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Official 2026 MLB Draft Thread - Picks & Discussion

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  • You have no clue.

  • I truly think tomorrow they have a shot at turning this into what we will look back on as one of the more special drafts in franchise history!

  • I dunno about you guys but I think it's pretty sweet to be in first place and also have the first pick in the draft.

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2 minutes ago, bmags said:

6’4” 205 in HS you don’t say

It feels like every pick you can see what they are trying to do and how it fits with their development strategy. Doesn’t mean they’ll all pan out but you can see how much tighter their process is. You also just see them take far more big swings.

  • Author

White Sox take Braden Holcomb OF from Vandy. Pretty good value here.

212 on BA.

212. Braden Holcomb OF

Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 245 | B-T: R-R

School: Vanderbilt. Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted. Age At Draft: 21.7.

Holcomb was Vanderbilt’s best hitter in 2026. He led the team with a .352 batting average to go with 14 home runs, a team-best .621 slugging percentage and a .434 on-base percentage. Holcomb is a massive 6-foot-5, 245-pound hitter, and his 109 mph 90th percentile exit velocity is one of the best in college baseball. His power potential is alluring and he can show a short stroke from a very closed setup. But those long levers mean he also has big holes pitchers can exploit. Holcomb had a well-below-average 30% miss rate when he swung and he chased pitches out of the zone. He also was vulnerable to pitchers with plus velocity. Holcomb played center field at times for the Commodores and even played a bit of third base, but he profiles as a slugging corner outfielder with an above-average arm.

368 on O-S.

Scouting Report

Bats: R, Throws: R

Holcomb is a big, athletic plaer with considerable raw power, however he's had a difficult time consistently tapping into it in games at this early stage of his career due to some chase and whiff to his profile. His size and physicality have made his profile famous going back to his high school days. Showcasing more of that power in games will come down to whether his pure bat-to-ball skills can improve. It's a boom or bust bat projection, however a move to centerfield in 2026 could elevate his role projection.

Holcomb showed signed of improvement on the Cape in 2025 with an improving approach and better overall hit tool. It may never be an average hit tool at the next level, but if Holcomb can get to a place where he's a fringe-average hitter with his raw power, he could boast a few 25-homer seasons, provided he gets the at-bats to get there.

His solid defensive actions and near top of the scale arm strength will keep him on the field for the long term, though he's been spread out across first base, third base, left field and centerfield to this point. He's an average runner. It's more of a prototype right field profile at the next level.

In total, perhaps Holcomb can prove to be something of a Hunter Renfroe kind of player at the next level if the hit tool can get to a steady place.

Edited by DirtySox

White Sox take Vanderbilt OF in the 12th

Where the hell is the Contreras pick?

Another big power guy with hit issues.

Lame. My dream draft class was not completed. Sad panda.

3 minutes ago, ron883 said:

Where the hell is the Contreras pick?

That’s what I’m sayin. Pretty clear Jose and Joseph want to go to college.

I had hoped for Contreras but maybe in a couple years. Wondering if you still draft someone interesting and say here’s the offer, first two that accept are in

3 minutes ago, hi8is said:

That’s what I’m sayin. Pretty clear Jose and Joseph want to go to college.

He wants to work on his split finger with some sorority girls.

  • Author

White Sox select Grayson Fitzwater. 482 on O-S. College 1B.

Scouting Report

Bats: L, Throws: L

A fourth-year senior with a big bat, Fitzwater took his offensive game to a new level in 2026 after pulverizing the SoCo for the first three years of his collegiate career. A masher with very real feel for the barrel, Fitzwater has nothing left to prove at the amateur level.

It's been nothing but tremendous production the last two years. He's had more walks than strikeouts two years in a row, and has stolen double-digit bases the last three seasons too. But it's the slug that has pro team interested. Fitzwater's feel for the barrel is excellent, complimenting above average raw bat speed. His average exit velocity can rival anyone in college baseball, as can his feel for getting to the pull-side. Fitzwater is a patient hitter who waits for his pitch, and doesn't show many warts in his offensive game. Perhaps the one area scouts and analysts may nitpick when the draft arrives is his lack of exposure to top-tier velocity. When posed with hitting bigger arms,, Fitzwater has shown more whiff than he otherwise ordinarily would.

