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Draft  | Story | 7/30/2026

2026 MLB Draft Signing Deadline Recap

Tyler Henninger
As of Monday at 5 p.m. ET, the 2026 MLB Draft is officially complete. The signing deadline has passed, meaning we now know every team’s finalized draft class and exactly how much each player signed for.

Entering the draft, it was clear there was a distinct top tier consisting of Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson, and Vahn Lackey. That separation became even more evident once contracts were signed. Cholowsky became the first player in draft history to sign for more than $10 million, agreeing to a record-setting $10,347,500 bonus with the White Sox. Emerson set a new high school signing bonus record at $9,747,500, the second-largest bonus ever awarded to a draft pick. Lackey rounded out the trio with a $9,497,500 bonus, the third-largest signing bonus in MLB Draft history.



Those weren’t the only records set.

Teams combined to spend $402,481,143 in signing bonuses, surpassing last year’s record for the highest total in draft history. The White Sox led all clubs by spending $21,150,840 on their class, setting a new single-team record. The Rays followed at $21,104,765, the third-highest total ever, while the Giants spent $19,263,130, the fifth-highest total on record. Overall, nine of the 20 largest team bonus pools in draft history came from the 2026 class.

While no club exceeded the 5% overage threshold, 23 organizations tapped into it. The Giants, Rays, Tigers, and Guardians spent every available dollar in their pools. The Astros finished just $1 short, while the Dodgers left only $20 unused. The Rockies also dipped into their 5% overage for the first time in franchise history, meaning the Twins are the only organization yet to do so in the bonus pool era. 

Based solely on draft order, it appeared teams favored college players early. College prospects accounted for 32 of the first 50 selections, while prep players made up just 18. However, the signing bonuses tell a different story. High school players received 27 of the 50 largest signing bonuses in the class. In total, 98 prep players signed for $146,905,869, averaging $1,499,039 per player. Meanwhile, 474 college players signed for $255,575,274, an average of $539,188 each. That is nearly $1 million less than the average prep bonus.

The gap becomes even more pronounced when looking only at the first 10 rounds. 59 prep players signed for a combined $134,529,769, averaging $2,280,166. By comparison, 252 college players signed for $224,436,654, an average of $890,622. While colleges dominated the early selections in terms of quantity of picks, teams clearly continued to place a premium on landing high school talent.

Braves’ third-round pick Jensen Hirshkorn demonstrates that perfectly. Selected 84th overall, the California prep right-hander received the 19th largest signing bonus in the draft at $3,997,500. That is the same amount Atlanta gave to the 9th overall pick AJ Gracia.

Astros fourth-round selection Beau Peterson is another example. The Kansas prep right-hander went 133rd overall, but signed for $2,997,500, the 37th largest bonus in the class. New York prep shortstop Aiden Ruiz is another high school player who signed for well-above slot. The 44th overall selection received the 23rd highest bonus at $3,500,000. The draft board may have leaned heavily toward college players, but signing bonuses reinforce that organizations were still willing to pay a significant premium for the high school prospects they truly want.

Of the 613 players selected, 572 (93.3%) ultimately signed contracts. Within the first 10 rounds, only two players failed to reach agreements.

The first was the Guardians' 2nd round pick Logan Schmidt, a California prep left-hander. Questions about his signability existed before draft day, but Cleveland selected him 59th overall anyway. The sides were unable to reach an agreement, thus the Guardians forfeited the $1,598,900 in bonus pool money attached to the pick. It remains to be seen whether Schmidt will honor his commitment to LSU or choose the junior college route to become draft-eligible again next year.

The other player that did not sign was Clemson right-hander Aiden Knaak, who was selected 163rd overall by the Brewers. It is not often we see a college player, who isn’t sophomore eligible, opt to go back to school. The 5th round selection that was used on Knaak was slotted at $425,400. This may be an instance where the NIL has a direct impact on the draft. Knaak will return to school for what could be assumed is a solid deal, but will lose out on leverage in next year’s draft. 

The 2026 draft class entered the cycle as one of the more difficult groups to separate beyond the handful of prospects at the top. After the first few names, talent was tightly clustered with large tiers of players. In the end, however, the class still set new records for individual signing bonuses, team spending, and overall league-wide bonus payouts.
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Draft | Story | 8/24/2026

Area Code Gams: Prospect Recap
Steve Fiorindo
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Pitchers George Ferguson, RHP, Abilene HS  Ferguson toed the slab for the Rangers squad in game one of the Codes, setting the tone early with some loud stuff.  Ferguson attacked hitters with a verty fastball up to 96 that played well up in the zone with up to 24 inches of induced vertical break.  He showed more than just a power arsenal, going to the changeup often, using the pitch to put away hitters.  Kills the spin to the 1600’s, regularly getting 13-15 inches of horizontal break.  The slider rounded out the arsenal, working 82/83.  Struck out four over his three innings of work, two on the fastball, two on the change.  2026 PG All American committed to Texas.  Quinn Fitzpatrick, RHP, Stratford HS  Another 2026 PG All American out of Texas, the LSU commit punched out three over his two innings of work, allowing just one hit. ...
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Draft | Story | 8/23/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL East

Tyler Henninger
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With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL East Atlanta Braves  Grade: 55 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF AJ Gracia (1st rd) | OF Carter Beck (PPI) | RHP Kaiden McCarthy (2nd rd) | RHP Jensen Hirschkorn (3rd rd)   OF AJ Gracia (@UVABaseball) is seeing the ball really well & picked up a couple of hits, including a 2B into RCF. Smooth LH stroke & easy impact. Showed + pwr in BP, 46 BB: 36 K. Jr./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/C4rSc0ZNIc — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 30, 2026 Atlanta had $15,870,800 to spend in this year’s draft,...
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Draft | Story | 8/22/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL East

