MLB draft 2026: Butler’s David Leslie taken by Yankees in 9th round, capping winding career arc
David Leslie’s path to the pros has been a winding one.
The 2020 Butler High School graduate was a catcher growing up. He only became a full-time pitcher after impressing college scouts at a showcase at Pullman Park the fall of his senior year.
Now, the former Tornado standout is a ninth-round pick of the New York Yankees in the 2026 MLB Draft. He was taken with the 25th pick in the round Sunday, 278th overall.
“I knew I had more to give to baseball,” Leslie said shortly after getting the call. “I’m more excited to get to an organization that knows how to develop pitchers like me.”
Leslie said he was “half asleep” in his house with his girlfriend while his parents were outside when he heard his phone buzzing. His girlfriend saw the news before he reached his phone and shouted, “Oh my god, you just got drafted,“ and Leslie picked up the phone to hear from Yankees scout Tim Alexander, who has been following the pitcher for years.
His parents saw the news moments after he did and ran into the house to celebrate.
Leslie pitched at Division III Grove City College for five years and this past season at Pitt. He left the Wolverines after the 2025 season as one of their best pitchers in program history with a 2.68 career ERA and 201 strikeouts.
At Pitt this year he went 4-5 with a 6.37 ERA and 75 strikeouts.
A Pittsburgh Pirates fan growing up, Leslie said the Yankees were ultimately the team he wanted to go to during the draft process.
“I knew they had the most interest in me from what I heard,” said Leslie, who called Alexander an “awesome guy” and praised the team’s development and resources. “I was expecting it, I was hoping for it.”
He said he attended an open house while at Grove City where he came away impressed by the Yankees’ presentations.
“From that moment on, I knew I wanted to go there,” Leslie said. “I had a workout with them in the beginning of June, and that went really well.”
With no college eligibility left, Leslie’s next steps are to sign a contract and then head to whichever minor league team New York assigns him to.
Leslie has an injury history, having endured Tommy John surgery and a bicep injury during his career.
“I think I wouldn’t be in this spot if I hadn’t gone through that stuff,” including a position change and jumping from D-III to D-I, he said. “I got a chance to learn there and fail and get back up and keep going (at Grove City).”
As a mid-round pick, the right-hander offers a 97-mph fastball and a four-pitch mix.
He said having only just about four years of “truly pitching,” he’s learned how to fail and get back up. He’s prepared to fail again as he continues to learn through the Yankees’ farm system.
Leslie said he most needs to get into the weight room and get stronger, and he needs to continue developing the finer points of pitching after converting to the position just a few years ago.
He joins the same MLB team that reliever David Bednar, a Mars High graduate and former Pirate, pitches for.
Leslie was the first of what could be a handful of current and former Butler pitchers taken in Day 2 of the draft. Senior Kyle Casteel went in the 11th round to the Chicago White Sox, and Nolan Stefaniak is also a possible draft pick. Butler head coach Josh Forbes also believes former pitcher Madden Clement, who entered the NCAA transfer portal last month, could hear his name called.
