PHILADELPHIA — The Chicago White Sox opened the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft by selecting the polished college shortstop expected to come off the board near the top. The Kansas City Royals then supplied the first major shock, the San Francisco Giants assembled an imposing collection of pitchers, and several clubs used creative bonus-pool strategies to chase upside later in the night.
For the first time, Day 1 included four complete rounds. A total of 135 players were selected Saturday, beginning with UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky going first overall to Chicago and ending with the Philadelphia Phillies taking Houston right-hander Jaxon Jelkin at No. 135.
It will take years to know which organizations truly succeeded. Draft evaluations are especially uncertain before signing bonuses are finalized, and players enter professional development systems.
Based on talent, value, and strategy, however, San Francisco produced the strongest opening day.
Day 1 winner: San Francisco Giants
The Giants entered the draft with the fourth overall selection and one of the largest bonus pools available. They used those resources to assemble arguably the best combination of immediate pitching value and long-term upside.
San Francisco began by selecting UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora at No. 4. Flora was MLB Pipeline’s highest-rated pitcher in the class and established himself as the premier college arm by consistently taking the ball on Friday nights for the Gauchos.
Rather than settling for one potential impact starter, the Giants added Carson Bolemon, a left-hander from Southside Christian School in South Carolina, with the 29th pick in Competitive Balance Round A. Bolemon was MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 prospect and was considered one of the best high school left-handers available.
San Francisco then selected another projectable prep pitcher, Kaden Waechter of Jesuit High School in Florida, at No. 55. Waechter is the son of former major league pitcher Doug Waechter and provides the Giants with another athletic right-hander whose best baseball could remain ahead of him.
The Giants also created one of the draft’s most memorable family connections when they selected Rutgers outfielder Peyton Bonds in the third round with the 90th overall pick. Bonds, the nephew of Barry Bonds, now enters the organization for which his uncle became baseball’s career home run leader.
Peyton Bonds was more than a sentimental selection. He was ranked No. 81 by MLB Pipeline, can play center field and offers a promising combination of contact ability and developing power.
By the end of Day 1, San Francisco had landed the draft’s top college pitcher, one of its best prep left-handers, another high-upside high school arm and an athletic center fielder with legitimate offensive potential. That combination makes the Giants the early winner.
Close second: Atlanta Braves
Few organizations pursue high school pitching as confidently as the Braves, and Atlanta again leaned into that organizational identity.
The Braves selected Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia at No. 9, choosing a polished college hitter with strong swing decisions, contact ability and a history of producing power. Gracia hit 43 home runs during three college seasons, spending two years at Duke before transferring to Virginia.
Atlanta used the 26th pick, awarded through the Prospect Promotion Incentive after Drake Baldwin won National League Rookie of the Year, on Indiana State outfielder Carter Beck. The selection represented one of the night’s largest deviations from public rankings because MLB Pipeline placed Beck at No. 193.
That apparent reach may have been central to Atlanta’s strategy.
By potentially saving bonus-pool money on its first two selections, the organization positioned itself to pursue three intriguing high school right-handers: Kaiden McCarthy of Vermont Academy at No. 48, Jensen Hirschkorn of Kingsburg High School in California at No. 84, and Cole Dennis of Bishop Snyder High School in Florida at No. 112.
Hirschkorn, a 6-foot-7 pitcher with a promising fastball-slider combination, was ranked No. 56. McCarthy was No. 61 and could have developed into a future first-round candidate had he remained in his original high school class. Dennis was a late-rising prospect whose No. 242 ranking may not reflect the amount of interest he generated closer to the draft.
Atlanta’s class carries considerable risk because high school pitchers require long developmental timelines and are more susceptible to injury. Its potential ceiling, however, may be as high as any club’s Day 1 haul.
Biggest surprise: Royals select Zion Rose at No. 6
The first five picks contained some intrigue, but none qualified as a complete shock.
That changed when Kansas City selected Louisville outfielder Zion Rose sixth overall.
