2026 MLB Draft Review: Boston Red Sox

Full list of draftees

The Red Sox took a very interesting path with their bonus pool money, shaping up for a funky but interesting class. It is clear the team was infatuated with Jake Schaffner, widely projected as a second round talent, but that they did not want to risk his not being available at their next pick at #67. Rather than sweat it out, they got their guy and gave him far, far less than slot value, using those savings to pry Jace Mataczynski (Auburn), Martin Shelar (Mississippi State), and Kaleb LaFavor (Iowa) away from expensive college commitments. Essentially, based off bonus values they traded one first round pick for three second round picks. With the savings, they were able to have a little bit of fun in the back half of the draft. Where most teams dole out $150K signing bonuses to their favorite leftovers, the Red Sox were able to give four bonuses slightly above that $150K number (coming from the bonus pool) and get Deluxe™leftovers, always a nice little addition. Looking across the class, it's very clear that Boston prioritized athleticism and loud tools in its bats, while many of its arms are model-friendly with significant optimization upside. Boston could end up doing very well for itself with this group.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-20: SS Jake Schaffner, North Carolina
Slot value: $4.37 million. Signing bonus: $2 million ($2.37 million below slot value).
My rank: #61. MLB Pipeline: #75. ESPN: #51.
When the Red Sox spent their first pick on Jake Schaffner, widely projected firmly in the second round range, it was a shock. Looking at the signing bonus, it looks like it may be a very prudent play. Schaffner signed for far, far less than slot value, his $2 million bonus coming in at less than half and fitting just over the value of the #50 pick, so the Red Sox were able to take that $2.37 million in savings and spread it around later in the class. And most importantly with this pick, they got their guy. He began his career at North Dakota State, where he was First Team All-Summit League in both 2024 and 2025 while hitting a .353 across 103 games up on the prairie. Transferring nearly 1200 miles to UNC, he had zero issues with the transition to ACC pitching and hit .353 for the Tar Heels, including a blistering .370 against high level pitching in conference play. He is an elite contact hitter who rarely swings and misses even against advanced pitching, including hitting .281 with an excellent .391 on-base percentage in the competitive Cape Cod League last summer, showing an excellent eye and feel for the barrel. Utilizing a crouched setup and a gashing left handed swing geared for line drive contact, he has below average power and will likely top out at 10-15 home runs per season in a best-case scenario barring major changes to his approach. He's not a pure slap hitter, though, and can turn on the ball to keep pitchers honest. The Wisconsin native is a plus runner and a great athlete, showing all the glovework necessary to stick at shortstop long term. His arm is more of a question, though, and he probably fits better as a second baseman in an ideal scenario. Schaffner could be a plus defender at the keystone and steal plenty of bases. The upside here is an annual .300 hitter who flirts with .400 on-base percentages, swats 10-15 home runs per season, and racks up the stolen bases, making for a true leadoff type if everything goes right.

CBB-67: OF Owen Hull, North Carolina
Slot value: $1.32 million. Signing bonus: $1.2 million ($117,300 below slot value).
My rank: #78. MLB Pipeline: #67. ESPN: #62.
Make that back to back guys who traded green and gold for Carolina blue. Owen Hull began his career at George Mason, where he barely played as a freshman before breaking out to slash .367/.474/.557 as a sophomore, earning his opportunity at UNC. There, like Jake Schaffner, he tore the cover off the ball despite the jump in competition and hit .393/.500/.615 across 69 games, including a staggering .418/.500/.648 in conference play. Hull has a funky left handed swing that he deploys effectively, hitting the ball hard in all directions while limiting chase and swing and miss. He mostly just throws his hands at the baseball and lets the barrel whip behind it, creating sneaky torque with his 6'4" frame to create fringy power that could produce 15-20 home runs per season at peak, though the power comes more from strength than bat speed. Hull has excellent feel for the barrel but can frequently top or get under the ball, hitting it hard into the sky or pounding it into the dirt. A plus runner, the Northern Virginia native has a chance to stick in center field, but his fringy arm will push him to left field rather than right if he does move off the eight. He turned 22 shortly after the draft and is therefore old for a college junior, with the ceiling of a league average bat getting on base with moderate power.

3-96: SS Jace Mataczynski, Hudson HS [WI]
Slot value: $815,700. Signing bonus: $2 million ($1.18 million above slot value),
My rank: #111. MLB Pipeline: #131. ESPN: #77.
The Red Sox began to unload their massive savings on Jace Mataczynski, actually giving him the same $2 million bonus (pick #50 value) as first rounder Jake Schaffner to sign him away from an Auburn commitment. This is a very risky play by Boston, as Mataczynski has much farther to go even than most high schoolers to reach his considerable ceiling. While he wasn't seen much on the showcase circuit, he performed well in his brief looks and caught Boston's eye especially. He was mostly evaluated against cold weather competition in western Wisconsin, just across the border from the Twin Cities, where he performed well but looked raw in many ways. Mataczynski has a noisy operation and doesn't repeat his right handed swing consistently, often getting off balance or out of sync. That said, the sky is the limit once the Red Sox smooth out his operation. He's extremely projectable at 6'4" and when he gets off his A swing, shows great bat speed. The power is presently average but he could add a full grade as he fills out and cleans up his swing, while Boston really believes the hit tool will come around with pro instruction. That's tremendous upside before even getting to the defense. He is a tremendous athlete with plus speed, plus arm strength, and an advanced glove at shortstop, giving him every opportunity to stick there long term and provide significant value too. The whole package is reminiscent of a right handed hitting Colson Montgomery. Boston is taking on significant risk in order to chase this upside with the belief that his raw operation is a product more of amateur instruction than any lack of feel for the game.

5-156: RHP Lucas Davenport, Baylor
Slot value: $454,100. Signing bonus: $350,000 ($104,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Lucas Davenport has been around and hasn't quite gotten the results of a high draft pick, but again, Boston sees a development opportunity that could make $350K look like a bargain. He began his career at Texas A&M but never made it into a game, so he transferred to nearby Blinn JC and led the Buccaneers to the NJCAA National Championship in 2024. Transferring a second time to Baylor in 2025, he worked out of the bullpen before transitioning to the rotation in 2026. Though his 6.25 ERA left some to be desired, he showed the stuff and frame for much more. The 6'6", 230 pound right brings the requisite size of a big league pitcher and uses his frame to create great extension and relatively flat approach from a three quarters slot. He moves well with smooth mechanics that help him generate velocity and extension with ease, which also helps him pour in strikes even if his control (ability to throw strikes) is ahead of his command (ability to hit spots in the zone). The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 98 at peak with run, though the overall movement is average and he relies on his velocity and extension to get results. He has a sweeping slider with some upside, though his feel for it is inconsistent. He splits the difference with a cutter, then also drops in a solid changeup that could be average or better in time. The Red Sox see the size, easy delivery, four pitch mix, and low walk rate (5.7%) and believe they could develop Davenport into a solid back-end starting option. To get there, the Dallas-area product will need to optimize his fastball a little better to miss more bats as well as pick up a little more feel for his secondaries and fine tune his in-zone command a but, but the playbook is there. If he can't check all of that off, the fastball velocity + extension gives him a nice starting point for the bullpen.

9-274: OF Martin Shelar, Marist HS [GA]
Slot value: $205,400. Signing bonus: $1.5 million ($1.29 million above slot value),
My rank: #85. MLB Pipeline: #175. ESPN: #80.
With plenty of bonus pool space left over, the Red Sox unloaded another massive bonus in the ninth round by prying Martin Shelar away from a Mississippi State commitment for $1.5 million, roughly the value of the #62 pick. Like Jace Mataczynski, he comes with plenty of risk and plenty of upside. Already a known commodity down in Atlanta, Shelar bashed his way up boards this spring by leading all U.S. high schoolers with 19 home runs. He is a sturdy 6'2" right handed hitter that takes uppercut swings looking to pull the ball in the air, an approach that worked wonders against strong Atlanta high school pitching. The power is very real, with explosive bat speed and some jaw dropping exit velocities at the MLB Draft Combine in June showing that this could be legitimate plus-plus power we're talking about here. Scouts are more split on the hit tool, as Shelar made plenty of contact during his high school season but may run into problems against more advanced arms in pro ball given his all-out approach. Boston may wish to bring him along slowly as he learns to balance chasing power with a more nuanced approach in pro ball, but they're certainly believers that he'll tap plenty of that power as he moves up the ladder. At ceiling, he seems like a .250 hitter with 30+ home runs annually if all works out. An above average runner, he has a strong arm and profiles nicely in right field, where he should be above average. Shelar is slightly old for a high school senior and turned 19 about a month after the draft.

10-304: RHP Kaleb LaFavor, Bishop Heelan HS [IA]
Slot value: $194,000. Signing bonus: $847,500 ($653,500 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: #171.
The Red Sox kept rolling with the bonus savings, dropping third round money (pick #93 value) on tenth rounder Kaleb LaFavor to keep him from an Iowa commitment. Besides being a pitcher, he is a very similar prospect to third rounder Jace Mataczynski as a raw, projectable, athletic prep from the Upper Midwest. LaFavor presently sits in the low 90's and touches 96 at peak, coming in with some running action if overall average movement. The pitch plays up because he creates a low launch angle with good extension, jumping out of his hand with zip that plays above his velocity even without big movement. He spins a sweeping slider that often gets soft in the upper 70's, though his better ones tighten up in the low 80's and show nice promise. He adds a changeup to round things out, giving him a really nice three pitch mix for a cold weather, small town arm. For LaFavor, the big draw is the projection. The 6'7" righty moves well on the mound with an easy delivery that really gets the ball going out in front, and he's repeating it better than in the past to show solid command. Boston will likely bring him along slowly, letting him build up muscle (he still hasn't crossed 200 pounds despite his height) and add several ticks of velocity both to his fastball and his slider. As he continues to refine his offspeed stuff and get stronger, the Sioux City native has a shot to be a real weapon in Boston's rotation down the line.

11-334: SS Wills Maginnis, Georgia State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $250,000 ($100,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.

With some money left over heading into the back half of the draft, the Red Sox spread it around to several different players but the biggest lump went to Wills Maginnis, who pulled in early eighth round money as their first pick of the back half. Boston clearly had their eyes on Maginnis, a draft-eligible sophomore who had committed to play with his younger brother at Arkansas in 2027. A two-year starter at Georgia State, he was solid as a freshman but turned in a really strong sophomore year, hitting .306/.404/.486 with eight home runs and 21 stolen bases over 56 games. He's projectable at 6'3" and has really strong wrists that help sting the ball on a line to all fields, with fringier power now that could grow into average or better pretty easily. He makes a ton of contact with a great eye and an accurate barrel, a major reason Arkansas felt confident he could make the jump to the SEC, and even more so a very positive indicator for Boston. The Atlanta-area native played first base as a freshman before sliding over to third base as a sophomore, where he proved a strong defender that gave the Red Sox enough confidence to draft him as a shortstop. Though he's played virtually everywhere on the field except shortstop, they'll run him out there at the six and look to refine his glovework while leaning on his above average athleticism to create a solid overall defensive profile. Maginnis profiles as a utility infielder who can do a little bit of everything on the field, but if he can take a step forward in the power department as he fills out his big frame, he could become an everyday player at any number of positions. As a sophomore, he was relatively young and only turned 21 just a few days before the draft.

