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Draft  | Story | 8/22/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL East

Tyler Henninger
Joey Cohen
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) 


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 powder keg athlete with centerfield projection and impact, bringing a nice blend of tools to the table. He was a steady riser throughout the swing, selling clubs on his ability to hit despite a more unorthodox swing and look in the box. With 80 grade speed, he brings a base stealing presence to the table as well. Just turning 18 on draft, there is plenty to like and project with Booth. Ty Head was hitting in the mid .200’s this spring until a late surge brought him to a season OPS of 1.016. The underlying data was always there, though. He made excellent swing decisions and walked at a 22% clip in the ACC, pairing that with lots of in-zone contact. The power is below average and likely will not blossom as a big part of his profile, but he is a plus runner and instinctual defender in center with a chance for above average to plus defense there as well. Down in the fourth round, Baltimore played the million dollar lottery and took Roberts Jr. When you draw up projectable preps with athleticism and plus-plus frames with a big question mark on the hit tool, this is what you get. He’s got plus power potential with corner outfield defensive projection. He’s got significant arm strength, a tool that would point towards right field being a future destination. It remains to be seen, of course, how his operation will hold up in pro ball. However, if it all clicks, you get a steal in the 4th round for $1 million. Dominic Voegele should project out as a backend rotation guy if it all clicks, lacking a star offering but throws lots of strikes and has a four pitch mix that plays against both dexterities. Jimmy Anderson had one of the best years across all of JuCo, hitting .465 and pumping 26 bombs for Heartland CC. He’d get $457k in the 5th round. New York prep Plunkett got a nice chunk of coin in the 8th, signing for $672k. He’s an athletic middle infielder with a plus frame and projectable power, with good actions on the dirt to match. It was a solid draft all around for Baltimore. 

Boston Red Sox 
Grade: 50
Risk: Moderate
Notable Selections: SS Jake Schaffner (1st rd) | OF Owen Hall (2nd rd) | OF Martin Shelar (9th rd) 


The Red Sox took an interesting approach to this year’s draft, leaning into upside and seemingly betting on their player dev to maximize a handful of intriguing selections. The biggest question starts at No. 20 where Boston went with North Carolina shortstop Jake Schaffner. It’s an aggressive bet on his ability to impact the game through contact, athleticism and defensive value. If the bat develops as hoped, the pick could look savvy, if not the lack of thump leaves little margin for error. Boston followed with one of the class’s more appealing college selections in Owen Hull at No. 67. His production at North Carolina, combined with his ability to get on base, run and consistently put barrel to baseball gives him a fairly complete offensive foundation. There is some projection remaining in the power department, but his track record against ACC competition makes him feel like a player with a relatively clear path through the system. Jace Mataczynski was another upside-oriented selection in the third round. The high school shortstop brings the athleticism and offensive ingredients to potentially develop into a significant contributor, though as with most prep selections Boston will have to be patient with the overall refinement. The real value play came much later with Martin Shelar in the ninth round. His offensive ceiling made him a fascinating name to still have available that deep, and the Red Sox were able to take a chance on one of the more physically gifted prep bats in the class. There is plenty of swing-and-miss risk, but if the offensive approach comes together, the upside far outweighs the cost of the pick. On the pitching side Boston loaded up on some size and projection beginning in the fifth round. Lucas Davenport is a 6-foot-6 right-hander who can run it up into the upper 90s and showed improved stuff at Baylor, while sixth-rounder Brett Lanman brings a low-90s fastball but a 6-5 frame and plenty of extension. Kide Adetuyi and Josh Volmerding add two left-handers to monitor and 10th rounder Kaleb LaFavor could be the most intriguing arm of the bunch with his mid 90s low launch heater and 6-foot-6 frame.

Tampa Bay Rays 
Grade: 55
Risk: Moderate-High
Notable Selections: SS Grady Emerson (1st rd) | SS Taj Marchand (CB-A rd) | RHP Ben Blair (2nd rd) 
 

The Rays held their highest pick since 2008 and were able to get a fairly significant haul. They took the top prep player and the clear No. 2 player in the class with the selection of Grady Emerson. The Texas prep shortstop brings an advanced hit tool from the left side with a glove that should stick at shortstop. They followed it up with another intriguing prep shortstop with the selection of Taj Marchand. In the second round they grabbed one of the more interesting college arms in Ben Blair. The right-hander out of Liberty throws from an unique slot to go with quality stuff. Following that, the Rays jumped right back into the prep market with California right-hander Gavin Giese and Tennessee first baseman/outfielder Collin Bland. For a team that has had a lot of success developing high school players, it appeared to be a clear strategy of targeting upside prep plays early. In fact over half of their total selections were prep players, which does not happen often anymore. Taking a class with that many preps does come with inherited risk, but the upside could make it all worth it. 

