2026 Reserve Mock Draft: Jokers Locked On Cholowsky

The RDBL Reserve Draft is where the long game truly begins. After the chaos, cash burn, and calculated gambles of the auction, this is the moment when franchises pivot from winning now to building next. Every name called in the Reserve Draft represents optionality—future surplus value, trade leverage, and the chance to lock in a cornerstone before the rest of the league catches up. It’s quieter than auction night, but make no mistake: this is where championships are often seeded years in advance.

Unlike the auction, where scarcity and contracts drive decision-making, the Reserve Draft rewards conviction. Teams can afford patience here. High school bats, international signees, college arms still ironing out secondaries—this is where GMs decide what kind of risk profile they’re willing to live with. In a points-based league like the RDBL, that calculus matters even more. Playing time, role certainty, and long-term OBP or innings volume often trump loud but volatile tools.

This mock Reserve Draft reflects that tension between upside and reliability. You’ll see clubs with aging cores lean aggressively into youth, contenders targeting proximity over projection, and rebuilding teams swinging big on ceiling. There’s also a noticeable trend toward premium defensive profiles up the middle and starting pitching with starter traits—even if relief floors loom in the background. In other words, these picks aren’t just about talent; they’re about fit.

As always, the Reserve Draft isn’t about being right on draft day—it’s about being early. Some of these names will rocket up Top 100 lists by midsummer. Others will stall, pivot roles, or become trade chips before ever reaching a big-league roster. But every selection tells you something about how a franchise sees its competitive window. With that in mind, here’s how the Reserve Draft might unfold if teams play their boards, not the room.

1. St. Joseph Jokers: SS Roch Cholowsky (UCLA)

Entering draft season, Cholowsky is widely viewed as the favorite to go 1st overall in June's MLB Draft, not because he has the loudest tools, but because he checks every box teams want in a franchise cornerstone. He offers defensive certainty, offensive reliability, and a strong probability of reaching the majors quickly. In fantasy and points-league contexts like the RDBL, that translates to a premium asset: high on-base production, everyday playing time, and a long runway of steady value rather than boom-or-bust outcomes.

2. Asti Grape Stompers: LHP Payton Tolle (Red Sox)

While Tolle wore a jet pack in his 2025 ascent, he’ll likely open 2026 in the Triple-A rotation to better define and refine his secondary mix. His double-plus fastball gives him an obvious late-innings floor, but the immense developmental strides he made in 2025 suggest a midrotation—or better—ceiling. “This is hard for me to say, but this guy, he’s a Jonny Lester-type guy to me—can’t-miss, dominant, big leaguer,” Double-A Portland manager Chad Epperson said. “This guy’s going to be really, really special.”

3. Spokane Fightin' Fish: SS Eli Willits (Nationals)

The former Oklahoma recruit brings a ton of energy to the diamond and is often seen trying to use his plus speed to take an extra bag, either on a hit or a steal attempt. He has the soft hands, proper footwork and above-average arm strength to be a potential plus shortstop by the time he becomes a Major Leaguer. Given his age, Willits will get plenty of time and space to develop in all aspects with the Nats, and if the power comes around, he could be a five-tool foundational piece of future Washington contenders.

4. Meinert Hops: OF Carson Benge (Mets)

Benge is an above-average runner, and while many expected his arm strength to push him to a corner, his reads improved enough in center that he could also be above average there. In a sign of the Mets’ growing confidence in him, Benge made 17 of his 24 defensive starts at Triple-A in the middle of the grass. There might not be a plus-plus tool here, but Benge is projecting as a regular contributor with above-average skills across the board and is dotting Top-20 rankings across off-season Top 100 Prospect Lists this off-season.

5. Mission Viejo Maulers: LHP Kade Anderson (Mariners)

The 6-foot-2 left-hander is athletic on the mound, repeating his delivery well with a quick arm and filling up the strike zone. There’s projection in his more slender frame, with the Mariners having a very good track record of teasing out more velocity with their pitching prospects. He could move quickly thanks to his advanced pitchability, and if his stuff keeps improving, he could evolve into a frontline starter.

