2026 MLB Mock Draft: First-Round Picks With Lottery Complete & Order Set

1. White Sox — Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

Cholowsky is the overwhelming favorite to go first overall. College shortstops of this caliber are rare, and Cholowsky, the 2025 College Player of the Year, offers loud tools across the board to go with a rock-solid offensive track record. In two years with UCLA, he has hit .333/.446/.618 with 31 home runs and 31 doubles. 

2. Rays — Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS, North Richland Hills, Texas

In a draft that wasn’t topped by Cholowsky, Emerson would be in the mix for 1-1 conversations regularly. He could be a better prospect than either of the two prep shortstops who went inside the first four picks in last year’s draft. Emerson is an advanced pure hitter with a lengthy track record who should stick at the position and be a good defender. 

3. Twins — Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama 

Lebron was one of the most impressive hitters in the country in the first half of the 2025 season before fading a bit down the stretch. He has impact potential in his righthanded bat with great bat speed and power, though he’ll need to cut down his strikeouts in 2026. Lebron has hit .327/.425/.593 with 30 home runs and 27 doubles in two seasons with Alabama. 

4. Giants — AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia

Gracia is an imposing and physical hitter with a special combination of contact ability and power that could turn him into a middle-of-the-lineup force. He managed a 1.000 OPS or better in each of his first two seasons with Duke and has walked at an 18.7% clip for his career to go with 29 home runs. 

5. Pirates — Derek Curiel, OF, LSU

Swings like Curiel’s don’t typically get to a college campus. LSU fans were the beneficiaries and got to see what one of the best pure hitters in the class looks like. Curiel slashed .345/.470/.519 with seven home runs and 20 doubles in 2025. He also struck out at a 17.3% clip and walked 16.4% of the time. 

6. Royals — Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida

Peterson is the SP1 leader in the clubhouse to start the season. He’s been a high-upside, power-armed righty since his high school days and began making strides in the command department as a sophomore this spring. With Florida, Peterson owns a 5.18 ERA over 132 innings with a 28.6% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate on the back of a loud fastball-slider combo. 

7. Orioles — Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU

Strosnider is a draft-eligible sophomore with a high-upside blend of athleticism, power and speed. His hit tool was far more advanced than expected in 2025, when he hit .350/.420/.650 with 11 home runs, 10 triples and 13 doubles. 

8. Athletics — Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina

Flukey looks the part of a big league starter with a 6-foot-6 frame, mid-90s velocity and some of the more advanced fastball command at the top of the class. He was excellent for Coastal Carolina in 2025, with a 3.28 ERA over 17 starts and 101.2 innings with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. 

9. Braves — Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS, Miami, Fla.

Lombard has an eye-popping collection of physical tools that includes plus raw power, plus arm strength, 70-grade speed and some of the best shortstop defense in the class. He has swing-and-miss tendencies that create some variance, though with a strong spring it would be unsurprising to hear his name mentioned at the very top of the draft board.  

10. Rockies — Eric Becker, SS, Virginia

Becker has been a stalwart in Virginia’s lineup since reaching campus, with a clean and simple swing that leads to plenty of contact. He’s hit .366/.459/.637 with 17 home runs in his two seasons with Virginia and should have the defensive ability to stick at shortstop. 

11. Nationals — Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State

Reece is a big and physical lefthanded hitter with a 6-foot-4 frame and plenty of power to go with it. He was one of the most impressive new faces in the SEC in 2025 after transferring from Houston, and slashed .352/.422/.718 with 21 home runs. His .718 slugging percentage was good for third-best in the conference. 

12. Angels — Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Burress has been one of the most productive hitters in college baseball over the last two years. He’s a shorter-framed hitter, but a toolsy one, and owns a career .357/.490/.756 slash line with Georgia Tech. His 44 home runs are good for No. 6 among college hitters the last two seasons. 

13. Cardinals — Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS, Concord, Calif.

Spangler is one of the most highly regarded Stanford recruits in years, which could test just how unsignable Cardinal commits really are. He has a well-rounded game with a lean and projectable frame and strong contact skills to go with advanced defensive instincts and arm strength. 

14. Marlins — Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Flora has more than enough stuff to give UC Santa Barbara a second straight first-round pitcher, though he will need to develop his pitch mix. He’s mostly a two-pitch pitcher at the moment, but both his fastball and slider have plus potential and come from a low release point. Last spring, he posted a 3.60 ERA over 11 starts and 75 innings with a 27.8% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. 

