It's crazy we're saying this, but we have just 3 days until the 2026 MLB Draft. It's come a lot quicker than expected, and it looks like a draft that could play out multiple different ways – both at the top and at the back end of the first round.
While you can count on most of these picks being wrong on draft day, mock drafts are still a fun exercise: a way to consider multiple perspectives on how a team may approach its top pick, which players make sense, and who is most likely in different spots.
Each pick includes a link to the player's full Prospect Porch scouting profile – click on their name to dive deeper into their reports, grades, stats, and more.
I was very tempted to put Grady Emerson here. It sounds more and more like this pick is a coin toss, with Roch and Grady the two names at the forefront and Vahn Lackey a distant third possibility. I'm split on who to pick, but Roch has been the guy here all year, and he's also – for my money – the best player in the draft. Yes, people can critique the arm bar in the swing. Yes, he may not have had the best performances against Friday night arms this year. But at the end of the day, it could legitimately be a 70-grade glove, a 60-grade hit tool, and potential for 25+ home runs at the next level. Even if the bat never quite reaches its ceiling, you're still getting an everyday major league shortstop. If it does, Roch has perennial All-Star upside.
This pick is more than likely between whichever two of the top three are available. Historically the Rays haven't valued catching prospects early in the draft, though Vahn Lackey's dynamic toolset may be able to shift that organizational philosophy. Grady Emerson still feels like the likely selection here, given the Rays' affinity for drafting distinguished hit tools and the fact that he'll play shortstop at the next level. Tyler Bell is the big under-slot rumor with the Rays, especially if Emerson goes off the board to the White Sox.
It's most probable that Minnesota scoops up whichever of Cholowsky, Emerson, or Lackey falls to them, and Lackey is the most likely of that group to end up at 3. There's still plenty to get excited about. This is as dynamic an athlete as you'll find behind the plate, and a guy with legitimately above-average or better tools across the board. There's a rumor the Twins would go with Drew Burress if Cholowsky falls here but asks for full slot. It's just a rumor, though it's worth noting multiple people have reported that Burress is someone their model likes toward the top of this class.
It sounds like San Francisco has maybe cooled their jets on Jacob Lombard, though it should still come as no surprise if he's the pick here given how heavily they scouted and evaluated him this spring and how much I've heard they like (or liked) him. For now, though, Eric Booth Jr. is one of the names most heavily tied to them at this spot – a 70-to-80-grade runner with less positional value and power than Lombard, but a hit tool that is multiple grades better.
The Pirates will have multiple options to pick from here. Flora is the best player on the board and the best arm in this class by a landslide. Every pitch in his arsenal might be plus, with a fastball that could end up double-plus by the time he's in the big leagues. Given what Pittsburgh has done with pitching development in recent years, this is a best-case scenario for both parties – though Pittsburgh could also target a higher-upside position player like Jacob Lombard. Maybe this is an under-slot spot for Justin Lebron, or they go with a college performer who may be able to contribute sooner in Drew Burress. There are multiple ways this could go.
The Royals definitely like Jacob Lombard, and this would probably be somewhere around his floor if he got here – though there are rumors that Brian Bridges and Co. may try to under-slot an arm they like in this spot. This is probably Gio Rojas's ceiling.
The Orioles are said to be the floor for one of the top two prep bats if they make it here. If not, it's likely they'll turn to the second tier of prep bats. Helfrick was, metrically, the best defensive backstop in the country in 2026, with plus raw power and bat-to-ball skills that jumped multiple grades this year. Drew Burress makes sense and is the top college talent left on the board. That said, the Orioles don't have the best track record with college outfielders even with the amount of ammo they've used on that demographic over the past few years, which may scare them off.
Similar to the Orioles, the Athletics are connected to plenty of college bats, with names like Bell, Burress, Helfrick, and Curiel at the forefront of that pack. Pick your poison – it will probably be one of those names, assuming Flora or another top name doesn't fall this far.
I'm assuming Drew Burress is the pick here if he makes it this far. If not, Gio Rojas has been heavily linked to the Braves for a while now.
Curiel has been heavily linked to the Rockies and plenty of teams in this range. This pick makes tons of sense for Colorado, even if it strays from the corner-slugging archetype they've targeted in recent classes. Curiel brings top-of-the-class bat-to-ball skills and a legitimate center field profile to the table. His offensive profile could be further elevated by Coors Field, for what it's worth.
