The MLB draft is the most unique out of the four major sports. Unlike the other sports, you will never see a draft pick make the majors in the next season. Whether you’re the first or last pick, you are going to have to go to the minors. It is a good two to three years before we even know if this draft player can be a solid major leaguer. There is also a finite amount of money a team can spend on their draft pick, which puts an extra layer of strategy into who teams pick. Despite all of these, there are a few teams who hit this draft out of the park. Here are the early winners of the 2026 MLB draft.
Early Winners of the 2026 MLB Draft
St. Louis Cardinals: In his first draft as Cardinals President of Baseball Operations, Chaim Bloom did a fantastic job. Sure, having six picks inside the top 100 makes it a bit easier, but they came away with several intriguing prospects. The standout from this group is Trevor Condon. He has above-average contact and speed and profiles as a top-of-order bat. Tegan Kuhns has a good fastball-curveball combo, and if he can get his control issues fixed, he will be an ace one day. Other intriguing names are Cal Randall, Andrew Williamson and Dee Kennedy. If they develop properly, the Cardinals system just got a lot better.
Colorado Rockies: While everyone is talking about the bats the Rockies came away with in this draft, it’s the pitchers that should be drawing attention. Sure, Tyler Bell is a Golden Spikes winner and could become the face of their lineup, but the Rockies might actually have found big league-caliber arms. Logan Reddemann is a fireballer with a 96 mph fastball and good deception in his windup. He also has the competitive personality you want in an ace. Ben Davis has a dangerous combination of velocity and movement. He will be either an elite reliever at the MLB level or a back-end starter if he develops an offspeed pitch.
Tampa Bay Rays: When the Rays were among the better teams in MLB, it was due to strong drafting and player development. This year’s class is a big step towards the Rays returning to the top of the league. Grady Emerson was arguably the best prospect in this year’s class. He’s great at both offense and defense, and scouts can’t find a flaw in his game. Ben Blair may have non-traditional mechanics but has the control and deception to get batters out. Gavin Giese gets good spin on the ball, and his changeup is one of the best in the class. The Rays could be looking at their next one-to two-punch in their rotation.
Of course, this is all speculation. As mentioned before, it will be years before any of these players reach the MLB. They could flame out from the grind of the minor leagues or become one of baseball’s best prospects. The winner of this class could be a team no one is talking about or a player that has yet to break out. Only time will tell.