15. D-backs —  Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky 

Bell checks plenty of boxes between his switch-hitting ability, defensive profile, speed and 2025 track record. He was drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft, but didn’t sign and hit .296/.385/.522 with Kentucky as a freshman. 

16. Rangers — Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian HS, Simpsonville, S.C.

Bolemon is in the elite tier of high school pitchers in the 2026 class, and of that group he is the most polished with a great ability to repeat his delivery, and command both his fastball and secondaries. He’s been up to 96 mph already and has a solid midrotation starter package. 

17. Astros — Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Bowen is a physical righthanded hitter who had arguably the most impressive summer in the high school class. He raked everywhere he went and pairs great bat speed and impact potential with some contact skills that could be boosted by an advanced approach. He’s also fast enough to give himself a shot to play center field. 

18. Reds — Chris Hacopian, SS, Texas A&M

Hacopian is a proven bat with two years of tremendous offensive performance at Maryland. He hit .347/.465/.614 with 29 home runs and just an 8.7% strikeout rate. Now, he’ll get to test his hitting chops against SEC competition this spring with Texas A&M. 

19. Guardians — Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS, Pomona, Calif.

Schmidt will be 17 on draft day and had an excellent summer where he pushed himself into the same conversations as fellow elite prep southpaws Carson Bolemon and Gio Rojas. He has a 6-foot-4 frame, a solid delivery and a three-pitch mix that features a fastball up to 97 mph and a pair of solid secondaries. 

20. Red Sox — Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M

Sorrell is a standout athlete who has plus raw power from a 6-foot-3, 205-pound frame with an uphill swing that allows him to get the ball in the air a lot. He dealt with a hand injury that limited him to 26 games in 2025, but in that time he still managed to hit 12 home runs and slash .337/.430/.789. 

21. Padres — Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss.

Booth has the sort of athleticism and toolset that a team like the Padres could be drawn to. He’s a dynamic runner who should stick in center field and be a good defender there, with great strength in his hands and solid bat-to-ball skills from an unorthodox mechanical setup. He’s also young for the class and turns 18 just a few days before the draft. 

22. Tigers — Tommy LaPour, RHP, TCU

LaPour has a power pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and a 100 mph fastball to go with it. He transferred from Wichita State to TCU in 2025 and posted a 3.09 ERA over 16 starts and 90.1 innings with a 23.4% strikeout rate.

23. Cubs — Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas

Helfrick has received a wave of positive scouting feedback this fall and winter, and might be the consensus top catcher in the class at this point. He’s been a highly-touted prospect since his prep days and is coming off a .305/.420/.616 slash line this spring with Arkansas. There’s exciting offensive upside for a player who should be able to stick behind the plate. 

24. Mariners — Coleman Borthwick, RHP, South Walton HS, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

Some scouts believe Borthwick is a legitimate hitting prospect. Strip that out entirely and he’s still a first-round talent because of his pitching upside. Borthwick is an extra-large righthander with a 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame, a fastball up to 98 mph, a power slider and a good ability to locate both pitches. 

25. Brewers — Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn

The 2026 class is full of potential first-round sophomores. Rembert is another. He helped power Auburn to a super regional appearance last spring with a .344/.467/.555 slash line, 10 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He hit at the top of Team USA’s lineup during the summer as well. 

26. Braves (PPI pick for Drake Baldwin) — Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.

Rojas has some of the most electric arm talent in the class with tremendous arm speed from a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame that should be able to add a lot of good mass in the future. He generates mid-90s velocity with great ease and has a number of promising secondaries including a high-spin slider with sweep and a low-80s changeup. 

27. Mets (10-pick penalty) — Maddox Molony, SS, Oregon

Molony is a well-rounded righthanded hitter and shortstop who has been a reliable bat in Oregon’s lineup for two seasons. He has a pull-heavy approach and bat-to-ball skills to build on, and is a career .314/.405/.569 with 25 home runs. 

28. Astros (PPI pick for Hunter Brown) — Ryan Lynch, RHP, North Carolina

Lynch is yet another physical college pitcher in the 2026 class. He has a 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame and forced himself into the starting rotation for North Carolina down the stretch in 2025. He can reach back for 97 mph from his low release height and struck out 27.5% of the batters he faced this spring, with a 3.08 ERA in 61.1 innings. 

