Jamie Cameron

Welcome to the 2026 MLB Consensus Draft Board. This is the fifth version of the board, which started in 2022 as a top thirty. Since then, it’s expanded to around 150 players on an annual basis, featuring at eight different team sites. So what is the Consensus Board? How is it made? How should it be used? The concept is loosely based on Arif Hasan’s NFL Consensus Board. It’s meant to be a tool for folks getting interested in the MLB Draft. As I was learning about the draft, I struggled to navigate wildly varied rankings and evaluations of players. The Consensus Board takes every major publicly available board and combines them into a consensus ranking, eliminating some of the noise and variance of an extremely challenging evaluation process. We’ve found this process to be useful in ranking players in appropriate ranges through around the first five rounds of the draft. On the board, you’ll find player names, handedness, listed height and weight, age, and a write-up, walking through their strengths and opportunities as a prospect. As we go through the cycle, these will be updated with tweaks, final college stats, etc. Every time a major outlet (Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic, etc.) releases an updated list, the consensus ranking shifts. As such, the board is a lagging reflection of what the industry thinks of the class and its key players. The final Consensus Board will incorporate at least 10 other boards as inputs. New MLB Mock Draft Board Features There are a few important features to point out to help you navigate the board. There’s a search bar to help you find players of interest. If you click ‘expand’ the board will focus on the writeup you are engaged with, in addition to one immediately above it and one immediately below it. Additionally, you’ll find the logo of your team next to their draft slots to help understand where they are picking. There will be a player slotted there, based on their consensus ranking. Rather than using that ranking as an indicator of who they might actually pick, it’s more useful to use it as a proxy for what caliber of talent is available at that slot. We’ll dig in deeper to team-specific mock drafts later in the cycle. The last important note is that this year the board features ‘push’ updates. It updates automatically every hour. The board is typically updated with new write-ups five days per week, so check back regularly for updates. At #21, The San Diego Padres Select: Logan Schmidt, LHP, Ganesha HS, CA Schmidt is a classic projection lefty, joining Gio Rojas and Carson Bolemon as a trio of prep southpaws who could be selected in the first round in July. He's currently committed to LSU. Schmidt has great size at 6'4, 215, with projection left and the possibility of adding additional strength and weight. He has a smooth, repeatable delivery from the left side and his stuff took a jump this summer in several high-profile events. His fastball sits 94-96 mph but has been as high as 98 mph. He pairs it with a slider in the low 80s that has a slurvy shape. That will be an area of development, ironing out the shapes of his secondary pitches to maximize his arsenal. Finally, Schmidt also has a changeup, a pitch he sells with great arm speed and generates plenty of fade. It's easy to imagine a future version of Schmidt consistently holding 96-97 mph with his fastball, a tweaked cluster of breaking pitches, with a little additional strength looking like a force in pro baseball. View full article

In episode 86 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie do a full recap of the 2025 MLB Draft. They dig in on the primary picks for the Blue Jays, Padres, and Red Sox before spending some time on the Cubs. Is Chicago leaning into more college upside and volatility than other teams? The guys spend a good amount of time examining the Brewers draft, one of Jamie’s favorites, in which the Brewers took a typical power-hitting corner infield bat before loading up on interesting prep profiles. Finally, they review a tweaked approach from the Twins, who leaned into more volatility and upside with the college arms, digging in specifically on Riley Quick, James Ellwanger, Jason Reitz, and Matt Barr. 0:00 Intro 4:25 Housekeeping 7:50 Episode 86 coverage plan 8:30 Toronto Blue Jays 17:59 San Diego Padres 21:40 Boston Red Sox 27:53 Chicago Cubs 38:48 Milwaukee Brewers 52:11 Minnesota Twins 53:36 Marek Houston 1:00:19 Quentin Young 1:04:20 Riley Quick 1:11:00 James Ellwanger, Jason Reitz, Matt Barr 1:21:23 Closing You can support the show by downloading it from your preferred podcast platform, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review, and also share or retweet DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