6. Cloverdale Clovers: OF Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers)

An advanced hitter for his age, Quintero has a quick right-handed stroke and rarely chases pitches out of the zone. He makes hard contact to all fields and is launching balls in the air more regularly as he gains strength and experience, displaying at least 25-homer potential. While his discipline is admirable, he can get passive at times and had a 23 percent strikeout rate last year in part because he worked so many deep counts.

7. San Mateo Oppo Tacos: OF Edward Florentino (Pirates)

A left-handed hitter, Florentino continues to fill out his 6-foot-4 frame, adding more muscle this offseason. He's already doing a lot of damage with a solid overall approach. He drew walks, kept his strikeouts in check and limited his chase rate as he advanced in 2025. His combination of strength, exit velocities and bat path enable him to elevate easily, which in turn should help him get to excellent launch angles consistently and access his raw power more, and many think he's still only scratching the surface with how hard he can barrel the ball.

8. Mt. Diablo Devils: SS Tyler Spangler (De La Salle High School)

Spangler has a tall and lean 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame with high-end strength projection and an accurate barrel from the left side who often draws Corey Seager comps. He’s a long-limbed hitter who is able to make contact at a high clip, with quiet hands that he fires quickly into a compact, direct swing with a mature approach for his age. It’s an easy swing that delivers consistent quality contact, and Spangler has the bat speed and physical upside to project above-average-or-better power once he’s in his prime. He’s an above-average runner with good lateral agility and body control at shortstop for his size. Depending on his physical development, there’s a chance he could outgrow the position and go to third base, but his fluid actions, soft hands, strong arm and instincts all fit well at shortstop. Spangler is committed to Stanford, but is a strong bet to be a Top-10 pick in June's MLB Draft.

9. Honolulu Hammerheads: SS Caleb Bonemer (White Sox)

Bonemer was one of the breakout prospect stars of the 2025 season and fits right alongside Farm System anchors Kevin McGonigle and JJ Weatherholt for GM Ross Horiuchi. A 2024 second-round pick out of the Michigan prep ranks, Bonemer manages to blend a solid batting eye, infielder athleticism and alluring offensive potential. Bonemer was full of surprises in his first year as a pro, reining in a right-handed swing that tended to get long and uphill in the past and displaying advanced pitch recognition. He was able to avoid chasing pitches and make consistent hard contact without sacrificing his affinity for launching balls to his pull side. He'll need to make adjustments to handle non-fastballs after pounding heaters (1.003 OPS last year) but scuffling against secondaries (.622), though youth is on his side.

10. *San Mateo Oppo Tacos: RHP Cameron Flukey (Coastal Carolina)

Acquired from Maltese Falcons

Three of the 13 prospects under contract with the Oppo Tacos are hitters giving GM Erik Nielsen to strike with one of the best hurlers available in this year's MLB Draft. Flukey is a tall and lean righthander with a 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame who helped pitch Coastal Carolina to a College World Series appearance in 2025. After a solid freshman season in 2024, Flukey took a step forward as a sophomore when he posted a 3.28 ERA over 17 starts and 101.2 innings with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Flukey has a gangly look on the mound with a high leg kick and a deep, extended arm action before throwing from a three-quarters slot. He averaged 95 mph with his fastball and touched 98 while showing above-average riding life. Flukey did an excellent job attacking the zone with his fastball, which helped him cut his walk rate significantly. He throws two breaking balls: a mid-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape and a mid-80s gyro slider that gets increased usage against righties. Flukey also mixes in an occasional mid-80s changeup vs. lefties. With improved command, a projectable frame and a deep four-pitch mix, Flukey profiles as a first-round talent with a chance to be one of the first arms off the board.

