Gone are the days of 101 rounds in the MLB draft. (Yes, that occurred in 1990.)
Would Mike Piazza (round 62 in 1988) have been given any chance to play pro ball today?
Or Keith Hernandez (42nd round)?
Probably not.
This year, as in the past five years, the MLB draft consists of only 20 rounds. A cut from 40 to 20 followed what can be viewed as either a smart consolidation of minor league teams or a money-driven gutting of small-town, minor league baseball.
In any case, 20 rounds means far fewer players’ names called and fewer surprises.
What 20 rounds will mean this year for local talent is a guess.
Only one athlete who played high school ball here this spring attended the recent 300-plus-player MLB Combine, where scouts and executives got a multiple-day look at young players’ strengths and weaknesses in a lead-up to this year’s draft, which will be held July 11-12.
That was Mamaroneck shortstop Will Plunkett, who has power, speed, a good glove and a good arm.
It will be a surprise if he isn’t taken, but the when and by whom are unknowns. If he isn’t drafted until late, chances seem good he’ll head north to play collegiate ball at Div. I Binghamton, where he has accepted a full scholarship.
One other area player attended the combine, although he played his high school baseball in New Jersey.
Multiple reports have Eric Becker listed as a potential high draft choice. He’s from Thiells in Rockland County, but Becker attended and played for Don Bosco Prep in the Garden State before going to the University of Virginia, where, the 21-year-old, who just finished his junior year, has been pretty much every inch a star.
MLB teams are drifting more toward taking college players, judging them a more polished and largely better known product than high school kids, whose play and just physical size is in much more of a developmental stage, despite their ceilings being potentially higher.
That said, it won’t be a surprise if Plunkett and possibly a few more young, local players find their names called this weekend.
Below is a list in alphabetical order of possible local draftees.
Eric Becker
Position: Infielder
Bats/throws: Left/right
High school: Don Bosco Prep
College: Virginia
On Becker: Becker, from Thiells, was on the 2025 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. This season for Virginia, he hit .317 over 46 games. Although Becker missed 13 games due to a hand injury, he had 57 hits, including a team-leading 16 doubles, as well as one triple and seven home runs. The leadoff hitter in more than half the games he played, Becker had 42 RBI. Whether a plus, minus or neither, he was also hit by a pitch 18 times. Multiple analysts have Becker going in the first round and, for that matter, in the first half of the first round.
Devin Diaz
Position: Catcher
Bats/throws: Right/right
High school: Iona Prep
College commitment: Miami
On Diaz: The question here isn’t whether Diaz has the tools to attract interest. It’s whether the recent Iona Prep grad’s commitment to play for the University of Miami may push him off the board. But it’s hard to ignore his numbers. The CHSAA Player of the Year hit .418, with 41 hits, 54 runs scored, three home runs and 18 runs batted in. He is supposed to have a gun for an arm. But a catcher who has the speed to swipe 38 bases, as he did this season, might also be someone, if he is drafted this weekend,, could be converted into a shortstop, third baseman or outfielder.
Julian Guzman
Position: Shortstop
Bats/throws: Switch/right
High school: Iona Prep
College commitment: Maryland
On Guzman: The Iona Prep shortstop will, if not drafted, play next year for the University of Maryland. As with his teammate Diaz, the question is whether a team will take a chance on potentially wasting a pick on someone committed to a big Div. I program. But numbers don’t lie. Guzman is the kind of player that will at least draw interest due to his 2026 stat line: .431 average, 44 hits, two homers, 40 RBI and 36 stolen bases.
Jake Malfant
Position: Shortstop
Bats/throws: Right/right
High school: Walter Panas
College commitment: Connecticut
On Malfant: The recent Panas grad and four-year varsity player, who’s committed to Div. I UConn, isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue as far as this weekend’s draft goes, but his name has been mentioned. There’s good reason for that. The shortstop hit .472 this spring with a .592 on-base percentage. While he didn’t have a ton of RBI (13), he was always a threat to steal and had 24 swipes.
Quinn Miller
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Bats/Throws: Right/right
High school: Clarkstown North
College commitment: U.S. Military Academy at West Point
On Miller: Mark this pick as unlikely only because of the hurler’s resolve to play for West Point next year. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want a career in pro ball. But, at this point, the talented righty wants both a baseball and an Army career and talks about seeking a service delay if pro baseball comes calling after his time at West Point. That said, some organization might risk at least a late pick on a kid who has hit mid-90s with his fastball and this season had an ERA of 0.20 and struck out 74 batters in 35 1/3 innings. His .345 batting average is just gravy.
Will Plunkett
Position: Shortstop
Bats/Throws: Right/right
High school: Mamaroneck
College commitment: Binghamton
On Plunkett: The Westchester/Putnam Baseball Player of the Year was not only the only local high school player to attend the MLB Combine but also the only player from New York to be honored as an All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He was second team. Plunkett, as noted above, is committed to Binghamton. But a first-day selection might change his mind. This year, he hit .485 over 26 games with a .611 on-base percentage, 28 walks, 32 hits, 23 stolen bases, 36 runs scored, six home runs and 28 RBI. Those are numbers to attract any MLB organization’s interest and some analysts suggest that despite MLB’s tilt now toward collegians, Plunkett could be selected Saturday and in the top 200 of the 616-player draft.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: The 2026 MLB Draft’s possible picks from the Lower Hudson Valley
Reporting by Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
