Lance Brozdowski ranking him among the top five arms in the entire class. Was he a starter? A future two-pitch relief ace? Something in between? The Yankees seemed poised to find out.
But in a gut-punch moment, the Minnesota Twins swooped in at No. 36, snatching Quick just three picks ahead of the Yankees. The draft panel couldn’t stop gushing over Quick’s electric stuff, leaving the Yankees’ front office scrambling. After a 2024 draft that saw them go all-in on pitching prospects, this was a curveball they didn’t see coming.
Undeterred, the Yankees dusted themselves off and made a shocking pivot at No. 39, bypassing the pitcher-heavy approach that had defined their recent drafts. Instead, they selected Dax Kilby, a 17-year-old high school shortstop from Charlotte, North Carolina, who’s already drawing comparisons to Tampa Bay’s Theo Gillen for his polished lefty bat and youthful upside. Kilby, verbally committed to Clemson, became the talk of the draft for all the wrong reasons at first—Commissioner Rob Manfred called him “Dax Kirby,” and MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger flubbed it as “Max Kilby.” Somewhere, Adam Sandler’s chanting, “Somebody Kilby pleaaaaaase!”
The New York Yankees are selecting SS Dax Kilby at pick no. 39.
— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB) July 14, 2025
Despite the name fumbles, Kilby’s selection is no joke. MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis praised his advanced contact skills, noting his potential to stick at shortstop while developing into a reliable offensive threat. Former manager Buck Showalter, a respected voice among Yankee fans of a certain vintage, raved about Kilby’s performance at the MLB Draft Combine, adding intrigue to the pick. However, Kilby’s arm strength remains a question mark, and at No. 39, this is undeniably a high-upside gamble.
What makes the pick even more surprising is who the Yankees didn’t take. Southern Miss right-hander JB Middleton, another pitcher heavily linked to New York, was still on the board. After doubling—tripling, even—down on pitching in recent years, the decision to pivot to Kilby feels like either a masterclass in misdirection or a genuine belief in the teenager’s potential to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Volpe and George Lombard Jr. as the next great Yankees shortstop.
Losing Riley Quick stings, no doubt. His raw talent could’ve been a cornerstone for the Yankees’ future rotation. But Kilby represents a bold swing, a chance to reset the clock with a dynamic young position player who could redefine the franchise’s infield. Was it a smokescreen? A desperate pivot? Or a stroke of genius? Only time will tell if Kilby’s name—pronounced correctly, we hope—will echo through the Bronx for years to come.