2026 MLB Draft Results
(Round 1+ a look at all of Dynasty Focus' Top 85 Draft Prospects)
Now that the 2026 MLB Draft has concluded, it's time to compare our DynastyFocus Top 85+ Draft Board with the actual selections. This draft was widely viewed as having four elite prospects followed by a deep tier of similarly graded talent, making it fairly unpredictable.
If you'll recall, our pre-draft rankings intentionally excluded high school players. This is due, in part, because approximately 75% of all drafted players come from four-year colleges, while about 20% come directly from high school and roughly 5% from junior colleges. Also, information is more limited (to us at least) in relation to H.S. prospects, so to be fair to our audience, we excluded non (4 year) college players.
Looking at the 2026 MLB draft, of the 37 selections in the 1st round (including PPI and CB-A), 26 were 4 year college players or 70% (which was more than last year's 1st round which were 56% college players or 24/43) Several trends emerged from those 37 1st round selections, some of which continued into later rounds... But first some context: While last year, H.S. shortstops were the trend, this year we saw just 2 high schoolers in the first 11 picks (a SS and OF). The @MLB Draft panel acknowledged that maybe this is where baseball is going because colleges have all the analytics that MLB teams rely on, and, can develop those qualities better than high schools.
Last year (2025) saw 19 high schoolers drafted in the first 43 picks, this year, we had 5 in 14.
Also, only one pitcher was selected in the first 11 picks, reflecting clubs' growing apprehension in avoiding high draft capital on pitching (and the inherent injury risk associated with young arms).
And last, the trend was towards the Kevin McGonigle style player, that is the 70H/50-55P/55R type player over the power hitting (but high K) type slugger.
As for draft grades, while we won't fully know for 4-6 years how these picks end up, grades are fun, and we just limited Grades to Round 1, and of course are basing the grades on the information that is available right now.
So off we go ....
Draft# (Rd+#) Player Position/School Our Rank (+/-) MLB Pipeline
Team
Round 1
1.1 CHW Roch Cholowksky SS/UCLA 1.4 (-3) 1.1 or 1.2
MLB's final predictions had Roch going #1 and that's what the CHW did. He was pretty much the consensus #1, but, he was not the best college hitter in the country in 2026, nor the best SS, but he's been long viewed as the most complete player available and the highest floor. The White Sox went with the safest pick here. Grade A- (a little too safe for us for #1)
1.2 TBR Grady Emerson SS/Fort Worth H.S. NA 1.1 or 1.2
The best H.S. player (who many say will be better than Konnor Griffin) goes to one of the best drafting and player development teams! Grade: A+
[PS superstar prospect Theo Gillen was also drafted by the Rays out of HS]
1.3 MIN Vahn Lackey C/Georgia Tech 2 (+0) 1.3
Love this pick by the Twins, Vahn was the 2nd best college player (rated by DF) and he was the 2nd college player taken. Grade A+
1.4 SFG Jackson Flora SP/UC Santa Barbara 3 (+0) 1.4
Jackson represents the most MLB ready arm in the draft and SFG was safe with getting any 1 of the big 4 (or taking a swing at our overall #1, Danny Jackson, who ultimately goes at #37). Grade A
So no surprises with the top 4 picks. These were the consensus picks and DF was the only draft board shaking it up with Danny Jackson in the top 4.
