The 2026 MLB Draft is just over a month away, with most players — college and high school alike — already done with their seasons. Teams are actively meeting with and holding workouts for prospects, and the Draft Combine is right around the corner. In this mock draft, we'll forecast the first 40 picks, complete with analysis and team-by-team reasoning.
Each pick includes a link to the player's full Prospect Porch scouting profile — click on their name to dive deeper into their reports, grades, stats, and more.
Cholowsky has been the consensus favorite to be the pick here for a while, though the gap between him, Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey seems to have closed notably. There's been rumors of the Sox leaning towards one of those two over the UCLA shortstop, but it's still hard to see them passing on Roch's toolset. This is one of the higher floor college bats you'll come across: a strong track record of offensive performance and the chance to be a 70-grade glove at the next level. The White Sox also did their due-diligence on Jacob Lombard this spring, so he could be the under-slot name to keep an eye on.
With Cholowsky off the board, Emerson and Lackey are the frontrunners to be the selection here. The Rays love distinguished hit tools, and would be getting the best in the prep class in Texas prep Grady Emerson, who features a pretty rare blend of floor and upside. Tyler Bell is an under-slot deal that has been getting thrown around by other people, one that makes sense given he was selected by the Rays 66th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft, and could give them more spending power at pick number 33. It's still a long shot.
It's most probable that Minnesota scoops up whichever of Cholowsky, Emerson, or Lackey falls to them, and Lackey is probably the most likely out of that group to end up at 3. The Twins would still be getting who some consider the best player in this entire draft class, and one of the most dynamic catching prospects we've seen in recent years.
You've probably seen Jacob Lombard going to the Giants in most other mocks, and it's for good reason. They were the team that scouted him the heaviest this spring, and it seems like he's the most likely to go here if the three names picked before him aren't still on the board. I'm sure San Francisco would love one of Cholowsky, Emerson, or Lackey to fall into their laps at 4, that just doesn't happen in this scenario. You're shooting for the moon here with Lombard, a guy with legit franchise cornerstone upside, but also someone that could struggle to hit their way out of double-A.
The Pirates will have a good amount of options to pick from here. Jackson Flora is a name that is most heavily tied to them, but someone like Drew Burress could make some sense for the club's competitive window. He might have pound-for-pound the best raw power in the country, with a real chance to stick in center field at the next level. A name like Eric Booth Jr. could also get some consideration.
If Flora makes it to 6, it would be hard to see the Royals passing on by far and away the best pitching prospect in this class. There's a number of other ways they could go with this pick, Eric Booth Jr. is laden with upside and is the best position player still left on the board. The Royals have also been named as a potential under-slot landing spot for someone like Gio Rojas.
Tyler Bell has hit his way into the second tier of college bats, and makes sense here with the Orioles at number 7 given they're a team that has prioritized getting offensive value early on. They also lack much organizational depth on the dirt, for what it's worth. Similar to almost every team in this 4-10 range, Eric Booth Jr. could also get some consideration.
The Athletics get the best player on the board in Oak Grove outfielder Eric Booth Jr., one of the top high school bats in the class with elite speed, strong contact skills, and above-average raw power. College bats like Ryder Helfrick, Derek Curiel, and Chris Hacopian among others could also make some sense.
The Braves scouted Rojas well this spring, and could be saving some pool money by selecting him here at number 9 to use at pick 26. It's been reported by others that they love Drew Burress, but he's long gone in this scenario.
It's hard to pin down where the Rockies could ultimately go, though a college bat seems most likely just given the range they are picking in. Helfrick has been a big riser this spring, someone whose bat-to-ball skills have jumped multiple grades, and he's still showcasing plus raw power paired with a plus defensive package behind the dish.
Grindlinger seems to be THE name heavily connected to the Nationals, one of the more interesting players in this draft class given he could legitimately pitch and hit at the next level, and he'll also be just 17.2 on draft day. He had a strong finish to his spring season, and likely won't fall far out of this range.
The Angels are naturally going to be connected to fast-moving college players, and Curiel is as good a bet as any in this class to hit at the next level. He also plays a strong center field, with raw power that has progressively improved over his two years at LSU. Names like Cole Carlon, Cameron Flukey, Hunter Dietz or any other top college arm could make sense here.
Gracia is a high floor college option that seems likely to land in this 10-20 pick range. The Cardinals could end up going a multiple of different ways here, but drafting a top college outfielder surely isn't a bad route. Curiel could make sense if he makes it here, Sawyer Strosnider as well depending on their appetite for risk.
Hacopian slides a bit in this mock draft, but he's undoubtedly one of the more complete offensive packages in the 2026 class. While the profile may not be littered with secondary tools, Hacopian's combination of bat-to-ball skills, pitch selection, and contact quality is pretty unmatched, especially when considering he's put up pretty similar metrics across the board for multiple years. His floor is likely somewhere around this range.
Condon is a firecracker, top-of-the-order type player who will likely end up going somewhere in the middle of the first round. You'll see him connected to the Diamondbacks plenty given their affinity for taking undersized prep hitters early on in the draft. Condon's uptick in game power this spring is something to keep an eye on.
Lebron is a weird one because he has teams that like him as high as inside the top 10, but there's also teams scouting him in the 20s (like the Padres) who assume he might be someone who falls to them given his hit tool risk. The Rangers have swung for some upside in recent drafts, and would (obviously) be doing the same here in selecting Lebron. He's started trending up as of late due to a strong regional and super regional performance, but I wouldn't put too much stock into it, given he was mostly facing mid-major arms.
