Day 1 of the 2026 Draft included the Rays' picks from Rounds 1-4, including Grady Emerson at No. 2 overall. Day 2 spanned Rounds 5-20, and you can see every pick the Rays made here.
ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays returned to a familiar formula on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Last year, they used four of their first five picks to select players out of the high school ranks. The early returns on that class are looking good, as shortstop Daniel Pierce, infielder Cooper Flemming, second baseman/outfielder Dean Moss and first baseman Taitn Gray are all ranked among Tampa Bay’s Top 30 Prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. Two years ago, the Rays drafted top prospect Theo Gillen (No. 9 overall) right out of high school.
Those prospects could have company soon, as the Rays used four of their first five picks Saturday on projectable, high-upside high school players.
They led off the Draft by taking shortstop Grady Emerson -- MLB Pipeline’s top-ranked Draft prospect -- then continued the prep-heavy trend with infielder Taj Marchand (No. 33 pick), right-hander Gavin Giese (No. 85) and outfielder/first baseman Collin Bland (No. 113), with college right-hander Ben Blair (No. 49) in the middle.
Amateur scouting director Chuck Ricci said there wasn’t a premeditated plan to lean so heavily toward high school picks. But it’s hard to ignore the success the Rays have had lately developing similar players, especially when they take such a collaborative approach to the Draft, incorporating opinions from all over the organization.
“I think it's the way the board fell,” Ricci said Saturday night. “Of late, I think the four high school kids we took last year, we're happy with. Obviously, Theo is going really well. I don't think that really factors in, but I think as these players really perform, you realize there's some upside. And you also have a lot of confidence in your player development, that they have the ability to tap into these guys and get the most out of them.”
More on Rays' 2026 Draft:
Here’s a look at the four players the Rays selected after Emerson on Draft Day 1, which Ricci called “probably the most rewarding day I've had in scouting.”
Taj Marchand, SS
- Competitive Balance Round A, Pick 33
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: James Island (S.C.) HS
- Top Trait: An impressive all-around athlete with excellent hand-eye coordination, the 17-year-old Marchand has a quick right-handed swing with developing strength that could turn into 25-homer power. He hit .531 and only struck out four times (while drawing 31 walks) in 96 at-bats during his senior season, which gives some indication of how much quality contact he makes at the plate. He’ll likely move around the infield, Ricci said, but the No. 37 Draft prospect’s bat should play anywhere.
- Quote: “I think he's got the rare ingredients of (a) contact bat, bat speed and impact. A lot of amateur contact bats don't impact the ball like Taj does. … We think he’s got every chance to be a quality infielder with a real chance to have a plus offensive package.” --Ricci
Ben Blair, RHP
- Round 2, Pick 49
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Liberty University
- Top Trait: Watch some video of Blair pitching, and you’ll see why this seems like a classic Rays pick. The 6-foot-3 righty throws from a unique, low-three-quarter arm slot with a low release point and a lot of carry on his fastball. The former infielder only really took up pitching late in his high school career, but he has proven to be a consistent strike-thrower with a varied arsenal. Even as a college selection, his athleticism and limited experience give MLB Pipeline’s No. 58 Draft prospect plenty of untapped potential.
- Quote: “Really a power arsenal from a very unique slot. He's got the ability to shape multiple breaking balls. Had a really good year. Extremely athletic. Very good mover on the mound that still has a lot of projection left to his body.” –Ricci
Gavin Giese, RHP
- Round 3, Pick 85
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Dana Hills (Calif.) HS
- Top Trait: The No. 122 Draft prospect has an impressive combination of size, stuff and physical projection, with the bonus of coming from a baseball family. (His father, Dan, spent parts of three seasons with the Giants, Yankees and A’s before going into scouting.) The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander is already throwing a 93-94 mph fastball, which plays up because of its high spin, and it’s possible he’ll add more velocity as he fills out his frame.
- Quote: "He's kind of that traditional projection high school starter. I think our player development people really approved this one, and our scout, Jaime Jones, was kind of one of the first ones on this guy. … I really think this one has a chance to be an ideal fit with our player development system.” --Ricci
Collin Bland, OF
- Round 4, Pick 113
- Bats/throws: L/R
- School: Houston (Tenn.) HS
- Top Trait: The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Bland possesses some of the best raw power in this year’s high school class, which helped him hit .432/.665/.811 during his senior season. He has a quick and aggressive left-handed swing with incredible raw power, making him a prospect to watch in the batter’s box (and during batting practice). There are some questions about the rest of his game, including his defensive home -- he’ll get looks in the corner-outfield spots and first base -- and how much his raw power will translate at the next level.