1.5 PITT Derek Curiel OF/LSU 16 (-12) 12
@MLB's Jim Callis called this one right, even though MLB draft ranks had Curiel down at #12 overall. Derek was by no means a terrible choice by the Pirates at #5, but there were better options. Grade: B+
1.6 KCR Zion Rose OF/Louisville 5 (+0) 30
Dynasty Focus and KC were on the same page with Zion, as the #1 draft eligible outfielder -- whereas @MLB ranked Zion as the 30th best prospect. Grade A+
1.7 BALT Eric Booth OF/Oak Grove H.S. NA 6
Sure sounds like HS star Eric Booth is going to be a good one. Grade: A
1.8 A's Drew Burress OF/Georgia Tech 20 (-14) 7
Everyone is looking for the next Corbin Carroll -- unfortunately, it's not Drew Burress, though deserving of a first round grade, but lower than about 16 other prospects who could have been taken here, including Aiden Robbins from Texas. Grade: B-
1.9 ATL AJ Gracia OF/Virginia 18 19
ATL was super happy to have the A's take Burress so they could grab Gracia, but....still there were higher ceiling prospects available (Aiden Robbins and Caden Sorrell and Owen Hull). Grade: B
1.10 COL Tyler Bell SS/Kentucky 14 (-6) 10
Although we liked Tyler Bell, if COL wanted to go SS here, it should have been Tyson LeBlanc (then Tyler Bell). Grade: B+
1.11 WAS Chris Hacopian 2B/Texas A&M 26 (-17) 14
A high contact hitter, the Nats went really safe here when they could have swung for the fences (literally). Grade C
1.12 LAA Jared Grindlinger OF/LHP/ Huntington Beach HS NA 16
New GM John Mozeliak takes a gamble here, good, we like gambles, but just not the hand to bet. Grade C-
1.13 STL Trevor Condon OF/Etowah HS (GA) NA 13
Putting aside how good Trevor could be, Trevor's published (media release) height is 5'11", while Trevor (in a video) described his height as 5'9". Looking at fellow Cardinal JJ Wetherholt, who overcame that height "disadvantage", the question is why do schools/media relations keep exaggerating these details? Grade: B-
1.14 MIA Jacob Lombard SS/Gulliver Prep H.S. NA 5
Sounds like both LAA and STL could have gone with a more talented high schooler in the form of Jacob Lombard (the younger brother of NYY SS phenom George Lombard). Grade A
1.15 AZD Ryder Helfrick C/Arkansas 25 (-15) 11
The best defensive catcher in the draft. This wasn't a huge reach, as Ryder was 2nd in HRs on a strong Razorback team, and had as many walks as K's. But this was as much or more about defense than offense (without regard to our "fantasy" focused drafts). Still, one wonders if this was a missed opportunity with the superstar offensive catching prospect sitting on the board in Daniel Jackson. Grade: B-
1.16 TEX Gio Rojas P/Marjory Stoneman HS NA 1.8
The first true high school arm taken and decent prospect, but there were higher impact, more pro ball ready, college arms available. Grade C-
1.17 HOU Logan Hughes OF/Texas Tech 19 (-8) 42 (-25)
DF and the Stros were more aligned on this pick than @MLB was, as Logan brings a top grade hit tool. B+
1.18 CIN Justin Lebron SS/Alabama 7 (+5) 1.9
The Reds were undoubtedly surprised to see Justin fall to them at #18 (after widespread pundit criticism of Lebron's hit tool, and, more K's than walks). Still, Justin has all the tools to succeed. He's literally a 5 tool player. But he admittedly needs some batter's box adjustments. Still, the development is farther along with the super athletic SS who regularly faced 90mph+ pitching in the SEC than an untested high schooler facing mainly 72-85mph fastballs. Grade A-
1.19 CLE Liam Peterson RHP/Florida 21 (-8) 20
@MLB and DF were aligned on Liam Peterson which is a decent pick here, but just not the best pitcher available (see Cole Carlon/Carson Wiggins). Grade B+
1.20 BOS Jake Schaffner SS/UNC 40 (-26) 75
Although DF was a lot higher on Jake than @MLBPipeline, picking Jake here was still a bit of a reach for the Red Sox with so many other talented prospects available (Aidan Robbins/Caden Sorrell/Owen Hull), or if sticking with a SS was the plan, how about Tyson LeBlanc here. Grade: B-
1.21 SDP Coleman Borthwick RHP/South Walton HS NR 43
Coleman could be a good pitcher, but the pitcher to take would have been Cole Carlon, Carson Wiggins or the guy that goes next (Flukey). Grade C
1.22 DET Cameron Flukey RHP/Coastal Carolina 29 (-14) 15
Cameron Flukey is a first round talent, but there were better pitching options still available (Carson Wiggins/Cole Carlon). B-
1.23 CHC Cade Townsend RHP/Ole Miss NR (-37) 35
Chicago had a chance to draft Jaxon Wiggins' brother Carson and failed, which looms as a massive missed opportunity. D
1.24 SEA Ace Reese 3B/Miss State 11 (+6) 18
Seattle had to be pretty excited to see Ace Reese available at pick 24. As one of the draft's biggest pure power hitters, the M's lucked into some serious home run capital. Grade A
1.25 MIL Trey Ebel SS/Corona (CA) H.S. NR 107
This didn't make a lot of sense to us. This seemed to be a Brewer front office that was too eager to get "their guy" and then did so 1-2 rounds too early. Grade: D-
1.26 ATL Carter Beck OF/Indiana State 70 193
A PPI pick (for Drake Baldwin winning ROY), ATL gets the former D2 player, Carter Beck who DF was much higher on that @MLB Pipeline. So, in looking at Carter having transfered from D2, we ask whether the one year at Indiana State "made" Carter into a 1st round talent or whether he was already there -- well, we know the answer, by playing D2, teams weren't willing to take the risk (even if he's the same guy). Grade B-
1.27 NYM Carson Wiggins RHP/Arkansas 13 88
The Mets had to be thinking that if the Cubs take a pitcher at #23, it's going to be Carson, especially since Carson's brother is Chicago's system (at AAA). But the Cubs passed and NYM happily stepped in (with their PPI Pick) and secured their new #1 pitching prospect. Teams drafting a pitcher in Round 1 will regret not taking Carson before the Mets did. Grade A.