The Astros seem to be connected to college bats like Justin Lebron, Aiden Robbins etc., and would be taking the best one on the board in Strosnider. This is also a team known for hunting power upside and athletic traits, both of which Strosnider has.
Kuhns could realistically go anywhere in the middle of this first round, but the Reds feel like a solid landing spot. He'll grade out well on models due to his underlying fastball metrics, plus strike-throwing and ability to generate chase. People who like him will argue that he is the second best college arm in this class after Jackson Flora.
Flukey wasn't great when coming back from a stress fracture, but given his track-record, stuff and ability to fill up the zone, it's hard for me to see him falling very far. Most people have connected the Guardians to college arms, with Flukey being the best on the board. One of the top college lefties could also make sense here.
Lowrance is mentioned as a tough sign away from Virginia, but seems more and more like someone who could fit inside the first round, particularly in this 15-30 pick range. He's been tied to plenty of teams, including the Red Sox. Cole Carlon or Hunter Dietz could also make sense here.
If there's a team that would be willing to pull the trigger on Bumila this early, it's the Padres, an organization that is pretty well-known for drafting high upside prep talent, particularly high school lefties. This is also supposedly the floor for Justin Lebron and Gio Rojas.
Peterson is a pretty polarizing prospect, with maybe the best pure stuff in the college class but some relief risk as well. It's still likely that a team in the middle of the first round pulls the trigger on him given he has front-line upside. Even if this isn't necessarily what Detroit has targeted in recent drafts, they opt for the best available name here.
Reese is one of the premier corner bats available in the class, with pretty elite feel for the fat part of the bat. The Cubs have been tied to both college arms and bats, and could end up going either route depending on who's available. Names like Cole Carlon and Hunter Dietz make some sense, and the Cubs have also been connected to Louisville outfielder Zion Rose, who is originally from Illinois.
Carlon could really go ten spots higher than this and it would be a surprise to no one. He does come with some reliever risk, but handled starting duties better than expected this year, and throws enough strikes. He's up to 101 mph with one of the better breaking balls in the country. It would be exciting to see someone with his talent work their way into a Mariner PD system that is great with developing pitching.
Daniel Jackson has been a late riser in this college class, putting up a golden spikes worthy 2026 campaign. The Brewers have targeted power-over-hit bats like Jackson (e.g. Andrew Fischer and Blake Burke) in recent drafts. Someone like Logan Schmidt makes plenty of sense here too.
The Braves have the pool money to supplement the slide of Hunter Dietz, someone who has a chance to be the second college arm off the board following Jackson Flora. Though he does come with some medical issues, the combination of stuff and polish is first round worthy.
My gut tells me that Marchand won't make it far out of the first round, if at all. It feels like a team is going to buy in on his toolset no matter how funky the swing may look. The Mets are a team that hunts upside, and could be one of his first legitimate landing spots.
Reddemann was getting top 15 pick buzz before an arm injury that caused him to miss the rest of the 2026 season, leaving some skepticism on where he'll ultimately go on draft day. The Astros have been mostly connected with a college player at this pick.
The Giants' spending power will likely afford them the luxury of grabbing one of the top prep arms in the class here at pick 29, with most connecting them to Carson Bolemon, the most polished of them all. Names like Coleman Borthwick and Logan Schmidt could also make sense.
Robbins comes with plenty of questions of his own, but you can't deny the production he's put up this year against SEC competition. Whiff concerns and some believing he'll almost 100% end up in a corner could lead him to slip later than this.
The Diamondbacks could really go in any direction at this pick. Schmidt is a strong, durable left-hander up into the mid-90s with polish evident in his game.
The Cardinals will likely take a prep bat in this spot. They supposedly like names like Connor Comeau and Luke Williams who both make sense. Horn is a better-rounded player than both, and someone who could get signed away from his Stanford commitment inside the top 40 picks.
The Rays love their hitters, and you could make an argument that Prosek has one of the best pure hit tools in the prep class. He's coming off an unbelievable spring where he annihilated Mississippi high school competition, also flashing more power than he did over the summer. Prosek spent some time catching this spring as well, and some people think he may now play there in pro ball.
Borthwick is a name that was a little tougher than expected to place in this mock draft, but the Pirates are still a favorable landing spot given how well they've done with pitching as of late. Borthwick's combination of power and polish make him intriguing.
The Yankees will take big swings. If they believe they can unlock something out of Caden Sorrell, he's sure to be in consideration here, even if the college outfielder with hit risk isn't a favorable demographic.
Radel is a personal favorite in this college pitching class. It may not be the highest ceiling in the world, but the guy is a workhorse with outstanding command and feel for pitching. His ability to generate chase is second to none, paired with an above-average fastball with elite extension. It's hard to see someone passing up on this in the top 40 picks.
Becker has been just alright this year at Virginia, and hasn't really taken any notable steps forward compared to last year. He still features a high floor, and would be a solid value pick for the Rockies here at 37.
Why not give the Rockies a college arm? Ben Blair makes sense when thinking of what could work in Coors Field, a guy who has proven he can generate weak contact on the ground and throw plenty of strikes.
Rabe has skyrocketed up draft boards after dominating down the stretch for an Ole Miss team that is Omaha bound. His combination of elite strike-throwing and power stuff is pretty rare for someone his size, and he could honestly go much higher than this with a strong College World Series.
Rose could go inside the top 30 picks, but he ends up falling to the Dodgers here at the front of the second round. The Dodgers tend to hunt tools, so it also shouldn't come as a surprise if they take a shot on a high-upside prep bat here.