Baseball America is back with our third MLB mock draft of the year.<\/p>\n
The 2026 draft is now only two months away. At the top of the draft, there\u2019s a consistent cluster of about six names teams expect to come off the board within the first 10 picks. After that, it\u2019s anyone\u2019s guess.\u00a0Here are a few key trends to know:<\/p>\n
BA subscribers can find our full updated projection of the first 40 picks below, with bonus pools and slot values for each team and pick included, as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1. White Sox \u2014 Roch Cholowsky<\/a>, SS, UCLA<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $17,592,100<\/p>\n Slot Value: $11,350,600<\/p>\n There\u2019s been a lot of buzz in recent weeks about the White Sox potentially taking someone not named Roch Cholowsky. The No. 2 player in the class, Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson, is the most popular alternative, though the White Sox have seemingly been scouting Florida prep shortstop Jacob Lombard heavily, as well. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey could round out the group as the last serious name in play for the first pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n When talking with sources throughout the industry, the Emerson rumors have been viewed in myriad ways, including: 1.) pure smoke, 2.) the White Sox doing their due diligence at the top and 3.) actually pretty likely.\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u2019m inclined to believe the second explanation at this stage. <\/p>\n Cholowsky still feels like the favorite<\/a>\u2014he just hit home runs No. 19, 20 and 21 this weekend and is replicating his 2025 Player of the Year campaign\u2014even if Emerson is also being seriously considered. It could also be tricky for the White Sox to try and create huge savings with any player at this pick since each of Cholowsky, Emerson and Lombard are represented by the same agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n 2. Rays \u2014 Grady Emerson<\/a>, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, North Richland Hills, Texas<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $19,009,300<\/p>\n Slot Value: $10,507,000<\/p>\n The Rays are connected to all of the names mentioned above with the White Sox. Many sources continue to believe they\u2019ll take whoever Chicago doesn\u2019t take of Cholowsky or Emerson. I get mixed feedback on whether or not they\u2019d be into Lackey here, but it\u2019s hard to discount him given his excellent season and defensive value<\/a>. They\u2019ve scouted Lombard as well, but he feels less likely for this spot.<\/p>\n 3. Twins \u2014 Vahn Lackey<\/a>, C, Georgia Tech<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $16,929,600<\/p>\n Slot Value: $9,740,100<\/p>\n If the top two players come off the board in the expected order, Lackey feels like the favorite for the Twins. They\u2019ve had a lot of high-level decision makers scouting him throughout the spring, and his defensive upside at catcher could give him one of the highest floors in the class. This is the first spot in which UC Santa Barbara righthander Jackson Flora gets some play.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 4. Giants \u2014 Jacob Lombard<\/a>, SS, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $17,350,600<\/p>\n Slot Value: $8,988,400<\/p>\n The Giants created some noise over the weekend when they traded Patrick Bailey<\/a> to the Guardians for lefthander Matt Wilkinson and the 29th pick in the draft\u2014plus the $3,270,200 in pool money that comes with the pick. Speculation ensued immediately about the team trying to float Roch Cholowsky to this pick.<\/p>\n I mentioned that scenario to a decision-maker with another team. The response?\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that is not happening.\u201d<\/p>\n The Giants could very well want to keep the California-native in his home state, but that would require the three teams picking in front of them to play ball and pass on the best player in the class\u2014which seems exceedingly unlikely. The White Sox, Rays and Twins could all offer slot-value deals that would still shatter the current draft bonus record of $9.25 million.<\/p>\n A much more likely scenario is that the Giants can now grab an overslot player with their pick at 29. Someone they like, but who might have been a risk to go in between their original picks at No. 4 here and No. 55 in the second round.\u00a0<\/p>\n For this first-round pick, I\u2019ve heard the Giants connected to bats. If Lackey falls, he could be the pick. If not, Lombard and fellow high school toolshed Eric Booth Jr. feel like the favorites, probably in that order.