1.28 HOU Jack Radel RHP/Notre Dame NR (-60) 44
With its PPI pick, Houston took the 6'5" Radel who was pretty dominant at UND, and maybe who the Stros project to add a tick to his mid 90s fastball. Grade B-
1.29 SFG Carson Bolemon LHP/Southside Christian HS NR 24
Aged 19, with a 91-94mph FB, and already an internal brace procedure? Why take the risk for your Competitive Balance pick? If MLB wants to change the draft to eliminate H.S. picks (because that's what team owners have voted to do), then why are teams still taking high schoolers over dominant college pitchers? Grade C-
1.30 KCR Taylor Rabe RHP/Ole Miss 27 (-5) 40
Case in point is Taylor Rabe. With a mid 90s fastball that can hit 100, the 6'5" Taylor should already be gone. Grade: B+
1.31 AZD Blake Bryant RHP/Citizen Christian HS NR 65
1.32 STL Tegan Kuhns RHP/Tennessee NR (-58) 25
Tegan's fastball averages the same as a major leaguer (94mph). That velo also tends to get college hitters out. He also throws strikes, and that helps. But, besides those two traits, there was nothing that screamed first round. Grade: C
1.33 TBR Taj Marchang SS/James Island (SC) HS NR 37
1.34 CHW Landon Thome INF/Nazareth Academy HS NR 34
Not a bad risk to take, taking the son of a Hall of Famer (Jim Thome). Grade B
1.35 NYY Hunter Dietz LHP/Arkansas 28 (-1) 17
This is right about where DF expected Hunter to go. Grade: B
1.36 PHIL Tyler Spangler SS/De Salle HS (CA) NR 53
1.37 COL Daniel Jackson C/Georgia 1 28
Our #1 overall prospect, the incredible power hitting Daniel Jackson, goes 37th to Colorado (the very last pick of Round 1). Either DF way overvalued Daniel or scouts and the league way undervalued him. We'll soon see. At the moment, it looks like Colorado just got the steal of the draft. Grade A+
2nd Round
2.1 (#38) COL Logan Reddemann RHP/UCLA 35 (-8) 31
Logan, with a 95.5mph FB, is pitching prospect that we at DF, @MLBPipeline and the @rockies were all on the same page on (all giving about the same rank/grade).
2.2 (#39) TOR Cole Carlon LHP/ASU 12 26
Finally, Cole Carlon, the 101mph Sun Devil flamethrowing Sun Devil, comes off the board. After Daniel Jackson and Tyson LeBlanc, this is maybe the 4th or 5th best value pick of the draft.
2.3 (#40) LAD Bo Lowrance 3B/Christ Church HS (SC) NR 21
2.4 (#41) CHW Cole Prosek 3B/C/Magnolia HS (MS) NR 27
2.5 (#42) WAS Chase Brunson OF/TCU 32 50
Chase is a good pick here (right about where we thought he'd go). The only issue for us is that two other outfielders that we had graded higher (Aidan Robbins and Cade Sorrell) were still available.
