Kiley McDaniel

It's Top 100 Day! The article is stuffed with 25,000 words of tool grades, scouting reports, and notes on the metas that teams are using to find value in scouting and development espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

@MichaelJ930 @BayAreaEmo @BenKaspick Rodriguez is 3 levels ahead of Jordan while only 1 year older, playing the most valuable defensive position on the field, and hitting at league average. Jordan has more tools and is still just behind him despite all that.

@BayAreaEmo @BenKaspick @kileymcd In what world is Jesus Rodriguez a better prospect than Jordan?

Per the great prospect analyst @kileymcd, #SFGiants No. 4 overall pick Jackson Flora becomes the team's No. 2 overall prospect, ahead of some really talented Top-100 hitting prospects.

Capping off the comprehensive draft coverage with some pre-trade deadline content... Updated MLB team top 10 prospect lists with 2026 draft picks included! Lots of graduations and movement while 51 recent draftees made the lists: espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

New and EXCLUSIVE at ESPN: Last Friday, I was given unprecedented access to the White Sox draft room where they debated taking Roch or Grady. It was fascinating and a close call. And all of it was on the record. It's a story of team collaboration: espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

@Blane4485751 @MurrietaMarine @SleeperAstros by how scouts mean it, there’s never more than 12 aces at any given time, sometimes as few as 8. We don’t mean the top starter for all 30 teams, we are referring to a tier of performance.

@MurrietaMarine @SleeperAstros @kileymcd They are always conservative. You rarely hear anyone call someone a future Ace unless they are really special coming out. He could be an Ace but it all depends on his development

ESPN’s @kileymcd had high praise for the Astros’ second first-round pick, RHP Jack Radel: “RHP Jack Radel (first round) is a personal favorite who has a lot of projection traits teams are looking for: 7-foot-plus extension, fastball up to 98 mph, three breaking-ball shapes, great strikeout-to-walk rate and among the best command scores in the draft. If he continues progressing, Radel is looking like a midrotation starter.”

Over 10,000 words recapping the draft hauls of all 30 teams. Cardinals fans will like this one espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

My day one recap is up: - favorite picks - head scratchers - steal of the draft? - main takeaway - best avail for day 2 espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

The mock in question: espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

As I’ve always said, read the first four picks in my mock draft, then throw it in the garbage, then go pick it back up because I’ll nail five picks in the middle of the 2nd round, including three in a row. 🤷🏼‍♂️

"I have had people tell me, 'I want to pick this guy, I can't pick him until you put him higher [in the rankings].'" @kileymcd on how and why teams manipulate the pre-draft process 🤯| @Buster_ESPN

TCU righty Lance Davis has withdrawn from the draft, per source.

The 13-pick update (shuffled the same pool of names) and corresponding late intel are up at the same link: espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

Final Mock Draft! Two full rounds of projections! Lots of intrigue at the top is taking shape, but is definitely not settled yet. Notes on signable high schoolers, threats to go to college, team connections, etc. espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

@EthanHullihen @MattEddyBA Yes. 1-1:30 is pregame show is what I was told.

@kileymcd @MattEddyBA Is start considered 1:30?

Deadline for trading any other comp picks is 11:30 am eastern tomorrow. More on that here: espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

BREAKING: Rookie standout JJ Wetherholt and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a long-term contract extension that will buy out multiple years of free agency, sources tell ESPN. Wetherholt, 23, has been tremendous and is the latest rookie to land a nine-figure contract.

Two new draft blog posts: 1. how the CBA negotiations, the weak depth of this draft, and *HUGE* NIL deals are causing teams, colleges, and agents to pivot at the last minute. 2. more details on comp picks that may be traded in the next 22 hours. espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

I also stopped by to talk mostly draft and a little trade deadline with @Buster_ESPN on the BBTN podcast: espn.com/radio/play/_/i…

Final draft rankings have dropped: a top 250! Tons of movement and new names, including a few that teams will be mad I printed because only a few teams know about those players espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

so that was a wild game

here's the news story: espn.com/mlb/story/_/id…

MLB teams are conferring with their doctors to decide how this impacts their evaluation of Bumila for Saturday's MLB Draft. He was seen as a top 25 pick until his velocity tailed off late in the season, pushing him down the board a bit before today's news.

This morning, prep LHP Brody Bumila shared an MRI with MLB teams that revealed a UCL injury in his left elbow, per sources. The 6-foot-9 Texas commit had an internal brace procedure in 2025 and came back this spring regularly hitting 100+ mph.