​They say you can’t teach speed. So, with their third-round pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Guardians chose a player who had already learned to move quickly. They selected Houston outfielder Tre Broussard, taken at No. 95 overall, entering the draft as MLB Pipeline’s No. 91-ranked prospect. Broussard’s standout attribute is his speed, paired with a high contact rate designed to maximize that acceleration. Guardians VP of scouting operations Paul Gillispie described Broussard as a “twitchy, athletic” outfielder who mirrors the profile of other speedy center fielders who have carved out lead-off roles in similar fashion.
In the past two seasons with Houston, Broussard swiped 56 bases in 64 attempts, an 88% success rate. “Yeah, just a high-end athlete with big-time speed, stolen a lot of bases,” Gillispie noted. “He makes a lot of contact, frequent, hard contact. He’s another player we believe we can bring into our environment, and he has a real chance to blossom here.”
The Guardians opened their 2026 draft by selecting Florida right-handed pitcher Liam Peterson. They followed with their second-round pick, drafting high school left-handed pitcher Logan Schmidt at No. 59 overall. Schmidt’s presence is enough to remind fans of their ages; he was born in 2008, yet already can touch the high 90s with his fastball. Peterson, meanwhile, is a much more polished collegiate starter, while Schmidt is a few years younger and projects as a more raw prospect entering the Guardians’ minor league system.
“We think players are the ones who really drive their development,” Gillispie said of the 17-year-old pitcher. “When you consider upside and ceilings, I think we avoid labeling players or placing ceilings on them. We genuinely believe that in the right environment—whether it’s Logan or any of the players we drafted today—we have the ability to impact them not only on the field but off it as well.”
Draft picks by round:
1st round (19th overall): Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
2nd round (59): Logan Schmidt, LHP, prep
3rd round (95): Tre Broussard, OF, Houston
4th round (123): Kade Lewis, 3B/1B, Wake Forest
5th round (155): Lucas Moore, OF, Louisville
6th round (184): Deiten Lachance, C, Oklahoma
7th round (213): Savion Sims, RHP, prep
8th round (243): Matt Scott, RHP, Georgia
9th round (273): Mario Pesca, RHP, Oklahoma State
10th round (303): Ryan Bilka, RHP, Miami
11th round (333): Jake Bean, RHP, Louisville
12th round (363): Ben Cleary, SS, Santa Clara
13th round (393): Erick Dessens, OF, Sacramento State
14th round (423): Carson Lane, RHP, UNLV
15th round (453): Alejandro Garza, 3B, Cal Poly
16th round (483): Sebastian Rolon, RHP, prep
17th round (513): T for better SEO. minimum 500 word