Matt Hyde  

Matt Hyde has quietly become one of baseball’s most influential scouts, building a steady pipeline of talent from the Northeast to Yankee Stadium for nearly two decades. As the New York Yankees’ regional scouting director since 2005, his eye for overlooked prospects has delivered franchise-changing players—and in 2024, earned him the Scout of the Year Award from the New York Professional Scouts Association.

Hyde’s work took center stage during the Yankees’ Wild Card Series win over Boston, when three of his discoveries—Anthony Volpe, Ben Rice, and Cam Schlittler—emerged as series heroes. “It’s pretty cool for an area scout from anywhere, let alone the Northeast, which isn’t exactly a hotbed for baseball, to have three guys making an impact for the team,” Rice told reporters.

The relationships Hyde builds extend far beyond draft day. When Volpe learned he’d made the Opening Day roster, Hyde was among his first calls. When Rice reached the majors, he immediately phoned the scout who believed in him when only Dartmouth showed interest. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has called Hyde his “trusted advisor in the field” and “a genuine ambassador for the sport.”

Hyde’s baseball journey began on Cape Cod, where he started as a batboy at age 10 and later served as bullpen catcher and coach, contributing to two Cape Cod League championships. A 1992 graduate of Phillips Academy Andover with distinction in English, he played four varsity seasons at the University of Michigan, earning two Big Ten titles before graduating in 1996.

Before joining the Yankees, Hyde spent nine years as a college assistant coach at Harvard, Michigan, and Boston College, adding two Ivy League championships to his resume. Since 2007, he has also coached the Northeast Area Code Team, where he first spotted Volpe in 2017.

Hyde’s philosophy is simple: find players who understand the game as a craft, not just a stat sheet. That instinct—and the trust he builds with every player—has made him one of baseball’s most respected talent finders and a defining force in the Yankees’ modern era.