LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game on December 25, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Two weeks ago, the idea of LeBron James signing with the Sixers on a minimum contract would have sounded like an AI hallucination. It now appears to be under serious consideration.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Sixers appeared to be in the inner circle of favorites to land LeBron, alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. He added that they were “not in the picture” prior to the Jaylen Brown trade, but LeBron is now “taking their pitch really seriously.”
Charania said Wednesday that a decision isn’t expected soon, so for now, we’ll have to stay twisting in the wind. But regardless of what James chooses to do, the fact that the Sixers are in the race at all is absurd given where they were in mid-June.
Although the trade for Jaylen Brown looks like a no-brainer at the moment (analytics nerds be damned), there’s at least one universe in which it works out better for the Celtics than it does for the Sixers. But pairing Brown with Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid has caught the attention of none other than one of the greatest players of all time.
LeBron might not be the last star to think that way. That’s a testament to the work that new team president Mike Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson have pulled off this summer.
No matter what happens from here, the Sixers have given fans reasons to buy back in again.
The era of apathy is over
Not only is Brown a clear upgrade over George at this point of their respective careers, but he’s also largely dodged the injury bug to this point. He’s missed no more than 15 games in all but one of his 10 NBA seasons, and he just played 71 this past year.
Given Embiid’s injury concerns, the Sixers couldn’t deal with another year of the nightly will-they-or-won’t-they-play game with both him and George. Brown will miss at least a few games here and there, but he figures to be far more available during the regular season than the 36-year-old George. That should help reduce the strain on Maxey and Edgecombe.
The trade doesn’t come without risk. Brown could be tough to fit on and/or off the court. The two first-round picks that the Sixers gave up could land high in the draft, especially given the new lottery system being trialed for the next few years. Now that the shock from the trade has worn off, smart basketball minds have found ways to rationalize the deal for the Celtics.
Celtics president Brad Stevens explained to reporters that he thought the team’s path “looked a little bit more challenging with 70 percent of our cap and such a high percentage of our usage tied into two players.” As someone who pushed back against the Sixers’ Big 3 hopes five months before they signed George, I can’t argue with that logic.
But the Sixers didn’t have a choice. That money was already allocated either way. It was either going to George, or it was going to someone else.
In that sense, the Sixers likely saw little harm in coughing up the draft capital it took to turn George into Brown. After all, given his age, injury history and the size of his remaining contract, it might have cost them nearly as much just to dump George outright.
After drafting Labaron Philon Jr. with the 22nd overall pick, Gansey said part of the appeal was that “he can come in and play some minutes and take a load off” Maxey and Edgecombe. That same rationale likely factored into the decision to trade for Brown.
Maxey averaged a league-leading 38.0 minutes per game last year, while Edgecombe wasn’t far behind at 35.0. That put him in a three-way tie with Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson for the ninth-most minutes per game in the NBA, which is absurd for a rookie. Given their spotty backcourt depth—Quentin Grimes and a half-season of Jared McCain—that massive workload was more or less out of necessity.
Between Philon and the newly signed Anfernee Simons, the Sixers have new reinforcements behind Maxey and Edgecombe, but their backcourt depth is still spotty beyond that. Luckily, Brown should be able to lighten the offensive burden on both Maxey and Edgecombe, allowing them to play fewer minutes without having the team crater in their absence.
It’s hard to believe this, but Maxey is already entering the third year of the five-year max deal that he signed in 2024. While three years might feel like an eternity in the NBA, front offices operate on far different clocks than the rest of us.
Had the Sixers not made this deal and largely ran back the same roster but with Simons, Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti in place of Grimes, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond, it’s fair to wonder how much better (if at all) they would be in 2026-27. Now, even if they don’t land LeBron, they’re currently considered one of the favorites in the East.
There has been zero indication that Maxey is already eyeing his exit from Philly. If anything, the addition of Edgecombe last summer should further entice him to stay. But he might have been wondering what the Sixers’ long-term plan was had they just rode out the remainder of George and Embiid’s bloated contracts.
There’s no guarantee that Brown is the answer to that question. The Sixers could once again run into the three-max problem in three years when both Maxey and Brown’s contracts expire right as Edgecombe’s rookie-scale deal runs out. They might eventually reach the same conclusion that the Celtics did about the viability of that model, although the NBA will have a new collective bargaining agreement in place by then.
There’s still plenty for head coach Nick Nurse to sort out on the court when it comes to figuring out the best way to fit Brown alongside Maxey, Edgecombe and Embiid. The LeBron wild card continues to loom large, too.
But the fact we’re having these conversations at all is absurd given where the Sixers were a few weeks ago.
Bo Naylor and Angel Genao both had big games, but it wasn’t enough for Columbus on Thursday.
Naylor went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a double while Genao went 3-for-4 with a home run. Genao is on fire and currently is batting .303 at Triple-A with an .870 OPS. I’m super curious what Cleveland is going to do with him at this rate.
Milan Tolentino also went 2-for-4 with a double and Joe Lampe doubled.
Starting pitcher Austin Peterson got knocked around and failed to get an out in the second inning, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Tommy Mace followed him and wasn’t much better, allowing three more runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.
Ryan Webb tossed 2.2 scoreless innings and Daniel Espino allowed a solo home run in his inning of work.
Akron RubberDucks 5, Chesapeake Baysox 3
RubberDucks improve to 38-45
The top of Akron’s order did most of the work. Nick Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a home run while Jaison Chourio went 2-for-4. I’m super curious why Chourio was pinch-ran for late in the game. I didn’t see anything about him being hurt.
Tyresse Turner went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base while Jacob Cozart doubled in a pair of runs.
Starting pitcher Caden Favors was rock solid, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Matt Jachec was sensational, striking out all five of his outs in 1.2 innings and Alaska Abney allowed an unearned run while earning the save.
Lake County Captains 8, Lansing Lugnuts 7
Captains improve to 48-33
It was a team effort for Lake County as eight members of the lineup contributed to the offensive eruption that included four home runs.
Esteban Gonzalez had the best game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Jace LaViolette, Nolan Schubart and Ryan Cesarini also homered for their only hits of the day. Schubart’s home run was his 20th of the season already.
Garrett Howe went 2-for-4 with a triple while Aaron Walton and Tommy Hawke both went 2-for-4 with a double. Correction, both of Walton’s hits were doubles.
Starting pitcher Michael Kennedy had one of his best performances of the season. He allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5.0 innings.
The bullpen had a rough night, allowing five runs in 4.0 innings, but the offense did enough to avoid an implosion.
Hill City Howlers 7, Charleston RiverDogs 3
Howlers improve to 35-48
Fresh off being named the Carolina League Player of the Month, 18-year-old prospect Juneiker Caceres belted a three-run home run and also had a sacrifice fly in a four-RBI performance to lead Hill City to a win.
Other offensive standouts included Riley Nelson, who went 2-for-3 and Cannon Peebles, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk. Gabriel Rodriguez reached base safely three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks.
Ryan Prager I think was used as an opener, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.
Luke Fernandez followed with 4.0 solid innings of long relief, dancing around four walks and two hits. A recently-activated Conner Whittaker preserved the shutout with 2.0 scoreless frames, then Angel Perez allowed three runs in the final 2.0 innings, although the team had a seven-run lead at that point so it was fine.
