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The MLB draft for 2026 features multiple talented position players at the top of the draft board. The debate over who would be drafted first centered around the philosophy of the two teams drafting in the first two slots.

Roch Cholowsky, shortstop out of UCLA, and Grady Emerson, prep shortstop from Fort Worth, were both graded as superior athletes with high upside. The discussion concerned which would edge out the other. Emerson is the scouts’ pick, assessed as having better tools than Cholowsky. The college bat is more advanced, so the choice was considered to be upside versus distance from the major league roster.

Roch Cholowsky was the No. 1 pick by the Chicago White Sox, with Emerson going second to the Tampa Bay Rays. Both infielders are felt to be able to stick in their positions.

The third pick, to the Minnesota Twins, was Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. The San Francisco Giants drafted fourth and picked UC Santa Barbara RHP Jackson Flora, considered the best pitcher in the college class. Flora has the honor of being the first pitcher selected in 2026.

The first surprise of the draft was the selection of Zion Rose, outfielder from Louisville, by the Kansas City Royals at No. 6. Rose was projected to be picked in the late teens or early twenties, with MLB Pipeline having him at No. 22 in their last mock draft.

The first 10 picks of the draft featured three shortstops, one catcher, one pitcher, and five outfielders. There were only two high school players selected in the top 10, despite the evaluators believing at least two more prep athletes could be picked. 

Padres first-round pick

With the 21st pick in the first round of the MLB draft, the San Diego Padres selected prep pitcher Coleman Borthwick, a graduate of South Walton High School in Florida. Borthwick has a power arm with a mid-90’s fastball that can touch 100 mph. He also has a plus slider and flashes a changeup. He has good command of his pitches.

At 6-ft-6 and 245 pounds, Borthwick, a right-handed pitcher, also excelled as a third baseman in high school. Although a power hitter, the 18-year-old will be developed as a pitcher for the Padres. He is the 43rd rated prospect on MLB.com

In his senior year, Borthwick posted a 0.21 ERA and a 10-0 record over 65.2 innings, striking out 121 batters to seven walks. His fastball and slider both grade out to 60 (20-80 scale). His developing changeup has a 45 rating, and his command is graded at 60. 

With the multiple scouting sites assessing Borthwick as the top prep righty in the draft, the pitcher won the Gatorade High School Pitcher of the Year in Florida in 2026.

Borthwick joins LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (2025), LHP Kash Mayfield (2024), RHP Dylan Lesko (2022), LHP Ryan Weathers (2018), and LHP MacKenzie Gore (2017) as prep pitchers drafted in the first round by the Padres.

Padres second-round pick

In the second round of the 2026 MLB draft, the Padres had the 60th pick. They selected prep shortstop Elliot Lascelles out of Upper Canada College HS (Ontario). A bat-first player who has questions regarding his defensive ability at shortstop, Lascelles impressed during the spring when he went against professional pitchers in Arizona and Florida. In 54 at-bats against minor league pitchers, Lascelles hit .389 with four extra-base hits. His arm and power are question marks but his contact ability stands out as does his penchant for middle-of -the-field drives.

The 6-ft-1, 181-pound lefty-hitting infielder also ran track in high school and is considered a plus base runner. If he doesn’t stick at shortstop, then second base could be where he profiles in the future. Listed by MLB as the 158th prospect, Lascelles must be lured away from his Yale commitment.

Padres third-round pick

In the third round of the draft, the Padres had the 97th pick. In that spot, the organization chose RHP Ryan Lynch out of North Carolina. The 6-ft-4, 216-pound starter features a 94-96 mph sinker (tops out at 99) that rates as a 60 grade on MLB.com. He also throws a changeup and a slider. He has average control and has good deception in his delivery. There are questions among scouts about whether he can stick as a starter, but he has a projectable frame for the role. 

If he is unable to develop a starter repertoire, closing in the bullpen is an option with his pitch mix. He is rated as the 98th best player in the MLB.com rankings.

He left his start in the College World Series game with an oblique injury.

Padres fourth-round pick

In the fourth round of the draft, the Padres picked 124th. They chose George Washington University catcher Robbie Lavey, the No. 188 ranked prospect on MLB.com.

The lefty-hitting backstop has a plus arm and could be a plus defender with some pro instruction. He has a solid bat with more walks than strikeouts and has good whiff and chase rates. His plus arm delivers a below two second pop time. His bat delivers good exit velocity and at 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, he has the potential to develop more power. With work at the pro level, he could develop into a better-than-average catcher.

Padres Compensatory pick

In exchange for the loss of free agent pitcher Dylan Cease, the Padres had the 134th pick in the compensatory round after rounds 1-4 were completed. With that pick the Padres chose Oklahoma State outfielder Alex Conover, a lefty with a 50 grade on his tools across the board who projects as a corner outfielder.

He is known for his plus makeup and has also showcased his ability to catch as well as playing left field. His whiff rate and chase rate are low, but his power could be improved with an adjustment to his swing that could also decrease his groundball rate.

Although not a speedy runner, Conover has good baserunning skills and is able to take extra bags on the basepaths.

Rounds 5-20 will take place Sunday beginning at 8:30 a.m. PST. It can be streamed on MLB.com, MLBTV, MLB+, and on the MLB app.

