Category: MLB

The newest future Detroit Tiger has joined the organization, as Scott Harris and co selected RHP Cameron Flukey with the 22nd pick of the MLB Draft. Flukey just finished his third year with Coastal Carolina with 31 strikeouts in 24 innings, having missed most of the season with a preseason stress fracture in his rib. He looked strong during his return, routinely touching 98 mph on his fastball and commanding his two breaking balls.

Flukey is a 6’6 lanky righty from Coastal Carolina, a Sun Belt D1 program, with room to add some weight to his frame as he matures in professional baseball. He’s primarily known for his riding upper-90s fastball and upper-70s curve that both register as average or plus on most scouting outlets. There’s concern over changeup development and command, but he is coming off an injury; those two feel-and-rep traits should improve as he moves past that issue.

MLB Pipeline rated Flukey as the 15th best player in the class, while FanGraphs had him as 34th, but in a meaty middle tier of player that lasts from 15th to 44th, so this aligns reasonably well with industry expectations. For an organization fairly short on good starting pitching, Flukey provides a well-needed injection of stuff and upside. If everything breaks right, this could be a middle to top of the rotation starter. Before his injury kept teams from seeing him at full strength, he was a pre-season contender for a top-10 pick. The rib issue shouldn’t be a long-term indicator, so getting that top-10 upside at a discount is a nice bonus for Detroit.

Expect to see Flukey stay on the backfields for the rest of 2026 as he adjusts to professional life and continues to fill out, then heading to the Low A Lakeland Flying Tigers for 2027 like Malachi Witherspoon, last year’s 2nd round pick. He is a seasoned strike thrower, so he should move rapidly once the Tigers are confident in any adjustments they’re going to make. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how his stuff translates to pro ball and if he’s able to develop the kick change he’s working on. He’ll likely take full advantage of his high-octane fastball and strong breaker early on, but the rest will need to improve to get him into the upper levels quickly.

With the 26th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft the Atlanta Braves have selected Indiana State outfielder Carter Beck. Beck is a very toolsy college outfielder who had a ton of helium this year.

Bio

Name: Carter Beck

Position: Outfielder

Hometown: Saskatchewan, Canada (Carnduff HS)

School: Indiana State

Height: 5’11

Weight: 206

Bats/Throws: L/R

Rankings

Baseball America: 69

Perfect Game: 149

Pipeline: 193

ESPN: 70

Overslot: 47

My Own: 55

Consensus: 82

Stats

2025: .335/.417/.564, 15 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR, 56 RBI, 11-14 SB, 25 BB, 36 K, 264 PA

2026: .346/.446/.637, 17 2B, 2 3B, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 12-16 SB, 35 BB, 33 K in 285 PA

Hit Tool 50

Beck has an average hit tool, with the chance to develop more as he is a former multi-sport athlete from Canada who has only spent two years in D1. His feel for contact already in his career is what makes him interesting.

Power 50

There is above average power potential, but it probably settles in more as average with his approach.

Speed 60

Plus speed is the best tool in Beck’s game. He’s got a chance to develop into more of a threat on the bases than what we’ve seen so far.

Glove 50

Beck has a chance to be an average defender in center as he continues to refine his glove. There is a chance he would have to move to left, where he could be an asset with the glove.

Arm 45

The arm is more fringy and would keep him in left as opposed to right if he had to move.

Overall Thoughts

I like Beck as a toolsy late bloomer with room for growth in his game. This is the kind of player who could potentially have a better pro career than college.

After dropping the first half of today’s doubleheader 7-6 in disappointing fashion after Esmerlyn Valdez hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh, the Brewers will look to bounce back in the second game this afternoon.

Left-hander Shane Drohan gets the ball for the Brewers, with right-hander Bubba Chandler opposite him. Drohan has a 2.97 ERA and 3.20 FIP over 18 appearances (eight starts) this season, spanning 63 2/3 innings with 61 strikeouts. He’s allowed just four earned runs over his last four starts, spanning 21 innings (1.71 ERA) and striking out 17. Chandler, also a rookie, has made 18 appearances (17 starts) this season, with a 4.82 ERA, 4.70 FIP, 79 strikeouts, and a league-worst 52 walks over 89 2/3 innings. He’s been roughed up in his last two outings, allowing nine runs over just 10 1/3 innings against the Phillies and Nationals.

Right-hander Garrett Stallings is the Brewers’ 27th man for the doubleheader, and he’s been activated ahead of this one.

