2026 MLB Mock Draft 4.0
We are in the home stretch. As of the release of this mock draft, we are exactly one week out from the 2026 MLB Draft. The industry has acquired all of the data, Intel, and looks we could have possibly gotten, so the only thing left is for the real thing to play out. With this being my fourth shot at projecting the first round, I believe this is as close as I’m going to get to getting it right considering the board has really taken shape since amateur ball came to an end a few weeks ago. It does get extremely hard to project once you get into the second half of the first round because this class is as tight as any I’ve covered. For that reason however, it has been a super fun class to follow and project, and I’m super excited to see how it plays out on July 11th. With that being said, here is mock draft 4.0.
Chicago White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Mock Draft 1.0: Roch Cholowsky
Mock Draft 2.0: Roch Cholowsky
Mock Draft 3.0: Roch Cholowsky
I’ve expressed throughout the spring that the gap between Cholowsky, Emerson, and Lackey has closed significantly, making this pick not as much of a slam dunk as we were led to believe it was coming into the season. However, I’m still a firm believer that Cholowsky is the best player in this class and while the White Sox have done their due diligence on other players near the top of the board, there hasn’t been any indication that they believe otherwise.
Tampa Bay Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Forth Worth Christian HS (TX)
Mock Draft 1.0: Grady Emerson
Mock Draft 2.0: Grady Emerson
Mock Draft 3.0: Grady Emerson
While Vahn Lackey has caught some steam here with this pick, I still don’t believe the Rays pass on the opportunity to land the best prep bat in the class given they love high-floor prep bats anyway. Now if Emerson is the pick to the White Sox at first overall, those links to Lackey might take shape because I do believe there is a world in which the Rays prefer Lackey over Cholowsky.
Minnesota Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
Mock Draft 1.0: Justin Lebron
Mock Draft 2.0: Vahn Lackey
Mock Draft 3.0: Vahn Lackey
There doesn’t seem to be any real links between the Twins and players outside of the top three players in the class (that I’m aware of), so the likely scenario is that Minnesota takes whoever is remaining between Cholowsky, Emerson, and Lackey when their pick rolls around.
San Francisco Giants: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep HS (FL)
Mock Draft 1.0: AJ Gracia
Mock Draft 2.0: Jackson Flora
Mock Draft 3.0: Jackson Flora
There has been a pretty strong link between the Giants and Lombard dating back prior to my Mock Draft 3.0, and that connection still seems to be a very real thing. I am as high as anyone on Jackson Flora which is why I had him landing within the top five picks in each of my three previous mock drafts, but it feels like the Giants and the Pirates are likely to try to cash in on the remaining top tier of prep talent, meaning someone is getting a bargain on Flora in my opinion with a later pick.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Eric Booth Jr, OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)
Mock Draft 1.0: Jackson Flora
Mock Draft 2.0: Eric Booth Jr
Mock Draft 3.0: Jacob Lombard
I really think the Pirates end up with one of either Jacob Lombard or EJ Booth, and in this scenario it’s Booth that is available. With one of or both of those players likely to be available with this pick, it would be hard to see the Pirates passing on either of them given their recent track record with high end, toolsy preps.
Kansas City Royals: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
Mock Draft 1.0: Jacob Lombard
Mock Draft 2.0: Jacob Lombard
Mock Draft 3.0: Eric Booth Jr
The Royals have been linked to prep bats with this pick, but with both Lombard and Booth unavailable here, I’m not sure any bats from the next tier of preps can push their way up this far. They have been linked with some college bats as well and Burress is the best one available at this pick. It feels like the perfect range for him too given there’s a slim chance he’s getting past the Orioles pick at seventh overall, and he’s regaining some of that steam as a top five pick he came into the season with.