14-424: RHP Jase Evangelista, Nevada-Las Vegas
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $190,000 ($40,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Red Sox spent the last of their bonus pool on Jase Evangelista, a well travelled arm with some upside. He began his career at Washington, where he had mixed results over two years in the bullpen before transferring to UNLV. While his 6.17 ERA left some to be desired, his 30.5% strikeout rate and deep arsenal impressed the staff at Texas A&M and he committed to pitch for the Aggies in 2027. He impressed the Red Sox as well, who bought him out for a little extra cash over the typical fourteenth round pick. Evangelista sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97 with his fastball, a four seamer with strong riding action. He can turn it over into a solid cutter, turn over a little more into a sweeper, or drop it into a 12-6 curveball. A changeup gives him a fifth pitch, making for a deep arsenal with many options to attack hitters. His command has taken a step forward as well, giving hime every chance to pitch out of the rotation in pro ball despite spending his college career as a long reliever. Boston will play with the deep array of pitch shapes to work the Southern California native into a back-end starter.

2026 MLB Draft Review: San Diego Padres

Full list of draftees

In a move that surprised nobody, the Padres for the eleventh consecutive year selected a high schooler with their first pick. Those previous ten years have produced some very solid players, including MacKenzie Gore (2017), C.J. Abrams (2019), and Jackson Merrill (2021), though there have also been several busts including Hudson Sanchez (2016), Robert Hassell (2020), and Dylan Lesko (2022). This year, two preps in Coleman Borthwick and Elliot Lascelles lead things off, followed by a long run of college picks for the rest of the draft if you exclude their two unsigned preps at the end. The Padres focused heavily on players trending up, looking for guys coming off breakout 2026 seasons or those who seemed to find another gear late in the season, hoping to continue that push into pro ball. They prioritized hit-over-power types at the plate, including to the extreme with second rounder Lascelles, and also looked to pull in young-for-the-class players who where several months or more younger than most of their classmates.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-21: RHP Coleman Borthwick, South Walton HS [FL]
Slot value: $4.22 million. Signing bonus: $3.8 million ($424,700 below slot value).
My rank: #31. MLB Pipeline: #43. ESPN: #31.
The Padres love high school pitching early in the draft, so it shocked nobody to see Coleman Borthwick go a bit under slot value here in the first round to sign away from an Auburn commitment. Part of a vaunted South Walton rotation that also included Padres seventeenth rounder Denton Lord (though he did not sign), himself a potential top one hundred pick had he been signable, Borthwick mowed through Florida Panhandle competition with ease. He has a big league body and then some, clocking in at 6'6", 245 pounds already even though he's barely eighteen years old. The arm strength matches the size, with a fastball sitting comfortably in the low to mid 90's and touching triple digits when he really reaches back. There's some extra giddy up and cut on the pitch, making it a true plus pitch already. He has increasingly developed better feel for his slider, looking consistently above average with late, sharp bite and flashing plus at its best. The changeup is a bit behind, but he has shown some aptitude and is working on incorporating it more. While there is some effort in the delivery, Borthwick repeats it well and pounds the strike zone aggressively, helping his average pure command play up to above average control especially against high school hitters. As he develops in the Padres organization, he seems a pretty safe bet to make further strides in that regard and remain an above average strike thrower against more disciplined pro hitters. With two potential plus pitches, a big league body, and potential above average command, Borthwick has a great chance to develop into a #2 or #3 starter in San Diego. Whether he reaches that ceiling will depend on the command (as it does for any prep) as well as further refinement of his changeup. There is a ton to like for an eighteen year old kid and he has a chance to move quicker than many other pitchers his age, provided he stays healthy.

2-60: SS Elliot Lascelles, Upper Canada HS [ON]
Slot value: $1.56 million. Signing bonus: $2.8 million ($1.24 million above slot value).
My rank: #90. MLB Pipeline: #158. ESPN: #78.
Elliot Lascelles had some serious late helium towards the end of the spring, an many expected him to go significantly sooner than most public boards had him ranked. While #60 might be towards the higher end of that expectation, his massive $2.8 million signing bonus (just under the value of the #35 pick) probably eclipsed even the most bullish projections. San Diego is pushing all of the chips in on their second rounder, and for good reason. Lascelles is one of the best contact hitters in the entire prep class, simply torturing pitchers everywhere he has gone including against real, high quality arms. Appearing with all of Canada's top showcase squads, he hit .389 against minor league pitching throughout the spring then took a turn in the MLB Draft League, where he whacked .394/.523/.545 and with just three strikeouts in nine games against legitimate pro-ready competition. The Toronto native guides the barrel around the zone with precision, gathering line drives in bunches no matter how hard the fastball or how sharp the breaking ball. The trade off comes in the power department. Listed at 6'1", 180 pounds, he's not a small guy but his skinnier frame and contact-oriented approach lead to below average power output, most often boosting his slugging percentage by finding gaps for doubles and triples rather than yanking the ball over the fence. San Diego sees more room to fill out and add some force and bat speed, but he's a long way off in that department with some of the lowest peak exit velocity numbers at the MLB Draft Combine even in a controlled setting where he could let loose a little more. It will be interesting to see whether the Padres ask Lascelles to trade some contact for power, but regardless of how he develops, there is absolutely zero worry that he'll be able to handle pro pitching. At peak, he could be a .300 hitter who averages around ten home runs per season, with Luis Arraez being the easy comparison or someone like a taller Maicer Izturis if we want to dig a little deeper. Defensively, San Diego announced him as a shortstop and that's probably where he'll start out, but ultimately his arm is a little light for the left side of the infield and he most likely fits best at second base. At the keystone, his above average speed and average defensive actions should make him a solid defender.

3-97: RHP Ryan Lynch, North Carolina
Slot value: $808,100. Signing bonus: $1 million ($191,900 above slot value),
My rank: #116. MLB Pipeline: #98. ESPN: #111.
Ryan Lynch has a profile that not every team will love, but one that developed right could be very useful in San Diego. An advanced prep when he hit campus at UNC, he immediately became one of the Tar Heels' most valuable arms and posted a 2.93 ERA and a sharp 73/25 strikeout to walk ratio across 27 appearances (3 starts), then jumped into the rotation as a sophomore. The ERA jumped a bit to 4.21 while the strikeout rate dipped from 27.5% to 20.3%, but the Padres still love the arm and see plenty of upside. His fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 98 with tons of run and some sink, creating lots of ground ball contact. He shows a sharp slider that can dive across the plate, flashing plus at its best, though it can also back up on him and will require a little bit of further refinement in pro ball. He hasn't quite found consistent feel for a changeup just yet, so he'll more or less be starting from scratch in that regard in the Padres' system. The 6'3" righty works with a low three quarters delivery that creates good movement profile ons his pitches and creates a difficult look for hitters, and he also repeats it well enough to pound the zone consistently. The control is ahead of the command, so he can get hit when he leaves pitches over the plate, leaving room to tighten things in that regard, but he's much of the way there already. Lynch has the two pitch mix, frame, and control to start, but with the changeup and command will determine whether it comes to pass. If he ends up back in the bullpen, the sinker/slider combo will work well as a fallback.

4-124: C Robbie Lavey, George Washington
Slot value: $620,300. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($20,300 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #188. ESPN: #105.
The Padres think they found a bit of a sleeper in Robbie Lavey coming from a mid-major background with strong under the hood numbers. He is a career .322 hitter at George Washington across 150 games, including a career year in 2026 in which he hit .339/.462/.526 with a career-best eight home runs. While the power hasn't shown up too much at GW nor did it on the Cape last summer (.262/.368/.328), he posted strong exit velocities both in season and at the MLB Draft Combine to lead the Padres to project more in the future. He gets his arms extended well and creates good leverage with his 6'2" frame, with mechanical and approach tweaks likely to help him get from present fringy game power to average in the future. He handled mid major pitching well in 2026, limiting both the chase and the swing and miss to post strong strikeout and walk rates. It will be a jump going to pro pitching, but he should be an advanced enough hitter to handle it. Behind the plate, the Northern Virginia product has solid defensive tools with an above average arm and a workable glove, and the Padres especially believe he could be an above average defender there with further refinement. With upside on both sides of the ball, it's a nice value pick for $600K that projects as a backup catcher with the potential for more. He's very young for a college junior as well, not turning 21 until nearly two months after the draft. That makes him almost three months younger than Ryan Lynch, a true sophomore.

4C-134: OF Alex Conover, Oklahoma State
Slot value: $563,900. Signing bonus: $500,000 ($63,900 below slot value).

My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #204. ESPN: #145.
Alex Conover brings the Padres a jack of all trades, master of none type. He began his career at powerhouse Cowley JC in Kansas, then quickly transferred back home to Oklahoma State for his sophomore year. After spending 2025 in a part time role, he broke out for a big 2026 as the Cowboys' starting left fielder. The biggest difference between '25 and '26 for Conover was his approach, as he often chased himself out of counts as a sophomore but took control of his at bats much more consistently as a junior, showing off much more patience and better pitch recognition. Listed at 6'4", 200 pounds, he has power hitter size but plays more as a contact hitter, using the whole field and especially looking to drive the ball to the backside, left center field gap. He shows off average power in batting practice and could profile for 15-20 home runs annually with some tweaks to his approach with more lifting and pulling the ball, giving him nice upside when he already shows a strong propensity to get on base. The Oklahoma native is very young for the class, not turning 21 until more than a month after the draft, so there is still perhaps some projection on that 6'4" frame to add additional power. Conover has manned left field effectively for Oklahoma State and could play a fringy right field with average overall defensive skills, though center field might be just a little bit of a stretch. He profiles pretty cleanly as a fourth outfielder who can hit all kinds of pitching, perhaps popping for every day playing time if the power comes along.