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 5. Pirates \u2014 Jackson Flora<\/a>, RHP, UC Santa Barbara<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $19,130,700<\/p>\n Slot Value: $8,336,500<\/p>\n In contrast with the Giants, I\u2019ve heard college pitching with the Pirates at five. The most obvious name if that\u2019s true is Flora, who feels like he\u2019s in a tier of his own as the top overall college pitcher in the class<\/a>. Flora\u2019s peripherals are slightly underwhelming for a pitcher in this spot\u2014his 23.7 K-BB% is a bit lighter than is typical for the first college arm drafted\u2014but he\u2019s also allowed just 10 earned runs all season and has an electric pitch mix.\u00a0<\/p>\n 6. Royals \u2014 Gio Rojas<\/a>, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,954,000<\/p>\n Slot Value: $7,746,100<\/p>\n A high school player feels most likely for the Royals. They have been all over Rojas this spring, and he\u2019s pitched excellently. He has terrific arm speed<\/a>, a big fastball and a chance for a wipeout breaking ball. If Lombard isn\u2019t taken by now, he probably doesn\u2019t last much longer than this, and it\u2019s also hard to rule out Booth and his top-of-the-scale speed<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 7. Orioles \u2014 Eric Booth Jr.<\/a>, OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $13,114,000<\/p>\n Slot Value: $7,327,200<\/p>\n Booth represents the final player in a top six group of names who are favorites to make up the top of the draft. It\u2019s difficult to envision him or any of the players mentioned above falling much further\u2014though Rojas as a prep pitcher carries more volatility if Kansas City doesn\u2019t select him. It sounds like Baltimore could like Booth, but if he goes in front, they\u2019re also connected to many of the college hitters who could go in the next few spots, including AJ Gracia and Drew Burress.\u00a0<\/p>\n 8. Athletics \u2014 AJ Gracia<\/a>, OF, Virginia<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $13,840,300<\/p>\n Slot Value: $6,982,600<\/p>\n At this pick and beyond is where things get dicey and full of speculation. If the Athletics want college pitching, this could be Jackson Flora\u2019s floor. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if they took a shot on another college pitcher who finishes strong and moves up boards, but there\u2019s not an obvious name for that currently. They could be one of the diminishing realistic landing spots for Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron inside the top 10, or they could grab one of the model-favorites like Drew Burress or AJ Gracia\u2014who has an extremely wide range of potential outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n 9. Braves \u2014 Chris Hacopian<\/a>, 2B, Texas A&M<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,870,800<\/p>\n Slot Value: $6,675,300<\/p>\n Like Gracia, there\u2019s an extremely wide range of opinions on Chris Hacopian, who model teams love and who more traditional teams are more skeptical of. He has excellent ingredients to hit and hit for power, though he comes with some defensive questions that could push him from the infield to the outfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n 10. Rockies \u2014 Ryder Helfrick<\/a>, C, Arkansas<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,557,600<\/p>\n Slot Value: $6,393,100<\/p>\n This could be one of the earliest spots for Helfrick, who is the consensus No. 2 catcher in the class behind Vahn Lackey. He has excellent raw power and the tools to be a high-level defender, but there are some swing-and-miss questions\u2014which is true of most of the college hitters in this class. I could also see the Rockies going with a high school lefthander like Gio Rojas, Brody Bumila or Logan Schmidt.<\/p>\n 11. Nationals \u2014 Drew Burress<\/a>, OF, Georgia Tech<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $12,278,300<\/p>\n Slot Value: $6,133,500<\/p>\n In a class of volatile college hitters, Burress feels like one of the safer profiles to go off the board within the first 15 picks because so many of the model-heavy teams will be high on him. He has three years of excellent production to go with real physical tools and a center field profile<\/a>. Burress has also hit well over .300 in all three of his seasons\u2014and in the conference schedule\u2014which isn\u2019t something many of this year\u2019s first-round bats can claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n 12. Angels \u2014 Cole Carlon<\/a>, LHP, Arizona State<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $11,755,400<\/p>\n Slot Value: $5,889,300<\/p>\n Carlon is tremendously physical with one of the bigger arms in this year\u2019s draft class<\/a>. He\u2019s averaging 96 mph with his fastball and has a potential 70-grade slider that is generally viewed as one of the better secondary pitches in the class. He\u2019s done a nice job handling a starting role for the first time in his career, and his 39% strikeout rate is good for fifth-best among Division I pitchers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 13. Cardinals \u2014 Tyler Bell<\/a>, SS, Kentucky<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $16,612,300<\/p>\n Slot Value: $5,661,300<\/p>\n Bell has plenty of up-arrow feedback and is being heavily scouted throughout the middle of the first round. There\u2019s a chance he doesn\u2019t get outside the top 10 picks. While he might lack a plus tool, many teams will have comfort with his profile because he\u2019s a slick-fielding college shortstop who is actually performing. He\u2019s hitting .368\/.550\/.613 with six home runs and eight doubles.