Baltimore Orioles: Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
Mock Draft 1.0: Drew Burress
Mock Draft 2.0: Justin Lebron
Mock Draft 3.0: Drew Burress
There isn’t much reason to believe the Orioles are going to turn from their strategy of taking bats in the first round, especially given there’s five or more bats that fit in this range compared to just Jackson Flora on the pitching side (a few prep arms might sneak into this range, but it’s highly unlikely with the Orioles pick). It feels like Tyler Bell is the college bat that teams prefer most among the current tier of available players considering Bell is gaining a lot of steam as a top ten pick. I personally prefer Chris Hacopian as far as college bats go in this range, but I think the Orioles are going to value the secondary tools of Bell here.
Athletics: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Mock Draft 1.0: Ace Reese
Mock Draft 2.0: Chris Hacopian
Mock Draft 3.0: Chris Hacopian
While I do believe this would be the perfect fit for Hacopian - as I expressed in my previous two mock drafts - I don’t see Flora falling much further than this, and certainly not past the A’s given they have really valued college prospects with polish and track record.
Atlanta Braves: Jared Grindlinger, LHP/OF, Huntington Beach HS (CA)
Mock Draft 1.0: Carson Bolemon
Mock Draft 2.0: Carson Bolemon
Mock Draft 3.0: Cade Townsend
Forecasting what the Braves might do has been an interesting task considering the board really starts opening up here, they haven’t selected this high since 2018, and they have been linked with just about every demographic. They have recently leaned heavily towards arms with their first round picks, but a lot of bats have popped up here with this pick as well. You get the option of either if you take Grindlinger, the best two-way (and youngest player) in the class, who also happens to be gaining a lot of steam as a top ten pick. And like I mentioned in my previous mock draft as it pertains to the Braves, I think an under-slot deal is certainly in play here with Atlanta picking again at 26th overall where there should be a surplus of prep arms available. Taking Grindlinger with a top ten pick likely grants that luxury.
Colorado Rockies: Derek Curiel, OF, LSU
Mock Draft 1.0: Sawyer Strosnider
Mock Draft 2.0: Sawyer Strosnider
Mock Draft 3.0: Cam Flukey
Curiel is one of the biggest risers in this mock compared to my most recent as he is another player with more and more buzz within the top ten. He came into the season as a near slam dunk top ten pick, but the lack of improvement in the power department saw Curiel slide later into the first round. However, we typically see some of these high-floor college players climb boards late due to the nature of teams falling back on the safety some of these guys provide as draft day approaches. It’s hard to find another player available in this scenario with a higher floor than Curiel, and for that reason, I think he’s going to sneak into the top ten.
Washington Nationals: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
Mock Draft 1.0: Cam Flukey
Mock Draft 2.0: Gio Rojas
Mock Draft 3.0: Carson Bolemon
I’ve kind of landed on a pitcher with this pick at each stage and I don’t think that’s going to change. I personally believe Carson Bolemon is the best prep pitcher in this class, but I think teams are leaning more towards Gio Rojas in that regard. This is the range where I believe we see some names from this deep group of prep pitchers start to come off the board and the Nationals have been linked with a few of them throughout the cycle.
Los Angeles Angels: Chris Hacopian, SS, Texas A&M
Mock Draft 1.0: Chris Hacopian
Mock Draft 2.0: AJ Gracia
Mock Draft 3.0: AJ Gracia
Regardless of the recent changes to the front office in Anaheim, I don’t think they’re going to completely overhaul their draft strategy only two weeks out from draft day. With that being said, I still think it’s going to be the fastest moving college player remaining on the board, and in this scenario, it’s Chris Hacopian. There’s a lot of Christian Moore in here, who the Angels selected ninth overall in 2024, and I believe Hacopian is better at the same stage.
St. Louis Cardinals: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas
Mock Draft 1.0: Tyler Bell
Mock Draft 2.0: Drew Burress
Mock Draft 3.0: Ryder Helfrick
I’m a pretty firm believer we see a college bat land with the Cardinals here given there isn’t a recent track record with preps in the first round, and the college pitcher crop is thin in this range while there is a wider group of bats that fit here. I flipped between AJ Gracia and Ryder Helfrick here, but I think the supplementary tools on Helfrick will be more appealing to St. Louis while he is pushing his way towards the top ten anyway.