5-157: RHP James Guyette, Kansas State
Slot value: $449,500. Signing bonus: $400,000 ($49,500 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Padres handed out a healthy $400K bonus to James Guyette, a sleeper who didn't appear on many boards. One of four Southern Californians in this Padres draft class (all from the LA suburbs, a shutout of San Diego County), Guyette barely pitched as a freshman at Kansas State then became a key part of the Wildcats' bullpen as a sophomore in 2025. Jumping into the rotation in 2026, his surface numbers looked ugly (5.56 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) but he looks to be trending up. He made his best start of the season near the end of the year against Cincinnati (9 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB, 13 K) and finished with a strong 27.9% strikeout rate, notably moving from the first base to third base side of the rubber. The fastball sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97 at peak, coming in with run and sink from a sidearm slot. His sweeper dives across the plate and could be plus with a little more refinement, while his changeup has come along nicely and gives him a third solid pitch. His command is fringy and will be the key to unlocking the next level of his success, especially as San Diego asks him to execute more nuanced game plans. A sidearming righty, Guyette gets good extension to make his pitches play up further and provides a difficult look for hitters. With experience starting and relieving, he has the three pitch mix and size to cut it in either role but command will be the determining factor. San Diego thinks he is steadily unlocking a higher and higher ceiling and believe $400K will be buying low in a few years.

6-186: SS Nu'u Contrades, Arizona State
Slot value: $350,100. Signing bonus: $300,000 ($50,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #225. ESPN: #249.
San Diego grabbed an interesting bat in the sixth round, again banking on upward trajectory. Nu'u Contrades was a well known bat out in Hawaii, then immediately hit .309 as a true freshman at Arizona State. After missing most of the 2024 season, he hit .304 as a junior in 2025 but went undrafted. Teams loved the pure hitting ability, but with just 15 home runs over three years and 105 games in hitter-friendly conditions, they weren't sold on the power. He found his power stroke and then some in 2026, swatting 21 home runs while slashing .366/.434/.762 across 53 games. He's not big at 5'10" but he has filled out his frame pretty well and has gotten better about elevating. It's still probably fringy power when he switches to wood bats and leaves the desert, but now the Padres can be confident he'll have enough thump to keep pitchers honest. While Contrades chases at a high rate, he rarely ever misses and that has remained true everywhere he has gone. If he can rein in that approach just a little bit, he has shown that he has enough power to hit 15+ home runs per season by choosing better pitches to turn on. Drafted as a shortstop, he has decent defensive tools and could probably cut it there in a pinch, but he's probably a second or third baseman long term. That puts a little more pressure on his bat, where the uptick in power will come in handy as he chases high batting averages and remains a thorn in pitchers' sides with a refusal to strike out.

7-215: 2B Joe Tiroly, Virginia
Slot value: $276,400. Signing bonus: $225,000 ($51,400 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #147. ESPN: #168.
Continuing the theme, Joe Tiroly is a hit over power guy trending up, in fact with a very similar profile to Nu'u Contrades. Beginning his career at Rider, he won MAAC Player of the Year honors in 2025 by hitting .377/.481/.749 with 18 home runs as a sophomore. As all great mid major Northeast players seem to do, he transferred to Virginia for his junior season but started slow coming off a foot injury. As he got healthy and warmed up, he hit .328/.400/.571 in ACC conference play and showed scouts he was a real all-around threat at the plate. Tiroly makes a ton of contact, striking out at just a 14.1% clip in 2026 despite the jump in competition and walking at a reasonable clip. Despite more of an average frame, he can turn on the ball for surprising power and that's how most of his 44 career home runs have come, with solid exit velocity data to back it up. While some scouts are skeptical of his transition to wood bats, the Padres believe he'll continue to show at least fringy power to go along with above average bat to ball. A below average runner and athlete, Tiroly won't see any reps at shortstop and will likely be fringy at either second or third base. He profiles as a bat-first utility infield type who could see starts against lefties, but if he hits like the Padres believe he's capable, he could carve out an everyday role for himself on day.

2026 MLB Draft Review: Detroit Tigers

Full list of draftees

The Tigers put together a diverse draft class, putting together college arms, bats, two-way players, and preps to stock all aspects of their system. Cameron Flukey had top ten looks early in the draft process, Tyson LeBlanc was a pop-up prospect after a big junior season, and Evan Dempsey brings an intriguing two-way profile. On the prep side, Dominic Pellegrin turned heads late in the process with a strong turn through the MLB Draft League, while Will Adams has been on radars for a long time with consistent strong performances against strong competition. It's a balanced approach sure to provide impact in multiple categories.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-22: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina
Slot value: $4.08 million. Signing bonus: $3.8 million ($282,700 below slot value).
My rank: #15. MLB Pipeline: #15. ESPN: #19.
The Tigers picked up nice value here at #22, going below slot on a pitcher some would argue was the second best in the class, high school or college. Cameron Flukey was a well-known draft prospect on the Jersey Shore back in 2023, but made it to campus at Coastal Carolina where he quickly pitched his way into the rotation as a freshman. Taking a big step forward as a sophomore in 2025, he established himself as one of the top pitchers in the class and was firmly in the top ten conversation entering 2026. Unfortunately he went down with a stress fracture in his ribs after his first start of the season and missed over two months, then never built up to more than four innings in a start upon his return in late April. Still, the full package is strong as strong as any in the class besides perhaps Jackson Flora. Flukey sits in the mid 90's and touches 98 with his fastball, getting big riding action from a high, over the top release point. His two-plane curveball is a true weapon with great finish, and he has great feel to keep the pitch down and get results with it. There is a tight slider in the low to mid 80's, while his changeup is a nice fourth pitch to round out a full arsenal. Flukey is a towering presence on the mound at 6'6", coming in with long arm action and an over the top delivery that creates good extension and makes all of his pitches play up. Even with the long levers, he repeats his delivery well and pours in strikes, commanding his full arsenal and looking much more like a pitcher than a thrower. The rib injury was poorly timed in his draft season so teams didn't quite see him at full strength in 2026, but the Tigers believe the 2025 Flukey was the real Flukey and that means a high probability #2 or #3 starter that could work his way up through the minors quickly. Provided he stays healthy, he'll be a major part of the Tigers rotation of the future.

2-61: SS Tyson LeBlanc, Kansas
Slot value: $1.52 million. Signing bonus: $1.61 million ($85,355 above slot value).
My rank: #96. MLB Pipeline: #113. ESPN: #134.
Looking at the major public rankings, Tyson LeBlanc was mostly outside the top 100 across the board and barely snuck inside of mine. Still, there were rumblings that he would go earlier than his board positions and not only was that true, he even signed slightly above slot value. LeBlanc began his career at LSU Eunice, a junior college in southern Louisiana, where he led the Bengals to a Division II junior college national championship and swung the bat well enough to earn a transfer opportunity at Kansas. He didn't skip a beat jumping to Division I competition, where he hit .341/.425/.706 with 25 home runs across 63 games. What he lacks in terms of a standout tool, he makes up for with feel for the game and the ability to maximize his tools. He can chase at times, but not too much, and while there is some swing and miss, again it's not too much. LeBlanc is good at finding his pitch, jumping on it, and getting it up in the air to the pull side to put the ball over the fence much more consistently than you'd think. The power itself is fringy and there's a question how much it will play with wood, but he gets to it in a way that leaves scouts confident he could hit 15+ home runs a year in pro ball with good on-base percentages. An average runner, he gets it done at shortstop with strong instincts and an accurate arm and has a shot to stick at the toughest infield position. If the Tigers are taking him this early, they likely buy the glove at shortstop too, which makes any offense a big plus. Others see him more as a likely second or third baseman where he could be a well above average defender, and it plays in his favor if he ends up going the utility infielder route. The Lafayette, Louisiana native has outplayed projections his whole career and will look to continue to do that in the Detroit organization.

CBB-69: RHP Evan Dempsey, Florida Gulf Coast
Slot value: $1.25 million. Signing bonus: $1.2 million ($56,700 below slot value).
My rank: #107. MLB Pipeline: #101. ESPN: #176.
Two-way players are always fun, especially with some of the added intrigue of coming from smaller schools like FGCU. Evan Dempsey has raked for three years in Fort Myers, slashing .326/.411/.505 with 20 home runs over 169 games, including a career-high ten in 2026. However, Detroit likes the arm even better and they're taking him as a right handed pitcher. After barely pitching as a freshman, he took a major step forward as a sophomore with a 1.97 ERA and a 75/20 strikeout to walk ratio over 68.2 innings. The ERA jumped a bit in 2026 to 3.15, but his 126 strikeouts not only smashed a career high but finished eleventh in the nation and #3 among mid major arms. The stuff isn't overpowering at present, with a fastball sitting in the low 90's touching 95 as well as a pair of high spin breaking balls and a fringy changeup. Dempsey's breaking balls don't always get great finish, but they're sharp at their best and look like potential above average pitches once he focuses full time on pitching. Similarly, the 6'2" righty comes with the athleticism you'd expect of a two-way type and repeats his delivery well, holding low 90's velocity deep into starts and racking up over 150 innings over the past two seasons. It's above average command already despite the split focus and the Tigers think there is much more to come. Beyond getting more time to focus on pitching, two-way players are typically fast learners who can make rapid improvements in unexpected ways, hence their ability to continue doing both at a high level through college. If Dempsey adds a couple of ticks to his fastball and gets more consistent with his offspeed stuff, he has mid-rotation upside and better floor than most pitchers with his background. The last cherry on top is his age, as he was still 20 years old on draft day and therefore young for a college junior.

4-125: SS Dominic Pellegrin, Holy Cross HS [LA]
Slot value: $614,500. Signing bonus: $747,500 ($133,000 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Dominic Pellegrin was a very late riser in the 2026 class that didn't appear on many boards, but his trajectory throughout the spring and into the summer had evaluators pushing his price up. The Tigers wound up signing him away from a Tulane commitment for roughly the value of the #105 pick, despite the fact that he topped out at #478 on the Baseball America 500. Pellegrin has long dominated the New Orleans high school circuit but hadn't been seen much on the national stage until his senior year. He picked up twelve games in the MLB Draft League just before the draft and made the most of it, hitting .375/.569/.525 with a ridiculous 22.4% walk rate while swiping eleven bags in thirteen tries. Pellegrin has a compact right handed swing kicked off by a big leg kick, working inside the baseball and spraying line drives to all fields with consistency, even against better competition in the draft league. Listed at 6'1", 175 pounds, he's fairly under-developed and will need to bulk up in pro ball, likely projecting for an average hit tool and fringy power. The Tigers think there is more in the tank as he gets pro instruction given his athleticism and youth. A plus runner, his defense earns him further praise with smooth feet and a quick transfer, giving him a shot to stick at shortstop and make the average bat much more attractive. Pellegrin is old for the class and turned 19 a month before the draft, but still figures to have plenty of untapped ceiling.