\u00a0<\/p>\n 14. Marlins \u2014 Zion Rose<\/a>, OF, Louisville<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $11,960,100<\/p>\n Slot Value: $5,444,900<\/p>\n Rose, like Bell, is an up-arrow college hitter who was injured early but has stormed up boards because he\u2019s raking. He\u2019s hitting .408\/.493\/.650 with five home runs and 19 stolen bases in 31 games. Rose makes a lot of contact, rarely strikes out, has more raw power in the tank than he\u2019s showing and he\u2019s probably also going to get a shot to play center field in pro ball. His teammate, Lucas Moore, just happens to be an excellent defender who has displaced him to left field.\u00a0<\/p>\n 15. Diamondbacks \u2014 Tegan Kuhns<\/a>, RHP, Tennessee<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $13,603,100<\/p>\n Slot Value: $5,241,000<\/p>\n Kuhns has pitched like a first-round arm over his last five starts. In that stretch, he\u2019s struck out 56 batters and walked six in 32.2 innings, while nearly shelving his slider and instead pitching heavily off his curveball. He\u2019s coming off a 15-strikeout game against Texas last Friday and could fit anywhere in the middle or back of the first round. Hitterish prep bats always make sense with Arizona, so California two-way player Trent Grindlinger could be an option, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n 16. Rangers \u2014 Cameron Flukey<\/a>, RHP, Coastal Carolina<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $10,219,200<\/p>\n Slot Value: $5,051,900<\/p>\n Flukey is trending down because of a few rough and still-abbreviated outings after his first start back from a rib strain. His collegiate track record and preseason status could give him a reasonably high floor, and teams throughout the first round have been scouting him heavily, so it\u2019s difficult to pin down his realistic range. If Tyler Bell is here he could be an interesting fit, but I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s the case for Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron.\u00a0<\/p>\n 17. Astros \u2014 Sawyer Strosnider<\/a>, OF, TCU<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $13,712,700<\/p>\n Slot Value: $4,868,600<\/p>\n Strosnider has better physical tools and more pure upside than nearly every player in the class, but he\u2019s not replicating the pure hitting ability he showed in 2025. He\u2019s hitting .216\/.339\/.441 in conference play with a 20.2% strikeout rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n 18. Reds \u2014 Brody Bumila<\/a>, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS, Attleboro, Mass.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $10,758,500<\/p>\n Slot Value: $4,695,500<\/p>\n Bumila is an outlier of outliers, with very little prep track record but excellent athleticism, size and an 80-grade fastball from the left side<\/a>. He gets talked about as a potential top 10 talent in the class, but will an organization pull the trigger on this much risk with their first pick? A few stand out as organizations who might do that, but many more could be hoping to land him with a big overslot deal with their second pick, like when Thomas White went to the Marlins at pick No. 35 in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 19. Guardians \u2014 Derek Curiel<\/a>, OF, LSU<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $9,303,700<\/p>\n Slot Value: $4,530,500<\/p>\n If Cleveland\u2019s 2025 draft is a sign of a shift in priorities, Curiel might not be the best fit. But he does have two traits Cleveland has long prized and targeted: elite contact skills and lefthanded hitting<\/a>. He doesn\u2019t run like most center fielders, but he has the defensive instincts to stick at the position and be an above-average defender.\u00a0<\/p>\n 20. Red Sox \u2014 Jared Grindlinger<\/a>, LHP\/OF, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $8,219,200<\/p>\n Slot Value: $4,373,900<\/p>\n The Red Sox are one of the teams most heavily linked to Grindlinger, who has a handful of teams particularly high on his hitting upside thanks to his youth and contact skills. Boston has also spent plenty of draft capital on lefthanded-hitting Californians in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n 21. Padres \u2014 Justin Lebron<\/a>, SS, Alabama<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $9,479,000<\/p>\n Slot Value: $4,224,700<\/p>\n Add Lebron\u2019s name to a long list of struggling players who are difficult to pinpoint. His pure talent and athleticism could warrant a top 10 overall selection, but his performance this spring, as well as previous years in conference play, is making that hard to project. There are plenty of teams who didn\u2019t think Lebron would ever get to them before the season started. Now they\u2019re going to grapple with whether or not they\u2019d take a shot on his toolset if he falls to them. Perhaps the Padres are one of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n 22. Tigers \u2014 Trevor Condon<\/a>, OF, Etowah HS, Woodstock, Ga.