Here is the first official 2026 mock draft!

The 2026 Draft is taking longer to sort itself out than teams hoped.

Shortstops Roch Cholowsky (UCLA) and Grady Emerson (Fort Worth Christian HS in Texas) have set themselves apart from the rest of the class. The second tier of prospects consists of catcher Vahn Lackey (Georgia Tech) and right-hander Jackson Flora (UC Santa Barbara), with some clubs regarding shortstops Jacob Lombard (Gulliver Prep, Miami) and Justin Lebron (Alabama) and outfielder Eric Booth Jr. (Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss.) at or close to the same level

After that, there's no consensus. High school hitters fall off fast after Emerson, Lombard and Booth. While the prep pitching crop is stronger than usual, most teams avoid that demographic in the first round and would rather target it with over-slot bonuses at later selections.

There's depth with college position players, but those behind Cholowsky and Lackey have obvious red flags and four of the first eight projected below aren't even hitting .300 with metal bats this spring. Most of the top college arms beyond Flora lack the health, consistency and track record that clubs would like.

College hitters and pitchers still have two more weeks in the regular season, conference tournaments and the NCAA playoffs to prove themselves, so expect a lot of shuffling for first-round position in the next month. The White Sox have nine weeks to determine whom they want with the No. 1 overall selection, which they'll make July 11 in Philadelphia as part of All-Star Week.

We project all 25 picks in the first round below, as well as the top choices for the five teams (Mets, Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Dodgers) that moved down 10 spots in the Draft order because they exceeded the second surcharge threshold of competitive-balance tax last season. Detailed scouting reports, grades and video for all players mentioned below can be found with MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 150 list.

1. White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (No. 1)
After entering 2026 as the strongest preseason favorite to go No. 1 since Adley Rutschmann in 2019, Cholowsky has held serve this spring. That doesn't make Roch a lock, however. He's a better defender and has succeeded at a higher level than Emerson, though the latter is a superior prospect at the same stage of their careers and most clubs believe he offers more upside. The vibe right now is 55-60 percent the White Sox take Cholowsky versus 40-45 percent they opt for Emerson, though don't rule out a discount deal for Lombard.

2. Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth (Texas) Christian HS (No. 2)
Cholowsky would be the favorite to go with each of the top four picks if he remains on the board. If the White Sox take him, the Rays likely would choose between Emerson and Lackey. Emerson is the more talented player, though Tampa Bay has been on a continual search for a catcher since regretfully passing on Buster Posey with the No. 1 overall pick in 2008.

3. Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech (No. 3)
The Twins would love to get a shot at either Cholowsky or Emerson. If that doesn't happen, they'll sift through Lackey, Flora, Lombard and Lebron. Lackey is much more athletic than the Georgia Tech first-round catchers who have preceded him (Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Joey Bart and Kevin Parada) and is raking at a .371/.491/.682 clip with 12 homers and nine steals in 47 games.

4. Giants: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep, Miami (No. 7)
Word is that Posey, now president of baseball operations for his former team, would do whatever it takes to float Cholowsky down to No. 4. More likely, he'll be looking at some combination of Lackey, Flora and Lombard. Other clubs believe the Giants' preference would be Lombard, a premium athlete who has assuaged concerns about his bat this spring after a lackluster performance on the showcase circuit.

5. Pirates: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 4)
The Pirates are at the mercy of the team in front of them, and the most likely scenario is that they'll come away with the consensus best pitcher. Armed with a mid-90s fastball that reaches triple digits, a mid-80s slider that can be a plus pitch at times and an upper-80s kick change that has become his go-to secondary offering, Flora leads NCAA Division I in ERA (0.73) and opponent OPS (.440).

6. Royals: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla. (No. 10)
The Royals feel like the floor for Lombard, with Rojas and Booth the leading alternatives. The best left-hander available, Rojas starred for Team USA at the 18-and-under World Cup last fall thanks to a lively fastball that reaches 98 mph and a low-80s slider with significant sweep.

7. Orioles: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS, Hattiesburg, Miss. (No. 6)
Outside of Jackson Holliday at No. 1 overall in 2022, the Orioles haven't popped a high school bat in the first round since 2015. But that appears to be the demographic they're heaviest on here, which could lead them to Booth, who's one of the fastest players in the Draft and also has 20-25 homer potential.

8. Athletics: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas (No. 16)
The top defensive catcher in the Draft, Helfrick already calls his own pitches and has all of the physical and mental skills teams covet behind the plate -- as well as solid power.

9. Braves: Cade Townsend, RHP, Mississippi (No. 21)
Clubs believe that college pitchers will rise up boards by the time the Draft arrives, and Townsend could move up more than most. He can hit 98 mph with his fastball and spin a pair of plus breaking balls as well as a plus cutter.

