Marlins mainly linked to college bats in final 2026 mock drafts

[Ely Sussman]

As usual, the Miami Marlins are keeping their MLB Draft plans close to the vest. Being in the middle of the pack in terms of both draft order and overall bonus pool size, there are many factors beyond their control, anyway. In other words, predicting who they'll get with the 14th overall pick and beyond is difficult.

Don't let that spoil the fun! Updated early Saturday morning, here is a roundup of the latest mock drafts from Fish On First's in-house analysts and leading national baseball publications.

 

Hector Rodriguez of Fish On First

• No. 14 pick: Ace Reese, 1B/3B, Mississippi State
• No. 52 pick: Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF
• No. 71 pick: Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA
• No. 87 pick: Jack Slightom, RHP, Lyons HS (IL)
• No. 115 pick: Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers
• No. 147 pick: Deven Sheerin, RHP, LSU

 

Sean McCormack of Fish On First

• No. 14 pick: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
• No. 52 pick: Ethan Bass, SS, Glenbrook North HS (IL)
• No. 71 pick: Ryan Peterson, RHP, Sam Houston State
• No. 87 pick: Alex Conover, OF, Oklahoma State
• No. 115 pick: Jake Carbaugh, RHP, Plant City HS (FL)

 

FOF Mock Draft Consensus Board (courtesy of Jamie Cameron)

• No. 14 pick: AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
• No. 52 pick: Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn
• No. 71 pick: Owen Hull, OF, North Carolina
• No. 87 pick: Ruger Riojas, RHP, Texas
• No. 115 pick: Daniel Cuvet, 1B/3B, Miami

 

Carlos Collazo of Baseball America

No. 14 pick: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M

"I’ve continued to hear that Derek Curiel might be the preferred target here for the Marlins. If he gets this far on the board, I would expect him to be the pick. There are plenty of scenarios where that doesn’t happen, including this one. I’ll stick with Hacopian, though other bats like Ace Reese, AJ Gracia or Sawyer Strosnider could make some sense. Zion Rose is a bat I’ll speculate on some here as well. He could wind up surprising people with where he goes on draft day, even if I don’t have a no-doubt obvious landing spot for him in this mock."

 

Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline

No. 14 pick: Derek Curiel, OF, LSU

"The Marlins might not think the LSU standout will still be on the board, but if he is, he could get the nod over Hacopian or one of the college arms who come up at this point in the Draft, like Peterson or Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns."

 

Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline

No. 14 pick: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (FL)

"This would be a coup for the Marlins, who couldn’t have expected to get Lombard even a few days ago. If this doesn’t come true, Reese, Grindlinger and Georgia prep outfielder Trevor Condon make sense here."

 

Keith Law of The Athletic

No. 14 pick: Taylor Rabe, RHP, Ole Miss

"Rabe is the hottest name in the draft in terms of how much he seems to go up every time I do this exercise, having finished very strongly and scoring very well in teams’ draft models. I have heard them a little with some upside players (Justin Lebron, Gio Rojas), but more with somewhat safer college players, hitters or pitchers. The Marlins’ model tends to favor defense, so Lebron might fit but several of the other college bats wouldn’t."

 

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs

No. 14 pick: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)

"The Marlins have targeted big upside in recent drafts, usually with power-hitting position players who have struggled to hit. A continuation of that strategy could lead them to Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron in this scenario. If they want to change course, well, most of the high-contact college hitters are off the board here. High school outfielder Trevor Condon is the prep version of that profile. This is late for the first prep arm to go and would be great value, with a cherry of positive optics on top because Rojas is local."

 

Adrian White of Just Baseball

No. 14 pick: Ace Reese, 1B/3B, Mississippi State

"Reese makes sense for Miami as one of the best college bats still available. The defensive home is not completely settled, but the left-handed power plays in this part of the round. He produced in the SEC, with enough contact ability to avoid the power-only label. Miami could let him continue proving himself at third base, though first base may be the cleaner long-term fit. Either way, the Marlins are betting on a bat with a chance to anchor the middle of a lineup."

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[UKPhil]

Well done Sean McCormack for picking #71 Ryan Peterson