If I told you that Noah Cameron was going to pitch 7 innings, strike out a career high 9 batters, and only allow 7 total baserunners, you’d probably imagine he had a pretty good game. What I didn’t tell you, though, was that three of the five hits he allowed were long home runs (tying a career worst), another was a double, and the last one was a single off the wall that saw Samuel Basallo cut down at second by an excellent Jac Caglianone throw. I also didn’t tell you that Orioles starter Kyle Bradish carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. So, yeah, the Royals lost 6-1.

As the broadcast remarked multiple times, every time Noah gave up a run, he’d buckle down and get some impressive strikeouts. Perhaps that bodes well for the rest of the season, but for today, it just meant he gave up a lot of runs before pitching quite well. Along with the hits and strikeouts, Cameron gave up a lot of hard contact, so the Orioles were seeing him well. Or perhaps knew where the pitches were going to be. One particularly funny moment happened as Royals’ announcer Eric Hosmer was saying Cameron needed to avoid throwing a fastball to Coby Mayo until he proved he could hit something else. Cameron threw a pretty good slider that was in off the plate, and Mayo still launched it 440 (or more) feet down the left field line for a home run.

Eli Morgan got the eighth inning, pitching for the Royals for the first time in nearly a month, since June 12. It was like he never left, giving up a home run to Henderson on the first pitch he threw.

The Royals scored their lone run in the seventh inning as Bradish was attempting to continue his pursuit of the second no-hitter in MLB this season. Jac Caglianone led off with a single lined over Gunnar Henderson’s head into left. He advanced to second on a groundout by Lane Thomas and to third on a wild pitch ball four to Vinnie Pasquantino. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Salvador Perez.

The Royals only play one more game before the All-Star Break, where three of their players will feature despite the fact that the team has the worst record in baseball. That certainly says something about how the rest of the team has played. Seth Lugo will face off against Shane Baz tomorrow. The game will start at 12:35 Central. Or you could watch Blake Mitchell and Kendry Chourio play in the Futures Game at 11 AM Central. Or the rest of the draft starting at 10:30 AM. Baseball sure knows how to get you excited about the sport!

Freddy Peralta’s first season in Queens, after coming over in a blockbuster offseason trade with the expectation of immediately becoming the Mets’ ace, has not lived up to those expectations so far.

After failing to complete five innings on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox for the third consecutive start in his final outing of the first half, Peralta enters the break 5-8 with a 4.66 ERA (1.44 WHIP) in 20 starts.

It’s not at all what New York thought it was trading for after the right-hander had his best season in Milwaukee last season, going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA (1.08 WHIP). 

“It’s a terrible feeling coming out before the fifth inning,” Peralta said after the 4-0 loss. “I’ve been struggling and I’m just working on trying to navigate through this. It’s been difficult, but not impossible for me. 

“I never lose the hope. Just keep working; that’s what I keep telling myself and at some point I’m gonna navigate through it.”

Despite the short outing, Peralta only allowed two earned runs on three hits, with both of the runs coming on a two-run homer in the fourth inning. He also struck out six and had interim manager Andy Green encouraged with his performance because of the electricity on his fastball and the swing-and-misses he garnered.

What plagued Peralta were the walks – he had five of them, which has been a problem that comes and goes for the 30-year-old this season. In 104.1 innings this year, Peralta has issued 44 walks, nine of which have come in three starts this month.

Peralta spoke about the free passes after the game, saying he felt “a little bit out of balance” with his legs today after feeling good in the first two innings.

“If he’s able to pump the zone full of strikes with that fastball, he’s going to pitch really deep into the game,” Green said about his right-hander. “It wasn’t a lot of damage [today], the one swing got a fastball kinda down and in… outside of that there was just his pitch count getting deep, [and the] walks. 

“I thought it was very encouraging to see real life on his heater and seeing so many swings and misses on his fastball.”

Green continued, regarding Peralta’s fastball: “That is a pathway to getting away from the walks going forward, so we’re encouraged with that. To me, it’s just keep attacking the zone, keep trusting the stuff, the fastball really plays and beat a lot of guys up today.”

With the trust of his manager, Peralta will continue to work on the things he needs to work on to get back to last year’s dominance, something the Mets have only seen in flashes this season. And with New York out of contention with the trade deadline looming, Peralta knows that he’s not only pitching for the Mets, but possibly for another team that is looking to acquire a starting pitcher for their own playoff push. 

While he’s not looking ahead at something like that happening, instead focused on his own results and how to get better, he knows things can change quickly.

“I think so far I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do,” Peralta said. “I’m working on it. It’s crazy because at the end of the day, everything can change, talking about myself and my season. I’m just focused on that and I trust myself, and I know that I can turn it around.”

After seeing the error of their ways on Friday night — three errors in the series-opening loss to the Diamondbacks, six errors over the last three games — the Dodgers try to get back on track on Saturday night, with All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound.

Tonight's #Dodgers lineup vs. D-backs: pic.twitter.com/WmIpGStPRM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 11, 2026

Saturday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. D-backs
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Start time: 6:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

Peyton Bonds has been drafted in the third round of the MLB draft by the team that two of his ancestors played for, the San Francisco Giants. With his drafting, Bonds will have the opportunity to continue his family’s legacy not just in MLB but in the Bay Area, as both his father, Bobby Bonds II, and his uncle, Barry Bonds, spent much of their careers playing for the Giants. Barry currently holds the MLB record for home runs in a career.

Bonds was taken with the 90th overall pick.