5-158: RHP Declan Dahl, Louisiana Tech
Slot value: $445,200. Signing bonus: $412,500 ($32,700 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #228. ESPN: unranked.
Declan Dahl is an interesting sleeper for the Tigers, one whose resume doesn't quite jump out on paper but who could become greater than the sum of his parts with pro instruction. He began his career at Seminole State JC in Oklahoma, where he was a reliable starter for two years, then transferred to Louisiana Tech for his junior year and again proved more reliable than eye-popping. The fastball sits in the low 90's and tops out at 95, showing run and sink with its ordinary velocity. His slider is a short breaker that can steal strikes and finish at bats but also likely grades average out as fringy, while his changeup is easily his best pitch with great sink and run. The 6'3" righty uses a sidearm delivery to create a low release point and get nice extension, making his pitches sneak up on hitters and play better than their velocity and movement profiles. Hitters consistently seem off balance against Dahl leaving them helpless when he pulls the string on that plus changeup. The command is average and he may have more difficulty eliciting chases against pro hitters, so he'll continue to rely on the deceptive qualities of his delivery and pitches. The Fort Worth-area product might fit better in the bullpen, where he could add a few ticks of velocity to his arsenal and rely less on his command. The Tigers could get creative with his arsenal and usage.

6-187: SS Maddox Molony, Oregon
Slot value: $347,300. Signing bonus: $344,800 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #125. MLB Pipeline: #176. ESPN: #185.
Maddox Molony's higher ranking on my board is more due to the fact that it only went to 132 rather than any personal favoritism towards him. Molony entered the draft cycle looking like a potential top 50 pick, having hit .311/.403/.566 with 25 home runs over his first two seasons at Oregon. However, his line dipped to just .233/.343/.452 as a junior as he chased a bit more and struggled against offspeed stuff. He still reached double digits in home runs (12) for the third straight year, a helpful footnote after he struggled to tap his power in the Cape Cod League in 2025, and still provides an interesting offensive profile. At least with metal, Molony taps his fringy raw power consistently by effectively elevating to the pull side, enabled by strong bat to ball and feel for the barrel. He's especially deadly against fastballs and should have no issues with velocity in pro ball. Given his ability to square the ball up consistently, he could benefit from a bit more selective of an approach especially against offspeed stuff. The Oregon native is a strong defender at shortstop with good reactions and an above average arm, increasing his value as a potential utility infielder who could become a bit more if he taps a little more power with wood. As with Dominic Pellegrin and Tyson LeBlanc, the glove's value makes the bat more attractive he can hit at even a reasonable clip.

7-216: 1B Brady Ballinger, Kansas
Slot value: $274,300. Signing bonus: $271,800 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #132. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The very last player on my draft rankings this year, Brady Ballinger has somewhat of a similar story to Maddox Molony despite being a very different type of ballplayer. He began his career at the College of Southern Nevada, alma mater of Bryce Harper, where he hit .431 with an eye-popping .545 on-base percentage and caught the eye of the Kansas Jayhawks. He raked as a sophomore in 2025, hitting .353/.495/.670 with 16 home runs to earn top three rounds draft interest entering his junior year. Unfortunately, like Molony, he dropped to .283/.401/.466 with just seven home runs in 2026 even as Kansas put together its program-defining year. Ballinger is built like a slugger at 6'2", 225 pounds, showing plus power as a sophomore but seeing his exit velocities diminish in 2026 to grade out more as fringy. The Tigers believe the reduced power in 2026 can be brought back with changes to his approach and timing and that the Ballinger of 2025 is the one who will slug his way up their minor league rungs. While his pure bat to ball is fringy, he rarely chases to push his on-base percentages sky-high, and the fact that he actually hit much better in Big 12 play (.306/.408/.559, 6 of his 7 HR) than he did outside it points to an advanced hitter who is ready for pro ball. With his power outage tied more to timing issues than whiffs, the Tigers see this as much more fixable than others on a similar trajectory. The Las Vegas native will need to find that power quickly because he is a well below average athlete who will be limited to first base at best, if not eventually becoming a full-time DH. A left handed hitter, he likely projects as a platoon bat.

11-336: 1B Will Adams, Hoover HS [AL]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $1 million ($850,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: #75. MLB Pipeline: #102. ESPN: #130.
With pool money left over going into the back half of the draft, the Tigers were bound to make a splash in this range. They did so with Will Adams, signing him away from an LSU commitment for a full million, roughly the value of the #82 pick and the fourth largest bonus in this Tigers class. If nothing else, Adams can hit. Armed with a patient approach and strong bat to ball, he has performed everywhere he's gone and even impressed scouts with his ability to handle and do damage against quality offspeed stuff, a real separator for a prep bat. At this point, he is hit over power and his ceiling will depend on how much power he develops. He projects as a Daylen Lile type if he stays more of a doubles hitter who can leave the yard 15 times a year, but he did impress by registering high exit velocities at the MLB Draft Combine and really has the chance to grow into above average power in time. As a potential plus hitter with above average power at his ceiling, he could be an impact bat for Detroit who can knock 20+ home runs per season with high on-base percentages. The pressure will be on the bat, because he's a fringy runner who has given below average looks in the outfield, with the Tigers even drafting him as a first baseman. There's some hope that his above average arm (he touches 91 on the mound) could help him provide some value out there, but given that the position teams draft a player is largely symbolic of an optimistic projection, it doesn't provide much confidence given the Tigers announced him as a first baseman. Still, I really like his bat and I think he'll hit plenty even with less defensive value.

2026 MLB Draft Review: Chicago Cubs

Full list of draftees

Besides a couple of big power bats near the top, the Cubs focused heavily on pitching in this class with ten in a row from rounds three through twelve and another six in a row to close out the draft from the fifteenth round on. It was all about breaking balls in this class, with the Cubs looking less at pitchers who could run attack the top rail with explosive fastballs and more at guys who could spin the heck out of the ball. That adds a lot of relief risk to the class, especially with command not being a priority in the draftees, but it does create a lot of upside and possibly gives them quite a few future closer options.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-23: RHP Cade Townsend, Mississippi
Slot value: $3.95 million. Signing bonus: $3.1 million ($847,600 below slot value).
My rank: #23. MLB Pipeline: #35. ESPN: #26.
The Cubs got quite a bargain bringing in one of the most talented college pitchers in the country for nearly a million dollars below slot value, just below the value of the #31 pick here at #23. Cade Townsend has been well-known to scouts since his prep days, when he had significant interest from MLB teams as a star at Santa Margarita Catholic HS in Southern California. He turned down offers and crossed the country to attend Ole Miss, where he flashed upside but pitched to a 6.35 ERA as a freshman in 2025. Townsend returned in 2026 looking like a more complete pitcher and dominated the Rebels' non-conference schedule (0.48 ERA, 32/4 K/BB in 18.2 IP over 4 starts), and while his SEC performance was more up and down, he still did more than enough for evaluators to push himself into the first round. The 6'1" righty sits in the mid 90's and touches 98 with ride through the zone, holding that velocity now better than he did in the past. He stands out most for his feel for secondaries, making the ball dance all around the zone with a full arsenal. He runs his cutter into the upper 80's to consistently stay off barrels, then slices it into a truer sweeper that looks plus in its own right. His curveball shows good depth and gives him yet another potential plus pitch, while his changeup plays closer to average. This is the pure stuff that can play at the top of a rotation, but Townsend has yet to fully put it together. He is throwing more strikes than in the past, dropping his walk rate from 13.1% as a freshman to 8.0% as a sophomore, though it is still more control than command and he can get hit in the zone. Townsend is very, very close to breaking through as a rotation force, and if the Cubs can unlock a little more life on his fastball while fine tuning that command a little further, it would make his breaking balls play up even further as hitters can't simply trust their hands to catch up to the above average velocity. I see this as great value near the back of the first round with massive savings to boot.

2-62: OF Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
Slot value: $1.49 million. Signing bonus: $1.65 million ($162,800 above slot value).
My rank: #54. MLB Pipeline: #33. ESPN: #43.
Caden Sorrell was projected throughout the 20-40 range for much of the draft cycle, though I felt that was just a little bit rich for my taste and left just outside of my top fifty. The Cubs getting him here in the second round for a slightly over-slot bonus (roughly the value of pick #58) feels more like market value and I'd be much more comfortable rolling the dice here. Like Cade Townsend, Sorrell comes with massive upside, though he has a few more fatal flaws and comes with a wider range of outcomes. Both of his grandfathers played in the big leagues in the 1960's and 1970's, then he made a name for himself as a Dallas-Fort Worth high schooler in 2023 with top 100 interest. He made it to campus at Texas A&M and jumped into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2024, then over the last two years he has really turned it on by slashing .340/.433/.757 with 35 home runs over 82 games despite missing significant time in 2025 with hamstring problems. Sorrell is a toolshed, to pit it lightly. Listed at 6'3", 210 pounds, he is packed with lean muscle which he channels into an explosive left handed swing to create plus raw power. He taps that power in games, recognizing mistake pitches and hammering them to the pull side or mishitting balls out to all fields even if he doesn't square it up. There are few players more exciting to watch connect with a baseball and Sorrell does it frequently, setting a career high with 23 home runs in 2026. The catch, of course, is contact. While he had no problem performing in college or even when isolated to just SEC play – where he hit .317/.399/.667 against some of the best arms in the country – the warning signs are there. Sorrell runs contact rates below 70% and struck out at a 22.9% clip in 2026, including 26.6% in SEC play, creating major questions as to whether he can catch up to advanced pro pitching. There is some tendency to chase in the profile, but the bigger issue is just the creation of holes in his left handed swing when he tries to blast balls out of the state. As has been emphasized, he has had little reason to adjust that approach thus far as he's always found a mistake pitch he can drive, but it will be a point of emphasis for the Cubs in pro ball. Defensively, Sorrell is a plus runner who has shown well the outfield, giving him a shot to play center field if we wanted to ignore the existence of Pete Crow-Armstrong for a minute. He certainly won't knock PCA out of center field, but the speed and plus arm could make him a plus defender in right. field. The ceiling on Sorrell is immense and if he takes a few large steps forward in the contact department, he could be a star in Chicago for a long time.

