After a whole spring of uncertainty and complaints that the 2026 MLB Draft class wasn’t measuring up to expectations (it didn’t), the beginning of the first round featured most of the best players in the class. Through pick 19, there were some individual selections that were surprising, but all of the players taken among the first 19 were ranked in my top 42, so I had rated them all as no worse than the very top of the second round. The moment we hit pick 20, things got weird, although that does make it interesting.Click here for all of the picks on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft!Here are some thoughts on Day 1 of the draft, with the understanding that many teams still have money to play with and there are some good players still on the board:First round leans towards college picks, as high school arms go laterThe first round was college-heavy, which I think everyone expected. Only eight of the 26 picks that were ‘true’ first-rounders were high school players, and the two compensation picks that were sprinkled in there were both college guys.The industry trend away from taking high school pitchers in the first round is probably more than just a trend at this point. There were only two selected in the first round, and one was taken by the Padres, which doesn’t count since they seemingly take a high school pitcher in the first round every year. Seven more high school pitchers went off the board by the end of the second round, for comparison’s sake.White Sox among teams that had strong first daysThe Chicago White Sox had a tremendous draft. They had the No. 1 pick, the second pick in every round afterwards, added pick 34 in a trade on Friday night, and they have imported a ton of talent already with Rounds 5-20 left to come tomorrow.They grabbed the general consensus No. 1 prospect in UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, two high-upside high school hitters in Landon Thome and Cole Prosek, and a project with upside in Georgia right-hander Joey Volchko. Their last pick, Oregon State right-hander Eric Segura, is a sinker/slider guy who could be a back-end starter if he can reduce his platoon split.I love what the Colorado Rockies did, as they grabbed two up-the-middle players in Kentucky shortstop Tyler Bell (ranked third on my Big Board) and Cincinnati catcher Jack Natili (just missed the top 100, but with everyday catcher upside). They also selected Golden Spikes winner Daniel Jackson out of Georgia and maybe the best pitcher in the class when healthy in UCLA right-hander Logan Reddemann.I don’t see Jackson staying behind the plate and I inferred that the Rockies don’t either, given the selection of Natili, which would lead to a playing-time crunch if Jackson still catches regularly. (He could catch once or twice a week to spell Natili.) I thought Bell was underrated all year because he was playing with one working shoulder and still was among the best hitters in the SEC. Had he been healthy, Bell would have been in the top pick conversation, in my view.Zion Rose went earlier than expected in the first round, but the Royals got a talented hitter in Rose and will likely save money for their later, high-upside selections. (Steven Branscombe / Imagn Images)The Kansas City Royals played it a little differently this year, but I also loved their draft. They took Louisville outfielder Zion Rose at No. 6, and he will probably come in under slot. He’s one of the best pure hitters in this draft class, and a sneaky-good athlete for a former catcher. Then they took right-hander Taylor Rabe, a late-rising starter from Mississippi who could move pretty quickly through the minors. Their third-round pick was left-hander Maxx Yehl, who came back from Tommy John surgery to become the West Virginia Mountaineers’ best starter this year. At worst, he projects as a good reliever.The money they might save on Rose and Yehl (a redshirt junior) will go to second-round pick Jack Slightom, one of the hottest names in my conversations with scouts the last few weeks. He’s a high school righty with a very fast arm, a big frame and good characteristics on his pitches. High school outfielder Dominic Battista, their fourth-round pick, is a sleeper among scouts who have the Chicago area, as he’s a little undersized but some folks love the swing and potential for power.Twins hit with Lackey at 3. Will the Rays regret passing over him?The Twins had to be over the moon to get Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey with the third pick. He would have been my pick at No. 1, after I’d gone back and forth for weeks between him and Cholowsky (there’s no wrong answer, but I think Lackey’s upside is too big to pass on). The Twins also backed that up with hard-hitting Carson Tinney out of Texas with the 43rd pick. He’s nominally a catcher whose best position is “batter’s box.” Their last three picks were pitchers who offer some sort of upside, whether it’s pitch selection (Brett Renfrow), injury (Tommy LaPour) or a young high schooler who’s recently seen his stuff tick up (Ethan Wachsmann).The