Last season for Rutgers, Bonds recorded 50 hits in 142 at-bats along with 6 home runs. He also recorded 31 total runs and 29 RBI’s last season.

Many scouting reports say that he has a good power-hitting build at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, and that he has a good bat speed and good exit velocity, likely just needing a few tweaks to be a good power hitter at the major league level.

However, many reports also talk about his good skill in the field. Last season, Bonds recorded 80 put-outs and a .976 fielding percentage.

Bonds will join a familiar face when he gets to the Bay Area. Last year, in the same round, former Rutgers baseball player Trevor Cohen was selected by the Giants. Both of them played on the same Rutgers roster two years ago.

Rutgers baseball has seen success in having players drafted to the MLB under current head coach Steve Owens. Since Owens took over in 2019, 12 Rutgers players have been drafted to the major leagues.

Today was the first day of the 2026 MLB amateur draft. The Jays made three picks, after losing their second rounder as a penalty for signing Dylan Cease, and had their first pick moved back 10 spots (effectively into the top of the second round) for exceeding the second luxury tax threshold last season.

Pick 39 Overall: Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State

Baseball America: 33 Fangraphs: 11 Keith Law: 15 MLB.com: 26

Carlon, 21, is an imposing left handed pitcher standing 6’5” and weighing 230lbs. He was a reliever for his first two seasons in Tempe, before moving into the rotation this past spring. He flourished there, posting a 3.87 ERA and striking out 133 against 33 walks over 83.2 innings. His best pitch is a high 80s slider with nasty late drop that has an argument as the best breaking ball in the class. He’s able to throw it for strikes, and uses is more than half the time against both lefties and righties with excellent results. The fastball got about two miles per hour harder this season, sitting 96 and touching as high as 101 occasionally. It’s a bit straight and so plays a little below its pure velocity, but it’s still a comfortably above average weapon. Carlon rounds his arsenal out with a curveball in the high 70s and a decent looking change up, but threw both sparingly in college. He’ll need to develop more confidence in those secondary offerings if he wants to remain a starter.

It’s a bit of a jerky delivery, and although he threw a good number of strikes this past season his command is still somewhat below average. It’s the other point of refinement beyond repertoire depth. If Carlon can iron that out and fill in his arsenal a bit more, he looks like a mid rotation starter with potential for more. Even if he continues to struggle, the slider and fastball give him a fallback as a back end reliever.

Pick 103: Ryan Cooney, 2B, Oregon

Baseball America: 175 Fangraphs: NR Keith Law: NR MLB.com: 137

Cooney is a slightly undersized infielder who draws rave reviews for his pure contact ability and makeup. He hit .331/.420/.524 for the Ducks this season while shifting form shortstop to second base. The latter position is his natural fit in pro ball, as he lacks the big arm for short, and he could be an above average defender there. He’s an above average to plus runner and an efficient base stealer. The hole in his game is power, as his size and line-drive oriented swing limit his over the fence potential. He did make some strides in that department as a junior, hitting 22 doubles in addition to eight home runs.

Blue Jays scouting director Marc Taramuta comped Cooney to Ernie Clement. Cooney isn’t quite the defender Ernie is, but that shape of offensive production is probably what it would look like if he worked out.

Pick 131: Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, Tenn.

Baseball America: 61 Fangraphs: 36 Keith Law: 32 MLB.com: 46

Brick is a standout athlete who played multiple positions this spring, but there’s no doubt that his eventual home is at catcher. His arm is comfortably plus even by the standards of the position, and has shown the fundamentals to be an above average blocker and framer with development. Scouts also apparently rave about his makeup.

He has a few more questions on offence. He can show above average raw power in batting practice, with the frame to add some more muscle and get to plus. Right now, though, his swing is contact oriented and puts too many balls on the ground. There are also some questions about how well his contact ability will hold up against top end velocity. He has good control of the barrel, though, and with his defensive ability and power the bar for batting average he has to clear to be a quality regular is very low.

High school catchers are a high risk and slow developing demographic, but Brick has the upside to be a plus regular who hits for power in the bottom third of a lineup while adding tons of value with his glove.

Analysis:

Carlon is a great get, by all accounts significantly more than the 39th best player in this draft. Cooney looks like a money saving move. He’s a type of player this front office likes, though, and Clement is proof that they can get some value out of that archetype. Brick is an ambitious selection. I assume that they know what it’ll cost to sign him and that some of the cash saved on Cooney might also help, but don’t be surprised if we see a few other clear money savers tomorrow to free up some cash. Coming away from this draft with two consensus top two round talents is a coup, even if it means the depth of the class gets hollowed out a little. The success of Danny Thompson jr. and some others in recent years shows that they can find some value among the ranks of low bonus college players if they need to. Overall, I think fans should be very happy with the way things have shaped up so far.

Casey Mize didn’t have his best outing, and the opposing pitcher was a tough test in this one. Cristopher Sanchez won that contest, and while the Tigers actually swung the bats reasonably well, they fumbled a few opportunities and the Phillies won 4-2 to even the series at a game apiece.

This was going to be a tough matchup no matter what as Casey Mize squared off against ace lefty Cristopher Sanchez. The Tigers did have some good news pre-game as Dillon Dingler was cleared to DH in this one. Eduardo Valencia was set to make his debut behind the plate as well.