Miami Marlins: AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
Mock Draft 1.0: Gio Rojas
Mock Draft 2.0: Tyler Bell
Mock Draft 3.0: Sawyer Strosnider
It seems more and more apparent that the Marlins will end up with a college bat here, and if the Cardinals do take Helfrick with the pick in front of them, their job becomes fairly easy in taking Gracia. He certainly fits the profile of college bat they have targeted in recent drafts - polished overall offensive packages with power upside.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Trevor Condon, OF, Etowah HS (GA)
Mock Draft 1.0: Eric Booth Jr
Mock Draft 2.0: Blake Bowen
Mock Draft 3.0: Trevor Condon
It feels lazy tagging the Diamondbacks with the undersized, toolsy bat given that’s what they’ve targeted in recent years, but Condon certainly played himself into this range and I believe this is where the board starts to open up for these prep bats anyway.
Texas Rangers: Cam Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Mock Draft 1.0: Vahn Lackey
Mock Draft 2.0: Cam Flukey
Mock Draft 3.0: Gio Rojas
This continues to be among the toughest picks to forecast given the board really opens up in this range and the Rangers haven’t had any clear links to players that I’m aware of. I don’t think Flukey falls much further than this considering he was a potential top five pick coming into the season and the injury that sidelined him for a majority of the season wasn’t a glaring arm injury. He did struggle out of the gates when returning from injury, but I don’t think there was enough there for all teams selecting within the top 20 to pass on him.
Houston Astros: Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra HS (CA)
Mock Draft 1.0: Caden Sorrell
Mock Draft 2.0: Caden Sorrell
Mock Draft 3.0: Justin Lebron
I’ve stated in my previous mock drafts that the Astros are one of these teams willing to take a shot on these high risk bats. Blake Bowen is one of them, but it’s immense upside given he just started focusing on baseball within the last two years and has one of the best physical tool sets in the draft. Bowen is closer to the comp round than the middle of the first round on a lot of boards, but that was the case for Xavier Neyens last year - the Astros first round pick with hit tool risk who has performed pretty well in the lower levels of the minors thus far for Houston.
Cincinnati Reds: Rocco Maniscalco, SS, Oxford HS (AL)
Mock Draft 1.0: Liam Peterson
Mock Draft 2.0: Ace Reese
Mock Draft 3.0: Logan Reddemann
I’d probably venture out to say Maniscalco climbing into the top 20 is my hottest take in this iteration of the mock draft. Coming out of the draft combine, he does have as much helium as any of the preps in this class and he’s a model darling given he’s the second youngest player in the class - only a few weeks behind Jared Grindlinger. A few prep bats have popped up with this pick and the Reds have shown they value toolsy, up the middle preps in recent years. Add on the fact that taking Maniscalco here would likely also grant the Reds the luxury of an under-slot deal, something they have gotten with each of their last three first round picks.
Cleveland Guardians: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Mock Draft 1.0: Logan Hughes
Mock Draft 2.0: Ryder Helfrick
Mock Draft 3.0: Caden Sorrell
In Mock Draft 3.0, I mentioned this would be a great landing spot for Lebron had not I given him to the Astros two picks prior. Well, thanks to consensus moving Lebron down due to his lackluster performance in SEC play and the postseason, Lebron is now available here, and the Guardians are another team not afraid of taking on risk. Last year it was Jace Laviolette who the Guardians took 27th overall after coming into the season with legitimate first overall potential, and that could be the same exact case between the Guardians and Lebron this year.
Boston Red Sox: Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
Mock Draft 1.0: Coleman Borthwick
Mock Draft 2.0: Liam Peterson
Mock Draft 3.0: Hunter Dietz
I keep landing on college arms with this pick, and not necessarily just because the Red Sox targeted college arms with three of their first four picks last year. Dietz does fit the type of college arm Boston took early last year - stands out physically, can really spin it well, and performed in the SEC. On top of that, the board starts opening up for a number of college arms here and I believe Dietz is the best from that group at this stage.
