The 2026 MLB Draft, held from July 12-14, 2026, produced significant winners and losers among college baseball programs. LSU led the way with three first-round picks, including pitcher William Schmidt (No. 3 overall to the Colorado Rockies) and shortstop Derek Curiel (No. 10 to the Chicago White Sox). Tennessee also had a strong showing with two first-rounders: pitcher Liam Doyle (No. 8 to the Pittsburgh Pirates) and infielder Gavin Kilen (No. 12 to the Boston Red Sox).
Wake Forest saw pitcher Chase Burns selected No. 2 overall by the Cincinnati Reds, while Florida had two first-round picks in pitcher Jake Clemente (No. 15 to the Miami Marlins) and outfielder Ty Evans (No. 22 to the New York Mets). Smaller programs also made headlines: UC Santa Barbara had pitcher Tyler Bremner taken No. 9 by the Chicago Cubs, and Grand Canyon University saw pitcher Daniel Avitia go No. 16 to the Detroit Tigers.
On the losing side, programs like Vanderbilt and Texas A&M underperformed relative to expectations. Vanderbilt, despite a strong regular season, had only one first-round pick (pitcher JD Thompson at No. 24 to the Los Angeles Dodgers). Texas A&M, which reached the College World Series finals, saw no players selected in the first round, with their top pick being pitcher Justin Lamkin in the second round (No. 44 to the Arizona Diamondbacks).
Overall, the draft highlighted the depth of college baseball talent, with 38 of the 39 first-round picks coming from four-year universities. The trend of top high school players choosing college over professional baseball continued, as only one high school player (shortstop Ethan Holliday, No. 1 overall to the Oakland Athletics) was selected in the first round.
