MLB Draft Day 1 picks, analysis (LIVE on MLB Network, Peacock, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

Months of scouting and mock drafts have led to this moment — the 2026 MLB Draft is underway.

Follow along here all day Saturday for a rundown of the top 40 picks with analysis.

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.

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.

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.

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)
It’s been all bats mentioned here, but until recently it was college hitters in the conversation, it seemed. With things shaking up ahead of them, the O’s were able to consider two of the top prep position players available in Booth and Jacob Lombard. They opted for Booth, the center fielder from Mississippi, who has an excellent feel to hit, even with an unusual setup at the plate. He can really run and will stay up the middle for a long time. The biggest question now is where Lombard, who we ranked No. 5, will land.

8. Athletics: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech (No. 7)
The A’s were shopping for college hitters, as they often do – three of the last four years, they’ve gone that route with their first pick. Don’t be concerned about Burress’ stature at 5-foot-9; the guy just rakes. His compact right-handed swing, with an advanced approach, gives him the chance to hit, and with power. He has the chance to stick in center, and also has the offensive potential and plus arm to profile in right field. In typical A’s fashion, it shouldn’t take him long to impact the big league lineup.

9. Braves: AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia (No. 19)
There was some talk about Gio Rojas going here for a while, but the other options did seem to be college hitters, and the Braves opted for Gracia over someone like catcher Ryder Helfrick. Gracia has one of the best approaches in the Draft class, with outstanding swing decisions, and he makes a ton of contact. He hit 43 homers over three years of college – two seasons at Duke and this last one at Virginia – and his approach should help him get to his power as a pro. The last time the Braves took a college hitter in the first round, they also picked No. 9 overall, taking Shea Langeliers back in 2019.

10. Rockies: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky (No. 10)
This was another likely landing spot for a college hitter and the Rockies went to the SEC to get one. The sophomore-eligible Bell is a switch-hitter who came on strong thanks to excellent play in the best conference in the country. He did so while playing through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, so there could be even more in the tank. It’ll take some time for him to recover from the injury, but he has the chance to be a very solid all-around shortstop once he’s healthy.

11. Nationals: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M (No. 14)
That’s four straight college bats to come off the board. Hacopian finished the season with an OPS of .983 with more walks than strikeouts while dealing with a lower back issue. A lot of scouts felt he was one of the best pure college hitters in the class, with a knack for finding the barrel and a lot of under-the-hood metrics the analytics department in Washington is sure to like. I’d give him the chance to stick on the dirt, at second base, but he could end up in left field.

12. Angels: Jared Grindlinger, OF, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS (No. 16)
Grindlinger was one of the most intriguing, and hard to place, prospects in the class. He reclassified late, and was one of the youngest players available at 17 years old. He’s also a legitimate two-way player, with different teams liking him as a hitter or pitcher. The Angels announced him as an outfielder, and he’s a projectable left-handed hitter with plenty of potential juice to grow into. The Angels hadn’t taken a high school player in the first round since they went back-to-back with Jo Adell and Jordyn Adams in 2017 and ‘18.

13. Cardinals: Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS, Woodstock, Ga. (No. 13)
Condon’s combination of pure hit tool and 70-grade speed made him one of the more interesting prep hitters in the class. The left-handed hitter had been committed to Tennessee, but he’s not making it to campus. He’s a left-handed hitter who has gotten some Pete Crow-Armstrong comps, and like with PCA, there’s raw power for him to get to as he matures while being a plus defender in center field.

14. Marlins: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep, Miami (No. 5)
Lombard has found his home, literally. Hailing from South Florida, he’ll be able to stay in his backyard when he gets to the big leagues. Lombard is the son of Tigers bench coach George, and brother of Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. He offers premium athleticism with raw pop from the right side of the plate, and he can play shortstop for a long time. There were some questions about swing-and-miss in his game over the summer, which he mostly answered this season, but that might have been part of the reason he lasted to this stage of the Draft. The Marlins likely didn’t enter the day thinking the talented infielder would be here for them.

15. D-backs: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas (No. 11)
Among college catchers, of which there aren’t many to consider early, Helfrick is by far the best defender. He already can call a very good game and works well with pitchers who have premium stuff. He frames, receives and blocks well, with an arm that should be plus at the next level. How good he is will depend on how his bat develops. He has plus strength and bat speed to give him a ton of raw power, and he will get to it more if he can learn to recognize spin better.

