Grading All Teams 2026 Drafts
A post draft grade on everyone's 2026 draft.
Here are my post draft grades for every team in the 2026 MLB Draft. I know how accurate these grades will look in five years, but I thought it would be a good idea to give my opinions on how I think each class looks at the time. I’ll go back someday years in the future to see just how right/wrong I was, but for now these are my opinions.
Arizona: B/B+
Getting Ryder Helfrick at 15 was great value, then Blake Bryant was a strong pick. I also liked picks like Carson Kerce and Cody Boshell. On the secondary tier of players guys like Josh McDevitt and LJ Mercurius were solid adds. They may have been able to add a little more, but I do like what they did.
Athletics: A
Drew Burress was more solid than elite at 8, but I love the Mason Edwards, Gabe Gaeckle, and Jacob Dudan picks that followed. Getting Alex Hernandez, Roman Martin, and Alex Sosa in the fourth through sixth rounds only increased the value. I’m not sure if they can sign Caden Sivrich or Jake Escalante, but adding one or both of those would further add to the grade.
Atlanta: A
You know I love this draft. AJ Gracia is a strong pick at 9 and the Carter Beck pick further allowed savings to sign Kaiden McCarthy, Jensen Hirschkorn, Cole Dennis, Tyson Grulkowski, Jack Brenner, and Ryne Barker. I also love the Parker Brosius pick and they added some other intriguing guys like Caleb Klein and John Damozonio.
Baltimore: B+
I loved the Eric Booth pick, and was surprised he was still there at 7. Ty Head and Will Plunkett were my other two favorite picks. I also liked the shot they are taking on Kevin Roberts Jr. and the hit tool risk gets a bit more tolerable in the fourth round. I don’t think they landed a premium arm, but Dominic Voegele, Zane Adams, Ryan Piech, and Ross Norman were all solid secondary arms I like. I also give them credit for taking Jimmy Anderson and Carlos Sanchez as a pair of interesting non D-1 college guys.
Boston: B-
I was lower on most on Jake Schaffner, but like the Owen Hull and Jace Mataczynski picks. Adding Martin Shelar and Kaleb LaFavor overslot helped to make up some of the grade they lost with their first round pick. Among my favorite guys on the second tier of players are Colton Coates, Alex Kranzler, Kide Adetuyi, and Brett Lanman. If they can sign Ethan Offing this grade would rise a little.
Chicago Cubs: B+
They had a great first day to get Cade Townsend, then Caden Sorrell and Myles Bailey in the second. It was a little light on premium guys after that as Carson Jasa went a round or two higher than I expected and Dylan Blomker was the last bigger money guy. In the secondary tier getting Chase Meyer, Isaac Morton, Cole Tryba, and Brandon Arvidson was solid. I also liked that they grabbed one of my favorite sleeper arms in Clemson’s Ariston Veasey. If they had just done a little more on Day 2 in terms of another premium guy, this would have been a bit higher.
Chicago White Sox: A
I’m a bit lower on Roch Cholowsky than most, but getting him underslot helps. I really liked the Landon Thome and Cole Prosek picks and thought they did well with Joey Volchko and Eric Segura. Then they found the money to land Alex Weingartner plus Cal Scolari along with Kyle Casteel. Among the other picks I liked were Braden Holcomb, Grayson Fitzwater, Matthew Bucciero, Clay Burdette, Darin Horn, and Connor Fennell - if they can sign him. If they had drafted Grady Emerson I would have gone A+.
Cincinnati: A-
Justin Lebron is going to most likely end up becoming either a star or a guy who never reaches the majors, but getting him at 18 was the best option they had. Eric Becker at 58 was great value, then they went on a run of college picks with just talented prep shortstop Dylan Bowen being a prep option in the first 14 rounds. I was lower on Mulivai Levu than most, but it’s not a bad pick at 70, and they got value with Sherman Johnson at 212. Ethan Norby, Duncan Marsten, Ty Horn, Calvin Proskey, and Brodie Purcell were the arms, and it’s a solid group even if it’s not the highest upside group. I liked senior signs Brady Neal and Damian Ruiz too. I’m not sure if they can sign David Hinojosa and almost certain they can’t sign Matt Ponatoski, but it’s a strong class regardless.