Things started off auspiciously as Mize walked leadoff man Trea Turner, popped up Kyle Schwarber, and then allowed a double down the right field line from Bryce Harper. Mize dug in and got Brandon Marsh to ground out, and Alec Bohm popped out to Hao-Yu Lee at second. When Mize struggles through the first but escapes, typically things go well the rest of the way.

Matt Vierling immediately welcomed Sanchez to Comerica Park with a sharp single to center field, but then he was picked off by an outstanding move to first from the lefty. Kevin McGonigle flew out and Dillon Dingler struck out, and you hate to squander any chance against one of the top pitchers in the game this season.

Mize seemed to work well with Valencia, and while the latter’s arm strength and accuracy remain in some doubt, he looked pretty solid behind the plate. Mize whiffed Bryson Stott on a slurve and Gabriel Rincones Jr. on a splitter in the second.

The Tigers went quietly in the bottom of the second, and then old friend, reclaimed by his original draft GM, Dave Dombrowski, struck with his speed. Hill grounded one to McGonigle and the third baseman let the ball play him a bit, staying back and waiting on the hop. That required a lighting fast transfer and release to get Hill, and the throw was a little wild. The error was promptly followed by Hill testing Valencia as you’d expect. He stole second and just barely stole third by a hair, with an accurate throw from Valencia the second time. A Turner sacrifice fly made it a 1-0 game.

Ben Malgeri singled with one out in the bottom of the third, and Zach McKinstry drilled a slicing drive up the left center field gap, but it was Derek Hill flying through the air to make a diving catch on the warning track. Vierling singled with two outs, but Sanchez punched out McGonigle on a lethal changeup to snuff the developing rally.

Mize has been so sharp this year that maybe he was a little due for a shakier outing. He walked Marsh to open the fourth, missing pretty wildly. He pulled it together and struck out Bohm with a slider for a called strike three, but Stott singled, and J.T. Realmuto cashed in both runners with a double to left. Rincones Jr. grounded out, and Mize was close to an escape, but Derek Hill came through again, ripping an RBI single to left to make it 4-0.

Valencia threw out Harper trying to steal second in the top of the fifth inning, turning away the Phillies.

In the bottom half, Valencia cracked a solo shot to right center field. His second major league homer made it a 4-1 game, and the young catcher is showing out with the bat early on.

Hao-Yu Lee followed Valencia with a single to third base that he beat out after a review overturned the initial out call. Malgeri and McKinstry flew out before Vierling singled to left. Once again there were two on, two out for McGonigle, but he drove one out to Hill in center for the final out.

Mize got the first two outs of the sixth before giving way to Drew Anderson, who punched out Realmuto with an absolutely diabolical 92.2 mph kick changeup. Mize finished his day with 5.2 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K. It wasn’t really a bad start, as he didn’t give up too much hard contact and racked up plenty of whiffs. He just his command briefly in the fourth and it really bit him hard.

Dillon Dingler singled to lead off the bottom half, but the magic wasn’t activated and Spencer Torkelson grounded into a double play. Riley Greene struck out, and we were into the late innings.

Anderson continued to deliver with a 1-2-3 seventh. He challenged a curveball at the top of the zone to Hill that was ruled a ball successfully, helping his rookie catcher out, and then got him to fly out before punching out Turner.

So it was still 4-1 Phillies, and Jhoan Duran lurked ahead, so a comeback right here in the seventh and eighth was advisable, but first they had to get Sanchez out of this game. It took some doing.

Valencia got a 1-2 sinker and smoked it to center for a leadoff single, and Lee paddled a grounder up the middle to put two on for Malgeri. He struck out, and McKinstry grounded Sanchez’s 97th pitch to Stott at second base. They got Lee at second, and while McKinstry was initially ruled safe, it was overturned, ending the inning.

Tyler Holton took over in the top of the eighth and promptly gave up a screaming drive to Kyle Schwarber. However, Warbird, as he was once known in his Cubs days, tried to turn the single into a double and Vierling got a good throw into Lee, who made a slick tag at second to get the out. Harper grounded out, and Holton punched out Marsh to end the frame.

Of course, I forgot that Don Mattingly is the Phillies manager, and understandably, he wanted Sanchez to face McGonigle. It didn’t work out for him as Sanchez walked Vierling, and with his pitch count over 100, McGonigle ripped an opposite field single. That finally knocked out Sanchez, as right-hander Johathan Bowlan took over. Bowlan immediately clipped Dingler with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.

The magic appeared to be on the verge of returning, but instead Torkelson got a 1-0 slider that was actually pretty mashable, and grounded into a double play. Vierling scored to make it a 4-2 Phillies lead, but now there were two outs with McGonigle at third.

Bowlan pitched around Riley Greene a bit and put him on, and that brought the rookie sensation to the plate. Yes, I mean Eduardo Valencia. Unfortunately, Boylan tied him up and he grounded one off the label to Stott for the final out.

So it was still a two-run deficit, and even if they shut down the Phillies in the top of the ninth, Duran is just really tough to get anything going against.

With a set of right-handers due up, A.J. Hinch turned to Kenley Jansen to hold the Phillies in place. He blew away Bohm with three cutters after missing first pitch to collect the first out. The left-handed hitting Stott wanded a 1-2 slider to left for a single, and then he quickly stole second base on a pretty easy battery to run on. Realmuto grounded out to McKinstry at shortstop, and Stott held at second base. Rincones Jr. flew out harmlessly to Vierling in center field, and so it was last call for the Tigers’ offense.

