Entering the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Yankees selected three infielders and two pitchers with their first five picks. The balance returned in Round 6, as they chose Auburn right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts with the 183rd overall selection.
The 21-year-old Fitts was considered a first-round talent earlier in 2021, as he had a 2.77 ERA and 11.1 K/9 in six outings as a sophomore reliever in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. Baseball America wrote that he later impressed in fall ball sat mid-90s with a “buzzsaw” slider, but a foot injury sustained in spring 2021 threw his season into shambles.