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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 | 7/25/2026

2026 MLB Draft: Surprises
Tyler Henninger
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Historic Lack of Arms Early On Going into the draft we knew that the pitching at the very top of the board was going to be light, but we still had 11 arms ranked in the Top-30 of our final board. Jackson Flora separated himself from the pack and looked like a sure-fire Top-5 pick going in and that came true. But following him we saw an all-time historic lack of arms taken. Flora was the only pitcher selected within the first 15 picks, something that has never happened in the history of the draft. There were only three pitchers selected in the Top-20 which is tied for the fewest ever in draft history. Inconsistent performances and a handful of injuries did thin the potential arms at the top of the board and teams clearly valued the bats over the arms early on, but seeing the lack of arms reach a historic low was a surprise. Carson Wiggins Goes 27th Overall The Mets arguably had the most...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/30/2026

16u South World Series Scout Notes

Jay Vossler
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Kai Anderson (2028, Missouri City, Texas) continued his breakout stretch over the past couple of weeks with 2028 South Texas Sliders 16U Pierce. Compiled a 7-15 week with two doubles, a triple, and two home runs, driving in nine runs. Parlayed that into winning Tournament MVP. Physical presence in the box that is starting to tap into a ton of juice offensively. Tight rotation on an uphill plane with loose actions in the barrel. Doing all of this with very little swing and miss while holding it down in center field. One of the louder stretches of the summer. Trent Costales (2028, San Antonio, Texas) was excellent this week for Texas Angels 2028 Libson. Went 4-11 with two doubles and a home run. Was one of the best run creators in the tournament, driving in ten. Extremely physical frame, projecting as a big time power bat. Coils the hips effectively and creates an uphill plane to maximize...
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Tournaments | Championship | 7/30/2026

Blue Wave Battle & Prevail at 14u Classic

Kinley Kitchens
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For Excel Blue Wave, the summer was never about being perfect. It was about getting better. After a season filled with challenges, growth, and plenty of learning along the way, Excel Blue Wave put everything together when it mattered most, defeating SBG Sox Prime, Al 9-3 to capture the 2026 14U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship. For Excel Blue Wave Coach Forrest Heacock, watching the group celebrate with a championship trophy was especially meaningful because of everything it took to get there.  “It hasn’t been the easiest summer, and have battled a lot,” Coach Heacock said. “The kids have improved so much over the summer, and that is really what it’s all about at this age. It’s really just about improving at this age, and to see them be able to put it together, and just really compete together and play as a team, I couldn’t be...
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Tournaments | Championship | 7/30/2026

Excel Leaves No Doubt at 15u Hoover Classic

Kinley Kitchens
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Excel Blue Wave National wasn’t leaving Hoover empty-handed.  At least, that was the message head coach Wes Henderson gave his team.  After a summer filled with strong performances but without a tournament title to show for them, Excel Blue Wave National entered the 2026 15U Perfect Game Hoover Classic with one more opportunity to finish the season the way they wanted.  This time, they left no doubt.  Excel Blue Wave National defeated East Coast Sox 2029 Victus, 12-0 in the championship game, combining a balanced offensive attack with a strong performance on the mound to secure their first tournament title of the summer.  “It’s been a special group,” Coach Henderson said. “They fought really hard, and they played really well this summer, and this is the first championship that we’ve been able to bring home. We typically...
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Tournaments | Championship | 7/29/2026

"Excel"ling Through the Hoover Classic

Kinley Kitchens
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After a long summer of baseball, Excel Blue Wave National had one final opportunity to end it the way every team hopes to.  Together, having fun, and as champions. Excel Blue Wave National closed their summer with a 13-9 victory over Excel Blue Wave American – Morrison to capture the 2026 16U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship. In a game that required contributions throughout the lineup and seven innings of competition, the Excel Blue Wave National relied on the same qualities and approach that had carried the group all summer. With talent, perseverance and a chemistry built far beyond the baseball field, they were unstoppable.  For head coach Brennan McCullough, there couldn’t have been a much better way for his players to finish their final weekend together .  “It’s great,” Coach McCullough said. “We’ve had a long...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/29/2026