Rose was ranked No. 30 by MLB Pipeline and was generally expected to be selected considerably later. Kansas City passed on several higher-ranked players, including Mississippi high school outfielder Eric Booth Jr., Gulliver Prep shortstop Jacob Lombard and high school left-hander Gio Rojas.
The selection should not be dismissed as a simple reach. Rose possesses the potential to become an above-average hitter with power to all fields. The Royals also entered the draft with a bonus pool approaching $16 million and appeared to use Rose to create financial flexibility.
Kansas City followed by taking Mississippi right-hander Taylor Rabe at No. 30. Rabe was ranked No. 40 and brought a strong combination of velocity, fastball carry, command, and multiple breaking pitches.
The Royals then selected 6-foot-5 high school right-hander Jack Slightom of Lyons Township High School in Illinois at No. 56. That gave Kansas City a polished college arm and a projectable prep pitcher after its surprising opening selection.
The Rose pick was the night’s biggest shock, but its success cannot be evaluated independently of the rest of Kansas City’s bonus-pool plan.
Most surprising pick outside the top 10: Jake Schaffner to Boston
The Boston Red Sox created another jolt by selecting North Carolina shortstop Jake Schaffner at No. 20.
Schaffner was ranked 75th by MLB Pipeline after transferring from North Dakota State and producing a 1.019 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with 26 stolen bases for the Tar Heels. He possesses advanced bat-to-ball skills and enough offensive impact to project as a major league contributor, although evaluators are divided over whether he will remain at shortstop or move to second base.
Boston’s confidence in Schaffner was clear. The Red Sox did not merely select him a few places ahead of expectations; they took him more than 50 spots above his public ranking.
The move may have been influenced by bonus demands and Boston’s plans for later selections. Still, no first-round pick outside Rose represented a more dramatic departure from the consensus board.
Best value in the first round: Jacob Lombard to Miami
The Miami Marlins did not need to search far for their first-round selection.
Lombard, a shortstop from Gulliver Prep in Miami, remained available until the 14th pick despite entering the draft as MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 prospect. The son of Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard and brother of New York Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. offers premium athleticism, considerable raw power, and a legitimate chance to remain at shortstop.
Questions about swing-and-miss may have contributed to his slide, although Lombard made progress in that area during his final high school season.
The Marlins obtained one of the most talented players in the class nine spots below his ranking, while keeping a South Florida product close to home. No first-round selection offered a stronger combination of value, ceiling, and organizational significance.
Best value after Round 1: Aiden Robbins to the Mets
The New York Mets waited until the 92nd pick to select Texas outfielder Aiden Robbins.
Robbins entered the draft ranked No. 29 by MLB Pipeline after hitting 24 home runs during his final college season. Concerns about swing-and-miss likely caused his fall, but players with that level of power rarely remain available late in the third round.
The Mets assumed substantial risk earlier by selecting Arkansas right-hander Carson Wiggins at No. 27. Wiggins did not pitch during the season after undergoing internal brace surgery, but he has shown a fastball that averaged close to 99 mph and a potentially dominant slider when healthy.
Adding Robbins later gave the Mets another premium talent at a dramatically reduced draft position. Even acknowledging the questions surrounding his hit tool, a top-30 prospect at No. 92 represents outstanding value.
Biggest medical gamble: Texas Rangers
Texas used two of its most important selections on the highest-rated high school left-handers in the class.
The Rangers selected Rojas from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida at No. 16. Rojas, ranked eighth by MLB Pipeline, features a fastball and slider that project as plus pitches, along with a changeup and advanced command for a prep pitcher.
Texas then selected Brody Bumila of Bishop Feehan High School in Massachusetts with the 89th pick.
When healthy, the 6-foot-9 Bumila can reach 100 mph and was ranked No. 23. He fell because he may need Tommy John surgery, creating significant medical and developmental risk.
