They’ve been scouted and scrutinized for months and years on end, and now you can add some pokes, prods and productive interviews to the list for the top prospects entering Major League Baseball’s draft.
The draft scouting combine was, for almost all draftees, the last major step leading up to the July 14 selection soiree in Philadelphia. While many prospects put on a measurables show – including an old friend of ours – the greater value from the days in Phoenix are the interviews and get-to-knows exchanged between front offices and draftees.
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As clubs tweak their big boards and draft day arrives in less than two weeks, USA TODAY Sports takes a fourth crack at forecasting the first round:
UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky.
All indications are the White Sox are still deliberating this pick, and due diligence and bonus pool gymnastics – they have the third-highest lump to distribute, $17.592 million – will always transpire up until go time. In the end, the virtually minimal risk drafting a shovel-ready college shortstop instead of a catcher or prep shortstop should prevail.
2. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Grady Emerson, Fort Worth Chrisian HS
The first real fork in the road. Yet the Rays may not draft this high for many years and the window to grab such a tooled-up, high-ceiling talent like Emerson will be too difficult to pass up.
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3. Minnesota Twins: C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech
Seemingly another coin flip, but we’re ready to move off college righty Jackson Flora, though it would be little surprise if the Twins stayed that course. The franchise knows about elite-hitting catchers as franchise cornerstones.
4. San Francisco Giants: SS Jacob Lombard, Gulliver Prep (Fla.) HS
Flora would make sense here as well but Buster Posey opts for the other potential franchise prep shortstop at the top of the round. It’d seem the last thing the Giants need is more risk with the high-ceiling Lombard, but the Miami-bound shortstop also represents opportunity.
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5. Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara
They love their high-ceiling prep arms, but in this scenario, it’s too hard to pass on Flora after he slips past the Twins and Giants. Flora’s profile suggests a quick-to-the-majors path, not the worst thing for a club with three years left of Paul Skenes and a future rotation that could be built around last year’s top pick, Seth Hernandez.
6. Kansas City Royals: OF Eric Booth, Oak Grove (Miss.)
A snug fit for both, as Booth’s skill set translates nicely to Kauffman Stadium, and he figures to be the last of the big half-dozen on the board when the Royals are on the clock.
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The college player from the Sun Belt type has defined Orioles first rounds and there are so many to choose from as they determine the direction the first-round river flows from here. Burress’s career 1.204 OPS with the Yellow Jackets – he tied Jason Varitek’s career home run mark with 57 – and ability to man any outfield position stand out.
8. Athletics: SS Justin Lebron, Alabama
Still a passel of college hitters to sift through and the A’s roll the dice on Lebron, weighing the fallen stock against the physical tools that may fully develop in Yolo County and then Las Vegas.
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9. Atlanta Braves: LHP Gio Rojas, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS
There are scenarios where a team upsets the expected Big 6 and snags Rojas earlier, but he should slip through to become the next big young arm added to Atlanta’s stable of pitchers.
Pitching has been the focus of the Rockies’ bottom-up rebuild, but it will be too hard to bypass a thunderous bat like Helfrick, who finished up in Fayetteville with 18 homers and as many walks as strikeouts.
They’d prefer a higher-ceiling player here but go with an advanced pure hitter who raked (.349, .353 in two seasons in Baton Rouge) against SEC pitching.
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12. Los Angeles Angels: RHP Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina
Perry Minasian is gone, but does his ghost linger? Arte Moreno certainly does and the marching orders, surely, would be to assemble quick-to-the-majors talent since they’re just that close to contending.
Already mature in his development and possesses enough versatility and an excellent hit tool to transition smoothly to St. Louis.
14. Miami Marlins: INF Ace Reese, Mississippi State
We’ve matched Reese and the Marlins before and we bring ‘em back together after the combine. The Marlins do like pitching but there’s not a consistent enough arm here to bypass a solid collegiate bat.
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15. Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS
Might as well take a big swing here. Grindlinger just turned 17 and while he figures to land on the hitting side of the equation, the youth and upside affords Arizona the time to find out.
16. Texas Rangers: OF AJ Gracia, Virginia
Mature college bat fits the Rangers snugly and Gracia, who could go much higher if a club wants to save a few bucks, could move quickly toward Arlington.
17. Houston Astros: SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky
Like Gracia, Bell might hear his name sooner, but the Astros jump on the draft-eligible sophomore whose final season was slowed by a shoulder injury.
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18. Cincinnati Reds: RHP Liam Peterson, Florida
They love their big right-handers and the Reds could have their choice of Flukey or Peterson, whose platform season did not match his significant stuff.
19. Cleveland Guardians: LHP Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan (Mass.) HS
Elite athleticism and a 6-9 frame with a 100-mph fastball? Kind of surprised Bumila would last this long, but the Guardians should do wonderful work with the erstwhile prep basketball star.
20. Boston Red Sox: C Daniel Jackson, Georgia
Jackson’s provided his own helium with a 32-homer, 26-steal season that ended in the men’s College World Series finals and he simply looks better the longer you regard him.
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21. San Diego Padres: OF Trevor Condon, Etowah (Ga.) HS
They love their athletic high schoolers and in this simulation, Condon is available. Check back in a few years if he ends up more AJ Preller trade fodder.
22. Detroit Tigers: 3B Bo Lowrance, Christ Church Episcopal (SC) HS
Plenty to dream on here: A 6-5 corner infielder with big power potential and a smooth lefty swing.
23. Chicago Cubs: LHP Mason Edwards, USC
No need to overthink grabbing a big lefty who strikes out 16 batters per nine innings with plenty of deception.
24. Seattle Mariners: RHP Cade Townsend, Misssissippi
A draft-eligible sophomore with a powerful repertoire, Townsend – or whomever the Mariners grab here – is in the right system to max out his skills.
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He slashed .333/.426/.696 for the Longhorns, increasing his home runs from six to 24 in moving from Seton Hall to Austin.
26. Atlanta Braves: SS Tyler Spangler, De La Salle (Calif.) HS
Armed with a nearly $16 million bonus pool and two picks in the top 26, the Braves can afford a bold venture. Spangler, who missed his senior year due to injury, certainly qualifies. A top 10 consensus pick preseason, he performed at the draft combine, though his numbers reflected the rust. How far above slot would it take to lure him from Stanford?
27. New York Mets: RHP Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
The 10-slot penalty for luxury tax indiscretions are seen in real time here, but a good player will still tumble to the Mets. In this case, it’s Kuhns, who rode a mid-90s fastball and sharp curve into the first round.
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28. Houston Astros: OF Zion Rose, Louisville
We’ll stick with the Rose-to-Houston narrative and, in this scenario, the Astros walk away with a pair of advanced collegiate bats from the state of Kentucky.
29. San Francisco Giants: LHP Logan Schmidt, Ganesha (Calif.) HS
No way the Giants don’t come away with pitching in either of their two picks. Having opted for Lombard over Flora earlier, they play the long game with Schmidt, who reclassified from 2027 and holds a commitment to LSU.
30. Kansas City Royals: RHP Jensen Hirschkorn, Kingsburg (Calif.) HS
Like Schmidt, Jensen is an LSU commit. Like Burmila, he’s also a standout hoops player with a 6-7 frame that already produces a mid-90s fastball.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB mock draft 2026: Will White Sox Roch steady at No. 1 with star shortstop?
