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Though the Yankees somehow managed to stir a whirlwind of hype into the draft because shortstop Dax Kilby was picked as the 39th overall selection during the MLB Draft of 2025. The “announcement,” issued through the team’s Instagram account, featured a gripping image of the pick wearing the black MLB hat, red athletic shirt, bat laid on his shoulder-rightly a very cool pose by Yankees fans. The post welcomed Kilby into the historic franchise while the comments were busy with fans throwing their two cents in on what this meant for the future of the Yankees’ infield.
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Kilby’s coming wasn’t just for the acclaim-the chatter was just one more argument against the current Yankee shortstop, Anthony Volpe. “He probably better than Volpe already right?” claimed a user; “Alright Volpe, better get ready to learn Chinese cause you’re headed for Guangdong Leopards,” another jestingly replied. Those jokes stemmed from the baser thoughts on Volpe’s struggles (his average, over the last 100 at-bats, was mentioned as .135 in one comment), signaling that collective impatience was setting in for the young infielder’s behalf.
Others were unwilling to let Volpe go yet. One other impassioned defender snapped back at critics: “You just think he’s cute. Stop,” before going into specific defensive faults of Volpe and mentioning he is the worst in the league with runners in scoring position. On it went, with yet another sarcastically offered, “Surely THIS will be the next Derek Jeter,” a nod to the impossibly high expectations that Yankees shortstops forever carry on their shoulders.
Beyond the Volpe bickering, there were plenty more responses, ranging from hyperbole (“Call him up now!”) to skepticism (“4th drafted SS since 2019… he won’t play SS in the bigs”). One commenter added a surreal twist to all the hype by saying he had been playing video games with Kilby just a few days prior. Meanwhile, a family member of Kilby’s, Kendal Kilby, gave a very heartwarming and all-caps congratulations.
The Yankees’ infield logjam, which already features Volpe alongside top prospect George Lombard Jr., had some questioning: “Don’t we have Lombard and Volpe already??” while another was looking forward to “Dax Kilby and George Lombard Jr.” as a double-play combo.
From all that chaos, a few voices rose up to temper expectations: “He’s going to college. Won’t see him for a while. Relax people,” spoke one user, indicating Kilby’s expected path of development. But patience has no establishment in the Yankees universe. But whichever way this kid lands – be it a mainstay or next in line for the trade block – Kilby’s draft night anyhow guaranteed one thing: Pinstripe debate cannot wait for the new guy, not even for his first batting practice.
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This is what one would call the old school high-risk-and-high-reward move on Kilby. All that talk is about his talent, but the real excitement is about how the club is going to handle its already crowded infield. Meanwhile, for now, the fans will continue to weigh his swing and stats and debate whether or not he’s the next Jeter or yet another face in the crowded history of Yankee shortstop hopefuls. At least, it certainly has never been dull in the Bronx.
