2026 MLB Mock Draft: Pirates Target Top College Pitcher, Pairing Him With Paul Skenes

The 2026 MLB Draft is now four weeks away. Five years ago, MLB pushed the draft back from the first week of June to the All-Star break to better market the event, and it will remain there moving forward, though many executives don't like it . The two-day draft begins Saturday, July 11, this year.

This is the fourth draft with MLB's lottery system. In the past, the draft order was the reverse order of the previous year's standings, which was nice and easy. Now, picks 1-6 are assigned via lottery, picks 7-18 are the remaining non-postseason teams in the reverse order of the previous year's standings, and picks 19-30 are postseason teams in order of their playoff finish.

At 60-102, the White Sox had baseball's second-worst record last season, yet Chicago won the lottery and moved up to the No. 1 pick. This is the third time in franchise history that the White Sox have held the No. 1 selection; they selected Danny Goodwin with the No. 1 pick in 1971 (but did not sign him) and Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1977.

2026 MLB Mock Draft: White Sox take UCLA star at No. 1 as three shortstops go in top four Mike Axisa

The Giants also won big on lottery day, moving up from the No. 15 pick to No. 4. It will be San Francisco's highest selection since taking Joey Bart with the No. 2 pick in 2018. The 119-loss Rockies moved back to the No. 10 pick. They had the No. 3 pick in 2024 and the No. 4 pick in 2025, and teams cannot have lottery picks in three consecutive years.

All first-round picks are protected from free-agent compensation. Teams forfeit later draft picks (and international bonus pool money) to sign qualified free agents. The Blue Jays , Dodgers , Mets , Phillies , and Yankees all exceeded the $281 million third competitive balance tax threshold in 2025, and the penalty moves their first 2026 pick back 10 spots. They're now out of the first round.

After our first 2026 MLB mock draft  (May 29), here is our first update to reflect the latest chatter, speculation, and rumors.

1. White Sox: SS Roch Cholowsky, UCLA

UCLA's season ended abruptly with a regionals loss  two weeks ago, so White Sox fans won't get a chance to see Cholowsky on the national stage at the College World Series. With the draft a month away, Cholowsky remains the favorite to go No. 1, though there are rumors the White Sox could pivot to high school shortstop Grady Emerson. My hunch is that's a "we'll take the other guy if you don't lower your asking price, Roch" leverage play on Chicago's part, which is something we often hear a month out from the draft. Right now, it would be a surprise if anyone other than Cholowsky or Emerson is the No. 1 pick.

May 29 mock pick: Cholowsky

2. Rays: SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)

In a sense, the Rays have the easiest decision on draft day. Cholowsky and Emerson are the consensus top two prospects in this year's class, so Tampa can simply take whichever one the White Sox don't take. In this mock draft, that's Emerson, who is arguably the highest upside player available this year. Cholowsky is the more polished player and is closer to MLB-ready, though. Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey could tempt the Rays, given the franchise's perpetual search for a quality backstop.

May 29 mock pick: Emerson

3. Twins: C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech

Lackey is the best catcher in the draft class and an all-around threat who projects to contribute at the plate while playing strong defense. He also fits Minnesota's M.O. as a player with a high-end hit tool. They've used their last few first-round picks on similar prospects ( Walker Jenkins in 2023, Kaelen Culpepper in 2024, Marek Houston in 2025). The Twins would presumably take Cholowsky or Emerson in the unlikely event one falls to No. 3.

May 29 mock pick: Lackey

4. Giants: SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (FL)

There is a gap between the Cholowsky/Emerson/Lackey tier and the fourth-best prospect in the draft class. It is an open secret that the Giants covet Cholowsky and have a large enough bonus pool (more than $17 million) to float a record signing bonus offer ($10 million or so?) and see whether that scares away the White Sox, Rays and Twins. That doesn't happen in this mock draft, but it's worth trying if you're San Francisco. Lombard, whose father George Sr. is the Tigers ' bench coach and brother George Jr. is the Yankees' top prospect, has been connected to the Giants most heavily outside the big three. He's a do-it-all shortstop with significant upside and perhaps a quicker path to the big leagues than most high schoolers.

May 29 mock pick: Lombard

5. Pirates: RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara

This is one of those picks that just makes sense on paper. The Pirates are a very good pitcher development organization, and Flora has the tools (upper-90s fastball and two versions of a slider) to zoom through the minors and help  Paul Skenes and the big-league team in short order. Flora is the draft's best pitching prospect. He aligns with Pittsburgh's development strengths, and his timetable fits the team's contention window (i.e. right now). Best not to overthink it.

May 29 mock pick: Flora

6. Royals: LHP Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)

Teams are wary of high school pitchers because of the high injury risk and because they don't have as much information (neither traditional scouting nor analytical) about them as they do about college players. Rojas looks the part, though. Size (listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds), stuff (mid-90s fastball, slider, changeup), command, mound presence. Kansas City has a Competitive Balance pick at No. 30 and could cut a below-slot deal with Rojas here, then splurge at No. 30. Rojas would likely welcome such a deal because, if he's not taken here, he might not hear his name called until the late first round. A below-slot bonus at No. 6 is better for him financially than a slot deal at, say, pick No. 20 or beyond.

