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.

The Twins have picked inside of the top two on six different occassions in team history. The returns have been strong. Royce Lewis, Joe Mauer, Travis Lee, Tim Belcher and Byron Buxton headline the group. A 92-loss season earned Minnesota the second-best odds at landing the No. 1 pick with over a 22 percent chance. Better still, their odds of landing one of the top two picks is over 40 percent.

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. That said, it would be hard for Sean Johnson and the Twins' brass to pass up prep shortstop Grady Emerson here.

The Pirates have picked inside of the top ten in six consecutive seasons and their 71-91 2025 season all but garauntees that'll happen again in 2026.

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. Grady Emerson would once again fit that billing. High school shortstop Jacob Lombard has bigger tools and a chance to develop into a trus superstar, however the volatility in his production in 2025 may push the Pirates draft room toward the better combination of polish and projection.

A frustrating 2025 season leaves the Orioles with the fourth-best odds to land the No. 1 pick in the 2026 Draft. Baltimore has hald the No. 1 pick twice in the last seven years (2019, 2022). There is a reasonably good chance 2026 will be the Orioles fifth time selecting inside of the top five since 2019.

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. Tyler Bell 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.

The Athletics put together one of the most exciting, competitive 76-86 seasons in recent memory. A pesky team with a ton of young talent, the Athletics appear poised to make a jump in 2026. But they need pitching. And in this situation, they land the top arm in the country.

Coastal Carolina righty Cameron Flukey gives Logan Gilbert vibes. Big, tall, long and fiery. Flukey can dominate the opposition with the fastball/breaking ball combo. He's scratching the surface of what he can one day become. He may not move as quick as recent Athletics draft picks, but he should join the organization by the end of 2027.

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 2017 (Kyle Wright) 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.

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.

Becker might be most surefire hitter at the next level. It's an exceptionally simple swing with solid bat-to-ball skills. He may never develop into the 25-homer hitter some teams chase at the top of drafts, but his offensive floor and defensive versatility make him an obvious target here.

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 Rojas the single best pitching prospect in the 2026 class, regardless of level. Landing him at the No. 8 pick would be a luxury.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 in the range San Francisco will be picking.

Reese has some of the better batted-ball metrics in the 2026 class. He's a powerful left-handed hitter who could end up paying rent in McCovey Cove. Whether he can handle third base long-term remains to be seen. Perhaps Texas A&M shortstop Chris Hacopian garners some consideration here. That will depend if his production translates well from the Big 10 to the SEC this spring.

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 Schmidt, Rojas, or names like Carson Bolemon or Jensen HIrschkorn... there will be a high school hurler in this range that the Royals like. Lock it in.

The Mets have chased tools and upside for the entirety of the Steve Cohen ownership era. Sorrell has a case to be on the Mount Rushmore of toolsiest players in the 2026 class. Injuries have slowed his production at different times.

Given the exit velocities, centerfield tools, gritty personality and SEC resume, it would be safe to assume this is the sort of player the David Stearns, Kris Gross and the New York Mets would circle.

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.