Jamie Cameron

I take MLB mock draft rankings from major industry outlets like MLB Pipeline, ESPN, The Athletic (and many others) to form a consensus board, with a working hypothesis that using this approach will eliminate some of the noise and variance in MLB Draft mock rankings. This is the final mock draft board, locked in just before the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11. Round 1: Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State Reese has raked for Mississippi State since transferring from Houston ahead of his sophomore campaign. He's one of the better dual hit/power threats in the class, with any ceiling on his value being placed by an uncertain defensive home and limited supplementary tools. Reese stands 6'4, 220, and has primarily played third base and first base in college. It's a solid arm, but fringe-to-average run and fielding tools. That might mean a long-term home at first base, which requires a greater level of offensive production. Offensively, Reese shines. It's good bat speed and excellent raw power. He can homer to any part of the park (21 in 2025). Reese displays good bat-to-ball skills, both in and out of the strike zone, and he takes plenty of walks. A slightly elevated strikeout rate is rooted in his propensity to chase and expand the zone. If he can rein that in, he'll be a nightmare at-bat. Reese finished 2026 with a .336/.432/.721 line with 24 home runs (27 XBH), a 14 BB%, a 21.6 K%, and a 144 wRC+. His approach and defensive home remain the only questions in an excellent, offensively driven profile. Round 2: Blake Bryant, RHP, Citizens Christian Academy, GA Bryant is a projectable prep righty standing 6'5, 180 pounds, currently committed to Clemson. He's jumped up boards throughout the cycle thanks to consistently outstanding performances on the summer circuit. Bryant's velocity has ticked up in the last 12 months. His fastball is up to 96 mph with run and ride. He pairs it with a sweeper in the low 80s, a curveball that sits in the high 70s, and a split change that's a bit firm currently. The command can come and go a bit with Bryant, which is typical for a lanky prep arm. It's a strong arsenal on which to build. It's easy to envision him being a problem when he fills out a bit more and polishes his repertoire. Round 3: Ethan Bass, SS, Glenbrook North HS, IL Ethan Bass is a prep shortstop out of Illinois who is one of the better defenders on the dirt on the prep side. While he doesn't have the same explosive offensive upside as some other prep hitters in the class, he performed extremely well on the summer showcase circuit last year, showing the makings of an above-average hit tool with a good approach at the plate, and possible average power when it's all said and done. Defensively, Bass shines. He's an excellent defender with a good internal clock, smooth actions, excellent lateral quickness, and the ability to make any throw necessary for the position. You don't find too many prep profiles that are this complete, even if he lacks a standout offensive tool. Bass is committed to Wake Forest and bears some similarities to previous Demon Deacon shortstop Marek Houston. Round 4: Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina Norby is a college lefty who has established a three-year track record of performance at ECU. Norby is undersized for a starter at 5'10, 200 pounds. It's a clean delivery with a ton of strikes (6.8 BB% in 2026). Norby's fastball is a little underwhelming, sitting 89-92 mph, touching 93-94 mph. Norby's best pitch is his slider, a 3,000 rpm sweeper that sits 85 mph and routinely generates a ton of horizontal break. Norby also throws a cutter and a changeup, though both of these pitches lag behind his fastball/slider combination. Norby managed a 4.06 FIP in 90.1 IP in 2026, striking out 31.8% of hitters while walking 6.8%. Norby has plenty of assets, with a unique delivery and interesting release traits, but he'll need to add velo if he's to stick as a starter as a pro. Free Agent Compensation Round: Bryce Hill, RHP, Greenwich Country Day HS, CT Hill is a projectable right-handed prep pitcher out of Connecticut who already stands 6'5, 220 pounds with a ton of starter traits; he's currently committed to Stanford. Hill has a fairly extensive track record as a high schooler. His fastball, a sinker, now sits in the 94-95 mph range with more to come as Hill fills out. It's complemented by two distinct breaking pitches, a firm slider and a slower, downer curveball that both show promise, with the slider further along in development. Hill also shows feel for a changeup. There's an enticing combination of size, stuff, and enough strikes here. If Hill can be tempted away from his Stanford commitment, a year or two in a pro system doing some pitch design work could raise his ceiling further. Curious to see the players around the San Diego Padres picks in the draft? Click on the button below to view the entire mock draft board!

