2026 MLB Draft: MLB Pipeline releases first mock after draft lottery

The 2026 MLB Draft order has officially been set following last week’s lottery. The Chicago White Sox have earned the No. 1 overall pick. With that, paired with MLB Pipeline’s recent reveal of the top 100 prospects in the class, Pipeline has released its first mock draft of the 2026 cycle.

Of the 25 first-round selections, MLB Pipeline has 13 college hitters leading the way. There are five high school hitters, four college pitchers and three high school pitchers to round out the opening round.

It’s important to note, five teams will see their first pick dropped by 10 spots for surpassing the $241 million competitive balance tax threshold in 2025. Each club went above that threshold by at least $40 million. Pipeline still included those teams – the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers – and their first pick in the 2026 MLB mock draft.

This year’s draft will be held in Philadelphia. It will begin on July 11 and run through July 13, beginning on a Saturday during MLB All-Star week.

1. Chicago White Sox: UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky

Entering the season, Roch Cholowsky seems poised to be the consensus top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, and that’s exactly what he is in Pipeline’s mock. In his first year at UCLA in 2024, he hit .308 with eight home runs and 33 RBI.

Last season, Cholowsky broke out in just about every way. He hit .353 in 2025 with 23 homers, 74 RBI and a 1.190 OPS, drawing 45 walks to just 30 strikeouts. He’s not the fastest shortstop, but every other tool is a plus in Cholowsky’s game.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: Fort Worth HS (TX) SS Grady Emerson (Texas commit)

Grady Emerson, to this point, appears to be the top prep shortstop in a class loaded at the position. He’s a great hitter at the plate with contact and power skills, launching him into the conversation for the top high school player in the class.

In addition to being plus all-around at the plate, Emerson is a great defender with a strong arm. The Texas commit is poised to be selected very early on draft day.

3. Minnesota Twins: Alabama SS Justin Lebron

Justin Lebron is impressive in his own right, as he had drawn buzz as the potential top overall pick at times in his career. He needs to refine his discipline at the plate, but if he does, he’ll stay in the mix at the top of the draft.

As a freshman at Alabama in 2024, Lebron hit .338 with 12 home runs. He was down to .316 in 2025, but hit 18 homers with 72 RBI and a 1.058 OPS while stealing 17 bases. He struck out 68 times with just 35 walks.

4. San Francisco Giants: Georgia Tech OF Drew Burress

Ever since starting his college career with nine homers in eight games, Drew Burress has been mentioned a lot in the MLB Draft conversation and he finds himself going top four in Pipeline’s mock. In that standout freshman campaign in 2024, Burress hit .381 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI.

Burress’ average was down to .333 in 2025, though he still hit 19 homers with 62 RBI and a 1.162 OPS. In his collegiate career, he has drawn 111 walks to 79 strikeouts, making him a strong candidate to be the first outfielder taken.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates: Gulliver Prep HS (FL) SS Jacob Lombard (Miami commit)

While Jacob Lombard does have some swing and miss at the plate, he about makes up for it with his pop as a right-handed hitter. He stands at 6’3, giving him an impressive profile as a player that will likely stick at shortstop down the road.

Lombard is the younger brother of one of the Yankees’ top prospects, George Lombard Jr. He is committed to play college baseball at Miami.

6. Kansas City Royals: Southside Christian HS (SC) LHP Carson Bolemon (Wake Forest commit)

The first pitcher off the board in Pipeline’s 2026 MLB mock draft is a good one, being Carson Bolemon. The lefty tossed 42.1 innings as a junior without an earned run against, striking out 101 batters. That includes a 19-strikeout no-hitter to lead his team to a 3A state championship.

With a fastball already sitting 91-94 that has touched up to 96 and three offspeed pitchings in his arsenal, Bolemon might have the most upside of any pitcher in the class. He’s a Wake Forest commit.

7. Baltimore Orioles: LSU OF Derek Curiel

Derek Curiel burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2025 at LSU, hitting .345 with seven home runs and 55 RBI as the Tigers went on to win the national championship. While he’s just a sophomore in 2026, Curiel is still eligible to be taken in the 2026 draft.

Playing mostly left field last season, Curiel also had some time in center and could solidify himself as one of the top outfielders if he mans center field more in 2026. He’s one of the most intriguing hitters from the college ranks.

8. Athletics: Coastal Carolina RHP Cameron Flukey

After tossing 55 innings with a 5.73 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP and 83 strikeouts to 27 walks as a freshman in 2024, Cameron Flukey emerged as one of college baseball’s top arms in 2025. He played a big role in Coastal Carolina’s run to finishing as runners-up in the College World Series.

In 2025, Flukey threw 101.2 innings with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.003 WHIP. He fanned 118 hitters with just 24 walks, showcasing why he’s one of, if not the, most dominant arms in this class. He’s the first college pitcher, and second pitcher overall, in Pipeline’s 2026 mock draft.

9. Atlanta Braves: Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) LHP Gio Rojas (Miami commit)

Gio Rojas is the most powerful arm taken to this point. His fastball has touched up to 98, and he has a pair of offspeed pitches that he uses to get batters out as well.

Teams love power arms, and Rojas fits the bill. He’s committed to play college baseball at Miami, should he opt not to go pro right away.

10. Colorado Rockies: Georgia Tech C Vahn Lackey

Vahn Lackey struggled out of the gates as a freshman in 2024, hitting just .214. Still, he broke out in 2025 and emerged as one of the top catchers in the country.

In 60 games for Georgia Tech last season, Lackey hit .347 with six home runs and 42 RBI. It’ll take another year of refinement both at the plate and behind the plate, but Lackey has the chance to blossom into a top pick if he continues to improve.

2026 MLB mock draft: Picks 11-27 (plus 27, 35, 36, 39, 40)

11. Washington Nationals: Florida RHP Liam Peterson
12. Los Angeles Angels: TCU OF Sawyer Strosnider
13. St. Louis Cardinals: Virginia OF A.J. Gracia
14. Miami Marlins: Texas A&M SS Chris Hacopian
15. Arizona Diamondbacks: De La Salle HS (CA) SS Tyler Spangler (Stanford commit)
16. Texas Rangers: UC Santa Barbara RHP Jackson Flora
17. Houston Astros: Mississippi State 3B Ace Reese
18. Cincinnati Reds: Texas A&M OF Caden Sorrell
19. Cleveland Guardians: Virginia SS Eric Becker
20. Boston Red Sox: Kentucky SS Tyler Bell
21. San Diego Padres: Ganesha HS (CA) LHP Logan Schmidt (LSU commit)
22. Detroit Tigers: Oxford HS (AL) SS Rocco Maniscalco (Mississippi State commit)
23. Chicago Cubs: Auburn 2B Chris Rembert
24. Seattle Mariners: Arkansas RHP Gabe Gaeckle
25. Milwaukee Brewers: Etowah HS (GA) HS OF Trevor Condon (Tennessee commit)
27. New York Mets: Arkansas C Ryder Helfrick
35. New York Yankees: Christian Brothers HS (TN) C Will Brick (Mississippi State commit)
36. Philadelphia Phillies: Arkansas LHP Hunter Dietz
39. Toronto Blue Jays: JSerra Catholic HS (CA) OF Blake Bowen (Oregon State commit)
40. Los Angeles Dodgers: Tennessee RHP Tegan Kuhns