​Happy Friday to A’s fans! The first half of the season officially ends on Sunday with the mid-season All-Star Break approaching. The Athletics were among just three teams to land three starters in Tuesday’s All-Star Game, joining the Atlanta Braves (2) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (3). That’s a pretty impressive note given how the Green and Gold have rolled into the break over the past couple of weeks.
Before we hit the break, though, one more major event looms: the 2026 MLB Draft, set for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The A’s will have a bit of a wait for their first pick, which comes in at number 8 this year. The organization has a real opportunity to inject serious talent into a system that badly needs help—if they nail the selection.
We can anticipate how the top of the board will likely unfold: the White Sox are widely expected to take shortstop Roch Cholowsky first overall, with a cluster of players following—catchers Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey, shortstop Jacob Lombard, and right-hander Jackson Flora—still in play, in some order. While surprises are always possible and one of these top names could slide a spot or two, those are considered the elite prospects in this year’s draft, and if the A’s can land any of them, they’ll surely pounce.
If the draft proceeds as projected, those top-tier prospects may be gone by the time the A’s pick at eight. That would push the focus to the second tier, which still includes potential All-Stars in waiting. These players are years away from contributing at the big-league level, and unlike football or basketball, baseball teams typically don’t reap the benefits of a selection immediately. The A’s will need to select the best player available, even if that means taking a high schooler who is years away from the majors.
Mock drafts have the A’s connected to a wide range of targets—righthanders, lefthanders, catchers, and outfielders—without strong links to many second-tier infielders. The front office’s exact plan on draft day remains a mystery to all but those inside the room, and the draft figures to bring at least one surprise.
As for preferences, the old maxim “you can never have enough pitching” still rings true. In an ideal scenario, the right-handed Flora would drop to eight and join the A’s prospect pool, but odds suggest he’ll be snatched earlier. The next-best pitching option would be lefty Gio Rojas, a Florida high school pitcher who’s more of a project but arguably the best prep pitcher in this class. The 19-year-old already features an MLB-ready fastball that can touch triple digits and a nasty slider that looks troublesome for left-handed hitters. He still has work to do on his remaining pitches, but with a strong one-two punch like that, Rojas offers a high floor.
If the A’s decide they want to bolster their system with more hitters, there’s still potential for strong selections in the second tier. In any case, Tuesday’s draft promises to reshape the organization’s pipeline for years to come.