2026 MLB Draft Tracker
All-Time Big West MLB Draft Selections
The Big West had 21 representatives selected Sunday in the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft that consisted of 16 rounds from five through 20. The first four rounds of the draft took place on Saturday.
Combined with UC Santa Barbara’s Jackson Flora getting selected No. 4 overall and Cal State Fullerton’s Paul Contreras taken in the fourth round on day one, The Big West had 23 draft selections in this year's draft.
Cal Poly had seven selections with right-handed pitcher
Carson Turnquist, left-handed pitcher Josh Volmerding, catcher
Ryan Tayman, right-handed pitcher
Nick Bonn, third baseman
Alejandro Garza, right-handed pitcher
Griffin Naess and right-handed pitcher
Chris Downs. It is the most draft picks that the Mustang program has produced since 2009.
UC Santa Barbara had five picks in left-handed pitcher
Cole Tryba, right-handed pitcher
Calvin Proskey, right-handed pitcher
Nathan Aceves, right-handed pitcher
AJ Krodel and shortstop
Corey Nunez.
Three Tritons heard their names called in right-handed pitcher
Steele Murdock, shortstop
Anthony Potestio and outfielder
Gabe Camacho.
UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton produced two selections apiece with right-handed pitcher
Trevor Hansen and left-handed pitcher
Ryder Brooks for the Anteaters and left-handed pitcher
Mikiah Negrete and right-handed pitcher
Joseph Jasso for the Titans.
Hawai‘i and CSUN each had one pick in first baseman
Ben Zeigler-Namoa for the Rainbow Warriors and outfielder
Matthew Thomas for the Matadors.
Murdock was the first draftee from The Big West on the day, selected with the 139th pick in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins. The Triton righty was an All-Big West Honorable Mention last season after compiling 104 strikeouts in 74.0 innings on the season, including a program-record 17-strikeout performance against UC Santa Barbara.
Turnquist was the seventh-round pick of the Texas Rangers at 206th overall. The All-Big West Second Team member went 9-3 with a 4.01 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 76.1 innings in 2026.
Tryba went 217th overall in the seventh round to the Chicago Cubs. The two-time All-Big West honoree compiled five wins, four saves, a 3.50 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 43.2 innings last season.
Volmerding’s name was called in the eighth round, 244th overall, by the Boston Red Sox. The Mustang junior has amassed 139 strikeouts in three seasons at Cal Poly.
Hansen got tabbed as a Los Angeles Angel with the 259th selection in the ninth round. The Anteater ace went 7-4 and compiled 96 strikeouts in 78.1 frames in 2026. In 2025, Hanses was an All-Big West First Team member, going 9-3 with a 3.30 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 95.1 innings.
Tayman got the call by the New York Mets with the 270th pick in the ninth round. The 2026 Big West Co-Field Player of the Year slashed .357/.447/.672 with 18 home runs, 57 RBI and 53 runs on the season.
The Colorado Rockies picked Negrete with the 284th pick in the 10th round. The Cal State Fullerton ace was a 2026 All-Big West First Team selection, going 9-4 with a 2.70 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 100.0 innings.
Zeigler-Namoa was selected with the 292nd pick in the 10th round by the Atlanta Braves. The two-time All-Big West member has a career .292 batting average with 142 RBI and 137 runs in 199 career games as a Rainbow Warrior.
The St. Louis Cardinals got the last year’s national saves leader in Bonn with the 294th selection in the 10th round. The Cal Poly closer amassed 17 saves with a 3.44 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 49.2 innings in 2026.
Proskey’s name was called in the 11th round, 332nd overall, by the Cleveland Guardians. The Gaucho righty recorded a 2.87 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 31.1 innings on the season.
Potestio was selected in the 11th round, 338th overall by the New York Yankees. An All-Big West First Team selection in 2026, Potestio hit .298 with 56 hits, 12 doubles, 22 RBI, 45 runs and 12 steals. The UCSD shortstop hit .318 in 2024 and .331 in 2025.
The A’s made Aceves their 12th round choice, 351st overall. Aceves earned four wins with a 4.18 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 64.2 innings in 2026. Nine picks later at 360th overall, Krodel’s name was called. Krodel recorded four saves with 42 strikeouts in 35.0 innings.
The St. Louis Cardinals picked Thomas with the 384th pick in the 13th round. The Matador outfielder earned All-Big West First Team honors in 2026 after slashing .335/.411/.679 with 15 home runs, 43 RBI and 47 runs.
With the 427th pick in the 14th round, the Chicago Cubs selected Nunez. The All-Big West Second Team selection hit .280 with 15 RBI and 33 runs on the season.
