This weekend, hundreds of baseball prospects from high school, college, and beyond will gather for the 2026 installment of the MLB Draft, the first step to future superstardom in The Show. 

Traditionally held during the summer’s All-Star Break, the MLB Draft is set for 20 rounds, with five rounds and 135 picks unfolding on the first day alone. This year’s draft is set for July 11 and July 12, with the first 10 overall picks broadcast live on NBC and Peacock. 

But how does the MLB Draft work, which teams have the early picks, and who are the top prospects? Let’s take a quick look at what you need to know.

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How does the MLB Draft work?Vahn Lackey of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bats during the Tuesday evening men's college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Vahn Lackey, #25, of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bats during the Tuesday evening men’s college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on April 21, 2026 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Like the NFL and NBA Drafts, the MLB Draft’s initial selections are based on each team’s record from the previous season of competition. The teams with the worst records in the league go first, the teams that did OK but didn’t make the postseason go next, then the teams that made the postseason, and finally the winner of last year’s World Series. 

Each of the 18 teams which missed the 2025 MLB postseason were entered in a lottery system prior to the draft, with odds increasing depending on the number of losses. Six of these teams will receive the first six draft picks based on the lottery draw, with the remaining 12 teams arranged from 7-18 according to their records. Then the postseason teams are added on for picks 19-30. 

But that’s not the whole story of the draft order. In an effort to encourage parity between teams, the MLB offers several additional picks on the basis of certain factors, including how quickly teams promote players from the minors (Prospect Promotion Incentive or PPI picks), which teams lost free agents after making offers (Compensatory Picks), and which teams are in the league’s 10 smallest baseball markets (Competitive Balance picks). That means the draft’s exact number of picks, and its various order shifting rules, make it look different every single year.

RELATED: Full Schedule of 2026 MLB Games on NBC and Peacock

What is the 2026 MLB Draft order?Roch Cholowsky of the UCLA Bruins runs during the game against St. Mary's Gaels.

Roch Cholowsky, #1, of the UCLA Bruins runs during the game against St. Mary’s Gaels at Jackie Robinson Stadium on May 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Photo: Ric Tapia/Getty Images

The MLB Draft features 20 rounds, and will draft hundreds of players to major league clubs and their minor league farm systems, so for the sake of brevity we’re only going to cover the first round here. 

First, it’s important to know that the MLB’s Competitive Balance Tax rules, designed to penalize teams who spend past a certain salary threshold to avoid monopolies on talent, can result in a loss of draft picks for teams who incur the tax. In 2026, the Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, and Phillies were each assessed a 10-pick penalty, bumping them further down the draft order. With that in mind, here’s what Saturday’s first round will look like.

Atlanta Braves (Prospect Promotion Incentive)

New York Mets (Prospect Promotion Incentive)

Houston Astros ((Prospect Promotion Incentive)

San Francisco Giants (Competitive Balance)

Kansas City Royals (Competitive Balance)

Arizona Diamondbacks (Competitive Balance)

St. Louis Cardinals (Competitive Balance)

Tampa Bay Rays (Competitive Balance)

Pittsburgh Pirates (Competitive Balance)

New York Yankees (Competitive Balance)

Philadelphia Phillies (Competitive Balance)

Colorado Rockies (Competitive Balance)

To see the full Draft Order for all 20 rounds, head to MLB’s website.

Who are the top prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft?

Obviously draft picks can change at any moment up until the time the commissioner announces them, and anything can happen on Draft Day, but there are certain clear frontrunners to look out for.

At the top, based on MLB’s own prospect rankings, is 18-year-old Shortstop Grady Emerson of Fort Worth Christian School. Prospects two, three, and four are all older players, 21-year-old college prospects with more playing time under their belts, including UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, George Tech catcher Vahn Lackey, and the right-handed pitcher from UC Santa Barbara, Jackson Flora. In fifth, we’ve got another high school prospect and another 18-year-old shortstop, Jacob Lombard out of Florida’s Gulliver Prep. 

To see MLB’s list of the top 250 prospects in the Draft, head to their website.

How to Watch the 2026 MLB Draft

You can catch the first 90 minutes, featuring the first 10 overall draft picks in Major League Baseball in 2026, live on NBC and Peacock, beginning Saturday, July 17 at 1 p.m. ET. 

MLB on NBC & Peacock This Season

The MLB is back on NBC and Peacock this season with the addition of Sunday Night Baseball in primetime and plenty of Peacock-exclusive games on the slate this season. Find the full schedule right here. Peacock will also stream games of the day throughout the season during the week, so be sure to check in weekly for that specific schedule week-to-week.

The full slate features plenty of storied rivalries from across the league. Sunday Night Baseball will be home to division rivalry games including Braves-Phillies (April 19); Tigers-Royals (May 10); Rangers-Angels (May 24); Cubs-Cardinals (May 31); Mets-Phillies (June 21); Yankees-Red Sox (June 28); Padres-Dodgers (July 5); Mariners-Astros (August 16); and Padres-Giants (Sept. 13). Catch it all on Peacock right here.