2026 MLB Draft

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https://columbiacountyspotlight.com/2026/02/21/oregon-states-dax-whitney-breaks-down-17-strikeout-performance/

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Paul Cubbage's big board:
https://medium.com/@paulcubbage23/march-mlb-draft-big-board-be560a248f3d

He notes this is a deep draft and that the Nats can get an "absolute stud" at #11.

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Callis' latest mock has the Nats taking Chris Hacopian from Texas A&M at 11.

[zimm_da_kid]

Dax Whitney in the 2027 class is starting to get talked about in the Skenes/Cole/Stras territory. So far this year, as a sophomore, he's striking out a higher % of hitters than Skenes did as a junior. Sits 98, has touched 101, curve and slider are filthy, and the change is at least average. Worth mentioning because we'll be eligible for a top 10 pick again in 2027

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Dax Whitney in the 2027 class is starting to get talked about in the Skenes/Cole/Stras territory. So far this year, as a sophomore, he's striking out a higher % of hitters than Skenes did as a junior. Sits 98, has touched 101, curve and slider are filthy, and the change is at least average. Worth mentioning because we'll be eligible for a top 10 pick again in 2027

i’ve mentioned him a few times already on this thread.

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BBA's latest mock has us picking 3B Ace Reese from Mississippi State. TalkNats notes that the top prep pitcher in the draft, Gio Rojas, is slotted at #12 and could be attractive to the Nats.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-mock-draft-2-0-updated-first-round-picks-for-every-team/

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Pipeline’s first mock:

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/mlb-pipeline-2026-mock-draft-may-7?t=mlb-draft-coverage

11. Nationals: Jared Grindlinger, OF/LHP, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS (No. 49)
Grindlinger reclassified from 2027 and offers intrigue as one of the youngest players in the Draft (17 years, not quite three months on Draft Day) and a legitimate two-way prospect, though teams are starting to zero in on him as a sweet-swinging outfielder. He requires a lot of projection but seems certain to go somewhere in the top 20 selections.

[zimm_da_kid]

i'm a fan of his. He'll be drafted even younger than willits was. More power potential (6'3" frame). would be cool

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Kiley McDaniel's first mock also has the Nats taking our Ohtani: Jared Grindlinger, RF/LHP, Huntington Beach HS (Calif.). Considered a first round hitting prospect, and a 2nd round pitching prospect.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48742802/2026-mlb-mock-draft-10-kiley-mcdaniel-first-pick-chicago-white-sox

MLB Pipeline:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 55 | Overall: 50

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

A year ago, Trent Gringlinger was a well-regarded prep catcher out of Huntington Beach HS in California, one who went on to play college ball at Tennessee. Scouts in southern California were abuzz when Trent's younger brother, Jared, reclassified in February from 2027 to be a part of this year's Draft class. The 17-year-old is legitimate two-way player for the Oilers, and evaluators seem to prefer his left-handed ability on the mound.

One of the youngest players in the class -- he just turned 17 in April -- Grindlinger is all about projection on the mound. His present stuff doesn't jump off the page, but it's very easy to dream on a lot more to come as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. His fastball has been clocked up to 95 mph at times -- touching 96 mph last summer -- but he typically sits around 90-93 mph, with good arm speed and strength that some scouts think points to a future plus heater. He's been using an 80-82 mph kick changeup lately, though some favored his feel for a traditional circle change he'd used previously, and he'll occasionally try to throw two brands of slider, with the short, bullet one better than the sweepier version. He tends to be around the plate with his stuff.

As a hitter, Grindlinger has a contact-oriented swing, albeit without much impact now, though some feel there is power to come, which would help him fit a likely corner outfield or first base profile better. His name was rushing up Draft boards, but if somehow things didn't work out, he could get the chance to keep playing both ways with his brother at Tennessee next year.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Kiley McDaniel's first mock also has the Nats taking our Ohtani: Jared Grindlinger, RF/LHP, Huntington Beach HS (Calif.). Considered a first round hitting prospect, and a 2nd round pitching prospect.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48742802/2026-mlb-mock-draft-10-kiley-mcdaniel-first-pick-chicago-white-sox

MLB Pipeline:

so McDaniel has him hit over pitch, and MLB pipeline is primarily in on his pitching.

[zimm_da_kid]

so McDaniel has him hit over pitch, and MLB pipeline is primarily in on his pitching.

most stuff i've heard from spring podcasts and scouting reports say the hitting has leapfrogged the pitching this spring

[welch]

Baseball America suggests the Nats will draft Drew Burress, a CF from Georgia Tech. Maybe the next Adam Eaton?

Burress was a tooled-up hitter coming out of Houston County High in Warner Robins, Ga., and his track record of performance helped him rank as the No. 128 player in the 2023 class. He made it to campus at Georgia Tech, where he has been one of college baseball’s most dynamic and productive hitters the last two years. He set a Georgia Tech freshman home run record with 25 in 2024 and tacked on 19 in his follow-up sophomore campaign. Overall, Burress has hit .357/.490/.756 with 44 home runs and 38 doubles in his two college seasons.

