The NFL, NBA, and NHL drafts have come and gone. Next on the clock is the 2025 MLB Draft. It’s time for SGPN to step up to the plate and deliver an MLB Mock Draft piece. In the MLB Draft prospect rankings the top three players have seemingly separated themselves from the rest. Where will Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, and Van Lackey get selected?
My name is Noah Bieniek, and I host The College Baseball Experience and follow amateur baseball all year long. This year’s Major League Baseball draft takes place once again during the Mid-Summer Classic festivities. Day 1 of the Draft will be on Saturday, 7/11, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The event’s popularity has grown exponentially since moving the date/location near the ASG. Fans in person and many front offices on site have helped improve the viewing quality a lot. The Chicago White Sox will be on the clock at No. 1 overall at 1:00 PM ET.
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2026 MLB Draft: 2026 MLB Mock Draft Predicting The Top 40 Picks
The 2026 MLB Draft class has a lot of good prospects coming out of college. Many scouts view it as a strong college pitching draft with excellent, proven college hitters clogging the Top 10.
Cholowsky, Lackey, Drew Burress, Derek Curiel, Tyler Bell, Chris Hacopian, and Justin Lebron are just some of the college hitting crop that will most likely go in the Top 10.
Jackson Flora, Liam Peterson, Cameron Flukey, and Mason Edwards are the headliners on the college pitching side of things.
If you are not aware, the MLB Draft is unlike any other pro sports draft. Sometimes, teams do not select the best player available. Each team is given a “Bonus Pool” prior to the draft. The teams have to spread the money among all of their picks throughout the 20-round extravaganza. Some teams will elect to spend less on their early picks in order to use more money on picks later in the draft.
I do not have any sources; instead, most of the picks in my MLB Mock Draft are based on past draft history. I believe most front offices draft based on their organizational strengths rather than their team’s needs. So, with all that said, wish me luck.
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  White Sox | ROCH CHOLOWSKY | SS | UCLA |
| The White Sox have selected a college hitter with 9 of their last 13 first-round picks. | ||||
| 2 |  Rays | GRADY EMERSON | SS | Forth Worth Christian HS (TX) |
| In their last 15 first-round picks, Tampa Bay has selected 11 hitters (six high school). | ||||
| 3 |  Twins | VAHN LACKEY | C | Georgia Tech |
| Minnesota has selected a hitter with 12 of their 14 first-round picks. Eight of those selections were out of college. The Twins are an organization that drafts position players based off batted ball data. | ||||
| 4 |  Giants | JACKSON FLORA | RHP | UC Santa Barbara |
| San Francisco has selected college players with seven of their last eight first-round picks, five of which have been position players. | ||||
| 5 |  Pirates | ERIC "EJ" BOOTH JR. | OF | Oak Grove HS (MS) |
| Pittsburgh has selected a high school player with all five of their last Top 50 draft picks. | ||||
| 6 |  Royals | JACOB LOMBARD | SS | Gulliver Prep HS (FL) |
| Through three drafts with Kansas City, Scouting Director Brian Bridges has led the charge in taking 7 prep players with their last 12 Top 100 selections. Four of those seven high school players have been pitchers. | ||||
| 7 |  Orioles | TYLER BELL | SS | Kentucky |
| In nine straight MLB Drafts, Baltimore has selected tooled-out hitters with their early picks. | ||||
| 8 |  Athletics | CHRIS HACOPIAN | INF | Texas A&M |
| The Athletics have had 10 Round 1 picks in the last nine years. They’ve selected six college hitters. | ||||
| 9 |  Braves | DREW BURRESS | OF | Georgia Tech |
| Nine of Atlanta’s last 12 first round picks have been pitchers. The value on selecting a college pitcher in the Top 10 isn't very high this year. However, the Braves have another pick in the twenties that will present plenty of college pitchers in a more reasonable range. With Georgia Tech right in Atlanta's backyard, Drew Burress to the Braves has been a popular pick across mock drafts. | ||||
| 10 |  Rockies DEREK CURIEL | OF | LSU |
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| The Rockies have selected six college players with their last seven 1st Round picks. | ||||
| 11 |  Nationals | ZION ROSE | OF | Louisville |
| Washington's front office has plenty of new faces in it. Their last 2 first round picks have been Seaver King in 2024 and Eli Willits in 2025. Two position players with an elite carrying tool. | ||||
| 12 |  Angels | MASON EDWARDS | LHP | USC |
| The Angels have selected seven straight college players with their most recent first-round picks. However, Los Angeles fired Perry Minasian, their GM, and now John Mozeliak has stepped in as the lead supervisor. There is a train of thought that just because Minasian is no longer in the building, doesn’t mean Angels ownership will adjust their philosophy around the MLB Draft. Furthermore, St. Louis selected 6 college pitchers in their last 11 first-round picks under Mozeliak’s leadership. | ||||
| 13 |  Cardinals | RYDER HELFRICK | C | Arkansas |
| This will be the first draft where John Mozeliak is not in the room for the St. Louis Cardinals during the MLB Draft. Zach Mortimer, formerly a national crosschecker for the Cards, was promoted to Director of Amateur Acquisitions. Mortimer will steer the ship along with Randy Flores and Chaim Bloom who have a large say in the final decision as well. With that being said, all three of these guys were in the room in 2025, plus Mortimer and Flores have been affiliated with St. Louis for a while. Cardinals have selected 11 college players with their last 12 picks inside the first four rounds. | ||||
| 14 |  Marlins | JUSTIN LEBRON | SS | Alabama |