Rays did land the best high school player in the class in Grady Emerson, and I know a lot of people believed he was the best prospect in the class, but I wouldn’t have passed on Lackey with the second pick. (And not just because the Rays drafted the best high school player in the class in 2008, passing on a college catcher who turned out to be Buster Posey.) The Rays’ draft was high school-heavy, which makes some sense given their player development successes the last few years, with one college pick, right-hander Ben Blair of Liberty, mixed in.Most interesting pickThe most interesting pick of the first round was right-hander Carson Wiggins, the Mets’ first selection, because he could pitch in pro ball and even in the majors this year if the Mets so desired.Wiggins had the internal brace procedure last spring, but chose not to pitch for Arkansas this year, so he’s now fully recovered. That would leave him available to pitch as soon as he signs, unlike the typical college pitcher who is shut down the moment the ink is dry. I don’t know if I think it’s a good pick, as I had Wiggins at No. 72 on my board, and if he’s only a reliever that’s not an ideal use of a first-round pick, but it is definitely interesting.Best value picksThe best value of Day 1, just comparing draft position to my rankings, was high school catcher Will Brick, taken by the Blue Jays in the fourth round at pick No. 131. He was 32nd on my board for a 99-pick difference. I imagine this pick means we’re going to see a lot of seniors and money-savers from Toronto on Sunday, as Brick is committed to Mississippi State and was the best high school catcher in the draft class, with the potential for plus defense and excellent bat speed.The second-best value was UCLA infielder Roman Martin, who was 26th on my board but went to the A’s in the fourth round at pick No. 111. Martin is a natural shortstop who moved to third base in deference to Cholowsky — but Martin’s the better defender, and should move right back to shortstop upon entering pro ball.I didn’t think Martin was really a ‘sleeper’ playing on one of the best teams in college baseball this year, but maybe he was under-appreciated because he was playing out of position and UCLA’s lineup was so loaded.I really loved the Athletics’ draft, probably the most I have in a long time, as they ended up with four players in my top 48, and third-round pick Jacob Dudan would have been ranked higher had he not blown out his elbow after NC State ran up his pitch counts.Biggest reachesThe biggest reaches for me, again going strictly off my pre-draft rankings, were UNC shortstop Jake Schaffner at pick 20 to the Red Sox (No. 79 on my pre-draft board), and the two unranked players who went at pick 25 and 26 — high school shortstop Trey Ebel to Milwaukee and Indiana State outfielder Carter Beck to Atlanta.Beck was, by far, the shocker of the day, and certainly had the largest delta between what I thought he was (third-to-fifth round) and where he was drafted. He didn’t have trouble getting to velocity when he did see it, but he barely saw anything 95+ all year and didn’t see quality breaking stuff, while he posted a chase rate right at the Division 1 median despite playing in a mid-major conference. He does have some high exit velocities and is an above-average runner, so there are some tools here, but we don’t have much evidence to say how he’ll hit against pro quality pitching.Schaffner was at least on my board, and I think he’s a better hitter than his surface stats indicate, but I really didn’t like his defense at shortstop and think he might be better suited to center field.Ebel doesn’t have a carrying tool, but does get high marks for his instincts on both sides of the ball, and I like his hit tool a little more than I liked his brother Brady’s (who’ll be his teammate in Milwaukee’s system).Phillies puzzle on Day 1I don’t grade drafts, as I think that implies a level of certainty or knowledge that I do not have, so I’ll say I don’t get the Phillies’ draft and leave it at that.With their first pick (No. 36), they took high school shortstop Tyler Spangler, a teenager with a back injury that kept him from playing all spring. Their second pick was Missouri State outfielder Caden Bogenpohl, who has otherworldly power and is a pretty good athlete but whiffs on pitches in the zone a ton, even fastballs. Their third pick was Texas senior right-hander Ruger Riojas, a solid pick for the spot who’ll move fast if they put him in the bullpen, followed by a future reliever in LSU right-hander Deven Sheerin, fine value for the fourth round. Philly’s last pick (compensation fourth round) was 23.5-year-old Kentucky right-hander Jaxon Jelkin, who has injury and makeup questions on his resume.I see the desire for upside, but I view the risk/reward calculations differently than the Phillies do.Best available for Day 2With four rounds on Day 1, there are fewer ranked players available for Day 2 than in a typical draft, but there are still some big talents left on the board. By my rankings, the best remaining: