The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday afternoon in what projects to be an important two days for the Tennessee baseball program. That’s particularly the case for Tennessee’s highly touted recruiting class which includes a plethora of players who could opt for professional baseball instead of attending Tennessee next season.
Ten Tennessee prep signees are top 250 draft prospects according to MLB Pipeline including Trevor Condon and Jared Grindlinger who are projected first round picks with little chance of making it to college.
The first four rounds of the draft are on Saturday and a number of other Vol signees could be drafted while Tennessee hopes for its fair share of draft wins to go along with the inevitable blows. This story will be updated all afternoon when Tennessee signees are selected.
More From RTI: Where Tennessee Baseball Players, Commits Land In Final MLB Mock Drafts, Rankings
OF/LHP Jared Grindlinger
- Pick No. 12
- Los Angeles Angels
The younger brother of Tennessee catcher Trent Grindlinger, Jared committed to the Vols back in the spring. However, Tennessee was also fighting an uphill battle to get the two-way standout to campus. It became increasingly unlikely over the last few months when Grindlinger moved up draft boards into the first half of the opening round.
On the mound, Grindlinger posted a 0.85 ERA and totaled 66 strikeouts in 57.1 innings pitched in his high school senior season. At the plate, the Huntington Beach native hit .376 with 14 extra-base hits according to MaxPreps. The Angels drafted Grindlinger as an outfielder.
Tennessee retained left-handed pitcher Cam Appenzeller this offseason while also landing multiple transfer left-handed pitchers including Jake McCoy, Brody Trosclair and Ricky Ojeda. In the outfield, Tennessee returns Blaine Brown while landing Wright State outfielder Andrew Duncan. A number of returning utility men are also capable of playing in the outfield.
OF Trevor Condon
- Pick No. 13
- St. Louis Cardinals
Condon committed to Tennessee in September 2024 at the beginning of his junior season and remained locked in with the Vols through Tony Vitello’s departure and Josh Elander taking over as head coach.
But as time passed, it became increasingly unlikely that the top prep player in the state of Georgia would make it to Tennessee.
Condon would have been a plug-and-play outfielder for Tennessee. The Vols retained Blaine Brown and landed Wright State outfielder Andrew Duncan out of the transfer portal. A number of returning utility men are also capable of playing in the outfield.
