Now that MLB has held the Draft Lottery and we know which teams are picking where, it’s time to predict whom they’ll select.
The 2026 Draft actually won’t begin until July 11, so we have 214 days to figure it all out. But we can’t wait to make our first projections, so we won’t.
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The White Sox secured the No. 1 overall pick via the lottery, and we envision them taking UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky. The best all-around college shortstop since Troy Tulowitzki in 2005, Cholowsky would be the prohibitive favorite to become the first choice no matter which club owned the selection.
Shortstops are the strength of the 2026 Draft crop, with our forecast below having them comprise each of the first three picks and nine of the 25 first-rounders. That group includes 13 college bats, five high school hitters, four college arms and three prep pitchers.
1. White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (No. 1 on the Draft Top 100)
The consensus national college player of the year as a sophomore, Cholowsky would have been the top prospect in the 2025 Draft too as a shortstop with four plus tools, average speed and a high baseball IQ.
2. Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth (Texas) Christian HS (No. 2)
The top prep prospect, Emerson could turn out to be a quicker version of Cholowsky.
3. Twins: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (No. 3)
If Lebron can improve his approach, he could develop into a shortstop with five legitimate plus tools.
4. Giants: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech (No. 5)
Burress broke into college baseball with nine homers in his first eight college games and hasn’t stopped slugging while showing he’s a center fielder with at least solid tools across the board.
5. Pirates: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep, Miami (No. 4)
The son of former big leaguer George Lombard and brother of top Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. (MLB No. 25), he has less hitting ability but maybe more power and speed than Emerson.
6. Royals: Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian HS, Simpsonville, S.C. (No. 7)
Bolemon has four quality pitches with control, physicality and makeup to match, which is why he ranks as this Draft’s best pitcher — high school or college.
7. Orioles: Derek Curiel, OF, Louisiana State (No. 6)
The leading hitter on LSU’s 2025 Men’s College World Series championship team as a freshman, Curiel could go even higher if he develops more power and proves he can handle center field.
8. Athletics: Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina (No. 9)
Flukey ranks as the best college pitching prospect because of his ability to get misses with a mid-90s fastball and chases with an upper-70s downer curveball.
9. Braves: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla. (No. 8)
Rojas is very similar to Bolemon but the latter has a tick better changeup and command.
10. Rockies: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech (No. 12)
Lightly scouted or recruited in high school, Lackey has blossomed into the Draft’s top catching prospect, an athletic defender with a patient approach.
11. Nationals: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida (No. 13)
Some evaluators prefer Peterson’s slightly louder stuff and perhaps higher ceiling to Flukey’s superior polish.
12. Angels: Sawyer Strosnider, OF, Texas Christian (No. 10)
Strosnider has one of the best combinations of size, athleticism and all-around tools available.
13. Cardinals: A.J. Gracia, OF, Virginia (No. 15)
The first transfer on this list, Gracia arrives from Duke as an advanced hitter with plus power and fine instincts in center field.
14. Marlins: Chris Hacopian, SS, Texas A&M (No. 16)
Hacopian might be the best pure hitter in the college ranks, exhibiting advanced feel for the barrel and control of the strike zone.
15. Diamondbacks: Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS, Concord, Calif. (No. 11)
Spangler’s 6-foot-3 frame and his game earn comparisons to a lefty-hitting Cal Ripken Jr. and Corey Seager.
16. Rangers: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 14)
Flora has the potential to give UC Santa Barbara the top college pitcher selected for the third time in a dozen Drafts following Dillon Tate (2015) and Tyler Bremner (2025).
17. Astros: Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State (No. 18)
Reese’s massive raw power may leave his hitting ability a tad underrated, though there are questions about his defensive home.
18. Reds: Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M (No. 20)
Both of Sorrell’s grandfathers (Tom Griffin, Billy Sorrell) played in the big leagues and he has the all-around ability to get there as well.
19. Guardians: Eric Becker, SS, Virginia (No. 21)
Becker has a similar profile to his younger brother, Nick (SEA No. 12), an offensive-minded middle infielder whom the Mariners drafted in the second round last July.
20. Red Sox: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky (No. 22)
The highest unsigned choice in the 2024 Draft (supplemental second round, Rays), Bell profiles as a switch-hitter with 20-homer pop and solid defense at shortstop.
21. Padres: Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS, Pomona, Calif. (No. 17)
The three best prep pitchers, including Schmidt, are all southpaws who throw strikes with a promising three-pitch mix.
22. Tigers: Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford (Ala.) HS (No. 19)
Maniscalco reclassified from the 2027 Draft and shares some similarities to No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits (WSH No. 1/MLB No. 15), providing more power potential but less speed.
23. Cubs: Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn (No. 25)
Second basemen don’t often get popped in the first round, but some evaluators believe Rembert has more pure hitting ability than any other collegian in the class.
25. Brewers: Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS, Woodstock, Ga. (No. 32)
Condon may have the best combination of hitting ability and speed in the high school class, drawing comparisons to Lenny Dykstra, Brett Gardner and a stronger version of Sal Frelick.
The Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays and Dodgers had their top picks dropped 10 spots as a penalty for exceeding the $241 million competitive balance tax threshold in 2025 by more than $40 million. But we can’t leave anyone out during holiday season, so here are predictions for those clubs as well:
27. Mets: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas (No. 29)
Helfrick combines the ingredients of a potential Gold Glover behind the plate with 25-homer upside.
35. Yankees: Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, Tenn. (No. 31)
Brick starred for Team USA before reclassifying from the 2027 Draft and stands out with his rocket arm and solid bat.
36. Phillies: Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas (No. 38)
Elbow issues limited Dietz to 1 2/3 innings in his first two college seasons but he looked like a top-10 pick during fall practice, so we’ll split the difference for now.
39. Blue Jays: Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (No. 33)
A star wide receiver before giving up football, Bowen is a high school version of Strosnider.
40. Dodgers: Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee (No. 43)
The best sophomore-eligible pitching prospect in the class, Kuhns has a formidable fastball/curveball combination.
