Demilio: 2026 Pirates MLB Draft Big Board 1.0
The first round of the 2026 MLB Draft takes place on July 11, and the Pittsburgh Pirates will have the fifth selection. In addition to having a top five pick, Pittsburgh has the largest bonus pool ($19,130,700) of any team.
The Pirates have had been on a great run in selecting in the first round of late. In 2023, they chose reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes with the first pick. A year later, they selected shortstop Konnor Griffin, who signed the largest contract in franchise history after debuting as a 19-year-old earlier this season. Last year, Pittsburgh selected right-hander Seth Hernandez, who is considered the top pitching prospect in baseball.
This year, however, the Pirates won’t have Justin Horowitz, who had been serving as amateur scouting director before accepting an assistant GM role with the Washington Nationals last fall. Horowitz oversaw each of the last two drafts.
The Pirates will look to keep up their recent success when picking in the first round when they’re on the clock after four picks. Here are my initial top 10 players available.
1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Cholowsky helped lead UCLA to the No. 1 seed in the NCAA baseball tournament before they were shockingly upset, but the 21-year-old cemented his spot at the top of my board.
Cholowsky appeared in 60 games for the Bruins this season and slashed .320/.452/.636 with 21 home runs and 60 RBI.
He’s a plus hitter with plus power who also possesses a good glove and a strong arm. He has the chance to impact both sides of the ball and will stick at shortstop as a pro. Cholowsky is the type of player you take with the first pick.
2. Grady Emerson, SS, Texas (High School)
A prep shortstop who I’m really high on, Emerson is in the running to end up as my top prospect in the draft class, but I’m not quite ready to go there just yet.
The 18-year-old hit .532 as a senior with a .648 on-base percentage and slugged 1.013. In 28 games, he went 42 for 72 with nine doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
Emerson has strong tools across the board, led by a plus-hit tool and his defensive abilities at shortstop.
3. Jacob Lombard, SS, Florida (High School)
Lombard is a prep shortstop with excellent athleticism, plus power and the ability to play a premium position who comes with a little bit of swing concerns. Sound like anyone? Maybe the Pirates’ first-round pick in ’24 with somewhat-lesser tools?
The 18-year-old slashed .477/.607/.864 with 42 hits, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 52 runs and 14 stolen bases in 29 games as a senior.
The younger brother of Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr., Jacob looks destined to follow in his footsteps as one of the better prospects in the sport.
4. Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
Lackey is looking to become the third catcher from Georgia Tech to win the Buster Posey Award (college catcher of the year) after Kevin Parada in 2022 and current Pirates catcher Joey Bart in 2018.
Lackey, who will turn 21 a few days before he hears his name called, slashed .407/.529/.790 with 16 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 78 RBI and 15 steals in 60 games for the Yellow Jackets this season.
Despite some struggles in summer leagues, Lackey has the chance to be a dynamic player with the bat. He has good athleticism for a catcher, a strong arm and is considered a good defensive backstop.
5. Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
The top pitcher in this year’s class, Flora is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound right-hander looking to become the second UCSB pitcher taken in the top five in the last two years. The Angels took right-hander Tyler Bremmer with the second pick in last year’s draft.
Flora, who just turned 21, went a perfect 12-0 with a 1.06 ERA as a junior with the Gauchos. He totaled 102 innings, allowed 55 hits, walked 32 and struck out 133.
His best pitch is a fastball that sits in the upper-90s and reaches triple digits. A strike-thrower, Flora also has a slider and a changeup.
6. Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
Burress joins teammate Vahn Lackey as one of my top prospects available in this year’s draft and for good reason.
Burress slashed .361/.477/.655 with 22 doubles, three triples, 15 home runs, 58 RBI and 15 steals in 60 games for the Yellow Jackets as a junior.
The 21-year-old only measures 5-feet-9-inches and 185 pounds, but he packs plenty of punch in his bat. He hits, hits for power, can run and plays good defense.
7. Eric Booth Jr., OF, Mississippi (High School)
Booth doesn’t turn 18 until the Fourth of July and is one of the younger players in this year’s draft, which adds to his appeal.
As a senior, he hit .481 with a .669 OBP and a .922 slugging percentage. Of his 37 hits, 11 were doubles, four were triples and five were home runs. He also drove in 31 runs, stole 23 bases, and drew 45 walks while only striking out four times.
If you’re hunting speed, Booth is your guy, but he also offers upside with the bat.
8. Gio Rojas, LHP, Florida (High School)
The top high school pitcher in this year’s draft class by a wide margin, Rojas is also the top left-hander on my board.
Rojas, who turns 19 at the end of the month, went 11-1 with a 0.58 ERA in 13 appearances as a senior. In 72.2 innings, he struck out a whopping 124 batters, only walked 17, and allowed 31 hits.
With a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame with room to grow, Rojas has the build teams want in a starting pitcher. He also features two plus-pitches in his fastball and slider.
9. Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
A stress fracture in his elbow followed by a setback limited Dietz to 1.2 innings combined between his first two years with the Razorbacks, but he returned healthy this year and performed well.
The big left-hander went 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 16 starts on the season. He logged 85.2 innings, allowed 71 hits, walked 31 and struck out 131.
There’s not much mileage on his arm, which could be a blessing in disguise if his injury woes are behind him for good. He has a deep five-pitch arsenal and at least four of those pitches show plenty of promise.
10. Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Lebron entered this season as one of the very top players available in the draft, but he had a disappointing junior year with the Crimson Tide.
After hitting .316 last season, Lebron has seen his average dip to .274 this year, though he’s having a solid showing in the NCAA tournament. In 57 games, he has a .382 OBP and a .543 slug with 12 doubles, 16 home runs, 46 RBI and 40 steals in 57 games.
I tend to shy away from prospects trending in the wrong direction, but Lebron’s talent is too hard to ignore. The hit tool is a big question, but he might have plus tools in all the other areas of his game.
You can never have enough pitching and we just saw how valuable in the Mike Burrows deal.