16u West WS Scout Notes: Days 3-4

Quinton Hall
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16u West World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Jason Lizotte (‘28 | NV) Smooth LHH, hunts pitches down in the zone he can rip to the middle & PS w/ a downhill & direct path. Some strength in the hands w/ feel for the barrel #PGWS pic.twitter.com/kbK5Ayvhd7 — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 27, 2026 Jason Lizotte (2028 | Las Vegas, NV) The 5-foot-9, 145-pound left-handed hitter and outfielder was a spark plug all weekend for MTBA Dawgs 2028, finishing with seven hits, eight runs scored, one double, one triple, four RBI, three stolen bases, and four walks without a strikeout. Lizotte refused to give away an at-bat, consistently working hitter’s counts before spraying line drives all over the field. The left-handed swing stays short and direct with plenty of feel for the barrel, and once he reached base, he immediately put pressure on the defense with...
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Tournaments | Championship | 7/29/2026

SBA Sox Save Best for Last

Kinley Kitchens
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Sometimes the best ending comes after a season of figuring things out. For SBG Sox American, the summer wasn’t always seamless. The team spent their early weeks learning where players fit best, building chemistry and searching for the combination that would allow them to play their best baseball. By the final weekend, they found it.  SBG Sox American closed their summer with a 7-5 victory over Dirtbags Midsouth 2027 Black to capture the 2026 17U Perfect Game Hoover Classic championship, putting together one final winning performance in the last tournament this group would share this summer.  For SBG Sox Coach Cooper Williams, that made taking home the championship trophy even more meaningful. “It’s been great, especially for it being their last summer event,” Coach Williams said. “It’s really cool for them to kind of pull this thing out for...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/29/2026

East World Series Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Evan Brand (2027, Acworth, Ga.) has been solid at the plate all summer and did not slow down late in the summer. This week, Brand was able to hit just under the .700 mark and tallied three extra base hits, including a homer. The switch hitter has a fluid barrel path with plus feel for the barrel to all fields. The lower half also moves with some rhythm, and the switch hitting ability with the accuracy to the barrel provides plenty of intrigue. The middle infielder is committed to Georgia Tech. Atley Schwarzrock (‘27 GA) catches of all of the first pitch he sees launching it over the wall in left for a 2-run 💣 sending it with some heat; stays loose in his progressing ripping the barrel thru the zone with some strength behind it and staying tall on impact. #EastWS… pic.twitter.com/oGxbPQN1W0 — Perfect Game Georgia (@PG_Georgia) July 27, 2026 Atley Schwarzrock (2027,...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/29/2026

17u World Series Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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17u World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Lukas Waite (‘27, CA) showed LOUD stuff out of the pen. 6-2/205 frame. High-end athlete on the mound. FB sat 92-95 (T96). SL at 80-82 generated uncomfortable whiffs #PGWS @California_PG @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/UXaVxqA2kv — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 27, 2026 Lukas Waite (2027, San Diego, Calif.) came out of the pen on day four and showcased the loudest stuff out of the entire event. The recently named PG All-American ran the fastball up to 96 mph and sat 92-95 mph throughout the outing. A slider at 80-82 mph was lethal. It tunnels well off the heater and gets uncomfortable whiffs often. Waite features a 6-2, 205-pound frame that moves extremely well. There is supreme athleticism throughout the delivery that stands out. The upside is extremely high and will be sure to draw heavy draft interest during this...
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All American Game | Story | 7/29/2026

Victorino & Girardi Tabbed PGAAC Managers

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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   SHANE VICTORINO AND JOE GIRARDI NAMED MANAGERS FOR PERFECT GAME DICK'S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC AT CITIZENS BANK PARK   Former Phillies Stars to Lead Nation's Top High School Baseball Players on August 16 in Philadelphia   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wednesday, July 29, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that former Phillies All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino and former Phillies manager Joe Girardi will serve as managers for Team East and Team West, respectively, at the 2026 Perfect Game DICK'S All-American Classic, taking place on Sunday, August 16, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa.   Joining Girardi and...
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