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Yankees Draft: 2026 Rounds 5-10 pick analysis
Yankees Draft: 2026 Rounds 5-10 pick analysis
The 2026 MLB Draft continues on today, with rounds 5 through 20 happening as the league concludes the draft ahead of the All-Star break this year. We’ll keep you up to date with what the Yankees do with all of their mid-to-late round picks, starting with rounds 5 to 10. Also be sure to check out our analysis from Day 1, where the Yankees picked up a pair of left-handed pitchers with their first two picks, and two right-handed JUCO bats with their third and fourth selections.
It’ll be a busy day as always, but we’ll have updates and commentary all afternoon as we learn the identities of the newest Baby Bombers. Follow along with us!
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRound 5, Pick 160: Bear Harrison, C, Texas A&M, 6’3” 230 lbs.
To start off Day 2 of their 2026 draft, the Yankees went back to the catcher well, popping Bear Harrison out of Texas A&M. A 21-year-old right-handed hitter, Harrison draws quality reviews for his defense behind the plate, with solid pop times to second, and good framing, something the Yankees have long prioritized from their catchers. Harrison hit well in the SEC as a senior, posting a .297/.495/.626 slash line, though Baseball America notes that his offensive profile is somewhat controversial:
Offensively, Harrison is more polarizing. He’s strong, but has real bat speed questions that make scouts wonder about his hitting upside at the next level, while more analytically-inclined teams might be willing to take a shot on his impressive exit velocity data and patient approach that has led to a solid career 15.6% walk rate.
The Yankees will be happy to take that analytically-inclined view, betting on a mature approach and quality production in college translating to the bigs. Harrison, the younger brother of Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison, will join Brendan Brock as the second backstop taken by the Yankees in this draft.
Round 6, Pick 189: Andrew Gonzalez, 3B, Americas High School (TX), 6’1” 195 lbs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Yankees go to the prep realms in Round 6, selecting Andrew Gonzalez out of Americas High School in Texas. Gonzalez, who has committed to Texas Tech and sometimes goes by “Drew,” was not ranked in Baseball America’s top 500, and there isn’t a ton of info on his profile, but we can crib snippets about Gonzalez’s profile from what was said about him on the air on MLB Network. Jim Callis noted that has Gonzalez has real power potential, but that there are questions about whether he can stick at third base, and that first base and outfield are very plausible outcomes for his glove. Gonzalez seems to have a strong arm and pop in his bat, but without a ton of upside on defense or on the base paths.
Round 7, Pick 218: Michael Harpster, RHP, East Tennessee State, 6’0” 185 lbs.
With their seventh pick, the Yankees go with Michael Harpster, an undersized right-handed college arm. The 6-foot Harpster only sits about 92 mph on his fastball according to MLB Pipeline, but has strong traits otherwise, with good ride on that heater allowing it to play up, and a deep repertoire that includes a cutter, sweeper, and changeup. His overall numbers aren’t spectacular, Harpster running a 4.73 ERA in college, and though his senior season was his best ERA wise at 4.00, he also saw his walks shoot up from a 5.6-percent walk rate in 2025 to over 11-percent in 2026. From BA:
Harpster throws from a lower slot with a bit of funk and has tweaked his delivery over the years. In 2026, he threw with a more direct stride to the plate, but he has also a rushed stride and drifts down the mound a bit early in his leg lift.
The Yankees’ pitching development apparatus seems like a good place for Harpster to try and unlock his potential. A righty with good ride but middling velo on his heater sounds like an excellent project for the team’s minor league coaches, as the club can try to refine his pitch mix, alter his mechanics, or any number of other approaches to try to get Harpster to pitch above his college numbers in the pros.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRound 8, Pick 248: Luke Pettitte, Two-way Player, Dallas Baptist, 6’2” 220 lbs.
You’re not seeing things: the Yankees have used their eighth selection in the 2026 MLB Draft on Luke Pettitte, the son of five-time champion Andy Pettitte! The 21-year-old Pettitte may have legacy on his side, but he is a real prospect on his own merit. Interestingly enough, Pettitte is being listed as a two-way player; though primarily a pitching prospect, Tommy John surgery took him off the mound for 2026. No matter, as Pettitte stepped into the batter’s box and became Dallas Baptist’s DH, raking to the tune of a .337/.403/.693 slash line.
As interesting as Pettitte’s two-way ability may be, his most likely path in the pros is on the mound. From BA:
Pettitte throws a 90-93 mph fastball, a high-usage mid-80s slider, a mid-80s changeup, and a mid-70s curveball
Doesn’t sound too dissimilar from his dad, though it’ll be strange to see a right-handed Pettitte toe the rubber. Scouts also praise Pettitte’s command which, again, tracks. In his two years pitching with Dallas Baptist he posted a 6.1% walk rate, and he ran a 33-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in the Cape Cod League in 2025.
Round 9, Pick 278: David Leslie, RHP, Pittsburgh, 6’2” 180 lbs.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the ninth round, the Yankees have taken right-handed pitcher David Leslie out of Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old played three years with Division-III Grove City College before transferring. Leslie was very effective with Grove City, posting a 2.05 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 74.2 innings as a junior in 2025, though he struggled as a senior post-transfer, posting a 6.37 ERA in 65 innings in 2026. For what it’s worth, the MLB Network broadcast noted that Leslie looked very sharp when pitching in front of scouts during ACC play. Before he transferred to Pitt, Baseball America wrote that Leslie’s fastball was in the 92-94 mph range, and that he had a “still-projectable frame that could allow him to pack on more strength and throw harder in the future”. That’s certainly a trick the Yankees have been able to pull off with other pitching prospects in the past.
Round 10, Pick 308: Bayram Hot, SS, Louisville, 6’2” 210 lbs.
The Yankees go with a local kid in the 10th round, picking Bayram Hot, who went to high school at Archbishop Malloy in Queens and played two years at Marist College before transferring to Louisville. The 22-year-old is listed as a shortstop but played all over the field in college, and primarily played at second for Louisville, though Jim Callis notes for MLB Network that third base may be his eventual home. Hot was impressive in his senior year, posting a .330/.448/.528 slash line with nine homers and 17 steals in 57 games. We don’t have a ton of info on Hot, but between him and Bear Harrison, we do know the Yankees at least picked up two 80-grade names in this draft.