Cardinals Land Deep 2026 NL Central Draft Class as Reds Bet on Justin Lebron

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 16

Keith Law’s NL Central draft review singled out St. Louis as one of the strongest classes, saying the Cardinals used extra picks to build a deep, balanced group after the 2026 draft.
St. Louis’ haul was led by first-round outfielder Trevor Condon and compensation-round right-hander Tegan Kuhns, with high-upside 17-year-old shortstop Rocco Maniscalco and several later value plays adding depth.
Cincinnati took one of the division’s biggest swings with first-round shortstop Justin Lebron, whose plus tools and 20/20 upside come with major contact risk, then steadied the class with college picks such as Eric Becker and Mulivai Levu.
Elsewhere, Law highlighted the Cubs’ college-heavy, pitching-led group, the Brewers’ balanced class fronted by Trey Ebel, and the Pirates’ early focus on polished college bats led by Derek Curiel.
Like Law’s AL Central report a day earlier, the NL Central installment evaluated only the top 10 rounds, the portion tied to each club’s bonus pool.