The 2026 MLB draft begins Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, with the Chicago White Sox on the clock for the first overall selection. According to ESPN, analyst Kiley McDaniel ranks UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky and Texas prep shortstop Grady Emerson highly, and has Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey among the top options for the top pick.
Chicago will be followed in the published first-round order by the Tampa Bay Rays at No. 2, the Minnesota Twins at No. 3, the San Francisco Giants at No. 4 and the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 5. ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield and Dan Mullen will provide pick-by-pick analysis and breakdowns as selections are announced.
The posted first-round order continues: 6 Kansas City Royals, 7 Baltimore Orioles, 8 Oakland Athletics, 9 Atlanta Braves, 10 Colorado Rockies, 11 Washington Nationals, 12 Los Angeles Angels, 13 St. Louis Cardinals, 14 Miami Marlins, 15 Arizona Diamondbacks, 16 Texas Rangers, 17 Houston Astros, 18 Cincinnati Reds, 19 Cleveland Guardians, 20 Boston Red Sox, 21 San Diego Padres, 22 Detroit Tigers, 23 Chicago Cubs, 24 Seattle Mariners and 25 Milwaukee Brewers.
The draft order also reflects penalties tied to MLB’s competitive balance tax. According to ESPN, the New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers were each assessed a 10-pick penalty on their first selection for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax.
Prospect promotion incentive picks appear at Nos. 26-28: Atlanta at 26 for Drake Baldwin’s NL Rookie of the Year, the Mets at 27 (reflecting the 10-pick penalty) and Houston at 28 for Hunter Brown’s top-three Cy Young finish, per the draft listing. Competitive Balance Round A runs from Nos. 29-37, and the order includes subsequent rounds and compensation picks through the remainder of Day 1.
