2026 MLB Draft Grades for Winners and Losers from 1st-Round Results

The top of the 2026 MLB draft was dominated by hitters.

Led by No. 1 overall pick Roch Cholowsky, 17 of the first 20 picks in Saturday's event were hitters.

Jackson Flora, the No. 4 overall pick, was the only hurler chosen inside the top 10.

There was also an emphasis on selecting collegiate talent. Eight of the top 10 selections were from college baseball. That allowed some of the better prep players to drop further than expected.

The full list of MLB draft results can be found here.

MLB Draft Grades

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Arizona: A

Athletics: A

Atlanta: B+

Baltimore: A

Boston: D

Chicago Cubs: B-

Chicago White Sox: A

Cincinnati: B+

Cleveland: A

Colorado: A-

Detroit: A

Kansas City: C

Houston: C

Los Angeles Angels: B

Miami: A

Milwaukee: D

Minnesota: A

Pittsburgh: B-

San Diego: B+

San Francisco: B+

Seattle: A

St. Louis: A

Tampa Bay: A-

Texas: A-

Washington: A

Winner: Chicago White Sox

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The Chicago White Sox didn't overcomplicate the decision to take Roch Cholowsky at No. 1.

Cholowsky was projected to be the top pick in most mock drafts in the build-up to Saturday's event.

The White Sox didn't take another prospect because they would take less money from their signing bonus pool. They just took the best player.

Cholowsky won't be ready immediately, but the UCLA product could be on a fast track to join the exciting young core in Chicago sooner rather than later.

A lineup with Cholowsky, Colton Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami as its centerpieces could go a long way to helping the White Sox gain control of the American League Central for years.

Losers: Pitchers

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Pitchers were not valued in the top 20 picks of the 2026 MLB draft.

Jackson Flora, the No. 4 overall pick to San Francisco, was the only hurler taken inside the top 15.

That was a stark difference from just a year ago, when four pitchers were selected with the top six selections.

A run on pitchers did occur later in the first round, starting with the No. 20 selection, but that was long after most of the top hitters in the draft class came off the board.

Winner: Miami Marlins

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The Miami Marlins picked up one of the steals in the first half of the opening round.

The Marlins landed high-school shortstop Jacob Lombard, the son of former major-league George Lombard. His brother, George Jr., is the No. 20 overall prospect in baseball.

The younger Lombard brother was ranked in the top 10 in most lists of the top draft prospects. The Athletic's Keith Law had Lombard landing at No. 4 overall in his last mock draft.

Lombard will take time to develop and won't be in the majors as soon as the other position players selected in the same range as him, but he's as good of a prospect as you can get from the high school ranks.

He comes to Miami with a lot of major-league pedigree, and if everything goes well, he could be an anchor of the Marlins lineup in a few years.