May 29 mock pick: OF Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove HS (MS)

7. Orioles: OF Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove HS (MS)

Booth would not be out of place as a top-five pick and he is right up Baltimore's alley as a toolsy hitter with power potential and plate discipline. They've focused heavily on those two traits early in the draft since POBO Mike Elias took over in November 2018. I suspect the O's would pounce on Booth or Lombard if either falls here, but not Flora. The Orioles haven't taken a pitcher earlier than the second round in the Elias era and there's no reason to think that will change this year.

May 29 mock pick: OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech

8. Athletics: OF Drew Burress, Georgia Tech

Despite an organizational need for pitching, the A's have mostly been connected to college position players this spring, and several good ones will be available here. Burress is the best of those still available in this mock draft. Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian, Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia, Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick, and Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron are other possibilities. Burress has no glaring weakness in his game and some believe there is significant power waiting to be untapped via swing adjustments.

May 29 mock pick: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia

9. Braves: SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky

Despite a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder that is likely to require surgery and sideline him into 2027, Bell is getting buzz as a top 10 pick. He would have been considered a slam dunk in that range with a healthy shoulder as a switch-hitter with power and plate discipline, plus the defensive chops to stay at shortstop. There is obvious risk given the shoulder injury, but Bell played through it this spring and performed very well, and the tools are terrific.

May 29 mock pick: RHP Cade Townsend, Mississippi

10. Rockies: 2B Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M

The Rockies are a tough team to pin down ahead of the draft because they have an entirely new front office led by an executive who spent the last decade in the NFL in POBO Paul DePodesta. Hacopian is tough to pin down himself because although he's been one of the best college players of the 2020s, there are concerns about his ground ball swing and future defensive home. He could go in the top 10 or not until the very end of the first round. Colorado has been linked to college players more than high schoolers. Otherwise, we're guessing here.

May 29 mock pick: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina

11. Nationals: OF/LHP Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach HS (CA)

Grindlinger is a fascinating prospect. He reclassified out of the 2027 Draft and into the 2026 class, so he's among the youngest players available this summer, and he's a legitimate two-way prospect. He's considered a better prospect as a power-hitting outfielder than as a pitcher, though he would still likely go in the top three rounds if he pitched exclusively. The  Nationals  are among the teams that have been heavy on Grindlinger the last few weeks, and there's no chance he makes it to their second selection (No. 42), so it's now or never. It's unknown whether Washington or the team that picks him would let Grindlinger continue as a two-way player (my guess is yes).

May 29 mock pick: Grindlinger

12. Angels: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina

The Angels covet quick-moving college players and Flukey should be that, thanks to what might be the draft's best bat-missing combo in his mid-90s fastball and upper-70s curveball. An Angels player was the first player to reach the big leagues from the 2021 ( Chase Silseth ), 2022 ( Zach Neto ), 2023 ( Nolan Schanuel ), and 2024 ( Ryan Johnson ) Draft classes, and Tyler Bremner (No. 2 pick last year) still has a chance to be the first 2025 draftee to reach the show.

May 29 mock pick: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas

13. Cardinals: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas

Because of position scarcity, catchers are frequently selected earlier than the public draft prospect rankings would lead you to expect. Helfrick has big right-handed power and the tools that point to a long career as a good defensive catcher who hits near the middle of the order. Things really begin to open up around this pick and the surprises become less surprising.

May 29 mock pick: RHP Liam Peterson, Florida

14. Marlins: SS Justin Lebron, Alabama

Go back about 18 months and Lebron was favored to be the No. 1 pick in 2026. His performances have been uneven since then, though, with a tendency to chase spin out of the zone holding him back. The raw tools are incredible (power, speed, arm) and teams rave about his competitiveness and makeup. Everything but the plate discipline says Lebron belongs in the top five picks. The prospects still available in this mock draft say a college hitter would be the pick here, and the Marlins have shown a willingness to assume plate indiscipline risk to get loud tools under POBO Peter Bendix. Lebron fits.

May 29 mock pick: Lebron

15. Diamondbacks: LHP Cole Carlon, Arizona State

Carlon plays in the Diamondbacks ' backyard and has been getting buzz in the middle of the first round the last few weeks. He's a big lefty (listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds) with velocity and feel for spin, though not the consistent ability to find the strike zone. Carlon is an excellent ball of pitching clay and aligns with what the D-backs need to add to the organization.

May 29 mock pick: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah HS (GA)

16. Rangers: OF Derek Curiel, LSU

The Rangers have had a thing for "famous" prospects in the draft (think Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker ), which may mean Lebron won't fall beyond this pick. He's off the board in this mock draft, though, so we'll give them Curiel, a bat-to-ball specialist who projects to stay in center field long-term. Believers see him developing 20-homer power and becoming a difference-making leadoff man.

May 29 mock pick: LHP Hunter Dietz, Arkansas

17. Astros: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia

The best players still available in this mock draft are college hitters and Grac

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2026-mlb-mock-draft-june-12/)._