ACL Guardians 6, ACL Giants 3
Guardians improve to 28-21
Another day, another perfect day at the plate for Alejandro Blasco. The outfield sensation went 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, raising his season OPS to 1.382.
Randy Martinez homered and walked while Estivel Morillo doubled and walked.
Starting pitcher Will Hynes was terrific, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
Reliever Randy Baron added 2.0 scoreless frames and Austin Testerman struck out the side to earn the save.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 10: Tyler Alexander #13 of the Texas Rangers celebrates with teammate Kyle Higashioka #11 following the team's win over the Houston Astros at Globe Life Field on July 10, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Astros 3
I’m having flashbacks to the series opener against the Angels on Tuesday.
In that game, the Rangers were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored five runs, with a three run homer by Alejandro Osuna capping off the scoring.
In this game, the Ranges were tied at 3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, and then scored four runs, with a three run homer by Jake Burger capping off the scoring.
In the opener against the Angels, Chris Martin gave up a run late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
In this game, Chris Martin gave up two runs late, Cole Winn had a scoreless appearance, and Tyler Alexander pitched the ninth.
A big “attaboy” for Cal Quantrill, who is doing solid work filling in for Jack Leiter in the rotation. Quantrill gave up a single run, on a Yordan Alvarez home run, in six innings of work.
Quantrill isn’t striking out a bunch of guys — he had just one K on Friday. He isn’t missing a ton of bats — he generated just two swings and misses against the Astros out of 79 pitches, which is a remarkably low rate of bat missing.
But somehow he’s managed to get guys out and keep the Rangers in games.
Jordan Montgomery’s return isn’t far off — it looks like he should be back by the end of the month — and at that point, if everyone is healthy (big ol’ if, I know), Quantrill goes back to the pen. Hopefully he can give the Rangers another start or two like this before he goes back to the long relief role.
With a bullpen that was without Jacob Latz, who had thrown 41 pitches the night before, Skip Schumaker turned to Chris Martin for the seventh inning. Martin allowed a bloop single by LaMonte Wade, Jr., an extremely hard hit line drive right to Evan Carter for an out by Cam Smith, and then a crushed home run down the left field line by Yainer Diaz to tie the game. After a routine fly out, Martin was pulled for Cole Winn, who ended up retiring all four batters he faced in the game.
Martin’s ERA is now up to 8.31 on the season. He has a 7.40 xERA and 6.57 FIP. Fortunately, this has been in only 13 innings over 15 games, because Martin has had a couple of stints on the injured list.
The Rangers could really use Good Chris Martin, given the raggedy nature of the current bullpen. That version of Chris Martin may not be coming back, though. Martin, I imagine, is going to get some more rope, if only because there aren’t any real viable options to replace him right now. But the trade deadline is looming, the Rangers will likely be shopping for relievers if they stay in the playoff hunt, and Martin’s roster spot will be danger if he doesn’t turn things around, quick.
Fortunately, the Rangers beat up on Astros reliever Bryan King, allowing us not to dwell on the Chris Martin situation.
King came into the game with a 2.03 ERA in 38 appearances on the season. He had a nine game scoreless streak going, and had allowed just one run since Joc Pederson homered off of him on May 27 in some lefty-on-lefty violence.
The Rangers blew his ERA all the way up to 2.85, thanks to Wyatt Langford leading off the inning against him with a home run, and Jake Burger hitting a three run homer later in the inning.
That’s 15 home runs in 8 games this month for the Rangers.
I like it when the Rangers hit home runs.
I also like it when Wyatt Langford is healthy. He’s now slashing .276/.324/.506 on the season, with a 1.9 bWAR in just 42 games played. That’s an MVP caliber level of performance if its done over a full season.
Cal Quantrill hit 95.8 mph with his sinker, averaging 94.4 mph. Chris Martin’s fastball hit 94.8 mph. Cole Winn reached 96.2 mph with his fastball. Tyler Alexander’s fastball topped out at 91.6 mph.
Wyatt Langford’s homer was 108.6 mph. Joc Pederson’s home run was 107.7 mph. Brandon Nimmo had a 105.2 mph double. Josh Jung had a 104.4 mph single. Jake Burger’s home run was 101.0 mph.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 08: A general view of merchandise and menu items during the 2026 All-Star Week Welcome Press Conference at Cadillac Hall of Fame Club at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Allie Ippolito/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Guardians won a game against a good team, downing the Marlins 3-2.
We are ramping up for the MLB draft starting at 1pm ET. Read our draft prep article here. Matt Seese and myself discussed the MLB draft on Disgusting Baseball Podcast here.
AROUND MLB:
The White Sox and Tigers won, the Twins and Royals lost.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 17: Commissioner Robert D. Manfred announces the 25th pick for the New York Yankees during the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft at L.A. Live on Sunday, July 17, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s that special time of year again. A new generation of Yankees will enter the farm system in the coming days and weeks through the Major League Baseball Draft, seeking to make their mark on this historic franchise. The highest picks will understandably get the most attention, but remember that impact can come from anywhere. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice have Cy Young and MVP cases this year while making their first All-Star Game, and the Yankees nabbed them in the seventh and 12th round of the 2022 and 2021 drafts, respectively.
Jake, Madison, Michael, Peter, Jonathan, and our old friend Dan Kelly—who previewed the draft for us—will join me in delving into all of the Yankees’ new draft picks, from their first four today to Round 5 and beyond tomorrow. Note that the two-day draft schedule from Philadelphia is a little different from last year and very different from the years before that, when this was a three-day event. If you’re curious about who the Yankees might take, Dan wrote a good roundup of names from recent mock drafts, though as he notes, predicting who exactly will still be on the board at No. 35 overall is quite difficult.
If you have any interest in following the MLB Draft proceedings beyond PSA’s coverage (which you can find here), check out the viewing guide below. The best guess is that the Yankees won’t pick until around 4pm-ish.
Saturday, July 11: Rounds 1-4
1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Preview show + Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock) 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+) 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.tv, MLB+)
Sunday, July 12: Rounds 5-20
11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Below is the draft order for Sunday’s coverage. The Yankees are picking 10 spots behind where they would have lined up due to luxury tax penalties (as are the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, and Blue Jays). So their first pick won’t come until No. 35 overall, though because they didn’t sign any free agents this past offseason, they do have all their expected picks.
Note that under current MLB rules, the only draft picks that can be traded are Competitive Balance Round picks, and while the Yankees are technically picking in the first Competitive Balance Round, it is considered an untradeable first-round pick that simply moved back 10 spots.
The first half of the first round was primarily curated by last December’s MLB Draft Lottery, which the White Sox won. The Rays are in first place right now, but they fared well in the lotto last year and will get the No.2 pick, with the Twins selecting after them. UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson are all expected to go within the first three picks, though it remains to be seen who the Pale Hose will pick to kick off the action. As a darkly amusing reminder (like with the White Sox from 2024-25), the 119-loss Rockies were ineligible from picking any higher than 10th this year because they’re a revenue sharing team that also had lotto picks in 2024 and 2025.
That’s enough semantics. Here’s the order!