- Quote: "We had him at the workout here at the Trop, and … he was hitting balls where not too many big leaguers go. It was super, super impressive. … The most exciting part of it is I think he's a hitter first with big power. Most of the guys that have this kind of power don't have that hit tool.” --Ricci
The Rays stayed busy on Day 2 of the Draft, making 16 selections on Sunday -- one outfielder and a whopping 15 pitchers. It’s not a homogenous group of pitchers by any means, though, with a mix of big-framed hard-throwers in need of refined command and others who might not be as physically imposing but come with more polish.
“I don't think it was done totally intentionally. I think everybody knows that position players come usually from the top portion of the Draft, and pitching — especially, I think, in today's game, there's just so many ways these guys improve and change their arsenal,” Ricci said. “We’re really excited about some of these guys that may not be on the radar now as high picks or big prospects, but the chance to improve and take the next step is there.”
Here’s a quick look at all the talent they collected on a pitching-heavy Day 2.
Rounds 5-10
The name of the game here was pitching, as the Rays selected five pitchers in a six-pick span. Three came from the college ranks: Arizona right-hander Owen Kramkowski (No. 245), Virginia lefty Kyle Johnson (No. 150) and Georgia Tech righty Tate McKee. There were also two intriguing high school arms from Georgia, right-handers AJ Rice (No. 125) and Griffin Long (No. 233).
Player to watch: Tai Jones, OF
- Round 9
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Jackson Academy (MS)
- Fun Fact: We’re going to single out the lone position player Tampa Bay selected in this phase of the Draft, mostly to note a fun connection. Jones played at Jackson Academy, where Corey Dickerson was the head coach before rejoining the Rays as a first-base coach this season. (Dickerson had “nothing but positive things to say,” Ricci noted.) The 6-foot-2, 210-pound outfielder has an athletic frame with plenty of strength, leading to a lot of hard contact, and he has room to grow into more muscle and more power at the plate.
Rounds 11-15
It was all pitching for the Rays during this run, as they selected five straight pitchers in the middle of Day 2. There were a couple high school arms, including 11th-rounder Logan Georges and 13th-rounder Steven Gonzalez, but they went heavier on college pitchers with Florida State’s Cole Stokes, Oklahoma’s Mason Bixby and South Carolina’s Amp Phillips, the first of two Gamecocks pitchers taken in consecutive rounds.
Player to watch: Logan Georges, RHP
- Round 11
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: Clovis High School (CA)
- Top Trait: Georges was MLB Pipeline’s No. 126 Draft prospect for a reason. The 19-year-old has an ideal pitcher’s frame, listed at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, and he already has impressive stuff that grades out well analytically. He’s got a riding fastball in the mid-90s, a two-seamer with good sink, a low-80s slider that can look like a plus pitch, plus a mid-80s changeup he can use at times. There’s risk here, as Georges had Tommy John surgery as a high school sophomore and hasn’t always thrown strikes, but it seems like a good chance to take in the 11th round.
Rounds 16-20
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The Rays went heavy on pitching here. The club wrapped up its Draft by taking five more pitchers, making it 11 straight arms to finish Day 2. The first four came from the college pool -- righties Alex Philpott and McCarty English, lefty Nate Smithburg and righty David Horn Jr. -- before West Broward HS (FL) right-hander Ivan Sabater rounded out the class.
Player to watch: Alex Philpott, RHP
- Round 16
- Bats/throws: R/R
- School: South Carolina
- Fun Fact: Philpott is a local product, having been born in Tampa before going to school at Strawberry Crest High, and Ricci said the Rays have been following him since his high school days. He spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Florida, where he used his mid-to-upper 90s fastball to help him rack up 72 strikeouts in 67 innings (albeit with a 7.11 ERA) for the Gators. The 6-foot-6 right-hander then transferred to South Carolina, where he struggled to replicate the same strikeout success, but the Rays believe he can combine his aptitude for pitching with big stuff to be an effective arm at the next level.