MLB 2026 Draft ~ Mocks, Rankings, Discussions and More

[craviduce]

College Baseball kicks off next weekend.

~ Shriner's Classic in Arlington TX, Feb 13-15...quite a lineup again this year.

Texas Tech, TCU, OU, Ok St, Vandy, Arkansas

featuring top draft prospects : Sawyer Strosnider, RF/LF (TCU) ; Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, (Arkansas) ; Ryan Helfrick, C (Arkansas) ; Hunter Deitz, LHP (Arkansas) ; Chase Brunson, OF, (TCU) ; Logan Hughes, OF, (Texas Tech) ; Tommy LaPour, LHP (TCU) ; Carson Wiggins RHP (Arkansas) ;

Wiggins won't play...probably not at all until late into Tournament Season (May/June)....he blew out his elbow early last year...right after he was sitting 98-99mph with his fastball, topping 102mph. He has an 80/80 Fastball, 70/80 grade Slider. That's the high upside risk vs reward type pick you like to see.

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Games will be live on FloBaseball.TV again....give them a try. Always love that site.

the 3rd week of College baseball at Arlington showcases A LOT of Top Prospect talent....I suggest you watch/view on Feb 27-March 1st

Teams : Texas A&M, Tennessee, Miss State, VA Tech, UCLA, Ariz St..

Consensus #1 OVerall Prospect, Roch Cholowsky, SS (UCLA).

Also ~ Chris Hacopian, INF, (Texas A&M) ; Ace Reese, 1B (Miss St); Caden Sorrell, OF (Texas A&M) ; Gavin Grahovac, INF (Texas A&M) ; Cole Carlon, LHP (ASU) ; Tegan Kuhns, RHP (Tenn) ; Shane Sdao, LHP (Texas A&M) ; Henry Ford, OF (Tenn) ; Mulivai Levu, 1B (UCLA) ;

Crav, what do you think of the Ace Reese kid? My son loves him. But I would prefer a right handed power bat if all was equal. Kind of why I’m on the Hacopian bandwagon.

in order, at 13th, I like Hacopian, Reese, Gracia. Gracia gets on base a much greater clip with his insane walk rate, but hits for less average than the other two. Scouts feel his average will stay average to slightly above....we'll see.

As for Reese, yeah, he's a LHB, which we probably don't need...but he's slugger (which we need), who seems to be able to hit for average, but that might be up for debate in the Majors b/c of the K-Rate, which probably exasperates some in ProBall...how much more? Don't know...Kurtz's K rate (is through the roof, but his contacts are basehits, so you live with it....his K Rate skyrocketed from College to Pro.
....
Hacopian ~ he hit well, very well in the Big 10, but that's a different ball game from SEC and ACC play. Now he's with the Aggies, he'll face better pitching, much better pitching.

Those are the concerns...but there so many likes. It's exciting for sure.

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others you guys might like : Brady Ballinger...Hits and HR...from the non-powerhouse school of Kansas. He hit against ASU, KSU, Ok St, TTech, and TCU...so, he seems pretty legit. Grades as a very slow runner, but that's not what you draft him for....if available with our one of our extra picks, he'd be great get.

Daniel Cuvet, 3B, Miami....huge power bat 2 years with the Canes. A few scouts raise the alarm on the 19% K rate, but that's going to come with his Power. Which all pundits raves about....his defense is bleh, so 3B probably isn't the final destination....RHB, lot to like.

[craviduce]

College Baseball kicks off next weekend.

~ Shriner's Classic in Arlington TX, Feb 13-15...quite a lineup again this year.

Texas Tech, TCU, OU, Ok St, Vandy, Arkansas

featuring top draft prospects : Sawyer Strosnider, RF/LF (TCU) ; Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, (Arkansas) ; Ryan Helfrick, C (Arkansas) ; Hunter Deitz, LHP (Arkansas) ; Chase Brunson, OF, (TCU) ; Logan Hughes, OF, (Texas Tech) ; Tommy LaPour, LHP (TCU) ; Carson Wiggins RHP (Arkansas) ;

Wiggins won't play...probably not at all until late into Tournament Season (May/June)....he blew out his elbow early last year...right after he was sitting 98-99mph with his fastball, topping 102mph. He has an 80/80 Fastball, 70/80 grade Slider. That's the high upside risk vs reward type pick you like to see.

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Games will be live on FloBaseball.TV again....give them a try. Always love that site.

Aidan Gray decided to breakdown Wiggins a few moments ago. I would seriously consider taking him with our Comp A pick at #32. Exactly the high risk/high reward type that Bloom is flashing recently

click the twitter/X link.... nice breakdown with a Vod. https://x.com/AidangrayGray8/status/2019833272575091158

does Gray follow me on CT? I kid.

