The MLB Draft lottery is expected to take place in early December, but for the 18 teams that don't make the playoffs, taking a tiny peak ahead at the 2027 draft class is to be expected. Prospects are far from guarantees, but they do represent hope (often too much in trade talks), and a glimpse at what could be, especially for the teams selecting in the top-18.
The top prospects this coming season are a pair of shortstops in Dylan Seward and Brendan Lawson. MLB teams value talent up the middle more than ever. Seward is a Tennessee commit, but could be swayed to the majors depending on his value, while Lawson is a Florida Gators shortstop who was previously selected in the 19th round.
Note: All lottery odds are valid via Tankathon on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
1. Colorado Rockies: SS Dylan Seward, Norco HS (CA)
- Record: 57-99
- No. 1 pick odds: 19.10%
A Tennessee commit, Seward is more floor than ceiling at the top of the draft. His 80-grade speed and smooth actions at shortstop should lead to some sort of productive role at the big-league level, even if the bat never quite materializes. But he has advanced feel for contact already, and playing in Colorado should help him tap into whatever power is in there.
-Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
2. Los Angeles Angels: SS Brendan Lawson, Florida
- Record: 60-96
- No. 1 pick odds: 19.10%
Lawson's bat is his best attribute, as he had 19 home runs this past spring for the Florida Gators. However, some scouts don't think he'll stick to the shortstop position, which could hurt his draft stock by next summer. If Lawson can prove his defensive versatility this season at Florida, expect him to be in play for the No. 1 pick.
-Mark Powell, FanSided.com MLB director
3. Athletics: LHP Tomas Valincius, Mississippi State
- Record: 61-95
- No. 1 pick odds: 19.10%
Valincias has an outside shot at becoming the first college lefty taken No. 1 overall since David Price way back in 2007. And you can see why: He was one of the very best pitchers in the country last year at Mississippi State, with a 134:20 K:BB ratio in 97.2 innings and a ferocious slider that misses tons of bats. He’d be a tremendous get for an A’s team that needs all the pitching prospects they can get their hands on.
-CL
4. Kansas City Royals: C/2B Gavin Kelly, West Virginia
- Record: 67-89
- No. 1 pick odds: 11.57%
Take me home, country roads. West Virginia was one of THE stories of last season's College World Series, and Kelly will almost certainly be the highest-selected player of anyone on that Mountaineers team. Kelly can play catcher, second base or even in the outfield if called upon, and offers a surprising amount of speed on the basepaths. His is one of the best overall hitters in the class and helped the Collegiate National Team with nine hits and six RBI this summer
-MP
5. New York Mets: OF Landon Hairston, Arizona State
- Record: 71-85
- No. 1 pick odds: 8.68%
Hairston’s numbers at Arizona State last year look like something out of a video game: a.400/.509/.860 slash line with 28 homers, 20 doubles, 11 steals and more walks than strikeouts. Defense is a question, and winding up in a corner will put a ton of pressure on his bat to pay off a top-five pick. But this combination of optimized power and hit tool don’t come around all that often every year.
-CL
6. Cincinnati Reds: RHP Dax Whitney, Oregon State
- Record: 72-84
- No. 1 pick odds: 6.37%
Whitney could have the best pure stuff in this class. That's the good news. The bad news is that he could fall out of the top-5, as he'll miss the entire 2027 season with Oregon State as he undergoes surgery to repair a torn UCL and a subsequent elbow surgery. A bet on Whitney is a long-term wager. The Reds can afford to take a chance here.
-MP
7. Washington Nationals: 1B Tague Davis, Louisville
- Record: 73-84
- No. 1 pick odds: 4.51%
To paraphrase Mark McGwire by way of the Simpsons: Do you want to learn the terrifying truth, or do you want to see Davis sock a few dingers? The Louisville star is already limited strictly to first base, and draft history is littered with those sorts of prospects who simply didn’t hit enough to overcome their lack of value elsewhere. Then again, he just slugged .848 (!) with 34 homers in 57 games as a sophomore, so perhaps we’re all just overthinking this a bit. And the Nats’ new hitter development group would be an ideal landing spot.
-CL
8. Minnesota Twins: SS Chase Fuller, Lincoln HS (FL)
- Record: 73-81
- No. 1 pick odds: 3.13%
Fuller can play shortstop or throw off the mound as a mean righty. However, Fuller's fastball may only play well in high school, as he reaches back to 94 MPH. He's a sound hitter from the dish and offers athleticism up the middle. He has a long way to go in terms of consistency at the plate, but every high school bat is a project to some extent.