The Nationals have been connected to college bats like Hacopian and Ace Reese, as well as two-way prep star Jared Grindlinger, who seems to be a favorite of a lot of model-heavy teams. Even if Hacopian ends up at first base as a below-average athlete, it's a good enough offensive package to make up for it. Plus bat-to-ball skills, elite swing decisions, and plus raw power – there's very little to nitpick offensively, even if he'll have to backspin the baseball better in the future to get to more game power.
Could they finally do it? The Angels have been known to chase talent with closer proximity to the big leagues under Perry Minasian. With Minasian out the door, there's real uncertainty about which route the Halos go on July 11th. The shorter-timeline college player may still be the route they take, but who's to say they don't shoot for a prep talent they're fond of? The Angels feel like a team that could take any demographic at this pick, with a higher chance of that player coming from the high school ranks than in years past. Rojas is a name they're said to like.
Gracia is a high-floor college option who seems likely to land in this 10-20 pick range. The Cardinals could end up going a number of different ways here – they're said to be heavily in on a lot of high school bats, especially with their second pick.
Reese has been gaining steam as the name to watch for Miami here, among other college bats like Chris Hacopian, AJ Gracia, and Sawyer Strosnider. This is also probably a good floor for Derek Curiel if he makes it down here, and potentially a landing spot for Jared Grindlinger.
Grindlinger is a model darling due to his age, two-way status, and bat-to-ball skills. The Diamondbacks have targeted left-handed bats with standout contact skills, and while Grindlinger isn't the same flavor as a Kayson Cunningham or a Corbin Carroll, he shares some traits with their recent first-round tendencies. You also can't deny Trevor Condon as an option here, as well as some of the top college bats.
Lebron is a weird one. There are teams that like him in the top 15 picks, but there are also teams that scouted him in the 20s (like the Padres) – teams that had decision-makers at some of his games down the stretch, assuming he might fall to them given his hit-tool risk. The Rangers have swung for upside in recent drafts, and would (obviously) be doing the same here in selecting Lebron. Sawyer Strosnider could make some sense here too, and this is also supposedly Tyler Bell's hard floor.
The Astros are another team that could take this draft in multiple different directions, given they have two picks inside the top 30 and may choose to spread their money out. I haven't necessarily seen this player-team connection, but Peterson makes sense if they're interested in the college pitching demographic. Other options include names like Mason Edwards, or a higher-upside bat like Sawyer Strosnider, Daniel Jackson, or Justin Lebron if he makes it here. This is a tough one to pin down.
This feels like the range where Trevor Condon could hear his name called. Condon is the type of twitchy, athletic bat the Reds have targeted in recent years (e.g. Steele Hall) and plays with an infectious energy that is fun to watch. The Reds have been linked to multiple demographics, including college pitching.
The Guardians historically haven't been an organization that targets lumbering slugger types, but could the pick of Jace Laviolette in 2025 signal a shift in that philosophy? Time will tell, but for what it's worth, Strosnider has been mentioned as a name to watch here – and makes sense given the Guardians' affinity for left-handed hitters as well.
Flukey has some traits Boston will value and fits the trend of recent draft classes in targeting college pitching early. This is probably Jared Grindlinger's floor if he makes it here.
The Padres and taking a prep player. It seems to happen every year in the first round, and I don't see a reason why they would stray from it this year. Lowrance has the upside to develop into an above-average hitter with plus power, and there are building blocks the Padres could work with even if he's not the elite athlete they normally target. If Sawyer Strosnider or Justin Lebron falls here, they could break the high school trend given the toolset and upside.
The Tigers have gone for left-handed hitters in recent years, particularly on the prep side, and they've been happy to under-slot their first pick. Horn feels like someone whose athleticism and bat-to-ball skills they could covet – and get a slight discount on. They're also tied to college pitching if a high school bat they like doesn't make it down here.
Rose and the Cubs have been linked for a few months, and he could make sense as a primary target here that appeals to their model. They've also been named as a team to watch as it pertains to the college pitching demographic.
The Mariners will definitely be in wait-and-see mode in terms of what happens in front of them, but if a bat they want doesn't fall here, you can always rely on Seattle picking out a college arm they like. Kuhns has a metrically appealing fastball and throws plenty of strikes. Given what Seattle has done with pitching talent in recent years, this feels like a match made in heaven.
Edwards has been rising up draft boards down the stretch, and while he could go earlier than this, he fits well as a high-performing college left-hander for the Brewers at 25.
