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Draft  | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
Michael Albee
Joey Cohen
Ryan Miller
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)
 

Chicago had a safer, college heavy draft that one could expect of a club with just $9m in the bonus pool to spread out across their picks. They did well at the top, getting Cade Townsend for $3.1m. He had a good year at Ole Miss, starting 14 games and chewing up 64 innings with a 23.9% K-BB. The heater and spin all grade out as 55, and he throws enough strikes to lend itself towards a rather safe projection as a mid rotation arm at his peak. Caden Sorrel in the 2nd was another nice college pick. Those who are bullish are going to see a 40 bat with the chance to be an everyday centerfielder at the big league level thanks to his speed and natural instincts to cover space. The whiff numbers are a bit worrisome, but the damage and natural ability to lift in the air to pull should be enough to offset the lack of natural contact ability. The entire country is aware of what kind of power Myles Bailey possesses, and it’s the reason the Cubs pulled the trigger in the comp round. The miss rate and strikeout rates in college are naturally a glaring hole in his game, but nobody else in the country is able to match his raw power. He is a pretty good defender at first base as well, adding some value to his profile. He was knocked out midseason due to an ankle injury that required surgery, but he was having a massive season prior to that. Dylan Blomker stands as the lone prep “splash”, a right-handed arm taken in the 5th and given $888k. It’s a long body with a low-mid 90’s heater and a slider that shows flashes, but is a ball of clay right now and needs lots of time. Chicago went extremely college pitching heavy, as 15 of their picks were of those ranks. There are some interesting pieces here, but all in all it was a fringe draft class for me.

Cincinnati Reds 
Grade: 45
Risk: High
Notable Selections: SS Justin Lebron (1st rd) | SS Eric Becker (2nd rd) | 1B Mulivai Levu (CB-B rd) | RHP Tyner Horn (3rd rd) 
 

The Reds put together a class rooted in proven college talent, supplementing with prep shortstop Dylan Bowen in the fifth round, their only high school signee. In the first round, Cincinnati saw tooled-up Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron fall to them at 18th overall, a polarizing player who possessed a large selection range. Lebron showcases plus power, speed, and arm but struggled to consistently perform in the SEC, hitting .273 with a .920 OPS last spring, despite a drop in strikeout rate. The tools are undeniable; however, the hit tool needs polishing. The Reds’ next two selections can be described as “high floor” college bats, starting with Virginia infielder Eric Becker, producing throughout his three years at school. Becker makes a good amount of contact while posting intriguing exit velocity numbers, profiling to stick on the dirt defensively. UCLA’s Mulivai Levu was their Competitive Balance-B selection, a medium-sized first baseman with a proven hit/power combination. It’s tough to poke holes in Levu’s offensive game, slugging 18 homers with a 1.063 OPS in 2026. Cincinnati took their first pitcher in the third round, righty Tyner Horn out of Nebraska, owning a 4.03 ERA over 22 games last spring. Horn utilizes a five-pitch mix with a fastball into the upper-90s, giving him a starter look. Overall, the Reds went with some safe picks after their first-round selection, who offers them massive upside despite whiff and track record concerns. 

Milwaukee Brewers 
Grade: 40
Risk: High
Notable Selections: SS Trey Ebel (1st rd) | OF Sawyer Strosnider (2nd rd) | OF Kyle Jones (3rd rd) | RHP Julian Garcia (4th rd)
 

The Brewers took a unique approach to their draft strategy, hammering a bunch of underslot deals and swinging big on a couple of overslot deals. They used their first selection on one of the most surprising picks in the first round with shortstop Trey Ebel. The California prep was ranked 112th on our final board, yet was selected with the 25th overall pick. It marks the second straight year Milwaukee took an Ebel brother. They followed that pick with the selection of TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider. Strosnider was the complete opposite side of the spectrum, ranking 18th overall on our final board, but being selected 66th overall. The profile is loaded with tools, but does come with significant hit tool risk. Another big overlot pick was used on prep arm Julian Garcia in the 4th round. The California right-hander signed for nearly $1 million overslot. There is big upside to the profile, but does come with some injury history. Clemson right-hander Aiden Knaak was selected with the Brewers’ 5th round pick, but was one of two Top-10 round picks that failed to sign. In total, it is hard to get overly excited about the Brewers draft class. There are some interesting plays, but also a lot of underwhelming ones. The player development department has proven they can turn a lot of fringe players into quality big leaguers so there is at least that to look forward to. 

Pittsburgh Pirates 
Grade: 55
Risk: Moderate-Low
Notable Selections: OF Derek Curiel (1st rd) | SS Aiden Ruiz (2nd rd) | 2B Chris Rembert (Sup-2 rd)
 

The Pirates have had a lot of success in recent years taking prep players with their first pick. They changed strategies this year, selecting LSU outfielder Derek Curiel 5th overall. The outfielder was highly touted as a prep, but opted to go to school. He faced some criticism this spring with his lack of impact, but still possesses one of the better hit tools in the class and can play center field. They followed up that selection with shortstop Aiden Ruiz. The New York prep has arguably the best glove in the class and provides intriguing switch-hitting ability at the plate. Chris Rembert, out of Auburn, was selected 51st overall and is another intriguing bat with big bat speed and some athleticism. In the third round, they finally dipped into the pitching side with the selection of North Carolina right-hander Jason Decaro, who brings both a mix of upside and performance history. Decaro was one of six college arms used in the first round. Overall, the Pirates draft class has a nice mix of high floors and intriguing athleticism with a lot of potential big league profiles. 

St. Louis Cardinals
Grade: 50
Risk: Moderate
Notable Selections: OF Trevor Condon (1st rd) | RHP Tegan Kuhns (CB-A rd) | SS Rocco Maniscalco (2nd rd) | OF Andrew Williamson (CB-B rd) | RHP Dawson Montesa (CB-B rd)
 

The Cardinals started in a great spot, selecting six times within the first three rounds. They took Georgia outfielder Trevor Condon in the first, a scrappy left-handed hitter with an advanced hit tool. One of the faster players in the class, Condon has a chance to stick in center, along with an intriguing blend of contact and relative bat speed at the dish. St. Louis went the college pitcher route in the Competitive Balance A round, selecting Tennessee’s Tegan Kuhns. The Pennsylvania native blends a lively mid-to-upper 90s fastball with two high-spin breaking balls, posting a 3.56 ERA and 31% strikeout rate in 2026. He also offers a strong change-up, supporting his case to remain a starter. In the second round, the Cardinals took switch-hitting prep shortstop Rocco Maniscalco out of Alabama, a young-for-the-class infielder with an all-around toolset. Maniscalco is one of the better pure shortstops in the class, possessing a rocket arm and feel for the position. He offers a simple operation from both sides of the dish, developing budding impact. St. Louis had a pair of picks in the Competitive Balance B round, selecting Central Florida outfielder Andrew Williamson and West Virginia righty Dawson Montesa. Williamson is a corner outfield profile with an intriguing hit/power combination from the left side, slugging 16 homers in 2026. Montesa helped the Mountaineers to an Omaha appearance, posting a 5.38 ERA while striking out 26.7 percent of batters. The D-II transfer works a lively fastball into the mid-to-upper 90s, turning to a sharp two-plane curveball, tight slider, and tumbling change-up. Overall, the Cardinals had the draft stock to go after a large range of profiles, mixing high-ceiling prep bats with high-floor college profiles. 
 
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Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 9/4/2026

2027 Draft: Way Too Early 1:1 Predictions
Tyler Henninger
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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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