MLB Pipeline has released its first full mock draft for 2026, following the recent completion of the MLB Draft Lottery. The Chicago White Sox secured the top overall pick and are projected to select UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, described as “the best all-around college shortstop since Troy Tulowitzki in 2005.” Cholowsky is considered a strong favorite for the first pick regardless of which team held it.
The 2026 draft class is expected to be dominated by shortstops, with nine predicted to go in the first round and each of the top three picks playing that position. College hitters also feature prominently among early selections.
Other notable projections include Grady Emerson, a high school shortstop from Texas, expected to go second to the Tampa Bay Rays, and Alabama’s Justin Lebron forecasted as the third pick by the Minnesota Twins. Several players with family ties to Major League Baseball appear in this year’s mock draft, such as Jacob Lombard (projected fifth), son of former player George Lombard.
Pitching prospects also feature in the first round, including Carson Bolemon from Southside Christian High School and Cameron Flukey from Coastal Carolina. Outfielders Drew Burress (Georgia Tech) and Derek Curiel (LSU) are among those projected for early selection.
The Philadelphia Phillies are slated to pick at number 36 due to penalties associated with exceeding Major League Baseball’s competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million in 2025. As a result, their top pick was dropped ten spots. For their selection, MLB Pipeline projects Hunter Dietz, a left-handed pitcher from Arkansas who had limited innings due to elbow issues but showed significant promise during fall practice: “Elbow issues limited Dietz to 1 2/3 innings in his first two college seasons but he looked like a top-10 pick during fall practice, so we’ll split the difference for now.”
Other teams facing similar penalties include the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Dodgers; all saw their picks drop ten places as well.
The full list of projections covers both college and high school prospects across various positions. The draft is scheduled to begin on July 11, giving teams several months to finalize their decisions.
###
