Today is the draft, starting soon. The way they're broadcasting it is kind of absurd, but apparently Peacock has the exclusive broadcast for the first 10 picks and then MLB.com will join in at pick 11 and take it all the way through the fourth round, or pick 135.
Mariners picks today are 24, 65, 101, and 129. They traded away pick #68 to St. Louis in the Brendan Donovan trade.
Unlike previous years, I haven't put any time at all into parsing through mock drafts and reading the tea leaves on each team's strategy, so I don't really have any sense of what's likely to happen this year. For the Mariners, a college arm at #24 makes as much sense as anything else and I've seen this guy Tegan Kuhns mocked to them a few times, but really your guess is as good as mine. There's a high school outfielder named Trevor Condon that will almost certainly go earlier, but guys fall unexpectedly in every draft so maybe keep an eye on that. Also, there's an outfielder named Zion Rose from Louisville that looks interesting.
2026 MLB Draft
Re: 2026 MLB Draft
1. White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (Ranked No. 2 by MLB Pipeline)
Considered the best college shortstop to enter pro ball since Troy Tulowitzki in 2005, Cholowsky was at, or near, the very top of Draft boards from wire-to-wire. He hit 44 homers over the last two seasons for the Bruins and was a Golden Spikes Award finalist this year. It came down to a decision between Cholowsky and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson here, and the White Sox took it down to the wire before opting for the college guy who has the chance to make it to Chicago in a hurry, and who will play shortstop for a very long time.
2. Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth (Texas) Christian HS (No. 1)
As the clock was ticking down to the start of the Draft, it seemed likely that if Cholowsky went in the top spot, this is the direction the Rays would go (Had Emerson gone in the top spot, it sounded like Cholowsky would have gotten to No. 3.). In Emerson, the Rays get who we thought was the best overall player in the class, one who has at least five above-average tools. The Gatorade National Player of the Year is a left-handed bat who can hit, with more power to come, and he’s a no-doubt shortstop.
Considered the best college shortstop to enter pro ball since Troy Tulowitzki in 2005, Cholowsky was at, or near, the very top of Draft boards from wire-to-wire. He hit 44 homers over the last two seasons for the Bruins and was a Golden Spikes Award finalist this year. It came down to a decision between Cholowsky and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson here, and the White Sox took it down to the wire before opting for the college guy who has the chance to make it to Chicago in a hurry, and who will play shortstop for a very long time.
2. Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth (Texas) Christian HS (No. 1)
As the clock was ticking down to the start of the Draft, it seemed likely that if Cholowsky went in the top spot, this is the direction the Rays would go (Had Emerson gone in the top spot, it sounded like Cholowsky would have gotten to No. 3.). In Emerson, the Rays get who we thought was the best overall player in the class, one who has at least five above-average tools. The Gatorade National Player of the Year is a left-handed bat who can hit, with more power to come, and he’s a no-doubt shortstop.
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Re: 2026 MLB Draft
3. Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech (No. 3)
Lackey was in play at both one and two, and it seemed unlikely he’d get past this spot. One of the best offensive performers in all of college baseball, he finished his junior season with a 1.291 OPS. He’s super-athletic, especially for a catcher, finishing the year with 20 homers and 15 steals. He has all the skills to stay behind the plate, but could easily handle third or the outfield if needed. As predicted, things have gone according to chalk, to an extent, with the trio of top prospects coming off the board in the top three.
4. Giants: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 4)
For much of the spring, it seemed like the Giants were looking at hitters in this spot, but there was chatter late that they were switching gears, and that the focus had moved from a high school player (such as Jacob Lombard, who was often projected to land here) to the college ranks. Flora is the best arm in the class and posted every Friday night for Santa Barbara, separating himself from the other pitchers in the class. An added bonus is he’s local, having grown up in northern California, and as a Giants fan.
Lackey was in play at both one and two, and it seemed unlikely he’d get past this spot. One of the best offensive performers in all of college baseball, he finished his junior season with a 1.291 OPS. He’s super-athletic, especially for a catcher, finishing the year with 20 homers and 15 steals. He has all the skills to stay behind the plate, but could easily handle third or the outfield if needed. As predicted, things have gone according to chalk, to an extent, with the trio of top prospects coming off the board in the top three.
4. Giants: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 4)
For much of the spring, it seemed like the Giants were looking at hitters in this spot, but there was chatter late that they were switching gears, and that the focus had moved from a high school player (such as Jacob Lombard, who was often projected to land here) to the college ranks. Flora is the best arm in the class and posted every Friday night for Santa Barbara, separating himself from the other pitchers in the class. An added bonus is he’s local, having grown up in northern California, and as a Giants fan.
Re: 2026 MLB Draft
Here is MLB Pipeline's Analysis page. They're running a few minutes behind the livestream.
https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/2026-mlb- ... t-coverage
https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/2026-mlb- ... t-coverage
Re: 2026 MLB Draft
A couple of surprises: outfielder Derek Curiel goes to Pittsburgh at #5 and Zion Rose to Kansas City at #6. These are clear overslot picks.
Re: 2026 MLB Draft
5. Pirates: Derek Curiel, OF, Louisiana State (No. 12)
Kudos to Jim Callis for getting this right on his final mock. Word came in late that if the top four went like the above, the Pirates would look at college bats like Curiel or Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress. Curiel is a lean left-handed hitter with plus bat-to-ball skills and a very advanced approach at the plate. How much power he grows into remains to be seen, but he can flat out play center field. Look for the Pirates to save some money with this pick and be aggressive later on, even without the bonus pool money they traded away when they sent the No. 34 overall pick to the White Sox late on Friday night.
Kudos to Jim Callis for getting this right on his final mock. Word came in late that if the top four went like the above, the Pirates would look at college bats like Curiel or Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress. Curiel is a lean left-handed hitter with plus bat-to-ball skills and a very advanced approach at the plate. How much power he grows into remains to be seen, but he can flat out play center field. Look for the Pirates to save some money with this pick and be aggressive later on, even without the bonus pool money they traded away when they sent the No. 34 overall pick to the White Sox late on Friday night.
Re: 2026 MLB Draft
This is the livestream I'm watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgtaoFXSSFk
I have no idea who these guys are but they seem reasonably well informed.
I have no idea who these guys are but they seem reasonably well informed.
Re: 2026 MLB Draft
6. Royals: Zion Rose, OF, Louisville (No. 30)
This is our first truly “wow!” moment of the opening round. There was interest in high schoolers like Eric Booth Jr. at the plate and Gio Rojas on the mound, but Kansas City has opted to go with a college bat here. The Royals will clearly save money with this pick – I can’t wait to see what they do at pick No. 30 or in the second round – but they’re also getting a very talented offensive player in Rose, one with a chance to be at least an above-average hitter with above-average power to all fields.
7. Orioles: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss. (No. 6)
8. Athletics: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech (No. 7)
This is our first truly “wow!” moment of the opening round. There was interest in high schoolers like Eric Booth Jr. at the plate and Gio Rojas on the mound, but Kansas City has opted to go with a college bat here. The Royals will clearly save money with this pick – I can’t wait to see what they do at pick No. 30 or in the second round – but they’re also getting a very talented offensive player in Rose, one with a chance to be at least an above-average hitter with above-average power to all fields.
7. Orioles: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss. (No. 6)
8. Athletics: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech (No. 7)