2.6 (#43) MIN Carson Tinney C/Texas 46 73
Carson isn't far behind Arizona's 1st round pick (15th overall), so it'll be interesting to see how this shakes out (Catcher prospect-wise)
2.7 (#44) PIT Aiden Ruiz SS/The Stony Brook HS NR 32
2.8 (#45) LAA Jarren Advincula 2B/Georgia Tech 15 48
As we said pre-draft, we felt Jarren was the best hitting 2B in the draft. For the Angels to get him in the 2nd round (when we had him as a bona fide 1st round talent) = steal.
2.9 (#46) BALT Ty Head OF/NC State 37 60
We had Ty going about right here (when you add in HS/JR College guys) and thus we were out ahead of @MLBPipeline. That said, there were still (in our view) higher side outfielders available.
2.10 (#47) A's Mason Edwards P/USC NR 36
There was nothing astonishing or amazing about Mason (a good curveball, we suppose, a middle reliever? Bulk innings guy?). We think Mason was more a 5th-10th round talent. Grade:
[At this point, we skip forward to the players we had pre-ranked in our top 85, that hadn't yet been drafted]
2.16 (#53) AZD Carson Kerce SS/Georgia Tech 63 114
Carson went right about where we'd expect him to go. He's not going to stick at SS but could play 3rd.
2.21 (#58) CIN Eric Becker SS/3B/VA 41 41
Good value at 58 (after we and MLB Pipeline both had Eric at #41), Eric's best trait is his strong hit tool.
2.24 (#61) DET Tyson LeBlanc SS/Kansas 10 113
We had the 25 HR Tyson LeBlanc as the 10th best overall prospect (excluding HS kids, and 2 of them went in the top 10 so that makes Tyson the 12th best prospect in our book (and possessing the most power among available SS's). For the Tigers to pull him at #61, it is Detroit Rock City!
2.25 (#62) CHC Caden Sorrell OF/Texas A&M 8 33
Teams will look back and find that they missed drafting a gem with the 61 picks prior to this one. Caden's loudest trait is big time power, but he also has above average wheels and an above average hit tool. This is another huge value pick (a high 1st round talent in the late 2nd round), but this gift goes to the Cubs.
2.28 (#65) SEA Jake Brown OF/LSU 38 59
Is our local major league team following our draft board? After taking Ace the pick before, Seattle comes back with another one of our favorites in the balanced hitting Brown.
2.29 (#66) MIL Sawyer Strosnider OF/TCU 31 22
But, if Seattle was really following our board, they would have taken Sawyer, like the Brew Crew did here (who blends at least average power and hit ability with above average speed).
2.30 CB-B (#67) BOS Owen Hull OF/UNC 9 67
Boston landed a stud in Owen Hulk, err, Hull. A .393 Average, 87 RBIs and 18 SBs? Are you kidding? And the guy falls to the 2nd round? Teams missed the boat here and that's going to turn Owen into a Hulkamania in proving them wrong.
2.31 CB-B (#68) STL Andrew Williamson OF/UCF 43 52
We (and MLB Pipeline) were close together in ranking Andrew and his power potential.
2.32 CB-B (#69) DET Evan Dempsey P/OF/FGCU 69 101
We were higher on Evan than @MLB Pipeline, but were surprised that he was announced as a pitcher over an outfielder.
2.33 CB-B (#70) CIN Mulivai Levu 1B/UCLA 70 62
Both us and MLB Pipeline were keen on Levu's hit tool, particularly his contact rate. A "did you know?" Levu's stat line (1.063 OPS, 18 HRs) was pretty close to #1 overall pick Roch.
2.38 Comp (#75) CHC Myles Bailey 1B/FSU 39 83
The biggest power potential in the draft may belong to this guy, Myles Bailey (1.494 OPS), so we think the Cubs hit their second one out of Wrigley today.
3rd Round
3.1 (#76) COL Jack Natili C/Cincinnati 53 74
We were higher on Jack and his 1.098 OPS and 19 HRs in 2026 than MLB Pipeline.
3.2 (#77) CHW Joey Volchko SP/TCU 31 68
Capable of reaching 99, Joey sits in the 95/96 range and struck out 119 batters inn 95.1 IP while pitching in the toughest conference in college baseball. How he lasted til 77 is inexplicable, but a win for the Southsiders.