Round 1
White Sox
Rays
Twins
Giants
Pirates
Royals
Orioles
Athletics
Braves
Rockies
Nationals
Angels
Cardinals
Marlins
Diamondbacks
Rangers
Astros
Reds
Guardians
Red Sox
Padres
Tigers
Cubs
Mariners
Brewers
Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks
26. Braves [for Drake Baldwin winning NL Rookie of the Year] 27. Mets [No. 17 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 28. Astros [for Hunter Brown finishing in the top three for AL Cy Young]
Competitive Balance Round
29. Giants [acquired from Guardians for Patrick Bailey] 30. Royals 31. Diamondbacks 32. Cardinals 33. Rays [acquired from Orioles for Shane Baz 34. White Sox [acquired from Pirates for Jacob Gonzalez and Brandon Eisert] 35. Yankees [No. 25 pick moved back due to luxury tax] — Hunter Dietz 36. Phillies [No. 26 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 37. Rockies
Round 2
38. Rockies 39. Blue Jays [No. 29 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 40. Dodgers [No. 30 pick moved back due to luxury tax] 41. White Sox 42. Nationals 43. Twins 44. Pirates 45. Angels 46. Orioles 47. Athletics 48. Braves 49. Rays 50. Cardinals 51. Pirates [compensation for unsigned 2025 No. 50 pick] 52. Marlins 53. Diamondbacks 54. Rangers 55. Giants 56. Royals 57. Astros 58. Reds 59. Guardians 60. Padres 61. Tigers 62. Cubs 63. Yankees — Sean Duncan 64. Phillies 65. Mariners 66. Brewers
Competitive Balance/Compensation Round
67. Red Sox [acquired from Brewers for Caleb Durbin and two others) 68. Cardinals [acquired from Mariners for Brendan Donovan] 69. Tigers 70. Reds 71. Marlins 72. Cardinals [acquired from Rays in Brendan Donovan trade] 73. Athletics 74. Twins 75. Cubs [for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency, and no luxury tax]
133. Astros [for losing Framber Valdez in free agency as luxury tax payor] 134. Padres [for losing Dylan Cease in free agency as luxury tax payor] 135. Phillies [for losing Ranger Suárez in free agency as luxury tax payor]
The draft will then be on hold until Sunday at 11:30am ET, and it will be a primarily MLB.com-focused event from there. Usually, they make it pretty easy to follow the draft picks though, and there won’t be much pomp and circumstance between selections. If anything, it will be just enough time for their draft experts to opine on the picks, and then it’s onto the next!
The draft order is largely the same in the fifth and sixth round, aside from the Dodgers losing picks due to various free agent signings. Then from the seventh round onward, it’s all straightforward “worst record to best record + playoff results” 1-30. You can check out the full order here.
Per Baseball America, the Yankees have a total draft bonus pool of $7,342,800 to spend, meaning that they can go over or under the given slot number on any pick, but in the end, their grand total must stay below that amount. Here’s how the slots are divvied up:
Round
Overall pick
Slot value
1
35
$2,826,700
2
63
$1,451,700
3
99
$792,300
4
127
$603,500
5
160
$437,200
6
189
$341,800
7
218
$270,000
8
248
$223,100
9
278
$203,500
10
308
$193,000
$7,342,800
The Yankees can vary their bonus levels; any left over might be used to help sign draft prospects with signability questions in the 11th round and beyond for more than the allotted $150,000 value. Teams can spend over their allotted pools, but not without penalties:
A team that exceeds its bonus pool faces a penalty. A club outspending its allotment by 0-5 percent pays a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, a team loses future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing its pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Apr 19, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets center fielder Luis Robert Jr. (88) is seen in the dugout against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
MJ Melendez continuned his hot tear, going 1-3 with a solo home run; Ryan Clifford, named to the Futures Game yesterday, did not take advantage of his upcoming spotlight, striking out twice in three at-bats. Jack Wenninger tossed four and two-thirds innings of two-run ball in the Syracuse dub.
Rehabbing Luis Robert Jr. smacked a solo home run in Binghamton’s lopsided loss to the Yard Goats. The Rumble Ponies only collected four hits and two walks against Hartford pitching.
Two potential bullpen arms from the start of the season were rehabbing in Brooklyn tonight, and both did exceptionally well. Robert Stock struck out eight without allowing a baserunner in three and a third innings of work, while Kevin Herget allowed one walk in an otherwise perfect two innings.
Miguel Mejias was the only St. Lucie pitcher to not surrender a run in their loss to the Hammerheads. Mets’ batters struck out 11 times against Jupiter pitching.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JULY 14: Major League Baseball commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. announces the pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2024 MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum on July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 MLB Draft is this weekend, Saturday, July 11, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. The opning day of the draft will include the first four rounds and will start at 1:30pm EST, with TV coverage starting at 1:00pm.
This year, rounds 5-20 will take place on Sunday, July 12.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest bonus pool in MLB history at $19,130,700 to go along with the number five overall pick and 22 total picks in the draft. Baseball America had this to say about the Bucs and the draft:
“Because of the amount of money they have to spend it would be surprising if their draft haul wasn’t one of the most compelling in the league after the draft is over.”
Here’s how to access the MLB Draft.
TV and Streaming
Day 1: Saturday, July 11 (Rounds 1-4) • 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET – Picks 1-10 (NBC/Peacock) • 2:30-4:30 p.m. ET – Picks 11-40 (MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+) • 4:30-7:45 p.m. ET – Picks 41-135 (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
Day 2: Sunday, July 12 (Rounds 5-20) • 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)
2026 MLB Draft Order (First Round + PPI Picks + Competitive Balance Round A)
Chicago White Sox
Tampa Bay Rays
Minnesota Twins
San Francisco Giants
Pittsburgh Pirates
Kansas City Royals
Baltimore Orioles
Athletics
Atlanta Braves
Colorado Rockies
Washington Nationals
Los Angeles Angels
St. Louis Cardinals
Miami Marlins
Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas Rangers
Houston Astros
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Boston Red Sox
San Diego Padres
Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners
Milwaukee Brewers
Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks
Atlanta Braves (Drake Baldwin – 2025 NL Rookie of the Year)
New York Mets
Houston Astros (Hunter Brown – Top-3 finish in 2025 AL Cy Young Award voting)
The 2026 MLB Draft starts on Saturday, with the first 135 picks and four rounds of the 20-round, two-day affair. The Dodgers have two picks on Saturday, their selections thinned by free agent spending in the winter.
The Dodgers picking 40th overall is familiar in recent years, as that’s the selection they used to draft catcher Dalton Rushing in 2022 and pitcher Zach Root in 2025. In both cases, the Dodgers’ first pick dropped 10 spots due to the competitive balance tax the previous year.
Three other times the Dodgers have drafted 40th overall, including shortstop Thomas Harris in 1967 and outfielder Don Carroll in 1987, neither of whom reached the majors. With respect to Rushing, perhaps the most consequential No. 40 pick in Dodgers history was pitcher Luke Hochevar in 2005. Hochevar did not sign with the Dodgers, but was drafted first overall the next year by the Kansas City Royals, which caused a cascading effect that led to Clayton Kershaw being available at seventh overall in 2006.
Dodgers Day 1 picks
1st round, 40th overall
4th round, 132nd overall
Draft coverage begins at 10 a.m. PT on NBC and Peacock, then shifts to MLB Network for picks 11-40. MLB Network’s coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 1:30 p.m. PT, so expect the Dodgers’ first selection to come right around then.
After the first 40 picks, it’s all streaming the rest of the way, covered by MLB.com and MLB.tv. Draft coverage is tentatively scheduled to run through 4:45 p.m. PT and there are 135 picks, so expect the Dodgers’ fourth-rounder at No. 132 some time near 4 p.m.
