2026 Mock Draft 1.0

It's been tough sledding for the Chicago White Sox the last few years. Another 100-loss campaign in 2025 garaunteed the Southsiders the best odds to land the No. 1 pick in the Draft -- nearly a 28 percent chance. In this scenario, the White Sox finally land that 'luxury'.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is as complete an offensive prospect as we've seen in recent memory. It's five tools with the chance to hit in the middle of the lineup. Better still, his plus defense gives him a chance to become a franchise pillar over time. Cholowsky has the toolset that can develop into a 5-win shortstop at the next level.

Chicago has a ways to climb before they're back competing in the American League Central. Cholowsky could help creak open that window as early as 2028.

One thing has become abundantly clear with the Tampa Bay Rays over the last handful of drafts -- They select players who already know how to hit. Tampa Bay believes they can elevate tools, but the foundation of good hitting traits is precious to the Rays.

Landing the No. 2 overall pick gains them access to some really, really good hitters. Emerson is a super-polished high school hitter that plays up the middle of the diamond. He's a fantastic add to an organization that does well developing hitters.

The Twins have picked are no strangers to picking inside of the top three in the draft. The returns have been strong. Royce Lewis, Joe Mauer, Travis Lee, Byron Buxton, etc. A 92-loss season earned Minnesota this high pick in 2026.

Over the past four drafts, the Twins have leaned hard into the college crop -- 2023 the long exception. Gracia is an exceptionally polished hitter with the length to project even more impact on the way. He's got a chance to occupy right field in Minnesota for years to come.

It's still too early to know exactly how Buster Posey and Michael Holmes will attack the draft on an annual basis, but rumors of a heavy college lean were supported by the selection of Tennessee infielder Gavin Kilen in the first round in 2025. The 2026 draft should bore similar fruit, especially picking this high.

The Giants front office will absolutely love Tyler Bell. Blue-collar, workman-like and incredibly serious about his craft. Tyler Bell will immediately become a fan-favorite in the Bay.

The Pirates have picked inside of the top ten in six consecutive seasons and their 71-91 2025 season garaunteed that yet again.

It's been all upside for the Buccos in recent drafts. Konnor Griffin and Seth Hernandez are clear attempts by Pittsburgh to acquire controllable stars. Pitching has done well in Pittsburgh drafts in recent years and Rojas is fantastic clay, and arm talent to pair with Seth Hernandez.

They'll want to make this pick count. The Pirates are now ineligible to select inside fo the top-nine picks in the 2027 Draft.

The Kansas City Royals and Brian Bridges have no issue shooting for the moon in any given draft. They targetted high school players in the 2025 draft and we expect that'll be the case again in 2026 -- an even stronger class for high school pitching than the year prior.

Take your pick. Be it Bolemon, Schmidt or Rojas, there will be a high school hurler in this range that the Royals like. Lock it in.

A frustrating 2025 season left the Orioles with the fourth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft. They're restocking the cupboards with this high pick once again.

There have been several changes in the Orioles scouting department in recent years, but Mike Elias remains constant. His insistence on selecting bats with carrying tools in the first round remains undefeated. Eric Beckerl has an argument as the second-best college shortstop in the 2026 draft and should be off the board quickly. He'll provide the team some insurance if they're unable to re-sign Gunnar Henderson and/or Jackson Holliday over the next handful of years. It's one of the most projectable swings in the country with the underlying metrics to back up the confidence in the bat in pro ball.

The Athletics have been chasing close-to-the-majors college bats of late with long track records of success and sure-fire hit tools. Hacopian brings a level of offensive polish few in this class can match. If the production translates to the SEC, he'll be hearing his name called in this region of the Draft. Hacopian could be in the big leagues by the end of the 2027 season.

An up and down summer has Lombard with some questions to answer during the spring. That said, he's perhaps the highest ceiling player in the entire 2026 class if it all comes together. The Braves haven't picked this high since 2019 (Shea Langeliers) and it's hard to imagine they'd let the opportunity pass to acquire a true difference maker.

Atlanta went a different direction in the 2025 draft. For the first time since 2019, the Braves selected a position player. We think they'll continue to go that route in 2026. However, college arms like Flukey and UC Santa Barbara righty Jackson Flora would fit their traditional billing.

Despite losing 119 games, the Rockies find themselves locked into the No. 10 pick in the 2026 Draft. Due to CBA rules, small market teams cannot pick inside of the top six three years in a row. Thus, the Rockies draft slot.

It's a new day in Colorado with Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes in the fold. Gut tells me they'll focus up the middle and build outward. Ethan Holliday was the Rockies No. 4 overall pick in 2025, but he projects to shift to third base before reaching the big leagues. Lebron is a surefire shortstop with twitchy, explosive traits. He's got a chance to develop into a Gold Glove defender. If the hit tool takes a step forward in 2026, he may not be available this late in the draft.

