The 2026 MLB Draft is in the books, and the first thing that jumps out is just how many different ways teams tried to attack it. Some clubs chased star power at the top.
Others stacked the board with upside. A few leaned hard into player development bets they clearly believe they can shape over time.
It’ll be a while before anyone can truly grade this class, but we can still sort through the early winners. Based on the first three rounds, here are five draft hauls that stood out right away.
Chicago set the tone with the No. 1 overall pick, and that alone gives the White Sox a head start. They used it on shortstop Roch Cholowsky out of UCLA, the consensus top player in the draft.
Then they kept adding talent with Comp. A shortstop Landon Thome from Nazareth Academy in Illinois, second-round second baseman Cole Prosek from Magnolia Heights HS in Mississippi, and third-round right-hander Joey Volchko from Georgia.
Thome is Jim Thome’s son, though the profile is different. Jim hit 612 homers.
Landon brings more hit tool than pure thunder, but he can really hit. Prosek was an industry favorite and could have gone in the middle of the first round.
Volchko, nicknamed the Volchnado, has first-round stuff and fifth-round control. Chicago kept the quality coming later too, adding Oregon State right-hander Eric Segura in the fourth round and New Jersey prep outfielder Alex Weingartner in the sixth.
Weingartner is extremely raw, but the athleticism and speed are real. The White Sox came away with high-upside talent throughout the class.
Cleveland built a class that fits the way it likes to operate. The Guardians opened with Florida right-hander Liam Peterson in the first round, then added California high school lefty Logan Schmidt in the second and Houston outfielder Tre Broussard in the third.
That’s a strong mix for a club that develops pitchers as well as anyone. Peterson and Schmidt are exactly the kind of arms Cleveland tends to turn into something more, and that same idea applies to Texas high school right-hander Savion Sims in the seventh round and Georgia right-hander Matt Scott in the eighth.
The bats they added give the class some balance. Wake Forest third baseman Kade Lewis went in the fourth round, Louisville outfielder Lucas Moore in the fifth, and Broussard brings burgeoning power.
Lewis is a pure bat-to-ball hitter who basically doesn’t miss fastballs. Moore adds speed and base-running chaos.
The Guardians got pitching talent and a spread of different offensive skill sets.
St. Louis may have put together the most exciting class right away.
The Cardinals started with Georgia high school outfielder Trevor Condon in the first round, then grabbed Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns in Comp. A, Alabama high school shortstop Rocco Maniscalco in the second, Central Florida outfielder Andrew Williamson in Comp.
B, West Virginia right-hander Dawson Montesa in Comp. B, and Texas Tech outfielder Caden Ferraro in the third.
Condon is the kind of player who jumps off the page: bat-to-ball ability, an advanced approach, some power, top-end speed, and a style that plays with urgency. Kuhns had arguably the best pure stuff in the draft class, and there were nights this spring when he sat 98 mph and blew hitters away at the top of the zone.
Maniscalco is a switch-hitter with power upside and no-doubt shortstop defense. Williamson gets on base and runs, while Montesa brings a four-pitch mix and sits in the mid-90s.
Those picks came from the three-team Brendan Donovan trade, and St. Louis made them count.
Ferraro and Kansas State shortstop Dee Kennedy in the fourth round both have easy power. UCLA right-hander Cal Randall, taken in the fifth, lives off fastballs - 90% of them - and the pitch is already elite thanks to upper-90s velocity, spin, and movement.
He looks like a reliever long term, but a good one, and he shouldn’t need much time in the minors.
Tampa Bay did what Tampa Bay does. The Rays took No. 2 pick Grady Emerson, a shortstop from Fort Worth Christian in Texas, and that alone gives the class a centerpiece. Emerson has the talent to anchor a draft by himself.
They also kept leaning into the kind of players they’ve had success with. Comp.
A shortstop Taj Marchand from James Island HS in South Carolina was one of the youngest players in the draft and posted huge exit velocities for his age. His swing is unconventional, which pushed him outside the first round, but that sort of thing never scares Tampa away.
Right-hander Ben Blair from Liberty fits the Rays’ taste for funky deliveries and arm slots paired with power stuff. Georgia high school right-hander AJ Rice in the seventh round is built the same way.
Dana Hills HS right-hander Gavin Giese in California has four pitches and a strong feel for spin, and that’s the kind of arm Tampa has a track record of turning into a big-league contributor. If they can sign California high school right-hander Logan Georges in the 11th round, he brings a three-pitch mix and some of the best under-the-hood traits in the draft.
Emerson is the headliner, but the Rays also loaded up on pitchers with unusual looks and traits that fit their development model.
Pittsburgh rounded out the group with a class that has plenty of upside, even if the first pick didn’t fully match the appetite for impact. The Pirates took Curiel at No. 5, though there are questions about his power. They made up some of that ground with Ruiz, who was the best defensive player in the draft at any position, and Rembert, who could grow into significant power if Pittsburgh can get him to add loft to his swing.
The pitching depth is where this class really starts to pop. DeCaro, NC State lefty Ryan Marohn in the fifth round, and Alabama right-hander Tyler Fay in the sixth all bring wide arsenals and plus command.
The Pirates have a strong track record with pitchers, and each of those arms could take a step if they add a little more oomph to their fastballs. If they can get him signed, Georgia high school outfielder Malachi Washington in the 18th round has the kind of tools that could eventually point to a 20-20 center fielder.
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White Sox Just Took Another Intriguing Bat Fans Will Worry About
The White Sox added another interesting bat to the pipeline with their No. 345 pick, taking Vanderbilt junior Braden Holcomb as part of a draft class that continues to lean into upside. Holcomb brings speed and the kind of versatility teams like to dream on, with experience at multiple positions and enough athleticism to keep evaluators engaged even if the profile is still very much in progress.
What makes him a tougher read is the hit tool, which has been the main reason he slid to this point. Chicago will have to sort through the swing and decide where he fits defensively, and the early plan could include a stop in Kannapolis as the organization works through both sides of his development. For a White Sox system that can afford to bet on tools, Holcomb is exactly the sort of player who can look intriguing now and still leave fans wondering how the whole package comes together. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox Draft Pick Carries A Franchise Connection Fans Will Feel
The White Sox added another notable name to their draft class when they took shortstop Landon Thome with the No. 33 overall pick in Competitive Balance Round A. He joined a group that also included UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky at No. 1 overall and second baseman Cole Prosek in the second round, giving Chicago a mix of high-end talent and infield depth as it worked through the early part of the draft.
Thomes selection carried an extra layer of familiarity for White Sox fans, even before the front office got to the rest of its board. Chicago had just picked up that selection in a Friday trade, and the club moved on Thome before its next slot came around, a sign it did not want to leave the board to chance with a player it clearly valued. [Read more 🡒]
First-Place White Sox Just Changed The Conversation Around This Season
The conversation around the White Sox looks a lot different now than it did when they reached the All-Star break at 32-65. A 9-1 win over the Athletics pushed Chicago to 50-45 and into first place in the American League Central, a stunning turnaround for a club that spent the first half buried in the standings and now has 67 games left to prove this surge is real.
There is still plenty to sort out, but the mood around the team and manager has clearly shifted from survival mode to something more ambitious. Noah Schultz also gave the White Sox a lift by earning his first win since May 1, ending a six-start winless streak, and Chicago will keep trying to turn a hot stretch into a position it has not had in a while: a lead worth protecting. [Read more 🡒]