Here are the best picks by round in the 2026 MLB Draft

The 2026 MLB Draft is officially over, and the conversation has shifted from prediction to analysis. The days following the event, which spanned 20 rounds (plus compensatory rounds) and 613 picks, serve as prime real estate to break down your favorite team’s picks and identify some of the best values from the Draft.

On the latest Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo dove into the Draft with their analysis caps on, picking out the best picks from each of the first 10 rounds. Here's their list along with when they were taken and their MLB Pipeline Draft ranking:

Round 1
Gio Rojas, LHP, Rangers, No. 16; ranked No. 8
Mayo: "I don't think the Rangers thought they were going to get him, and they have also not gone the high school pitching route in the first round at all, so I kind of like that they saw this opportunity to get who we consider the best high school arm in the class and one of the best pitchers total at No. 16."

Compensation round
Hunter Dietz, LHP, Yankees, No. 35; ranked No. 17
Callis: "He only pitched 1.2 innings his first two seasons at Arkansas so there wasn't a track record. He had a stress fracture in his elbow that required surgery. It took a lot of time for his velocity to come back, and when he did, he was doing some band work and the anchor came out of the wall and hit him on the head, and that kind of wiped out his sophomore season. But he was great all fall. People were saying that he was the best college left-hander in the 2026 draft, even though he barely pitched to that point. ... I'm just amazed that the Yankees got this guy with the 35th overall pick. I think he's going to be very, very good."

Round 2
Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Cardinals, No. 50; ranked No. 49
Mayo: "Super young player, reclassified, really good defender. He's going to play shortstop for a long time. He was very impressive at the [Draft] Combine, and I think they may have gotten a first-round talent here in the second."

Round 3
Gavin Grahovac, 3B, Angels, No. 81; ranked No. 38
Callis: "He was a part of A&M's College World Series team that went to the finals in 2024. He hit 23 homers as a freshman. Then he got hurt, tore his labrum in his shoulder and missed most of last year. Came back this year, hit 22 homers, some of the best bat speed and raw power you're going to find in the Draft."

Round 4
Will Brick, C, Blue Jays, No. 131; ranked No. 46
Mayo: "He's the best high school catcher in the class. There's power there, he's a really good defender behind the plate. I think what makes it stand out additionally is that the Blue Jays did not have a second-round pick, so to get a talent like Will Brick in the fourth helps offset the fact they didn't have a second-rounder, cause he's at least a second-round talent."

• • Top 100 Prospects
• • Pipeline Podcast
• • Every team's Top 30 prospects
• • Top 30 International Prospects
• • Prospect video
• • Top 10 Prospects by Position:
• • RHP | LHP | C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF
• • Top 100 Prospects archive
• • Midseason Top 100 update

Round 5
Will Gasparino, OF, Phillies, No. 161; ranked No. 72
Callis: "It's an exciting package of tools here. He's 6-foot-6 ... he's very graceful and athletic despite being such a big guy. It's huge raw power, there is swing and miss but he's tightened that up some. If he makes enough contact, it's All-Star-type tools."

Round 6
Kyle Johnson, LHP, Rays, No. 174; ranked No. 150
Mayo: "The numbers don't look pretty, he struggled performance-wise at Virginia, but he had been a two-way player. He's a super athletic left-hander with really, really good raw stuff. To get him in the sixth round, I don't know if he ends up in a bullpen or he's going to start, but the athleticism, the left-handedness, and the premium raw stuff, that's a good get at this point in the Draft."

Round 7
Savion Sims, RHP, Guardians, No. 213; ranked No. 85
Callis: "Talk about guys you could dream on. He's 6-foot-8, 215 pounds. Hits 100 mph with his fastball, does it with ease. This guy's going to get stronger, and he throws without effort. I mean he's probably going to throw 104 one day. It's an amazing arm."

• Subscribe to the MLB Pipeline Newsletter

Round 8
Will Plunkett, SS, Orioles, No. 230; ranked No. 198
Mayo: "Six-foot-three right-handed hitter, it's hit over power. There's definitely strength to come, but it hasn't shown up in games yet. He should be able to play shortstop, there's plenty of arm, there's good actions, the athlete is really good."

Round 9
Martin Shelar, OF, Red Sox, No. 274; ranked No. 175
Callis: "He's got some of the best high school power in the Draft. It's well-above-average raw power, there's bat speed, there's strength, there's leverage. He's already 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. Of all the players we have stats for, nobody hit more home runs this spring in high school than Martin Shelar. He had 19 homers in 33 games. Hit a ball 470 feet at the Combine ... To take that kind of power upside in Round 9, that's intriguing."

Round 10
Nick Bonn, RHP, Cardinals, No. 294; unranked
Mayo: "He led D1 pitchers with 17 saves. Missed a good amount of bats, was around the strike zone. It's a real fastball, it sits around 95, he's touched triple digits. He's got a good splitter and a sweeper in there also. To get a guy like this, an interesting relief arm in the 10th round, I'm curious to see what happens with him and whether he's the kind of guy who ends up spending some time in a big league bullpen."