The 2026 MLB Draft is now only two weeks away. Five years ago, MLB pushed the draft back from the first week of June to the All-Star break to better market the event, and it will remain there moving forward, though many executives don’t like it. The two-day draft begins Saturday, July 11, this year.
At 60-102, the White Sox had baseball’s second-worst record last season, yet Chicago won the lottery and moved up to the No. 1 pick. This is the third time in franchise history that the White Sox have held the No. 1 selection. They selected Danny Goodwin with the No. 1 pick in 1971 (but did not sign him) and Hall of Famer Harold Baines with the No. 1 pick in 1977.
The Giants also won big in the lottery, moving up from the No. 15 pick to No. 4. It will be San Francisco’s highest selection since taking Joey Bart with the No. 2 pick in 2018. The 119-loss Rockies moved back to the No. 10 pick. They had the No. 3 pick in 2024 and the No. 4 pick in 2025, and teams cannot have lottery picks (Nos. 1-6) in three consecutive years.
2026 MLB Mock Draft: Pirates take power college arm at No. 5 to form formidable duo with Paul Skenes
Mike Axisa
All first-round picks are protected from free-agent compensation. Teams forfeit later draft picks (and international bonus pool money) to sign qualified free agents. The Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Yankees all exceeded the $281 million third competitive balance tax threshold in 2025, and the penalty moves their first 2026 pick back 10 spots. They’re now out of the first round.
Here are our first (May 29) and our second (June 12) mock drafts. Here now is our third, updated to reflect the latest chatter, speculation, and rumors. We’ll have one last mock draft in two weeks, the day before the draft begins.
1. White Sox: SS Roch Cholowsky, UCLA
Still no change at the top, which isn’t to say Cholowsky to the White Sox is a lock. It just remains the most likely outcome with the draft two weeks away. Cholowsky is the best college shortstop in some time, probably since Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman went off the board with the first two picks in 2015, and he should reach the big leagues relatively quickly. He’s a very talented player and his MLB arrival should align nicely with Chicago’s contention window opening very wide.
June 12 mock pick: Cholowsky
2. Rays: C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech
Cholowsky and Grady Emerson are the consensus top two prospects in the draft class, though Lackey is no slouch as a well-rounded catcher who projects to hit in the middle of the order and play strong defense. The Rays have seemingly been cursed behind the plate since passing on Buster Posey with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 Draft (they took Tim Beckham instead). Selecting whichever of Cholowsky or Emerson the White Sox don’t take is the easy move here, but there is more and more buzz that Tampa could opt for Lackey.
June 12 mock pick: SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
3. Twins: SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
In a sense, the Twins have the easiest decision on draft day. Cholowsky, Emerson, and Lackey are the consensus three best prospects available this year, so Minnesota can simply take whichever one is still on the board here. Cholowsky is unlikely. He’s almost certain to go to the White Sox or the Rays. Picking between Emerson, who some believe has the highest ceiling in the draft, and Lackey is a great consolation prize.
June 12 mock pick: C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech
4. Giants: SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (FL)
It is no secret the Giants covet Cholowsky. They added the No. 29 pick in the Patrick Bailey trade and have a very large bonus pool (over $17 million), so they could do something like float a record bonus offer for Cholowsky (the current record is $9.25 million) and hope that scares away the White Sox, Rays, and Twins. That doesn’t happen in this mock draft and is unlikely to work in real life (assuming the Giants try it), so San Francisco has to look elsewhere. They’ve been connected to Lombard consistently this spring. He is one of the draft’s most electric players and is the son of Tigers bench coach George Lombard Sr. and the younger brother of Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr.
June 12 mock pick: Lombard
5. Pirates: SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky
There have been rumors that the pitching-rich Pirates would prefer to add a bat, and Bell could go in the top five picks despite a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. The injury is likely to require surgery that will sideline him into 2027. Pittsburgh has a Competitive Balance draft pick (No. 34) and could sign Bell below slot here, then spend big on a top talent that falls to No. 34. They’ve used a similar strategy in the past. Bell would come out ahead financially by signing below slot at No. 5 rather than taking a slot bonus later in the first round.
June 12 mock pick: RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara
6. Royals: RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara
Flora is the draft’s best pitcher thanks to an upper-90s fastball and two distinct sliders, both of which are putaway pitches. Kansas City has a Competitive Balance pick (No. 30) and thus plenty of bonus pool money to give Flora a signing bonus on par with a top-five pick. This would be a terrific outcome for the Royals on draft day.