Duran got Colt Keith, who was pinch-hitting for Lee, to ground out to start the frame. Kerry Carpenter hit for Malgeri, quickly seeing a bunch of triple-digit heat. Down 0-2, Carp fouled off a breaking ball, but popped out on the next pitch. McKinstry also got tied up and popped out, and that was the ballgame.

We’ll have another good pitching matchup on Sunday to decide the last series before the All-Star break. Tarik Skubal will duel Zack Wheeler, and it sounds as though Dingler should be back behind the dish for that one.

I can’t explain this. Sorry. Look elsewhere. Talk to a priest. Read some tea leaves. Walk the Himalayan foothills and hope the universe reveals its secrets.

The Red Sox won their eighth straight game today. They did this behind a minor league reliever making his second big league appearance. They did this with a quad-A lineup loaded with five players carrying an OPS below .700. They did this on the strength of two two-run home runs, one by a player who has essentially been deemed useless by the entire baseball world.

Is this a mirage or are the Red Sox actually back in the race? It’s hard to say. To the extent that they’re doing this via multi-hit games from Andruw Monasterio and shutout outings by Eduardo Rivera and four relievers, then it sure looks like a mirage to me. And let’s not pretend that the Mets are any kind of true test. But the wins are real. They count. And the trash pile that is the American League in 2026 is real. And, today, the 2026 Red Sox, one of the weirdest and most disappointing Red Sox teams of my lifetime, sit just a half game out of the third Wild Card spot.

Studs

Eduardo Rivera: Eduardo, welcome to the realm of random Red Sox players whose weird outlier performances ensure they’re remembered for years to come. Making the second appearance of his big league career — both of which came as openers — Rivera once again held the opposition scoreless into the fourth inning. He’s had trouble finding the strike zone in AAA, but he throws hard and kept the Mets off balance tonight.

Andruw Monasterio: He got the two hardest parts of a cycle and missed out on the easy parts! What are you thinking, Andruw?!?!

Masataka Yoshida: On an afternoon when the bullpen was missing two of its key arms, his 8th inning homer to give the Sox sorely needed insurance was massive.

Dud

Jarren Duran: He goes 0-4 every day now. That’s just how it is. Accept it and it will bring you peace.

Play of the Game

Game winning home run in the fourth inning? Game wiinning home run in the fourth inning.

The Cubs finished up the first day of the MLB Draft by selecting Northwestern State (LA) right-handed pitcher Dylan Marionneaux win the fourth round. The junior right-hander went 4-2 with a 3.51 ERA in 14 starts with the Demons of the Southland Conference. He struck out 81 and walked 18 in 84.2 innings. Marionneaux was named to the first-team Southland Conference All-Conference team this year. He had committed to transferring to Alabama for his senior season before the Cubs drafted him. That’s about all I know about him.

So this one is a head-scratcher, although the Cubs almost certainly drafted Marionneaux because he’s willing to sign for a below-slot bonus that would allow the Cubs to give an big above-slot bonus to one of many high school players still on board for Sunday. Marionneaux is not listed on any of the published lists of draft prospects, and Baseball America covers the top 500 prospects.

Even if Marionneaux is a “signability” pick for another, better player later on, there must have been something that they liked about him anyways. Certainly his control numbers look good. And sometimes these signability players end up surprising everyone. Riley Martin was a fifth-year senior the Cubs drafted out Quincy University in 2021 who signed for $1000. But before he got hurt, Martin was looking like he was going to be an important part of the Cubs bullpen this year.

Last year’s third-round pick, Dominick Reid, and their fifth-round pick, Kade Snell, weren’t quite so out of the blue as Marionneaux is, but they were below slot picks that allowed them to draft high schoolers Kaleb Wing and Josiah Hartshorn, who are now two of the Cubs top propsects.

If you’re looking at high school players still on the board in the fifth round, there’s right-hander Joseph Contreras, son of former All-Star pitcher José Contreras, two-way player Archer Horn, right-hander Savion Sims, outfielder Blake Bowen and others.

So while I’m convinced that Marionneaux is a below-slot pick designed to have money for someone else later, I believe that there is something the Cubs must have liked about him besides that. And like Riley Martin, he could surprise us. Still, it’s impossible to grade this pick until the Cubs finish the draft.

Day One of the 2026 MLB Draft has come and gone, and the Mariners have gone back to a familiar draft strategy. After a few years of using early picks on high-upside high schoolers like Cole Young, Colt Emerson, and Ryan Sloan, among others, the Mariners took a hard pivot back towards college players, similar to their draft tendencies in the early years of Jerry Dipoto’s tenure. Their first four picks are all college players, three of the four college position players: 3B Ace Reese, OF Jake Brown, RHP Nathan Taylor, and 3B Trevor Lucas (four players, one last name between them).

In a draft that lacked much industry consensus about order outside of the top handful of names, the Mariners’ first-round choice was actually a surprisingly easy one. Mariners Director of Scouting Scott Hunter spoke predraft about the challenges of this particular draft, further complicated by how late the Mariners picked in it, saying that while typically the organization would have a group of three to four names they’d be looking at, this year it was more like a dozen-plus.

Those names filtered down quickly, however, as the power-hitting third baseman from Mississippi State, Ace Reese, fell down draft boards and directly to the Mariners. Despite his light-tower power, Reese’s draft stock took a hit after his contact rates fell during his draft year, something Hunter and Reese attributed to a combination of injury – Reese fought through a foot injury to begin the season – and a coaching change at Mississippi State where the hitting philosophy didn’t resonate as much with Reese.