Cleveland: A-
Another strong draft by Cleveland. Getting Liam Peterson at 19 was value, especially with how they develop arms. Logan Schmidt and Savion Sims add to the pitching haul. On the hitting side I like the Tre Broussard, Kade Lewis, Lucas Moore picks and I love Deiten Lachance at 184. They closed out with some second tier guys I like in Matt Scott, Jake Bean, Erick Dessens, and Alejandro Garza. The Sims and Schmidt picks really helped eat into the bonus pool, but it’s a very strong class.
Colorado: B+
Tyler Bell probably would have gone earlier than 10 but reports are his medicals weren’t ideal. Then they got value with both Daniel Jackson and Logan Reddeman at 37/38, and I liked the Jack Natili and Tyler Putnam picks as well. They snuck in Juriel Collazo in the 13th and I loved the Lorenzo Carrier pick. I like Ben Davis, Hudson Barrett, Mikiah Negrete most on their second tier picks. I don’t expect them to sign Blake Bowen, but this draft would grade higher if they did.
Detroit: A
They got huge value when Cam Flukey dropped to 22. I also loved the Tyson LeBlanc and Dom Pellegrin picks on the first day, though not as big of a fan of Evan Dempsey as most others are. On Day 2 they grabbed a couple guys with first round buzz coming into the year before disappointing seasons in Maddox Molony and Brady Ballinger, then grabbed preps in Robert Omidi and Will Adams that I loved. Declan Dahl was my favorite of their secondary tier picks, though Tyler West is interesting. I’m not sure if they can sign Dustin Dunwoody or not.
Houston: C+
I feel like Houston overdraft Logan Hughes (17) and Jack Radel (28), as well as Wes Mendes (57). I also think they were slightly high on Keon Johnson and Kam Durnin. Getting Beau Peterson at 133 was great value though and I loved the Jack Beck and James Tronstein picks in the 13th and 15th rounds. In terms of the secondary tier, Gavin Eddy, Michael Addari, Tazwell Butler, Aaron Piasecki were solid picks.
Kansas City: B+
I was a big fan of Zion Rose, but at 6 seemed a bit high - even as an underslot. They helped make up for that with Taylor Rabe, Jack Slightom, Dominic Battista, Ethan McElvain, Justin LeGuernic, and Dylan Vigue in the first 10 rounds. I also liked secondary tier guys like Hunter Possehl, Camden Johnson, Grant Fontenot, and Dylan Alonso. I don’t expect them to sign Hudson DeVaughan, but he would raise this grade.
Los Angeles Angels: B
I loved the Jared Grindlinger pick and was a fan of third rounder Gavin Grahovac. But the rest of the premium picks weren’t guys I’d have taken there - Jarren Advincula, Rylan Lujo, Jaxon Willits, and Justin Byrd all went a round higher than I would have gone on them. They did get some value with Garrett Wright, Jake Long, and Cam Jackson - but not enough.
Los Angeles Dodgers: B/B+
The Dodgers had a record small pool thanks to losing 10 spots for their spending and then signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz. They only had two picks in the first six rounds because of this and Bo Lowrance was a strong pick at 40. Their next pick wasn’t until the 4th when then took Russell Sandefer, then the next pick was Charlie West in the 7th. I do like the picks of Cody New, Gavin Van Kempen, Ethan Sutton, and Aemed Nasser later, but it’s just hard to grade this any higher when they really couldn’t do much - especially after spending on Lowrance. I might be convinced to give them a B+ because they still managed one of the top prep bats in the draft despite their limitations.