June 12 mock pick: LHP Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
7. Orioles: OF Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove HS (MS)
I can’t help but wonder if Flora slipping past the Royals would cause O’s president of baseball operations Mike Elias to select a pitcher in the first round for the first time since Baltimore hired him in 2018. We don’t get to find out in this mock draft. The O’s are, unsurprisingly, linked to hitters — both college and high school. Booth has 30-30 potential and the kind of skill set the Orioles have successfully developed.
June 12 mock pick: Booth
8. Athletics: OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech
The A’s have been connected to hitters this spring despite an organizational need for pitching, which makes sense at No. 8. Unless Flora gets here, the best players on the board will be hitters. Burress can do everything well and there is some thought that he has a lot of power waiting to be unlocked with a few swing tweaks.
June 12 mock pick: Burress
9. Braves: LHP Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
The Braves have selected a high school player with three of their last four first-round picks (Owen Murphy in 2022, Cam Caminiti in 2024, Tate Southisene in 2025) and Rojas aligns with their draft preferences. He’s a great athlete (think Spencer Schwellenbach) who lights up pitch models (think Caminiti and Hurston Waldrep). Rojas could even sign below slot here, because if he doesn’t go to the Braves, there’s a chance he won’t hear his name called until the end of the first round. It’s better to take a below-slot bonus here than a slot bonus later.
June 12 mock pick: SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky
10. Rockies: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
How the Rockies will use their first-round pick is anyone’s guess after new POBO Paul DePodesta spent the last decade in the NFL. They’re said to be targeting college hitters, who happen to be the best available players in our mock draft. If not Helfrick, who has big-time power and defensive chops, it could be Bell, Burress, Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian or Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia.
June 12 mock pick: 2B Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
11. Nationals: OF/LHP Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach HS (CA)
This has been one of the most consistent connections this spring. Grindlinger is a fascinating prospect who is a first-round talent as a hitter and a second- or third-round talent as a pitcher. He also reclassified from the 2027 Draft and into 2026, so he’s one of the youngest players in the class. I assume that, if the Nationals do select Grindlinger with the No. 10 pick, they will let him continue to be a two-way player in pro ball. They can re-evaluate things in a year or two if it’s not working.
June 12 mock pick: Grindlinger
12. Angels: OF Derek Curiel, LSU
Whoever the Angels take with the No. 12 selection stands a good chance to be the first 2026 pick to reach MLB. An Angels player was the first player to reach the big leagues from the 2021 (Chase Silseth), 2022 (Zach Neto), 2023 (Nolan Schanuel), and 2024 (Ryan Johnson) classes, and Tyler Bremner (No. 2 pick last year) still has a chance to be the first 2025 draftee to reach the show. Curiel is a bat-to-ball specialist with good center field defense and perhaps some power potential waiting to be unlocked.
June 12 mock pick: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina
13. Cardinals: 2B Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
Hacopian is a divisive prospect. He’s one of the best and most decorated college players of the 2020s, but there is concern that his ground ball swing won’t play at the next level and that his defense will send him to first base or left field. The Cardinals have been linked to bats more than arms the last few weeks.
June 12 mock pick: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
14. Marlins: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia
The Marlins have prioritized big exit velocity (Owen Caissie, Agustín Ramírez) and high-end bat-to-ball ability (Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez), and Gracia falls into the latter category. Not that he’s a slap hitter; he has some pop. Defensively, he should stay in center field for at least another few years thanks more to his instincts than blazing speed.
June 12 mock pick: SS Justin Lebron, Alabama
15. Diamondbacks: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina
Flukey is the consensus No. 2 pitching prospect in the draft class behind Flora, and his fastball/curveball tandem might be able to get big leaguers out in a relief role right now (not that the D-backs would rush him up the ladder). Arizona tends to dip its toe in every pool: hitters, pitchers, college, high school, whatever.
June 12 mock pick: LHP Cole Carlon, Arizona State
16. Rangers: SS Justin Lebron, Alabama
The Rangers have a thing for “famous” prospects in the draft (think Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker) and Lebron is one of the most famous prospects available this summer. He entered the 2025 season as the favorite to go No. 1 overall, then Cholowsky broke out while Lebron authored some uneven performances. The Alabama shortstop has extremely loud tools (power, speed, athleticism, etc.), but swing-and-miss concerns have scared teams over the last few weeks.