Predraft, Hunter noted the strength of the Mariners’ system remains in their young core up the middle, even if that core has graduated to the big leagues, and the desire to accent that with outfielders, especially seasoned college outfielders who could move quickly. Despite an early run on college hitters, the Mariners were able to find exactly that college outfielder in the second round with LSU’s Jake Brown, who was one-time roommates with current Mariners prospect Kade Anderson. Brown inherited a leadership role when Anderson departed and oversaw the clubhouse during a time of some cultural upheaval. In addition to Anderson’s strong recommendation of his former teammate, Brown also impressed the Mariners at the MLB Draft Combine with his speed – they see a potential center fielder in him – as well as the power potential in his bat.

“Kade texted me today saying, hey, you guys are actually pretty smart up there, laugh out loud*” joked Hunter after the pick.

*This is not me sticking to the no chatspeak rule on the site, Hunter actually said “laugh out loud”

The Mariners went back to familiar ground in the third round, taking RHP Nathan Taylor from the University of Cincinnati. Taylor is a slider-heavy pitcher who Hunter says the Mariners pitching development is excited to get their hands on.

“Our PD group felt like there was a dial turn or two that we can get even more out of what he’s doing right now. And obviously, over the last 10 years, we gravitate to guys who do things like that, that command the strike zone….that have good deliveries, they’re physical, and our PD guys and our scouts line up and say, this is a guy we can help and fits in our program, that’s an easy pick for me, and it sounds like Nate was pretty excited about it as well.”

Day One ended with the Mariners taking Trevor Lucas out of UNC Wilmington. For all of you bemoaning the loss of Ben Williamson, may I introduce you to Ben Williamson Lite? A third baseman by trade, the Mariners believe Lucas has the potential to move all over the diamond, but definitely the ability to stick at the hot corner in an organization that’s thin on those types. But the Mariners are also bullish that they can pull some more power out of the contact-forward infielder.

“Talking to our PD group, they believe they can add a little more bat speed and a little more impact just by some of the programs we will put him through. So…you have to take chances on certain guys, but the underlying foundation of controlling the zone, playing good defense, being versatile – especially in this year’s draft – those guys were at a premium right now.”

The Mariners paid a premium, as well – per MLB’s Daniel Kramer, all but one of the picks are signing for slot value, with only Lucas saving them about $450K to use tomorrow. Don’t expect that to necessarily unlock the floodgates for high school players, though: post-draft, Hunter described day one as “interesting”, which we all recognize as the filler word it is.

“Now we go back in that room and re-rack for Day Two, because it’s a little thin right now, so we’re gonna have to get creative.”

As for why the Mariners passed up on prep hitters early, Hunter said the organization’s assessment of the high school class this year was that it wasn’t as deep as in years past, and the depth there was concentrated in the pitching ranks – one of the draft’s riskiest demographics. He said they had a “handful” of prep pitchers and “two to three” prep bats identified, but between their self-imposed limitations and the limitations of their bonus pool, one of the smallest in the draft, they just couldn’t make anything work, even though they tried to be aggressive in a couple of spots.

“It’s like Jerry told me when I first took this job,” said Hunter. “Every draft you just think of like it’s a 3-1 vount. If it’s there, swing. If it’s not, don’t. And we stayed the course with that. When the guys we thought we would maybe dive into a little bit and look for a little extra money weren’t there, we didn’t chase it, and we wound up making some good decisions…we stayed the course.”

Missouri baseball continues to prove it belongs under the brightest lights. The Tigers showcased their elite talent in the fourth round of the 2026 MLB Draft, as two of the program’s best got snatched up by the big leagues.

Clutch right-handed pitcher Josh McDevitt was the first Tiger off the board, going 116th overall to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Moments later, the Houston Astros kept Mizzou’s momentum rolling by capturing shortstop Kam Durnin with the 121st overall pick. These selections are sure to solidify both players’ status as cornerstones for the program and a huge victory on the Tigers’ recruiting side at the national stage.

The Pitching Weapon: Josh McDevitt

After spending three seasons with the Tigers developing his craft, the right-handed ace took his game to a whole other level during his final season in Columbia. Serving as the anchor of the rotation, McDevitt racked up a career-high 102 strikeouts over 79.1 innings across 15 starts.

With their 4th-round pick (No. 116 overall), the @Dbacks select @MizzouBaseball right-handed pitcher Josh McDevitt, No. 236 on the Top 250 Draft prospects list.

Watch live: https://t.co/XWNTXiKgPCpic.twitter.com/W0n86zlxHw

— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) July 11, 2026

Alongside this, he etched his name into the schools record books, cementing the 11th-most strikeouts in a single season in program history. In doing so, he teamed up with Brady Kehlenbrink to become the first pair of Mizzou teammates to each strikeout 100-plus batters in a season.

During his 2026 campaign, he tossed five innings to secure a massive SEC series victory over Vanderbilt, while also anchoring a critical road series win against Kentucky. He also recorded a dominant seven-strikeout performance to help lead the Tigers in their conference win over Arkansas. To cap off his campaign, McDevitt helped the Tigers earn their first SEC Tournament win since 2017 against Ole Miss.