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $9,165,100<\/p>\n Slot Value: $4,082,700<\/p>\n Condon and Grindlinger are two of the most popular high school hitters after the big three (Emerson, Lombard, Booth) come off the board. Condon has had a strong spring, and teams seem to have a lot of comfort in his track record, contact skills, center field profile and plus speed. Detroit is generally linked to tons of high school hitters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 23. Cubs \u2014 Mason Edwards<\/a>, LHP, Southern California<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $9,644,100<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,947,600<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see Edwards come off the board 10 or more picks ahead of this. He\u2019s struck out 10 or more batters in five straight starts, leads the country with 143 strikeouts and with a 44.9% strikeout rate and has generally been one of the most consistent starters in college baseball<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 24. Mariners \u2014 Logan Reddemann<\/a>, RHP, UCLA<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $8,218,200<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,818,700<\/p>\n Several weeks ago, it would have seemed unlikely that Reddemann would make it this far down the board. But he hasn\u2019t pitched since April 17, which will create more volatility. If he returns to the mound and looks the same, he easily fits in the 10-20 range, and he was even being considered by some teams as a backup option inside the first 10 picks. Reddemann\u2019s command is among the best in the class.\u00a0<\/p>\n 25. Brewers \u2014 Aiden Robbins<\/a>, OF, Texas<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $8,042,900<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,696,000<\/p>\n Robbins\u2019 name never seems to surface at the top of the college outfield demographic, despite the fact that his production has been excellent this spring. He\u2019s hitting .361\/.449\/.728 with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases, and he\u2019s also been great in conference play. There are questions about his center field profile, and some chase and swing-and-miss tendencies that might not be fully captured in his performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n 26. Braves \u2014 Cade Townsend<\/a>, RHP, Ole Miss<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,870,800<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,578,800<\/p>\n Townsend could wind up being the second college righty off the board, but he\u2019s coming off of one of his worst starts of the season against Texas A&M. He has a power arm with a big fastball and a deep mix of secondaries, but he will come with reliever questions and hasn\u2019t pitched consistently deep into games. The Braves have been heavily tied to him.<\/p>\n 27. Mets \u2014 Ace Reese<\/a>, 3B, Mississippi State<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $6,730,900<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,466,500<\/p>\n After a strong non-conference slate, Reese was viewed as a potential top 10 pick because of his hit\/power combination. He cooled off in conference play and has seen his stock slide because of it, but it looks like he\u2019s heating up again. Last weekend against Auburn, he went 8-for-14 with a home run and two doubles. On the season, he\u2019s hitting .335\/.429\/.704 with 18 home runs and 21 doubles.<\/p>\n 28. Astros \u2014 Liam Peterson<\/a>, RHP, Florida<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $13,712,700<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,363,600<\/p>\n Every team will be hoping to get more out of Peterson\u2019s excellent pure stuff<\/a> in pro ball. He comes with control questions and has essentially replicated his 2025 season in two fewer starts, with a 4.28 ERA with a 29.9% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate through 13 starts and 67.1 innings. He could have three plus pitches.\u00a0<\/p>\n 29. Giants \u2014 Logan Schmidt<\/a>, LHP, Ganesha HS, Pomona, Calif.