2026 MLB Mock Draft: ESPN projects order, landing spot for 20 SEC stars in Rounds 1 & 2
By Ethan Stone
Published:
The 2026 MLB Draft is set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, and ESPN released a 2-round mock draft to get ready for all the action.
The SEC, as you can probably imagine, is well-represented in ESPN’s mock draft, which comprises the first 75 picks of the draft. Twenty former SEC stars are included, hailing from 12 teams. All SEC programs apart from Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Missouri and Auburn are represented in the picks below.
Texas A&M’s Chris Hacopian is set to be the first SEC star off the board. He’ll be starting his MLB career with the Athletics, who are currently playing in Sacramento but will soon set up shop in Las Vegas after their departure from Oakland a few years ago. Notably, Texas A&M and Arkansas lead the way with 3 SEC players projected to be drafted in Rounds 1 & 2.
Here’s a look at each SEC selection from ESPN’s 2026 MLB mock draft:
- No. 8, Athletics — Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M
- No. 9, Atlanta Braves — Tyler Bell, Kentucky
- No. 11, Washington Nationals — Derek Curiel, LSU
- No. 12, Los Angeles Angles — Justin Lebron, Alabama
- No. 13, St. Louis Cardinals — Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas
- No. 15, Arizona Diamondbacks — Hunter Dietz, Arkansas
- No. 16, Texas Rangers — Liam Peterson, Florida
- No. 17, Houston Astros — Daniel Jackson, Georgia
- No. 20, Boston Red Sox — Ace Reese, Mississippi State
- No. 27, New York Mets — Cade Townsend, Ole Miss
- No. 34, Pittsburgh Pirates — Tegan Kuhns, Tennessee
- No. 40, Los Angeles Dodgers — Taylor Rabe, Ole Miss
- No. 54, Texas Rangers — Aiden Robbins, Texas
- No. 55, San Francisco Giants — Cade Sorrell, Texas A&M
- No. 57, Houston Astros — Carson Tinney, Texas
- No. 58, Cincinnati Reds — Gavin Grahovac, Texas A&M
- No. 59, Cleveland Guardians — Joey Volchko, Georgia
- No. 65, Seattle Mariners — Jake Brown, LSU
- No. 67, Boston Red Sox — Carson Wiggins, Arkansas
- No. 75, Chicago Cubs — Jaxon Willits, Oklahoma
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
