With the 2026 MLB season in the books, there's more than just free agency business to attend to before a lockout almost certainly grinds the league to a halt in early December. There's also the MLB Draft lottery, as the 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs this year will wait with bated breath to see whether they might be able to land the No. 1 overall pick next summer.
We don't yet know when this year's lottery will take place; it's typically been held at the Winter Meetings, but with the current CBA set to expire on Dec. 2, Rob Manfred will have to make alternative arrangements. But it's never too early to take a peak at the future ahead of a long, cold winter, especially for those fan bases who are looking for new young stars to dream on. So we simulated the lottery via Tankathon and decided to put together a post-World Series mock draft of the first 18 picks (the order for the 12 playoff teams is still up in the air thanks to luxury tax penalties, competitive balance picks and revenue sharing).
Unlike last year, when UCLA's Roch Cholowsky, Georgia Tech's Vahn Lackey and prep shortstop Grady Emerson formed a big three at the top, the 2027 class doesn't have anything near a consensus No. 1 pick. Florida shortstop Brendan Lawson and high school shortstop Dylan Seward are the biggest names to know on the position player side, but there are also a dizzying number of pitchers who might work their way into the first round when all is said and done.
Note: All lottery odds are valid via Tankathon on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
1. Colorado Rockies: Brendan Lawson, SS, Florida
- 2026 record: 58-104
- No. 1 pick odds: 19.10 percent
Seward vs. Lawson figures to be a heated debate as the draft approaches, but in this simulation, the Rockies land the No. 1 pick — and their demonstrated affinity for high-profile college bats has me leaning Lawson here. He might be the single most polished hitter in this class, with a .511 on-base percentage, .699 slugging percentage and 19 home runs for the Gators last season. He'll probably wind up at second or third base eventually, but if he hits like this, it won't much matter
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
2. Los Angeles Angels: LHP Thomas Valincius, Mississippi State
- 2026 record: 62-100
- No. 1 pick odds: 19.10 percent
It's hard to get a read on where the Angels might go until we know which executive will be calling the shots next summer. But this organization has made a habit of taking fast-moving college arms, and lord knows they could use more pitching. So we'll go with Valincius here as the top college pitcher in this class, a lefty with dynamite stuff who punched out 134 batters in 97.2 innings for the Bulldogs last year.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
3. Athletics: Dylan Seward, SS, Norco HS (Calif.)
- 2026 record: 64-98
- No. 1 pick odds: 19.10 percent
Seward is a truly explosive athlete, not overly big but with electric bat speed that helps his power play up. There's the potential here for a plus hit tool and plus defense at shortstop, and while prep prospects are always a dicey proposition, the A's are willing to take the risk as they hunt for star power ahead of their move to Vegas.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
4. Cincinnati Reds: Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State
- 2026 record: 75-87
- No. 1 pick odds: 6.37 percent
Again: There are loads of college pitchers to choose from in this draft. And that should speak to a Reds front office that's established itself as one of the better organizations in the sport and shepherding early-round arms to the Majors. If Whitney were healthy, there's a real chance he'd be in No. 1 overall talks; his arm talent is such that he should still go in the top 10 despite the fact that he'll miss the 2027 campaign as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
5. Kansas City Royals: Chris Levonas, RHP, Wake Forest
- 2026 record: 69-93
- No. 1 pick odds: 11.57 percent
Let's just keep the line rolling. The latest in a long line of Wake Forest aces, Levonas went 10-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 73.1 innings as a sophomore, with triple-digit velocity despite a relatively modest frame. Absent a slam-dunk position player prospect here, the Royals should keep on going to the pitching well and take a player with legitimate ace upside.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
6. Toronto Blue Jays: Gavin Kelly, C/2B, West Virginia
- 2026 record: 79-83
- No. 1 pick odds: 1.04 percent
Kelly slugged an eye-watering .725 while helping West Virginia to its first trip to the College World Series, then starred for the U.S. Collegiate National Team over the summer. It's unclear where teams will want to stick him defensively — he's even spent some time in the outfield — but this combination of athleticism, feel for contact and power is pretty spectacular. He just feels like Toronto's kind of player.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
7. Detroit Tigers: Malachi Butler, SS, McEachern HS (GA)
- 2026 record: 76-86
- No. 1 pick odds: 4.51 percent
A prep shortstop who makes up for a relative lack of elite athleticism with arguably the best pure hit tool in the class — where have we heard that before in Detroit? Kevin McGonigle comps aren't fair to any high school prospect, but Butler has an advanced bat and the ability to stick at short. If the Tigers help him tap into a bit more power (a specialty of theirs), look out.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
8. Seattle Mariners: Dylan Volantis, LHP, Texas
- 2026 record: 76-86
- No. 1 pick odds: 3.13 percent
Volantis has earned All-American honors in each of his first two years in Austin, first as a closer and then last year as a starter. It's a funky delivery and some serious stuff, and the Mariners under Jerry Dipoto love nothing more than getting the most out of college arms they take in the early rounds. Consider Volantis next in line, maybe backfilling Bryce Miller or Logan Gilbert in case of an offseason trade.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
9. Washington Nationals: Tague Davis, 1B, Louisville
- 2026 record: 77-85
- No. 1 pick odds: 2.08 percent
No one in college baseball hit more homers last year than Davis with 34. That's not the sum total of his profile, but well, it's pretty close. There are the sorts of defensive and whiff questions here that you'd expect from a hulking corner bat profile. That said, the Nats under Paul Toboni saw serious gains in hitting development across the board this year, and Davis provides one heck of a starting point.
