Bringing back an old series I have done iterations of at previous stops along the way, not really grading drafts, but highlighting a few picks for each team. I will let you know my favorite pick, least favorite, and a sleeper from the draft class to keep an eye on.
Favorite: Roch Cholowsky – Round 1 Pick 1 – Despite all the noise before draft day, the White Sox did the right thing and just took the best player in this year’s class. Cholowsky is a plus shortstop with an excellent eye at the plate and plenty of power. There were rumblings of Grady Emerson or Lackey at 1, but ultimately they went with the number one player on the board, the guy who has been at the top for over a year, and a guy with the best combination of both ceiling and floor.
Least Favorite: Kyle Casteel – Round 11, Pick 315 – Round 11 is a “steal”, the signing bonus of nearly $1.4M is not. He signed for a slot bonus equal to about the 65th pick in the draft. There is plenty of upside here and a reasonably polished arm as well, but that is a big signing bonus for a guy we had ranked 257.
Sleeper: Cameron Johnson – Round 15, Pick 435 – Johnson has been a rollercoaster of a follow since his time at IMG Academy. He had plenty of struggles at LSU before transferring to Oklahoma where was briefly a Friday night starter before being a guy who didn’t see the mound in Omaha during their title run. The stuff is massive, the command is a real concern. If somehow everything clicks he can be a mid rotation starter, a bullpen arm is most likely, but he could be out of affiliated ball in a couple years too.
Overall Thoughts: Sometimes the hardest thing to do when you have the number one pick is not overthink things. The White Sox resisted the urge to get cute and wound up adding a really good mix of floor and ceiling throughout the draft. Landon Thome and Cole Prosek were both fringe first rounders, Volchko has massive stuff, even Grayson Fitzwater in the 13th has a path to contributing in time.
Favorite: Liam Peterson – Round 1, Pick 19 – I went into the draft convinced whoever selected Peterson would end up being one of my least favorite picks on day one, but I like the fit here. There might not be a pitcher in the draft who had a wider gap between stuff and effectiveness, and if there is a team that can close that gap, it is the Guardians.
Least Favorite: Logan Schmidt – Round 2, Pick 59 – I had the sense Schmidt would be a guy who didn’t get drafted as we went into the draft, so I was a bit surprised when he was selected, even more surprised he slid to 59, so I thought this was going to be my favorite pick. Instead Schmidt and the Guardians were unable to come to an agreement and Schmidt is the highest selection to go unsigned this year.
Sleeper: Savion Sims – Round 7, Pick 213 – Sure, he signed for $1M so it is hard to call him a sleeper, but for everything the Guardians got wrong with Schmidt, they got right with Sims. He has massive stuff from a long frame with plenty of projection left. We had him ranked as a clear cut day one guy, and he got paid like it, this might be the highest upside day two selection this year.
Overall Thoughts: Plenty to like, one big miss to not like, but it isn’t just about the arms. Lucas Moore was once a trendy name to potentially rise into the first round, Tre Broussard might be the best player most fans haven’t heard of, and Deiten Lachance made a name for himself, and some money, in the tournament.
Favorite: Cameron Flukey – Round 1, Pick 22 – Look, had it not been for injury this season, I firmly believe Flukey comes off the board closer to the 10 we had him ranked than the 22 he was taken. He is a proven arm on the biggest stage of college baseball and has an excellent combination of stuff and polish. This is a quick moving arm that should find himself in the middle of the Tigers rotation in relatively short order.
Least Favorite: Dominic Pellegrin – Round 4, Pick 125 – Ranked in the 600s for us, he goes with pick 125 and is signed over slot. He was 19 on draft day, is a contact first defensive shortstop with limited impact in the profile. That said, the defense is real and so is the hit tool, so there is a relatively high floor here, I just don’t like the value.