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 27: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice against the St. Louis Blues at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 27, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
The subject was broached here earlier in the week, but let’s take another look at the 32 Thoughts lingering question of the offseason for the Penguins.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Can they add a centre before next season?
GM Kyle Dubas has had a tricky job to balance between an aging core that wants to compete with a clear need to bring in some youth and prepare for the next era, whenever it arrives. He’s done pretty well in acquiring some early-to-mid-20s players, with Yegor Chinakhov the shining example last season. The front office will continue looking for those types of players, or to make a big play for someone. They certainly were in conversations with Dallas about trading for Jason Robertson.
One area of the roster we could identify as a need to improve on is down the middle. Evgeni Malkin is a winger now, and while Ben Kindel was a great and surprising story in his rookie year, ideally the Penguins would have another productive veteran to take top-six centre minutes. Centres can be hard to come by, but there have been a few available this off-season. In terms of identifying one available centre who isn’t too old, has a depressed value, but still holds upside: what about Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson?
“Look he’s got to play better in that $11.6 million everyone’s been talking about, but again, the ground has shifted here in a huge way,” Friedman said of Pettersson. “I’ve sat there and I’ve said ‘where could he go that could be good for him?’ I wonder if the Penguins with Crosby and Malkin might be good for him.”
It’s always interesting to see a national-level perspective from an informed source, but at surface level there’s some specifics to address.
Would the Penguins be better off by adding a solid center? Sure. Is it a dire need? I’m not as convinced.
Between Sidney Crosby and Blake Lizotte the top and bottom of the lineup is good. Lizotte is a player who takes a regular shift and plays a lot for a ‘fourth’ liner, Crosby is still leaned on heavily and that alone takes some pressure off the rest of the lineup.
From there, the Pens have numbers to throw at the rest off the issue. Ben Kindel will be in the mix and the other spot can be handled by some combination in rotation of Tommy Novak, Rickard Rakell and perhaps occasionally Evgeni Malkin. Hendrix Lapierre is another player with NHL center experience, though he may or may not be an option moving forward in that spot. If placed in a tough spot due to injuries, Connor Dewar has shown to be a capable fourth line center option in the recent past.
Talk of Elias Pettersson is understandable enough, he’s right in the target demo for what Dubas was looking for as a players in his mid-to-late 20s that has control over where he can be traded. However, there’s no indication that Pettersson is interested in uprooting to an Eastern team, let alone a place like Pittsburgh. He’s also underperforming to his large $11.6 million cap hit. The Canucks surely aren’t going to give up one of their best players for nothing. That’s a lot of hurdles for multiple sides to have to overcome to make a match.
It’s a change, and a jarring one at that, to see the Penguins no longer be so stocked down the middle when over the last 20 years they’ve had players like prime Crosby and Malkin paired with a rotation of others like Jordan Staal, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen to make the center spot the envy of the league over much of the last two decades. Those days may be over but the extreme urge to boost the spot isn’t exactly there either.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 13: Major League Baseball Robert D. Manfred announces Gavin Kilen as the thirteenth overall pick by the San Francisco Giants during the 2025 MLB Draft presented by Nike at Coca-Cola Roxy on Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
If you like any and all things involving San Francisco Giants baseball, then my goodness is today a good day for you. The Giants play at 1:05 p.m. PT this afternoon, and all seven of their Minor League Baseball affiliates are in action throughout the day.
But the big event? The first day of the 2026 MLB Draft. The draft is split into two days now (as opposed to three in recent years), with the first 10 rounds on Saturday and the next 10 rounds on Sunday. For the first time in a long time, the Giants haven’t sacrificed any picks … in fact, they’ve added picks (a very rare thing in MLB, since only a few picks can be traded), as they picked up a Competitive Balance Round A selection in the Patrick Bailey trade.
That means the Giants have 11 picks today: No. 4, No. 29, No. 55, and the 15th pick in Rounds 3-10. It should be an exciting day! So join us here to enjoy all the action … I’ll have newsers for the various draft picks, but we can talk the day’s action here.
How to watch Day 1 of the draft
What: 2026 MLB Draft, Day 1, rounds 1-10
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Yawn, just another PCA milestone. Seems like they’re coming every week now.
The only “problem” with PCA’s 20/20 accomplishment is that it somewhat overshadowed Seiya Suzuki’s two games. Wednesday, his three-run home run proved to be the deciding runs in the Cubs’ win. Suzuki couldn’t do it all Thursday, but he tried with a solo homer to tie the game and an RBI-double to take a 2-1 lead before the bullpen blew the game.
Pitchers Colin Rea and David Peterson did their job — kept the Cubs in the game by allowing four runs in 10 1/3 innings (3.60 ERA). Meanwhile, the bullpen tried to lose Wednesday’s game, and succeeded on Thursday.
Looking forward to what new mark that PCA will set or match next. (yawn)
*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.
Matthew Trueblood (Cubbies Crib): Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Signature Single, Which is Sometimes a Double. “The home runs will get the headlines; they should. But Pete Crow-Armstrong’s transformation into a well-rounded offensive superstar would be incomplete without the emergence of his new signature hit: the slugger’s single.”
Trade, Injury and Draft Talk:
Matthew Trueblood (North Side Baseball): The Cubs Have Played Their Way Back to Being Buyers. What Should They Buy? “The Cubs are still under .500 over the last two months, but they’re getting hot at the right time. No longer is it realistic to think they’ll be sellers before the trade deadline. So, what must they buy?”
Evan Altman (Cubs Insider): Quantifying Hope: Cubs Hovering Near 75% Playoff Odds. “Since climbing out of the nadir in early June that saw them dip below 40% playoff odds, the Cubs have pretty much been on cruise control.”
Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (nee’ Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early-blues recording artist. Dubbed the “Mother of the Blues”, she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of southern blues, influencing a generation of blues singers. Rainey was known for her powerful vocal abilities, energetic disposition, majestic phrasing, and a “moaning” style of singing. Her qualities are present and most evident in her early recordings “Bo-Weevil Blues” and “Moonshine Blues”.
Gertrude Pridgett began performing as a teenager and became known as “Ma” Rainey after her marriage to Will “Pa” Rainey in 1904. They toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and later formed their own group, Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues. Her first recording was made in 1923. In the following five years, she made over 100 recordings. Touring until 1935, she then largely retired from performing and continued as a theater impresario in her hometown of Columbus, Georgia, until her death four years later.“
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 14, 2026: Victor Vodnik #38 of the Colorado Rockies throws a pitch during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
He still averages 98.5 mph with his four-seam fastball. He produces ground balls at one of the highest rates in baseball. His slider has become a legitimate weapon, and hitters have not spent the year driving everything he throws into the gaps.
Yet through July 9, Vodnik owns a 5.72 ERA in 28.1 innings. He has allowed 31 hits and issued a staggering 19 walks, leaving him with almost as many free passes as strikeouts.
The obvious story is that Vodnik has struggled.
The more useful one is that the shape of those struggles has changed. His recent improvement looks less like a complete fix than a pitcher finding better ways to survive the problems that remain.
Elite velocity, ordinary fastball results
Vodnik’s four-seamer supplies the first contradiction.