–Chris Landers, FanSided.com editor
10. San Francisco Giants: Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State
- 2026 record: 65-97
- No. 1 pick odds: N/A
The Giants can’t pick higher than No. 10 (revenue payers can't finish in the lottery in consecutive seasons), but if Hairston falls into their laps here, they wouldn’t be too upset. Hairston put up monster numbers at Arizona State last season, hitting 28 home runs with a .400 average and a .509 on-base percentage. Defense is a question, which means he’s going to have to really hit to stick, but he has the upside to do just that.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
11. Minnesota Twins: Chase Fuller, SS/RHP, Lincoln HS (FL)
- 2026 record: 77-85
- No. 1 pick odds: 1.62 percent
Fuller has a great arm, which makes him an intriguing two-way prospect, but prospect evaluators believe his bat will be his path to the big leagues — and understandably so. Fuller might not stick at shortstop, but he swings the bat incredibly hard and has shown an ability to generate tons of loud contact. Even if he has to move to third base, he has a lot of upside for the Twins dream on.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
12. St. Louis Cardinals: Connor Salerno, LHP, Sun Valley HS (NC)
- 2026 record: 77-85
- No. 1 pick odds: 1.27 percent
Sure, there’s always risk that comes with selecting pitchers out of high school, but Salerno is far and away the best prep starter in the class, and he has the tools necessary to think he’ll succeed. He’s 6-foot-4, he throws hard, he has a couple of solid secondary offerings and he can command all of his pitches. Nothing is perfect, which is the expectation for a high schooler, but boy, would it be fun to dream of a rotation featuring the likes of Salerno, Liam Doyle, Quinn Mathews and Tanner Franklin.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
13. Baltimore Orioles: Aidan King, RHP, Florida
- 2026 record: 79-82
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.93 percent
King won the SEC Pitcher of the Year this past spring and has been Florida’s ace the past couple of seasons. Given his big-game experience and durability, King has established a pretty high floor. His stuff isn’t quite as dynamic as some of the other pitchers expected to go in the first round, which limits his ceiling, but his floor would be a nice fit for an Orioles team constantly looking for viable starting pitching options.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
14. Miami Marlins: Kinon Bastian, OF, The First Academy (FL)
- 2026 record: 80-82
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.69 percent
The Marlins lucked into getting to draft Jacob Lombard, a local product, in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft, so how cool would it be for that to happen again — this time in the form of Bastian? The Florida commit would need a large chunk of change to go straight to MLB, but his power bat is something Miami, a team devoid of big bats, could really use. It’d obviously be a while before he reaches the bigs, but this is the kind of position player you can build around if developed properly.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
15. Texas Rangers: Carter Hadnot, SS, Aquinas HS (Calif.)
- 2026 record: 80-82
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.58 percent
Hadnot is a switch-hitter who makes a ton of contact and is an excellent defensive shortstop. These factors make him as obvious a future big-leaguer as anyone in this year’s draft. If he can develop some power, Hadnot has the ability to be a special player for a Rangers team that eventually will need a Corey Seager replacement.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
16. Pittsburgh Pirates: Striker Pence, RHP, Santiago HS (Calif.)
- 2026 record: 82-80
- No. 1 pick odds: N/A
Forget how fun it’d be to be a fan of the team that drafts Striker Pence, Hunter’s nephew. This feels like a match made in heaven: From Paul Skenes to Jared Jones to Braxton Ashcraft to Seth Hernandez, the Pirates have developed as many pitchers as any organization recently, so why not add a high schooler who can hit 100 mph with his fastball to their system? He could use some polish, but given the pitching they already have, Pittsburgh can wait a few years to watch him grow and develop into a potential frontline stalwart.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
17. New York Mets (dropped 10 picks after finishing No. 7 in lottery): Grant Westphal, OF, Blue Valley HS (Kan.)
- 2026 record: 74-88
- No. 1 pick odds: 8.68 percent
Leave it to the Mets to have a miserable year and then get punished for finishing seventh in the lottery by watching your pick drop 10 spots — the product of blowing through the first two luxury tax thresholds.. As disappointing as this outcome would be, Westphal would be quite the consolation prize. He hits the ball incredibly hard and incredibly far, making him one of the most exciting position player prospects in this year’s class. He’s certainly raw, and the Mets would need to go to great lengths to sign him away from his commitment at Texas, but there’s real five-tool upside. At No. 17 overall, that's nice value.
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
18. Arizona Diamondbacks: Chase Fralick, C, Auburn
- 2026 record: 86-76
- No. 1 pick odds: 0.23 percent
Yes, the Diamondbacks have Gabriel Moreno behind the plate and just used a first-round pick on Ryder Helfrick in this past year’s draft, but the MLB Draft is often just about taking the best player available. Fralick falling to No. 18 overall is simply a case of the D-Backs taking the best player available. Not only did he put up video game offensive numbers at Auburn, but his defense behind the plate has improved to the point where he might actually stick there. If he does, he can be one of the league’s best offensive players behind the plate, which is always valuable at a position that typically lacks much thump.Â
–Zach Rotman, FanSided.com staff writer
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