10. Rockies: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech (No. 8)
Burress hasn't been as devastating as he was in his first two college seasons, yet he's still slashing .367/.481/.643 with 10 homers and is a legitimate center fielder.

11. Nationals: Jared Grindlinger, OF/LHP, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS (No. 49)
Grindlinger reclassified from 2027 and offers intrigue as one of the youngest players in the Draft (17 years, not quite three months on Draft Day) and a legitimate two-way prospect, though teams are starting to zero in on him as a sweet-swinging outfielder. He requires a lot of projection but seems certain to go somewhere in the top 20 selections.

12. Angels: Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina (No. 13)
Flukey began the year as the top-rated college pitcher, made one start and then missed the next 10 weeks with a rib stress fracture. He surrendered six runs in 2 1/3 innings in his second outing back, so his stock is very volatile.

13. Cardinals: Sawyer Strosnider, OF, Texas Christian (No. 9)
Few collegians have better all-around tools than Strosnider, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder with double-plus raw power and plus speed who one looked like a safe bet to go in the top 10 picks. But he has gone 13-for-72 (.181) with 18 strikeouts since the beginning of April, so he's trending down.

14. Marlins: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M (No. 12)
Though Hacopian has batted just .289/.393/.496 while dealing with multiple injuries this spring, his underlying metrics lead several clubs to rate him as the best college hitter in the Draft. The Marlins may represent his floor.

15. Diamondbacks: Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS, Woodstock, Ga. (No. 30)
With perhaps the best combination of hitting ability and speed in the high school crop, Condon draws comparisons to Lenny Dykstra, Brett Gardner and a stronger version of Sal Frelick.

16. Rangers: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (No. 5)
Fourteen months ago, Lebron was the favorite to go 1-1, even ahead of Cholowsky. Then he struggled a bit in Southeastern Conference play last spring before hitting .266/.389/.505 with 17 errors in 49 games as a junior. He does have 12 homers and 36 steals and perhaps four plus tools, so he could go anywhere from the middle of the top 10 to the late teens.

17. Astros: Derek Curiel, OF, Louisiana State (No. 15)
Curiel's power may not have developed as hoped, limiting his ceiling, but he's a high-floor player who has hit well for two years in the SEC and proven this spring that he can play center field. Like Lebron, he could fit as early as the middle of the top 10.

18. Reds: Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas (No. 18)
Dietz continues to prove himself after totaling just 1 2/3 innings during his first two seasons at Arkansas, leading the SEC in strikeouts (101 in 65 2/3 innings) while displaying four plus pitches. If he keeps this up, he could climb into the top 10.

19. Guardians: A.J. Gracia, OF, Virginia (No. 11)
Gracia's penchant for contact and good swing decisions could push him higher to a team that believes in his power and thinks he can stay in center field.

20. Red Sox: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky (No. 23)
Gamely playing through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder that will require surgery once Kentucky's season ends, Bell is a solid defender at shortstop and a switch-hitter with 20-homer power.

21. Padres: Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS, Attleboro, Mass. (No. 22)
The Padres have an affinity for high-ceiling high schoolers, and Bumila is a 6-foot-9 monster with a fastball that reaches 100 mph with quality metrics.

22. Tigers: Aiden Ruiz, SS, The Stony Brook (N.Y.) School (No. 38)
Ruiz is the best defender in the Draft -- he pushed Emerson to third base on the U.S. 18-and-under national team at the World Cup -- and also offers bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate, albeit with questionable power.

23. Cubs: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida (No. 14)
Peterson can miss bats with four different offerings and looks worthy of a top-10 selection at his best, but he lacks feel for pitching. The hope is that he'll be better in pro ball than he has been at Florida (career 4.97 ERA).

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24. Mariners: Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee (No. 43)
Kuhns was making a move by allowing four runs in a span of five SEC starts before Kentucky roughed him up last weekend. He spins the ball very well, creating carry on a mid-90s fastball and downer break on an upper-70s curveball that both grade as plus offerings.

25. Brewers: Cole Prosek, 3B/C, Magnolia Heights HS, Senatobia, Miss. (No. 71)
Prosek owns one of the best swings and some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the prep class, and he enhanced his profile by looking credible behind the plate this spring. If the Brewers do select him, he'll be reunited with his uncle, big league third-base coach Matt Erickson.

Top selections for teams not included above
27. Mets: Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas (No. 26)
35. Yankees: Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Espiscopal HS, Greenville, S.C. (No. 50)
36. Phillies: Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida State (No. 42)
39. Blue Jays: Sean Duncan, LHP, Terry Fox SS, Port Coquitlam, B.C. (No. 40)
40. Dodgers: Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, Tenn. (No. 37)