This guide is a comprehensive look at the 2026 MLB Draft with a focus on the San Diego Padres. You’ll find a list of key dates for the draft cycle, including the release of bonus pools and pick values, the MLB Draft combine, and a breakdown of the draft itself. Additionally, you’ll find an overview of the draft combine and MLB draft weekend, in addition to links to other important draft resources like the consensus board. Padres 2025 MLB Draft Recap Unsurprisingly, the Padres leaned into prep talent and upside picks with their limited early-round selections in 2025. They selected towering Oregon lefty Kruz Schoolcraft with the 25th overall pick, before taking Western Kentucky outfielder Ryan Wideman, an incredible athlete with a wide range of outcomes who is all tools, little polish at present. San Diego took injured righty Michael Salina, a unique arm talent who has been up to 102 mph in the fourth round, before rounding out their first five rounds with Ty Harvey, an overslot prep catcher out of Florida. When Is The 2026 MLB Draft? April 1st 2026 - MLB announced draft bonus pools and pick values June 2026 - MLB Draft Combine (Chase Field, Arizona) July 11th - 12th: 2026 MLB Draft (Philadelphia, PA) July 11th - Rounds 1-4 (time TBA) July 12th - Round 5 through Round 20 (time TBA) 2026 MLB Draft Combine The draft combine is a newer event that started in the 2021 draft cycle. Held over a five-day period around a month before the draft itself, it serves as an opportunity for prospects to showcase their talents and boost their draft stock, while giving organizations better access to potential picks. In addition to medical examinations and educational programming, players have an opportunity to meet with teams in advance of the draft. Additionally, there are a number of televised workouts, featuring infield and outfield drills, batting practice for hitters, and bullpens for pitchers, all of which are tracked and underpinned by Statcast data. There is an incentive for players to attend and complete medicals, as prospects are guaranteed 75 percent of their draft slot bonus if they participate and complete medicals. How Many Rounds Are There In The MLB Draft? There is yet another design shift ahead of the 2026 draft cycle. It was shortened from a three-day event to a two-day event. Previously, day one included rounds 1 through the supplemental second round, day two included rounds 3 through 10, and day three included rounds 10 through 20. For the 2026 cycle, day one will be adjusted to include rounds one through four (~135 picks). The draft will conclude on day two with rounds five through twenty. MLB Draft Day One Explained The first day of the draft can be chaotic, as additional rounds and picks are in play beyond rounds one and two. The top of the draft (top 6 picks) is now determined by the draft lottery. Every non-playoff team is entered into the lottery, giving them the opportunity to move up in the draft order. Non-lottery-eligible teams are picked in the order they are eliminated from the postseason, with regular-season record ties broken. After the first round, prospect promotion incentive picks take place. If an eligible player wins Rookie of the Year, they earn their organization an extra pick immediately after the completion of the first round. Next come compensation picks, where teams who extend the qualifying offer to a player (who rejects it) earn an additional draft pick. Compensation pick positions depend on the contract size signed by the player rejecting the qualifying offer, as well as the payroll of the organization receiving them (there are additional compensation picks after competitive balance round B and the fourth round). After any compensation picks, comes the competitive balance round A. Teams that have one of the ten smallest markets or ten smallest revenue pools receive an additional pick in round A or round B, on an annually rotating basis. The first day of the draft is capped by the second round, competitive balance round B, and the third and fourth rounds, which typically takes us through approximately 135 picks. MLB Draft Bonus Pool Allocations & Pick Values Prior to the draft, in April, MLB announces each team's bonus pool for the forthcoming draft cycle and the value of every pick in the top 10 rounds. Each pick in the first ten rounds of the draft is assigned a value, with the total of the slots for the picks each organization has in the top ten rounds comprising their total ‘bonus pool’. Organizations can sign a player to a deal greater than a slot or less than a slot, depending on their negotiations with the player, so it’s useful to think of the slots as ‘guidelines’ and little more. Organizations are allowed to spend up to 5% more than their total pool without incurring a penalty, a choice many teams take advantage of. The Twins and the Rockies are the only teams that have never spent any overage on their bonus pool. Any amount up to 5% over the pool is met with a 75% tax on the overage. If a team spends between 5-10% more than their pool, the penalty is 75% tax on the overage and loss of a future first-rounder. Any team that exceeds its bonus pool by more than 10% up to 15% pays 100% tax on the overage and will lose a first and second-round future pick. Any team that exceeds its bonus pool by more than 15% loses two future first-round picks in addition to paying 100% tax on the overage. Rounds 11-20 work differently from the first half of the draft. These picks do not come with an assigned slot value. Teams can spend up to $150,000 per pick without that spending coming out of their bonus pool. If they spend over that amount, any overage will be deducted from their bonus pool. For example, an 11th round pick signing for $250,000 will result in $100,000 being subtracted from that team’s bonus pool. This is where some financial strategy comes into play. Often, teams will look to accrue some ‘savings’ from their bonus pool so they can spend over the maximum of $150,000 for a prospect in the second half of the draft. NOTE: Slot values increased by 2.5% from 2025 to 2026. View Padres Mock Draft Board Padres 2026 MLB Draft Bonus Pool Round Pick Slot Value Round 1 21st $4,224,700 Round 2 60th $1,561,000 Round 3 97th $808,100 Round 4 124th $620,300 FA Compensation (Cease) 134th $563,900 Round 5 157th $449,500 Round 6 186th $350,100 Round 7 215th $276,400 Round 8 245th $226,300 Round 9 275th $205,000 Round 10 305th $193,700 Total Bonus Pool Allocation $9,479,000 (21st in MLB)