2C-75: 1B Myles Bailey, Florida State
Slot value: $1.12 million. Signing bonus: $1.9 million ($779,100 above slot value).
My rank: #83. MLB Pipeline: #83. ESPN: #88.
Well, speaking of power. If power was money, Myles Bailey would have enough to give every American one hundred dollars and still have enough left over to buy the Cubs. This is, to put it plainly, some of the biggest raw power in the entire draft, if not the biggest. Like Caden Sorrell, Bailey was a well-known prep with significant draft interest out of high school but made it to campus at Florida State, where he bopped 19 home runs and slashed an impressive .327/.441/.663 as a true freshman. He came out hammering in 2026, slashing a prime Barry Bonds-like .363/.582/.913 with 13 home runs in 26 games (an 81 home run pace over a 162 game season) before shattering his ankle against Duke at the end of March. Listed at 6'4", 255 pounds, Bailey looks every bit of it and the power is Earth-shattering. He uses his massive limbs to hammer balls in all directions, whether he's sending them to a different tax jurisdiction to the pull side or going halfway up the scoreboard in the opposite direction. Of course, the catch here just as with Sorrell is contact. He struck out at a high 31.0% rate as a freshman and dropped that to 24.6% as a sophomore, but that was mostly because pitchers were avoiding him and he walked 28.7% of the time. Even in ACC play against better pitching (albeit in just an eight game sample), that strikeout rate sat at a similar 26.3% but the walk rate was a gargantuan 34.2%. Bailey simple does not chase when pitchers refuse to challenge him, but when they do challenge him, they usually win in the zone. The Tallahassee native swings through a ton of hittable pitches with some of the lowest contact rates among drafted players, and big league pitchers will find plenty of holes inside that strike zone to exploit. Then the trade off becomes when pitchers don't win in the zone, the results are spectacular. In his tiny ACC sample in 2026, Bailey was performing much better than in 2025 and seemed to have gotten the swing and miss to at least a realistic level, and the Cubs are bought into those gains as real progress. If he can hit the ball just sometimes at the big league level, his propensity to walk could still keep his on-base percentages at a decent level while he threatens for as many home runs as he can make contact on, looking to Adam Dunn as his ceiling. While nobody is going to mistake the hulking slugger for Ozzie Smith out on the infield dirt, he can pick it pretty well for a guy his size and plays a decent first base. Bailey will likely be a net positive around the bag and could stave off becoming a DH for the first half of his career. His $1.9 million bonus was well above slot value, roughly the value of the #52 pick.

3-98: RHP Carson Jasa, Nebraska
Slot value: $800,000. Signing bonus: $750,000 ($50,000 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #173. ESPN: #166.
Carson Jasa is as good of a trajectory pick as you're going to find. Out of high school, he lacked any semblance of body control and was kept far away from the mound as a freshman. He improved his command from unplayable to merely well below average in 2025, earning eleven appearances (four starts) but battling that command in every one of them. He worked hard over the offseason and improved again in 2026, coming out as a full time starter and posting a 3.59 ERA and 117 strikeouts, the eighteenth most in the nation. The command was still below average, but he learned to work with it, keep his misses reasonable, and stay in competitive counts, helping his power stuff get to work. Jasa sits in the mid 90's with his fastball and touches 98 at peak, though like Cade Townsend back in the first round, the pitch can get straight. Also like Townsend, he has tremendous feel for spin with a pair of fall off the table breaking balls in his tight slider and hard downer curveball. Hitters struggle to track either of them and consistently swing through them even if they know they're coming. Jasa adds a changeup, but it's his fourth pitch. The 6'7" righty brings huge size to the table and works with a stiffer, tall and fall delivery that limits his extension. He still needs to work hard on his body control to get a little more athletic on the mound, hopefully helping to bring his command a little closer to average. Adding some life to his fastball would help too, and together he should have a chance to start. At present, his breaking ball-first arsenal and below average command profile more as a bullpen piece.

4-126: RHP Dylan Marionneaux, Northwestern State
Slot value: $609,200. Signing bonus: $600,000 ($9,200 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
This one is a bit off the beaten path, with little information out there about Dylan Marionneaux. After showing up at Northwestern State throwing mid 80's, he has steadily improved each year dropping his ERA from 7.65 to 5.01 to 3.51 while upping his strikeout rate to 12.4% to 17.9% to 23.3%. The fastball now sits in the low 90's and touches 95 with some cut but otherwise ordinary shape, so rather than relying on the heater, he pitches off his glove side weapons. His cutter sits in the upper 80's and anchors his arsenal, while he can turn it into a nice little slider to miss bats, albeit not at high rates. He rounds it out with a changeup. Marionneaux's walk rate has improved every year as well, dropping from 11.4% to 10.4% to just 5.2% in 2026, going from a weakness to a weapon. The Baton Rouge-area native commands his modest arsenal well, not just his fastball but also his secondary pitches. Listed at 6'3", 170 pounds, he is very thin for a starting pitcher and will need to pack on a lot of good weight. He has a thinner build and may not ever have that workhorse frame, but bulking up a little could help him live closer to the mid 90's and help the fastball become a bigger part of his arsenal. He moves well on the mound and comes with nice sleeper upside for Chicago. Marionneaux had previously committed to Alabama out of the transfer portal but the Cubs bought him out with a much higher than expected bonus.

5-159: RHP Dylan Blomker, La Cueva HS [NM]
Slot value: $441,300. Signing bonus: $888,000 ($446,700 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Moving to the prep side, the Cubs went off the beaten path a little bit and pulled in a bit of a sleeper in the class. LSU did a fantastic job of getting talent to campus this fall, perhaps too good of a job with more stars than roster spots, and Dylan Blomker was one of the few (and one of the more unexpected) signees to go pro. Blomker has a low to mid 90's fastball that can hit 97 in short stints with nice riding action from a lower slot. His slider can be inconsistent but shows huge spin rates and frisbee action at its best, while hsi changeup gives him a firmer third option. The 6'3" righty has a great pitcher's frame with present strength and space to develop further, but his delivery can get rushed and his command is below average for now. He'll need significant refinement in pro ball, especially to iron out his mechanics and command, carrying significant reliever risk as a pitcher who may have to rely on a fastball/slider combination. The upside, though, is that of a mid rotation starter who can take his time working his way up through the system as he gradually tacks on polish to a really talented profile. The Albuquerque native signed for roughly twice his slot value, roughly the value of the #90 pick.

6-188: RHP Isaac Morton, Minnesota
Slot value: $344,400. Signing bonus: $344,400.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #172. ESPN: #182.
Isaac Morton continues the theme of upward trajectory pitchers, even if he's currently out with injury. A high level prospect out of high school, he began his career at Texas A&M but pitched just 19.1 innings in two seasons as he battled injuries and a 20.6% walk rate. Transferring back home to Minnesota, he put it all together for a strong junior season in the Gopher rotation, posting a 3.26 ERA and cutting his walk rate in half. Unfortunately he was on his way to another gem against Nebraska, striking out seven of the first twelve batters he faced on the final weekend of Minnesota's season, before leaving with an arm injury that wound up requiring Tommy John surgery. He'll be out for much of 2027 as well, but the Cubs think he could get on the fast track to the big leagues once healthy. A true sidearmer, Morton sits in the mid 90's and touches 97 with his turbo sinker, forcing weak contact and creating a difficult look for hitters. His slider sweeps hard to the glove side with tremendous finish, an easy plus pitch, while his cutter splits the difference and his changeup is more of a fourth offering. The 6'3" righty has significantly improved his command at Minnesota but is still more control than command, so further refinement is definitely needed if he wants to stick in the rotation. Given that he'll be nearly 23 when he returns from surgery, the Cubs may want to fast track him as a reliever where his sidearm sinker/slider combination could be deadly. Morton has closer upside in that role if the stuff ticks up like it tends to do when starters move to the bullpen, a nice fallback should starting not work out.

9-277: RHP Chase Meyer, West Virginia
Slot value: $204,100. Signing bonus: $220,000 ($15,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Cubs rolled the dice in the ninth round on another pitcher who has been off the mound but for very different reasons. Chase Meyer struggled mightily with command out of the West Virginia bullpen as a freshman, when he ran a 24% walk rate and an 8.38 ERA over thirteen appearances, then took a big step forward as a sophomore in 2025 as one of the Mountaineers' most trusted relievers. He was primed for another big season in 2026 when a locker room dispute led to his dismissal from the team early in the season, so he announced his intention to transfer to Arizona State and went to pitch in the MLB Draft League and Cape Cod League. The stuff is loud, and the Cubs hope to channel it in the right direction. His fastball sits in the mid 90's touching 98 with life, while his power breaking balls steal the show. Meyer's curveball and slider both look plus with high spin rates and sharp, late bite to miss a ton of bats. His changeup, like other pitchers in this Cubs class, is a fourth pitch. The 6'2" righty has below average command from an uptempo delivery and needs to significantly rein things in, especially if he wants to start in pro ball. Meyer more likely looks like a reliever long term, just as he was with West Virginia, but one with wicked stuff that could pitch in high leverage situations in Chicago.

2026 MLB Draft Review: Seattle Mariners

Full list of draftees

The Mariners tend to draft really well and that was certainly the case in 2026, though the failure to sign eighteenth round pick Dominic Santarelli and twentieth rounder Connor Shouse meant that they didn't quite spend their full bonus pool. Still, they spread the money around perhaps better than any other team, avoiding the practice of handing out minuscule four figure bonuses that many teams employ (or in the case of the Braves, three figure) and instead giving all but one pick at least $150,000. In fact, they handed out thirteen bonuses of $200,000 or more, making for the most balanced draft of any team. Additionally, unlike most teams, they did not treat the $2,500 contingency bonus as part of the bonus, and when they gave full slot value, they actually gave full slot value. Player-wise, the top of the draft was very hitter-heavy with seven bats in their first eight picks. They targeted hitters with strong exit velocities and other traits indicating the ability to hit above their draft position, looking more towards offense than defense with very few players who can stick up the middle.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-24: 3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State
Slot value: $3.82 million. Signing bonus: $3.5 million ($318,700 below slot value).
My rank: #17. MLB Pipeline: #18. ESPN: #17.
Seattle got tremendous value with their first pick, bringing in Ace Reese (elite baseball name) on an under-slot deal at #24 despite rumors of teams interested throughout the teens. Reese began his career at Houston where he was more good than great, then transferred to Mississippi State after one season and took the SEC by storm, slashing .341/.425/.719 with 45 home runs over 118 games in his two seasons in Starkville. He looks the part of a slugger at 6'4", 220 pounds, and brings all of the batted ball data to back up his gaudy home run totals. It's easy plus power that comes naturally, to the pull side, and in the air, helping him tap all of it in games. In fact, he and Mississippi's Judd Utermark were the only two SEC players to hit over 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons. His left handed swing is a thing of beauty, getting long through the zone and driving through the baseball while still getting the right angles to put serious air under it and use his power effectively. That power is ahead of his hitting ability, combining a relatively high chase rate with fringy pure bat to ball that led to a 21.6% strikeout rate in 2026, rising to 24.8% in SEC play and 30.6% in the Cape Cod League last summer. Still, Reese has managed to hit everywhere he has gone, including a strong .303/.361/.485 slash line on the Cape despite the strikeout rate. The Mariners have high confidence that he will continue to tap his power and get on base in pro ball, though he may be more of a .250 hitter than a .280 hitter when all is said and done. The East Texas native has worked hard to stick at third base and the Mariners would like to see that work out, but he probably fits more as a first baseman or left fielder in pro ball with below average speed and choppier glovework. It's the bat Seattle is buying, with some of the best offensive upside in the class especially once you get out of the top handful of picks.