In episode 85 of Destination: The Show, Jeremy and Jamie live stream an episode to get ready for day one of the 2025 MLB Draft. They walk through a mock draft of the first 36 picks and alternate picking for teams based on fit, industry steam, and value. The guys pause at each team we cover in more depth to talk about options from particular demographics that make sense with their picks. Destination: The Show will be live streaming throughout day one of the 2025 MLB Draft, breaking down every pick, kicking off at 4:30 CT on Sunday, July 13th. 0:00 Intro 3:59 Mock Draft preview 5:10 Picks 1-5 14:34 Picks 6-7 18:08 Blue Jays at 8 22:35 Picks 9-14 32:35 Red Sox at 15 35:00 Twins at 16 45:40 Cubs at 17 47:00 Picks 18-19 48:55 Brewers at 20 51:33 Picks 21-24 56:04 Padres at 25 58:00 Picks 26-31 1:07:52 Brewers at 32 1:09:45 Red Sox at 33 1:10:43 Picks 34-35 1:12:18 Twins at 36 1:16:43 Listener Questions You can support the show by downloading it from wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. If you enjoy the content, consider leaving us a five-star rating and review in addition to sharing or retweeting DTS-related content. You can follow us on Twitter @DTS_POD1, @Jeremynygaard, @J_D_Cameron, and @TheodoreTollef1. We’re now on Bluesky @destinationtheshow.bsky.social. You can also find full episodes and clips of our shows on our YouTube page @DestinationTheShow. View full article

Draft week is finally here! We’ll have a ton of coverage for you here at Padres Mission. Here’s a few important details to get you oriented to our coverage. As usual, the Padres are limited in terms of both picks and money ahead of the draft. The organization typically combines competitiveness and being a revenue paying club, in addition to often losing picks due to free agent signings. The Padres have just two top 100 picks in 2025: Pick 25 - $3,606,600 Pick 99 - $773,100 While the Padres are limited financially, there is a strong prep class available to them which lines up well with their usual draft tendencies and preferences. You can find our MLB Draft board here. This is a project I’ve been working on since February. The rankings are consensus rankings, taken from leveraging all of the major draft boards in the industry. The goal is to eliminate some of the noise in rankings for casual fans looking to get more interested and get to know the class better. You’ll find the logo from the team next to their pick positions in each round, to give folks an idea of the caliber of talent available in a particular portion of the draft. By Sunday, you’ll find a write up for 136 player profiles with biographical information, scouting reports, 2025 performance for college players, and potential fits. The board will be updated every day or so until day one. Additionally, we’ll be live streaming an episode of Destination: The Show through the entirety of day one. We’ll get started at 5:30 ET/4:30 CT. We’ll bring you information on all day one picks, live reactions, and team-specific special guests. We hope you’ll join us. View full article

