Top 3 First-Round Draft Targets for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026

During the 2025 Winter Meetings, the buzz was all about the biggest free agents on the market. Kyle Schwarber, Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, and others all inked deals for the upcoming season, which meant most of the conversations were about these blockbuster deals.

However, the MLB Draft Lottery also took place during this time, and we saw some shocking changes in position. Unfortunately, not every team could be a winner, and the Pittsburgh Pirates were one of these teams.

They had the third-best odds to land the first overall pick, yet slipped to the number five spot in their final year with top ten eligibility. Due to this, our draft team ranked the Pirates as one of the three biggest losers from this year’s lottery.

Luckily for the Bucs, the 2026 MLB Draft is loaded with talent, as the class currently projects to be one of the best in recent memory. While the Pirates likely won’t take home the coveted prize that is UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, there will be plenty of other quality names available for the taking next July.

Now that we know where the Pirates will be selecting next July, let’s take an early peek at some potential suitors for the club with the fifth overall pick.

Establishing the Pirates’ Needs

Before we take a look at some of the potential fits for the Pirates at fifth overall next season, we first have to quickly establish their needs ahead of the draft. The theme for the past few seasons has been the Pirates’ desperate need to land a quality bat early in the draft, and this season is the perfect opportunity to pull this off.

Not only do the Pirates need to land a quality bat early in the draft, but they need to find a player who can impact their big league roster as soon as possible. The Pirates have struggled to supplement their pitching staff with a competent offense, and with the clock now ticking on this young rotation, they need someone who can help them as soon as possible.

Luckily for the Pirates, both of these factors shouldn’t be hard to address with their first pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. This year’s class is loaded with college talent near the top of the draft, and multiple players in this range could hit the ground running once they arrive on the pro scene.

A.J. Gracia, OF, Virginia

As of right now, when looking at the Pirates’ depth, the first thing that stands out is their lack of legitimate outfielders who are close to making their big league debuts. The Pirates may have a perfect opportunity to land Virginia outfielder A.J. Gracia fifth overall, a player who could totally flip the script on this narrative.

The 2026 season has a chance to be make or break for Gracia. After transferring from Duke to Virginia following the 2025 season, Gracia has a chance to showcase another tool in his repertoire: adaptability.

When it comes to his profile, Gracia’s tools are off the charts. He’s flashed a well-rounded offensive profile at times during his college career from the left side of the plate, something that’s grabbed the attention of scouts across the country. His bat speed is off the charts, and he’s regularly seen driving balls deep into the gap.

Gracia makes fantastic swing decisions, which, when paired with his elite bat-to-ball skills, make for a dangerous blend. Sometimes, he can be so passive that it puts him in a hole early, but this shouldn’t be too difficult to correct at the next level. If he could attack pitches early in at-bats more often, we could see his power develop even further than it has through his first two college seasons.

If the Pirates take a chance on Gracia, they’ll be betting on the offensive upside. He’s currently ranked as our number two college prospect in the 2026 class, meaning the Pirates will be quite fortunate if he makes it to them at number five overall.

Chris Hacopian, SS/3B, Texas A&M

As I mentioned earlier in this story, the Pirates are in desperate need of a prospect that can move quickly through the minor leagues and make an impact at the next level quickly. In my opinion, Aggies infielder Chris Hacopian has a high chance to be this type of player, as his contact/power blend is one of the best in the college scene.

Similar to Gracia, Hacopian’s last real test in college will be how he handles his SEC pitching after transferring from Maryland to Texas A&M this offseason. If he can hit SEC pitching as well as he handled BIG 10 arms, he’ll be in a fantastic position come draft day.

When watching Hacopian hit, the first thing that stands out is his sizable leg kick, which provides quite the violent hack. Contrary to typical trends in these types of hitters, Hacopain doesn’t sacrifice his batted ball skills along the way. For example, his 95% contact rate against heaters is a video-game-like metric.

Hacopian displayed high exit velocities and elite barrel rates throughout his time at Maryland, all while whiffing just 15% of the time in 2025. His profile is very projectable because of this, which is a huge reason he has some of the most offensive upside in the 2026 class.

Defensively, he’s been a serviceable shortstop while playing at Maryland, but his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame will likely push him to third base once he reaches professional baseball. If he does have to make this transition, he’ll handle it with nothing but grace.

After seeing Hacopian up close during the 2025 season, he quickly became one of my favorite draft prospects in the 2026 class. He’s an 80-grade personality who plays the game hard, two characteristics that’ll translate well into professional baseball. If Hacopian is available for the Pirates in 2026, they should think hard about having him wear the black and gold moving forward.

Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama

If the Pirates are hoping to add a true athlete with the chance to rise quickly through the minor leagues with the fifth pick in next year’s draft, Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron might be the perfect answer. Coming off a monster 2025 season, Lebron has quickly become one of this year’s most intriguing prospects.

During this year’s college baseball season, Lebron caught the eyes of scouts all across the nation thanks to a huge uptick in power. Lebron slugged a career-high 18 homers, soaring past his previous career-high exit velocity in the process. For example, Lebron didn’t reach the 106 MPH exit velocity mark once in 2024, yet in 2025, he surpassed this mark multiple times.

Lebron’s hands are some of the quickest in this class, which has been a huge part of his offensive profile. Lebron’s ability to pull the baseball in the air has also become a huge reason he’s hit for so much power. Despite serious pull side pop, he has the ability to drive the ball to all sides of the field, while crushing heaters along the way.

One of Lebron’s final tests during the 2026 season will be improving his hit tool. If he can avoid chasing breaking balls outside of the zone, we could see Lebron take yet another step forward offensively.

To put it simply, Lebron is one of the better athletes in this year’s class, too. He’s flashed a refined skill set at shortstop, and thanks to his speed, he’s been able to have significant range at the position. This has also translated to the basepaths, as Lebron went 17-for-18 on steals during the 2025 college season.

Lebron looks like a pretty complete player already, and there’s still a lot of potential to dream on if he can hammer out some of his weaknesses. At the very least, the Pirates could fall back on his sheer athleticism. Overall, he’d be a great choice with a lot of upside for the club at number five overall.