San Diego Padres: Carson Bolemon, LHP, Southside Christian HS (SC)
Mock Draft 1.0: Blake Bowen
Mock Draft 2.0: James Clark
Mock Draft 3.0: Jared Grindlinger
This is the lowest I’ve mocked Carson Bolemon after getting him into the top 11 in each of my previous three mock drafts. The consensus is a bit lower on him than myself after he missed a portion of his high school season this year and also saw his velocity back up some, so I do think he ends up closer to the comp round than the top ten. I do still believe this is the most polished prep arm in the class and don’t seem him getting past the Padres pick in my scenarios at least. The prep pitching demographic is too deep for the Padres to not land one of them with their first pick given they seem to not share the same concern as other teams when it comes to the risk of taking prep arms in the first round.
Detroit Tigers: Cole Prosek, C/SS, Magnolia Heights HS (MS)
Mock Draft 1.0: Tyler Spangler
Mock Draft 2.0: Tyler Spangler
Mock Draft 3.0: Cole Prosek
Cole Prosek fits the profile of player the Tigers have targeted in recent seasons in just about every way - left handed hitting prep, polished hit tool, a lot of projection with untapped power potential, versatile defender. It feels like the perfect fit and this also remains the range that I believe Prosek’s market starts.
Chicago Cubs: Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU
Mock Draft 1.0: Chris Rembert
Mock Draft 2.0: Aiden Robbins
Mock Draft 3.0: Tyler Bell
I’m still pretty confident that a college bat ends up being the pick here with the Cubs, but there’s still a lot of potential for some of these college arms available here to end up in Chicago as well. Strosnider in my opinion is the best college player available in this scenario, and regardless of the fact that his hit tool backed up at TCU this year, the youth, power, and supplementary tools on Strosnider are just too tough to pass on this deep into the first round.
Seattle Mariners: Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
Mock Draft 1.0: Kaden Waechter
Mock Draft 2.0: Cooper Sides
Mock Draft 3.0: Tyler Spangler
Just about every demographic has popped up with this pick to the Mariners, but the college arms is what I’ve seen most at this pick. They have shown a lean towards college arms in recent years anyway and there’s a pretty solid group of them in this scenario available in this range. I might prefer Cade Townsend or Cole Carlon in this scenario, but the strike-throwing ability of Kuhns might be more appealing to the Mariners.
Milwaukee Brewers: Caden Ferraro, OF, Texas Tech
Mock Draft 1.0: Derek Curiel
Mock Draft 2.0: Derek Curiel
Mock Draft 3.0: Derek Curiel
I unfortunately have to find a new pick for the Brewers after moving Derek Curiel up, who seemed like a perfect fit in Milwaukee. I still think a college bat is the play here for the Brewers and Caden Ferraro has picked up some steam late into the cycle with a breakout year in the Big 12 after spending his first two seasons of college ball in the JUCO ranks. It’s hard to find another power four bat with as little Division-1 experience as Ferraro had to perform as well as he did with Texas Tech this year. There isn’t a ton of defensive or athletic upside in here, but enough to where I feel like this is a bat the Brewers are willing to bet on in the same manner they did with Andrew Fischer a year ago.
(PPI) Atlanta Braves: Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS (MA)
Mock Draft 3.0: Logan Schmidt
There are a number of different directions the Braves can go with this pick, and it’s going to be dependent on what they do with their first pick at ninth overall. With them taking Jared Grindlinger with their first pick in this scenario, the picture doesn’t get much clearer considering Grindlinger is a two-way. However, I would imagine he lands an under-slot deal and more teams seem to prefer him as a hitter than a pitcher which gives me all the reason to stick a prep pitcher here. The Braves don’t mind prep pitchers in the slightest and I think it’s becoming more and more unlikely that Bumila falls out of the first round.