Its average velocity ranks in the 96th percentile, but the pitch has generated only a 20.4% whiff rate and a 15.2% strikeout rate. Hitters are batting .333 against it, although a .251 expected average and .386 expected slugging percentage suggest the actual results have been somewhat harsher than the quality of contact.
The movement profile helps explain why velocity alone has not been enough.
Vodnik’s fastball has 12.6 inches of induced vertical break, 3.2 inches below the average of comparable four-seamers. It also has less arm-side movement than similar pitches. This is not a fastball combining elite speed with elite carry.
It has elite speed, but ordinary shape.
That puts more pressure on location and sequencing. When Vodnik commands it, the velocity can still overwhelm hitters. When he does not, they have generally been able to put it in play.
The slider has become the foundation
The best development in Vodnik’s season is the slider.
He has increased its usage from 12.8% in 2025 to 26.9% this year, and hitters have managed a .174 average and .217 slugging percentage against it. The pitch has produced a 36.2% whiff rate, a .179 expected average and a .214 expected slugging percentage.
It is also his only positive pitch by run value.
Vodnik’s slider is not a wide sweeper. At 88.5 mph, it has only 2.3 inches of glove-side movement, less than comparable sliders. Its defining feature is depth: it drops nearly five inches more than similar pitches.
The shape remains compact before falling late beneath the barrel.
This is not an entirely new pitch. Its spin direction, active-spin rate and overall movement were similar last season. It is about one mph harder, but the larger change is trust.
Vodnik has more than doubled its usage and increasingly allowed the slider to organize the at-bat.
That has been especially visible lately. On July 2 against the Miami Marlins, he threw seven sliders and five fastballs, using the breaking ball to generate three harmless balls in play. On July 5 against the San Francisco Giants, he threw the slider 40% of the time and used it for both strikeouts.
Four days later, the fastball produced all three of his strikeouts.
Those are different routes through an inning, which is encouraging for a pitcher who spent much of the first half without a dependable one.
The pitch Vodnik lost
The slider’s emergence has been necessary because Vodnik’s changeup has moved in the opposite direction.
Even across uneven and sometimes limited big-league samples, the changeup had been his most dependable offering. It produced positive run value in each of his first three seasons: +1 in 2023, +5 in 2024 and +4 last year.
In 2025, hitters batted .109 and slugged .130 against it while missing on 44.2% of their swings.
This season, the changeup has fallen to minus-two runs. Hitters are batting .250 and slugging .550 against it, and its whiff rate has dropped to 25.6%.
Vodnik has allowed only three home runs all year. Two have come against the changeup, despite the pitch representing just 17% of his usage.
The pitch itself has been gradually changing.
In 2023, Vodnik’s changeup averaged 88.9 mph with 34.6 inches of total drop. It now averages 92.5 mph and drops 28.5 inches. The velocity gap from his four-seamer has narrowed from 8.2 mph to six.
For the first time in his career, the changeup produces less drop than comparable pitches while generating more arm-side run. In his first three seasons, that relationship was reversed.
The pitch has not lost movement. It has redirected it.
It is harder, runnier and less depth-oriented. The changeup may still follow the fastball convincingly out of Vodnik’s hand, but it no longer creates the same late downward separation.
The contact supports the concern. Average exit velocity against it has increased from 84.1 mph to 91.3, while average launch angle has jumped from minus-15 degrees to 14.
Hitters are no longer rolling it over. They are lifting it.
The misses were not identical. One was extremely firm and centered. The other stayed high and never got beneath the barrel.
Both remained on hittable planes.
The walks explain the innings
The changeup is part of Vodnik’s regression, but it does not explain every poor outing.
He did not throw a changeup during his five-run appearance against the San Diego Padres on April 23. The Padres still put four balls in play, collected four hits and hit three of them hard.
More broadly, Vodnik has not allowed much extra-base damage. Among his 31 hits are six doubles, no triples and three home runs.
The better explanation is 19 walks.
On May 12 in Pittsburgh against the Pirates, Vodnik allowed three singles and a walk while recording two outs. None of the hits went for extra bases, but the inning became crowded, a run scored and he left with the bases loaded.
Six days later against the Texas Rangers, a leadoff double was followed by consecutive walks. Vodnik departed without recording an out, and all three runners eventually scored.
The expected metrics soften his 5.72 ERA, but they do not erase the underlying problem. Vodnik owns a 4.46 xERA and a solid 36% hard-hit rate, but his 5.03 xFIP remains poor.
Major-league pitchers are striking out roughly 22.0% of hitters and walking about 8.9%, a difference of 13.1 percentage points. Vodnik sits at 16.8% and 14.5%, a gap of only 2.3 percentage points.
Ground balls can clean up some traffic. They cannot be expected to clean up all of it.
Surviving the walks
Vodnik’s recent improvement has come since returning from the 15-day injured list on June 15. He had missed nearly a month with right ulnar nerve inflammation and made two scoreless rehab appearances with Triple-A Albuquerque before rejoining the Rockies.
Over his last seven appearances, Vodnik has allowed one earned run on five hits in 9 2/3 innings, good for a 0.93 ERA and 0.93 WHIP.
The walks have not disappeared. He has issued four during that stretch, but he has also struck out six and avoided the clustered contact that buried several of his earlier outings.
On June 22, he opened consecutive innings with walks. The first was erased by a double play. After the second, Vodnik retired three straight hitters on a groundout, flyout and groundout.
On July 5, a two-out walk was followed by a groundout. On July 9, another two-out walk was followed by a strikeout.
That final appearance was his most encouraging. Vodnik struck out three hitters over 1 2/3 scoreless innings, generating four whiffs on 10 fastball swings. For one outing, nearly 99 mph produced the results its velocity promises.
He still needed 34 pitches to record five outs and issued another walk.
That is the difference between stabilization and restoration.
Vodnik is finishing innings better without consistently starting them better. He has limited the multi-run damage, leaned into the slider and occasionally found enough fastball command to create his own exits.
The walk remains waiting for the next single.
A full recovery would require more strikes, fewer free passes and either a restored changeup or a clearer fastball-slider identity that does not depend on it.
For now, Vodnik has found better ways through innings.
The Isotopes fell to 46-45 after being routed 10-0 by the Space Cowboys, who improved to 43-47.
Sugar Land scored all 10 runs in the first three innings, putting up three in the first, four in the second and three in the third. Mason Green, whose ERA rose to 6.02, allowed seven runs over two innings. Eiberson Castellano gave up three runs over four innings and now carries a 4.15 ERA.
Albuquerque managed only four hits, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and struck out 11 times. Charlie Condon supplied the lone offensive bright spot, going 2-for-4 to raise his average to .289 with a .998 OPS. Victor Juarez finished with two scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 17.05.
Hartford took control early and never gave Binghamton much room to recover, scoring seven runs between the second and fifth innings on the way to a 7-2 win.
Jack O’Dowd reached three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Across his first 10 Double-A games, he is hitting .275 with a .912 OPS. Roc Riggio went 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs, two stolen bases and his 21st double, raising his season line to a .256 average and .867 OPS.
Braylen Wimmer led the offense with three hits and two RBI, while Andy Perez also drove in two runs.
On the mound, Jack Mahoney allowed two runs, only one earned, on four hits over 7 2/3 innings, striking out nine and walking one. He improved to 5-1 with a 1.98 ERA.