2026 figures to be a transformational year for the Nationals. A completely gutted front office means there will be considerable uncertainty, and that includes in the Draft. New PoBO Paul Toboni brings an extremely strong draft resume to Washington having helped run the draft in Boston for the last seven years.

Burress isn't a conventional first round profile given his size. That said, the production, batted-ball metrics and swing decisions speak for themselves. Assuming he puts together another strong season in 2026, he should hear his name called inside of the front half of the Draft.

For the second year in a row, we have the Angels selecting a hard-throwing hurler from UC Santa Barbara. Flora will join 2025 first rounder Tyler Bremner in Los Angeles.

Flora may go before this pick if his stuff takes even a fractional step forward in 2026. He's been north of 100 mph and owns a breaking ball that has serious upside if it sharpens up. The introduction of a put-away changeup to offer up to lefties might turn his name into the top pitching prospect in the class.

The Cardinals are turning over a new leaf in St. Louis after a few disappointing seasons. Chaim Bloom is sure to put his fingerprint on draft classes going forward. Bloom is an opportunistic drafter, not too dissimilar from the Cardinals approach of the past handful of years. However, Bloom's aversion to red-flag warts will likely give Cardinals drafts a different flavor going forward.

The Cardinals have done a nice job rebuilding their farm system the last few years, especially on the pitching front. Many regard Schmidt the single best pitching prospect in the 2026 class, regardless of level. Landing him here would be a big add.

Marlins scouting director Frankie Piliere finds himself entering his third draft cycle with the team and he's made one thing abundantly clear the last two summers. He wants performers. Overthinking the draft process can paralyze evaluators. Piliere doesn't allow himself to fall into that trap.

Bowen is coming off a sensational summer where he ran a .370/.469/.605 slash with healthy contact and chase rates. His .235 ISO ranks among the best in the country. Bowen has a chance to play centerfield early in his career and his arm strength makes the eventual transition to right field buttery smooth.

It was widely reported the Diamondbacks were focusing on landing a college catcher in the 2025 draft, but the names they coveted didn't make it to the picks where they liked them. The 2026 draft brings a bevy of exciting college catchers into the fold, none more unique than Lackey.

Lackey has some of the same traits that made Harry Ford a high pick in 2021 out of high school. He's a plus runner with outlier athleticism for the position. He's posted plus raw power numbers and has the bat-to-ball skills and approach that suggest he should hit at the next level. Lackey represented the United States for Team USA CNT this summer, further reinforcing his reputation from within the industry.

Texas went a different direction than usual in the 2025 draft selecting high school infielder Gavin Fien with the No. 12 overall pick. Fien's exceptional summer performances and athletic testing scores surely had something to do with that. Would they go that route again in 2026?

Eric Booth Jr. is a unicorn in this class. He's a 70-grade runner with an ultra-physical physique. He pumps out plus raw power with big present bat speed. While his summer baseball card won't blow scouts away, his swing decisions and bat-to-ball numbers point toward a player that was the victim of some bad luck. He's a toolshed with a chance to become something of a Trent Grisham type of contributor.

Houston finds itself in lottery territory for the first time in a decade after its sensational run of ALCS and postseasons appearances came to a close in 2025. Unfamiliar territory, yes, but an opportunity for the club to improve.

The Astros have had a tendency to target infielders in recent drafts, and there should be plenty of college infielders available at this spot that make a lot of sense. That said, Caden Sorrell offers unique star upside that the Astros may want to chase with their highest draft pick since J.B. Bukauskas in 2017.

The Astros continue to chase high school upside in recent drafts. They usually don't have a second round pick, so shooting for ceiling early has been a tactic they've employed. Spangler certainly has traits to like.

While he may not be the pure athlete that Xavier Neyens and Bryce Matthews are, Spangler possesses one of the best high school hit tools in the class. His left-handed length is also something to dream on. Should the Astros go after names that more conventionally fit their attack plan, keep an eye on guys like James Clark and Bo Lowrance.

Seeing Flukey fall to this pick in the draft would certainly entice a Guardians team that has done well over the course of the last several years developing big arm talent.

College pitchers very rarely last this deep into the draft, so it would come as a surprise if Peterson was available to the Red Sox with this pick. That said, stranger things have happened, and assuming Peterson is going to have a top-ten caliber pick type season isn't a sure thing either.

Boston is in a unique place with Jake Bruml taking over as the scouting director in Boston after Devin Pearson's departure. They're also finding their footsteps with Paul Toboni walking out the door as well. Peterson would be an excellent get, and likely a quick mover.

The Padres love their high school prospects. AJ Preller would likely jump at the opportunity to draft what is arguably the most polished high school catcher in the entire class.

Brick is one of the most polished high school catchers we've seen in some time, and receives 80-grade makeup scores from just about everyone around the industry.

There are few players in the country with the level of makeup, hitterish traits, and power projection than Reese. An excellent performer his entire career, he profiles as a quick mover and could help Detroit in this competitive window.