2-65: OF Jake Brown, Louisiana State
Slot value: $1.38 million. Signing bonus: $1.38 million.
My rank: #89. MLB Pipeline: #59. ESPN: #64.
Jake Brown has a bit of a split camp and could be an interesting developmental project. A stud two-way prospect out of high school in Louisiana that drew significant attention from big league teams, he gave up pitching at LSU and grew into one of the Tigers' most reliable bats. Brown began the 2026 season on a tear and pushed his way into top 50 conversations, but hit poorly in conference play (.214/.325/.443) and broken his hamate bone in April, ending his season after 42 games. He's a professional hitter with above average bat to ball and feel for the barrel, helping him consistently drive the ball to all fields and make the most of his average raw power. He works counts well, and ultimately makes for a very tough out no matter where he goes. There is some concern that his strong numbers could be a bit of a mirage after his weaker run through conference play, where his strikeout rate rose from 9.1% out of conference to 26.2% in conference, and the hand injury cut short his chance to turn that around and prove it a 19 game-sample fluke. Brown is a sneaky athlete who plays a better right field than you might expect, with the above average arm from his pitching days making him a well rounded defender in the corner. If the rough SEC run was indeed a fluke, then his penchant for finding barrels and getting on base could make him a 15-20 home run, high on-base type who could steal a couple of bases and play a solid right field. He does, however, run platoon risk and probably has a median outcome of that of a lefty platoon bat.

3-101: RHP Nathan Taylor, Cincinnati
Slot value: $778,200. Signing bonus: $778,200.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #215. ESPN: #242.
Seattle develops pitching as well as anybody and Nathan Taylor plays right into their wheelhouse. One of the most reliable starting pitchers in Cincinnati history and the school's all time leader in wins and strikeouts, he leaves the school 22-7 with a 4.25 ERA and a 276/96 strikeout to walk ratio over 249.2 innings in three seasons. Taylor sits in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touches 97, showing average life but elite extension that gives Seattle plenty to work with. He makes his money with a plus slider with late bite, pitching heavily off of it and finishing off the majority of his hitters with it. There's a changeup in there too, but he doesn't use it as much and it will need further development. The 6'5" righty is built like a workhorse starter and threw 72.2, 87, and 90 innings over the last three seasons. Taylor has the durability and, increasingly, the command to stick in a rotation long term. The arsenal is a bit more relievery for now, so Seattle will work to bring a little more life out of his fastball and separate his changeup a little more from the rest of the arsenal. With his size and elite extension, it should be something the Mariners can figure out and the Cincinnati-area native could become a #3 or #4 starter in relatively short order.

4-129: 3B Trevor Lucas, UNC Wilmington
Slot value: $591,700. Signing bonus: $450,000 ($141,700 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
This is a nice pull for the Mariners, grabbing a bit of a sleeper bat in Trevor Lucas. He began his career at Gaston College outside of Charlotte, then transferred back home to UNC Wilmington after one season. He was solid but unremarkable as a sophomore in 2025, then took a step forward as a junior in 2026 to hit .312/.429/.556 with twelve home runs and more walks (38) than strikeouts (35) in 58 games. Lucas isn't huge, but he has a whippy bat and good feel for the barrel to consistently make the most of his average raw power and drive the ball to the gaps and over fences. A very disciplined hitter, he rarely chases and runs strong contact numbers to help him strike out just 13.5% of the time in 2026. He didn't face a terribly difficult schedule in 2026 and some teams may qualify his strong numbers by pointing to that level of competition, but the Mariners believe in the bat and see a potential 15-20 home run hitter with strong on-base percentages if he hits his ceiling. Lucas is a strong defender as well, with plenty of arm strength and steady glovework to stick at the hot corner and provide value there. Getting him here in the fourth round for fifth round money is nice value and he could surprise some people as he works his way up.

5-162: OF Hayden Yost, Florida
Slot value: $429,100. Signing bonus: $415,000 ($14,100 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The older brother of Tigers prospect Jordan Yost, Hayden spent three years at Florida and got better each year. There's above average power in his 6'1", 200 pound frame, with the ability to drive the ball to the pull side with a smooth left handed swing. Yost dealt with injuries in 2026 and was limited to 42 games, but still more than doubled his career home run total by knocking ten and slugging .589, nearly two hundred points higher than his previous career high. He also runs good contact rates and struck out at a solid 16% rate in 2026, and he was one of the few Gators hitters to swing well in conference play with a .302/.385/.755 line on SEC weekends, including blasting eight home runs in 21 games. Seattle also liked what they saw in the Cape Cod League last summer and believe that had he been fully healthy and received more consistent playing time in 2026, he would have broken out further with the bat and gone much higher in the draft. His brother Jordan is a skinnier, hit over power type, while Hayden increasingly looks like he has Jordan's hitting ability to go along with a more physical frame and better power. The Tampa native mainly played right field for the Gators, but has seen time all over the outfield and has the look of a useful corner outfield bat going forward. Like many in this Seattle draft class, he could develop into a much better hitter than many expect.

6-191: 3B Henry Ford, Tennessee
Slot value: $335,900. Signing bonus: $335,900.
My rank: #128. MLB Pipeline: #148. ESPN: #183.
Based on the rankings, it may look like I'm the high guy on Henry Ford, but I only ranked 132 players this year so he fell near the bottom of the list and I saw him fitting more in this sixth round range of the draft as it were. Ford has been on the shuttle between Charlottesville and East Tennessee, growing up and beginning high school in the former but transferring to complete high school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga. He returned home for college and played two seasons at UVA, then went back to the Volunteer State to spend his junior season at Tennessee. Ford was one of the Cavaliers' best hitters in his two years, blasting 28 home runs and hitting .348/.414/.587 in 111 games to earn top five round interest as an eligible sophomore in 2025. Contact and positional concerns left him undrafted, and when head coach Brian O'Connor took the job at Mississippi State, he accepted Tony Vitello's offer to play at Tennessee. Vitello subsequently left to manage the San Francisco Giants, and Ford hit a career-low .293 with a career-high twenty home runs under Josh Elander in Knoxville in 2026. At this point, the book has gotten pretty clear on Ford. He's an aggressive hitter with average bat to ball that enables him to post strong offensive numbers despite the tendency to chase. He likes to drive up through the ball to the pull side, where his above average power has helped him knock 48 career home runs despite playing two years in UVA's pitcher-friendly Disharoon Park. The swing can get grooved at times and cause mishits, but he has the power to make those count and still keeps the swing and miss down. He hit well in the Cape Cod League (.267/.349/.467, 20.9% strikeout rate) but ran into real strikeout concerns for the first time in his career in SEC play this year (.256/.317/.519, 26.8% K). Ford has seen time both at first base and left field, and the Mariners seemed optimistic in his defense by drafting him as a third baseman. A below average runner, he likely fits at first base long term and will really have to hit given his right handed hitting profile. He is old for a college junior and turned 22 shortly after the draft.

7-220: SS Ryan Wynn, Georgia
Slot value: $266,100. Signing bonus: $350,000 ($83,900 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Ryan Wynn was overshadowed by more famous hitters in a dangerous Georgia lineup, allowing the Mariners to swoop in and get him here in the seventh round while paying him sixth round money. Wynn began his career at Wofford, where he played sparingly as a freshman before hitting .331 as a sophomore and earning the opportunity to transfer back home to Georgia. His bat didn't miss a beat with the jump in competition as he hit .324/.386/.619 with nine home runs in 53 games (including .333/.368/.704 in SEC play), even if he was often coming off the bench. An aggressive hitter, Wynn works with a quick uppercut that makes the most of his fringy raw power and covers the plate well, sending line drives around the field with consistency while turning on one every now and then. He does have a tendency to chase, leading to just nine walks in 2026 at a tiny 5.7% rate, but that didn't hurt him at all even against talented SEC weekend arms. The Mariners believe if he stays in the zone more consistently, he can make the most of his strong bat to ball and tap even more power in games, potentially threatening for home run totals in the teens. The Atlanta-area native played mostly second base at Georgia after seeing more time at shortstop at Wofford, and ultimately looks like a utility infielder in the long run.

11-340: RHP Wyatt Queen, Oregon State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $275,000 ($125,000 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Seattle began the second half of the draft with a bit of a splash, giving Wyatt Queen seventh round money to sign here in the eleventh. He's a local kid coming home, a native of Marysville just thirty miles north of Seattle where he attended Lake Stevens High School. Queen began his career at local Everett JC just across the Snohomish River, then transferred to Oregon State after one season and has been a valuable late inning arm in Corvallis. The fastball is average in the low 90's and touching 96 in short stints, but he makes his money with a pair of plus breaking balls that miss a ton of bats. His power slider gets late bite and hitters rarely seem to pick it up, while his curveball has short, tight, downer action. A fringy changeup rounds things out. The 6'2" righty has a stiffer delivery and doesn't create much extension, unlike many Mariners targets, but he repeats it pretty well and has fringy command. The whole package worked really well at Oregon State, where he pushed his strikeout rate over 40% as a junior and held a 2.49 ERA over 21 games (one start). He's probably still a reliever in pro ball, though Seattle may believe enough in his size and the depth of his arsenal to give him a shot to start. He's fairly young for a college junior and turned 21 barely a month before the draft.

