The Tampa Bay Rays landed one of the 2026 MLB Draft’s best values when they selected left-hander Kyle Johnson from Virginia with the 174th overall pick in the sixth round, according to MLB Pipeline analysts who identified the best pick from each of the first 10 rounds.
Johnson, ranked No. 150 on MLB Pipeline’s draft board, fell well below his talent level, analyst Jonathan Mayo said. “The numbers don’t look pretty, he struggled performance-wise at Virginia, but he had been a two-way player,” Mayo said. “He’s a super athletic left-hander with really, really good raw stuff. To get him in the sixth round, I don’t know if he ends up in a bullpen or he’s going to start, but the athleticism, the left-handedness, and the premium raw stuff, that’s a good get at this point in the Draft.”
The 2026 Draft spanned 20 rounds plus compensatory rounds, totaling 613 picks. Mayo and fellow analyst Jim Callis broke down the best selection from each of the first 10 rounds on the Pipeline Podcast, with Johnson standing out as the Rays’ featured steal.
The biggest first-round value belonged to left-hander Gio Rojas, taken No. 16 overall by the Rangers despite being ranked No. 8. “I don’t think the Rangers thought they were going to get him, and they have also not gone the high school pitching route in the first round at all, so I kind of like that they saw this opportunity to get who we consider the best high school arm in the class and one of the best pitchers total at No. 16,” Mayo said.
Other notable steals included left-hander Hunter Dietz, taken No. 35 by the Yankees despite a No. 17 ranking. Dietz pitched just 1.2 innings in his first two seasons at Arkansas after a stress fracture in his elbow required surgery. “I’m just amazed that the Yankees got this guy with the 35th overall pick. I think he’s going to be very, very good,” Callis said. Third baseman Gavin Grahovac went No. 81 to the Angels despite a No. 38 ranking after hitting 22 home runs this season following a torn labrum. “He hit 23 homers as a freshman. Then he got hurt, tore his labrum in his shoulder and missed most of last year. Came back this year, hit 22 homers, some of the best bat speed and raw power you’re going to find in the Draft,” Callis said.
Catcher Will Brick, ranked No. 46, fell to the Blue Jays at No. 131 in the fourth round. “He’s the best high school catcher in the class. There’s power there, he’s a really good defender behind the plate,” Mayo said. Outfielder Will Gasparino went No. 161 to the Phillies despite a No. 72 ranking. “It’s an exciting package of tools here. He’s 6-foot-6 … he’s very graceful and athletic despite being such a big guy,” Callis said. Shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, taken No. 50 by the Cardinals and ranked No. 49, drew praise from Mayo as a “super young player, reclassified, really good defender. He’s going to play shortstop for a long time.”
Among later-round highlights, right-hander Savion Sims went No. 213 to the Guardians despite a No. 85 ranking. “He’s 6-foot-8, 215 pounds. Hits 100 mph with his fastball, does it with ease,” Callis said. Outfielder Martin Shelar, taken No. 274 by the Red Sox, hit 19 home runs in 33 high school games and launched a ball 470 feet at the Draft Combine. Right-hander Nick Bonn, an unranked reliever who led Division I pitchers with 17 saves, went No. 294 to the Cardinals. Shortstop Will Plunkett, ranked No. 198, was selected No. 230 by the Orioles.
The Rays and other clubs will now turn to signing their draft picks before the mid-August deadline, with bonus pool allocations shaping negotiations across all 30 organizations.