The New York Yankees have caught some criticism for not being aggressive during the MLB offseason.
Brian Cashman was able to bring back star free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger. After an impressive first season with the Yankees, he was rewarded with a lucrative five-year, $162.5 million deal. That was priority number one for the team.
Outside of the move to re-sign Bellinger, New York has been relatively quiet.
While the Yankees will have some key players returning from injury at some point during the upcoming 2026 season, there are concerns about whether or not they improved enough to be a serious World Series contender. That won’t be known for some months.
That being said, there are some very talented players working their way up in the New York organization. George Lombard is the biggest name talked about, but shortstop Dax Kilby is a name worth keeping a close eye on this season.
Yankees Rising Prospect Dax Kilby Lands Juan Soto Comparison
The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him at No. 101 on his top 100 prospects list. He just missed the cut, but he had some great things to say about the young shortstop.
Law decided to compare one of Kilby’s impressive numbers to New York Mets superstar outfielder Juan Soto.
“He made extremely hard contact, too, averaging 91.9 mph and peaking at 108.9, while his chase rate of 11.1 percent was … well, Juan Soto had the lowest chase rate in the majors last year, and his was 18.1 percent,” Law wrote.
Granted, Law isn’t saying that Kilby will be the same kind of superstar that Soto has turned out to be. However, his chase rate is off the charts. If the young Yankees’ prospect can continue playing the way he has thus far, his road to the big leagues will be quick.
Kilby has a chance to become a big part of the future for the franchise.
Taking a Closer Look at Kilby’s Numbers
Many fans may have never heard of the young shortstop. Kilby was drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft with the No. 39 overall pick.
During his first season within New York’s organization, Kilby played in 18 games. He didn’t hit a home run, but he drove in nine RBI, stole 16 bases, and slashed .353/.457/.441. Kilby also produced a .898 OPS.
Obviously, it’s still way too early in his young career to be making any kind of wild predictions about the future. It’s not too early to begin monitoring him closely.
It will be interesting to see how Kilby develops over the next couple of years. Even being mentioned in the same sentence as Soto is a major honor for a 19-year-old prospect.
The Yankees may very well have a star in the making. At least, that’s the hope.
Expect to hear more about Kilby during the 2026 minor league season. He’ll begin his journey towards the Majors and is starting to turn some heads in the process.
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