In the 15th round with the 453rd pick, the Cleveland Guardians picked Garza. The two-time All-Big West First-Team member hit .318 with 50 RBI and 46 runs in 2026. In 2025, the Cal Poly third baseman slashed .365/.422/.518 with 47 RBI and 52 runs. Four selections after Garza, fellow Mustang Naess was called by the Chicago Cubs. Cal Poly’s Friday night starter went 8-5 with a 4.63 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 91.1 innings. A three-year starter, Naess had a 3.58 ERA in 2024 and a 3.93 ERA in 2025.
Jasso was picked with the 476th pick in the 16th round. The Titan righty amassed 25 strikeouts in 19.0 innings last season.
Camacho got the call with the 534th pick in the 18th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. The two-time All-Big West First Team outfielder compiled 16 home runs, 54 RBI and 51 runs in 2026. In 2025, Camacho hit .307 with seven home runs, 41 RBI and 41 runs.
The San Francisco Giants took Brooks with the 538th pick in the 18th round. The lefty has recorded 145 strikeouts in three seasons at UC Irvine.
With the 575th pick in the 19th round, the San Diego Padres took Downs. The lefty has a 10-1 record with 100 strikeouts in three years at Cal Poly.
Five alums from incoming Big West member institutions were selected in the draft. With the 168th pick in the sixth round, the Minnesota Twins tabbed Sacramento State right-handed pitcher
Ethan Lay. The Texas Rangers called Utah Valley outfielder
Kaden Carpenter in the ninth round, 267th overall. California Baptist left-handed pitcher
Cody New was picked in the 13th round, 343rd overall, by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the 13th round, the Cleveland Guardians took Sacramento State outfielder
Erick Dessens with the 393rd pick. California Baptist right-handed pitcher
Alfredo Capacete was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 417th pick in the 14th round.
Additionally, there were players who transferred out of The Big West that had their names called. With the 224th pick in the eighth round, the Colorado Rockies selected left-handed pitcher
Hudson Barrett from Oklahoma State. Barrett spent three seasons (2023-25) at UC Santa Barbara. The Rockies picked right-handed pitcher
Tanner Sagouspe from TCU with the 254th pick in the ninth round. Sagouspe was a four-year Mustang from 2022-25. Outfielder
Jack Salmon was called by the Los Angeles Angels in the 19th round, 559th overall. Salmon wore the Rainbow Warrior uniform for one year (2025).
Big West selections in 2026 MLB First-Year Players Draft
| Name, Position |
School |
Round |
Pick |
Team |
| Jackson Flora, RHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
1 |
4 |
San Francisco Giants |
| Paul Contreras, OF |
Cal State Fullerton |
4 |
127 |
New York Yankees |
| Steele Murdock, RHP |
UC San Diego |
5 |
139 |
Minnesota Twins |
| Carson Turnquist, RHP |
Cal Poly |
7 |
206 |
Texas Rangers |
| Cole Tryba, LHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
7 |
217 |
Chicago Cubs |
| Josh Volmerding, LHP |
Cal Poly |
8 |
244 |
Boston Red Sox |
| Trevor Hansen, RHP |
UC Irvine |
9 |
259 |
Los Angeles Angels |
| Ryan Tayman, C |
Cal Poly |
9 |
270 |
New York Mets |
| Mikiah Negrete, LHP |
Cal State Fullerton |
10 |
284 |
Colorado Rockies |
| Ben Zeigler-Namoa, 1B |
Hawai'i |
10 |
292 |
Atlanta Braves |
| Nick Bonn, RHP |
Cal Poly |
10 |
294 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
| Calvin Proskey, RHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
11 |
332 |
Cleveland Guardians |
| Anthony Potestio, SS |
UC San Diego |
11 |
338 |
New York Yankees |
| Nathan Aceves, RHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
12 |
351 |
A's |
| AJ Krodel, RHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
12 |
360 |
New York Mets |
| Matthew Thomas, OF |
CSUN |
13 |
384 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
| Corey Nunez, SS |
UC Santa Barbara |
14 |
427 |
Chicago Cubs |
| Alejandro Garza, 3B |
Cal Poly |
15 |
453 |
Cleveland Guardians |
| Griffin Naess, RHP |
Cal Poly |
15 |
457 |
Chicago Cubs |
| Joseph Jasso, RHP |
Cal State Fullerton |
16 |
476 |
Arizona Diamondbacks |
| Gabe Camacho, OF |
UC San Diego |
18 |
534 |
St. Louis Cardinals |
| Ryder Brooks, LHP |
UC Irvine |
18 |
538 |
San Francisco Giants |
| Chris Downs, LHP |
Cal Poly |
19 |
575 |
San Diego Padres |