MLB Draft 2026 Selection Order, Bonus Pool Money and Predictions for 1st-Round Baseball Prospects

The 2026 MLB Draft kicks off this Saturday from Philadelphia, home of this year's All-Star Game festivities, with the top high school and college prospects waiting to find out which organization they will continue their baseball careers with.

Which teams select first, and what is the available bonus money for each Major League squad?

Find out in this preview, including predictions for the event's top picks.

Viewing Information

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Dates: Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia

TV: NBC (picks 1-10); MLB Network

Streaming: Peacock (picks 1-10); MLB Network

First Round Draft Order and Bonus Pool Money

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1. Chicago White Sox ($17,592,100)

2. Tampa Bay Rays ($19,009,300)

3. Minnesota Twins ($16,929,600)

4. San Francisco Giants ($17,350,600)

5. Pittsburgh Pirates ($19,130,700)

6. Kansas City Royals ($15,954,000)

7. Baltimore Orioles ($13,114,000)

8. Athletics ($13,840,300)

9. Atlanta Braves ($15,870,800)

10. Colorado Rockies ($15,557,600)

11. Washington Nationals ($12,278,300)

12. Los Angeles Angels ($11,755,400)

13. St. Louis Cardinals ($16,612,300)

14. Miami Marlins ($11,960,100)

15. Arizona Diamondbacks ($13,603,100)

16. Texas Rangers ($10,219,200)

17. Houston Astros ($13,712,700)

18. Cincinnati Reds ($10,758,500)

19. Cleveland Guardians ($9,303,700)

20. Boston Red Sox ($8,219,200)

21. San Diego Padres ($9,479,000)

22. Detroit Tigers ($9,165,100)

23. Chicago Cubs ($9,644,100)

24. Seattle Mariners ($8,218,200)

25. Milwaukee Brewers ($8,042,900)

26. Atlanta Braves

27. New York Mets ($6,730,900)

28. Houston Astros

29. San Francisco Giants

30. Kansas City Royals

Second Round

35. New York Yankees ($7,342,800)

36. Philadelphia Phillies ($7,773,000)

39. Toronto Blue Jays ($5,543,100)

40. Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,951,900)

Bonus pool totals via ESPN.

Who Is No. 1?

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For months, Roch Cholowsky, the talented shortstop out of UCLA, looked to be the top pick in this draft and may still be.

A somewhat disappointing season, coupled with an extraordinarily early exit from the College World Series for the top-ranked Bruins, has opened minds to the possibility that he should not be the first player to hear his name called Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

Even if, that is, his play is still that of a ready-made big league shortstop.

Shooting up draft boards, thanks to his high ceiling, is high school shortstop Grady Emerson out of Fort Worth Christian in Texas. The 18-year-old delivers quality at-bats, hits hard, has a pro-ready swing, and is a quality defender beyond his years.

Another name to watch is catcher Vahn Lackey out of Georgia Tech. While he came on late in his run with the Yellowjackets, Lackey hits to all areas of the field and demonstrated the best power of his young career this past season.

That he is a catcher who can also play third base makes him that much more intriguing an asset to a team selecting higher in this year's draft, like the Twins, who know a thing or two about selecting and developing a Major Leaguer at the position, as Hall of Famer Joe Mauer would attest to.

With momentum swinging in favor of Emerson, the question will become whether the White Sox want to take a young player who they believe has the upside to be a perennial All-Star in MLB or if they opt to take Cholowsky, who has the tools to be such, even if the ceiling is not quite as high.

Prediction: White Sox select Cholowsky, Rays select Emerson, and Twins pick Lackey