-MP
9. Seattle Mariners: LHP Connor Salerno, Sun Valley HS (NC)
- Record: 73-83
- No. 1 pick odds: 2.08%
It’s hard to find any evaluator who doesn’t have Salerno as the best high-school pitcher in this class, a 6-foot-4 lefty who already sits in the mid-90s and has shown a real ability to spin the ball. Risk caveats about this demographic aside, this is a very intriguing mix of projection and current-day production, and the Mariners are well-suited to shepherd him to the Majors.
-CL
10. San Francisco Giants: RHP Ryan McPherson, Mississippi State
- Record: 65-92
- No. 1 pick odds: 0%
The Giants can't pick No. 1 overall this season due to MLB rules, which is why they sit at tenth in our expected lottery. San Francisco took Jackson Flora last season, and could back that up with another college starting pitcher in McPherson, whose fastball can touch 99 MPH and finished his last SEC campaign with a 3.56 ERA.
-MP
11. Detroit Tigers: RHP Chris Levonas, Wake Forest
- Record: 74-83
- No. 1 pick odds: 1.62%
Say what you want about Scott Harris’ tenure with the Tigers, but this team knows how to maximize pitching traits and mold them into big-league arms. And they should find a lot to work with in Levonas, who went 10-3 with a 2.82 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 73.1 innings as a sophomore at Wake Forest. He’s not the biggest guy on the mound, but he gets tons of extension and can already touch triple-digits with his fastball. The stuff is great, and an analytically inclined front office could help him really take off.
-CL
12. Baltimore Orioles: RHP Aidan King, Florida
- Record: 76-81
- No. 1 pick odds: 1.27%
King is one of the best pitchers in college baseball, and won SEC Pitcher of the Year this past spring. He is a model of consistency and has been the Gators reliable ace for much of the past two years. King will have to prove he has a high ceiling in 2026-27 if he wants to go this high in the draft, but his floor is better than most.
-MP
13. St. Louis Cardinals: C Chase Fralick, Auburn
- Record: 76-80
- No. 1 pick odds: 1.04%
The Cardinals love them some catching prospects, and this year they don’t get any better than Fralick, who’s much more polished than you’d expect from a hitter with this kind of body type and raw power. The bat is awfully exciting, and he’s come far enough behind the plate that it’s not crazy to think he can stick there in the Majors — especially if he’s hitting .270 with 20-25 homers.
-CL
14. Miami Marlins: OF Teddy Tokheim, Stanford
- Record: 76-80
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.93%
What more can Teddy Tokheim do to prove he's a top-10 pick? Tokheim's bat has never been in question, as he hit .352 with 17 home runs as a freshman at Stanford. He followed that up by breaking out in the Cape Cod League this summer. If Tokheim can ball out again next season in the ACC, then he could be the top draft-eligible sophomore in this class.
-MP
15. Toronto Blue Jays: OF Kinon Bastian, The First Academy (Fla.)
- Record: 77-80
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.69%
Bastian is committed to the University of Florida, which has produced several of the top-15 picks in this class. Thus, there is always a chance he stays in school unless he receives a large signing bonus. However, Bastian's raw ability is impossible to ignore, especially at the dish, so don't be surprised if a team like the Jays takes a chance on him in the first round.
-MP
16. Houston Astros: SS Carter Hadnot, Aquinas HS (CA)
- Record: 77-79
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.58%
Hadnot can really, really pick it at shortstop, and he’s a switch-hitter who swings at the right pitches and has great feel for contact. Those things alone bode well for him becoming a big-leaguer in the future. The question is whether he’ll find enough power to be something more than a bottom-of-the-order bat who earns his roster spot with the glove. He has the physical frame that you can dream on, at least, and he’s still just a teenager.
-CL
17. Pittsburgh Pirates: RHP Striker Pence, Santiago HS (Calif.)
- Record: 79-77
- No. 1 pick odds: 0%
This is Hunter Pence’s nephew, and yes, that does mean you’re old now. Unlike his uncle, Striker is a pitcher, and a very fun one at that — a big righty who’s already been clocked at triple-digits with his fastball. The Pirates have quietly become one of the better pitching development organizations in the sport, and they could do for Pence what they did for Seth Hernandez before him.
-CL
18. Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Grant Westphal, Blue Valley HS (Kan.)
- Record: 82-74
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.23%
Westphal has a tough choice to make come the 2027 MLB Draft: Should he go to Texas, where he's been recruited hard for much of the past year, or should he take his chances at the professional level? Westphal is raw, there's no doubt about it, but in the right system he could turn into a five-tool play with a lot of pop.
-MP
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