The Rangers effectively bet on two high-ceiling teenage left-handers, including one who may not pitch competitively for an extended period. Should both develop, Texas could emerge with two potential frontline starters. Should injuries intervene, the class could look very different.
No organization made a more aggressive wager on prep pitching upside.
Best opening three picks: Colorado Rockies
Colorado’s first three selections formed one of the most balanced and accomplished groups of Day 1.
The Rockies selected Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell at No. 10. Bell, a switch-hitting sophomore eligible for the draft, performed well in the Southeastern Conference despite playing through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder.
Colorado then opened the second round by selecting Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson at No. 37. Jackson won the 2026 Golden Spikes Award and became the first Division I catcher to record 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the same season.
The Rockies followed immediately with UCLA right-hander Logan Reddemann at No. 38. Reddemann climbed draft boards before sustaining a flexor strain, but he returned to throw in front of evaluators before the draft.
All three players were ranked within MLB Pipeline’s top 31, yet Jackson and Reddemann were selected at Nos. 37 and 38. Colorado accepted some medical and offensive risk but added a shortstop, an athletic power-hitting catcher, and a potential starting pitcher with consecutive selections.
For an organization that urgently needs to improve its talent base, it was an encouraging opening.
Best use of a draft penalty: New York Yankees
The Yankees’ first selection was moved from No. 25 to No. 35 because the organization exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax.
Despite that penalty, New York landed Arkansas left-hander Hunter Dietz, MLB Pipeline’s No. 17 prospect. Dietz recorded 131 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings during his final season, although his college career included previous injury problems.
The Yankees followed by selecting Sean Duncan, a left-hander from Terry Fox Secondary School in British Columbia, at No. 63. Duncan was considered Canada’s top player in the class but underwent Tommy John surgery, causing him to fall from his expected draft range.
New York’s approach was not conservative. Both pitchers carry medical concerns, and Duncan faces a long rehabilitation process. The Yankees nevertheless turned a penalized draft position into two high-upside left-handers who might have been selected substantially earlier if fully healthy.
Most intriguing family selections
Landon Thome’s connection to the White Sox made his selection at No. 34 one of the draft’s most recognizable moments.
Thome, a shortstop from Nazareth Academy in Illinois, is the son of Hall of Famer Jim Thome, who played for the White Sox and now works for the organization. Chicago acquired the 34th pick from Pittsburgh shortly before the draft and used it to secure Thome, who was also ranked No. 34 by MLB Pipeline.
The Milwaukee Brewers produced another family reunion by selecting Corona High School shortstop Trey Ebel at No. 25. Milwaukee drafted Ebel’s older brother, Brady, with the 32nd pick in 2025. Their father, Dino Ebel, is the Los Angeles Dodgers’ third base coach.
Neither selection should be viewed as a novelty. Thome and Ebel were legitimate early-round prospects, but their family connections gave Day 1 two of its most compelling storylines.
Final verdict
The Giants narrowly earned the distinction as Day 1’s biggest winner because of the quality and variety of their additions.
Flora immediately becomes one of San Francisco’s most important pitching prospects. Bolemon and Waechter give the organization two projectable high school arms, while Peyton Bonds supplies athleticism and offensive upside in the outfield.
Atlanta, Colorado, Chicago, and Texas also produced notable classes for different reasons. The Braves aggressively chased high school pitching, the Rockies found value with three consecutive college players, the White Sox combined Cholowsky with two promising prep infielders, and the Rangers bet heavily on two high-ceiling left-handers.
The biggest surprise belonged to Kansas City for selecting Rose sixth overall. The best first-round value belonged to Miami for landing Lombard at No. 14, and the Mets may have secured Day 1’s biggest overall bargain by selecting Robbins at No. 92.
Those conclusions remain provisional. Signing bonuses, medical evaluations, and player development will ultimately decide the 2026 draft.
After 135 selections, though, the Giants left Philadelphia with the most complete collection of Day 1 talent — and the strongest early claim to having won the opening night.