Hartford improved to 46-38, while Binghamton fell to 31-54. The Yard Goats finished with nine hits, drew seven walks, stole four bases and went 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
Eugene buried Spokane with a six-run first inning and never gave up control, handing the Indians a 9-4 loss.
Ethan Hedges provided the main offensive highlight for Spokane, going 2-for-4 with his ninth home run and two RBI. He is now hitting .272 with a .763 OPS. Kelvin Hidalgo also had two hits, including his 11th double, and drove in a run.
The Indians managed only five hits and went 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Lebarron Johnson Jr. allowed seven runs, six earned, on nine hits over three innings and fell to 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA.
Eugene finished with 14 hits and went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Dakota Jordan led the way with four hits, three home runs and four RBI.
The Grizzlies improved to 46-39 with a 9-2 win over the Ports, who fell to 37-48.
Fresno jumped ahead with three runs in the first inning and added four more across the final two frames. Wilder Dalis led the offense, going 3-for-4 with his seventh home run, his 14th double, five RBI and two runs scored. He is now hitting .278 with an .862 OPS.
Cameron Nelson also homered, his sixth of the season, while Luis Mendez added his second.
Brady Parker allowed two runs on three hits over six innings, striking out eight and walking four. He improved to 5-3 with a 4.52 ERA.
Fresno finished with seven hits, drew seven walks and struck out nine times. Stockton managed seven hits but went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and struck out 14 times.
In some draft-day reading, Sports Illustrated’s Wesley Dixon makes the case for Tyler Bell at No. 10, citing his polished approach, switch-hitting bat and defensive flexibility. Dixon views Bell as a natural second-base fit who could grow alongside Hunter Goodman, Ethan Holliday, Charlie Condon and Zac Veen.
In MLB Pipeline’s final mock draft, Jonathan Mayo sends Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia to the Rockies at No. 10, while Jim Callis projects Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell. Both expect Roch Cholowsky to go first overall, with the top four likely falling Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, Vahn Lackey and Jackson Flora before the draft becomes far less predictable.
Purple Row also asked readers who they thought the Rockies would take with the No. 10 pick. The poll is now closed, but the comments are full of draft-day predictions, preferred targets and plenty of debate over what Colorado’s new front office should prioritize.
The 2026 MLB Draft has come and gone, with the two-day event concluding on Sunday night. The Seminoles had seven players taken in this year’s draft, headlined by second-round selections Wes Mendes and Myles Bailey. FSU lost its entire weekend rotation from a season ago, but did not lose RHP John Abraham or OF Brody DeLamielleure, as neither was picked.
On the high school front, two of Florida State’s best high school recruits, Landon Thome and Kaden Waechter, had their names called in the second round, and it would be unlikely that either would make it to campus.
As always, players do not have to sign when they are drafted and can elect to go/return to school. This year’s signing deadline is Monday, July 27.
2026 MLB Draft: Florida State players, prospects selected
Bolded players have signed
No. 34: INF Landon Thome (HS), Chicago White Sox
No. 55: RHP Kaden Waechter (HS), San Francisco Giants
No. 57: LHP Wes Mendes, Houston Astros
No. 75: 1B Myles Bailey, Chicago Cubs
No. 88: OF Brayden Dowd, Arizona Diamondbacks
No. 147: LHP Trey Beard, Miami Marlins
No. 198: RHP Bryson Moore, Pittsburgh Pirates
No. 353 RHP Cole Stokes, Tampa Bay Rays
No. 362 RHP Brodie Purcell, Cincinnati Reds
No. 473: RHP Alex Philpott (Portal), Tampa Bay Rays
2026 MLB Draft: Florida State draft-eligible players
Draft day 2026 has arrived! And it is a big one for the Cardinals. With six picks in the top 100, they are set to provide a huge shot in the arm to an already excellent farm system. Like many of you, I have been consuming an unhealthy amount of mock drafts, scouting reports, and podcasts to make sure I am fully prepared for the big day. Well, the day is here and no one really knows what the Cardinals will do. That’s OK, all part of the fun! I’m going to spend most of this article making the case for why I expect the Cardinals to shock people with their first pick and highlighting some slightly lesser-known prospects that I think they will target. Before we get to the chaos, let’s set the scene.
Details to Know
Day 1 – Rounds 1-4
Time: Saturday, July 11th at 12:00 p.m. CT
Location: Philadelphia, PA
How to watch:
Picks 1-10: NBC/Peacock
Picks 11-40: MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Picks: 41-135: MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Day 2 – Rounds 5-20
Time: Sunday, July 12th at 10:30 a.m. CT
How to watch:
MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+
Cardinal Considerations
Bonus Pool: $16,612,300 (6th largest)
Day 1 Picks:
Pick 13: $5,661,300
Pick 32: $3,044,600
Pick 50: $1,982,700
Pick 68: $1,285,500
Pick 72: $1,174,300
Pick 86: $943,600
Pick 114: $684,300
That is a lot of talent that will be on the way to joining the organization by days end! The industry consensus is that they will target bats early in the draft. They have also been linked to some of the highest-upside and toolsy players in the class.
Today, I want to quickly walk through the “expected” scenario for how the top of the draft will play out and what the Cardinals are projected to do with the 13th overall pick. The 2026 draft class is seen as extremely deep, particularly with the high school class, but there is less differentiation at the top outside of the top three players.
What are the Cardinals expected to do at pick 13?
Alright, twelve teams pick before the Cardinals. The consensus options at the top of the draft can be loosely grouped into four tiers.
Tier 1
At this point, it would be a surprise if Roch Cholowsky (Shortstop, UCLA), Grady Emerson (SS, Fort Worth Christian HS), and Vahn Lackey (C, Georgia Tech) were not picked in some combination at the top three spots; none of them will drop to the Cardinals. I suppose the only intrigue would be one of them falling out of the top three picks and creating a more chaotic domino effect that catches teams off guard.
Tier 2
Eric Booth (OF, Oak Grove HS), Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep HS), and Jackson Flora (RHP, UC Santa Barbara) are generally considered to be the next tier of players available. It would be a huge surprise if any of these players fell all the way to pick 13.
Tier 3
Drew Burress (OF, Georgia Tech), Tyler Bell (SS, Kentucky), Ryder Helfrick (C, Arkansas), and Derek Curiel (OF, LSU) arguably make up the final distinct tier of players that are most often mocked ahead of the Cardinals.
Tier 4
I think it is entirely possible that one of the players in the top three tiers slides to the 13th pick, but if they don’t things are wide open. The top college hitters on the board would be Justin Lebron (SS, Alabama), Chris Hacopian (2B, Texas A&M), Ace Reese (3B, Mississippi St.), and AJ Gracia (OF, Virginia).
On the college pitching side, Cameron Flukey (RHP, Coastal Carolina), Hunter Dietz (LHP, Arkansas), Liam Peterson (RHP, Florida), Tegan Kuhns (RHP, Tennessee), and Mason Edwards (LHP, USC) are all first-round candidates that the Cardinals could be considering.
If the Cardinals are set on a high school hitter, Trevor Condon (Etowah HS), and Jared Grindlinger (OF/LHP, Huntington Beach) are the two players most often being mocked to the Cardinals.
The Cardinals are not going to take a high school pitcher with their first pick, but for the sake of completeness, Gio Rojas (LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS), Logan Schmidt (RHP, Ganesha HS), and Coleman Borthwick (RHP, South Walton HS) are all potential first-rounders.