3.6 (#81) LAA Gavin Grahovac 3B/Texas A&M 17 38
An absolute steal to get Gavin in the 3rd round (after batting .339/1.150 OPS with 22 HRs for the Aggies).
3.8 (#83) A's Jacob Dudan SP/NC State 49 78
Teams need to throw out the big boards and focus on what these guys can and did do over the season. Jacob is one of those players, and, one of those players teams will be saying "how did we miss him?" Then they're going to go back and ask, "How did we miss a guy that throws 96 (on avg) and has a wipeout slider?" The guy was right there, no projections, he was already there.
3.12 (#87) MIA Camden (Cam) Kozeal 2B/SS/Arkansas 57 115
Camden is good enough to play major league baseball as a 2B or utility player, so another strong Marlin selection!
3.15 (#90) SFG Peyton Bonds OF/Rutgers 55 81
Teams didn't need to dig deep when Peyton Bonds was staring them down the entire time. Peyton is worth a 2nd rounder and yet the Giants get good value, scooping him up in the 3rd.
3.17 (#92) NYM Aiden Robbins OF/Texas 6 29
Our highest remaining player comes off the board. Aiden Robbins who hit 24 HRs and stole 12 bases, while batting .333/1.122 OPS was a top 10 pick in our minds. How the Mets got him in the mid third round is as big a shocker as any this draft. Maybe there was more to this that we're not aware, but from what we saw play out on the diamon in 2026, the Mets added a surefire stud.
3.20 (#95) CLE Tre Broussard OF/HOU 56 81
A great hit tool and great speed = a great get by the Guardians (and a 2nd round player at a 3rd round price). B+
3.23 (#98) CHC Carson Jasa P/Nebraska 36 174
The 6'7" Jasa was far undervalued by @MLB Pipeline and the Cubs knew that, taking Jasa about 3 rounds earlier than @MLBPipeline would. Jasa already has 3 plus pitches, including a FB that can hit 98.
3.24 (#99) NYY Brendan Brock C/Oklahoma 33 112
We had Brendan Brock ranked far higher than @MLB Pipeline (as a late first to an early 2nd rounder) and he came in the 3rd (whereas @MLB had him going in the 4th). We loved the wheels, wheels wheels (28/32 on stolen bases). He can also hit well too. Grade A
3.25 (#100) PHIL Ruger Riojas P/TEX 50 92
43% of MLB pitchers averaged 95 or better on their fastballs in 2025. Ruger would slide right in the middle mix of those hurlers.
3.28 (#103) TOR Ryan Cooney SS/2B/Oregon 84 137
Ryan was picked right about where we would have expected him to go and is a solid if unspectacular player.
4th Round
4.1 (#104) COL Ben Davis SP/Mississippi State 72 234
SEC pitcher, good fastball, good pick!
4.6 (#109) LAA Rylan Lujo OF/Georgia 64 190
Rylan Lujo was really undervalued after a strong, strong year Georgia (.357 Avg/1.078 OPS, 14 HRs, 13/14 SBs). The Angels took Rylan closer to our evaluation (than MLB Pipeline).
4.11 (#114) STL Dee Kennedy SS/Kansas State 22 79
The Cardinals didn't need to roll the dice in the 4th round because the best remaining player was sitting there. Despite a 1st round grade from us for Dee (and his 20/20 ability), teams surprisingly stayed away from this incredible gifted offensive player and that turned out to be a gift for a gift for STL.
4.31 (#134) SDP Alex Conover OF/Oklahoma State 45 205
Alex represents a lot of what a team wants in an outfielder: a + hit tool, at least average power, plus speed. So why did it take a team til the end of the 4th round to take him (we'd have locked him down in the 2nd or 3rd)? At least he went 70 spots before @MLB would have taken him.
5th Round and Beyond
5.11 (#146) STL Cal Randall P/UCLA 59 220
Cal has a great fastball (averaging 97) and though was a reliever at UCLA, could potentially be converted into a starter. We'll see.
5.14 (#149) TEX Michael Anderson, Jr. DH/Penn State 73 NR
The best hitter at Penn State was worth, at least, a 5th round pick.
