​The Tennessee Vols’ 2026 ace is expected to hear his name called early in Saturday’s MLB Draft. Tennessee pitcher Tegan Kuhns will finally get the chance to live out his dream as draft day arrives, and it seems likely he will hear his name announced sooner rather than later. Speculation continues to point toward Kuhns possibly being selected in the first round, with the Seattle Mariners often tipped as a potential landing spot. Yet, while one evaluator envisions Kuhns as a near-cutting-edge talent similar to a Seattle star, another projection places him a bit later in the draft.
ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel released his final mock draft on Saturday, placing Kuhns just outside the first round at pick No. 34 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. McDaniel also highlights the ceiling for Kuhns, drawing a parallel to George Kirby, Seattle’s All-Star starting pitcher. “Kuhns likely goes in the 30s, and one evaluator said Kuhns reminds him of George Kirby; that’s the ceiling if the development team can optimize Kuhns and get a little lucky,” McDaniel wrote. To be precise, Choosings at pick 34 were traded by Pittsburgh to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, which means it wouldn’t be the Pirates pulling the trigger at that exact spot.
Nevertheless, the Kirby comparison stands out as the key takeaway. George Kirby has established himself as one of the American League’s stronger starting pitchers in recent years. His standout season came in 2023, when he posted a 13-10 record with a 3.35 ERA and 179 strikeouts. Kirby led Major League Baseball with a 9.05 strikeouts-to-walks ratio and earned an All-Star nod, illustrating the potential reward if Kuhns develops similarly. Kuhns clearly possesses the same kind of strikeout capability and elite control, having fanned 106 batters last year while issuing just 16 walks and posting a 3.56 ERA for the Vols.
As the draft unfolds, the question of Kuhns’s destination will become clearer. The 2026 MLB Draft begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, and Kuhns’s name could be among the early ones called. This article originally appeared on A to Z Sports and offers full context on Kuhns’s draft prospects and the comparisons drawing the most attention. Read the full story for additional insights into Kuhns’s development, the scouting perspectives shaping these projections, and what a best-case trajectory could look like if Kuhns reaches his ceiling.© 2026 A to Z Sports.