Why the Cardinals Might go Off Script
OK, so I trust the Cardinals front office. If one of the above players is the pick at 13, I won’t be upset. BUT, I really think they will go a different direction than the consensus with their first pick. If you are picking at the top of the draft, sure, you take the best player available. This is what the Cardinals have done the last two years with Wetherholt and Doyle. When you get toward the middle of the first round, there are essentially no “sure things,” so there is more incentive to take risks. This dynamic is even more true for the Cardinals this season because this is a deep draft and they have a bevy of extra picks to deploy. They can take a risk-maxing approach because they don’t have to hit on every pick. They need to maximize their chances of finding a superstar.
Just to illustrate my point about the 13th pick not being a sure thing, I pulled in all players drafted between picks 11-15 in the history of the draft, as well as their associated bWAR. About 2% of players picked in this range turn in Hall of Fame-caliber careers (Max Scherzer, Manny Ramirez, Chase Utley, Chris Sale). A 90th percentile outcome is a 20 WAR career. Think Matt Morris, who was picked 12th overall in 1995. Obviously, we would all take that, but we are talking about a one-in-ten chance. An 80th percentile outcome takes us down to players like Khalil Greene and Hunter Renfroe. The median, or 50th percentile, outcome? Zero career WAR. Less than half the players picked between 11-15 have had any impact at the major league level.
All of that is not to diminish the value of the pick, but just to illustrate that even getting a starting-caliber player out of this slot is a huge win.
What would a Risk-On draft look like?
So, if the Cardinals embrace chaos and swing for the metaphorical fences, what might that look like and which players might they target?
We have some good reference points to triangulate what Chaim Bloom and Randy Flores will be targeting in the draft. Looking at Randy Flores’ track record running things, the way the Red Sox ran their drafts when Bloom was in charge, and the types of players the Cardinals have targeted since Bloom arrived (both before and after his official POBA elevation), we can use some deductive reasoning to identify players they will and will not target.
Don’t be surprised if…
The Cardinals do not go after premium high school pitchers
Under Flores, the Cardinals have had 32 picks in the top 100 and have drafted a high school pitcher one time, Tink Hence in 2020. Chaim Bloom drafted zero high school pitchers in the first 100 picks while with the Red Sox and one overall. I know it is supposed to be a banner year for high school pitchers, but I will be shocked if the Cardinals take a high school pitcher within their first six picks.
The Cardinals go under-slot at pick 13
In three of the four Chaim Bloom-led drafts with the Red Sox, players were signed well below slot. Twice, the Sox came completely out of left field to draft players ranked well out of the first-round range. The only time Bloom played it straight was when the Red Sox had the fourth overall pick and selected Marcelo Mayer.
The Cardinals go after multiple high school power bats
Again, referring back to Chaim’s Boston days, the Red Sox had 11 top 100 picks and used eight of them on high school position players. That is 72% of total picks used on this specific demographic when the rest of the league selected this demographic 21% of the time.
The pattern was consistent, the Red Sox used their top selection on a polished high schooler with a relatively high floor (Marcelo Mayer, Nick Yorke, and Mikey Romero), and then turned their attention to high volatility riskier picks further down in the draft. The archetype of the players that were targeted was fairly consistent: Big-time power, strike-zone judgment or the ability to recognize spin, some swing-and-miss concerns, and little attention paid to defensive value.
I would argue that Ryan Mitchell, the Cardinals’ second-round pick last season, reinforces Bloom’s preference for zone discipline. The Cardinals didn’t have the picks and budget last year to pick multiple high schoolers, so they chose to go with a relatively lower risk prospect in Mitchell.
The Cardinals continue to focus on college pitchers with big fastballs
This prediction is pretty obvious and won’t be controversial. Last season, the Cardinals took two of the best fastballs in the draft in Liam Doyle and Tanner Franklin. Without a chance to go after a pitcher of Doyle’s caliber, I would expect the first ten rounds to be full of big fastball college pitchers.
In my opinion, the Cardinals’ central focus for the draft will be prep bats. There are a ton of options out there, but to narrow it down, I focused on players that have great power potential, control the strike zone, and have some projectability remaining. I think traits that are relatively de-emphasized in the high school profile Bloom prefers are pure hitting ability, contact, defense, and speed. Obviously, everyone prefers that a player have all of these tools, but if there are some you think are easier to develop or harder to project, you would certainly weight those a bit lower.
Here is the list of top-100 range prospects that I think most closely fit their target profile.
High School Bats to Watch
Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal HS
MLB Pipeline Rank: 21
Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability
Lowrance is listed at 6’5” and 205 pounds and still has a ton of room to fill out. He has the power and projectability that the Cardinals crave as one of the highest-upside players in the draft. The thing that sets Lowrance apart from some of the other power-hitting prepsters is his solid hit tool. He has good control of the strike zone and makes enough contact to project as an average hit tool. Due to his size, he is expected to end up at a corner infield or outfield position.
Lowrance was ranked in the 30s and 40s most of the year, but has been climbing as the draft approaches. FanGraphs ranks him as the seventh best player in the class and multiple mocks have him tied to the Padres at 21, so the Cardinals may have to use their first pick on him if he is their top target.
The top third basemen in the 2026 MLB Draft class:
(Overall rank) • 12) Ace Reese, Miss. State • 38) Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal HS (🎥) • 97) Daniel Cuvet, Miami • 105) Camden Johnson, Oklahoma • 106) Eric Guevara, Auburn
Clark is seen as one of the best pure hitters in the high school class. He has great command of the strike zone and a good feel for barreling up the baseball. He is not a guarantee to stick at short, but is a good athlete and still has projection remaining. His profile overall comes off as a little boring, but he strikes me as someone that could fit as an under-slot option at 13 or even 32.
VOLUME UP.
St. John Bosco shortstop James Clark (@James_Clark_22) showcasing the bat speed we’ve raved about. One of the buzziest names in SoCal this spring. Pretty clear why. Can play anywhere on the diamond. Very clear first round tools. pic.twitter.com/6PIMUmQ002
Why he might be a fit: Zone control, projectability
Comeau is young for his class as he does not turn 18 until August. At 6’4” and 180 pounds, there is some power projection, but he already has one of the best plate approaches in the draft. He has a gorgeous left-handed swing that looks effortless but has still produced an excellent max exit velocity of around 110 MPH. Comeau is not expected to stick at shortstop, but he is considered a good athlete that should be able to stay on the infield. The Cardinals have long had a preference for players that were young for their class. Despite not having the present power of some of his classmates, the combination of offensive polish and projectability could make Comeau a perfect under-slot option at 13.
Connor Comeau, first-round sleeper?
The Texas prep SS is one of 10 candidates we could see rising draft boards by July.
Yes, Landon is the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome. Landon has an above-average hit tool to go along with above-average raw power. He is not a lock to stick at shortstop, but he has solid tools across the board. Pretty much every scouting report mentions how fast his hands are and how well he gets to his pull-side power. He has had some issues with swing and miss, but if the Cardinals believe in his power, this might not be a deal breaker. The Cardinals could surely go under-slot if they took Thome at 13, or try to float him to one of their later picks with an over-slot bonus.
