9 key storylines from an eventful Draft Day 1

PHILADELPHIA -- It was in his rented quarters at 7th and Market Streets that Thomas Jefferson drafted the majority of the Declaration of Independence back in 1776. And 250 years later, it was just a handful of blocks away, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, that MLB teams drafted the next wave of baseball talent.

It was baseball future amidst a backdrop of American history for the opening rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft, a festive and well-attended affair held Saturday afternoon.

If you want a window into how pressing this process has become for big league teams, look no further than the rosters for Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, which include three players who were selected in the Draft just two years ago -- Travis Bazzana (No. 1, Guardians), Chase Burns (No. 2, Reds) and Nick Kurtz (No. 4, A’s).

It can happen that fast in today’s MLB, and so the Draft has taken on added magnitude, reflected by its arrival this decade as an official All-Star Week event.

Here are some takeaways from Day 1 of the 2026 Draft.

Roch your Sox off

Roch Cholowsky was the consensus No. 1 Draft prospect coming into his junior season at UCLA this year. And while he did not surpass his otherworldly sophomore season with the Bruins and Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson generated plenty of buzz in the lead-up to the first round (and, in fact, overtook Cholowsky as MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 Draft prospect), the South Siders ultimately did what was expected of them many months ago in taking a high-floor talent who just might have been born to be a big leaguer.

“He was the shortstop, the leader and the captain of the No. 1 college team in America,” White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley said. “He is foundational on the field with his habits.”

That left Emerson, who might have a higher ceiling than Cholowsky but comes with the inherent uncertainties of going directly from high school to the pros, for the Rays at No. 2 overall. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, who had also generated some late buzz as a potential No. 1 overall pick, went to the Twins at No. 3.

These were widely considered the top three players on the board, so it was no surprise to see them go in the top three spots and in this order.

Surprises in the top 10

The first mild surprise of the Draft came with the Pirates’ pick at No. 5, with their selection of Louisiana State outfielder Derek Curiel. Well, OK, this wasn’t a surprise to Pipeline reporter Jim Callis, who had Curiel going here in his final mock, but it was surprising in the sense that Curiel was 12th on the final Pipeline rankings.

Then came the first real shock to the system the very next pick, when the Royals went with Louisville outfielder Zion Rose. He was 30th on the Pipeline list (and, coincidentally, the Royals had the No. 30 overall pick, too).

That actually fit with a formula identified by X user Matthew Johnson, who pointed out prior to the Draft that, in every year since 2021, at least one player has gone in the top 11 picks that was ranked 15 spots or lower by MLB Pipeline. (This was the second time in that span that the Royals have made such a pick, as they selected lefty Frank Mozzicato at No. 7 overall in 2021 when he was ranked 39th.)

The other top 10 selection who significantly exceeded his Pipeline ranking (but was nailed by Callis in his last mock) was Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia, who went at No. 9 to the Braves after being ranked 19th.

Other picks that defied the list

Coming off a down year, the Braves were picking in the top 10 for the first time since they took Shea Langeliers at No. 9 in 2019, and, with two of the top 26 picks, they showed the uniqueness of their own evaluations in this imprecise process, taking Indiana State outfielder Carter Beck at No. 26 after he was ranked No. 193 by Pipeline.

On the flip side, three top 10s on the Pipeline list who slipped in the Draft itself were Miami prep shortstop Jacob Lombard (ranked No. 5, went to the Marlins at No. 14); Parkland, Fla., prep lefty Gio Rojas (ranked No. 8, went to the Rangers at No. 16); and Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron (ranked No. 9, went to the Reds at No. 18).

All told, there were nine players ranked outside Pipeline’s top 30 who got taken in the top 30. That was the most in any year on record other than 2022, when 10 such picks were made.

But on the flip side, this was the first time in at least 10 years that no unranked players were taken among the first 100 picks.

A hitter-friendly first round

Pitching development is the backbone of a successful farm system, but teams shied away from the top end of this particular Draft class’ pitching department. The only pitching pick amongst the top 15 came when the Giants grabbed UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora (a native Northern Californian and Giants fan) at No. 4 overall. The only other pitchers taken in the top 20 were Rojas by the Rangers at No. 16 and Florida right-hander Liam Peterson to the Guardians at No. 19.

That was the fewest number of pitchers in either the top 15 or top 20 in MLB Draft history. Bats all, folks.

Six of the picks in the 20s were pitchers, so they finally started to fly off the board at that point.

Top 10 teammates

While it wasn’t quite as extreme as LSU teammates Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews going 1-2 overall in 2023, it was notable that Georgia Tech produced two of the top 10 picks -- Lackey at No. 3 to the Twins and Drew Burress at No. 8 to the A’s.

This marked the 14th time that two or more college teammates went in the top 10.

The City of Brotherly Love?

Turns out, in MLB Draft terms, it’s not Philly but Milwaukee.

One year ago, the Brewers took 18-year-old shortstop Brady Ebel at No. 32 overall. On Saturday, at No. 25 overall, they took his 17-year-old brother Trey, who is also a shortstop.

The Ebel brothers are products of Corona (Calif.) High School and the sons of Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel. Trey gained some bragging rights getting taken slightly higher than his older brother, but now they’ll be together in an organization known for maximizing talent. And perhaps someday soon, the three Ebels will all be on the same field.

Another two-way Angel?

The Angels were, of course, the team that welcomed Shohei Ohtani to the States back in 2018, and he proceeded to rewrite what is possible at the MLB level. They also had Jared Walsh debut as a two-way talent in 2019, though he quickly transitioned primarily to being a position player.

So perhaps it’s appropriate that the Angels took this Draft’s most legitimate two-way player in a local product, Huntington Beach high schooler Jared Grindlinger. Teams were relatively split on whether the 17-year-old’s future is more likely to come as a pitcher or hitter. The Angels announced him as an outfielder and will have him develop there first before potentially giving him a chance to pitch.

A Thome taken early

Jim Thome’s Hall of Fame career began in an understated way when he was taken in the 13th round (333rd overall) by Cleveland in the 1989 Draft.

“It was the biggest dream come true,” he told us recently. “A Major League team thought highly enough to draft me, no matter what round it was.”

His son, Landon, will have a tall order in trying to outperform the man who hit 612 homers, but he’s coming into his pro career from a much higher-profile Draft position. The White Sox team for whom the elder Thome serves as a special advisor selected Landon, an athletic prep shortstop, at No. 34 overall.

Family Bonds

It’s one thing to have a Thome with the White Sox again, but we also have a Bonds with the Giants again.

Peyton Bonds is Barry Bonds’ nephew, and it’s only appropriate that San Francisco selected him. The 20-year-old Bonds is an outfielder from Rutgers who slashed .352/.436/.535 in his junior season. The Giants took him with their third-round pick at No. 90 overall.