A model-run organization with an emphasis in production and underlying metrics, the Cubs would likely jump for joy landing Curiel in this spot, especially if proves capable of hitting the ball just a bit harder in 2026.

It's not an entirely dissimilar profile from what got Ethan Conrad selected by the Cubs in 2025.

The Seattle Mariners have continued to target pitching the last few drafts as their controllable rotation pieces gradually get more expensive. In a perfect world, I'm sure they'd love a more conventionally-sized arm to get to them in this spot (Peterson, Flukey, Flora), but Gaeckle provides a four-pitch mix, big velocity and the ability to shape the baseball east/west and north/south. He'd likely be a quick mover in Seattle, assuming he builds up his innings load in 2026.

James Clark was one of the big winners from the showcase and tournament circuit this past summer. The Brewers are far from intimidated by the idea of selecting high school talent in the first round. Clark's best baseball is ahead of him and with a couple swing changes, he could be one of the bigger steals from this class.

With Lombard already in tow, the Braves can chase a college hitter in this spot that could move quickly. Strosnider is a draft-eligible sophomore coming off one of the hottest ends to a season of any player in 2025. If that production carries over to the 2026 season, his name could be in play inside of the top ten picks instead.

The Mets are no strangers to taking risks in the first round and Luke Williams might fit that bill. He missed much of his junior summer due to injury, and because of that is absent on many prospect lists this time of year. But these are serious tools to go alongside a premium athlete that projects to shortstop or centerfield. Keep an eye on this name rising as the months go by, and keep an eye on the Mets chasing more premium athletes.

A second pick inside of the top-30 gives the Astros their opportunity to land the infielder they generally chase early. Molony may not hit the ball as hard as some of the other premium prospects in this class, but he plays excellent defense and possesses some of the best bat-to-ball metrics and swing-efficiency marks of anyone in the country.

Lucas Moore is in so many ways a carbon-copy of the type of player the DBacks have chased in drafts of yesteryear. He's undersized, speedy and gets on base at an ultra-high clip. He could by manning centerfield at Chase Field in late 2027.

Rembert is a really nice piece to land in this spot for Cleveland. He does a ton of things very, very well and has the positional versatility to profile at second base or third base for the Guardians at the next level. He's a sneaky get in this class, and a player that isn't talked about quite enough.

Pitching, pitching, pitching. Expect the Royals to lean into the arms in this class. Volchko has incredible arm talent and a remarkably unique supinator profile. If he turns those traits into production in 2026, he could go off the board earlier than this.

With Lackey and Moore already in tow, the DBacks can take a bigger shot for the fences with their third pick. Kevin Roberts Jr. had a tough summer from a baseball card perspective, but does have the size, athletic traits, physical tools and hand-eye coordination to become an impact player. He'd be a fantastic player development project for the DBacks here with their third pick.

Chaim Bloom and the Cardinals are said to be focusing on revitalizing a pitching department that has been stuck in the mud for a few years. Adding McCoy to the fold would make for a metric darling the Red Birds can be excited about for the next few years. He's not the prototypical arm the Cardinals have targetted in the past, but he's also not an entirely new idea for St. Louis (see: Cooper Hjerpe).

The Orioles once again find themselves with multiple picks inside of the top-40 and a chance to bolster their farm system with impact talent. Beau Peterson is an exciting young hitting prospect with left-handed juice and the swing decision and bat-to-ball metrics to suggest he could develop into an impact hitter.

The Pirates have done remarkably well drafting pitchers in the draft in recent years and Sides is an awesome prospect for the team to sink their teeth into. Many scouts see first round traits in the Southern California hurler. He and Hirschkorn should battle it out for the throne of top prep righty in the country.

The Yankees have been no stranger to taking shots for stars in the Draft. Dax Kilby in 2025 is a good example of that. Draft for tools. Draft for traits. See where they end up after a couple years of development. Lowrance has size, athleticism, a left-handed swing to dream on, and is coming off a summer with big production and excellent traits under the hood.

Sides or Hirschkorn both have legitimate cases to become the No. 1 right-handed pitcher off the board in the 2026 Draft. The Phillies have leaned into the high school demographic year after year in the Brian Barber era. Hirschkorn getting to 37 would be a sick pull.

Advincula is a nice fit in Colorado. He gets on base at a high clip and can play anywhere on the middle infield. It's a slasher swing built to pepper the spacious gaps of Coors Field. Again, we're building from the middle of the field outwards under this new organizational leadership structure.

Brunson could play centerfield at the next level until he ages off the position. He's one of the "safer" college bats in the class. It's right handed, there's power, there's speed, solid bat-to-ball skills and some projection left in the athleticism department.

Condon has an unconventional swing and profile, but it's true centerfield tools with double-plus speed and a table-setter approach to the game. Condon plays with his hair on fire and is the type of guy who builds culture.

Natili is set to have a big year in 2026 and we believe he's on the precipice of first round grades. The talented Cincinnati backstop could surge up boards by the time the draft comes around. His profile is metrically appealing.