The Brewers’ lineup is not yet finalized, but I’ll be updating that here as soon as it’s in.

It’s a busy day today, if you couldn’t tell. The MLB Draft is happening concurrently with the doubleheader, and you can follow along with the Brewers’ picks here. ICYMI, they took shortstop Trey Ebel out of Corona HS (California) with the No. 25 overall pick. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because Ebel is the younger brother of last year’s No. 32 overall pick, Brady Ebel, also selected by the Brewers and currently with the Low-A Wilson Warbirds. Corona High School is also the school Brice Turang was drafted from when he was picked No. 21 overall by the Brewers in 2018.

First pitch in this one is at 3:05 p.m. CT on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network.

Baseball’s first major event of the All Star Weekend, the MLB Draft, kicks off today. Today we have the first four rounds of the Draft televised; rounds 5 through 2o will occur tomorrow off-air.

The event begins at 1:00pm on NBC/Peacock, where the Chicago White Sox will make the first pick around 1:30pm. This year’s draft is structured a bit strangely, as the first 10 picks are on NBC/Peacock, but picks 11-40 are on the MLB network. Rounds 2 through 4 are on MLB.tv or MLB.com and are expected to last from 4:30 to 7:45pm. Day 2 will be an untelevised event tomorrow afternoon.

Stay here to follow along throughout the draft for every Tigers’ pick and every first round pick overall. As each pick is made, this post will be updated with that player’s name, position, and where they’re drafted from. Join us for duscussion on the whole Day 1 coverage of the draft in the comments. The Tigers have a bonus pool of $9,165,100 to work with. They’ll select 22nd overall for their first round pick.

Round 1

1. White Sox – Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
2. Rays – Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
3. Twins – Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
4. Giants – Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
5. Pirates – Derek Curiel, OF, LSU
6. Royals – Zion Rose, OF, Louisville
7. Orioles – Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove (MS)
8. Athletics – Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
9. Braves – AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
10. Rockies – Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
11. Nationals – Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M
12. Angels – Jared Grindlinger, OF, Huntington Beach HS (CA)
13. Cardinals – Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS (GA)
14. Marlins – Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS (FL)
15. D-backs – Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
16. Rangers – Gio Rojas, LHP, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
17. Astros – Logan Hughes, OF, Texas Tech
18. Reds – Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
19. Guardians – Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
20. Red Sox – Jake Schaffner, SS, North Carolina
21. Padres – Coleman Borthwick, South Walton HS (CA)
22. Tigers – Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
23. Cubs – Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss
24. Mariners – Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
25. Brewers – Trey Ebel, SS, Corona HS (CA)

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

26. Braves – Carter Beck, OF, Indiana State

27. Mets – Carson Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas

28. Astros – Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame

Competitive Balance Round A

29. Giants – Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian (SC)

30. Royals –

31. Diamondbacks

32. Cardinals

33. Rays

34. White Sox

35. Yankees

36. Phillies

37. Rockies

LSU will once again be represented at some of the highest levels in Major League Baseball.

Former ace pitcher Kade Anderson, who helped carry the Tigers to the 2025 national title and was selected third overall by the Seattle Mariners, has been named a starting pitcher for the MLB Futures Game to take place during All-Star Weekend.

Anderson has had a strong start to his professional career, holding a 1.36 ERA in 72 innings of Double-A baseball in Arkansas. He leads in opponent batting average (.160), WHIP (0.69), and is second with 108 strikeouts among all Minor League pitchers. He is currently labeled as the top prospect in baseball.

Mariners skipper Dan Wilson said of the honor: “It’s super exciting. He has had a tremendous half and has thrown the ball extremely well. It being his first professional season, that’s really impressive. Really exciting that he gets the ball tomorrow, and I think we’ll be interested to see how it all goes for him.”

The game takes place Sunday at Citizens Bank Park with first pitch scheduled for Noon.

The San Francisco Giants' season may have hit a wall but help could very well be on the way thanks to the 2026 MLB Draft.

The Giants, mired in a 39-55 season, see themselves fourth in the NL West. But the upside on a day like Saturday is that hope can spring eternal, if only for the afternoon.

The Giants have picks at No. 4 and No. 29, bringing into the farm system some much-needed depth. The organization did not have to search far for its first pick, grabbing right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora from UC Santa Barbara at No. 4.

The first day of the draft consists of four rounds. The Giants also have picks at No. 55, No. 90, No. 118 and No. 150.

