The MLB draft evaluation stretch kicks off with the draft combine starting June 22 in Phoenix, ahead of the July 11 draft from Philadelphia. As the College World Series narrows the field to the final eight teams, a mock projection of the first 30 picks points
For the third morning in the sports calendar, the mood around baseball’s draft world is suddenly different: the College World Series has arrived, the final eight teams are set, and attention begins to shift from the season itself to how clubs will sort the talent.
Major League Baseball’s draft evaluation period has already quieted “just a bit,” but the next phase is plainly underway. The MLB draft combine begins June 22 in Phoenix. Teams will measure skills there. but the testing won’t be the only focus—interviews and personal evaluations will play a key role in how well players match up with organizations.
The stakes are immediate. While the combine and evaluation work won’t really change the first round on its own. the MLB draft league is already up and running. giving prospects of all ages a Statcast-able platform to either buoy their stock or at least get on the 2027 radar. And when the draft finally commences July 11 from Philadelphia. that month-long judgment window becomes the difference between one club’s “fit” and another club’s “pass.”.
Against that backdrop. the first 30 picks in a mock draft projection place a familiar emphasis on both current production and underlying toolset. The list begins with Travis Cholowsky. then runs through a mix of prep standouts and college arms and bats—each slotted with an explanation that leans on what teams want to build next.
At the top, the projection keeps coming back to Cholowsky’s value. His season ended with what the mock described as unusual quiet—two singles in 12 at-bats in the No. 1 Bruins’ regional elimination—but the pitch is that nothing in that outing betrayed a lack of ceiling for the top spot.
The next line shifts to high school, with Tampa Bay taking Grady Emerson, a Fort Worth Christian HS shortstop. Emerson is described as the consensus national high school player of the year and the lone prep player named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. His regular season line is laid out as .532 with seven homers and 31 stolen bases.
Minnesota then targets pitching in the form of Jackson Flora, a right-hander from UC Santa Barbara. Flora’s junior season is framed as dominant: a 1.06 ERA (with 1.98 listed as the No. 2), winning his last seven starts and posting a 30-4 strikeout-walk ratio in his final three starts.
From there, the mock draft keeps walking through organizations’ preferences—prep over college in some spots, college over prep in others, and repeated insistence on “foundational” pieces.
Staying in the top five. Pittsburgh takes Jacob Lombard. a Gulliver Prep (Fla.) HS shortstop. with the projection emphasizing his speed-power profile and 6-3 frame as a fit for shortstop “a long time in the big leagues.” Kansas City goes prep again at No. 6 with Eric Booth Jr., an Oak Grove (Miss.) HS center fielder. Booth’s 2024 production is cited as a .358/.473/.657 slash with 16 home runs and an emphasis on power-speed potential.
The list stretches across the diamond. Atlanta is paired with a left arm at No. 9—LHP Gio Rojas of Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS—described as a match between a club that nudges prep pitchers toward the majors and a 6-4 lefty who reportedly pairs a fastball touching 98 mph with a devastating sweeper.
Colorado’s pick at No. 10 is a Coors Field project: RHP Cameron Flukey of Coastal Carolina. The mock points to a 6-6 frame and “bat-missing ability,” citing 11.6 strikeouts per nine in three seasons.
Further down. the projection highlights a different kind of promise—plate discipline. athleticism. positional value. and the club-building logic behind each slot. It places St. Louis at No. 13 with INF Chris Hacopian of Texas A&M, Miami at No. 14 with OF Sawyer Strosnider of TCU, and Arizona at No. 15 with C Ryder Helfrick of Arkansas. Helfrick’s final season at Fayetteville is described as 18 homers and a .979 OPS.
The mock draft continues with Texas at No. 16 for OF AJ Gracia of Virginia, Houston at No. 17 for INF Ace Reese of Mississippi State, and Cincinnati at No. 18 for SS Tyler Bell of Kentucky. Bell is described as a switch-hitting. sophomore-eligible shortstop who “may require shoulder surgery. ” with plate discipline numbers of 30 walks to 36 strikeouts and first-team All-SEC honors.
It then moves to the Guardians at No. 19 with LHP Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan (Mass.) HS. The projection mentions a senior season described as excellent and the lure of a lefty topping 100 mph who also has elite basketball athleticism.
On the other side of the college-versus-prep divide, the Red Sox are slotted at No. 20 with LHP Hunter Dietz of Arkansas. The mock describes his size at 6-6 and 235 pounds, a fastball touching 98 mph, and an SEC strikeout rate that it says led all batters with 13.76 per nine innings.
San Diego appears at No. 21 with LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS, noting he doesn’t turn 18 until April 2027 and that the drafting team will have the luxury of workshopping him as a pitcher or hitter—though it guesses the mound will win out.
Detroit selects RHP Cade Townsend at No. 22, and Chicago takes SS Eric Becker at No. 23, described as technically sound with gap-to-gap power. Seattle chooses OF Trevor Condon at No. 24. described as bringing elite speed and the profile to stick in center field. while Milwaukee takes OF Aiden Robbins at No. 25.
Robbins’ change of scenery is part of the explanation: the mock cites a .342/.435/.720 line for the Omaha-bound Longhorns and says his homers jumped from six to 24 after transferring from Seton Hall to Austin.
Atlanta returns at No. 26 with RHP Jensen Hirschkorn of Kingsburg (Calif.) HS, again emphasizing projection, basketball athleticism, and a mid-90s fastball. The Mets are slotted at No. 27 with OF Caden Sorrell. Texas A&M. with a final College Station year described as 23 homers. 11 steals. and a 1.177 OPS—packaged as a center fielder.
Houston is listed again at No. 28 with OF Zion Rose of Louisville, with a career 1.023 OPS at Louisville and a final-season profile of 24 steals in 27 attempts and a .491 OBP, while also pointing to a strong 205-pound frame that could unlock more power.
The mock gives San Francisco the catcher it wants at No. 29 with Daniel Jackson of Georgia, describing his transfer from Wofford and production of 31 homers to key their College World Series run.
Kansas City rounds out the projection at No. 30 with RHP Logan Reddemann of UCLA. The mock says Kansas City is “buying low” after arm issues slowed a platform year that seemed to push him toward the top 10. adding that Reddemann hasn’t pitched since April 17. Before idling, his numbers are listed as a 0.97 WHIP and 12.7 strikeouts per nine.
The big story, beyond any single selection, is how quickly baseball’s draft process turns observation into decision. The College World Series narrows the field to the final eight teams. and the combine—starting June 22 in Phoenix—moves clubs from watching games to measuring everything they can: swing speed and release points. sure. but also the interviews and personal evaluations that can change how a prospect fits a long-term plan. With the draft set to commence July 11 from Philadelphia. the next five weeks become less about “who’s hot” and more about who looks complete when the measurements begin.
MLB draft combine College World Series July 11 draft Phoenix combine Philadelphia draft Travis Cholowsky Grady Emerson Jackson Flora College baseball prospects