Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today we have a special MLB Draft edition of the newsletter.
The Draft starts tomorrow -- and we've got you covered.
The MLB Pipeline crew has put together an incredible amount of 2026 Draft coverage. We're rounding up the very best of it for you right here.
Here's your complete guide to the 2026 Draft. Let's start with the most important info for tomorrow.
When is the Draft and how can I watch it?
The 2026 Draft will take place tomorrow and Sunday in Philadelphia, with the first round kicking off at 1 p.m. ET tomorrow. Coverage of the top 10 picks will be on NBC and Peacock.
After that, picks 11-40 will be available on MLB Network, MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+. And to wrap up Day 1 coverage, picks 41-135 can be seen on MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+.
Day 2 of the Draft -- Rounds 5 through 20 -- will be streamed on MLB.com, MLB.TV and MLB+, beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.
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How else can I follow along?
You can follow every single pick live with the 2026 MLB Draft Tracker.
What is the Draft order?
The White Sox hold the No. 1 overall pick after winning the MLB Draft Lottery last winter. The Rays follow at No. 2, the Twins at No. 3, the Giants at No. 4 and the Pirates at No. 5.
See the complete Draft order here >>
Who are the top Draft prospects?
Shortstops are hot right now -- five of MLB Pipeline's top 10 Draft prospects play that premium position. So are college players -- they represent 14 of the top 20 prospects.
Here's a quick rundown of the overall top 10:
- Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (TX)
- Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
- Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
- Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
- Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (FL)
- Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (MS)
- Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
- Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
- Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
- Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
For details on which teams have the biggest bonus pools, how long teams have to sign draftees and more, see the full Draft overview >>
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ESSENTIAL 2026 DRAFT COVERAGE |
Now that you know the basics, here's more essential pre-Draft coverage:
The biggest Draft storylines to watch this weekend
Our Draft gurus, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, run through six key storylines to watch during the 2026 Draft -- including who will go No. 1 overall, which teams to keep an eye on and the biggest wild cards and potential surprises.
1 thing to know about each Top 10 Draft prospect
We've put together guides on all of the top 2026 Draft prospects. You can learn about how No. 1 prospect Grady Emerson was mentored by Bobby Witt Jr. Or how No. 3 prospect Vahn Lackey played eight positions in one game while nearly hitting for the cycle. Or how No. 7 prospect Drew Burress had a four-homer game … on four swings. There are tons of great nuggets.
The latest Callis/Mayo mock Draft
Callis and Mayo have been running out fresh mock Drafts for the full first round every week. Here's their latest version. But stay tuned -- there will be one last mock Draft from the two of them dropping later tonight, on the eve of the real thing.
Best tools in the 2026 Draft class
Callis breaks down the Draft prospects with the best individual skills. For position players: best contact hitter, best power, fastest runner, strongest arm and best defender. For pitchers: best fastball, best curveball, best slider, best changeup, best specialty pitch and best control.
MLB Pipeline's updated Top 250 Draft rankings
With one week to go before the Draft, MLB Pipeline put out a fresh list of the Top 250 prospects. That includes a new No. 1 overall in Emerson and updated scouting grades for top prospects, like No. 2 Roch Cholowsky, whose defensive grade was upgraded from a 60 to a 65.
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THE COOLEST STORIES IN THE 2026 DRAFT CLASS |
Some of the players entering the Draft have incredible personal stories. Here are five of the best ones we've found...
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1 of the best hitters dances with knives -- and they're on fire
UCLA first baseman Mulivai Levu is the No. 62 overall prospect in the Draft. He's also a Samoan fire knife dancer. That's … exactly what it sounds like. In "fire-knifing," known in Samoan as "Siva Afi" (siva means dance and afi means fire), performers spin and toss machete-like blades wrapped in ignited cloth. For Levu, it trains his hand-eye coordination and connects him to his culture and family. Read Levu's story here >>
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He hits in welding gloves, throws in a barn and struck out 570 batters
The first thing you might notice about Kolby Stringer if you scouted him in high school would be the yellow gloves. They're work gloves ("I call them welding gloves," he says), and he wore them to hit instead of batting gloves. Sadly, he's in the Draft as a pitcher, so you won't see those anymore, but we've got another fun fact: Stringer, whose team's bullpen was literally in a barn, struck out 570 batters in his career at West Marion High School in Foxworth, Miss. Foxworth has a population of 523. That's more K's than people. Read Stringer's story here >>
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The Draft prospect who risked it all for a better life
To get to the United States from his native Venezuela, Alain Gomez-Gudiño traveled on foot and on bus for thousands of miles -- along winding mountain roads, across flash-flooded rivers and through the dense rainforest, the jungle and the dangerous regions controlled by drug cartels. He navigated from Caracas through Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico on his way to the U.S. He was 15 years old. Now the young catcher has hopes of being drafted by an MLB team. Read Gomez-Gudiño's story here >>
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Lebron could be a top-10 Draft pick
Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron -- that's Lebron with a lowercase "b," not to be confused with the NBA legend -- is ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 9 Draft prospect. His inspiration is his younger brother Jayden, who was born with the rare genetic disorder Williams syndrome. But that hasn't stopped Jayden from playing ball himself in the Miracle League, which provides baseball opportunities to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. So Justin might be headed to the Major Leagues, but as for the Miracle League? "I think it’s the coolest thing ever." Read the Lebrons' story here >>
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The top pitcher in the Draft ranks every fried chicken sandwich he eats -- and his own is No. 3
Jackson Flora is the top pitching prospect in the entire Draft. But he might know even more about fried chicken sandwiches than he does about throwing 100 mph fastballs. The UC Santa Barbara ace keeps a long list on his phone of every chicken sando he's ever had, ranked from best to worst. No. 3 on that list? His own homemade fried chicken sandwich. Flora is an aspiring chef who spent a year perfecting his own recipe -- and his fried chicken sandwich looks pretty darn tasty. But what holds the coveted No. 1 spot on his list? Read Flora's story here >>
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MOST FAMOUS NAMES IN THE DRAFT |
Every Draft always features some notable family ties. This year's class is no exception.
Here are five of the most famous names to watch out for in the 2026 Draft.
1) Landon Thome
Jim Thome is a Hall of Famer. His son could be a first-round pick. Landon Thome is ranked the No. 34 prospect in the Draft, and while he has a lefty swing like his dad, who mashed 612 home runs, Landon is his own type of player with more of an all-around skill set.
2) Peyton Bonds
Yes, it's that Bonds family. Peyton is Barry's nephew. He's an imposing hitter, too, at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds. The 20-year-old Rutgers outfielder still has to develop his power, but hopefully Peyton has inherited some of Uncle Barry's MLB-record 762 home runs.
3) Joseph Contreras
The son of former pitcher José Contreras, Joseph made a name for himself at the World Baseball Classic, when he got Aaron Judge to ground into a bases-loaded double play while pitching for Brazil at just 17 years old. Now he's the No. 64 prospect in the Draft.
4) Carsten Sabathia III
A year after his dad CC was inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, Carsten will enter the MLB Draft. Unlike CC, Carsten is not a pitcher. He's a first baseman at the University of Houston.
5) Codey Gauff
Codey's sister is Coco Gauff, the tennis star who just made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon this week. He says he can beat her at tennis, though -- table tennis, that is. The 18-year-old catcher and outfielder has taken part in multiple MLB Develops events like the Hank Aaron Invitational and the DREAM Series.
See the full list of famous names in the 2026 Draft class here >>
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