11. Meinert Hops: OF Derek Curiel (LSU)

Acquired from Lake Merced Goutfish

While this selection is likely Spangler's floor, the Hops would happily pivot to LSU outfielder Derek Curiel who projects to be one of the top names off the board in June's MLB Draft. Curiel had a longstanding reputation as a pure hitter and advanced player in all phases of the game as a Southern California high schooler. His stock slipped in his draft year, and he wound up withdrawing from the 2024 draft and heading to campus at LSU as one of the most highly-touted freshmen in the country. He lived up to his billing as a pure hitter and slashed .345/.470/.519 with seven home runs and 20 doubles as the team’s leadoff man and everyday left fielder. Curiel is a potential plus hitter with a simple, rhythmic operation and clean lefthanded swing that leads to plenty of contact and hard line drives to all parts of the field. His bat-to-ball skills are excellent, but there are questions about how much power he’ll develop. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Curiel has a lean frame that might never add a huge amount of physicality, meaning he could be limited to below-average or fringy power production. Curiel isn’t a burner, but he’s a solid runner and an extremely instinctual outfield defender. He’s expected to move from left field to center field for LSU in 2026 and should be a good enough defender to stick there with a solid, accurate throwing arm.

12. Nashville Aristocrats: Jackson Flora (UCSB)

The 'Crats Scouting Director Russ Colburn continues to dip into the collegiate ranks with this selection. Flora pitched as a reliever during his freshman season with UC Santa Barbara, but in 2025 moved into the starting rotation to form an electric 1-2 punch with Tyler Bremner, who the Angels picked second overall in the draft. Flora has a chance to give UCSB its second straight first-round pitcher in 2026. He’s a 6-foot-5, 205-pound righthander with some effort in a delivery that’s accompanied by a head-whack, but he has a whippy arm stroke and no shortage of arm speed. He relies heavily on his lethal fastball-slider combination, and the two made up for 94% of the pitches he threw in 2025. Flora’s fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, but it’s been up to 100 mph. It explodes out of his hand and flashes ample life through the zone, and it plays especially well in the top-third thanks to its riding life. He’s also shown the ability to run it in on the hands of righthanded hitters. Flora’s sweeper flashes plus with late, lateral bite, but he has enough feel for the pitch where he’s able to manipulate its shape and back-foot it to lefthanded hitters. He added a promising kick-change and a more slurvy curveball in the offseason, but in 2025 relied mostly on his fastball/slider combo in games.

13. Lunatic Fringe: C Rainel Rodriguez (Cardinals)

Rodriguez, who spent some time in the U.S. in the Philadelphia area as a kid, signed with the Cardinals for $300,000 in April 2024, and two years later, the Dominican Republic native has become one of the best prospects in his international class and one of the best catching prospects in all of baseball. After a standout Dominican Summer League debut campaign in which he slugged .683 and posted a 1.145 OPS in 41 games, he continued his rise stateside in 2025 with a .276/.399/.555 line in 84 games across the Rookie-level Florida Complex League, Single-A Palm Beach and High-A Peoria. His 20 homers were tied for seventh-most among all Minor League catchers, despite coming in only 368 plate appearances.

14. Alamo Short Stacks: SS Luis Hernandez (Giants)

The San Francisco Giants made a major statement on the international market by signing Luis Hernández, widely viewed as the top amateur talent in his class. A Venezuelan shortstop with an advanced all-around profile, Hernández stands out less for one loud tool and more for how polished his entire game already is at such a young age. Offensively, Hernández is defined by his hit tool. Scouts consistently praise his mature approach, strong pitch recognition, and ability to make quality contact to all fields. He projects as a high-average hitter with emerging power rather than a pure slugger, with many evaluators expecting above-average game power as he fills out physically. His swing is compact and repeatable, giving him a relatively high offensive floor for an international signee.

15. Burlingame Blue Ducks: LHP Connelly Early (Red Sox)

Early was one of Boston’s biggest breakout arms in 2025. He struck out 11 batters in his big league debut and strung together a trio of solid outings, showing the Red Sox enough to trust him to start an elimination playoff game. He has the look of a polished midrotation starter in relatively short order adding another piece to a run the Ducks hope will bring home multiple RDBL Championships.