Arizona is getting a battle-tested arm who knows how to dominate under immense pressure and tough SEC play.

The Offensive Star: Kam Durnin

A huge powerhouse transfer from Wichita State, Durnin overcame an early-season injury to start 43 games at shortstop and lead Mizzou in nearly every major offensive category.

The #Astros selected shortstop Kam Durnin with their 4th round pick! pic.twitter.com/fvh8Q0ujf4

— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) July 11, 2026

Last season, he posted a team-leading .329 batting average, a .570 slugging percentage, a .438 on-base percentage and a stellar OPS of 1.008. From sparking a memorable 11-run comeback against UIC with a 415-foot blast to hitting two home runs against No.5 Georgia, Durnin continuously weaponized his power against the toughest of competition. He saved his best for last, hitting a major .425 over his final 10 games and reached base seven times in nine postseason plate appearances to lead Mizzou in their SEC Tournament victory.

With his selection, Durnin officially becomes the third active Mizzou product currently inside the Astros organization. He heads to the professional ranks to reunite with former 2024 Tiger standouts Bryce Mayer and Trevor Austin.

The Astros now have three #Mizzou products in their system:

Bryce Mayer (16th round, 2024)
Trevor Austin (UDFA, 2024)
Kam Durnin (4th round, 2026) https://t.co/KmMpI3PHVD

— Kenny Van Doren (@thevandalorian) July 11, 2026

Houston has quickly transformed into a home away from home for elite Tiger talent, but there is not doubt that Durnin’s presence at shortstop and his team-leading bat will be sorely missed at Taylor Stadium.

Takeaways

Losing two foundational pillars such as McDevitt and Durnin leaves massive holes to fill on the diamond and up to bat next spring. However, seeing both talents developed into top-125 MLB Draft picks provides the Mizzou coaching staff with something to look forward to on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.

Alongside this, head coach Kerrick Jackson has already proven he is not wasting any time reloading the roster. The Tigers, ranked 19th nationally in the transfer portal ratings, have been active in the portal, successfully locking down players to combat the draft departures.

Click here to read our full Mizzou baseball transfer portal tracker and meet all the new additions joining the Tigers.

As expected Cade Townsend was the first Rebel off the board, followed by Taylor Rabe, who experienced a meteoric rise due to his outstanding run at the end of the season.

Ole Miss tied Arkansas and Georgia Tech for most picks in the top 30, with Tech having two taken in the top eight.

Townsend was selected by the Chicago Cubs 23rd overall with a value of $3.95 million. The Cubs are an organization in desperate need of pitching depth and Townsend will have the chance to prove himself quickly. Townsend is now the highest draft pick in Ole Miss history, beating Chris Coghlan by 13 slots.

Taylor Rabe also beat Coghlan by six spots, going 30th to the Kansas City Royals. This is the highest player out of Mississippi drafted by the Royals since they took Ole Miss commit, Cody Reed out of Northwest Community College back in 2013. Reed was later traded to Cincinnati for Johnny Cueto who later led the Royals to a World Series title that season (2015).

Hudson Calhoun joins his pitching mates after being selected in the 4th round by the Texas Rangers. At pick 117, his bonus slot is valued around $664k. However, Calhoun went much higher than projected which may mean he has agreed to a cheaper deal and is for sure done in Oxford.

Two high school commits were selected early as well. Taj Marchand was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 33rd overall pick. Cole Prosek was taken 41st overall by the Chicago White Sox, who seem to love former Rebs. Prosek is a Magnolia Heights grad who is slotted to make almost $2.5 million.

Day 1 of the MLB Draft wraps up with three Rebels being selected. Stick with the Cup to see what Rebels might be selected later in the draft.

The Yankees had one pick remaining on Day 1 of the MLB Draft, which was set to adjourn after the fourth round and related compensation selections. They had already added a pair of lefty pitchers in top pick Hunter Dietz and Sean Duncan, as well as a backstop in Brendan Brock. So once the order wrapped back around to them at No. 127 overall, the Yankees branched out from the battery.

The newest Yankee is Cal State Fullerton outfielder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II, who simply went by Paul Contreras during the majority of his time as a Titan. The university has a good baseball program, one that has produced All-Stars like Matt Chapman, Justin Turner, Tim Wallach, and the man who went No. 1 overall in Derek Jeter draft, Phil Nevin. Gutierrez-Contreras will now aim to join this well-regarded fraternity.

Although Gutierrez-Contreras wasn’t ranked among the Top 250 by MLB Pipeline, they did have a short write-up on him available shortly after his selection, referencing his accolades as Big West Co-Player of the Year this past season:

Contreras spent a year at Modesto Junior College before moving on to Cal State Fullerton. He was named Big West Co-Player of the Year as a junior in 2026 following a .346/.441/.633 line to go along with 14 homers. He’s a big, physical right-handed hitter who made some subtle changes at the plate to unlock some of his tools as a junior. Still only 20, he’s played right field mostly in college, but some scouts think he should get a look in center as a pro.

Baseball America did have Gutierrez-Contreras on their larger board, at 372nd overall. They noted his no-batting-glove look, which will certainly make fans think of Jorge Posada, or more recently, Trent Grisham. Here’s a little more from them:

Contreras is well-built with lean strength throughout his frame. He has a simple setup with a small leg kick, but his swing can get a bit long at times. Contreras is a patient hitter who makes lots of contact against all pitch types, with solid gap-to-gap power as well. His miss rate jumps against harder fastballs, which will be more of a question at the next level.

