The Tampa Bay Rays concluded the 2026 First-Year Player Draft by selecting 21 players, with a heavy emphasis on pitching. The class features 17 hurlers, including 15 right-handers and 2 left-handers, alongside 4 position players.

The Headliners

The Rays selected shortstop Grady Emerson out of Fort Worth Christian School in Texas with the second overall pick. Emerson enters the organization with a highly decorated amateur resume, having been named the 2026 Gatorade National Player of the Year.

In Competitive Balance Round A, the Rays picked shortstop Taj Marchand from James Island High School in South Carolina. Marchand batted .531 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs in his senior year, securing back-to-back MaxPreps South Carolina Player of the Year honors.

2026 Draft Class at a Glance

The draft breakdown shows a nearly even split between the amateur ranks, with 11 players selected out of college programs and 10 directly from high school.

Premium college arms, such as Round 2 pick Ben Blair from Liberty, highlight the collegiate pitching crop. The Rays also targeted size later in the draft, picking up 6-foot-7 Mason Bixby from Oklahoma and 6-foot-6 Cole Stokes from Florida State.

The front office pulled talent heavily from the Southeast, tapping Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida for 3 players each.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.