Reviewing Top Experts' 2026 MLB Mock Drafts Ahead of College Baseball Regionals

Many of college baseball's best will have the opportunity to impress Major League Baseball decision-makers in this year's Division 1 tournament.

As is usually the case, many of this year's top prospects will come from the high school ranks. However, a handful of future stars are collegiate athletes who should be on display in the tournament.

The complete bracket will be announced at 12 p.m. ET on Monday and should be available at NCAA.com.

With the regionals set to begin on Friday, let's take a look at some of the top college prospects and the latest expert mocks.

Mock Top 10s

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Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com

1. White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

2. Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (Forth Wort, TX)

3. Twins: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

4. Giants: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Miami, FL)

5. Pirates: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

6. Royals: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (Hattiesburg, Miss.)

7. Orioles: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

8. Athletics: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M

9. Braves: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (Parkland, FL)

10. Rockies: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas

Kiley McDaniel, ESPN

1. White Sox: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

2. Rays: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (Fort Worth, TX)

3. Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

4. Giants: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Miami, FL)

5. Pirates: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

6. Royals: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (Hattiesburg, Miss.)

7. Orioles: Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas

8. Athletics: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M

9. Braves: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

10. Rockies: Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina

Keith Law, The Athletic

1. White Sox: Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian HS (Fort Worth, TX)

2. Rays: Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

3. Twins: Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

4. Giants: Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

5. Pirates: Eric Booth Jr., OF, Oak Grove HS (Hattiesburg, Miss.)

6. Royals: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (Miami, FL)

7. Orioles: Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

8. Athletics: Derek Curiel, OF, LSU

9. Braves: Cade Townsend, RHP, Mississippi

10. Rockies: Eric Becker, SS, Virginia

Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA

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When the 2026 MLB draft kicks off on July 11, there's a very good chance that UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is the first prospect to hear his name called. The Hamilton High School (Chandler, AZ) was actually a top prospect in the 2023 draft but opted for a collegiate career then.

Now that Cholowsky is back in the draft pool, he's virtually guaranteed to be one of the first few players off the board.

The top pick in the mocks of MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, Cholowsky is also the top-ranked draft prospect on MLB.com's rankings. While The Athletic's Keith Law didn't mock Cholowsky to the White Sox at No. 1, he does have him as his No. 1 prospect.

Law mocked Cholowsky to the Tampa Bay Rays at No. 2.

It'll be a fairly significant surprise if Cholowsky, who has batted .321 with 21 home runs and 59 RBI this season, isn't the first or second player taken in July.

Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech

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Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey isn't as cemented to the very top of Round 1 as Cholowsky, but the Collins Hill High School (Gwinnett County, GA) product has been a rapid riser on draft boards.

"Lackey's surge at the plate in his draft year has lifted him from late first-round territory to the uppermost echelon, thanks to offseason work on his swing to help him get the ball off the ground and further in the air," Law wrote.

Now the second-ranked draft prospect on Law's board and the third-ranked prospect on the MLB.com board, Lackey can likely be considered a top-10 lock, if not a top-five lock.

The furthest Lackey fell in any of the mocks we examined was No. 5 to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Mayo's mock.

Lackey has batted .403 with 18 home runs and 74 RBI this season.

Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

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Teams hoping to snag a pitch at the top of the draft are likely targeting UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora. The Foothill High School (Pleasanton, CA) product is easily the best pitching prospect in what is largely an underwhelming class.

Flora is the top-ranked pitcher and fourth-ranked prospect on the MLB board. He's the top-ranked pitcher and third overall prospect on Law's board. He was a top-five selection in all three mocks, albeit to a different team in each one. His highest spot was No. 3 to the Minnesota Twins in Mayo's mock:

"Assuming Cholowsky and Emerson go in the top two spots, it's looking like the Twins' top choices will be from the college ranks. The bat would be Lackey, and the arm would be Flora, who continues to lead NCAA Division I pitchers in ERA (1.03), while standing second in opponent OPS (.451) and batting average against (.163)."

McDaniel pared Flora with the Pirates at No. 5, while Law paired him with the San Francisco Giants at No. 4.