(PPI) New York Mets: Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
Mock Draft 1.0: Lucas Moore
Mock Draft 2.0: Chris Rembert
Mock Draft 3.0: Tegan Kuhns
This has been another tough pick to forecast, but college bats continue to pop up here more than any other graphic, and Ace Reese is arguably the top college bat available here in this scenario. Reese seems to have a wider range of outcomes due to his hit tool taking a step back this spring and his lack of defensive upside, but this still feels closer to his floor than ceiling given it’s some of the best power in the class along with a sweet left-handed swing.
(PPI) Houston Astros: Chase Brunson, OF, TCU
Mock Draft 3.0: Blake Bowen
Although I’m moving off of Blake Bowen with this specific pick, the Astros still land him in this scenario with their first pick at 17th overall. The pivot with this pick is to the toolsy Chase Brunson, who is becoming a trendy name in this range of the class. After going with the higher upside and higher risk of Bowen with their first pick, Houston falls back on the pretty high floor of a multi-faceted college bat.
(CB-A) San Francisco Giants: Bo Lowrance, 3B, Christ Church Episcopal HS (SC)
Mock Draft 3.0: Will Brick
I think a handful of prep bats start to go in this range, especially within this comp round with teams playing with extra money. Once you move outside of your top two tiers of prep bats, Lowrance is arguably at the top of the available names, especially if Rocco Maniscalco and Cole Prosek are unavailable as they are in this scenario. There’s also a lot of Bryce Eldridge in Lowrance’s profile which might add some intrigue for San Francisco here.
(CB-A) Kansas City Royals: Taj Marchand, SS, James Island HS (SC)
Mock Draft 3.0: Coleman Borthwick
It seems like the Royals are looking to land either Jacob Lombard or Eric Booth Jr with their first pick at sixth overall, but neither fall to them in this scenario. That would give them all the more reason to cash in on one of these prep bats available in this range. I personally prefer guys like Aiden Ruiz and Trey Ebel in this scenario but Marchand continues to get a lot of buzz as a potential first round pick - more so than the aforementioned names.
(CB-A) Arizona Diamondbacks: Coleman Borthwick, South Walton HS (FL)
Mock Draft 3.0: Logan Hughes
While I just mentioned that a lot of prep bats will land in this comp range, I also feel that this is where the board finally opens up for these prep right-handers. It’s a particularly deep class without much separation, but I still think only a select few land in the first round. Although it is a super tight group, I think Borthwick stands out for most teams as the best prep right-hander on the board. The Diamondbacks have also used a handful of their top five picks on preps in recent years, so it’s not crazy to see them going with a prep with back to back picks, especially if they have the chance to land the top prep right-hander in the class.
(CB-A) St. Louis Cardinals: Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
Mock Draft 3.0: Liam Peterson
It’s hard not to see the Cardinals not landing a college arm with either of their first two picks considering that has been their bread and butter in recent drafts which is why they grab Carlon with this pick. This is probably the right range for Carlon anyway who has some of the best upside among the college arms in this class, but also comes with a fair amount of reliever risk.
(CB-A) Tampa Bay Rays: Ty Head, OF, NC State
Mock Draft 3.0: Aiden Ruiz
In similar manner to what they did last year with Daniel Pierce as their first pick and Brendan Summerhill as their second pick, the Rays turn to a high-floor college bat after taking Grady Emerson second overall in this scenario. Head is among the best defenders in this class and also has some of the better bat to ball skills among the college bats in this class, both of which the Rays highly value in the draft.
(CB-A) Pittsburgh Pirates: Ethan Wachsmann, RHP, Grandview HS (CO)
Mock Draft 3.0: Brody Bumila
Although Brody Bumila is off the board in this scenario, I still like for the Pirates to be one of the first teams to land one of these prep right-handed arms given I’m on the record stating that the Pirates are a team unafraid of taking on risk in the draft. I’m also on the record stating that Ethan Wachsmann is a Seth Hernandez-lite, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was intrigue here between both parties. Wachsmann has also been a late riser in this class and the comp round is looking more and more like a likely scenario for the right-hander rather than his ceiling.
