2026 MLB Draft

[ghostrunner]

From a longer article on mlb.com

Though he hits the ball hard (exit velocities have topped 100 mph), the 18-year-old has struggled to pull it in the air consistently, which limits his slugging numbers. But scouts believe he has the ability to generate average power as a pro. Condon has good bat speed and can hit to all fields, despite what scouts say is an unconventional swing with an upright barrel.

[phins]

Kenny
3:02
Are the PCA-Condon comps from the MLB Network guys actually insane? Asking a Cubs fan, don’t want the Cards to have their own Pete.
Eric A Longenhagen
3:02
I mean, PCA's defense was just so, so special from the jump, he's kind of a 1-of-1 in that sense. I can't remember putting a def 7 or 8 on a HS outfielder's defense.
jonmberra
3:03
Card's fan here, what's your thoughts on the Condon pick?
Brendan Gawlowski
3:03
We were having a talk about whether he's the least toolsy guy taken so far...
Eric A Longenhagen
3:04
Good little athlete, contact oriented, well-rounded, not big loud tools tho

Sounds like the FanGraphs sees him similarly to me.

And if someone searched, you'd see I LOVED Corbin Carroll. That was the guy of this archetype I loved. He was so twitchy and got to legit power.

Condon has zero over the fence power. He's a slug through taking extra base type. He will get some triples rather than doubles and turn singles into doubles.

I'd like him a lot more if I thought he was a PCA glove, but he really is kind of average. Speed doesn't play on defense as much as you'd think.

The arm does.

[cardsfantx]

It’s funny that every place has him listed at 5’11”

But in his own video mlb did with him he states he's 5’9” lol

[phins]

It’s funny that every place has him listed at 5’11”

But in his own video mlb did with him he states he's 5’9” lol

I don't know where the 5-11 came from. They measure them at the Combine. He's little and has little physical projection.

In fact, he might be one that honestly goes down a bit from now as he fills out because his speed is so much a part of his profile.

I don't do this for a living and those guys do. They're great at it. I'm a dork on the internet watching video and making my own evaluations. I'm sure they're better at it than me. I'm sure they're smarter. So disregard me and listen to them.

I'm just offering my own thoughts in real time and off the cuff while they've been running scenarios and talking to the players for months.

They know what they're doing and have a dev vision. He's not for me, but now that he's picked I'm ready to tell lies about him.

[cardsfantx]

With our next pick; #32, the cards take Tegan Kuhns P Tenn

We really like Tennessee apparently (and condon was a Tenn commit)

[phins]

Teagan Kuhns is a nice pick. Upside guy with another fastball.

Needs a lot of dev, but I think he is a great bet.

[phins]

Kuhns gets down the mound and performed at all places. Fastball/Curve/Change.

Loved the tidbit on the slider grip because that's not something I knew or had. I rated his slider as a throwaway pitch because his flat release and vertical release usually doesn't spin a slider that well, but if a grip could make that play against righties, he's a guy with the upside to be the second best college arm for me.

The lefties might be safer, but I like a dev ball of clay.

[Felix The Cat]

After a brief, dominant stint on the Cape in 2025, Kuhns had a big draft-eligible sophomore season as the Volunteers' Friday guy. He posted a 3.56 ERA with just shy of 11 strikeouts per nine and a tiny walk rate across 81 innings. He’s a projectable righty, a good athlete with a shooting guard’s frame. He hasn't filled out yet and could have a little more velo coming as he matures, particularly in his lower half. His delivery is complicated, herky jerky at the outset with pronounced spinal tilt and head movement throughout, which makes his ability to not just throw strikes but move the ball around as impressive as it is surprising.

Kuhns sits 93-95 and touches 98 with above-average carry. He gets down the mound and tilts in a way that gives him a low release. The fastball tunnels well with his primary offspeed, a 12-6 curve that flashes plus; his feel for adding and subtracting on this pitch stands out immediately. He also has an above-average change with fade and sink, and a slider that lags behind his curve. The big question here is whether Kuhns has a breaking ball that will miss bats against elite hitters. The curve did the job in college, and will steal plenty of strikes, but it likely won't be quite sharp enough to be a true out pitch. If he’s able to hone his command and find a bat-misser for righties, he otherwise has the traits of a mid-rotation starter.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

Kuhns turned down seven-figure overtures from multiple big league clubs in the 2024 Draft before ultimately going unselected. He tired down the stretch of his freshman season at Tennessee before looking spectacular in three Cape Cod League starts last summer. One of the top sophomore-eligible pitching prospects in the 2026 crop, he's making a push for the first round by heating up after a slow start.

Kuhns spins the ball very well, producing good carry on a fastball that parks at 93-96 mph and peaks at 98 and downer break on an upper-70s curveball. Both are plus offerings and they can become more formidable if they add more power as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-3 frame. He has struggled to find a reliable third pitch, scrapping his upper-80s cutter while still struggling to land his mid-80s changeup or low-80s slider for strikes.

Kuhns has the ingredients to pitch in the front half of a rotation. He's doing a better of job of repeating his athletic delivery as he gets stronger, which also could help him develop a more dependable third option. He battled his control and command for much of his freshman season but pounded the zone on the Cape and has continued to do so this spring.

[Fan_In_NY]

Kuhns was excellent in the Cape. Traditionally it seemed the Cardinals really really scout the cape and do a lot of their evaluations based on performance there. Not sure if that continues with the current scouting/draft staff that they have now.

[cardsfantx]

32. St. Louis Cardinals

Pick: RHP Tegan Kuhns
BA Draft Rank: 22
Reaction: Kuhns is a first-round talent who the Cardinals are getting at 32nd overall. Kuhns is already a good pitcher and there is still more physical projection and developmental opportunities for his best days to be ahead of him, offering a lot of value and upside for the Cardinals to get him here.

Scouting Report: Coming out of high school in Pennsylvania, Kuhns ranked as a top-60 prospect with some of the best pure stuff in the 2024 prep class. He went undrafted and made it to campus at Tennessee, where he pitched his way into the weekend rotation as a freshman in 2025. As a draft-eligible sophomore in 2026, he posted a 3.56 ERA over 14 starts and 81 innings, with a 31% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate.

Kuhns is a lean righthander with a 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame and long levers. He’s an excellent mover on the mound and repeats his three-quarters arm slot nicely, with some length to his arm action in the back. He has a four-pitch mix that’s led by a four-seam fastball with the traits teams tend to target. He averages just over 94 mph and will touch 98-99. His fastball arrives with above-average riding life from a low release height with a flat vertical approach angle. Despite checking all the analytical boxes, Kuhns’ fastball can be hit hard. He’s an above-average strike-thrower with his fastball, but he throws too many in the middle or lower parts of the zone, where it can flatten out. Kuhns throws a pair of high-spin breaking pitches, including a hammer curveball in the upper 70s with 12-to-6 shape. He leaned heavily on his curveball in the second half of 2026, but he also throws a promising gyro slider in the low 80s and a mid-80s changeup he mostly uses against lefties. Kuhns is a high-probability starter with physical projection whose upside will depend on his secondary development and command.