Toronto Blue Jays
Grade: 40
Risk: Medium
Notable Selections: LHP Cole Carlon (1st rd) | C Will Brick (4th rd) 
 

The Jays were strapped for cash this year, coming in with a total bonus pool of $5.5m to spend. With that, they were really only able to make two splashes, supplementing the rest of the draft class with cheap collegiate signs. They went with a nice blend, taking a college left-hander in Carlon and prep catcher in Brick. Carlon was a reliever his first two years at Arizona State, showing an uptick in strikes and stuff in ‘25 that allowed him the opportunity to start this last spring. He took full advantage of that, starting 16 games and pitching 83.2 innings with a 29.1% K-BB. He’s got a power fastball that has touched triple digits and easily grades as plus. To pair with that, he goes with a power slider that could blossom into a double plus offering. The rest of his arsenal is still developing, so it leaves some reliever risk as a primarily two pitch guy at this stage. The stuff is still substantial, and he will be a big leaguer. Brick was long one of the more respected backstops in this prep class, showing a plus arm and good receiving ability with a clean right-handed swing that will hold up in pro ball. There is still space on the frame to fill in and see his raw power uptick as well. The Jays bought in, giving him $2.497m to make him their highest paid draftee this class and sign him away from Mississippi State. As for the rest of the class, it was predictably college heavy with lots of cheap senior signs in the four digit realm. Ryan Cooney got almost $600k and could be an up/down guy at his peak thanks to his defense up the middle and ability to control the zone. It wasn’t overly flashy, but Toronto did a nice job with their splashes in this class. 

New York Yankees 
Grade: 50
Risk: High
Notable Selections: LHP Hunter Dietz (1st rd) | LHP Sean Duncan (2nd rd) | C/OF Brendan Brock (3rd rd) | OF Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II (4th rd)
 

The Yankees managed to sign all of their draft picks, something that is rare in today’s bonus pool era. New York started their selections by taking Arkansas southpaw Hunter Dietz, a power arm who was projected in this range. Dietz had an extremely brief workload for the Razorbacks prior to last spring before delivering 16 starts of 3.57 ERA ball, striking out 36.2 percent of hitters. He is a physical 6-foot-6, 230-pound left-hander, possessing a true workhorse frame. Dietz has a power fastball that operates in the mid-to-upper 90s with big riding life. He mixes in a tight horizontal slider and a harder cutter, while flashing a firmer change-up. Sean Duncan is a polished left-handed pitcher out of Canada, going down with UCL surgery late in the cycle. Duncan works from a bigger, projectable frame with lean length and room to fill, utilizing his athleticism on the hill. He operates the fastball in the low-to-mid 90s with life out of the hand, relying on a sharp slider/fading change-up combination to produce whiffs. Moving into the third round, the Yankees took their first hitter, catcher/outfielder Brendan Brock out of Oklahoma. Brock slugged 13 homers and posted a .921 OPS last spring, splitting his time behind the plate and in a corner outfield spot. The JuCo product offers a well-rounded set of tools and makes an impact on the diamond, swiping 28 bags in 2026. New York continued their streak of hitters by selecting outfielder Paul Gutierrez-Contreras II out of Cal State Fullerton. An under-the-radar selection, Gutierrez-Contreras slugged 14 homers last season, getting on base at a .400 clip while walking more than he struck out. The right-handed hitting outfielder works from a 6-foot-3 frame with present strength and projection gains on the horizon. Overall, the Yankees took a wide variety of profiles, starting with a pair of quality left-handed pitchers. Throughout the middle rounds, New York continued their trend by taking a plethora of college and high school profiles. 
 
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Draft | Story | 8/23/2026

2026 MLB Draft Team Report Cards: NL East
Joey Cohen
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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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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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All American Game | Story | 8/15/2026

A Philly Dream for Steingall

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Carson Steingall had been to Citizens Bank Park many times over the years. After all, he hails from Nazareth, Pa., about 90 minutes up the road from the home of the Philadelphia Phillies and he counts himself as a big fan of the team. Zack Wheeler is his favorite. Steingall realized a dream when he pitched from the same mound that Wheeler does in Perfect Game’s fourth annual All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors on Friday. The dream got even better when Steingall, a 16-year-old right-hander, was named Most Valuable Pitcher after striking out the side in the third inning of the National team’s 6-1 victory over the American team. “It’s just an honor to be here,” Steingall said after receiving his trophy. “This event is the best of the best. It’s really cool to win something like this.” Steingall, who’ll...
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