MLB Draft: Yankees select Dax Kilby with 39th overall pick, Kaeden Kent with 103rd pick
Texas A&M infielder Kaeden Kent during an NCAA baseball game against Arizona on Feb. 28 in Houston. Credit: AP/Michael Wyke
Dax Kilby could be facing a tough decision after being taken by the Yankees with their first pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday night in Atlanta. The shortstop from Newnan High School in Georgia also is a Clemson commit.
The Yankees also used their first draft pick in 2023 to select a high school shortstop, and George Lombard Jr. has developed into the organization’s top positional prospect.
“Dax is a strong-bodied and athletic lefthanded-hitting shortstop,” Yankees vice president of domestic amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer said in a team statement. “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 also had the 103rd pick and took Texas A&M shortstop Kaeden Kent, 21, in the third round. He is the son of 2000 National League MVP and five-time All-Star Jeff Kent.
“He’s a lefthanded hitter, athletic and can really play shortstop, which he showed us this past year,” Oppenheimer said. “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.”
Kilby, 18, was selected with the 39th overall pick in competitive balance round A. The Yankees would have had the 29th overall pick but were docked 10 spots because their payroll of about $316 million exceeded the competitive balance tax, or “luxury tax.’’ The Mets and Dodgers also were docked 10 spots in this draft for exceeding the tax.
The Yankees forfeited their second-round pick when they signed Max Fried, who had received a qualifying offer for a one-year contract from Atlanta, and were pushed toward the back end of Round 3.
The 39th pick is assigned a $2.5 million slot value. The Yankees have a bonus pool of $5.4 million, the smallest among the 30 major league clubs.
High school shortstops were a hot commodity on the first day of the draft, with 13 taken among the first 39 selections. Organizations often develop them at other positions, as may be the case with Kilby and the Yankees.
This past season Kilby led Newnan to the Georgia 5-A state championship and was named MVP of the state tournament. Overall, he batted .495 in 99 at-bats with 20 extra-base hits, including five homers, and drove in 42 runs, according to the Greenville News.
Kent played in 56 games this season for the Aggies and had a .279/.398/.544 slash line, 13 home runs and 49 RBIs. The 103rd pick is assigned a $745,000 slot value.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