I take MLB mock draft rankings from major industry outlets like MLB Pipeline, ESPN, The Athletic (and many others) to form a consensus board, with a working hypothesis that using this approach will eliminate some of the noise and variance in MLB Draft mock rankings. The San Diego Padres’ first five picks are: Round 1: 21st Overall Round 2: 60th Overall Round 3: 97th Overall Round 4: 124th Overall Compensation Round: 134th Overall Round 1: Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State Carlon is one of the fastest-rising college arms in 2026 in a demographic that has suffered from injuries and inconsistent performance. After contributing to the Sun Devils immediately as a freshman bullpen arm, Carlon improved his sophomore season significantly, cutting his ERA in half and flashing far more dominant stuff. It's a good-looking delivery from Carlon. While there aren't outlier release traits, he hides the ball well during his delivery and has an ideal pitcher's frame at 6'5, 220 pounds. He's moved from the bullpen to a starting role in 2026. The results have been spectacular. Carlon had a 4.30 FIP through 83.2 innings of work this season while striking out 38% of hitters. The stuff is as explosive as ever, his fastball sits 94-96 mph, but he's run it up to 100 mph. His slider is one of the best in the class, a mid-80s gyro offering that generates a ton of swing-and-miss. Carlon mixes in a curveball and a changeup too. There's still some refinement needed to the strike throwing, but Carlon's walk rate has improved from 11.3% in 2025 to 8.9% in 2026. Carlon is looking like a first-round prospect with starter traits who should move quickly as a pro. Round 2: Joseph Contreras, RHP, Blessed Trinity Catholic HS (GA) Joseph Contreras, son of Jose Contreras, is a tall, lean, prep pitcher currently committed to Vanderbilt who took center stage for a brief moment in the WBC as a 17-year-old, competing for Brazil against a stacked Team USA lineup. Contreras' fastball sits 94-97 mph and has been up to 100 mph. It's a quick arm, and one can see him sustaining his velocity more consistently with a bit of added weight and strength. For secondaries, there's a mid-80s slider that holds good spin rates and flashes above average to plus, a changeup in the low-80s with good fade, and a split-change/forkball he throws in the high 70s-low 80s that dies at the plate and flashes plus. That's a ton of weapons and velo for a frame still growing and adding strengths who will turn 18 just before the draft. The sky is the limit for Contreras, assuming health and enough strikes with consistency. Round 3: Bo Holloway, LHP, Nolensville HS (TN) Holloway is a large-framed left-handed prep pitcher at 6'5, currently committed to Vanderbilt University. After working with former Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey this year, Holloway has taken a step forward in every area of his game. It's at least a plus fastball, with good carry from a steep angle and high vertical release. It's ticked up in velocity in the past twelve months, and now sits 94-96 mph while grabbing 98 mph. Holloway's secondary arsenal could use some polish. He has an above-average changeup, with good fade and tumble. He hasn't shown a ton of aptitude for spin, as yet, with a fringy slider being his only breaking pitch. The delivery looks good, though, and Holloway is managing plenty of strikes. If he can figure out a breaking pitch that works, it'll be a significant breakthrough for him. Curious to see the players around the San Diego Padres picks in the draft? Click on the button below to view the entire mock draft board!

It's time to check back in with another San Diego Padres mock draft. The MLB Draft is just five weeks away. This class is as muddled as any I've covered, though it's plenty deep in talent. You can find our mock consensus board here. Let's check in on some player profiles it's currently mocking to the Padres with their first few picks in July. Draft aficionados will be used to the concept of a cold weather arms rising throughout the cycle. They don't all look like Brody Bumila, though. The 6'9 two-sport star committed to Texas has been making waves in recent weeks. Padres Mock Draft, No 21: Brody Bumila, LHP, Bishop Feehan HS, MA As you might expect from such a unique frame, there's unique stuff to match. Bumila relies on a fastball that has been as high as 101 mph. It sits in the high 90s, coming at hitters from a drop-and-drive delivery and a lower launch, with good ride at the top of the zone making it a nightmare for prep hitters in MA. There's plenty of work to do on the secondary arsenal. Bumila relies most heavily on a changeup, thrown in the low 80s, but he'll mix in a slider and a curveball too. This is a size and stuff over polish prep arm in what could be one of the higher risk, higher reward plays of the entire class. Padres Mock Draft, No. 97: Tyson LeBlanc, SS, Kansas LeBlanc has had a sensational year at Kansas after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Louisiana State Eunice. He's a rapid riser up draft boards with a solid blend of skills, tools, and production. Setting up from the right side of the plate, LeBlanc has a marginally open stance with an ear high hand set. He has a modified toe tap in his swing, twisting his foot into the ground before unleashing a swing underpinned by good bat speed. There's a good combination of bat-to-ball skills and batted ball data here. LeBlanc has crushed 24 home runs and counting entering Super Regional play, to go with a 140 wRC+. The only real orange flag on offense is a chase rate higher than you'd like to see, though it's not unmanageable. LeBlanc has solid supplementary tools. He should steal a dozen bases or so a year, with above-average speed. He has good actions in the infield to pair with an above-average arm. While he likely won't stick at shortstop at the next level, he should find a home on the dirt somewhere. He's been one of the most well-rounded college hitters in the country in 2026.

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 write-up 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.

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.

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.

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.