Among college hitters with at least 500 plate appearances the last two seasons, Burress ranks sixth in home runs (44), second in on-base percentage (.490), second in slugging percentage (.756) and third in isolated slugging (.399).

Body & Swing

Burress is an undersized and physically-maxed-out hitter, which is one of the biggest knocks against him from a scouting perspective. He was listed at 5-foot-7, 175 pounds coming out of high school and is now listed at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds with Georgia Tech. Scouts, however, note he’s actually an inch or two shorter than that.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/scouting-drew-burress-a-tooled-up-college-bat-challenging-first-round-norms/

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Jonathan Mayo posted his latest mock:

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/mlb-pipeline-2026-mock-draft-may-21?t=mlb-draft-coverage

11. Nationals: Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (No. 5)
Lebron has become one of the most polarizing players in this class because of his uneven performance, particularly in SEC play. But there are still many teams above and behind the Nats who will look at him closely because he’s as tooled-out as anyone this year.

He has Grindlinger falling to Arizona at #15

[blue911]

Jonathan Mayo posted his latest mock:

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/mlb-pipeline-2026-mock-draft-may-21?t=mlb-draft-coverage

He has Grindlinger falling to Arizona at #15

What does “tooled-out” mean?

[Slateman]

Jonathan Mayo posted his latest mock:

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/mlb-pipeline-2026-mock-draft-may-21?t=mlb-draft-coverage

He has Grindlinger falling to Arizona at #15

Eh, seems like a reasonable pick with our lack of depth at shortstop

[Natsinpwc]

I always wanted Lebron to play in DC.

[blue911]

I always wanted Lebron to play in DC.

Is he tooled-out or can he be an even bigger tool.

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Cubbage has the Nats taking AJ Gracia, OF from UVA, in his first mock. MLB Pipeline has him at #11

https://medium.com/@paulcubbage23/may-mlb-mock-draft-fe5323c3e4d8

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

A solid player during his New Jersey high school days, Gracia got off to a very good start at Duke, earning freshman All-American honors by finishing with a 1.000 OPS in 2024. Gracia got off to a very rough start in his sophomore year as he tried to incorporate a swing change, but he got hot once he abandoned that switch, allowing him to finish with 15 homers and an OPS of 1.007. He followed coach Chris Pollard to the University of Virginia and missed the fall due to an undisclosed illness but returned to have a productive junior season with the Cavaliers.

When he's locked in, Gracia looks like one of the better college bats in the class. Swinging from the left side of the plate, he makes excellent swing decisions and shows off plus contact skills. His advanced approach led to a Blue Devils-record 57 walks as a sophomore, and he really limits his swing-and-miss. That gives more confidence that he should continue getting to his solid raw power at the next level, and there's definitely the chance he can keep adding strength to his 6-foot-3 frame.

Though he's a fringy runner, scouts give Gracia a chance to stick in center field because of his excellent instincts and efficient routes. If a move to a corner is necessary, left would be a more likely landing spot because his arm is a little short for the prototypical right fielder. His continued consistent production in a year light on college bats hasn't hurt his stock.

[welch]

Baseball America's mock 3.0 says

11. Nationals — Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Bonus Pool: $12,278,300
Slot Value: $6,133,500

In a class of volatile college hitters, Burress feels like one of the safer profiles to go off the board within the first 15 picks because so many of the model-heavy teams will be high on him. He has three years of excellent production to go with real physical tools and a center field profile. Burress has also hit well over .300 in all three of his seasons—and in the conference schedule—which isn’t something many of this year’s first-round bats can claim.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-mock-draft-3-0-first-round-picks-for-every-team-with-2-months-to-go/

Details on Burress at https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/scouting-drew-burress-a-tooled-up-college-bat-challenging-first-round-norms/

[varoadking]

Baseball America's mock 3.0 says

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-mock-draft-3-0-first-round-picks-for-every-team-with-2-months-to-go/

Details on Burress at https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/scouting-drew-burress-a-tooled-up-college-bat-challenging-first-round-norms/

Yet another undersized college outfielder...

I'd rather we find a potential masher...

[zimm_da_kid]

I'd Like Gindlinger, Lebron, or Carlon

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Callis’ latest has us taking Grindlinger

https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/mlb-pipeline-2026-mock-draft-june-4?t=mlb-draft-coverage

Other teams believe the Nationals are the strongest possibility to pop Grindlinger in the top 20 selections. Other names associated with Washington include Burress, Hacopian, Lebron and Virginia outfielder A.J. Gracia.

[varoadking]

Just not Lebron, PLEASE.  I don't want to go thru the next 6-7 years still hearing that name...

[Kevrock]

Easy to deal with in exchange for those skills

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Todd Boss with a recap of where mock drafts stand now: https://nationalsarmrace.com/?p=19546