It’s mock draft season! Over the next two weeks in the buildup to the draft, we’ll be rolling out at least two mock drafts, covering the first round and the first batch of competitive-balance picks. For each of these, we’re doing our best to read the tea leaves and make picks based on the talent available at a particular slot, and considering each organization's drafting tendencies. Feel free to jump into the comments with disagreements and other preferred picks. 1. Nationals: Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU All the buzz here seems to be between Anderson and Ethan Holliday. If the LSU southpaw doesn’t go number one, surely, he won’t get past three. 2. Angels: Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee Fast-moving college players is the Angels' trend until it isn’t, and we'll project them to take such players until they don't. 3. Mariners: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State Arnold is a quality arm for a system that’s become bat-dominant. The Mariners are outstanding at developing arms. 4. Rockies: Ethan Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS, OK This appears to be the floor for Holliday. The organization for which his dad became a household name won't let him slide any further. 5. Cardinals: JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS, MS If the board unfolds like this, the Cardinals will get their pick of a strong cluster of prep shortstops. Parker has a chance to be the best offensive profile of the bunch. 6. Pirates: Eli Willits, SS, Fort-Cobb Broxton HS, OK Willits has been steady on boards all spring. This would be a good get at six overall. (And yes, he's the son of former big-league outfielder Reggie Willits.) 7. Marlins: Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS, CA The Marlins would be thrilled to have Hernandez here. They have consistently developed pitching talent well. 8. Blue Jays: Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS, CA The Blue Jays are in an interesting spot. There are plenty of good options here. It would be hard to pass on Aiva Arquette, the consensus top college bat available. Toronto has been linked heavily to the prep shortstop group, though. Carlson is the best defensive shortstop in the draft. There’s potential for good impact with the bat, too. 9. Reds: Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State Arquette is currently ranked sixth, by consensus. The Reds would be thrilled with this outcome. He’s a physical hitter who should be able to move relatively quickly, despite some refinement needed in the hit tool. 10. White Sox: Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma Witherspoon is the consensus college starting pitcher number four. He shouldn’t last long outside the top 10, even if he slips past Chicago. 11. Athletics: Ike Irish, C, Auburn The Athletics have found success with college bats recently (Jacob Wilson, Nick Kurtz), Irish is one of the strongest college hit/power combos in a class lacking them. 12. Rangers: Kayson Cunningham, Johnson HS, TX Cunningham might have the best hit tool on the prep side (along with Parker), to go with plus speed. 13. Giants: Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest Houston is shortstop 1-B to Billy Carlson’s 1-A. He’s a lock to stick at that spot, with a good approach and hit tool, despite (generously) fringy power. 14. Rays: Josh Hammond, SS, Wesleyan Academy, NC Hammond is an outstanding athlete who made tremendous strides with the bat this spring. 15. Red Sox: Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee Kilen ratcheted up the power with Tennessee, to go with the great hit tool. He should have plenty of suitors in the teens. There are a number of other college bats who could make sense here, including Brendan Summerhill and Wehiwa Aloy. 16. Twins: Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara The Twins are well-known for successfully developing mid-to-late college arms into viable MLB options. What if the starting ball of clay was more interesting? Bremner was a consensus top-five prospect coming into this season. It’s a metrically appealing fastball, an above-average slider, and a plus changeup. There’s work to do on the command, but he finished strong. The ceiling is a playoff-caliber starter. 17. Cubs: Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas Wood’s surge this postseason is reminiscent of Cade Horton’s in 2022. Wood punctuated a strong stretch run with a 19-strikeout no-hitter in the College World Series. This is around his range. The Cubs system is bat-heavy, and Wood has an outlandish fastball shape on which to build. 18. Diamondbacks: Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS, AL Hall has some of the best speed and athleticism in the entire class. This might be the low end of his range. 19. Orioles: Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas The Orioles won’t be put off by the aggression in Aloy’s approach. This feels like the lower end of his range, but he’s a good fit in Baltimore. 20. Brewers: Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oaks HS, CA Fien is one of the least talked-about first-round prep profiles, and one of my favorites. He hit everything and everyone last summer. While his early spring was a little uneven, he turned it around down the stretch. He has a chance to be one of the better hit/power combos in this draft class. There’s a good chance he’s taken in the mid-teens. (No, he's not the son of ex-pitcher Casey Fien.) 21. Astros: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest The Astros love strong athletic traits. Conrad missed time due to injury but was mashing after transferring from Marist. 22. Braves: Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama Quick is a good fit here for the Braves, who often lean toward arms in their usual late first-round range. 23. Royals: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, OR The Royals are a pitching organization, now. Schoolcraft has plenty of buzz here to land with them. 24. Tigers: Slater De Brun, OF, Summit HS, OR Another steam pick here. De Brun is a table-setter type with good strength, outstanding speed and an excellent hit tool. 25. Padres: Brady Ebel, SS, Corona HS, CA What’s the safest bet in the draft? That the Padres will take a prep player with their first pick. Ebel has a sweet left-handed swing with plenty of projection to grow into a solid hit/power combo. There’s a good defensive infield skill set at play here, too. 26. Phillies: Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS, WA Neyens is another profile that has been less talked up this spring. It’s power to rival that of Ethan Holliday. 27. Guardians: Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona Summerhill’s range likely starts in the teens. This feels low, and this is great value for the Guardians at 27. Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks 28. Royals: Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS, GA One of the smoothest defensive profiles at short in this class, but there’s legitimate offensive upside, too. Compensation Picks 29. Diamondbacks: Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina Bodine had a tremendous postseason. It’s a plus hit tool and outstanding receiving skills as a catcher. 30. Orioles: Jace Laviolette, OF, Texas A&M The preseason consensus number-one player finds a home here. He feels like an ideal candidate for an organization with two or three picks in the top 40.f 31. Orioles: Sean Gamble, SS/OF, IMG Academy, FL A left-handed hitting power/speed threat with the type of athleticism that could lend itself to the infield or outfield long-term. 32. Brewers: Andrew Fischer, 1B/3B, Tennessee Fischer feels a little under-ranked to me. He has a patient approach, a track record with wooden bats, and just put up a .760 SLG in the SEC. This offensive profile will play anywhere. He’s a first round-caliber talent, and this represents good value. It would be a nice counterbalance to the Fien pick earlier in the round for the Brewers. Competitive Balance Round A 33. Red Sox: Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville The Red Sox brain trust has invested in their pitching infrastructure recently. Forbes is a high-octane arm who could develop into a monster with the right development behind him. It’s ace-caliber arm talent that’s a little rough around the edges. 34. Tigers: Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas A ready-made diverse arsenal and a track record of performance in the SEC represent good value for a farm system stacked with talent. 35. Mariners: Cam Appenzeller, Glenwood HS, IL The Mariners have money to spend in this draft. Appenzeller is one of the best prep pitchability arms in this draft class. 36. Twins: Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana The Twins WILL get their bats in the first few rounds, and Taylor has been a tremendous college performer. It’s not a spectacular profile in terms of speed and defense but he mashes. He had a 169 wRC+ with 18 home runs in 2025. That was buoyed by a 19.3 BB% and a measly 11.2 K%. This is a fast-moving, high-floor college outfield bat. View full article