USA TODAY Sports Gabe Lacques has ongoing grades and analysis for each selection.

Don’t look now, but the Yankees are starting to get on a roll. After a big win on Thursday to close out their series with the Rays, Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a clutch home run to put them ahead for good against the Nationals last night. Now, the American League’s best pitcher takes the ball hoping to get his club their third straight win in a Saturday afternoon affair (with the MLB Draft afoot as well; look for the Yankees to get their first-round pick in within the next hour).

Cam Schlittler shoved on Monday against the Rays, delivering the first of two wins in that set. Eight innings, one run allowed, a strikeout per inning and no walks was exactly what his deflated squad needed. The Nationals aren’t quite as good as the Rays, so Cam should have a little more breathing room today, but if he wants to go ahead and throw another eight shutout in his final start of the unofficial first half, I’m going to watch and enjoy it.

PJ Poulin counters for the Nats, an opener getting his second taste of MLB action after a brief call-up last year. A 2.83 ERA is sparkling, and a 46.6-percent groundball rate ain’t too bad at all, but he essentially strikes out as many batters as he walks, and his FIP is nearly three full runs higher. Discipline and elevation are the keys to pushing runs across against a pitcher like this — he’s not gonna strike you out, so get your pitch and get it in the air. Fortunately, the Yankees are a bit homer-happy after last night, so hopefully that continues.

Following Poulin will be veteran Miles Mikolas, who has been arguably the worst full-time pitcher in baseball. A 5.78 ERA is ugly, but his 5.51 FIP indicates that it’s a deserved ugliness. For all the drama surrounding D.C.‘s Reflecting Pool the past few weeks, we need to consider the damage that baseballs landing in it may cause.

We see some similarities in the lineups the past two days, with Amed Rosario back at leadoff (and, perhaps regrettably, third base) and World’s Oldest Man Paul Goldschmidt cleaning up after snapping his lengthy oh-fer last night. Ali Sánchez finds himself catching and rounding out the lineup, while the red-hot Ben Rice is your DH and hopefully continuing to practice for Monday’s Home Run Derby.

How to watch

Location: Nationals Park — Washington, D.C.

First pitch: 4:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES, Nationals.TV

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280; WJFK 106.7 The Fan

Online stream: Gotham Sports App, MLB.tv (out-of-market only)

For updates, follow us on BlueSky, Twitter, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

The San Francisco Giants continue this four-game series against the Colorado Rockies this afternoon from Oracle Park.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Tyler Mahle, who enters today’s game with a 5.70 ERA, 4.59 FIP, with 69 strikeouts to 29 walks in 71 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 7-6 loss to the Rockies on Sunday, in which he allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts in four and a third innings.

He’ll be facing off against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, who enters today’s game with a 7.46 ERA, 4.94 FIP, with 70 strikeouts to 18 walks in 82 innings pitched. His last start was in the Rockies’ 8-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, in which he allowed six runs on nine hits with two strikeouts in five innings.

Game #95

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 1:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Here’s the Guardians lineup:

Here’s the Marlins lineup:

Let’s go, Guardians!

Jake Schaffner, a speed demon of an infielder out of the University of North Carolina, was ranked just the 98th-best prospect in this draft by Baseball America. MLB Pipeline had him at #75. Keith Law of the The Athletic at #79. Craig Breslow, apparently, thinks he’s a lot better than that, as he made Schaffner the Red Sox’ first pick in this year’s MLB draft with the 20th overall pick.

Schaffner bats lefty and is known for his bat-to-ball skills, although his power is a significant question mark. He was well-regarded defensively as a shortstop, though there are some questions about whether a mediocre arm will force him to second base sooner rather than later.

Could he end up surprising people and proving the pre-draft prognosticators wrong? Of course he could. This is the MLB Draft, not the NBA Draft, and no one knows anything. Moreover, this could simply be a classic underslot pick, whereby the team attempts to save bonus pool money to target harder-to-sign high schoolers later in the draft. Either way, this is a major surprise, and probably the most shocking pick of the draft so far.

The Guardians have made their choice and it’s a college pitcher as many suspected it might be.

