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Draft  | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Tyler Henninger
Michael Albee
Joey Cohen
Ryan Miller
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) 


The Guardians seemingly leaned into one of their organizational strengths with a draft built around arms with significant upside. Peterson may have had the best pure stuff in the class, although the control concerns created some risk, and Matt Scott could ultimately prove to be one of the more interesting selections as his pro-ready arsenal gives him a chance to move quickly. The draft took an unexpected turn when the Guardians couldn’t reach a deal with Logan Schmidt for their second pick, but they found an intriguing pivot in the seventh round with Savion Sims, who has a chance to develop into one of the hardest-throwing prospects in the game. That kind of arm strength is difficult to find that late in the draft and gives Cleveland another high-ceiling development bet. The position player side of the class also showed some familiar Guardians themes, particularly athleticism, speed and underlying contact ability. Broussard fits that mold well as an ultra-athletic outfielder with 70-grade run times and a knack for making consistent quality contact, while sixth-rounder Lucas Moore brings a similarly dynamic, speedy profile to the group. Kade Lewis represents more of a safety play with a promising hit tool, while Deiten LaChance offers the opposite end of the spectrum as a riskier power-oriented bet. Overall, Cleveland’s class feels very much in line with the organization’s development strengths where they bet on athleticism, arm talent and traits that can be maximized over time, while accepting a bit volatility in exchange for legitimate upside

Chicago White Sox 
Grade: 55
Risk: High
Notable Selections: SS Roch Cholowsky (1st rd) | INF Landon Thome (CB-A rd) | INF/C Cole Prosek (2nd rd) | RHP Joey Volchko (3rd rd) 
 

The White Sox won the draft lottery over the winter, securing the 1-1 selection, then traded for the 34th overall pick before the draft. In a packed draft class, Chicago selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky first overall, the favorite throughout the cycle. Cholowsky possesses advanced actions at shortstop, moving well while employing ultra-soft hands and an accurate arm from multiple angles. At the plate, Cholowsky has steadily improved his power over three seasons with the Bruins, slugging 21 homers last spring. The White Sox took a familiar name in the Competitive Balance-A round in Illinois infielder Landon Thome. The son of HOFer Jim, Landon packs a punch in an effective left-handed swing. Defensively, Thome may shift off shortstop but has a strong chance of sticking at second or third base. In the second round, they went with Mississippi prep infielder/catcher Cole Prosek, utilizing an advanced hit tool and unique defensive profile. Prosek employs a strong arm from an athletic frame, appearing both at third base and catcher last spring. Chicago selected Georgia right-hander Joey Volchko in the fourth round, a power arm that led his squad to an Omaha appearance in 2026. Volchko owned a 3.68 ERA last spring, striking out 29% of batters thanks to a high-octane repertoire. His five-pitch mix starts with a mid-to-upper 90s heater, as well as a pair of high-spin breaking balls (curveball & slider) and a tight cutter. Overall, the White Sox were set up for success given their first overall pick, managing to load up on high-ceiling preps before selecting a stuff-oriented pitcher. 

Detroit Tigers 
Grade: 50
Risk: High
Notable Selections: RHP Cameron Flukey (1st rd) | SS Tyson LeBlanc (2nd rd) | RHP Evan Dempsey (CB-B rd)
 