29. Guardians — Lucas Moore, OF, Louisville

Let the Steven Kwan comps commence! (Not really, though). Moore’s speed and contact skills are the standout tools here. He is a high-probability center fielder with 70-grade legs and has hit .335/.431/.444 in two seasons with Louisville, in addition to 70 steals in 75 tries. His 53 stolen bases this spring were the most of any D-I player. 

30. Royals — Brady Harris, OF, Trinity Christian Academy, Jacksonville, Fla.

Harris has middle-of-the-lineup offensive upside with tremendous bat speed, torque and power potential. He’s a right-right prep outfielder who’s not quite a lock for center field, though his plus speed and potentially 70-grade arm are good places to start on the defensive side. His performance on the 2025 travel circuit was just modest, though his underclass track record is strong. 

31. Diamondbacks — Aiden Ruiz, SS, The Stony Brook (N.Y.) HS

Ruiz fits the D-backs prospect profile to a tee. He’s an undersized middle infielder with contact skills, but what really shines about his game is his defensive work. He’s arguably the top high school defender in the class with tremendous instincts, hands and footwork. In a 2026 prep class loaded with shortstops, it was Ruiz who manned the position for Team USA’s 18U national team. 

32. Cardinals — Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS, Woodstock, Ga.

Condon has shades of Slater de Brun, Slade Caldwell and Dillon Head among recent high-end prep outfielders. It’s a top-of-the-lineup offensive toolset with speed and contact ability to go with one of the most high-energy, high-effort, all-out play styles you’ll see. 

33. Orioles — Gavin Grahovac, 3B, Texas A&M

Grahovac’s 2024 freshman season was a sensation. He hit .298/.390/.596 and set a Texas A&M freshman record with 23 home runs. A shoulder surgery largely tanked his 2025 season, and his underlying swing-and-miss traits add a bit more uncertainty to his profile as well. 

34. Pirates — Joey Volchko, RHP, Georgia

Volchko’s pure arm talent and upside stacks up with any pitcher in the class, but he is also going to have to battle his collegiate track record. That includes a 5.89 ERA in two seasons with Stanford and a 13.6% career walk rate. Perhaps Georgia head coach Wes Johnson can help him discover more consistency and control. If so, this placement could look light.

35. Yankees — Carson Tinney, C, Texas

Tinney is a large catcher with a 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame that gives him tons of strength and physicality, but his swing is simple. He’s a pull-heavy hitter and had a breakout season in 2025 with Notre Dame, where he hit .348/.498/.753 with 17 home runs. 

36. Phillies — Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis

Originally a member of the 2027 class, Brick immediately became the top prep catcher in the 2026 class after he reclassified in October. The prep catcher demographic is a risky one, but Brick’s defensive aptitude, pure hitting chops and power potential all make him a more than a fair fit in this range of the draft board. 

37. Rockies — Steven Milam, SS, LSU

Milam moved from second base to shortstop and acquitted himself nicely at the position for LSU in 2025. He’s an instinctual player who lacks size, but has solid pure hitting chops at the plate with feel for the barrel, some sneaky pullside pop and very few strikeouts. 

38. Rockies — Kevin Roberts Jr., OF, Jackson Prep HS, Flowood, Miss.

Roberts was a top-10 player in the class entering the summer with big athleticism and raw power, though he struggled to showcase his tools consistently during the 2025 showcase season. That makes him one of the most polarizing players in the class, but one who comes with obvious upside and will still be just 17 on draft day. 

39. Blue Jays — Connor Comeau, SS/OF, Anderson HS, Austin, Texas

Comeau has a pretty lefthanded swing and a body to dream on. He’s a lean, 6-foot-4, 180-pound infielder and outfielder whose pure speed might limit him to a corner. However, he could develop both the hitting chops and power upside to profile anywhere on the field nicely. He’ll still be 17 at the draft, which is something the Blue Jays tend to covet. 

40. Dodgers — Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee

Kuhns was a high-profile prepster in the 2024 class who made it to campus at Tennessee and has exciting pure stuff. He’s 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with space to fill out, a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and a high-spin hammer of a curveball in the 3,000 rpm range. Kuhns was lights-out in the Cape Cod League this summer over three starts, where he struck out 20 batters and walked just one in 13.1 innings.