2026 MLB Draft Review: Milwaukee Brewers

Full list of draftees

The Brewers have their own way of drafting and normally push bonus pool money around, and 2026 was no different. After under-slotting an Ebel brother for the second straight season, they split that money between first round talent Sawyer Strosnider and late riser Julian Garcia to make a core trio for the class. From there, the Brewers divvied out several moderate bonuses to under the radar high schoolers like Grant Hill ($200K), Kellan Tom ($175K), Chance Ruby ($150K), and Brady Smith ($150K). It's an unusual strategy as most teams target higher dollar preps and send lower bonuses to college players, but Milwaukee trusts its first in class player development system and thinks they can find some real bargains here.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-25: SS Trey Ebel, Corona HS [CA]
Slot value: $3.7 million. Signing bonus: $2.8 million ($896,000 below slot value).
My rank: #93. MLB Pipeline: #107. ESPN: #37.
A year ago, the Brewers popped Corona (Calif.) High School shortstop Brady Ebel in the comp round, #32 overall, and signed him for an under-slot $2.75 million. This year, the Brewers went back to Corona High School to take shortstop Trey Ebel with the #25 overall pick, then signed him for a nearly identical $2.8 million bonus. Trey's bonus was nearly a million dollars below slot value, just below the value of the #35 pick, and gave the Brewers massive savings to use later in the draft. Ebel himself is no slouch of a prospect, even if he was drafted far earlier than some expected. He was a helium prospect in the spring of 2026, performing extremely well against strong Southern California high school competition at one of the top schools in the region. His compact right handed swing puts good leverage on the ball and has helped him hit everywhere he's gone, while his power has ticked up as he's filled out his solid 6' frame. He uses a toe tap for timing and reads pitches well out of the hand, driving the ball on a line to all fields with authority. He'll likely always be hit over power, profiling for home run totals in the teens with high on-base percentages driving by both batting average and strong walk rates. The Rancho Cucamonga native has also worked hard on his shortstop defense, with compact actions and an above average arm that look much more playable at the field's toughest non-catching position than they did perhaps a year or two ago. There is still a chance that his fringy pure speed or a more explosive defender pushes him to second or third base, but the glove has gotten so steady that he could be a plus defender at either of those positions. Like his brother, Ebel is very young for the class and won't turn 18 until September, giving him significant extra development runway over some of his peers. Interestingly enough, joining the Brewers organization means he not only joins his brother, but also a third Corona native and fellow middle infielder in Brice Turang. He had previously been committed to Texas A&M.

2-66: OF Sawyer Strosnider, Texas Christian
Slot value: $1.35 million. Signing bonus: $2.1 million ($746,900 above slot value).
My rank: #22. MLB Pipeline: #22. ESPN: #36.
Sawyer Strosnider had a wide range of opinions in the industry ranging from those that saw him as a mid-first round talent who could go in the teens to those more skeptical of his hit tool who felt he belonged in the comp round. It seems the more pessimistic outlook won out, where he fell into the Brewers' lap for an above slot bonus in the second round. Coming in at pick #66, Milwaukee used most of their savings on first rounder Trey Ebel to sign Strosnider for roughly the value of the #48 pick. He has been a high level prospect since he was a high schooler outside of Fort Worth, but he honored his commitment to TCU and exploded onto the scene with a .350/.420/.650 slash line that earned him Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. He entered the 2026 season a potential top ten pick, but an up and down sophomore year saw him slash .273/.415/.590 across 50 games. Listed at 6'2", 200 pounds, Strosnider is a twitchy athlete with plus-plus raw power that produces great exit velocities. He doesn't get to all of it just yet with an over-aggressive approach that creates too much weak contact even if his bat to ball is above average. After walking at an 8% rate as a freshman, he more than doubled it to 18.4% as a sophomore not because he was chasing less, but because pitchers were less willing to pitch to him. Strosnider is relatively raw as a hitter even after two years at TCU and hit just .229/.346/.457 in Big 12 play, tempering some interest but not dimming his immense upside. His combination of power and good-enough bat to ball could make him a thirty home run bat with improvements to his approach, and his plus speed could make him a 30-30 player. The speed and above average arm give him a shot to play center field too, and if he moves to right, he could be a plus defender there. Strosnider has all the building blocks of a potential star and while most teams didn't think a .229 conference hitter was worth the risk in the first round, it's tremendous value in the second.

3-102: OF Kyle Jones, Florida
Slot value: $770,600. Signing bonus: $675,000 ($95,600 below slot value).
My rank: #112. MLB Pipeline: #135. ESPN: #140.
Doubling down on college outfielders with upside, Kyle Jones brings the Brewers an under-slot bat that is the opposite of Strosnider as a hit-over-power type rather than vice versa. He began his career at Stetson, where he hit .355 as a freshman before transferring to Florida. A shoulder injury limited him to four games as a sophomore, but he bounced back as a junior this year to hit .317/.418/.478 for the Gators. Jones gets it done with a strong approach and good bat to ball, helping him hit over .300 everywhere he's gone even as he's jumped to tougher competition in the SEC. Listed at 6'3", 190 pounds, he's still very projectable and could tack on significant power, which is a scary thought given the polish in his bat already. The power presently is below average, and at present he probably profiles for home run totals in the low teens alongside high on-base percentages. The Georgia native can get up to plus speed at his best but plays closer to average on the field, though it should be enough for center field. With an average arm, he may fit better in left than right if he shifts out, so the Brewers will work hard to squeeze a little more impact out of his high average bat.

4-130: RHP Julian Garcia, St. John Bosco HS [CA]
Slot value: $585,700. Signing bonus: $1.5 million ($914,300 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #109. ESPN: #135.
Julian Garcia was a late riser in the 2026 class, so in a year where I had less time to build a comprehensive draft list, I didn't get a chance to look into his profile beforehand and he did not rank on my final board of 132 players. The Brewers sure did, and they gave him big time money (roughly the value of the #62 pick) to divert him from a Long Beach State commitment. He has a power fastball that sits in the mid 90's and touches 97 with ride to blow past bats, while his hammer curveball has much better snap and finish than most at that age. There's a changeup as well, but it's firm at this point and needs further development. Garcia has flashed big stuff throughout his high school career, but this year he channeled it into a much more complete package and looks as much like a starter as ever. The 6'3" righty is big and durable, filling up the zone more in the past and maintaining his power stuff deep into games. Milwaukee is investing in a potential mid-rotation starter on the rise with stuff, size, and durability combined with improving command. If they can bring his changeup along, he'll more than justify the late second round investment here in the fourth round,.

12-371: RHP Marcus Kruzan, Minnesota
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000. 
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Wisconsin has produced its fair share of talent, but the Northwoods are another story. Marcus Kruzan hails from the tiny town of Highbridge, Wisconsin all the way up on Lake Superior, where he attended Ashland High School about fifteen miles away. He spent his first two seasons at Saint Thomas in Minneapolis before transferring across town to Minnesota, where he established himself as a reliable starting pitcher. There is not much information out there about his arsenal, but it's a fastball that gets into the mid 90's at peak with a full arsenal of secondaries. He can manipulate the shape of his breaking balls and gets nice finish, working between a curveball and slider, and adds a solid if somewhat firm changeup. Working with a deep arm plunge, he gets great extension from his 6'2" frame putting a little extra hop on his stuff. His command has improved in school and now looks closer to average. Kruzan has some nice upside to uncover working in a pro development program, especially in an org like the Brewers. It doesn't hurt to add another Wisconsinite either.

17-521: SS Chance Ruby, Wilmot Union HS [WI]
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000. 
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
As with Marcus Kruzan, there isn't a ton of information available about local Wisconsinite Chance Ruby. Hailing from Twin Lakes, nearly three hundred miles away from Kruzan's Highbridge but somehow in the same state, Ruby attended Wilmot Union High School on the Illinois border less than forty miles southwest of American Family Field in Milwaukee. He is a 6' shortstop with a powerful right handed swing, creating great torque from a wide base and an effective kinetic chain. While the hit tool is unproven against higher level arms, the Brewers were impressed in their looks and believe pro development will be enough to help him tap that power in games. Ruby is also a plus runner with a good arm, giving him a shot to stick at shortstop too. He's a classic under the radar, cold weather bat who could sneak up on people and turn into a potential five tool player. Of course, he has a very long way to go.

20-611: 1B Carsten Sabathia, Houston
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $50,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The Brewers closed out the draft with Carsten Sabathia, son of (brief) former Brewers star CC Sabathia. Carsten began his career at Georgia Tech, where he had just twenty plate appearances over two seasons before transferring to Houston. There, he still saw inconsistent playing time but took a step forward from his junior (.235/.333/.370, 2 HR) to his senior (.283/.374/.511, 6 HR) seasons. Like his father, he is a big presence in the box at 6'4", 245 pounds and brings the exit velocities to match. He can really rip the barrel through the zone with a whippy, powerful right handed swing that gets the ball in the air and produces plus raw power. He doesn't get to it consistently in games because his timing can be inconsistent and his bat to ball is fringy, leading to a lot of weak contact as well and a 24.3% strikeout rate in 2026. Sabathia will need considerable mechanical cleanup in pro ball to truly unlock that prodigious raw power, while his defense is also limited as a below average runner and a first baseman-only. He'll turn 23 in September.

2026 MLB Draft Review: New York Mets

Full list of draftees

The Mets' draft was one of the more surprising of the event. They started off by taking projected third rounder Carson Wiggins in the first round, then grabbed projected first rounder Aiden Robbins in the third round. It's not uncommon for players to slip around the draft as teams play bonus pool games, but that was not the case here as both signed for close to slot value. As it turned out, the Mets played most of the draft pretty true to slot value, always more or less staying pretty close. It was a very pitching-heavy class that saw just six position players drafted out of nineteen picks, including just one of their first seven. Wiggins and Robbins are the crown jewels but many pitchers in this class possess sleeper traits that could make an impact on future pitching staffs in Queens.
Full index of team reviews here. Full rankings here.
Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.

1-27: RHP Carson Wiggins, Arkansas
Slot value: $3.47 million. Signing bonus: $3.46 million ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #82. MLB Pipeline: #88. ESPN: #90.
In one of the biggest surprises of a first round that was full of surprises, the Mets selected Carson Wiggins far earlier than most expected. Failing to crack the top 75 at any major publication, the Mets are betting on his tremendous arm talent to justify an early jump. Carson Wiggins pitched at Roland High School in eastern Oklahoma alongside his brother Jaxon, now one of the top prospects in the Cubs organization, where he was a nationally-known draft prospect and turned down large offers to attend Arkansas. He flashed his massive upside as a freshman in 2025, touching as high as 102 with his fastball and striking out over a third of his opponents, but went down with Tommy John surgery after just 14 innings and missed the rest of the season. Controversy surrounded his 2026 season as he remained sidelined, where conflicting reports about his health and availability frustrated the Arkansas coaching staff, especially after he appeared fully healthy at the MLB Draft Combine shortly after the Razorbacks were eliminated in the Lawrence Regional. Wiggins' stuff revolves around his arm talent. His fastball sits in the upper 90's in short stints, blowing by even advanced hitters. He also rips off a plus slider that could become a real big league wipeout pitch with more refinement, while his splitter has flashed upside as well to give him a potentially lethal three pitch mix. The 6'5" righty doesn't throw with a ton of effort, making his triple digit velocity even more impressive, but he has always struggled immensely with command. Wiggins has very little pitchability at this point and mostly relies on power and movement to overwhelm hitters, but in many cases pitchability can be taught. The potential for two 70 grade pitches cannot be taught. New York will look to get him more consistent with his secondary pitches and learn to work to different parts of the zone, giving him a little bit longer of a development curve than most SEC arms. The upside, however, is tremendous if he can get anywhere close to average command.