The Tigers had a solid draft across the board, blending upside prep talent with college performers to create a nice class of draftees. Given that Detroit was in the bottom third of the league in terms of bonus pool money ($9.1m), they needed to have a concise plan to maximize the value of their allotment. In the first round, they would select Cameron Flukey. At the start of the spring, he was firmly in conversations as RHP1 in this class, but an injury would put him on the shelf for a bit and others rose to the occasion. Still, Flukey has plenty of size and strike throwing ability with a riding heater in the mid to upper 90’s and good feel for a big curveball that projects out as an above average offering. With both a slider and change in his bag, he’s got a four pitch mix to challenge hitters with. From this chair, it’s a safe MLB starter. Tyson LeBlanc had a fantastic season at Kansas, putting 25 out of the park and displaying a nice linedrive swing that projects to hold up as he moves through the minor leagues and into the bigs. It’s not an overly flashy toolset, but rather a steady one with a bundle of MLB average tools that should keep him afloat. Evan Dempsey was an intriguing 2-way selection out of FGCU, but it seems as though his future is going to be on the mound. A full time starter this spring, he’d pitch to a 3.15 ERA with 34.1% K-BB over 88.2 innings (15 starts). He’s a reliable strikethrower and solid athlete with capacity to rip off a pair of high spin breakers (SL, CB) with a heater that usually sits in the low 90’s. The Tigers are bullish on there being plenty more to tap into once he focuses on pitching full time. There’s a bundle of other nice selections in my eyes down the board as well. Dominic Pellegrin is an interesting prep shortstop out of Louisiana with a good swing and athleticism. Will Adams is a pure hit tool first baseman from the prep ranks with power that projects long-term. Robert Omidi did nothing but hit at our events stateside in front of our staff, signing for $222k to get him out of his Kentucky commitment. Brady Ballinger is a hitter that slumped a bit this spring, but has shown lots to like in the past for a bat taken in the 7th. 

Kansas City Royals 
Grade: 45
Risk: High
Notable Selections: OF Zion Rose (1st rd) | RHP Taylor Rabe (CB-A rd) | RHP Jack Slightom (2 rd) | LHP Maxx Yehl (3rd rd)
 

We knew going into draft day, the Royals were potentially going to swing an underslot deal with their first selection, it was just a matter of who. They wound up taking Zion Rose, who is an uber-athletic player with plenty of tools. The Louisville outfielder ranked 35th on our final board, so obviously a stretch in terms of selection number, but the final signing bonus still feels like a stretch. Rose got the 10th highest bonus in the class at $5.8 million, which feels like an overpay. They followed that pick up with a trio of arms. Ole Miss right-hander Taylor Rabe was a significant riser late in the cycle and will be a fun arm to monitor. Prep right-hander Jack Slightom got a significant overslot deal with a $3 million and brings a profile with big upside. West Virginia left-hander Maxx Yehl was an outstanding college performer this spring and has starter upside. Overall, the draft haul should reload the Royals farm system with a nice collection of arms. The class would have graded higher if the resources for the first pick were used in a different way. It is not that Zion Rose is a bad player or does not have enticing upside, it just feels like that $5.8 million dollar bonus feels significantly higher for the 35th player on the board. 

Minnesota Twins 
Grade: 50
Risk: Moderate
Notable Selections: C Vahn Lackey (1st rd) | C Carson Tinney (2nd rd) | RHP Ethan Wachsmann (4th rd) 
 

The Twins’ decision to take Lackey third overall was hardly a surprise, but following him up with another catcher in Tinney made for an interesting start to the class. Tinney brings plenty of intrigue, although there is some risk attached to the profile if he ultimately has trouble sticking behind the plate. From there, Minnesota went heavily toward pitching, selecting nine arms in a row and clearly leaning into its ability to develop pitching depth. Wachsmann is the headliner of that group after receiving the organization’s second-largest bonus at $2.2 million. The massive prep right-hander brings a high-end heater and legitimate starter upside, giving the Twins another big-bodied arm with the traits to potentially be a rotation arm. The college arms each bring a different flavor to the class. Brett Renfrow, their third-round selection, carries some risk given the command inconsistencies he showed this spring, but the stuff is enticing with a plus heater and flashes of a future plus breaking ball. Tommy Lapour also brings a high-end fastball and could become a particularly interesting pick if he proves capable of handling a starter’s workload. Steele Murdock and Max Bayles fit into a similar bucket, with both possessing breaking balls that generate significant swing-and-miss and will be ready to play against professional hitters relatively quickly, while Murdock has a slight edge in raw velocity. Burns gives them a different look with an unique arm angle, a fastball that reaches 100 mph and a plus cutter, creating the ingredients for a potential quick-moving reliever. Ethan Lay might be one of the quieter names to watch, as he has established himself as one of the better strike-throwers in the West and could look like a tremendous value at just $75,000. Overall, this was a very Twins-like draft, lock in some premium talent at the top, then take a volume approach to pitching and bet on traits that their development system can amplify. There is a bit of volatility in the group, but also a lot of ways for this class to outperform its initial draft-day perception if even a few of these arms take a step forward.
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