[82birds]

sorry if this was already posted.

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2026 ... ll-season/

[82birds]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/479 ... igh-school

[craviduce]

looks like there was some REAL good college baseball the first 3-4 weeks of the season.

As they head into Conference play, I looked up most of the Top ranked college prospects just to see how they're holding up to their preseason rankings.

This is my personal "Trending Rankings"....and unfortunately they're solely based of stats this year, I've watched no college games...outside of last night's #10 USM/#4 Miss. St. game, which was a thriller. Both have really good teams.

take it for what it's worth. If you're interest in how they're doing...take the name and put into Fangraphs or BR's search function....that will bring up the stats

NOTE ~ College Baseball offense is SUPER GOOD this year. Pitching is more on par with 2025 than 2024....which is bleh, with a few options that look to be really seasoned.

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My Top College Prospects 2026 MLB Draft as of early March.

1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA....he's done NOTHING to lose his throne atop all the mocks. The White Sox could go cheap and draft Emerson out of HS...that would be dumb. Cholowsky is a once every 5-10 year player.
2. Jackson Flora, RHP, UCSB ....UCSB is turning into a pitching factory...McGreevy, Bremner (#2 overall last year), and now Flora. Flora is easily the most seasoned pitcher in this upcoming draft....and with Flukey's injury, and Peterson's wildness, Flora is easily the best pitcher.
3. Vahn Lackey, C, GT. You play Catcher or SS and you're athletic and hit for power, you fly up the draft boards. Bring on conference play...would like to see how he handles it. The athleticism is real, that got him high grades last summer with Team USA...but the bat is emerging as something special....He registered some of the best out of crouch to release times this summer. Incredible arm behind the plate, too....don't fret that he's a catcher, with his makeup, he could easily take on other positions if he chooses too
4. Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama... JL hit the cover off the ball last year when he wasn't facing SEC opponents. That's not good. SEC play starts next weekend. I hope he brings a better game, or his draft stock will continue to fall, imo. I almost put him behind Burress, but Lebron has hit well the first few weeks.
5. A.J. Gracia, OF, UVA....he's always walked a lot, some of the best pitch recognition in baseball. And now the bat is catching up, he's been highly productive the first 3 weeks for UVA....we may be looking at a serious Top 10, maybe a Top 5 draft pick. I loved him going into the season, was hoping he'd be around at #13, that's not looking like the case...unless there's a run on HS talent 1-12.
6. Drew Burress, OF, GT...slow start to the season, his teammates got more press due to better play, but Burress is waking up, I expect him back in the Top 5 college picks before the end of the season.
7. Caden Sorrell, OF, A&M....he's going to K...but (bleep) can he drive the ball. Pretty fun to watch highlights. When Hacopian is healthy, Sorrell and Grahovac make perhaps the most dangerous 2-4 in the country.
8. Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina .... (Injured, non-throwing arm related. Rib Cage...Mid April return, ETA). Draft stock is dropping unfortunately...hopefully he can return before postseason play and show he's ready for the Bigs.
9. Ace Reese, 3B/1B, Miss. St....power hitter and it looks like he's solidifying his contact rate for consecutive years....strikeouts will likely be there as a pro...but you can live with that if he's hitting and hitting for power. 3B, can play 1B, probably won't stick at 3B...and looks like he'll try LF/RF in the pros...according to some scouts. So the versatility is okay.
10. Aiden Robbins, CF, Texas...as Texas goes, Robbins goes...if Texas keeps winning, I expect Robbins to keep hitting...SB rate is down a bit this season, but it's early. I expect to produce run after run this SEC season. Power has seen an uptick so far, too....CF with a good glove, too.
11. Liam Peterson, RHP, UF...has shown flashes of what could be a FOTR arm, but has shown more of the Reliever comp I fear we'll see in the BIGS....has the hallmark of a Chaim Bloom pick....raw with no control, but throws a million miles per hour. I pray we pass
12. Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU .... Note ~ held his own at an elite level vs. stiff competition the first 3 weeks. Was mostly pitched around. Troubling was the K% equaled his 28% BB rate.
13. Chris Hacopian, 2B/3B, A&M ... Note ~ was held out for 6 games with an injury, just came back the last weekend of February...and it looks like his back injury flared up again after a few innings....returns with a HR, and two AB's later he's out again. Jeesh....Maybe we can get him at with Comp A pick in at 32 or 34...can't remember the exact pick. Anyways...Hacopian can hit, there's no doubt about that, but the back looks to be a real issue this season. I hope it's not going forward into his pro career.


other's on the rise.... Jake Brown LSU...Jarren Avincula GT, 2B....Will Baker GT, OF...Camden Johnson OU, 3B/SS/2B....Cameron Johnson OU, RHP (Note ~ former 2023 20th round pick by the Cards...went to LSU then Transferred to OU...somehow he's turned around his wild career to resemble something of a pretty decent RH starter for OU)

[craviduce]

long list, I know....but I took the night last night between laundry loads to catch back up on College games.

