{"id":369230,"date":"2026-07-11T07:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T07:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/369230\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T07:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T07:05:25","slug":"2026-mlb-draft-preview-university-of-houston-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/369230\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 MLB Draft Preview – University of Houston Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013\u00a0The 2026 MLB Draft kicks off on Saturday with multiple Cougars primed to be selected. Rounds 1-4 are on Saturday followed by Rounds 5-20 on Sunday. In total, 615 players will be chosen during the two-day event, with the Chicago White Sox holding the No. 1 overall pick.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nLast year, two Cougars \u2013 Antoine Jean<\/a> and Connor McGinnis<\/a> \u2013 were chosen while the program’s first-ever pick was Tom Paciorek in 1968.\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nMLB DRAFT SCHEDULE\/HOW TO WATCH
\nDay 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4)<\/p>\n


\n\t1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Picks 1-10 (NBC\/Peacock)
\n\t2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+)
\n\t4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+) <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nDay 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20)<\/p>\n


\n\t11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB TV, MLB+) <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nNOTABLES<\/p>\n


\n\tHouston Baseball has had four players taken in the First Round, most recently Seth Romero who was taken with the 25thoverall pick in the 2017 draft by the Washington Nationals. <\/p>\n


\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tYear
\n\t\t\tPlayer
\n\t\t\tPosition
\n\t\t\tTeam
\n\t\t\tPick
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2003
\n\t\t\tRyan Wagner
\n\t\t\tPitcher
\n\t\t\tCincinnati Reds
\n\t\t\t14
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2003
\n\t\t\tBrad Sullivan
\n\t\t\tPitcher
\n\t\t\tOakland Athletics
\n\t\t\t25
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2006
\n\t\t\tBrad Lincoln
\n\t\t\tPitcher
\n\t\t\tPittsburgh Pirates
\n\t\t\t4
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2017
\n\t\t\tSeth Romero
\n\t\t\tPitcher
\n\t\t\tWashington Nationals
\n\t\t\t25
\n\t\t
\n\t <\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n\tThe Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals (previously the Montreal Expos) have chosen the most Cougars in the MLB Draft with 10 apiece, followed by the Toronto Blue Jays with nine and Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants with eight each. Every current MLB franchise has drafted at least one Cougar.

\n\t\u00a0
\n\tHouston has had seven picks in five different rounds (2, 4, 11, 12, 19). In the current 20 round draft, the Cougars have at least one pick in every round.\u00a0

\n\t\u00a0
\n\tThe most Cougars selected in a single draft saw 11 picks in the 2000 MLB Draft. It’s the only draft were 10+ Cougars have been chosen. Multiple Cougars have been picked in 40 drafts since 1968, and Houston has had a player selected in each of the last five drafts as well as 23 of the last 24.\u00a0

\n\t\u00a0
\n\tHouston has had 166 players selected during the first-year player draft including 27 Top-Five Round picks and 47 Top-10 Round picks.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

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\nSUPPORT THE COUGARS\u00a0
\nFans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Baseball by\u00a0providing NIL opportunities<\/a>\u00a0and by\u00a0buying 2027 Season Tickets.<\/a>
\n\u00a0
\nSTAY CONNECTED\u00a0\u00a0
\nFans can receive updates by following\u00a0@UHCougarBB<\/a>\u00a0on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at\u00a0Houston Cougar Baseball<\/a>. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at\u00a0@uhcougarbb<\/a>.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2013 UHCougars.com \u2013<\/p>\n