Can you feel it? We've hit that sweet-spot time of year. Spring has officially greeted us with those 'leave the jacket in the closet' temps, the Majors and the full-season Minor League levels are in full swing, and college baseball teams are gearing up for that final sprint to Omaha. Just take a second to bask in the moment.
The way we are doing that here at MLB Pipeline is by talking Draft. The milestone event is just over three months away, set to take place July 11-13 in Philadelphia. Back in December, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis put out his first official mock draft for the 2026 class, but it should come as no surprise that the landscape has changed quite a bit since then.
2026 Draft, July 11-12:
On the latest episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Callis and Jonathan Mayo took turns making their picks for this year's first 11 Draft selections.
A couple of things to note here: this is not a true mock draft -- picks are based on who the Draft expert would take rather than who we project the teams will actually pick. Also, the reason they are going to the 11th pick is because UCLA's Roch Cholowsky (No. 1 Draft prospect) remains the consensus No. 1 overall pick to the White Sox. So, the discussion picks up with the No. 2 pick by Tampa Bay and each guru still makes five selections.
It's evident early on in the conversation how much the Draft outlook has changed over the past four months. The results of this exercise shocked even Callis himself when they arrived at the end as five of MLB's Top 10 Draft prospects were not selected.
2. Rays -- Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX) (No. 2)
Mayo: It’s a good fit all around. He’s certainly not done anything -- at least not that I’ve heard -- to come down from the top high school player and second best overall player in the Draft.
Callis: I was going to mix it up a little bit and not go high school shortstop for the Rays again. There’s nothing wrong with that pick, I was just going to go slightly different.
3. Twins -- Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech (No. 12)
Callis: He’s having a tremendous year at Georgia Tech. I’ve mentioned, it’s one of the deeper lineups in the country. They can have three first-round picks in that lineup. But, Lackey is very athletic for a catcher, the pop is coming, he’s improving behind the plate. He is the best catcher in this Draft. So, I have Vahn Lackey going third to the Twins.
Mayo: I will just tack on that I talked to a Scouting Director who saw Georgia Tech the weekend before last and thought he was a Top 3 pick.
4. Giants -- Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 14)
Mayo: He’s definitely jumped to the top of the college pitching list. Maybe No. 4 is a tiny bit too high, but he’s posting every week. The stuff is very real. I talked to the area scout and he could not stop talking about how good the stuff is. I think the inclination is to compare him to Tyler Bremner (MLB No. 76 prospect), who came out of Santa Barbara last year, but Flora’s pure stuff is a touch better. Flora is a big dude, there’s maybe even more in the tank. There is ceiling there potentially, so this is a good spot for him.
Callis: I don’t feel like people believe there’s a consensus Top 5 in this Draft. Even the Top 10, I don’t think it’s really settled. So, I think we’re going to have a lot of turbulence as we get to mid-July and the actual Draft and see who goes where.
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5. Pirates -- Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS) (No. 28)
Callis: The Pirates have gotten arguably the highest ceiling player in each of the last three Drafts, so I’m going to go Eric Booth Jr. from Oak Grove high school in Mississippi. I just think he has one of the highest ceilings in the Draft, he doesn’t have one of the most conventional swings, but he makes a lot of hard contact. He’s going to have at least average power, he’s a double-plus runner, he’s going to be a center fielder pretty easily and he’s looked even better this spring. I don’t know if he will end up going quite this high, but I do think Eric Booth is firmly in the consensus Top 10.
6. Royals -- Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) (No. 8)
Mayo: He’s been very good this spring. The area scout I spoke to thinks he’s a No. 2 starter in the future. He’s another big guy, electric stuff, he’s been touching 97-98 mph so far this spring.
7. Orioles -- Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (No. 3)
Callis: Well, we know this is not going to be a pitcher. So, I’m going to give them Justin Lebron. I thought about him with earlier picks, he’s also very toolsy. He’s not having the best year in terms of batting average, he’s hitting .262, but he is making more contact and he’s controlling the strike zone a lot better than in his first two years. He has 11 homers in 33 games. He’s not going to go out and win batting titles, he might be a 45-grade hitter, but he’ll have 60 power, 60 speed, 60 arm, 60 defense, and he’s a definite shortstop. He’s be just one of those guys that the batting average is just the least impressive part of the package, but it’s also not a very important part of the package. He’s not a terrible hitter either, the strikeout rate is around 19 percent this year. It was closer to 25 percent last year. He’s drawn more walks as well. And I feel like this would be kind of a steal for the Orioles if it came to pass.
8. Athletics -- A.J. Gracia, OF, Virginia (No. 15)
Mayo: I’m just leaning college bat here so I’m going to go with AJ Gracia from Virginia, who is having a very good year. He transferred from Duke, he’s got a chance to hit and hit for power. He’s coming off of a year at Duke where he hit 15 homers. He’s a corner outfield profile. If he keeps doing what he’s doing -- Virginia is not the greatest place to hit or put up power numbers -- but he’s got a good approach and 16 extra-base hits in 33 games so far there. So, I think they will make it three out of four college hitters with their first-round pick.
Callis: I would go college hitter there as well and I think he makes as much sense as anybody.
9. Braves -- Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian HS (SC) (No. 7)
Callis: He might be the most talented guy on the board right now. He has not pitched a ton, they have taken it kind of easy on him, but nothing is wrong with him. But, just after pitching for Team USA, his program was a little eschewed because of the schedule with Team USA in what would have been his offseason. They’ve eased him in this spring at South Carolina. I think, when all is said and done, he could be the best pitcher in the Draft.
10. Rockies -- Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State (No. 18)
Mayo: Going back into the college hitter pool here and I have them taking Ace Reese from Mississippi State. He’s coming off of a year where he hit 21 homers as a sophomore. He’s got an OPS over 1.000 through 32 games. I’d like to see him heat up a little more in SEC play to boost his stock. But he could be a guy who fits alongside Ethan Holliday, if Holliday plays third and he goes into the outfield, but that’s a problem you can figure out later in Colorado.
11. Nationals -- Chris Hacopian, SS, Texas A&M (No. 16)
Callis: I think it will be a college bat here for the Nationals. Hacopian is probably not a shortstop long term, has had some injuries, though nothing that is going to affect him long term, but has tremendous metrics to go with a track record performance. But it’s a new Nationals regime with a lot of guys coming from the Red Sox. So, I’m going with Hacopian from Texas A&M, because I think he’s just a very advanced hitter who I think is going to have at least 20-homer pop. He’s probably more of a third baseman or second baseman, possibly left fielder. But, I just think he’s as good a bat as anybody in this Draft.