June 12 mock pick: OF Derek Curiel, LSU
17. Astros: 3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State
The Astros received a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick (No. 28) because Hunter Brown finished in the top three in last year’s Cy Young voting, and the expectation is they will use their top two picks on college players who could reach Houston in short order. Reese has enormous power, perhaps the most in the draft class, though he’s likely to wind up at first base and rank among the league leaders in strikeouts. Few players in the draft class can hit the ball out of the park as frequently and effortlessly, though.
June 12 mock pick: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia
18. Reds: RHP Liam Peterson, Florida
Peterson is not the classic quick-moving college starter with polish. He has a very good mid-90s fastball and a promising array of secondary pitches, but he needs a pro team to help him level up. The Reds are quite good at coaching up college starters (Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, etc.) and stand a good chance of helping Peterson take that next step.
June 12 mock pick: LHP Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan HS (MA)
19. Guardians: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah HS (GA)
Condon is a scout’s favorite and there’s a chance, albeit a small one, that he’ll hear his name called inside the top 10 on a below-slot deal. He’s a speedy and athletic bat-to-ball guy who is one of the top center-field defenders in the draft class. Condon projects more as an impact leadoff hitter than a middle-of-the-order threat, which is perfectly fine. Teams need leadoff guys, too.
June 12 mock pick: 3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State
20. Red Sox: LHP Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan HS (MA)
The old saying is you don’t want to miss on the guy in your backyard, and it’s hard to miss Bumila. He’s a 6-foot-9 lefty who has touched 101 mph this spring. The Red Sox have been connected to high school infielder Bo Lowrance about as much as one team can be connected to a player this late in the first round, but Bumila might have the best chance to develop into a true No. 1 starter of any pitcher in this year’s draft.
June 12 mock pick: 3B Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal School (SC)
21. 3B Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal School (SC)
The Padres have taken a high school player in the first round in each of the last nine drafts, and they often target upside over polish. I think Bumila is their dream choice here, but since he’s unavailable in our mock draft, we’ll give them Lowrance. The sweet-swinging lefty has climbed draft boards the last few weeks because so many second-tier college hitters limped to the finish this spring.
June 12 mock pick: LHP Hunter Dietz, Arkansas
22. Tigers: IF/C Cole Prosek, Magnolia Heights HS (MS)
Folks within baseball like Prosek more than the public draft prospect rankings may lead you to believe. He has contact skills, some power, and an advanced plan at the plate. Add in the ability to play an up-the-middle position (either catcher or shortstop), and Prosek is right up Detroit’s alley. They used their last three first-round picks on high school hitters (Max Clark in 2023, Bryce Rainer in 2024, Jordan Yost in 2025) with similar skill sets.
June 12 mock pick: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah HS (GA)
23. Cubs: LHP Hunter Dietz, Arkansas
Despite throwing only 1 ⅔ innings from 2024-25 because of an elbow fracture and a setback, Dietz is very likely to be a first-round pick in two weeks. He’s reached the upper 90s with his buzzsaw cutter this year, plus his slider, curveball, and changeup all look like they have a chance to be above-average pitches. Dietz stayed healthy and threw 85 ⅔ innings this spring, and anyway, the Cubs are unafraid of injured draft prospects. Last year’s first-rounder, outfielder Ethan Conrad, had season-ending shoulder surgery not long before the draft.
June 12 mock pick: RHP Logan Reddemann, UCLA
24. Mariners: RHP Cade Townsend, Mississippi
The Mariners excel at developing college pitching. Why deviate from what you do best? Townsend’s fastball does not grade out well analytically (spin rate, etc.) despite mid-90s velocity, and that’s something the Mariners can help him improve. His slider, curveball, changeup, cutter, and competitiveness make it easy to dream on Townsend becoming a top-flight starter if he gets his fastball in order.
June 12 mock pick: RHP Liam Peterson, Florida
25. Brewers: RHP Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
Teams that lean on analytical models in the draft (like the Brewers) surely love Kuhns, who spins the ball like few others in the draft class. His mid-90s fastball and hammer curveball are wipeout pitches. Help him refine his changeup and mechanics, and the ingredients are there for a frontline starter. The Brewers are as good a bet to max out Kuhns as any team in the league.
June 12 mock pick: IF/C Cole Prosek, Magnolia Heights HS (MS)
The Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Yankees each had their first-round pick moved back 10 spots through CBT penalties. The Mets hold the No. 27 pick, the Yankees the No. 35 pick, the Phillies the No. 36 pick, the Blue Jays the No. 39 pick, and the Dodgers the No. 40 pick. Those picks have all been pushed out of the first round proper.
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