5.26 (#161) PHIL Will Gasparino OF/UCLA 48 72
If scouts tuned in to see Roch Chowlowsky, they may have also gotten a front row seat to one of Will Gasparino's 20 homers on the year (2nd to Roch).
6.8 (#172) A's Alex Sosa C/OF/Miami 66 165
Miami's best hitter? Why not. Alex led the Hurricanes with 18 HRs in 2026 and doesn't strike out a lot. And though we had him as an outfielder, he was announced as a catcher, so that's even better (since the speed isn't good).
6.15 (#179) SFG Eric Nachtsheim P/McNeese State 61 215
Don't let the small school fool you, Eric has a live fastball that pro hitters will struggle with (just like college ones: 48% whiff rate on the FB, 2nd highest in D1, behind only next years superstar pitcher Dax Whitney from Oregon State).
6.20 (#184) CLE Deiten Lachance C/Oklahoma 62 103
Will be interesting to compare Deiten's career to the other catchers taken earlier.
6.22 (#186) SDP Nu'u Contrades SS/ASU 71 227
Both we and the Padres weren't afraid to buck the trend and pick up the hot hitting Nu'u Contrades (regardless of whether he stays at SS). We always say, if you can hit, we'll find a place to play you (then we see so many top hitting players go undrafted for "positional" reasons, so it's great to see Contrades go "early" here)
8th round
8.4 (#227) MIN Thomas Burns P/Texas 47 221
Although we had a 2nd round grade on Thomas (and loved his 96.5mph average fastball, we know there were reliever and control questions, but happy to see the Twins scoop him up in the 8th.
8.18 (#241) HOU Aaron Piasecki SS/Troy 83 NR
Aaron is hitting king (.971 OPS, 10 HRs, 10 steals and only 24 K's in 343 PAs). Good on Houston to not let the competition at Troy or the lack of a ranking from MLB Pipeline deter them.
9.5 (#258) PITT Tre Phelps 3B/Georgia 64 190
Tre Phelps and Rylan had pretty similar batting lines at GA in a tough SEC. A-
9.13 (#266) AZD Chris Katz 1B/OF/Mercer 85 NR
While this is a terrific pick, how does a 23.5 y.o. 6'0" 1B/OF gets picked over the small school guys that have higher ceilings (that either haven't been picked yet, or end up not being picked)?
10.2 (#285) CHW Matthew Bucciero OF/Fairfield. 68 NR
@MLB Pipeline also missed out on another small college gem, who hit .327/1.141 OPS with 20 HRs and 20 SBs. We graded Matt a 55H/60P/60R and a 2nd to 3rd round talent so this is a superb get for the White Sox.
11.15 (#328) SFG Charlie Bussey III OF/Francis Marion 201 NR
We evaluated and ranked 7 D2 players that we felt were worthy of a selection from the 6th round and beyond. Well, we didn't get 7, but we got 1, Charlie Bussey who led D2 in BA (.489) while hitting 21 HRs.
13.22 (#395) SDP Michael Smith Jr. OF/Dayton 74 NR
38/45 SBs and more walks (47) than K's (43). Michael Smith is going to have a good career, watch!
13.26 (#399) PHIL Brayden Bakes OF/Illinois State 82 NR
A .389 Avg, 16 HRs and fewer K's (37) than walks (38) should get you drafted and it did, regardless of college. Kudos to the Phillies.
14.1 (#404) COL Lorenzo Carrier OF/PITT 51 NR
We were excited to hear Lorenzo's name called after he turned in a .387 Avg/.1.318 OPS (4th best in D1) with 20 HRs. But, he just turned 23 and thus is older than what teams want to be drafting. B+
15.1 (#434) COL Ryan Niedzwiedz 1B/SIU Edwardsville 76 NR
We love when guys we rank (that @MLB Pipeline doesn't) get seen and drafted. And look they're worthy, just like Ryan N and his .351 Avg/1.195 OPS with 27 HRs
15.2 (#435) CHW Cameron Johnson LHP/Oklahoma 58 250
The 3rd best pitcher (72 K's in 53.2 IP, while averaging 95 on a 6'6" frame) on the national champs drops to the 15th round? Something is wrong with scouting.