Gutierrez-Contreras will turn 21 on August 5th and seems like a fairly likely sign, perhaps under-slot of the $603.5K figure given his general ranking in comparison to where he was drafted.

Born in Turlock, CA, and a graduate of Joseph A. Gregori High School in nearby Modesto, Gutierrez-Contreras has done a very nice job of raising his draft stock in the past year. He hit .293/.407/.431 in 145 plate appearances for the Duluth Huskies of the wood-bat Northwoods League last summer in Minnesota with an .838 OPS that was 77 points better than the league-average OPS. He followed that up with the aforementioned stellar spring for Cal State Fullerton, with 24 extra-base hits in 52 games and a 1.074 OPS that ranked third in the Big West Conference.

PAUL. CONTRERAS. #TusksUppic.twitter.com/NIHs2b69oN

— Titans Baseball (@FullertonBSB) April 11, 2026

I’m always a fan of drafting players who have actual playing experience with a wood bat, and Gutierrez-Contreras certainly also did his share of mashing as a Titan. The 127th overall pick does not have a prestigious track record—two-time All-Star and gangly 2015 NL batting champion Dee Strange-Gordon is probably the best position player ever taken there—so it’s important to keep expectations in check. I think Gutierrez-Contreras is a perfectly solid pick here and should be a nice outfielder to add to the system.

Welcome to New York, Paul!

Round 4 | Pick 127: The New York Yankees select OF Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II out of Cal State Fullerton.#MLBDraftpic.twitter.com/mzprx7BMs3

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) July 11, 2026

Carson Wiggins attended Roland High School in Roland, Oklahoma, where he quickly set himself apart from the pack as a legitimate baseball pitching prospect on the travel ball circuit as well as in the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Between his freshman and senior seasons, Wiggins transformed from a tall and lanky 5’10”, 145-pound string bean into a 6’5”, 210-pound baseball behemoth. On the power of a fastball that sat in the mid-to-upper-90s and a devastating breaking ball, the big right-hander struck out 261 batters in 117.0 total innings with the Roland Rangers and posted a 0.97 ERA in 36.0 innings in his senior year, allowing nine hits and striking out 93 batters.

A highly scouted pitching prospect, who many believed was the number one high school pitching prospect in the state, Wiggins had had a strong commitment to the University of Arkansas and was not drafted in the 2024 MLB Draft as a result. His older brother, Jaxon, had been drafted by the Cubs with the 68th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of the university, and now coach head coach Van Horn would have another Wiggins to work with.

The right-hander got off to a quick start in his first season at Arkansas, striking out batters in bunches out of the Razorbacks bullpen. Through 14 appearances, he posted a 3.21 ERA, allowing 7 hits, walking 9, and striking out 20 batters in 14.0 innings. Unfortunately, in late April, Wiggins hurt his elbow and had his season end prematurely. UCL internal brace surgery- a procedure that anchors the ligament in place to allow it to heal properly in lieu of Tommy John surgery- followed, costing the right-hander not just the rest of the 2025 season, but all of 2026 as well, as his doctors recommended that the right-hander not pitch despite considering him fully healthy, much to the dismay of coach Van Horn.

Prior to his injury, the 6’5”, 215-pound right-hander threw from a three-quarters arm slot with a simple, loose, repeatable delivery without many moving parts. For the most part, he was a two-pitch pitcher, relying on a four-seam fastball and a power breaking ball; he occasionally threw a low-to-mid-80s changeup while in high school, but a rarely used the pitch at Arkansas. While Wiggins he did have a great deal of success blowing batters away with his fastball and getting them to chase his breaking ball, he has to work on his command of both.

His fastball comfortably sat in the mid-to-high-90s, topping out at 102 MPH just prior to injuring his elbow in April 2025. The pitch was more than just pure heat, as it generally averaged around 2,500 RPM of spin, well-above-average for a four-seam fastball, giving the pitch excellent rising action. Wiggins participated in the 2026 MLB Draft Combine, where he threw 15 pitches from the mound, and while obviously not throwing full effort, the pitch topped out at 97.4 MPH, the ninth highest velocity reading recorded on Day 2 of the combine, sitting in the mid-90s.

He complemented the pitch with a mid-80s power breaking ball that occasionally looked more like a slider and occasionally looked more like a curveball. His breaking ball featured spin rates around 2,600, giving the pitch sharp slicing action when it came out of his hands as more of a slider and power up-down vertical break when it came out of his hands as a curveball. During the 2026 MLB Draft Combine, Wiggins’ breaking ball averaged 2720 RPM. In his one healthy season at Arkansas, batters went 1-16 against the pitch, with 14 strikeouts.

Having attended the 2026 MLD Draft Combine, the right-hander underwent a comprehensive medical exam, and as such, is guaranteed at least 75% percent of the assigned pick value for the 27th overall pick; with a slot value of $3,466,500, Wiggins cannot be offered any less than $2,599,875. With the right-hander red-shirting in 2025 and 2026, he remains eligible to return to Arkansas should he and the Mets be unable to come to terms. Wiggins has expressed disappointment about not being able to pitch more for the Razorbacks and not being able to pitch in Omaha during the College World Series and could conceptually return for his red-shirt junior season in 2027, leveraging the potential of a more defined post-surgery track record at the collegiate level against what the Mets are willing to offer him.