Sleeper: Brady Ballinger – Round 7 Pick 216 – If not for the pure 1B profile, I think Ballinger goes a lot higher than this. he has a good hit tool with a solid approach and plenty of power. The defensive profile just limits the ceiling, but the bat could find it’s way into the middle of a lineup.
Overall Thoughts: As is often the case with the Tigers, there were plenty of ups and downs here. Not a ton to get super excited about as I have already highlighted the lack of ceiling in Pellegrin and I like Robert Omidi, but not the big swing I expected. Tyson LeBlanc is a really interesting second round pick and I think there is real upside with Maddox Molony in round 6 and Declan Dahl has genuine big league potential in round 5.
Favorite: Taylor Rabe – CB-A, Pick 30 – Don’t get me wrong, I love it when a player goes at the exact pick he is ranked by us, but more importantly, I really like Rabe. He showed great development throughout the year and rose above his teammate Cade Townsend in our ranks. The industry proved to like him better too because, while he was the second of the two selected, he got a slightly higher signing bonus.
Least Favorite: Zion Rose – Round 1 Pick 6 – Don’t get me wrong, I love Rose and think he is going to be a really good big leaguer, where he went is the part that leaves me scratching my head. I do like the savings they got here, but I don’t really feel like they got a ton out of that saving either. Just one of those picks I think we will eventually look back on and have no complaints over, just felt early.
Sleeper: Dylan Vigue – Round 7, Pick 209 – Vigue was the ace for Michigan in 2025 before transferring to Georgia in 2026 where he got somewhat lost in an impressive pitching staff. he has been up to 97 with sink, he improved his walks and strikeouts while in the SEC, he has a four pitch mix, and should be aback end starter.
Overall Thoughts: Not too dissimilar to the Tigers, it was a solid draft, some nice picks, some I didn’t love, overall they got good talent and should be happy with the draft. One thing we lose sight of is getting quality contributors out of the draft is a win, and the Royals did that here, but picking 6 I do wish there was more upside in the class.
Favorite: Vahn Lackey – Round 1 Pick 3 – The Twins sat at three and, while all the baseball draft world debated the order of the top three players in the draft, they just sat back and let one of the elite players in the class fall to them. Lackey can play all over the diamond, he did play eight positions in a single game this year, can hit, is a potential plus defensive catcher, can run. He has all the tools and there is a reason he is the highest selected catcher by the Twins since Joe Mauer.
Least Favorite: Brett Renfrow – CB-B, Pick 74 – In a draft where the twins add Lackey, massive power in Carson Tinney, a power arm with real upside in Ethan Wachsmann in the top 79 picks along with Renfrow, it just happens to be the pick that is a little less exciting. That said, Renfrow has a track record of success in major college baseball and should stick as a starter.
Sleeper: Steele Murdock – Round 5, Pick 139 – Opening night of the college baseball season, UC San Diego opened up at UCLA and Murdock was matched up opposite Logan Reddemann. Murdock was actually the more impressive pitcher on the night for me despite statistically having a worse night, and the stats don’t do him justice this year either. He walks too many guys, but he strikes out plenty too. I think this is a quality big league reliever selected in the middle of the top 10 rounds.
Overall Thoughts: A year ago the Baltimore Orioles selected two players announced as catchers in the top 30 while they had a solid catcher at the big league level and a top prospect knocking on the door. The Orioles turned Caden Bodine and others into a much needed arm. This year the Twins very much follow that same approach, and I don’t hate it. The draft has massive upside up and down, but there is some high floor there too. Just a really good balance of talent here.
Shaun Kernahan is the founder and lead writer of Three Quarter Slot, where he blends scouting precision with a storyteller’s eye for the human side of the game. Based in Parker, Colorado, he has covered baseball prospects at every level since 2013, delivering in-depth evaluations, draft analysis, and developmental insight. Over the years, he has built Three Quarter Slot into a trusted home for thoughtful prospect coverage, detailed scouting reports, and a grounded look at how talent evolves
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