On paper they look so much better than last year. Nearly as good as 2024...but the field looks deeper...if not as good up top as 2024 was (you could justify 5 or 6 different #1's in 2024)

I think we can find a decent hitter @ 13....I know, I know... BPA, but the hitter need and the hitter pool is too great to pass up. And Flora is the only pitcher I'd take at the moment...and he's not slipping to #13.

[craviduce]

newish mock from 3/1....Prep Baseball, they're heavy on their HS bias, b/c they heavily cover HS prospects...so they would know from that standpoint. Love catching their summer league/All-star circuit highlights each year.

Cards select @ #13 ~ Eric Booth, Jr....Oak Grove HS, Mississippi.....Oak Grove is part of the Hattiesburg/Suburbs baseball powerhouse schools. The Parker brothers (JoJo went #6 overall, Jacob went to Miss St.) are from Purvis, part of the powerhouse baseball schools in the Hattiesburg area....Purvis, Oak Grove, Petal, Hattiesburg, Lumberton, Sumrall....all have produced Top 4 round picks in the last 5 years.

https://www.prepbaseballreport.com/news ... mock-draft

[craviduce]

and just saw that Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky is out for the year....there goes his draft stock.

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JustBaseball has a great just college players rankings, click on the name, you get a break down on the kid. It'll help you follow along.

Great tool, imo

https://www.justbaseball.com/mlb-draft/ ... prospects/

[82birds]

thnx for all the links Duce

[craviduce]

thnx for all the links Duce

do you have a couple favorites early on, 82? Or a strat you perfer?

[craviduce]

check out the early line from Tre Phelps, UGA...utility....has been playing both corners of the infield, RF and LF the last 3 seasons. He's in the lineup every game, so utility is a stretch...not a part-time player at all.

RH bat, he's on fire to start the season. Someone to keep an eye as Georgia heads into SEC play. Not much in the ways of BB, but neither is his K's. Suggests a lot of contact....10 XBH (6 HR, 4 2B) out of 21 hits. A very healthy 1.509 OPS (that'll come down a bit with better competition, but I don't think it will be a lot).

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/tre-p ... ts/batting

Distant cousin to Michael

[craviduce]

for you 2027 Draft forecasters.... I'm going out on a limb here, but I think Oregon States' Dax Whitney will one of the early favorites for #1 pick. That RHP can PITCH...17 K's 2 weekends ago.

3 starts, 1.00 ERA, 18 IP, 34 K's, 6 BB, 1 HBP.... 0.89 WHIP

maybe we can tank enough and win the lottery this winter?

https://www.fangraphs.com/players/dax-w ... s/pitching

[craviduce]

NY Times/Athletic Mock....behind a paywall, so I can't link it to you.

#13 pick, the Cards get Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle HS (Calif)....hit and power SS prospect, with a good arm, good instincts at SS. Tall, lanky kid, 6'3", though he's starting to fill out some, up a good 15lbs from last time I checked, which was early last year...he's listed at 195lbs now.

Here's the rub on De La Salle, and maybe not Tyler himself....De La Salle had some serious conduct/player violations (unspecified), and the school decided to suspend the entire program for the first 5 games....3 more to go. 7-0 losses (7 innings, 1 run an inning is the forfeit rule)... now I don't know what/if any disciplinary actions they face from their Supervisory board....but they may still have some penalties incoming? I doubt it....5 games is a serious penalty, and it was self-inflicted by the school. Whatever penalties forth coming will probably say that they concur with De La Salle.

Anyways...Tyler's missing some very big games for the nationally ranked De La Salle squad...including St. Ignatius (perennial baseball powerhouse). At least he'll be in the Orange County National Classic in late March/early April. Big names and Big schools in that tourney. Good competition for him.

good pick, imo...could be fast riser, especially for a HS kid.

Here's mlb/pipeline's report on Tyler https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/draf ... ler-828811

[82birds]

thnx for all the links Duce

do you have a couple favorites early on, 82? Or a strat you perfer?

BPA at each pick, pitcher or position player.
College over HS for me
not enough patience to wait four years to see if someone pans out.