​Tennessee pitcher Brandon Arvidson was chosen by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round of the 2026 MLB Draft, selected with the 367th overall pick on July 12. He marked Tennessee’s fifth player selected in this year’s draft and the third pitcher among the Volunteers’ draftees. Right-hander Tegan Kuhns went 32nd overall to the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round, while Henry Ford, a third baseman, was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the sixth round. Reliever Bo Rhudy was picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh round, and catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright was the Angels’ eighth-round selection.
Arvidson, a left-handed reliever for Tennessee, pitched for the Vols as a redshirt junior in 2026, finishing the season with a 4.34 ERA over 37.1 innings, along with 44 strikeouts and 14 walks. His path to Tennessee included time at Texas A&M in 2023 and San Jacinto College in 2024 before transferring to Tennessee. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 237 prospect entering the draft, though MLB Pipeline and ESPN did not place him on their top 250 lists.
Heading into the 2026 season, Arvidson was viewed as a potential first-round selection and a weekend-starting option for Tennessee, even after choosing to return to campus despite his top-250 prospect status and a standout performance late in the 2025 season, highlighted by a 12-strikeout effort in the Knoxville Regional final. The season that followed did not unfold as hoped for Arvidson. He functioned mainly as a reliever, contributing significantly but not breaking into the starting rotation. His production resembled the prior year in some respects, with fewer strikeouts and a higher opponent batting average, which rose from .196 to .262.
When Arvidson was effective, he could be a dominant strikeout pitcher. In 2025, he posted an eye-popping strikeout rate of 42.2 percent. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 217 pounds, he carries a projectable frame and has shown flashes throughout his college career. The Cubs will be hoping he can consistently tap into that potential at the professional level.
Arvidson’s collegiate journey included a redshirt year at Texas A&M in 2023, followed by a stint at San Jacinto College in 2024, where he appeared in 17 games and logged a 3.84 ERA with 108 strikeouts over 61 innings. At Tennessee, he made 30 appearances in 2025 as one of the Vols’ top bullpen arms, posting a 4.19 ERA in 38.2 innings with 70 strikeouts and 22 walks, while opponents batted .196 against him. In 2026, he contributed 37.1 innings across 16 appearances with a 4.34 ERA, recording 44 strikeouts and 14 walks, and allowing a .262 opponent batting average.
This article was contributed by Emmett Siegel, who covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. He can be reached at emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com, and on X at @EmmettSiegel_. This piece originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel, discussing the pros and cons of the Cubs’ selection of Tennessee’s Brandon Arvidson in the 2026 MLB Draft for SEO purposes.