Miami: B+
Getting Jacob Lombard at 14 was great value. I think they overdraft Ethan Kleinschmit at 52, but they followed it with solid picks in Ryan Peterson, Cam Kozeal, and Wessley Roberson before going with another college arm in Trey Beard. Getting Eric Guevara at 205 was a steal and I do like the Rintaro Sasaki pick. In the second half of the draft I liked Fabio Bundi, Bane Barker, Colin Linder, and Porter Buursema the most.
Milwaukee: B/B-
I was shocked with Trey Ebel at 25, but Sawyer Strosnider at 66 was a steal and if you flipped their order I’d be happy with the pairing. I’m a bit lower on Kyle Jones than most, but I liked the Julian Garcia pick. After that it was a very Brewers draft as they picked guys their models suggested would be good fits for the system, guys like Aidan Knaak, Grant Hill, Chase Mora, Andrew Gaines, and Gavin Perry.
Minnesota: A-
They got Vahn Lackey and then doubled up on college catching with Carson Tinney, though it felt a bit high for Tinney. Brett Renfrow is a safe and productive college arm, and then the high upside prep arm of Ethan Wachsmann. I was also a fan of the Tommy LaPour and Steele Murdock picks. Other picks I liked included Max Bayles, Thomas Burns, Aidan Teel, Colby Turner, Isaiah Lane, Alec Bouchard, Hideki Prather, Colter McAnelly, and PJ Moutzouridis in the 19th.
New York Mets: B-
I felt like they overdrafted the risky Carson Wiggins at 27, but made up for that by taking Aiden Robbins at 92 and Shane Sdao at 120. They then added a couple interesting likely relief arms in Luke McNeillie, Alex Petrovic, and Aidan Keenan. I’m a big fan of Kuhio Aloy’s bat, but I’m just not feeling they got enough value here. I could be very wrong in a few years if Wiggins works out though.
New York Yankees: B+
Hunter Dietz was a steal at 35 and Sean Duncan wouldn’t have been there at 63 if not for a late spring injury. I’m a fan of the Andrew Gonzalez, Lee Garris, and William Cutshall picks and think they got solid picks with Brendan Brock and Michael Harpster, though they may have taken Paul Contreras and Bear Harrison a bit higher than I would have.
Philadelphia: B/B+
Despite limited money and the 10 pick penalty the Phillies stepped up to get Tyler Spangler at 36 and followed it up with strong picks in Caden Bogenpohl and Ruger Riojas. Then they got more value when Will Gasparino fell to 161. I’m fairly unimpressed with the rest of their class, even if I do like relievers Deven Sheerin and Bo Rhudy. However their work at the top of the draft was significant.
Pittsburgh: B+
I like Derek Curiel but just struggle to make sense of that pick when Eric Booth was sitting there. I am a big fan of the Aiden Ruiz, Jason DeCaro, Tre Phelps, and Andruw Giles picks and liked the Chris Rembert, Ryan Marohn, Tyler Fay, Bryson Moore, Alex Overbay picks. Getting Spencer Evans and Damarcus Rideout-Carter late helped the grade. I’m certain they won’t be getting Malachi Washington signed. Had they taken Booth and maybe dropped Evans they would have been looking at an A or A- grade.
San Diego: B+/A-
They led off with two strong prep picks in Coleman Borthwick and Elliot Lascelles, then had a number of solid picks in Ryan Lynch, Robbie Lavey, Alex Conover, Nu’u Contrades, and Joe Tiroly. In the second half I was a fan of Chris McHugh, Rob Evans, Michael Smith, Ryan Kutcherak, Albert Roblez, and Mark Quatrani. If they were able to sign Denton Lord then this grade would go up.