16. Rangers: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla. (No. 8)
We had heard Rojas, the top high school arm – and best lefty – could go in the top 10. But when the Royals and Braves, the two spots that made the most sense, passed, it was unclear who would swoop in to take him. As storied a high school program as Stoneman Douglas is – Jesús Luzardo and Roman Anthony are among its alums – this is the school’s first first-rounder. Rojas has two plus pitches in his fastball and slider to go along with a solid changeup and good command. The Rangers last took a prep arm in the first round when they selected Cole Winn at No. 15 in 2018.

17. Astros: Logan Hughes, OF, Texas Tech (No. 42)
We had mostly heard Hughes’ name later in the first round, or comp round, but the Astros like their bats – this is the seventh straight hitter Houston has taken when they’ve had a first-round pick. And Hughes can mash, with 37 homers over two years at Texas Tech after transferring from Stetson. The Astros have extra picks, one at 28, and they could save some money with this selection and use it later on to go aggressively after high-end talents who might be tougher signs.

18. Reds: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (No. 9)
Lebron might have been the hardest player to pinpoint in the first round. There may not be a player, high school or college, with a more exciting collection of raw tools; that’s why we had him ranked in the top 10. But the emphasis is on raw. Lebron had severe swing-and-miss issues in 2025, and even though he got that in check this season, he still only hit .229 in SEC play. But he also hit 16 homers and stole 42 bases. This could be a very good value pick for the Reds, who are good at developing hitters.

19. Guardians: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida (No. 20)
It’s kind of crazy that this is just the second college pitcher to come off the board, but that is what the landscape looked like. From a pure stuff standpoint, Peterson belonged higher, with a fastball that can touch upper-90s, a plus slider, an under-utilized hammer curve and a solid changeup, all coming from a 6-foot-5 frame. But his overall command, and results, haven’t matched the pure stuff. The most recent pitcher the Guardians took in the first round was Gavin Williams in 2021.

20. Red Sox: Jake Schaffner, SS, North Carolina (No. 75)
This one took a lot of us by surprise. A transfer from North Dakota State, Schaffner had a very good year after coming to play for the Tar Heels, with a 1.019 OPS and 26 steals. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills with enough impact for the next level. Whether he sticks at short remains to be seen, with some thinking he moves to second base.

21. Padres: Coleman Borthwick, RHP, South Walton HS, Fla. (No. 43)
Well, this was one of the least surprising developments in the Draft. It was never a question of if the Padres would take a high school player, but which one. And they opted for Borthwick, the big right-hander – and top prep righty in the class – over someone like lefty Carson Bolemon. It’s the 10th straight first round the Padres have gone with a prep player; the last time they took a college player was Cal Quantrill in 2016.

22. Tigers: Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina (No. 15)
I wonder if we might start seeing a run on college arms in the latter part of this round now; both Jim Callis and I mocked it that way, and it’s a matter of the order of how they go. Flukey started the year as a potential top-of-the-round-type talent, but he missed a large portion of the season with a stress rib fracture. This ends a run of four straight years of the Tigers taking hitters in the first round, and they haven’t taken a college arm since Casey Mize was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 Draft.

23. Cubs: Cade Townsend, RHP, Mississippi (No. 35)
One of the better sophomore-eligible players in the class, Townsend had some helium as Draft day approached, with his name starting to pop up in the 20s. I had thought the Cubs were in on arms (I had the wrong one projected in the end), and Townsend brings a legitimate five-pitch mix – led by three plus offerings in his slider, cutter and curve – to an organization that needs pitching.

24. Mariners: Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State (No. 18)
We had been hearing Reese higher than this, and the Mariners likely didn’t think he’d get here. A transfer from Houston who hit 45 homers over the past two years, the left-handed slugger can hit to all fields. He has work to do to stick at third and could end up at first or left field, but the M’s are buying the bat here.

25. Brewers: Trey Ebel, SS, Corona HS (No. 107)

26. Braves: Carter Beck, OF, Indiana State (No. 193)
27. Mets
28. Astros

Complete Draft order »