— Prep Baseball Illinois (@PrepBaseballIL) June 3, 2026
Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)
MLB Pipeline Rank: 63
Why he might be a fit: Power and projectability
Bowen is a former football player with massive raw power as evidenced by his 113.8 MPH max EV at the MLB draft combine. Standing from the right side of the plate, he already has the look of a hulking slugger. Despite a 6’3”, 215 pound frame, Bowen also has above-average speed and a chance to stick in center field. His hit tool, both in terms of swing decisions and contact, is not as advanced, so he is an extremely risky profile. Still, this is the exact type of high-upside hitter I would expect the Cardinals to take a shot or two at. He is ranked in the 60 to 70 range by most outlets, so if the Cardinals do like him, they should have multiple opportunities to pick him.
2026 California high schooler Blake Bowen launched a walk-off homer last night 💣
Roberts is ranked a little further down the board, but he has some of the best tools in the class with plus power and speed. He is listed at 6’5” and 220 pounds and looks like he could fill out even more. He has touched 94 off the mound, so he could profile as a right fielder if he does not stick in center. As a final bonus, he is one of the younger players in the draft class as he does not turn 18 until the end of July.
The knock on Roberts is that he is incredibly raw and may not hit enough to leverage his otherwise brilliant tools. He is from the same high school as Konnor Griffin, so I thought it would be interesting to compare their strikeout rates. Griffin struck out 6% of the time his senior season while popping nine home runs. Roberts struck out in 17% of his plate appearances while hitting ten home runs.
It might be a stretch to include Roberts in potential Cardinals targets, but his profile is interesting enough that I thought he was worth mentioning.
Kevin Roberts Jr. is arguably the most physically gifted athlete in the 2026 HS Draft Class.
He stands 6'5"/220 and has D1 offers in 4 different sports. The 17-year-old has reached EVs of up to 112 MPH with wood, has hit multiple balls over 450 FT, and runs a 6.35-6.38 60 yd. pic.twitter.com/aqoT0wqpnZ
Martin Shelar, not to be confused with Martin Shkreli, has arguably the best raw power among high schoolers in the draft. The right-handed batter blasted 19 home runs this spring and topped out at 115.5 MPH max exit velocity at the combine. To go with the prodigious power, Shelar has above-average speed and arm strength to project as a good outfield defender. So why does he rank outside the top 100 on most draft boards? Shelar deploys a violent uppercut swing that some scouts worry will not translate to pro ball. Despite the swing, Shelar has not yet struggled to make contact at the high school level. If you believe in the hit tool and contact ability at all, Shelar could land much higher in the draft than currently projected.
I won’t go as deep on the pitching side, but I do want to highlight a handful of the best fastballs in the draft that are not expected to go in the first round. The Cardinals have not been shy about targeting top-tier fastballs, even if there is a high degree of relief risk or injury history.
Hunting Fastballs
Cal Randall, RHP, UCLA (CA)
MLB Pipeline Rank: 218
Randall is like an extreme version of Tanner Franklin. He has worked exclusively out of the bullpen in his three years at UCLA and was second in the nation in strikeout percentage at 44.2%. He racked up these strikeouts by throwing one of the best fastballs in the nation 89% of the time. That is just absurd. Getting that much swing and miss when every batter knows what is coming is just hard to believe. Randall works his riding, high spin fastball in the upper 90s while topping out over 100 MPH. The pitch is delivered from a low release point with induced vertical break that has been over 20 inches at times.
As you probably have guessed, he struggles with control, walking over five per nine each year of his career, and does not have any secondaries that grade out even close to average. At 6’4” and 235 pounds, he has a starter’s build. If the Cardinals, or any team, think they can teach him control and a secondary pitch, he could be a high priority target.
Arguably the best fastball in this year's draft belongs to UCLA's Cal Randall. Sits 98-100, nearly 7 ft extension, above avg carry, low launch (-4.0 VAA)… Hard to draw up a better heater.
Hard slider is underdeveloped but the key to him becoming a shutdown MLB reliever. pic.twitter.com/mJlM59lGoH
If Randall is too safe and boring for you, Wiggins ups the ante even further. He has thrown a total of 14 college innings at Arkansas before an elbow injury and internal brace surgery wiped out the rest of his 2025 season and all of 2026. Despite the obvious warts, Wiggins has one of the best fastballs in the class. He was up to 99 MPH as a high school senior and hit 102 in his brief cameo at Arkansas. MLB pipeline slapped an 80 grade on the pitch. Wiggins was able to get back and throwing for the combine and topped out at 97. Coming out of high school, Wiggins’ slider graded out as above average, but he dealt with spotty command.
Carson Wiggins threw 15 pitches during a mound session at the Draft Combine after missing game action in 2026.
MLB's No. 84 prospect (@RazorbackBSB) dialed up his first three fastballs at 96+ mph — topping out at 97.4 — and averaged 2,719 RPMs on his curveball: pic.twitter.com/GkW83O4LFj
Nachtsheim’s fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s while topping out at 97 MPH. The fastball velocity is solid, but it is the shape that makes it one of the top pitches in the draft. He cuts and rides the pitch to generate a very unique movement profile that he leaned on to strike out 125 batters in just 85 innings at McNeese State. Nachtsheim started eight games this spring, after pitching in relief for most of the last two years. None of his secondaries are even average, but he does have a slider, curveball, and changeup. Beyond the excellent fastball, another reason to keep an eye on Nachtsheim is that he is one of the top college seniors in the draft. If the Cardinals really like his fastball and/or need to go under-slot on an early pick, he could be an excellent choice.
Alright, so if I am going to be wrong in my prediction, I might as well get super specific.
I think the Cardinals are going to prioritize and target both Blake Bowen and Martin Shelar on the hitter side between picks 50 and 86. This would give the Cardinals two of the highest-ceiling power bats in the draft and give them multiple shots on goal for a middle-of-the-order hitter.
We are committed now, so we might as well keep shooting for the moon and we need to take a shot at an elite arm. Carson Wiggins is our guy. He gives the Cardinals a Doyle/Franklin tier fastball without having to use a top pick. Sure he has an insanely risky profile, but the Cardinals essentially paid the Red Sox $20M for Brandon Clarke last offseason, so don’t put it past them!
Wiggins is a draft-eligible sophomore and Bowen and Shelar will require big signing bonuses as high schoolers, so this is going to be expensive… The best route is to take an under-slot college player at 13 to save some money, right? WRONG! We still need one more prep bat on Day 1. We can knock out both the savings and the prep bat objective with…
Pick 13: Connor Comeau, SS, L. C. Anderson HS (TX)
The Cardinals will turn to a high floor and under-slot prep bat. Comeau is the best of both worlds with a relatively polished profile, but also a ton of projection left. With more of a second-round projection, I would think he could be signed for close to the maximum 25% discount and give the Cardinals an additional $1.4M to take a real risk later on.
So, at this point, we are looking at something like:
Pick 13: Connor Comeau, SS, L. C. Anderson HS (TX)
Pick 32: $3,044,600
Pick 50: Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic HS (CA)
Pick 68: $1,285,500
Pick 72: Martin Shelar, OF, Marist School (GA)
Pick 86: Carson Wiggins, RHP, Arkansas (AR)
Pick 114: $684,300
From here, you still have three top picks to fill in with your favorite college bat or college arm to do a little derisking at picks 32, 68, and 114.
There you have it! I hope everyone has a solid six hours carved out today to follow the draft and celebrate the next iterations of Cardinals prospects to dream on. Go Cards!
