The regular season for college and high school players around the United States is winding down. So, some prospects will be getting their final chance to impress scouts with the 2026 MLB Draft later this summer.
The Cleveland Guardians have made great use of the draft in recent years, with Chase DeLauter, a first-round pick in 2022, and Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, joining the team this season. Now, it’s time to figure out who might one day join them from this year’s draft.
MLB.com has the Guardians landing intriguing outfield prospect A.J. Gracia at No. 19 overall in its latest mock draft.
“19. Guardians: A.J. Gracia, OF, Virginia (No. 11),” Jim Callis wrote. “Gracia’s penchant for contact and good swing decisions could push him higher to a team that believes in his power and thinks he can stay in center field.”
Gracia began his college career at Duke, where he was a freshman All-American in 2024, before transferring to Virginia to follow coach Chris Pollard. A left-handed hitter, MLB.com describes him as “one of the better college bats in the class.”
This season, he has an impressive slash line of .321/.462/.600 with 53 hits and 51 runs scored in 44 games played. He also has 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. Virginia will take part in the ACC baseball tournament later this month, competing for an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
In his three college seasons, Gracia has a .305 batting average and a 1.019 OPS in 164 games. That includes 41 home runs with 141 walks and 121 strikeouts.
Gracia is likely to remain at his college position of center field in the minor leagues. That could put him in line to someday take over the position for the Guardians, who may lose Steven Kwan as a free agent or in a trade before the 2028 season.
With DeLauter having a very impressive rookie season, which includes a current 11-game hitting streak, and other prospects such as Jaison Chourio and Jace LaViolette, the Guardians seem to be well-stocked in their outfield pipeline. Of course, that could be said for just about any position in their excellent farm system.
Adding another top hitter like Gracia would only make their prospect pool stronger and could create notable competition for jobs in the future.
NEXT: Travis Bazzana Is Impacting The Game In Ways Stats Don't Show