Fitzwater is a primary first baseman that can rover around the outfield thanks to sneaky quickness and average foot speed. He's got an average arm that doesn't make him a liability in most circumstances. Still, his future at the next level is almost certainly at first base.

Fitzwater will be 22 years old and doesn't have much leverage left. He's a "day-three" prospect and a lottery ticket for a team that believes in the bat -- and there's plenty of reason to believe.

  • Author

Fitzwater is 294 on BA's list.

294. Grayson Fitzwater 1B / OF

Ht: 6'1" | Wt: 215 | B-T: L-L

School: VMI. Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted. Age At Draft: 22.5.

Fitzwater is one of the most productive hitters in VMI’s program history, and needed just three seasons to become the program’s all-time leader in RBIs, as well as a top-five performer in a number of other major statistical categories. He’s a 6-foot-1, 215-pound lefthanded hitter and first baseman who pairs a selective approach with impressive strength and power. Fitzwater homered 18 times as a sophomore in 2024, 17 times as a junior in 2025 and hit 21 in 2026 as a senior. He was one of the more productive offensive players in college baseball throughout his collegiate career.

Thank you @DirtySox for posting all these writeups. Fitzwater sounds like a nice gamble.

  • Author

It looks like our prep fun may be over.

3 minutes ago, DirtySox said:

Reminds me of a left handed Jake Burger

This Fitzwater guy gives me Tim Elko vibes.

5 minutes ago, hi8is said:

Reminds me of a left handed Jake Burger

That's a nice pick

14 hours ago, Lukakke Appling said:

I was being very, very sarcastic haha

OK it did seem unlike you but so difficult to tell because there's no voice inflection in a post and using teal to show sarcasm is a dinosaur.

2 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

OK it did seem unlike you but so difficult to tell because there's no voice inflection in a post and using teal to show sarcasm is a dinosaur.

Yeah I get it. I could have added a /sarcasm or something. All good.

6 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

OK it did seem unlike you but so difficult to tell because there's no voice inflection in a post and using teal to show sarcasm is a dinosaur.

🦕 f*** you

  • Author

White Sox select Isaac Yeager RHP from Oregon State.

353 on O-S.

Scouting Report

Bats: R, Throws: R

Yeager is draft-eligible for the second year in a row, but is enjoying his best collegiate season at Oregon State. His sinker-slider combo can be devestating to the opposition, especially left-handed hitters.

Yeager's fastball is a true sinker with the shapes and production scouts like to see when projecting to the next level. He's been up to 96 and will live 91-94 on most nights. The pitch possesses borderline elite arm-side tailing action and plenty of depth to drive up impressive ground ball rates. While it hasn't been a pitch that has had hitters fetching outside of the zone, it has missed bats at an inordinate rate for his velocity band and pitch shape. It's an efficient, productive sinker that does its job in spades. Finding the strike zone with more frequency will be important if he's to get the results he wants from this pitch at the next level.

The slider can be devastating. Yeager drops his arm slot to create a breaking ball that features hard, late biting action. His breaking ball arm slot launched from a 6-foot-6-inch frame is something entirely unfamiliar for most hitters. He's touched 87, but is mostly 82-84 with more depth than lateral play. He's produced enormous chase rates this spring and whiffs come in buckets too. Yeager throws the slider more than the sinker and has way better feel for commanding the pitch as well. His breaking ball command in something close to elite.

Yeager's frame and one-two wombo combo might be enough to get him selected in the 2026 Draft. He's been given limited opportunities to pitch across several innings, in large part due to the below-average fastball control/command. Teams buying the Yeager brand in July will be hoping he grows into more velocity and turns into a high-leverage reliever. It's good clay, if not entirely unrefined at this stage in his career.

Dig the Yeager pick here in the 14th round. Good time to grab a strong preforming reliever.

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