This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll be posting an article here listing out who the Padres would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted, and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Rather, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here would be the Padres' first two picks by consensus draft ranking as of 06.28.25. First Round (25th Overall): Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas Wood is a right-handed starting pitching prospect from Arkansas with an undersized frame who transitioned from a hard-throwing reliever to a starter in 2025. He burst onto the scene in a big way in the College World Series. Wood threw a 19-strikeout no-hitter against Murray State and has since rocketed consistently up draft boards. Wood's arsenal consists of a fastball that sits in the 94-96 mph range. It’s a freak pitch that averages 17 inches of IVB, over 9 inches of arm side run thrown from a 5.5 release with above average extension. You won’t be surprised to read that it was a whiff machine in 2025. It's complemented by a pair of breakers, a curveball with plenty of drop, and a solid average slider. There's also a changeup there to make up a four-pitch mix. Wood's surface numbers don't look great in 2025 in a 37.2 inning sample, but what's under the hood looks mighty impressive. It's a 3.82 ERA with a 2.06 FIP, a 46% strikeout rate, and a measly 4.6% walk rate. Wood has a history of shoulder issues. If he remains healthy, he could be one of the fastest moving arms in this class and is starting to look like a profile who may push his way into the teens on night one. Third Round (99th Overall): Mitch Voit, 2B, Michigan Mitch Voit will be draft eligible as a 20-year old in 2025, coming off back-to-back seasons of strong and improving performance at the University of Michigan. Voit used to be a two-way player but since focusing solely on hitting, he's improved his approach and impact at the plate, developing into what might be an average hit/average power combo in a draft class lacking them. In 2025, Voit hit .346/.471/.668 (1.140) with 14 home runs, a 157 wRC+ while walking 15.3% of the time and managing a measly 13% strikeout rate. There's plus speed and an above average arm in the profile, too. If Voit can maintain his improved approach as a pro, you're looking at a good athlete with defensive versatility who can pop 15-20 home runs per season while maintaining strong on base skills. That type of profile usually gets pushed up boards as we get closer to the draft. View full article

This draft cycle, we’re going to try something new. Every few weeks, I’ll be posting an article here listing out who the Padres would select based on their position on the consensus draft board. As the consensus board is updated, the players in those spots will be adjusted and I’ll post another update. This is not a mock draft. Rather, I’m hoping it’ll give readers an idea of the caliber of talent in each of the team’s first few picks. Additionally, it should help readers who want to dig into draft coverage a bit more get familiar with the class. Here would be the Padres first two picks by consensus draft ranking as of 05.28.25 First Round (25th Overall): Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS, OR Remarkably, Schoolcraft won't be the only 6'8 left-handed starting pitching prospect in this draft class. What he will be, is the most famous and highest ranked. The pacific northwest southpaw reclassified from a stacked 2026 class to 2025 and offers an easy to fall in love with profile. While he's currently a legitimate two-way player, most evaluators prefer him as a pitcher. His arsenal has taken a step forward in recent months, particularly his secondary pitches. His fastball has been up to 97 mph from the left side, although it's a bit flat. His changeup is increasingly firm, maintaining ideal velocity separation from his fastball. There's an above average slider in the mix too, particularly tough on lefties given the angle he's coming from and how well he gets down the mound. It's a solid delivery and strike throwing operation for someone with such long limbs. There's present stuff and projection here. Third Round (99th Overall): Tanner Franklin, RHP, Tennessee File Franklin's name under the 'most improved' category in 2025 after transferring from Kennesaw State to Tennessee and ironing out some of the extreme effort in his delivery. It's a premium pitcher's frame at 6'5, 230 pounds. His fastball will sit in the mid-90s but has been as 102 mph with big riding life at the top of the zone. Franklin also offers a freakish cutter, a pitch he throws 90-92 mph, one of the hardest in college baseball and one that will appeal to pro teams. There's a slider here too, but the fastball/cutter combination are his two best pitches currently. Franklin has struck out north of 30% of hitters in both 2024 and 2025, the real development has been the control. In his two years at Kennesaw State, he walked over 20% of hitters. As conference tournament play opens, that mark is just 5% in 2025, a truly remarkable improvement. There's still work to do on command and reliever risk in this profile, but if Franklin can continue to develop his arsenal, he has a chance to be a monster arm. View full article