PHILADELPHIA – Twenty Team USA alumni were selected in the first round of the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Saturday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including first overall pick Roch Cholowsky. This year marks the third time since 1972 that 20 Team USA alumni have been drafted in the first round. USA Baseball has now had 623 athletes drafted in the first round, and this is the 21st time in the last 25 years that the first overall pick played for Team USA.

Cholowsky (No. 1, Chicago White Sox) becomes the 39th USA Baseball national team alumnus to be selected first overall. The 2025 Collegiate National Team alum joins an impressive list of former Team USA players to be selected No. 1 overall, including Paul Skenes (2023), Jackson Holliday (2022), Adley Rutschman (2019), Gerrit Cole (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), and Stephen Strasburg (2009). This year marks the first time the Chicago White Sox have selected a USA Baseball alum with the first overall pick.

Eight of the top 10 picks in the MLB Draft were USA Baseball national team alumni, including four of the first five selections. Cholowsky was followed by four-time alum Grady Emerson, who went second overall to the Tampa Bay Rays. Vahn Lackey came off the board next, going third overall to the Minnesota Twins before Derek Curiel was selected fifth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

USA Baseball alumni continued to come off the board, as the Kansas City Royals selected Zion Rose sixth overall before a trio of USA Baseball alumni–Drew Burress (No. 8, Athletics), AJ Gracia (No. 9, Atlanta Braves), and Tyler Bell (No. 10, Colorado Rockies)--rounded out the top 10.

Three-time alum Jared Grindlinger was the next Team USA alum to be chosen, going No. 12 to the Los Angeles Angels. Three Team USA alumni then went consecutively from picks No. 14 to 16. Just three years after his brother, George Lombard Jr., went 26th overall to the New York Yankees, Jacob Lombard got the call from the Miami Marlins at pick No. 14. Ryder Helfrick (No. 15, Arizona Diamondbacks) then became the seventh player from the 2025 Collegiate National Team to come off the board, while Gio Rojas followed at 16th overall by the Texas Rangers.

A pair of 2024 Collegiate National Team alumni went back-to-back at picks No. 18 and 19, as Justin Lebron was selected at No. 18 by the Cincinnati Reds before Liam Peterson went 19th overall to the Cleveland Guardians. At No. 21, the San Diego Padres selected 2025 USA Baseball Richard W. “Dick” Case Award winner Coleman Borthwick–the fifth player from the 2025 18U National Team to be drafted.

Three more USA Baseball alumni heard their names called, as right-hander Cade Townsend went No. 23 to the Chicago Cubs and Ace Reese followed at 24th overall to the Seattle Mariners. Trey Ebel was selected No. 25 by the Milwaukee Brewers, just one year after his brother, Brady, was chosen by the same Club with the 32nd overall pick. 18U National Team alumni Carson Bolemon (No. 29, San Francisco Giants) and Tegan Kuhns (No. 32, St. Louis Cardinals) wrapped up Team USA’s first-round selections.

In total, all four amateur USA Baseball national teams were represented in Saturday’s first round. The Collegiate National Teams led all national teams with 10 alumni, including nine from the 2025 squad being selected. The 18U National Team followed with nine draftees, including eight from the World Cup-winning 2025 18U National Team. Four players who have suited up for the 15U National Team heard their names called, while the 12U National Team had one alumnus–Grindlinger–drafted.

Twelve players selected in the opening round have participated in USA Baseball’s national team development programming. Nine players competed at previous editions of the 16U/17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) while four Team USA alumni drafted in the first round have competed in USA Baseball and Major League Baseball joint development events. Additionally, 34 players chosen in the first 37 picks of the opening round participated at the MLB Draft Combine.

In addition to the 20 alumni selected, 2026 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award winner Daniel Jackson was chosen with the 37th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies. Jackson was named the 48th winner of the Golden Spikes Award in June.

The full list of USA Baseball alumni selected in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft is as follows:

Round-Pick; Name; MLB Teams; USA Baseball National Team(s)

• 1-1; Roch Cholowsky; Chicago White Sox; 2025 CNT
• 1-2; Grady Emerson; Tampa Bay Rays; 2022 & 2023 15U, 2024 & 2025 18U
• 1-3; Vahn Lackey; Minnesota Twins; 2025 CNT
• 1-5; Derek Curiel; Pittsburgh Pirates; 2023 18U
• 1-6; Zion Rose; Kansas City Royals; 2024 & 2025 CNT
• 1-8; Drew Burress; Athletics ; 2019 15U, 2024 & 2025 CNT
• 1-9; AJ Gracia; Atlanta Braves; 2024 & 2025 CNT
• 1-10; Tyler Bell; Colorado Rockies; 2025 CNT
• 1-12; Jared Grindlinger; Los Angeles Angels; 2021 12U, 2024 15U, 2025 18U
• 1-14; Jacob Lombard; Miami Marlins; 2025 18U
• 1-15; Ryder Helfrick; Arizona Diamondbacks; 2025 CNT
• 1-16; Gio Rojas ; Texas Rangers; 2025 18U
• 1-18; Justin Lebron; Cincinnati Reds; 2024 CNT
• 1-19; Liam Peterson; Cleveland Guardians; 2024 & 2025 CNT
• 1-21; Coleman Borthwick; San Diego Padres; 2025 18U
• 1-23; Cade Townsend; Chicago Cubs; 2022 18U
• 1-24; Ace Reese; Seattle Mariners; 2025 CNT
• 1-25; Trey Ebel; Milwaukee Brewers; 2023 15U
• CB-A-29; Carson Bolemon; San Francisco Giants; 2025 18U
• CB-A-32; Tegan Kuhns; Saint Louis Cardinals; 2023 18U