Tyler Henninger
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With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL East Baltimore Orioles Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF Eric Booth Jr. (1st rd) | OF Ty Head (2nd rd) | OF Kevin Roberts Jr (4th rd)  Eric Booth Jr. (26 MS) goes big fly 💣 that carried out oppo. Explosive athlete w/ huge LH juice & tools. Big time in several facets. #NatElite #Vandy commit. @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/kXl7ZVyD9G — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 12, 2025 Baltimore was about middle of the pack in terms of money available this year, having $13.1m to spend on their class. Booth Jr. is a...
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College | Story | 8/21/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Collegiate RHP

Ryan Miller
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2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: College Right-Handed Pitchers  Throughout the 2027 draft cycle, I’ll be breaking down different demographics in the class. Today we begin with collegiate right-handed pitching, a strong group that is headlined by a legitimate 1-1 candidate in Dax Whitney. Most of the group is made up of high-quality power four arms, with a handful of mid-major arms mixed in. Below are the top college right-handers in the 2027 class:  Dax Whitney (@BeaverBaseball) showed LOUD stuff. FB up to 100, cruised at 95-98. Pair of plus secondaries. CB at 77-79 (2923) with sharp, 12-6 action. Firm SL at 89-91 (2714) with bite. Flashed fading CH at 87-88 (1425). Ranked No. 1 on the ‘27 board @PG_Draft So./‘27 elig. pic.twitter.com/9PNbjJ53Zo — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 13, 2026 Dax Whitney, Oregon State  Whitney has maintained...
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All American Game | Story | 8/21/2026

Brotherly Love Inspires Carter Hadnot

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Perfect Game has been a big part of Carter Hadnot’s life since he was 12. He participated in more than a dozen tournaments and showcases, including prestigious Select Festivals as a 13U and 14U player, as well as last summer’s PG All-Star Game for underclassmen in San Diego.   The PG event that Hadnot always wanted to be part of was the DICK’s All-American Classic. Now, that’s on his resume, too. He played in the 24th annual Classic earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. “This means a lot to me,” he said during the event. “I always wanted to make it to Select Fest when I was younger. So, every time I get invited to an event it’s an honor and it’s fun. I don’t take it for granted. “This is definitely the one I always wanted to make it to. A lot of big names have...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/18/2026

Perfect Game & Delano Partner Up

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME NAMES DELANO BAT COMPANY OFFICIAL WOOD COMPOSITE BAT PARTNER, LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION BAT SERIES   Delano Bats will serve as the Official Game Bat of the 13U Select Festival, taking place this coming weekend in East Cobb, Georgia   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Delano Bat Company, LLC, naming the company an Official Wood Composite Bat Partner of Perfect Game. The partnership will feature three exclusive limited-edition bat releases, which began with the Original Glory American Flag Bat in celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, that...
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Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West | AL Central With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL Central Chicago Cubs  Grade: 40 Risk: Medium Notable Selections: RHP Cade Townsend (1st rd) | OF Caden Sorrell (2nd rd) | 1B Myles Bailey (2C)   RHP Cade Townsend (@OleMissBSB) sat 95-96 T97 w/ riding FB from fast arm. Nasty cutter at 88-91 is the go-to, showed biting 2 pln SL. Low-80s top to bottom CB & CH ~ 1300 RPM to round out mix. Has had a great spring & risen up boards. Soph./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/TAFbM37f5j — PG College...
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Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL Central Cleveland Guardians  Grade: 45 Risk: Moderate  Notable Selections: RHP Liam Peterson (1st rd) | Tre Broussard OF (3rd rd) | RHP Savion Sims (7th rd)  Liam Peterson (@GatorsBB) has been pure power stuff through the first 3.0 IP in his start vs Bama…imposing his will on hitters with a fastball that has grabbed 100 mph a few times, backed up by his power slider and curveball @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/RVThNrdMTn — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 21,...
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High School | General | 8/17/2026

Scott Wins MVP Two Ways

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – When the folks at Perfect Game reached out to invite him to pitch in the 2026 PG All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors, Cullen Scott had one request. “You mind if I get a couple of at-bats, too?” Along with his dad, Scott traveled from the family’s home in Texas to Citizens Bank Park. The trip proved to be a huge success as he starred on the mound and at the plate and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Scott, 16, pitched a scoreless first inning and struck out two. In the fourth inning, he belted a grand slam six rows up into the left-field seats to lead the National team’s 6-1 win over the American team. “He showed us why he’s here as a pitcher and a hitter,” said Greg Sabers, PG’s vice president of scouting and showcases. "He’s one of the top pitchers here, but he’s too good a...
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All American Game | Story | 8/16/2026

Romero Slams His Way to Classic MVP

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Sunday’s DICK’s Perfect Game All-American Classic was a pitching-dominated affair until the bottom of the eighth inning when the rain started to fall at Citizens Bank Park and Koa Romero stepped to the plate and did his best impression of Kyle Schwarber. Romero wears No. 12, just like Schwarber. He bats left-handed, just like Schwarber. He’s got big power, just like Schwarber. And at 5-10 and a rock-solid 225 pounds, he’s even built like Schwarber. Needless to say, Schwarber is Romero’s favorite player. So, it was all kind of storybook when Romero belted a grand slam to dead center to cap off the scoring in the West team’s 8-3 win over the East club in the 24th annual Classic. “This is a dream come true,” said Romero, who was named MVP of the game. “It’s amazing to be able to put a ball like that out of a...
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