Peterson is a 6’5, 225 lb right-handed starter from Florida. Peterson was the 20th ranked prospect in the draft according to MLB Pipeline

“In 2023, Peterson was a Top 100 prospect, not to mention a two-way player, from the Florida high school ranks, but some inconsistencies during his senior year likely priced him out of the range where he would have considered signing instead of heading to Gainesville and the University of Florida. He earned a spot in the Gators’ rotation as a freshman and has never relinquished it. He’ll front that staff in 2026 and if he can continue to iron out some things, has the stuff to be the first college arm to come off the board in July.The 6-foot-5 Peterson presents an exciting combination of now stuff and projection. His fastball sat in the mid-90s as a sophomore and he’s shown the ability to reach back for 98-99 mph, both last spring and in short looks this fall. The pitch can show good carry at times, though it can flatten out occasionally and get hit more than it should. Florida calls a lot of sliders and Peterson’s mid-80s breaker has improved into a solid out pitch, though there are some scouts who think his 12-to-6 hammer curve is a better, but not utilized, offering. His changeup has also improved with solid fade and depth.Peterson’s slot has returned to a higher three-quarters slot, similar to where he was in high school, that could serve him well. He can get a little over-aggressive in his mode of operation on the mound, leading to some command issues. There aren’t many college arms with better pure stuff in this class and if he can take another step forward in terms of execution, he could show up in top of the Draft conversations.”

With the 17th pick of the 1st Round, the Houston Astros selected outfielder Logan Hughes from Texas Tech.

“Hughes is a compact, barrel-chested outfielder and lefthanded hitter with a three-year track record of hitting for both average and power. He spent a season at Stetson in 2024, then transferred to Texas Tech for his sophomore and junior seasons. In 2026, Hughes slashed .375/.510/.735 with 18 home runs and 16 doubles. Of the 29 college hitters with at least 45 home runs in the last three seasons, Hughes’ career 12.2% strikeout rate rank behind only UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. Hughes is close to physically maxed out with a 5-foot-11, 210-pound frame, but he’s got plenty of present strength and no need to project on power. He’s got plus raw power right now, with the contact skills to consistently get to that power in games. Hughes is a patient and selective hitter who does a nice job staying within the strike zone, and he has a penchant for putting the barrel on the ball even on the rare occasions when he does expand the zone. He has solid bat speed, and a swing that is quick to the ball and long through it. He makes plenty of contact against top-tier velocity and quality secondary pitches. While Hughes has a well-rounded offensive game, he’s a more limited defender. He’s a below-average runner who will need to play an outfield corner, and he might be only a fringy or below-average defender in either left or right. His profile is similar to Marlins 2025 second-rounder Brandon Compton, and he could find himself taken in a similar range on draft day.” – Baseball America

The bat is legit for Hughes and the Astros get a prospect with a big time hit tool, something they haven’t added in a while. Great pick.

The Cincinnati Reds used the #18 overall pick in Saturday’s MLB Draft to select shortstop Justin Lebron out of the University of Alabama. Ranked 9th overall on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top draft-eligible prospects in the class, the 6’2” 190 lb right-handed hitter boasts a 70 grade on his speed, 60 grade on his power, and 60 grades on both his arm and fielding.

After hitting .338 as a freshman and .316 as a sophomore for the Crimson Tide, Lebron saw his rate stats drop across the board as a senior. Still, he hit .277/.386/.534 in 285 games with 16 homers and 42 steals, flashing the kind of power/speed combo that had him long in the mix for the potential top overall pick in this year’s draft before sliding late.

The biggest question with Lebron, though, is whether he’ll be able to hit breaking pitches better than he has so far. He struggled to just a .230 average in SEC games this season as the pitching in the best conference in the country adapted to how to pitch him, and that’s obviously something he’ll need to work on going forward. The rest of his game, however, looks 100% the part of a top-tier talent.

Brayan Bello has not, apparently, fallen back in love with Baseball, as Craig Breslow hoped he would. Or maybe he’s fallen in love with Worcester. Either way, he will not be starting today in place of the injured Ranger Suárez. Instead, the Sox are handing the ball to Eduardo Rivera, who has made one appearance for the Sox so far this year, a tidy 3.1 inning relief appearance against the Yankees back in April, when he allowed just a single hit and struck out 3.

Rivera’s been in the bullpen for the Woo Sox this year, so don’t expect a lot of innings out of him. And unfortunately for the Sox, a lot of important members of the relief corps have seen action lately, with Garrett Whitlock and Tyron Guerrero having thrown in back-to-back games, likely making them unavailable. Opposing starter Freddy Peralta is in the middle of a bad stretch in a bad season, though, so this could be a slugfest.

First Pitch: 4:10 PM

TV: NESN, FS1