San Francisco: A-
This was a very strong draft. Jackson Flora, Carson Bolemon, Kaden Waechter, and Peyton Bonds led off the draft. They started Day 2 with a number of solid picks like Carlos Martinez, Luke Nixon, Eric Nachtsheim, Beau Bryans, before taking a shot on Josiah Kemp. Later in the draft they got Dalton Wentz and Tanner Mally, who more bats I liked. I’m not sure if they’ll be able to sign Mikey Bell and JP Robertson with their last two picks, but if they are then this is an A grade for me.
Seattle: B+
I liked how it started with Ace Reese and Jake Brown and was good with the Nathan Taylor pick. However Trevor Lucas and Hayden Yost both felt like overdrafts before they got back on track to land Henry Ford, Mason Eckelman, Drew Whalen, Eric Jeon, and Connor Marshburn. I don’t believe they will sign Dominic Santarelli or Connor Shouse, but getting one of those would bring this to an A-.
St. Louis: A+
I have this as the best draft. Trevor Condon, Tegan Kuhns, and Rocco Maniscalco was a very strong way to open this draft. I was lower then them on Andrew Williamson and Maxx Yehl, but they managed to get Caden Ferraro, Dee Kennedy, and Cal Randall as well. Later Luke Harrison, Jacob Haley, Drew Horn, Matthew Thomas, and Jacob Johnson were all solid picks. I’m unsure if they sign any of Gabe Camacho, Clayton Freshcorn, or Kollin Ritchie, but this class was loaded with quality.
Tampa Bay: A
I obviously loved the Grady Emerson pick and was a big fan of their next two picks in Taj Marchand and Ben Blair. Gavin Giese was a solid prep arm and I was higher on Collin Bland than most others even if he has real hit tool questions. Getting Owen Kramkowski into this org was a brilliant move as he had much higher stock before a disappointing season saw him drop by a few rounds. I also liked the AJ Rice, Griffin Long, Tai Jones prep picks, and Kyle Johnson was solid value in the sixth round. They continued their strong picks later in the draft with Tate McKee in the 10th, prep arm Logan Georges and Steven Gonzalez, then more college arms in Mason Bixby, Amp Phillips, Alex Philpott, and David Horn.
Texas: A-/A
Getting Gio Rojas at 16 was strong value and I really liked the Connor Comeau pick as well. Brody Bumila was a risky pick, but the upside is huge there and worth the risk. That meant going a bit cheaper elsewhere - though I liked Hudson Calhoun, Michael Anderson, Kolby Branch, and Kaden Carpenter. The reason they don’t get the full A is they were a bit quieter on their “Day 3” picks, though I liked Alfredo Capacete and Max Kaufer. I don’t expect them to sign Selden Kolkebeck, but if they did this would be a full A.
Toronto: B+
They got great value at 39 when Cole Carlon slid on draft day, and didn’t have a second rounder. I was fine with the Ryan Cooney pick in the third, though that felt a bit early - though they made up for it with Will Brick at 131, which was a steal. They had to go cheap from here, but I did like Gable Mitchell, Dean West, and Jake Bennett. In the later rounds I was surprised to see Brayden Martin there in the 11th and also liked Santiago Garcia. I am not expecting them to sign Jake McCoy or Eddie Rosado. Toronto’s draft might look a little light if you just look at the names, but they came out of this draft doing better than they could have reasonably expected considering where they were picking.
Washington: B+
I didn’t love the Chris Hacopian pick as I do believe there are some medical concerns there. Chase Brunson isn’t a sexy pick, but he’s a solid one. They spent their next three picks bringing in three solid prospects in Luke Williams, Cooper Harris, and a sliding Daniel Cuvet. I also really liked the Gage Peterson pick and thought Cashel Dugger was a solid add in the ninth round. I was also a fan of Weston Moss and Matthew Dallas. I’m not certain how many of Francisco Rivero, Anthony Murphy, and Isaiah Galason they are able to sign, but all three would take this to an A grade, two of the three would take them to an A/A-, and one of them takes it to an A-.
Favorite Drafts
A+: Cardinals
A/A+: Rays
A: Braves, A’s, White Sox, Tigers, Rays