With the 2026 MLB draft approaching, analysts compiled the 2023, 2024 and 2025 drafts into a single class and conducted a two-round redraft for all 30 teams. Kiley McDaniel, Jeff Passan and David Schoenfield served as general managers for the exercise. Draft order was determined by cumulative team records from 2022 through 2024.
The Oakland Athletics used the top overall pick on Paul Skenes, the right-hander originally taken No. 1 by Pittsburgh in 2023. McDaniel said the decision came down to a proven ace being the hardest asset to find and called Skenes one of the best three or four pitchers on Earth as he enters his prime.
Chicago’s selection at No. 2 was Konnor Griffin, the shortstop Pittsburgh drafted at No. 9 in 2024. Schoenfield highlighted Griffin’s 2025 breakout — a combined .333 average across three minor-league levels with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases — and noted that Griffin debuted as a teenager, joining a short list that includes Mike Trout, Bryce Harper and Juan Soto. Schoenfield wrote that such early production points to a ceiling that could include MVP-level potential.
The Colorado Rockies took Nick Kurtz with the third pick. Passan called Kurtz the best hitter available and praised his plate discipline, power and ability to hit to all fields while noting Kurtz was just 23. Passan also suggested the exercise allowed for imagining Kurtz’s bat in a hitter-friendly park like Coors Field.
Washington chose Kevin McGonigle at No. 4. Passan said he preferred McGonigle to a young ace such as Chase Burns because McGonigle is a daily player who walks more than he strikes out, hits for average, runs well, fields shortstop and third base and provides power. Passan pointed to Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs metrics that rank McGonigle among the top 10 players in the combined class for a 21-year-old rookie.
Kansas City’s No. 5 pick was Chase Burns. The redraft write-up noted Burns’ 9-1, 2.00 first half and said that in his first full major-league season he already ranks among the game’s best. The entry described a two-pitch mix that features a 98 mph fastball and a slider that generates a 51 percent whiff rate, with those two offerings accounting for 93 percent of his usage.
