Yanks take Georgia high school standout SS Kilby with No. 39 pick

NEW YORK -- For the second time in three years, the Yankees used their first pick in the MLB Draft on a high school shortstop, selecting Dax Kilby 39th overall from Newnan (Ga.) High School on Sunday evening.

Kilby, 18, has been touted as one of the more polished high school bats in this year’s Draft, with a track record of producing against quality competition on the showcase circuit. A Clemson commit, Kilby led Newnan to the Georgia state 5-A championship this spring, the Cougars’ first title in 34 years.

“Dax is a strong-bodied and athletic left-handed-hitting shortstop,” said Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting. “We really like his potential and ability to swing the bat, plus, he’s an excellent runner. As a high schooler, Dax has already shown an accomplished bat, a great feel to hit, and on top of that, some pop, which is exciting for us.”

The Yankees made one additional selection on Day 1, also a shortstop: Texas A&M’s Kaeden Kent, the son of five-time All-Star Jeff Kent, who was the 2000 National League Most Valuable Player with the Giants.

“Growing up around his father, Kaeden has experienced elite baseball, so he knows what it takes and has seen what his dad had to do to be a successful ballplayer,” Oppenheimer said. “For us, Kaeden has made a name for himself.”

Scouts describe Kilby’s left-handed swing as quick and relatively compact, paired with a mature approach at the plate. According to MLB Pipeline, he rarely chases outside the strike zone and makes consistent contact, spraying the ball from gap to gap.

"I’ve always enjoyed it since I was little,” Kilby recently told the Newnan Times-Herald. “My life revolves around baseball.”

The No. 39 pick carries a slot value of $2,509,500. The Yankees entered the Draft with MLB’s smallest bonus pool, totaling $5,383,600.

The Yankees see upside value in Kilby, who batted .495 with five home runs, 42 RBIs and 15 stolen bases during his senior year, with an .838 slugging percentage.

Kilby is expected to have plenty of room to add strength to a projectable 6-foot-2 frame and is projected to grow into at least average power.

“He can hit balls 400-plus feet now, and he’s only going to get stronger at the next level,” Newnan baseball coach Marc Gilmore told ITGNext.com.

Though Kilby has plus straight-line speed, he plays as more of an average to solid runner. Kilby’s performance impressed former Major League manager Buck Showalter during a recent MLB Draft combine, where he ran 3.55 seconds in a 30-yard sprint; according to MLB Network, Showalter identified Kilby as “his favorite player” at the event.

There are some long-term questions about a position switch. Kilby was bothered by shoulder issues early in his high school career and has a funky arm action, which scouts say impacts his throwing from shortstop. He could see time at second base and/or left field as a professional.

“Dax was a scrawny kid who had a growth spurt as a ninth-grader," Gilmore said. "He grew like 5-plus inches during his ninth- and 10th-grade years, which caused an issue with his growth plate in his shoulder.”

Two years ago, the Yankees used their first selection (26th overall) to take shortstop George Lombard Jr. out of Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, Fla.; Lombard is now rated as the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline and participated in Saturday’s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park.

The Yankees’ top selection in the 2024 MLB Draft was right-hander Ben Hess, who signed out of the University of Alabama and is currently pitching for High-A Hudson Valley.

New York originally had the 29th pick in the Draft, receiving a 10-spot penalty for exceeding the highest luxury tax threshold. The Yankees' next selection was in the third round at No. 103; they forfeited their second-round pick as a penalty for signing left-hander Max Fried.

THIRD ROUND (No. 103): Kaeden Kent, SS
• Bats/throws: L/R
• School: Texas A&M
• Calling Card: Like his father, Kent is an offensive-minded infielder best suited for second base. He delivered in the clutch as Texas A&M finished runner-up at the 2024 College World Series, hitting a grand slam in the super regionals and going 10-for-24 (.417) in Omaha.

• Quote: “He’s extremely tough and he walks that edge when he plays. Sometimes it spills over and that’s OK. He’s everything you can ask for in a player … just that mentality, that killer instinct. He’s going up there with bad intentions. Those bad intentions sometimes get him in trouble, but he’s done a really good job this year of dialing it back when he needs to dial it back and growing up as a player.” -- Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley, to the Bryan-College Station Eagle