​Next week, the 2026 MLB All-Star Game will kickoff at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with the spotlight on the next generation of stars before the current crop takes the field. The 2026 MLB Draft begins on Saturday, and more than 600 prospects will hear their names announced across 20 rounds, starting with the Chicago White Sox at the No. 1 spot. To help you get ready, here’s a mock draft designed to set the stage for what could unfold.
For context on how the first round tends to unfold, you’ll find a detailed breakdown here from Thursday. A quick note on methodology: this is a “what I think will happen” mock draft rather than a “what I would do” version. And yes, I would be tempted to draft Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson with every pick in that alternate scenario. Still, there’s a sprinkling of “what I would do” sprinkled throughout to give a sense of possible paths.
Here are the picks, each followed by brief thoughts.
1. Chicago White Sox — Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
2. Tampa Bay Rays — Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
3. Minnesota Twins — Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
4. San Francisco Giants — Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
5. Pittsburgh Pirates — Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)
6. Kansas City Royals — Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
7. Baltimore Orioles — Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
8. Oakland Athletics — Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
9. Atlanta Braves — Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS (FL)
10. Colorado Rockies — Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
11. Washington Nationals — Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
12. Los Angeles Angels — Christopher Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M
13. St. Louis Cardinals — Derek Curiel, OF, LSU
14. Miami Marlins — Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
15. Arizona Diamondbacks — Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS (GA)
16. Texas Rangers — Mason Edwards, LHP, USC
17. Houston Astros — Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
18. Cincinnati Reds — AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
19. Cleveland Guardians — Jared Grindlinger, OF/LHP, Huntington Beach HS (CA)
20. Boston Red Sox — Cameron Flukey, RH, Coastal Carolina
21. San Diego Padres — Zion Rose, OF, Louisville
22. Detroit Tigers — Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
23. Chicago Cubs — Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
24. Seattle Mariners — Tegan Kuhns, RH, Tennessee
25. Milwaukee Brewers — Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU
26. Atlanta Braves — Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian HS (SC)
27. New York Mets — Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
28. Houston Astros — Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS (MA)
29. San Francisco Giants — Cameron Borthwick, RHP, South Walton HS (FL)
30. Kansas City Royals — Aiden Ruiz, SS, The Stony Brook School (NY)
31. Arizona Diamondbacks — Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS (CA)
32. St. Louis Cardinals — Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal HS (SC)
33. Tampa Bay Rays — Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas
34. Pittsburgh Pirates — Cade Townsend, RHP, Mississippi
35. New York Yankees — Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA
36. Philadelphia Phillies — Taj Marchand, SS, James Island HS (SC)
37. Colorado Rockies — Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame
If you want to dive even deeper into this class, keep reading. Let’s zoom in on the top ten selections a bit more. While nothing is guaranteed, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky continues to be widely viewed as the headliner of the class. And with the White Sox reportedly aiming to sign him out of high school for better “SEO” value with early buzz, the early stage of the draft is shaping up to be a fascinating chess game between teams and players.