3-92: OF Aiden Robbins, Texas
Slot value: $859,900. Signing bonus: $997,500 ($137,600 above slot value).
My rank: #29. MLB Pipeline: #29. ESPN: #74.
Aiden Robbins was projected to go in the late first round or in the comp round, with some projecting him as high as #20 to the Red Sox, so getting him here in the third round is a coup for the Mets. He began his career at Seton Hall, where he hit .438 as a sophomore and earned the opportunity to transfer to Texas. After homering ten times over two years in South Orange, his power exploded in Austin and he blasted 24 while slashing .333/.426/.696 against a much tougher schedule. He is a barrel magnet that consistently finds the fat part of the bat, consistently tapping his above average raw power in games. It's a balanced load and an explosive operation in the plate that gets the barrel long through the zone and elevates consistently. He has a very patient approach and has performed everywhere he has gone, including hitting .339/.423/.697 in SEC play against many of the country's best arms this past spring and hitting .323/.390/.543 over 33 combined games in the elite Cape Cod League the previous two summers. Robbins' main weakness at the plate is in-zone swing and miss, running higher rates than many teams would like and leading to an elevated 28.4% strikeout rate on the Cape. Still, he is adept at making adjustments and has performed everywhere he's been, and even struck out at a lower clip in SEC play (20.8%) than he did against a softer schedule outside of it (24.7%). The Mets clearly are believers in the hit tool and think the Philadelphia-area product can become a 20+ home run, decent on-base bat that could fit as a #5 hitter-type in the lineup. An above average runner, he has enough arm strength to profile in right field or could fit as an above average left fielder. Either way, most of his value will be tied up in his right handed bat, so the Mets will look for him to hit and hit for impact.

4-120: LHP Shane Sdao, Texas A&M
Slot value: $645,100. Signing bonus: $642,600 ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #115. MLB Pipeline: #95. ESPN: #159.
Shane Sdao is not the most straightforward draft case, but neither was Carson Wiggins and like Wiggins, there is a lot of talent here. Sdao stood out as a freshman reliever on the 2023 Texas A&M team, then took a step forward for an excellent turn as a sophomore swingman in 2024 (2.96 ERA, 55/9 K/BB in 48.2 IP). Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2025 season before it even began, and after ranking #101 on my 2025 big board he elected to return to campus as the top-ranked unsigned college player in the class. As it turned out, 2026 did not go his way as he struggled to a 7.03 ERA including an ugly 9.30 mark in conference play, but his talent kept teams coming back even as he got shelled. Before the injury, he sat in the low to mid 90's with his fastball and touched 97 in short stints, adding a plus wipeout slider and a solid changeup all while pounding the strike zone with plus command. Previously throwing from a low three quarters slot, his release point rose a bit in 2026 coming off the injury and his stuff took a step back. The fastball was more ordinary in the low 90's, while his slider lacked the deep finish and looked more like an above average breaker than a plus one. His walk rate also climbed from 4.6% as a sophomore to 5.9% as a redshirt junior, still a very good number but not quite plus at this point. The Mets believe they are drafting the 2024 Shane Sdao with the wipeout two pitch mix and plus command, and they will work with him to reorient his delivery and get back to the dominant arm he was. Though he'll turn 23 in September, the Houston-area native has a chance to become a #4 starter at peak, or could top out as a mid-leverage reliever if the 2026 Shane Sdao is the real Shane Sdao from here on out.

5-152: RHP Luke McNeillie, Florida
Slot value: $472,500. Signing bonus: $497,500 ($25,000 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #185. ESPN: #113.
Luke McNeillie has a chance to be a sneaky pick for the Mets in the fifth round. A high-end pitching prospect coming out of high school in the Atlanta area in 2023, he spurned large pro offers to reach campus at Florida and has been a fixture for the Gators for three seasons, making 72 appearances. Known for a premium combination of stuff and polish in high school, the former has taken a step forward in college while the latter has stagnated a little bit as he has been unable to break through a crowded Florida rotation picture to earn regular starts. Pitching mostly in shorter stints in relief, his fastball has sat mid to upper 90's and reached 99 at peak with life to miss bats. His tight upper 80's slider stands out both for power and movement, looking like a plus pitch at best that can dive under barrels late. His changeup is a fringier pitch that he uses mostly for left handed batters, rounding out his arsenal. The 6'3" righty has ran walk rates above 10% in all three of his collegiate seasons, leading to his falling behind in many counts and getting hit when he comes back over the plate. The Mets believe there is more to unlock from McNeillie's ideal pitcher's frame and quick right arm, with a bit better body control potentially leading him closer to average command. New York also intends to develop him as a starter, where he'll need to tighten the command further, and he has the upside as a mid-rotation arm if he can do that while bringing along the changeup. If not, he's a fastball/slider relief type who could figure prominently into future Mets bullpen plans.

7-210: RHP Aidan Keenan, Stanford
Slot value: $287,800. Signing bonus: $347,500 ($59,700 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Aiden Keenan, like Luke McNeillie, was a prominent name in the 2023 high school class and earned top five round consideration from teams, though he ultimately withdrew from the draft to attend Stanford. Three years later, he hasn't found much success in Palo Alto with a career 5.79 ERA over just 65.1 innings, working as a full time relieve in 2025 before moving to the rotation in a 2026 season that was ultimately interrupted by an oblique injury. He looked strong in an MLB Draft Combine appearance in June and threw five solid innings in the Cape Cod League leading up to the draft, leading the Mets to take a shot on his considerable arm talent. It's a loud fastball in the mid 90's, averaging the third highest velocity of any pitcher at the combine (97.4 MPH) in addition to the highest spin rate (2587 RPM) and the fifth most IVB (19 inches). With its combination of power and ride, it has a chance to be a plus pitch even if it didn't get great results in college. His slider is another potential wipeout offering in the mid 80's with power and tilt, looking like a potential plus pitch in pro ball, while he also works in a cutter and changeup more infrequently. Keenan has consistently pitched to poor results due to a high effort delivery that has given him below average command, running a poor 14.9% walk rate throughout his college career including an even poorer 19.4% mark in 2026. His style of pitching likely fits better in the bullpen, where he can focus on his fastball/slider combination in short stints and take pressure off his command. Even if he makes significant strides in regards to his pitchability, he still will likely never have average command. This is a loud two pitch mix that could move quickly up the minor league rungs and serve towards the back of the Mets bullpen if he can get to fringy command.

11-330: OF Kuhio Aloy, Arkansas
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $217,500 ($67,500 against bonus pool).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
The younger brother of Orioles prospect and fellow Razorback Wehiwa Aloy, Kuhio began his career at BYU but transferred to Arkansas after one year. He burst onto the scene as a sophomore and hit .317/.404/.539 to earn First Team All-SEC honors and position himself as a solid draft prospect for the 2026 season. Though he regressed a bit as a junior, he still provides a high-upside bat for the Mets. He has plus raw power that has helped him hit thirty home runs over his three years in college, but he could tap more of it in pro ball with some improvements to his approach that saw him run a 24.1% strikeout rate to just a 7.5% walk rate in 2026. The Hawaiian's aggressive tendencies consistently leave him behind the count and susceptible to chasing offspeed stuff, also creating poorer contact quality when he does connect. He showed what he was capable of with a wood bat against strong competition on the Cape last summer (.333/.463/.500, 23.9% K to 17.9% BB) when he saw more pitches and accepted more called strikes, and the Mets are likely buying that performance as evidence his prodigious power will play against pro pitching. Aloy split time between right field and DH, with fringy defensive tools that will limit his value in the field. He'll need to hit like the Kuhio Aloy of 2025, both in the SEC and on the Cape, but the Mets are high on his chances to do so. He's also young for the class and only turned 21 shortly after the draft.

14-420: LHP Zach Crotchfelt, Troy
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Zach Crotchfelt has long been a prominent prospect, and after a long winding road, he may be trending towards what he always had the talent to become. A local pick for the Mets, Crotchfelt grew up in Jackson, New Jersey, about fifty miles southwest of Citi Field, where he was a nationally known prospect at powerhouse Jackson Memorial High School intent on fulfilling his commitment to Auburn. He earned significant innings as a freshman swingman for the Tigers in 2023, but saw less action as a sophomore in 2024 and transferred to Texas Tech prior to the 2025 season. Things did not go well for him in Lubbock, where he struggled to a 9.17 ERA over thirteen appearances and fell off the national prospect radar. Transferring a second time to Troy, he had his best season yet where he finally looked like the premium prospect he had been back in high school, pitching the Trojans to a cinderella College World Series appearance. Crotchfelt sits in the low to mid 90's and touches 97 with his fastball, playing up further with carry and crossfire action. He leans on it heavily, but hitters still have trouble squaring it up. The 6'3" lefty drops in a deep, two-plane curveball and a solid fading changeup to round out his arsenal, with both projecting to be roughly average pitches. His command has improved from below average to fringy, helping him project better against more disciplined pro bats as he can guide his fastball just a bit better to play in its strong zones. He is big and durable enough to project as a starter if he can take a step forward with his secondaries and perhaps another half step forward with his command, though he likely projects as a reliever that pitches primarily off his dominant fastball and sits more consistently in the mid 90's. A senior sign, he'll turn 23 in October.

16-480: RHP Gavin Guidry, Louisiana State
Slot value: up to $150,000. Signing bonus: $150,000.
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Gavin Guidry, like Zach Crotchfelt, was a top prospect out of the 2022 high school pitching ranks who wound up spending four years in college. Unlike Crotchfelt, a Jersey native who bounced from Alabama to Texas back to the Yellowhammer State, Guidry is a Louisiana native who stayed home at one school in the Pelican State for four years. Initially recruited as a two-way player, he immediately grabbed a prominent role in the LSU bullpen as a freshman where he ran a 3.77 ERA and struck out a third of his opponents. He dropped his ERA to 2.59 as a sophomore and pushed his strikeout rate to 34%, but his walk rate jumped to 17% and he went undrafted. After missing 2025 with a back injury, he was less effective in 2026 with a 6.39 ERA and a 30% strikeout rate over a career-high 43.2 innings. Guidry is a very good athlete and a strong mover on the mound, helping him reach back for low to mid 90's velocity touching 96 in short stints with ride to push past bats. He has a solid 12-6 curveball that creates a lot of empty swings over the top, as well as a tighter cutter to give him something a little more lateral. The Lake Charles native has long been a fan favorite in Baton Rouge with a penchant for coming through in clutch situations, with his bat-missing stuff profiling best in the bullpen going forward just as it did with LSU. While a career 11.7% walk rate is reason for concern, he is athletic enough that the Mets should be able to help tighten the command enough to work in pro ball, where he could be come a solid reliever in the near future. Guidry is very old for the class and hit pro ball already having turned 23.