17.6 (#499) LAA TJ Grines 2B/UT-Martin 79 NR
The 23 year old Grines (with a great hit tool and ++ speed) gets drafted out of a mid major but not all of our other guys? Why Grine and not everyone else. We love the pick, but don't love our other guys going undrafted.
19.25 (#578) NYY Tyce Armstrong 1B/Baylor 60 NR
Going once, going Tyce, sold! Why not take a chance on the big burly Baylor first baseman who hit 24 HRs while batting .338. Although @MLBPipeline missed on Tyce, we were happy to see the Yankees side with us.
20.11 (#594) STL Kollin Ritchie OF/Oklahoma State 23 84
Our 23rd ranked player, a guy that hit the 4th most HRs in college last year can't get drafted until the 20th round? Yes, 67 K's in 290 PAs, a 20% rate, but the power is undeniable. Maybe teams don't think their hitting coaches are good enough to work with through the swing and miss. Don't not draft Kollin Ritchie, get a new hitting coach.
20.24 (#607) CHC Brennan Hudson C/1B/Georgia 78 NR
A strong selection (20th round!!) for the Cubs and overlooked stud hitter Brennan Hudson.
Undrafted Stars of Tomorrow (MLB FA pickups or next year's Day 1 Draftees)
Hunter Ray
The Fairleigh Dickinson slugger who we had at #24 but who has signaled a commitment to transfer to Vanderbilt. The commitment to Vandy (signability) undoubtedly deterred teams who weren't committed to a Day 1 draft pick despite Hunter tying for 2nd nationally in home runs last year. Watch, he'll hit just as well at Vandy and he'll be drafted in the first round and everyone will say "where did this guy come from?"
Jackson McKenzie
A Florida State University commitment, Jackson had the 3rd best OPS in college baseball last year. Next year, when he's selected in the 1st round, teams will regret not picking him by the 3rd round in 2026.
Isaiah Magdaleno
How does Hawaii's best pitcher, who pitched to a 2.36 ERA not get drafted? Well, although we had him averaging 95, we are aware of many reviews tracking his fastball as at 90, which would explain his going undrafted. He also reportedly entered the transfer portal so that would have an impact too.
Ryan Zuckerman
Zuckerman led D1 in strikeouts, as a batter, which apparently was too much to overcome an otherwise stellar line of .345 Avg/1.158 OPS, 23 HRs. Zuckerman is probably the biggest draft snub.
Jack Cannon. (RF Le Moyne)
The speedy Jack Cannon (51/55 SBs for Le Moyne College) but alas Jack C is off for West Virginia after which he'll be a Day 1 pick (watch!).
Zeb Allen (OF UCA).
The draft was a longshot for the Arkansas commit. Maybe it was Zeb signaling his commitment to the UArk (with Zeb betting on himself) or maybe it was MLB needing to see college players from small schools face major Div 1 pitching before they want to draft them or before they want to spend a Day pick -- yet they'll spend a top pick on a high schooler facing fellow teens that won't even pitch in college.
Jorsixt Jimenez (OF/Tennessee Tech)
The 9th best BA in D1 (.401) and 6th best OPS (1.300) goes undrafted. And BA had him among its top 50 senior draft targets. Are these guys not playing in the Cape Cod League? What is going on? You can't tell us Jorsixt is not among the best 600 players in the draft pool, and becomes our 2nd most egregious draft day snub.
Tommy Harrison (RF/C/Miami OH)
.386 Avg/1.205 OPS = just what teams are drafting this year. But, apparently not out of the Mid American Conference, and apparently the MLB draft league hurt his stock instead of helped it. Still, not drafting Tommy H is MLB snub #3.
Diego Cardenas (DH/Abilene Christian)
Yeah, too many K's but 25 HRs was hard to pass on.
Brody Chrisman (OF/Akron)
Standing 6'0" and being a 1B (if not DH'ing) made it more difficult to invest draft capital. Instead, Brody is heading to Kentucky and the SEC but should have heard his name called on Day 2 in 2026.
Final Notes:
There were about twenty D2 players drafted, but only 1 of the 7 we ranked making DF believe that the players drafted had additional exposure.
There were just two D3 players drafted, just not the two we ranked, like with D2, again, due to exposure.