(CB-A) New York Yankees: Aiden Ruiz, SS, Stony Brook HS (NY)
Mock Draft 1.0: Joey Volchko
Mock Draft 2.0: Joey Volchko
Mock Draft 3.0: Cole Carlon
After sifting through a number of college arms in my previous three mock drafts for the Yankees, I’ve come back around on a prep shortstop, the same well they pulled from a year ago with their first pick. Ruiz is a personal favorite of mine so I would consider him much higher than this, but the back of the first round into the early second round is the more likely outcome for Ruiz. As a Vanderbilt commit, he might be a tougher sign, but that didn’t stop the Yankees from taking Dax Kilby, a Clemson commit, a year ago on an over-slot deal despite the fact he was projected closer to the third round than the first round. We could see a similar scenario if this does end up being a match. Add on the fact that Ruiz is a local kid, all the more reason to pair the two.
(CB-A) Philadelphia Phillies: Trey Ebel, SS, Corona HS (CA)
Mock Draft 1.0: James Clark
Mock Draft 2.0: Aiden Ruiz
Mock Draft 3.0: Taj Marchand
I did think about moving off of the prep shortstops with this pick but it still feels like the play for the Phillies here. They went exclusively with arms through the first eight rounds a year ago, but have leaned heavily towards prep bats with their first picks in recent years. For those two reasons I believe they likely pivot back to a bat this year, and more likely from the prep ranks. I’ve already stated that Ebel is a favorite of mine in this range and checks a lot of the boxes the Phillies value with their first round picks.
(CB-A) Colorado Rockies: Taylor Rabe, RHP, Ole Miss
Mock Draft 3.0: Mason Edwards
A few college arms continue to pop up at either of these next two picks owned by the Rockies. At this stage it seems like the consensus might like Rabe’s combination of stuff and strike-throwing despite his shorter track record over the performance of Mason Edwards who was the pick here in my last mock draft. For that reason I have Rabe slotting in here over available college arms such as Edwards, Liam Peterson, Joey Volchko, and Jack Radel, although I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those names ended up landing at either of these picks to the Rockies.
(2nd RD) Colorado Rockies: Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia
Mock Draft 3.0: Aiden Robbins
Coming off of a historic Golden Spikes award winning season at Georgia, Jackson’s case to be a first rounder has never been better despite some of the hit tool concerns he comes with. It’s not everyday that you find a catcher with the athletic tool set he has, so how teams view him defensively will ultimately be the deciding factor in just how high he climbs or falls. For now, it’s safe to say he’s a back of the first rounder and I think the Rockies are the team in this range most likely to take him.
(2nd RD) Toronto Blue Jays: Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame
Mock Draft 1.0: Joseph Contreras
Mock Draft 2.0: Joseph Contreras
Mock Draft 3.0: Cooper Sides
With teams not making their first pick until this late in the first round, it seems like a lot of the time they lean more towards a safer pick than the upside pick. Jack Radel has arguably the highest floor among all available players given his three year track record at Notre Dame along with his starter’s frame and above-average strike throwing. Arms also seem to be the main demographic popping up with this pick too, so Radel feels like a safe bet here.
(2nd RD) Los Angeles Dodgers: Jake Schaffner, SS, North Carolina
Mock Draft 1.0: Mason Edwards
Mock Draft 2.0: Logan Reddemann
Mock Draft 3.0: Bo Lowrance
The Dodgers are really hand-cuffed with their bonus pool, but that’s not going to stop them from maximizing their draft class. Jake Schaffner is a likely second to third round guy, but has gained some steam late in the cycle due to the fact it seems like teams feel better about his chances of sticking at shortstop. Add on his plus bat to ball skills and he has Dodger draft pick written all over him. I do think there is a world in which Schaffner gets into the first round and the Dodgers feel like as good a spot as any for him.