| In his first two drafts Miami’s President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix has led the Marlins in selecting five college players with their eight Top 100 picks. | ||||
| 15 |  Diamondbacks TREVOR CONDON | OF | Etowah HS (GA) |
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| Arizona has selected high school hitters with eight of their last 14 Round 1 picks. | ||||
| 16 |  Rangers | AJ GRACIA | OF | Virginia |
| General Manager Chris Young has had a hand in selecting seven players 21-years old or older with the Rangers’ last eight 1st Round picks, six of the eight were hitters. | ||||
| 17 |  Astros | CADEN SORRELL | OF | Texas A&M |
| Houston has selected a college hitter with 6 of their last 9 picks in the 1st round. | ||||
| 18 |  Reds | CAMERON FLUKEY | RHP | Coastal Carolina |
| Cincinnati has selected three straight college right-handed pitchers with their last four picks in the first round. | ||||
| 19 |  Guardians | JARREN ADVINCULA | INF | Georgia Tech |
| Cleveland has drafted 9 hitters with their last 15 first-round picks. Their front office has a notable affinity for middle infielders. Also, the Guardians have noticeably liked left-handed hitters and elite Cape Cod League performers. | ||||
| 20 |  Red Sox | LIAM PETERSON | RHP | Florida |
| Boston has taken 10 college players with their last 12 picks inside the first four rounds. | ||||
| 21 |  Padres | GIO ROJAS | LHP | Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) |
| San Diego has drafted 13 prepsters with their last 15 first-round picks. Seven of the high schoolers have been pitchers. | ||||
| 22 |  Tigers | TYLER SPANGLER | SS | De La Salle HS (CA) |
| The Tigers have had seven Top 100 picks in the President of Baseball Operations, Scott Harris, era. Harris hails from the Farhan-Zaidi-Giants organization, which valued prep players highly. In result Detroit has drafted six prep players with the seven selections (four left-handed hitters). | ||||
| 23 |  Cubs | AIDEN ROBBINS | OF | Texas |
| The Cubs have selected eight college players in their last nine Top 100 selections. Six of those +21-year-olds have been hitters. Chicago also heavily values Cape Cod League performance. | ||||
| 24 |  Mariners | LOGAN SCHMIDT | SS | Ganesha HS (CA) |
| Seattle has selected a high school player with nine of their last 16 first-round picks. Eight of the prepsters picked were position players. | ||||
| 25 |  Brewers | ACE REESE | 3B | Mississippi State |
| Matt Arnold is the new General Manager of the Brewers. Milwaukee has had four 1st round picks, they’ve selected four left-handed hitters. Two from college and two out of high school. | ||||
| 26 | Braves | TAYLOR RABE | RHP | Ole Miss |
| Nine of the Braves' last 12 first round picks have been pitchers. | ||||
| 27 |  Mets | JARED GRINDLINGER | LHP/OF | Huntington Beach HS (CA) |
| David Stearns is the new General Manager of the Mets. He comes from Milwaukee, where the Brewers had selected four straight college hitters until this year. Stearns and the Mets selected a college hitter with each of their first 4 picks in the 2024 MLB Draft. New York also has a noticeable affinity for two-way players. | ||||
| 28 | Astros | LOGAN HUGHES | OF | Texas Tech |
| The Astros have selected a college hitter with 6 of their last 9 picks in the 1st round. | ||||
| 29 | Giants | TEGAN KUHNS | RHP | Tennessee |
| The Giants have selected college players with seven of their last eight first-round picks, five of which have been position players. | ||||
| 30 | Royals | CARSON BOLEMAN | LHP | Southside Christian HS (SC) |
| Through three drafts with the Royals, Scouting Director Brian Bridges has led the charge in taking 7 prep players with their last 12 Top 100 selections. Four of those seven high school players have been pitchers. | ||||
| 31 | Diamondbacks COLE PROSEK | SS/C | Magnolia Heights HS (MA) |
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| The Diamondbacks have selected high school hitters with eight of their last 14 Round 1 picks. | ||||
| 32 | Cardinals | CADE TOWNSEND | RHP | Ole Miss |
| St. Louis has selected 11 college players with their last 12 picks inside the first four rounds. | ||||
| 33 | Rays | BO LOWRANCE | LHP | Christ Church Episcopal HS (SC) |
| In their last 15 first-round picks, the Rays have selected 11 hitters (six high school). | ||||
| 34 | White Sox | COLE CARLON | LHP | Arizona State |
| The White Sox have selected a college hitter with 9 of their last 13 first-round picks. | ||||
| 35 |  Yankees | JOEY VOLCHKO | RHP | Georgia |
| 12 of the Yankees’ last 14 Top 100 picks have been college players. Seven of those 12 +21-year-olds have been pitchers. | ||||
| 36 |  Phillies | AIDEN RUIZ | SS | The Stony Brook HS (NY) |
| Philadelphia has picked a prep player with six of their last seven first-round selections. | ||||
| 37 | Rockies DANIEL JACKSON | C | Georgia |
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| Colorado has selected six college players with their last seven 1st Round picks. | ||||
| 38 | Rockies HUNTER DIETZ | LHP | Arkansas |
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| The Rockies have selected six college players with their last seven 1st Round picks. | ||||
| 39 |  Blue Jays | LOGAN REDDEMANN | RHP | UCLA |
| Seven of Toronto’s last 11 Round 1 picks have been college players (five pitchers). | ||||
| 40 |  Dodgers | SAWYER STROSNIDER | OF | TCU |
| The Dodgers have used 11 of their last 16 Top 100 picks to select college players. Los Angeles has drafted six college hitters in that sample size. | ||||
2026 MLB Draft: 2026 MLB Mock Draft Predicting The Top 40 Picks
Tune into The College Baseball Experience podcast and show to hear about any more MLB Draft developments. Stick with Noah Bieniek and TCE throughout the NCAA Baseball offseason for periodical transfer portal and coaching carousel updates as well as any other news along the way.