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $17,350,600<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,270,200<\/p>\n Now that the Giants have the 29th-overall pick and the fifth-largest bonus pool in the class, they have a chance to get a second first-round talent. The easiest profiles to slide down the board on overslot deals are high school pitchers. That happens to be one of the strengths of the 2026 class, and could lead to the Giants getting an upside player like Schmidt, who has pitched well this spring and could fit anywhere in the 10-30 range based on talent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 30. Royals \u2014 Caden Sorrell<\/a>, OF, Texas A&M<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,954,000<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,190,500<\/p>\n Sorrell has a profile that should be more appealing to traditional teams than model-driven clubs. His power\/speed combination is loud, his performance over the last two years is great and he also has a chance to be an everyday center fielder. The risk comes with his career 25% strikeout rate and underlying contact skills.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 31. Diamondbacks \u2014 Carson Bolemon<\/a>, LHP, Southside Christian HS, Simpsonville, S.C.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $13,603,100<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,118,300<\/p>\n Bolemon is one of the most polished pitchers in this class, and he entered the season as the top prep arm in the class. He\u2019s been more up-and-down throughout the spring, but should still have plenty of suitors throughout the comp range and into the second as an overslot candidate.<\/p>\n 32. Cardinals \u2014 Luke Williams<\/a>, SS\/OF, Franklin Regional HS, Murrysville, Penn.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $16,612,300<\/p>\n Slot Value: $3,044,600<\/p>\n The Cardinals have three extra picks and the sixth-largest bonus pool in the class. Because of that, they should be in a position to do some damage with one or multiple significant overslot deals. They also get tied to basically every helium high school hitter who will come with a high price tag or might have some risk that other teams might be unable or unwilling to tolerate. Williams is a terrific athlete with 70-grade speed and a big arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n 33. Rays \u2014 Cole Prosek<\/a>, SS\/C, Magnolia Heights HS, Senatobia, Miss.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $19,009,300<\/p>\n Slot Value: $2,970,200<\/p>\n Prosek could have the hitting chops to go inside the first 30 picks, and he\u2019s a compelling catcher conversion candidate whose hit\/power combo gets even more exciting if he can find a way to stick there.\u00a0<\/p>\n 34. Pirates \u2014 Coleman Borthwick<\/a>, RHP, South Walton HS, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $19,130,700<\/p>\n Slot Value: $2,897,400<\/p>\n Borthwick is having one of the most impressive all-around high school seasons in the country as a righthander, shortstop and hitter. His pure upside is best on the mound, where he\u2019s been up to 100 mph and has a potential plus slider. He\u2019s struck out 110 batters in 60.2 innings with South Walton High and has allowed just one earned run.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 35. Yankees \u2014 Aiden Ruiz<\/a>, SS, The Stony Brook (N.Y.) HS<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $7,342,800<\/p>\n Slot Value: $2,826,700<\/p>\n Many scouts view Ruiz as the best defensive shortstop in this year\u2019s class. He\u2019s a slick fielder and a switch-hitter who has shown more strength and raw power this spring, though he does profile as a hit-over-power offensive player who can make plenty of contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n 36. Phillies \u2014 Hunter Dietz<\/a>, LHP, Arkansas<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $7,773,000<\/p>\n Slot Value: $2,758,800<\/p>\n Like basically all of the pitchers mentioned in this mock outside of Flora, Dietz has a chance to go as high as the early teens depending on how he pitches down the stretch. He\u2019s currently leading the SEC with 108 strikeouts and owns a 3.22 ERA over 13 starts and 72.2 innings\u2014far and away a career high\u2014with a 35.4% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n 37. Rockies \u2014 Jarren Advincula<\/a>, 2B, Georgia Tech<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,557,600<\/p>\n Slot Value: $2,696,700<\/p>\n Advincula is light on physical tools but is excellent with the bat in his hands. He\u2019s one of the national leaders in hitting and owns a .432\/.504\/.617 slash line with a career-best eight home runs. He also has a career strikeout rate of just 8.0%.\u00a0<\/p>\n 38. Rockies \u2014 Daniel Jackson<\/a>, C, Georgia<\/p>\n Bonus Pool: $15,557,600<\/p>\n Slot Value: $2,633,100<\/p>\n Jackson has a rare power\/speed combination for a catcher and is one of just two players with more than 20 home runs and 20 steals this season. Teams highest on his defense and pure hitting ability might consider him with their first picks.\u00a0<\/p>\n